SAFFC vs Gombak United [4-1]

Warriors toil to overwhelm Gombak

Gary Koh
info@sleague.com

Defending S.League champions Singapore Armed Forces (SAFFC) widened the gap between themselves and the chasing pack at the top when they capitalized on home ground advantage and defensive mistakes to defeat second-placed Gombak United 4-1 at Choa Chu Kang on Tuesday evening.

A second-half brace from skipper Aleksandar Duric, added to earlier goals from John Wilkinson and Park Tae Won, put the Warriors in the driving seat before Thai midfielder Theerawekin Seehawong reduced the deficit late on.

The win put the home side eight points clear at the summit and avenged a 3-1 reverse at Jurong West earlier this season, while Duric pulled away in the goalscorers chart to claim outright leadership at 16 league goals so far.

SAFFC came into the match with several players carrying injuries and knocks. Mustaqim Manzur (concussion) remained sidelined while Thai veteran Therdsak Chaiman (shoulder separation) and Ahmad Latiff Khamarudin (hamstring) were only fit enough to make the bench.

Without regular wingers Mustaqim and Latiff, rightback Hafiz Osman was pushed up into the role as coach Richard Bok fielded a 4-1-4-1 formation to contain their opponents’ powerful attacking line.

After losing 1-2 to Woodlands Wellington at home over the weekend, Gombak coach Darren Stewart rang in several changes to the starting eleven.

Australian midfielder Goran Subara was omitted from the matchday squad and Nigerian forward Ojimi Gabriel Obatola, who was level with Duric on 14 goals in the top scorers chart before the game, was benched after suffering from a personal goal drought.

Bah Mamadou returned to central defence alongside captain Sevki Sha’ban while Emmanuel Emuejeraye slotted in at right wing.

The home side did not have the best of starts on the heavy pitch as they struggled to impose themselves in the game, and were put under constant pressure from the visitors.

They resorted to direct balls that often went straight back to a red shirt and struggled to control and retain possession.

Despite their initial troubles, the Warriors took the lead in the 17^th minute from their first coherent attacking move of the game.

After stretching the Gombak defence from both sides, Wilkinson pounced at the semi-circle to unleash a thunderbolt straight into the top corner.

Bulls goalkeeper Fadhil Salim had to be alert to keep the score at 1-0 midway through the first half, when he had to use his legs to clear Shaiful Esah’s free kick on the right off the line.

At the other end, the visitors continued to pile the pressure as they searched for the equalizer. But either last-minute interceptions or poor finishing from the forwards prevented them from threatening Shahril Jantan’s goal.

The closest they came to pulling level was on 37 minutes, when Nigerian forward Kingsley Njoku sent an Agu Casmir low cross on the side netting with the empty goal at its mercy.

They were undone five minutes before half-time when a calamitous mix-up among their defenders allowed Park to tap in a deflected Duric shot at close range and make it 2-0.

Stewart sent on Fazrul Nawaz in place of Fazli Jaffar after the interval as Gombak tried to retrieve something from the game.

However there was nothing Fazrul could do to help his colleagues when the visitors went three goals down seven minutes after the restart.

Another breakdown in communications within the defence allowed Duric to jog into the six-yard box unmarked and tap home the loose ball for his 15^th league goal of the season.

The veteran forward nearly doubled his tally just after the hour, when his shot off a Hafiz low cross on the right went just wide.

SAFFC were now in command of the proceedings after their labour to go three goals ahead, as they held off the increasingly desperate attempts from their fellow title challengers.

They eventually sealed three points at 4-0 with 13 minutes left when their captain scored off a Park assist, following a quick counter from Hafiz on the right after robbing Gombak leftback Hamqaamal Shah of the ball.

After numerous fruitless attempts to score past Shahril, Theerawekin provided some consolation for the visitors who suffered their second consecutive league defeat when his 35-metre piledriver was deflected into the net three minutes from time.

Bok was delighted with his side’s continued winning streak as they increased their lead at the top of the table.

“The team play, team spirit, hunger and desire, all of them are slowly coming back,” he beamed.

“It was a good effort from the boys and they played simple and to instructions.

“It took a while to settle as Gombak are a tough and physical team, but we showed we are up for it this time round.

“Some of the play we had was good, we displayed nice play and great flow during the game, and hopefully we can keep it up.”

Meanwhile, Stewart felt his team were hard done by with the score but believed the long break ahead would help them overcome the trauma of two straight losses.

“I don’t think we deserve to lose 1-4, let alone go down 0-2 at half-time as the goals then came against the run of play,” lamented the Australian.

“I could not fault the boys, the chances they had and the effort they put in was fantastic though.

“I do not dwell on the decisions made and we cannot look back as what was past was past.

“The only good thing we have now is the 12 days’ break before our next game. This will give us some time to reorganize and regroup.

“The boys will not need much picking up after the losses. They are strong characters and good lads and it will not take long to make them bounce back.”