Hilderinc Football Club

With less than two games left for them to play, Hilderinc FC’s season has been nothing short of being incredible for all the incomprehensible reasons, as they yet again were at the end of another result not befitting their performance.

Just as a week ago when the Blacks went down to a solitary goal against Purple Monkeys FC despite leaving them chary for vast periods of the game; though the Monkeys in their height of hallucination would later claim otherwise without erudite examination of the match in its entirety on Hilderinc FC TV; the Blacks found themselves clinging against the drop after falling narrowly against league leaders Mariners 11 FC.

Having lost to the Mariners by the same scoreline in the first encounter despite having come from behind to lead 2-1 at one stage, similar frustration was to overcome the Hilderincs who now have to ask themselves what else they must do to translate effort into results, as they certainly feel aggrieved to be forsaken by the any phantasm of luck in a weird debut campaign on Saturday after their migration from ESPZEN Sunday League.

Despite having a top heavy squad, the Blacks looked good for the money with a fine mixture of youth and experience, as they wasted little time to lay a proper hold of the game.

Unexaggerated to say the least, the opening twenty-five minutes saw the Hilderincs with more than 65% in possession as they kept on the front foot.

In fact they could have been up by an avalanche, with Ian Morris denied a hat-trick after two of cornerkicks heading to the back of the net were kept out by a defender on the line and the goalkeeper, who also flicked the skipper’s header goal bound header to safety, while Jon Loh and Marko Belak came close with their long range efforts.

But a calamitous mix up on the other end would prove costly for the Hilderincs as they found themselves behind against the run of play.

Notwithstanding the setback, the response of the Blacks was swift as they resumed their objective in earnest and almost pulled level after Ian Morris reacted quickest to a stray ricochet into the box, and with certain goal beckoning with a simple header into an empty net, a desperate and almost reckless charge clattered the veteran leaving him bloodied, but astonishingly the ball somehow refused to go in as it crashed against the underside of the bar, and an excellent follow up shot by Ryan Ng was kept out by the goalkeeper.

However, the combination of Ryan Ng and Ian Morris would see the Hilderincs get back on level terms, after the former’s intelligent cornerkick to the latter resulted in the skipper senselessly barged inside the box for a stonewall penalty, which Sam Thorley made no mistake with for the equaliser.

Having found parity in score, it was business as it was for the Blacks as they sought the lead before the break, but for all their industry, they had to share the spoils with the Mariners into the break.

The Hilderincs’ task for the second half was made complex when Sam Thorley was withdrawn due to injury, leaving the already option-less in defence and midfield Blacks into a forced change, which saw Colin Thornley and an under the weather, Raihan Hamzah in the centre of the park in an untested partnership with Jon Loh.

While there were full marks for the personnel, the change in formation had a telling effect on the Hilderincs as they dropped off their intensity of the first half, allowing the Mariners to take advantage of the slack.

And with the Blacks occupied with the dealings of trying to secure the lead, they left the backdoor open for the opponents to exploit and they soon found themselves 3-1 down after the Mariners punished them for their inattentiveness.

Though Denis Lobov pulled a goal back to setup a tense finish to the game, it was too little too late for the Hilderincs, who despite their push, were unable to find another equaliser.

While the Club’s first ever relegation in their seventeen year history looms, the Hilderincs know that this is certainly not the end, but the start of a beginning.

Final Score

Mariners 11 FC 3 : Hilderinc FC 2

Goals: Sam Thorley, Denis Lobov

MOM: Sang Won Park

Yellow Card: Colin Thornley

Staring Lineup

1. Lim Yong Kiat

2. Sunny Tharidu

3. Denis Lobov

4. Nicholas Ledenmark

5. Sang Won Park

6. Jon Loh

7. Sam Thorley

8. Hoonki Song

9. Ryan Ng

10. Ian Morris

11. Marko Belak

 

Substitutes

12. Sashikumar Mahathevan

13. Omar Mahnin

14. Colin Thornley

15. Logaraj Sundram

16. Raihan Hamzah

17. Eslam Elsewedy

 

 

 

• ESPZEN Saturday League 17 Division 2

• HFC ESPZEN League 17 Season Player Stats

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