Geylang United vs Home United Report

Butler does it again as Geylang edge Home

Gerald Lee
info@sleague.com

Young Englishman Lloyd Butler notched his second winner in two weeks as Geylang United edged Home United at Bedok Stadium.

The 20-year-old struck the decider in the 1-0 win over the Super Reds previously, and repeated the trick here with another headed winner.

For Home United, the defeat came five days after their victorious AFC Cup outing against Club Valencia in the Maldives.

But for much of the first half, PN Sivaji’s charges masked any possible fatigue with a valiant performance. They took five minutes to register the first chance of the night, Cameroonian Kengne Ludovick collecting the ball from deep and setting up Shi Jiayi for a low drive which curled wide.

Four minutes later, Geylang’s Ashrin Shariff controlled a Noor Ali cross with some class, but could only muster a shot into the side netting.

For much of the first half, the Protectors dominated possession, constantly orchestrating skirmishes into the Geylang half.

However, attempts from Ludovick, Tengku Mushadad, and skipper Rosman Sulaiman were either wanting in accuracy, or foiled by the safe hands of Geylang’s experienced custodian Yazid Yasin.

The best chances in the first half fell to Home midfielder Syed Fadhil, the former Geylang man seeing one long attempt from long range crash loudly off Yazid’s upright and the other sail just wide.

The Eagles had their share of good spells too, but those largely came in the second half. Minutes after the restart, Butler found himself in the penalty box with his back toward goal. He swiftly swiveled and let fly a shot that surprised everyone, but it flew high and wide.

Skipper Noor Ali too was having an impact, sending countless crosses into the penalty box. In opposition though was Home keeper Ridzuan Fatah Hassan, who stayed alert and plucked crosses out of the air steadily.

Geylang’s patience and hard work were rewarded in the 67th minute, when Japanese import Haruki Seto hit an immaculate long ball from the heart of defence to the left flank. The ensuing cross into the penalty box saw Butler leap above the entire Protectors defence for a strong header that soared past a hapless Ridzuan.

As if sunken by this blow, the Protectors ran out the remainder of the game second best. Even the experienced Brazilian midfielder Peres de Oliveira, brought on in the 62nd minute for the ineffective Norikazu Murakami, struggled to make an impact on the game.

“We played better in the first half, but the fatigue got to us after the break,” said Home coach Sivaji.

“With the AFC Cup, our fixtures are extremely tight, so we are currently taking things one game at a time to ensure we keep our focus.

“Another problem my boys faced was frustration because in the first half, we dominated possession but were unable to score. We need to work on getting that frustration out of our heads, and get on with the game.”

Matchwinner Butler was quick to pay tribute to his team-mates: “Although we didn’t do too well in the first half, we got the job done in the second half. I was getting better balls from my team-mates, and just as they did their jobs well, I did mine.”