Story by Kenneth Tan/Red Sports. Pictures by Tan Jon Han/Red Sports
AJC players react to a wasted scoring opportunity in the second half. Not that it would have mattered as the match was called off due to inclement weather. (Photo 1 © Tan Jon Han/Red Sports)
Meridian Junior College, April 13, 2010 -The crucial Group D clash between Innova Junior College (IJC) and Anderson Junior College (AJC) in the A Division Football Championship had to be called to a halt after 60 minutes due to rain and lightning.
AJC dominated the match and created most of the opportunities in front of goal. Meanwhile IJC looked a pale shadow of their self as they struggled to replicate their attacking style as seen in their previous games.
The first-half saw both goalkeepers untroubled much as efforts were mostly fired straight at them or wide of the goal.
IJC had an early chance on 11 minutes when a great through ball released winger Mohd Arif B Muhd Khairul Tan (#17) down the left flank. Mohd Arif strode into the box before being dispossessed by an alert AJC goalkeeper Ang Yi Xiu (#25).
One minute later, AJC defensive midfielder Nguyen Thai Duong (#4) fired a volley from outside the box just wide of the left-hand post.
AJC created another on 26 minutes when captain Soh Zhen Yu (#8) went on a surging run through the middle before attempting a through ball for forward Nguyen Dinh Nguyen. However the pass proved too far for Nguyen to reach as IJC keeper Zubair B Mohd Ilyas (#1) came out well to smother the ball.
In the short 20-minute second-half, AJC piled on the pressure on the IJC goal.
On 49 minutes, Seet Cheng Howe (#16)'s long throw into the box picked out Nguyen Thai Duong who tried to direct the ball towards the bottom right corner. However Zubair did well to get a hand to it to tip it wide before smothering it under pressure from Nguyen Dinh Nguyen.
Two minutes later, a corner whipped in from the left was half-cleared by the IJC defence before it was hooked back into the danger area from the right flank. Chen You Wei (#27) got to the ball first before unleashing a volley that got a deflection off an IJC defender and went off the bottom right post.
IJC had a solitary opportunity on 54 minutes when defensive midfielder John Kathiresh Joshua (#4) won the ball off Chen You Wei before spreading to substitute Kartikasen s/o Jayabalan. However the right winger fired wide of the right-hand post under pressure from two AJC defenders.
AJC came the closest on 60 minutes when Wong Wei De sent Soh Zhen Yu down the left flank with an accurate pass out of defence. Zhen Yu got the better of his marker before shooting past the onrushing Zubair, but the latter did well to get back and tipped the shot wide.
That was the last significant moment of the match as it was soon disrupted by the lightning signal system that sounded and eventually had to be postponed.
As a result, qualification for the quarter-finals remains in the balance in Group C. Three teams - IJC, AJC and Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) will fight it out with IJC for the all-important second spot to join table-toppers St Andrew's Junior College (SAJC) in the last eight.
AJC currently hold the edge over IJC and HCI as they have a game in hand over both of them.
AJC will next play their game-in-hand against HCI on Friday, April 19th, 3pm at Meridian Junior College (MJC) before taking on IJC in the postponed fixture at a later date. It will be a must-win clash for HCI to keep their qualification hopes alive while a win for AJC in that game will see them leapfrog IJC into second spot and hold the edge for the crucial last fixture against IJC as they will subsequently only need a draw to qualify.
The postponed fixture will played on Friday, April 23th, 3pm at the same venue.
Go to the SCHOOLS FIXTURES & RESULTS page for more information.
Players from both teams in a mid-air duel for the ball. (Photo 2 © Tan Jon Han/Red Sports)
An IJC player climbs over an AJC opponent in an attempt to connect with a high ball. (Photo 3 © Tan Jon Han/Red Sports)
Go to next page for more photos
Leave A Comment