Anglo-Chinese JC achieve emphatic first victory over NUS High in A Division football

By Kenneth Tan/Red Sports. Photos by reader Lim Weixiang

Serangoon Junior College, Thursday, April 1, 2010 - Traditional powerhouse Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) finally got their A Division football campaign up and running after an emphatic 8-2 victory over strugglers NUS High.

This was ACJC’s first Group C victory in the A Division Football Championship in their three games played so far after a slow start which saw them being held to a 0-0 draw against Jurong Junior College in their first game and then falling to a surprise 0-2 defeat to Serangoon Junior College the last time out.

They came into the match against NUS High with a point to prove and it was no surprise they raced to a massive 6-0 lead within the first 31 minutes.

The first goal arrived via a penalty awarded on 11 minutes. After the ACJC #18 volleyed against the bar from the right winger #3's cross, #14 took the rebound with another volleyed effort that was blocked by the trailing hand of a NUS High defender. The resulting penalty was converted by ACJC full back #22 into the bottom right corner.

They doubled their lead two minutes later. A cross from the right flank by the ACJC #15 saw captain #8 connect well with a neat, low finish past NUS High goalie Emmanuel Yien Goh.

Another penalty was awarded on 21 minutes when NUS High makeshift centre back Mitchell Keh was adjudged to have handled an ACJC cross inside the box. The ACJC #23 took the penalty this time round and the result was the same as the ball sailed into the bottom right corner of the goal again, wrong footing Emmanuel in the process.

Just two minutes later, the lead was extended to four goals. The ACJC full back (#22) got past NUS High substitute Sundeep Subramani (#16) easily on the left flank and sent a teasing cross into the box. The ACJC #3 pulled it back well from the far post for #14 to slot his ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.

ACJC continued to attack despite their huge lead and got another two goals thereafter.

The ACJC #8 scored his second goal of the game after cutting inside a NUS High defender and sending a scorching shot into the top left corner of the goal.

The ACJC #23 then got his second goal as well as he finished inside the bottom left corner of the goal after the NUS High defence failed to pick him up inside the box.

Towards the end of the first half, NUS High finally got their game together as forward Ahmed Saddique fired their first goalscoring opportunity over the bar from outside the box.

At the stroke of half-time, the NUS High fans finally had something to cheer about as they got a goal back.

Forward Mitchell Keh, played out-of-position earlier in the game, let fly from 20 metres and the effort thundered in off the bar, stunning the ACJC goalkeeper in the process.

The wonder goal was Mitchell's second goal in as many games after scoring the solitary goal in his team's 1-6 defeat by Raffles Institution three days earlier.

NUS High continued to battle hard at the start of the second half but they could not sustain their efforts throughout as they conceded another two goals.

A corner whipped in from the right resulted in a goalmouth scramble in the NUS High box, and the ACJC right winger (#3) looked to have got the final touch on the ball as the ball fell into the bottom left corner.

The ACJC substitute #30 got his team’s eighth goal of the game as he slid the ball past the onrushing Emmuanuel after a through ball played into the box.

NUS High however did manage to pull another goal back on 66 minutes. Mitchell Keh battled past two ACJC defenders on the left flank and strode into the box with just the goalkeeper to beat. His finish past the goalkeeper was slotted into the empty goalmouth by substitute Vijay Ramadoss (#14) on the ACJC goaline.

That shaped the final score of 8-2 to ACJC as they climbed to third position in Group C with four points from three games played. Meanwhile NUS High remain stranded at the bottom of the table with no points from four games played so far.

ACJC next take on table-toppers Raffles Institution (RI) in a clash which could determine their qualifying hopes for the quarter-finals stage on Monday, March 5th, at 3pm. Meanwhile NUS High, with no hope of qualification, will play for pride in their last game of the campaign against fourth place JJC on Thursday, April 8th, at 3pm.

Both games will be played at SRJC.

Scorers
ACJC
#22 – pen 11'
#8 – 13', 26'
#23 - pen 21', 31'
#14 - 23'
#3 - 50'
#30 - 57'

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you know the names of the players, please feel free to leave the names behind in the comments section and we will update accordingly. Thanks!

NUS High
Mitchell Keh 45'
Vijay Ramadoss 66'

ACJC lineup
#1(GK), #3, #8(captain), #11, #12, #14, #15, #18, #21, #22, #23

NUS High lineup
Emmanuel Yien Goh (#1, GK), Roy Yeo Eng Shing (#5), Lian Kay Wee (#7, captain), Mitchell Keh Ming Ze (#9), Jeremiah Ho Jun Wen (#10), Ahmed Saddique Bin Abdul Jabbar (#12), Donovan Loh Yuan Jie (#15), Goh Chong Wei (#17), Pan Chuen (#18), Andre Tan (#19), Kausik Venkat (#20)

Go to the SCHOOLS FIXTURES & RESULTS page for more information.