Sunday, January 4, 2008 – The national football team beat the Young Lions 3-2 yesterday in their final warm-up game but they only won because of experience, according to a Today (Monday, January 5, 2009) story.

The national team is preparing for its first Group E Asian Cup qualifier against Iran in Tehran on January 14th but the team looks like it needs reinforcements.

Coach Raddy Avramovic only has 14 fully fit players after another three players went down with illness.

The inability of the Singaporean stomach to travel seems to have afflicted Indra Sahdan as well. The striker came down with viral flu and stomach ailments after his aborted trial in Vietnam in the last week of December.

Striker Agu Casmir is down with high fever and aching muscles, symptoms that sound like dengue and is now awaiting the results of a blood test.

The only striker available is Noh Alam Shah and he is still not fully fit.

Obviously this situation can’t go on and some younger players will have to be drafted in to take the place of the ailing seniors.

The national team depart for Dubai tonight for a training camp in preparation for their game against Iran.