Wrecki’s Monthly Review: May 2010

The season headed towards its midway point while the real challengers for the league title looked to take shape while the doppelgangers fell away.

Surprisingly, the almighty SAFFC had took a backseat this year after a meek loss to fierce title rivals, Tampines at their Choa Chu Kang cauldron followed by an unwanted 1-1 draw against Balestier Khalsa at Jalan Besar Stadium.
With only 5 wins in 13 games, the Warriors will need to return to their winning ways very soon especially now they had roped in former DPMM midfielder Croatian Ivan Jerkovic who took over the place of an unassimilated Niklas Sandberg.

Meanwhile Geylang United’s early exit from the AFC Cup turned out to be a blessing in disguise as they made a surge up the league table.
Impressively they had done so in the past month without their first choice custodian, Yazid Yasin.
Slovakian targetman Peter Tomko raked in the goals but their stability at the back truly helped matters.

Balestier Khalsa is another surprise package this season, and for a Sengkang Punggol fan I had only to watch their success of late with an insurmountable envy.
The young squad aided by some real decent foreign signings just grew from strength to strength nicking points off the big boys and even nearly done so against Tampines Rovers in an exciting 2-3 loss.

That match as well as another game featuring Tampines Rovers (3-3 against Gombak United) have to be the best S League games I had caught this season for sure.

The RHB Singapore Cup kicked off with little fanfare (to be honest) at the dead end of May but the preliminary round was packed with surprises as the incumbent cup holders Geylang United was ousted at the first barrier by plucky Balestier while multiple times winners SAFFC succumbed to a 5-3 loss to invitee Bangkok Glass who featured a winger by the name of Sutee Suksomkit (who went on to score a brace in that impressive win).
Therefore both representatives of Singapore football in the Asian scene this season looked highly unlikely to be plying their trade in the continent next season.
Tampines Rovers managed to pull through to the last 8 but same could not be said of Gombak United and Home United.
The former lost to a bunch of so-called semi professionals from South Melbourne FC in a regional Victoria League down under, but at least Agu nailed a stunning equalizer.
Meanwhile Home United’s wretched 2010 season continued as the Young Lions proved to be their undoing once again.

Less unsurprising was Sengkang Punggol going out at the same stage of the competition since the late deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee was still in office.
Albirex Niigata (S) continued to enjoy a good time, snatching wins at Hougang Stadium for sure.

May definitely looked a long month as the world braced for the World Cup in a few days time while the Special One, Jose Mourinho, stealthily accomplished an unprecedented treble for Inter Milan.
In Singapore, tens of thousands band together to drum a boycott on the 2 big shot telcos for slapping everyone with that hefty charge for the 64 matches tournament.

Meanwhile things ain’t all that rosy in the FA when former Sengkang Punggol Prime League coach, and Malaysian Cup legend Nazri Nasir claimed he was overlooked for the coaching job of U14 in preference for another Serb (who’s name had eluded me as I typed this).
It was just another  remotely newsworthy snippet to fill the papers in an otherwise yawning month for local football.
Meanwhile Nazri’s former international and club team-mate V Selveraj was appointed the U17 coach before rescinded on his decision to focus on his part time degree.
So perhaps Nazri would consider coaching different age group?