Bedok - Season 2007/2008 opened in the worst possible manner for Myjia FFC. The opening fixture against Malay Punkins ended abruptly at 4 apiece after the opponents , guilty of gross unsporting behaviour, threatened to turn the match into a farce.
The trouble began to brew when a Punkins reserve player began taunting Myjia keeper Raymond from behind the goal. The referee was alerted to the situation but the errant player continued his delinquent ways and even hurled abuses at the referee. The match official had little choice but to send the nuisance off.
At this point in time, Punkins had already taken a 1-0 lead courtesy of some super-slack defending by Myjia. A passionate Raymond had to be cooled down by player-manager Vincent Low after the former angrily berated the defence.
Punkins soon increased their lead despite the off-the-field events. A low shot by the Punkins attack hit the post and an apparently-still-upset Raymond was reluctant to block the follow-up shot for a 2-0 Punkins lead.
Following the two goal cushion , complacency crept into the Punkins game which eventually gifted a corner to Myjia in the 26th minute. The outswinger was partially cleared and the ball reached Jackson Seetoh who volleyed the ball into the bottom corner for Myjia's first goal of the season. 2-1 read the scoreboard and what a boost it was for Myjia! The team started showing more urgency and the equaliser duly arrived in the 40th minute. Midfielder Leong Wai Meng won a header that released Delvin down the left flank. Evading two challenges, the speed demon unleashed a shot which was blocked by the keeper but fell invitingly back for Delvin to volley in the equaliser.
The goal silenced the noisy Punkins team bench and was a personal victory for Delvin who has been involved in an ongoing spat with the Punkins right winger. Just before halftime, Delvin raced back to cover the defence and his too-obvious bodycheck on the right winger was spotted by the referee, earning him a yellow card for the offence.
Player-manager Vincent Low cautioned his charges during the halftime peptalk but the real action was on the pitch as the red-carded Punkins reserve player confronted the referee in a threatening manner. In a split second, a mouthful splatter of spit was aimed at the match official who probably did not have the time to evade the showers of blessings. That act of petulance almost prompted the referee to abandon the game at that instance till the situation was eventually diffused.
The misbehaving Punkins entered the field for the second half behaving like thugs and tempers were boiling within for both teams. Myjia, being the more disciplined team, kept its cool and took a quick two goal lead both through on-loan player Jerry. Somehow a lapse in concentration allowed Punkins to pull two goals back before the real drama began.
With the score even at 4-4, Wilson Tan attempted a throw-in which was blocked by a Punkins player. The referee revealed his cowardly side by calling for a foul-throw instead of a foul on Wilson.
The Punkins player promptly picked up the loose ball and for no apparent reason, aimed the ball at Wilson. All hell broke loose at this point and scuffles broke out between both sets of players and the referee had to eventually abandon the match after losing the plot and control of the game.
4-4 was the final score but the only consolation must have been the unity shown by Myjia after Wilson had been targeted.
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