RAIN UNITED
FOOTBALL CLUB
[ Friendly Match 6th May 2006 ]
A surprised friendly match was arranged between boys from SJI against Rain United. I wanted to focus on the players' fitness and tactical progress to seek clarity on the forthcoming tournament and the selection of the team that we were be putting up for the 7 aside and the Rain United Challenge Trophy. The punctuality of the players were also a focused.
Rain United started the game sluggishly. It shows in our ability to stay composed when playing opposite opponents. It took the team to settle about 10 minutes later when the first goal came. However, the team has improved on their passing abilities, spread play and better co-ordination works compared to the previous matches. Fitness is still something we have to work on. The half-time score was 2-0. It was not a flattering scoreline.
The second team put up a better displayed in the second half. I was encouraged when Chee Khin threw a challenged that the second team will score even more than the first half. I have expected better result as the boys from SJI were worned out in the first half, which is normally the case.
It was also a good oppotunity for me to put our midfielders and strikers to test. I also wanted our defenders to be tested. I deployed a 3 defenders role operating with 5 midfielders to push the game level higher. I had a chance to see our 2 goalkeepers as well. Apart from Randy and Raymond, who lacks fitness and speed (please note), the rest of the players somehow put up a decent performance. My "marked" man Keng Yong was closed to be substituted during the first half but when he realised it, I decided to change my mind. Keng Yong had a decent game eventually. Max was poor in his throw ins. There is still room for improvement from the team.
The final score was 10-0. I had expected it. We are training only once a week. Time will tell if we are good enough when we play stronger opponents the next time. Guys, I hope you can work on your fitness and speed level. Keep up the team spirit!