It was as good a Friday can be

Match Review: Sengkang Punggol vs HUFC

"While many had thought the writing was already on the wall for Sengkang before the match had even begun, Home may rue their missed chances, as they had the lion’s share of chances throughout the night."

It was literally a very Good Friday for Home United as they clinched the winner with a hard-fought 1-0 win over a rejuvenated Sengkang Punggol.

The team that had been selected by coach Vincent did ring a couple of surprises: the team lined up in a 4-3-1-2 formation for the first time, as Hairul Hadar made his debut at left back, coming in for Juma’at who had suffered a minor injury while during training. While many had thought the writing was already on the wall for Sengkang before the match had even begun, Home may rue their missed chances, as they had the lion’s share of chances throughout the night.

Sengkang were no mugs and came out with a game plan to foil Home’s attack. The Protectors though never let up and produced the first chance of the evening when Qiu Li shot wide from outside the box. Indra could have put Home into the lead when after beating the offside trap, he shot just wide of Amos Boon’s left post. It was the shape of things to come as Home’s ex-keeper Amos produced numerous saves. Mohamed Mardani in particular showed why he gets better with age, as he kept the strikers quiet for over an hour. He proved difficult to breach as he had to hack Rosman’s crosses clear on two occasions, and then make an attempt to block Qiu Li as he tried a first-time effort.

As the half wore on, things begun to get a little interesting, as both teams were up for the challenge as they fought for every ball. Fouls and booking came in thick and fast. Both Indra and Jia Yi tried pot shots against Amos, but found the man in uncompromising mood as he brilliantly tipped away their efforts. Both teams emerged from the dressing room as they looked to do another 45-min battle. The players would probably have to work on the crosses a little bit more, as both teams were guilty of not using them effectively, with lofted balls going straight to either keeper. Sengkang to their credit did have moments of their own where they threatened to score, but somehow could not find the net. Haris Sumri nearly put his former team to the sword as he robbed Diakite of possession, but blasted his shot way wide. Diakite had early produced a shot of the highest quality when he found space to test Amos 30 yards out, but Amos denied him once more. Qiu Li had his chip crash off the bar on 57 mins before going off to be replaced by Kone.The goal that fans had long been waiting for finally arrived on 70 minutes. Jia Yi set Hairul free with a raking pass down the left, who in turn made a first time cross. The ball should have been cleared by Tinkler, but it dropped and fell on so kindly for Shahril Ishak, who gleefully nipped in and stabbed the ball past Amos.

Resilience and discipline have kept Home in check, while Sengkang and Angelucci in particular began to get frustrated. The Protectors had another good chance to add to the score in injury time, but Diakite miscued his shot badly, after Ludovick’s cutback. Not that the players are overly concerned though. Barring a few minor adjustments, the squad can well and truly go far. Next up, Woodlands away. Keep the momentum going, lads.

Sengkang Punggol 0: 1 HUFC

(from hufc.com.sg)

Sengkang Punggol 0:1 HUFC
Home United dominated play the whole night and only managed a single goal. Home's shooters really need to zero their guns. Neverthless it is 3 points earned. Next up ... bring on the wounded Rams for target.

Sengkang Punggol vs HUFC- 6 Apr 07 @ Jln Besar - Friday Nite Action

"The Protectors would therefore need to keep themselves in tip-top condition, as there would be no such thing as easy games anymore."

(From HUFC.com.sg)

Home United meet Sengkang Punggol in a Friday night encounter at the Jalan Besar Stadium, with both teams looking to build on their promising starts to the 2007 S-League campaign. As far as early counter have shown, both teams are clearly intent on making this season one to remember for their fans and supporters alike.

Home United enter this game on the back of three win and a draw, and are therefore unbeaten currently. The only botch in their copybook was the Wednesday night draw at home to the White Swans of Albirex. Despite having the lion's share of chances, they could not convert opportunities into goals, with veteran keeper Norio Takahashi proving a stumbling block. They put ten men behind the ball, and with the benefit of hindsight, Home probably should have held the Japanese back in their own half. The Protectors would also do well to remember that Sengkang have four ex-Home players in their ranks.

Meanwhile, things have looked much brighter for the Dolphins after some minor rebuilding behind the scenes. All of their foreign quartet bar Jon Angelucci have left, including Kim Grant, and in comes Ross McKenzie, Cole Tinkler and Paul Ekollo. All three have begun to create an impression, as Sengkang seek to redeem lost pride after finishing bottom last year. Their fighting spirit was clear for all to see as they held defending champions SAFFC to a 1-1 draw. Though the Geylang match was a slight blip in their system, they have followed up with an excellent 3-1 win over a faltering Albirex, and last but not least the thrilling 3-3 draw with the Young Lions on Sunday night.

Sengkang’s Suriyandi Naib has seeming begun to show people what he's capable of. On top of his stunning long range equaliser against Young Lions late on, he performs better with each passing game on the left of a midfield diamond or a midfield three. Firdaus Salleh is doing his all in hold the midfield in shape. Meanwhile Mardani is proving the old adage that 'you get better with age' as he shores up the defence well in addition to his well-time interceptions.

The Protectors would therefore need to keep themselves in tip-top condition, as there would be no such thing as easy games anymore. Complacency is a real danger and the players would probably be reminded that they must not let the opposition take control when they do not have the ball. Home has three difficult fixtures coming up in the shape of Woodlands, Young Lions and Tampines during this month. The onus for them is to treat all of them seriously and get some positives out of it. Be present on Friday night to find out.

HOME UNITED THIS SEASON

"Qiu Li will look to fill the boots of HUFC legend, Egmar Concalves and judging from his performance so far, he should be able to meet the expectations of the coach and fans alike." -PC Foo - Die Hard Fan of HUFC

Name: Qiu Li
Jersey Number: 9
Position: Forward
DOB: 06.06.81
Nationality: China

Article by PC Foo - Die Hard Fan of HUFC

The Sleague is four weeks into its 12th edition and the usual suspects are up there in the league table. Defending champions SAFFC and Tampines are ahead of HUFC although HUFC have a game in hand. HUFC should be able to wrestle back top position from SAFFC after this Friday's duel with Senkang Punggol.

This year, HUFC assembled a squad that IMHO, is the most prepared to mount a serious title challenge since they last won the title in 2003. Lets look at the key players that can possibly decide HUFC's fate this season.

With 2005 AFF player of the tournament in goal, HUFC have one of the best, if not the best keeper in Asia in Lionel Lewis. Although HUFC has dished out the results so far, one will do well to take note that part of the credit has to be given to Lionel. He made numerous saves in the outings against Gombak and Liaoning when HUFC were leading by a single goal. His agile reflexes and excellent handling kept the opponents at bay and laid the platform for HUFC's victories in those games. His huge frame will come in useful in one to one and deadball situations especially most of the HUFC defenders are relatively small sized.

Captain S. Subramani possess an abundance of experience both from playing in the Sleague and with the national team. This is crucial especially HUFC seems to have a pretty young bunch of defenders this time round. His excellent reading of the game, coupled with his tireless running has made him a captain that young players like Sharil Alias can look up to.

China born midfielder, Shi Jiayi, is another player that has impressed so far. His distribution from midfield has been pin point and his ability to fetch and carry the ball has allowed him to contribute 2 assists in the game against Gombak. Seeing the way Jiayi plays reminds me of Surachai, the current assistant coach of HUFC. He has been pivotal in Singapore's defense of the AFF cup and he will be the main man to spray the passes from midfield for HUFC's pacy strikers to pounce on.

Joining Jiayi from Young Lions is another national stalwart, Sharil Ishak. This 23 yrs-old midfielder scored a brace in the opening game against Korean Reds and made an assist for Indra in that game before missing 2 games with injury. His creativity and excellent control of the ball complements the ball distribution skills of Jiayi and the two of them will look to carve out numerous opportunities for HUFC's forwards. Sharil Ishak is one player who has improved leaps and bounds since he made his debut with the Young Lions in 2003 and he is definitely one player that HUFC will do well to keep under its payroll in the years ahead.

The versatile Diakite Fode Bangaly has caught the eye by protecting the back four and his work rate in midfield. His header goal against Gombak is the 1st of many to come for Home United. The Ivorian looks extremely comfortable on the ball and from the way he has played so far, its hard to believe that this lad is only 22 yrs-old. He started in defence against Woodlands in the Singtel cup before being pushed up to midfield in the 1st four Sleague games. I suspect the coach will deploy Diakite in defence again when HUFC come up against the big guns like Tampines or SAFFC.

Fellow Ivorian, Kone Hamed has won 4 man of the match award from Sleague.com so far. 4 out of 4 man of the match is no mean feat! He is the star performer for HUFC with his mazy dribbling, tricky and pace down the left flank. His 2 crucial assists against Liaoning has enabled HUFC to come away with 3 vital points against a very stubborn Liaoning defence. IMHO, this 22 yrs-old Ivorian has more than filled the void on the left of midfield due to the departure of Sutee Susomkit and he is definitely one player that Singapore coach, should pay attention to.

Chinese forward, Qiu Li, is another player that HUFC has signed from Young Lions. This powerful built forward will look to fill the boots of HUFC legend, Egmar Concalves and judging from his performance so far, he should be able to meet the expectations of the coach and fans alike. The forward who has scored 19 goals last season has impressed with his strength on the ball and his shooting ability and has scored on his HUFC debut, just like Kone.

Lastly, lets take a look at Indra Sahdan, a player who needs no introduction. His past records speaks for itself and should he keep himself injury free this season, expect him to challenge Alam Shah and Duric for the top scorers title come end of the season. Judging from the supply of ammunition that he is getting from players like Jiayi, Sharil Ishak, Qiu Li, Kone, etc, it will be no surprise if he becomes the 1st Singapore born player to capture the award.

With the array of talents on show at Bishan, what are you supporters waiting for? Come on down to Bishan on match days and turn it into a fortress that opponents fear visiting!

(Congratulations PC FOO. You are officially our first HUFC die hard fan to walk away with a pair of complimentary tickets. Our staff will contact you shortly. Thank you!)

Submit a good article = Two complimentary tickets

Hey fans

Someone asked whether writing for the HUFC blog have perks.

Well the answer is yes - but of course lah - hard work leh :) Anyway, I have spoken to the wonderful chaps at the Club, and they have agreed on a fabulous offer to reward fans who can contribute good articles to the HUFC blog.

Once your article get posted on the HUFC blog - YOU GET TWO COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS. (I also don't have..)

Some may ask "what is good huh". The answer is I don't know, it's going to be very subjective. Like American Idol preliminary round - the judges' decision is final (no choice). But I think the judges at HUFC are more lenient than Paula Abdul. Some examples to help you along:

• If you attend a football clinic run by HUFC and write and post photos about it - good!
  
• If you go Bishan, saw Lionel or any of our guys, took a photo with him - good!
• If you go to a match, took some great photos of the match or the atmosphere and/or write about it - good!
• If your article only contain swear words and curses, and by the time we censor time there's nothing substantial left - bad!

Ok, you get the gist. Bottomline is keep trying.

So how to go about doing it? Very simple, just three steps:

1. Write some good stuff / can also attach photos with captions or text;
2. Attach your name (and/or moniker to be seen online), NRIC/ Student Pass nos. (for verification) and contact number;
   
3. Email to homeutd@gmail.com

Once the panel of judges at HUFC give the thumbs up, they will post your article online. Someone from the Club will then contact you on collect the complimentary tickets.

I repeat - their decision is final - so don't bother complaining. Just keep trying. And for the complimentary tickets - TILL STOCKS LAST.

Happy writing, and good luck.

And give a round of applause to the good chaps at Home United. No wonder we love em.

Letters from Bishan

All hands on deck. Letters from I-wont Bishan will definitely be on the minds of the Albirex Niigata boys after the beating they are likely to get when they visit the Protectors at their dragon lair in Bishan this week. Riding on their emphatic win over the their last three opponents, the odds are definitely against the Japanese visitors. Raise the red, white and blue flag ... the Japs are going down.

(another article from Sleague)

Syahrom Sulaiman
info@sleague.com

Early pacesetter Home United will host Albirex Niigata FC (S) at Bishan Stadium on Wednesday night in a bid to maintain their 100% record.

A home victory - pardon the pun - will earn the Protectors the right to be labeled as serious title contenders this early in the season.

Nevertheless, a match against the White Swans will be anything but easy.

They may be languishing near the foot of the table but once coach Hiroaki Hiraoka get all his players to click together into one cohesive unit, the White Swans will be a force to be reckoned with.

Rightback Eiichiro Ozaki is the team’s dead ball specialist and even though he has yet to open his account this season, it will only be a matter of time before the defenders starts to dazzle spectators with his lethal freekicks.

Protectors’ head coach Vincent Subramaniam knows that his team will be in for a tough time on Wednesday.

“Albirex (Niigata FC (S)) are currently not in a good league position at the moment and they will definitely come out fighting when we play against them,” he said.

Jerome Seow, a long-time Home United supporter, also foresees the danger posed by the White Swans’ front men, especially the club’s top scorer Tetsuya Okayama.

Jerome commented, “Albirex (Niigata FC (S)) use a lot of speed in their attacks and Home United’s defence may not have the pace to deal with their speedy strikers. Therefore, the back four will have to maintain their shape and display better technical ability in defence.”

“But I am confident that Home (United) should be able to get the three points nonetheless,” Jerome said.

A recent 4-0 victory over Gombak United will have done the Protectors a whole lot of good in terms of confidence, but coach Vincent still feels that his side is far from being the finished article.

Vincent said, “I am not impressed at all with the victory over Gombak (United). I think the players could have done much better in the game.

“The new players will be given opportunities to prove themselves and the good news is that all of them are keen and ready to play.”

Out of all the new players whom Home United have drafted into their roster at the beginning of the season, Jerome feels that Ivorian midfielder Diakite Fode Bangaly is the man to look out for.

Jerome said enthusiastically, “Diakite is a typical hard man in midfield who wins the ball and has a good range of passing.

“He (Diakite) is the type of player whom Home United have been missing in the past few seasons. Diakite protects the defence as well as contributes in attack.

“The goal he scored against Gombak (United) is proof of his offensive instincts. His height also makes him an asset during set plays,” Jerome added.

The Protectors will be without defender Kamarulariffin Abdul Karim who is carrying an injury but Vincent nevertheless has a good replacement in Shahril Alias.

The White Swans will have no major injury or suspension worries – the only thing that coach Hiroaki Hiraoka needs to be concerned about is to devise a strategy in stifling the in-form Protectors this Wednesday.

Lift your hands up in the air in the air.

Many would agree that the fans are as vital as the players. So what if a team have the best preview but there is no fans to suport them during the game. Our fan club are always there for every Home& Away game to create the atmosphere and excitement with their cheering and drum rhythm. I have managed to capture our fan club and cheerleaders in action as a showcase of their hard work. Instead of watching the live matches at home or seating by the grandstand why not come on down and support us by joinging the fan club!!