Hilderinc Football Club

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A laudable Hilderinc FC showed great character, team spirit and intent to overcome apparent refereeing injudiciousness and numerical disadvantage to record a creditable win over WTOS FC to extend their lead at top of the ESPZEN Sunday League 22 Division 5 table.

Bolstered by a full set of defenders for the first time in over a month, the Hilderincs were cheered by the return of Nick O’Sullivan from injury and of Elric Das and Ng Wei Xian, who was playing his first game for the Blacks in almost two years.

In spite of a balanced line-up in weeks, it was a patchy start, for no valid reasons, by the Blacks as they looked scruffy and hurried in the opening minutes, despite the lack of any noteworthy approach by the opponents.

While opportunities were undemanding, the choice to finish pretty, especially inside the final third meant that the chances were wasted, despite coming close on numerous occasions.

Ian Morris was to provide the best effort of a goal when his quick attempt in a crowded box was clawed away on the goal line by the WTOS keeper.

It took the Hilderincs twenty minutes to finally break the deadlock when Jonny Hill’s cross was splendidly tucked away by in form Mitchell Keh for his sixth goal of the season, and significantly establishing order.

Despite the fact that the Blacks were in command of the tie, it was nearly thrown into disarray when Nick O’Sullivan, unspeakably, was shown a straight red card by the referee who had taken grave offence to the defender’s communication skills.

Bedlam threaten a premature end to the fixture when the referee’s astonishing walked out with two minutes remaining on the clock, apparently in response to the earlier incident, though video replays were to show no reasonable malevolence on the part of the offending player or his team mates towards him.

Fortunately, the game resumed with the second half after commonsensical intervention restored coherence, though the mental state of the man in the middle was a lingering thought in the minds of the people present.

Notwithstanding the fact that they were a man down and further possible circumstantial annoyance brooding, the Blacks reshaped, bringing on Jonathon Mok and Mohammad Hissham and Owen Lewis for his debut, along with Jeevan, Logaraj Sundram and Sai Ganesh as the game progressed.

Sustained Hilderinc possession had the game played mostly in the WTOS half in the opening minutes of the second period, with only occasional sniffs sanctioned to the opponents as the Blacks showed their dominance all around the pitch.

The control was soon translated to tangible account when the Hilderincs added a second when Mitchell Keh smashed the underside of the post from close range, only for the rebound to be slotted in by Elric Das after a quick thinking header from Sashikumar Mahathevan.

Now with a cushion of a second goal, the Blacks found more freedom to dictate the pace of the game at will, playing flowing football, not indicative of their player disparity.

Persistently at the faces of WTOS, the Blacks threaten to score with every attack, though clinical finishing would have reaped the rewards of their industry.

Not denying all the hard work, the Blacks extended their lead further when Jonny Hill, who started it all with his hand in the opening goal, took it upon himself to unleash a rangefinder, which though lacking in his typical aplomb, managed to do its destruction nonetheless as it skimmed under the faltering keeper.

The Hilderincs’ preference for a clean sheet was thwarted, somewhat fortuitously, when WTOS FC scored from a corner after Dan Koh unwittingly turned the ball into his own net after it hit him en route, though the fullback, who had a fine game, would go on and find solace from his team mates.

In what could justify a reuse of last weekend’s headlines, the reappearance of another Frenchman, in Elric Das, sparked the Blacks when he got his brace and the Hilderincs’ fourth, after an exquisite interplay with Logaraj Sundram.

Though he could have gotten his hat trick moments later but choose to be repay Logaraj with an assist of his own when he had every right to be selfish and have a pop himself.

At the end of the day, it was the collective coming together against a difficult situation by the Hilderincs proved to be the key to the win, with each and every player rising beyond the circumstances.

Final Score

Hilderinc FC 4 : WTOS FC 1

Goals: Mitchell Keh, Elric Das (2), Jonny Hill

MOM: Elric Das

Yellow Cards: Nicholas Ledenmark, Sai Ganesh

Red Card: Nick O’Sullivan

O.G. Dan Koh

Starting Line Up

1. Simon Khaw

2. Jonny Hill

3. Nick O’Sullivan

4. Nicholas Ledenmark

5. Dan Koh

6. Rama Witjaksono

7. Tadao “Ted” Kaneda

8. Elric Das

9. Jonathon Mok

10. Ian Morris

11. Mitchell Keh

Substitutions

12. Logaraj Sundram

13. Alex Wong

14. Jeevan T Kannu

15. Mohammad Hissham

16. Owen Lewis

17. Sai Ganesh

18. Sashikumar Mahathevan

19. Ng Wei Xian

• ESPZEN Sunday League 22 Division 5

• HFC League 22 Player Stats