Serangoon JC qualify for A Division football quarter-finals after 2-0 win over Jurong JC

By Kenneth Tan/Red Sports

Serangoon Junior College, Thursday, April 22, 2010 - Serangoon Junior College (SRJC) breezed past Jurong Junior College (JJC) 2-0 in a winner-takes-all Group C clash to book their place in the A Division Football Championship quarter-finals.

The victory came easier than expected as they scored two goals in the first 25 minutes to kill off JJC hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.

The first goal came just seven minutes into the game. Forward Syed Muhd Kamal unleashed a superb volley outside the box that sailed into the top left corner of the goal.

SRJC decided to bring on lanky forward Vizshnu Mohan Krishnan on 22 minutes and he certainly made an instant impact within a minute of his arrival.

After being released down the left, he dribbled past three JJC defenders before cutting inside to shoot on goal. However he was denied by a superb block by JJC captain Mohd Iylia Haziq B Othman.

Three minutes later, he went on the opposite flank before being brought down by Mohd Iylia. The resulting free kick by full back Justin Chua picked out an unmarked Joel Yee in the six-yard box, and the latter made sure he punished the slack JJC marking by heading past JJC goalie Heng Bang Hao into the middle of the goal.

JJC created a solitary opportunity towards the end of the first half when winger Jagan Somaiah got a touch to a corner whipped in from the left, but SRJC defensive midfielder Mohd Farhan B Rohani was on hand at the near post to clear the ball away.

With a two-goal advantage, SRJC proceeded to sit back for the second half but a lack of creativity and urgency in the JJC attack ensured SRJC goalkeeper Khairulanwar B Abdul Rahim was not troubled much in goal.

On 42 minutes, substitute Ong Yu Zheng headed an Ng Zhi Yi free kick from the left over the bar.

Nine minutes later, midfielder Goh Joon How cut inside from the left to shoot just inside the box, however his effort was saved in an unorthodox manner by the legs of Khairulanwar.

They were gifted a golden opportunity on 72 minutes when Khairulanwar bizarrely conceded an indirect free kick inside his own area after failing to release the ball within six seconds of picking it up. However Goh Joon How spurned the resulting free kick as he fired it over the bar.

Instead it was SRJC who finished the match stronger of the two sides with Vizshnu Mohan featuring in the thick of the action.

On 76 minutes, a long ball released Vizshnu down the left flank before he managed to cut inside two defenders to shoot but his tame effort went straight to JJC goalkeeper Heng Bang Hao.

One minute later, substitute Muhd Hafeez Shahni won the ball in midfield before spreading it to Vizshnu who was lurking inside the box. However his curled effort went just wide of the right-hand post.

In the last minute of regulation time, Muhd Hafeez won another challenge in midfield before passing towards the left for Vizshnu. The latter got past two defenders before shooting on his weaker left foot, but once again the shot went over the right-hand post.

The spurned opportunities did not affect SRJC as they managed to close in on a two-goal victory that clinched their progress into the quarter-finals.

A victorious SRJC captain Cheah Wen Bin shared his feelings with Red Sports after the match.

"Shiok!" he exclaimed. "I am really happy about it as we did not manage to qualify (for quarter-finals) last year."

"Kudos to our team spirit which is much stronger this year," he commented on the key to their qualification. "The previous two losses we suffered had also made us mentally stronger to face this match."

On a final note, he was bold about his aspirations for the team. "We want to go all the way to the final!" he exclaimed.

The result had rendered the last group C clash between Raffles Institution (RI) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) on April 23rd as a dead-rubber match as RI had already booked their quarter-finals slot while ACJC cannot overtake SRJC in the second spot even if they manage to win.

SRJC now join St Andrew's Junior College (SAJC), Meridian Junior College (MJC), Victoria Junior College (VJC), Catholic Junior College (CJC), Yishun Junior College (YJC) and RI in the quarter-finals of the A Division Football Championship. The last slot will be decided between Innova Junior College (IJC), Anderson Junior College (AJC) and Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) in Group D.

IJC take on AJC in a crucial clash tomorrow, April 23rd, 3pm at MJC.

IJC need only a draw to qualify, while AJC need at least a two-goal victory to do so. A single-goal victory for AJC will see HCI go through at the expense of both teams.

Scorers
Syed Muhd Kamal 7'
Joel Yee 25'

SRJC lineup
Khairulanwar B Abdul Rahim (#1, GK), Lee Yu Feng (#6), Justin Chua Jia Jin (#7), Syed Muhd Kamal (#8), Muhd Nawas B Mohd Sharief ((#11), Cheah Wen Bin (#16, captain), Joel Yee Zheng Jie (#17), Chew Ke Jin (#20), Zhou Yunjie (#23), Ebenezer Lim (#34), Mohd Farhan B Rohani (#38)

JJC lineup
Heng Beng Hao (#1, GK), Huang Ziting (#5), Ng Zhi Yi (#6), Jagan Somaiah (#7), Seow Yong Jie (#8), Muhd Shaheer B Abdul Rahma (#9), Goh Joon How (#10), Mohd Iylia Haziq B Othman (#11, captain), Andrew Chang Zhi' An (#12), Teo Woon Min (#16), Sifat Ullah Khan (#17)

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