Debut Season Ends on a High for Myjia
Tampines - Myjia Family Football Club ended their debut season in the amateur footballing circuit on a high despite losing their final fixture 3-4 to East Malays on Saturday.
The final game of the season saw a record crowd of 26 cheer Myjia at East Spring, Tampines. The match was preluded by a highly-anticipated and long-awaited interview by The New Paper.
Almost an hour before the kickoff, fans of Myjia started arriving in numbers as they soaked in the carnival atmosphere whilst waiting for the press to arrive. The team from The New Paper duly turned up to witness the biggest crowd in Myjia history as they soon got down to work.
"The thing that makes Myjia different from the other teams is that we are all part of The Family. The players, the fans, everyone is a cherished part of The Family. Every two weeks we will play a game, where everyone supports, and the soccer game is followed by another game - Mahjong game," boasted team manager Vincent Low, the Fifth Uncle in The Family.
The match kicked off five minutes late owing to the numerous interviews Myjia players were giving to the press. When the match indeed got on the way, it was East Malays who took the initiative with their neat passing and sturdy buildup. Myjia were guilty of paying too much respect to the opponents and when leftback Wilkin failed to cut down a promising attack from East Malays' right flank, the writing was on the wall for the opening goal. The cross evaded the vertically-challenged sans Sunny and landed onto the head of Malays' forward. The lead was well-deserved to say the least.
Undeterred, Myjia, still feeling the adrenalin rush from The New Paper interview, picked up the tempo of the game and were awarded a freekick after several threatening attacks. "Ballooning" midfielder Leong Wai Meng hit a sweet freekick which Kenneth Koh ran through the still defence, controlled the ball and slotted past the stranded keeper for Myjia's equaliser! The game had levelled despite Myjia being the overwhelming underdogs!
The boisterous crowd cheered and celebrated the goal in the stands while Kenneth celebrated his fifth goal of the season with a cartwheel worthy of any African.
The equaliser jolted Myjia from their slumber and soon Myjia shifted a gear up. Junhao replaced Wilson Tan and was immediately showing the bite Myjia were lacking in the attack. It was less than five minutes when Junhao struck to give Myjia the lead albeit some slack defending from East Malays.
East Malays were showing their frustration at themselves and the frustration was soon vented on the smaller Myjia players. The tackles got harder and faster while Myjia gradually handed the initiative back to the opponents. Eight minutes before the break, East Malays pierced right through the Myjia defence for a deserving equaliser for a 2-2 scoreline at half-time.
The halftime pep-talk was all about regaining composure and to release the ball faster and the ploy worked a trick when speed demon Delvin was released down the right. Beating the first defender, Delvin unselfishly cut the ball back from the byline for Junhao to stroke in his 31st goal of the season in only 20 games. An unbelievable piece of statistic!
Alas, the inexperience in Myjia's young defence showed when another right wing cross was not cut out early leaving the East Malays striker the easy task of pushing the ball into an empty net at the far post.
Myjia were pegged back in defence for the last ten minutes of the game as they valiantly tried to hold on to the precious point but all hearts were shattered when Raymond inexplicably allowed a speculative shot to lob over him from 25 metres out and into the net. The normally reliable Raymond was inconsolable. Myjia had conceded a late goal to East Malay when they had come so close to getting a morale-boosting draw against a superior opponent.
"Raymond has saved the team on countless ocassions and the goal has got absolutely nothing to do with him. In fact, he is the perfect keeper for Myjia," beamed an enthusiastic fan.
The final score read 3-4 in favour of East Malays and though Myjia lost the game, greater things await Myjia on Friday, 9 February. Singapore will be in awe - The Weekend Warriors Series, The New Paper.
