SIA Veterans

REPORTED BY KEN WONG

Full Time: ODS 8 - 1 SIA Veterans(Half time: 4 - 0)
Scorers: Cheen Ming [x02], Mark Penu [x01], Mark Teo [x01], Kim Chuan [x02], Sng [x01], Kiran [x01]
Man Of Match: Cheen Ming

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Starting Line-Up
GK: Kumar
Def[L-R]: Hairy, Vincent, Rosk, Ken Wong
Mid[L-R]: Irwin, Mark Teo, Mark Penu, Yang Song
Striker: Elango, Dennis

After last week dismay display, ODS roared back with a huge victory with debutant Cheen Ming scoring a brace, getting a huge moral booster following a slow and lethargic start to to the season.

With Osman out ("on loan"), ODS needed some variation and pace to their game play, and Cheen Ming could not have came at a better time.

For majority of the first half, ODS was hardly threatened, with most of the play in the opponent's half. Kumar barely had any saves to make.
ODS first scare was when a through ball was played with both the striker and Ken Wong racing towards the ball. Ken Wong got to the ball first, and managed to turn round the striker. But he was held back with the striker pulling his jersey, and thus lost possession. (How can the referee miss such obvious offence and allow it to go unpunished?) Thankfully, the shot went wide.

ODS was lively once again, stroking and passing the ball around. But Elango was caught offside on many occassions resulting in breaks in the attack, though some decisions may seem dubious.

Mark Teo is back after a short injury layoff and is commanding the midfield, winning the ball and setting up attacks.

Dennis took his exit after about twenty minutes due to severe lack of match fitness.
Cheen Ming took his place as a striker.

With Cheen Ming doing all the clever runs, ODS had much more options, rather than just crossing to Elango who was often offside.

Cheen Ming (nicknamed Michael Owen by some ODS players when he was previously playing for ORA) was making life difficult for the defenders as his pace and great dribbling skills proved too handful for the veterans.
On one occassion, he managed to keep the ball in play with the ball yet to fully cross the line, and the opponents were calling for a touch in, but the referee waved play-on. Cheen Ming raced to the goal-line and set up Elango for a simple tap-in. But Elango missed, and shot wide from less than six yards out.

Cheen Ming scored on his debut, after a one-two set him through on goal and his clinical finishing left the keeper with no chance.

1-0

Mark Penu got his goal from a freekick, when the ball wickedly dipped just as it looked as it was going over the crossbar. Keeper stood rooted to the spot as the ball went in just over his head.

2-0

Cheen Ming got his second goal from a counter attack. He ran from the half way line and left the defenders way behind him and the rest was textbook stuff, slotting the ball past the keeper.
It is indeed thankful that he is now playing in our team and not against us as the opponents.

3-0

Cheen Ming should have gotten his hat-trick after his awesome display of dribbling skills put himself clear for a shot on goal, but his shot clipped the outside of the goal and went out for a goal kick.

Mark Teo marked his return from injury with a long range effort and the keeper could only parried it into his own net.

4-0

Mark Penu, too, should have gotten his second goal, when Yang Song released him free following a counter attack. Mark Penu picked up the through and ran at least thirty meters towards goal. With Cheen Ming and Ken Wong on either side of him, Mark Penu chose to go for goal himself, shooting tamely and directly at the keeper just inside the penalty area.

An indirect free kick should have been awarded to ODS when the opponent keeper picked up the ball again after releasing it from his hands from a shot.
But the referee was standing in his "comfort zone" which is at the centre circle in midfield, and his "extreme short-sightedness" meant the offence was not picked up again.

2nd Half Line-Up
GK: Dennis
Def[L-R]: Chi Man, Fred, Hanz, Tony
Mid[L-R]: Kim Chuan, Gary Ong, Cheen Ming, Kee Yong
Striker: Sng, Kiran

Second half saw near complete changes from both teams.
With both teams ready in the field and waiting for kick-off, the referee was nowhere in sight. He was probably taking a longer break, perhaps "breathing exercise". (Is this the same referee who sent Liang Han off in ODS opening game in 2007 and went around asking for a lighter just so he could lit his cigreatte?)

Kiran nearly scored within a minute after kick off when he raced in to challenge the keeper on a loose ball, but he was unable to get a clean contact with the ball. The ball was then cleared off the line.

Mr Sng then scored on the next attack, with a neat lift of the ball over the keeper. Fantasic goal!

5-0

Kiran scored next following a through ball, and he cut his way in and shot well to extend the lead.

6-0

Kim Chuan then scored direct from the corner kick.

7-0

Debutant Cheen Ming took his exit and in came Ken Wong again.
Ken Wong moved to left midfield and Kim Chuan was pushed into central midfield.

Attacks continued to pour down from ODS, but were unluckily to be denied.

In an counter attack by the opponents, they got themselves a consolation goal, with Dennis barely stretching as he was complaining of shoulder ache after the game.

7-1

In a swift counter attack, the opponent keeper deliberately handled the ball outside his penalty area.
Ken Wong was closest to the ball, and he took a quick freekick, releasing Kiran who raced from behind. Kiran was clear for a shot on an unguarded goal. But referee stopped the game. Quoting the referee, "I have to stop the game, even if I allow the game to carry on, he (Kiran) would be offside"
But how is Kiran offside when he ran from behind?

The referee awarded a direct freekick from just outside the penalty area.
Ken Wong stood forward to take it, but his weak attempt rebounded off the wall. The ball fell to Mr Sng who took a first time volley, but his effort was wide off the goal.

Dennis took his exit and Irwin came in as a keeper.
Mr Sng too went off for Vincent.
But Vincent barely lasted less than five minutes and Hairy was called upon to marshall the midfield.

With victory a certainty, ODS was still greedy. Hungry for goals.
Ken Wong almost added his name to the goal sheet, but he was denied by the crossbar when he shot after Kiran laid the ball to him outside the penalty area.
After a short goalmouth melee, the ball was cut back to Kim Chuan, who wasted no time in shooting at the near post beating the keeper in the process.

8-1

Subsequent attacks failed to register anymore goals.
Hairy was too generous, when he was in a good position to shoot, but he chose to pass to Kiran but the pass was intercepted by the goalkeeper.

Another counter attack led by Gary (making a RARE appearance so far this season), he played a short pass to Ken Wong and was expecting a return ball, but Ken Wong instead decided to cross to Kiran who was at the far post.
The cross was a bit too hard and Kiran was unable to control it for a clean shot on goal and it went out for a goal kick.

The game ended shortly after that, recording ODS first huge victory for 2009.
Hopefully after the "LOU HEI", the goals will start coming soon again, so that we will NOT miss Osman.