Semi Final

Final

C.C.C.C Vs Royston                       won 2-0

C.C.C.C vs. Bellerbys                       won 2-1

C.C.C.C vs. Abacus Future          lost 2-0

Semi final
C.C.C.C vs. Abacus Leavers        won 3-1

final
C.C.C.C vs. Bellerbys         won 3-1 (p)

C.C.C.C vs. Chisoc                      won 2-1

C.C.C.C vs. Indian Society       won 7-2

C.C.C.C vs. Abacus                    lost 6-0

Quarter finals
C.C.C.C vs. Imperial               won 2-0

Semi finals
C.C.C.C vs. Bath Chisoc               won 2-1 (p)

CCCC 6 - 4 CCCC 2nds

Starting Formation:

Luong    Skinny

Chan   Be   Swish   Chung

  Cheese  Dang  J.Wong  Alex

Lau

Subs: Duo
Assists: Skinny (3), Luong (3)
Scorers: Beasty (2), Skinny (2), Luong, Duo

Catz 3rds 2 - 5 CCCC

Starting Formation:

Luong    Minh

Chan  Be  Swish  Chung

  Robert  Dang  Jeff  Alex

Wood

Subs: Yauser, Jason Wong, William (Yau's friend)
Assists: Minh, Skinny, ?
Scorers: Chung (2), Luong (2), Jeff

   With the scores level, we seemed in control, but again conceded from a ball whipped in from our left back area. Apparently they were offside, but not one of us called for it and the goal stood. From then on, the game became very heated. With tetchy exchanges erupting when Luong was spitefully scythed down by their right back. The fact that their supporters were doing a great job of being idiots didn't help matters.  The challenge was  malicious and could have bought a red card, though Skinny sided with diplomacy and produced just a yellow card.

   Halftime soon arrived and we were not in good shape. Swish and Skinny were bickering and the rest were frowning. However, we knew what we had to do and after a little more moaning, entered the 2nd half with renewed determination to right the wrongs of this world. Tempers were still ragged and a Catz player lost his rag and flung himself at Alex (now performing linesman duty) who had called him a rude name (sounds like punt). Apparently, he couldn't call him that as the Catz player would hurl himself if so. This earned the player a yellow card, which was again a little lenient. With the handbags in full swing, it took a moment of magic from Jeff to remind us we were playing football. A freekick was awarded just outside the penalty area and Jeff stepped up to float one over their hapless keeper who had come off his line.
   The revolution was well on its way and we tightened our grip on the game with some strong and gritty performances. Our central midfielders were doing an impressive job of breaking up play and spreading it intelligently. The defence was steadfast and the attackers worked harder than ever. Our pace going forwards was unsettling them and twice we had blatant penalties waved away by their referee, who must have confused the game with rugby.
   First, Luong skipped past two or three players before being tripped as he cut back inside to go through on goal. Even two of the other defenders said they would have given it, though the referee didn't see it. Had he been looking, he would have realised it was the same right back that was on a yellow and it was easier to throw fairness out of the window than send off their player and award a penalty. Moments later and in a similar fashion, Chung burst through on goal, poking the ball past the last defender, before he too was unceremoniously hauled down by a clumsy/cynical defender. Again the referee ignored it.
   With decisions being strategically disregarded, we took it onto ourselves that justice would be served. It seemed dead chicken (stupid Chinese joke) was on the menu as Luong duly picked one up after chasing down the ball the Catz centreback collided painfully with the goalkeeper leaving an open goal to aim at. He stroked it home with his left foot and on the way back to celebrate noticed that the two Catz players were still rolling around in agony. Revenge is indeed sweet.
   The crowd had quietened - perhaps being obnoxious is exhausting work. And so Chung helped them out by rocketing a shot in from 30 yards. The element of surprise caught out the keeper who was swanning around away from his goal. It was an unusual goal that even bought Woody out from his goal to congratulate the well-muscled Chinaman. The two goal cushion was vitally important as we had let games slip in recent times. Cruel lessons had been learned and we capped off the win with another goal. A semi-rehabilitated Skinny had come on midway through and although his stamina, strength and pace were still lacking, his understanding of the game was not. He exchanged one touch  passes with Luong, the latter of whom took another touch to burst past the centre back and lift the ball over the out-rushing keeper to score our fifth goal. It could have been even better when minutes before the end, he controlled a cross from the right and blazed over from all of six yards.

Christ 2nds 0 - 8 CCCC

Starting Formation:

Luong    Minh

Chan  Be  Swish  Chung

Jakub  Dang  Jeff  Alex

J Wong

End Formation:

Adam   Minh

Luong   Be   Skinny   Chung

Jakub   Dang  Jeff  JasonW

Alex

Subs: Jason Wong, Skinny, Adam
Assists: Be, Dang, Luong, Minh (2), Chung...
Scorers: Minh (2), Chung (2), Swish, Luong, Adam, Jeff
MOM:
 

   We started as though we were fresh off the boat - which in this case - was a good thing. We attacked from the off and scored three times within about 15 minutes. The first, after a few previous attempts, came from an unlikely source - The Swish man. He latched onto a prodded ball from Minh and shot past the keeper with what can only be described as a Be-esque toe punt.
Next up was Minh, who picked up a well weighted ball from stepover hero Be to slot clinically for our second. Merciless was not finished there! We've always suspected that we were more dangerous from THEIR corners than ours. And so it proved true on this occasion. Dang cleared a corner and played a delightful ball to Minh who was well on his way past the halfway line. He powered past the last defender to beat the keeper from a tight angle. Dang was jubilant.
By this point, the game was virtually won. But right or wrong, we never cease to pour forwards! On one such occasion, Luong flew down the left wing and cut back inside in the penalty box. He shaped to shoot, but instead found muscleman no.1 arriving on the other side. Chung took what seemed like an eternity, to wind up, lean back and fire in our fourth goal.

   The second half saw the introduction of Adam and Skinny, the latter of whom has been out for over a year with knee ligament damage.
We were keen to kill the game off early - revolutions must be quashed before hatching!
It really didn't take long for us to quell any rumblings of a rebellion. We had no intentions of letting another game slip out of our grasp and within five minutes, Adam had broken into the penalty area and fed Luong (who was screaming) to finish with a quickly taken shot. The opponents were truly demoralised by this point and even the introduction of a loud talking first team player did little to change their fortunes. Despite Chung's tendency to lean back, he did hit a glorious half volley that flew in for our sixth goal.

   The seventh was a truly remarkable effort that showed our appetite even when the game had been won. A Christ player tried to dribble past Jakub in our left back position but was tackled by our Polish comrade. Luong had tracked back to assist and so Jakub laid the ball off to him. He then turned and skipped past two players in midfield before finding Chung wide on the right wing. Bruce Lee's clone wasted no time in bee-lining towards goal, before passing it onto Minh. Merciless did a little jink to amuse the goalkeeper and then squared for Adam to tap in and finish off a classic and well executed counter attack.
  After that prolonged eulogising, it's time for some humour. This was supplied by Minh who - late in the game - twisted left and right looking for a shot in the penalty area. After about an hour of players and substitutes shouting 'Minh, Minh, Minh!', the ball broke loose towards Beasty. The man from 'Nam rubbed his hands in glee as he readied himself for a shot. However, sneaky Jeff bamboozled his way in front and struck a clean shot to steal Be's first and our eighth goal.

   It was a resounding win, but perhaps not truly reflective of our dominance. We had stand-in goal keepers that were rarely tested and we missed a plenitude of chances - I alone failed to latch onto two when sliding in at the back post, shooting narrowly wide with two other efforts and having a goal ruled out for a dubious foul on the keeper. Minh hit crossbar once and should have scored when through on goal, but for an audacious chip that went audaciously wrong :p

CCCC 9 - 5 CCCC 2nds

Starting Formation:

Luong  Wai

 Swish    Yau    Be    Chung 

Cheese   Dang   Jeff   Ippei

Yat

Subs: James Wong, Muz, Adam
Assists: Yau, Beast, Chung, Luong...and?
Scorers: Luong (5), Adam, Jeff, Muz, Swish
 

   Our second team - in little more than name - hail from the Netherhall region of Cambridge. Their home turf is Nightingale Avenue and they are made up of about four squinties and the rest are local sixth formers.

  Yau was visiting and re-formed a central midfield partnership with Beasty. On the sidelines was the hard working Muz and on recommendation from Beasty, Adam was to make his debut.
   It was a gloriously sunny Sunday and the match transpired to be somewhat of a goalfest. Both teams were committed to going forwards, but seemed less bothered about defending. And so a game that we always had under control culminated in goals from both new boys (Muz and Adam) as well as Jeff and Swish and five for Luong. It didn't take more than a few minutes for us to assert our authority. A nervous looking 2nds defence had the ball robbed in their area by a particularly vindictive Luongster. He managed to bundle the ball home for us to take a very early lead. This set the tone for the rest of the half as we finished strongly about 5-1 up.

   In fact, faced with the daunting task of structuring a match report, I'm just going to list how the goals were scored and the fact that the seconds did find replies in between, though the result was never in doubt.

1) Luong - robbed Jakub on the bye-line to stab in our first goal
2) Luong - Yau played a delicate throughball for Luong to round the keeper
3) Swish - following a series of intricate passing, finishes with aplomb
4) Adam - on just before halftime, takes a chipped throughball from Luong to lob the keeper with a cracking shot
5 Luong - Beasty plays a ball into space near the outside of their area. Luong takes the ball in his stride, slows the defender down before making some space to hit a reverse shot that goes in off the near post
6) Jeff - suspicions of offside before our centreback slams the ball into the roof of the net. There is no time for debate as Jeff is already celebrating near the halfway line!
7) Muz - fleet footed and earnest, Muz collects another throughball to power a shot home
8) Luong - again, running off the defender, picks up the ball (not with his hands) and beats the keeper in a one-on-one with a cheeky near post shot
9) Luong - By this time, the game had dissipated into a mild farce and a simple through pass is rocketed with the outside of the boot

CCCC 4 - 4 Embankment

Starting Formation:

Luong

 Wai   Be   Swish   Chung
Geoff 

Cheese   Dang   Jeff   Ippei

Wood

CCCC 4 - 3 Moaners

Starting Formation:

Luong  Wai

 Chan  Dang  JWong   Chung 

Steve   Wood   Jeff   Kevin

Lau

2nd Half Formation:

Luong  Wai

 Hui  Chan  Swish   Chung 

Steve   Dang   Jeff   JWong

Wood

   We switched things around after half time, opting for two natural midfielders resulting in better possession. We spread the play and began to use the wings more. We scored our fourth when Luong smashed a shot in from a tight angle. With a two goal cushion, we seemed to relax a little too much! As a consequence, we allowed them a foothold in the game as they scored when we dallied in our own half. With the game becoming tenser than it should have, our referee awarded a penalty to them for an innocuous challenge by Dang. There was an uproar (mainly by me), but the penalty stood. Justice was maintained with Woody saving well. In true C4 style, we kept pushing for the killer goal despite having the lead. Jeff almost complied, when stabbing a floated ball a yard wide. Similarly, Wai was inches away from barging a crossed ball that skimmed across the face of the goal.
  Skinny came on for a risky cameo and other than one very neat turn, found things difficult - such was the extent of his recovering knee injury. With the game still teetering, Jeff rolled around in agony from a late challenge. Concern was soon displaced with bemusement as he revealed he was 'acting'. Oh dear!

CCCC 6 - 1 Randoms

Starting Formation:

Minh

 Chan    Luong   Wai    Chung 

Robert   Dang   Lau   Steven

Wood

   Another new team, but again we played on the rubber crumb astro-turf that had been so kind to us previously. We arrived with 11 men, only to discover they had a paltry 9! Swishman volunteered to sit out and play as ref, so we kicked off with 10 vs 9. The first thing we noticed were that this team had a few eccentric Europeans that were not adverse to tantrums and sulks.
  Our extra man seemed to steer us into cruise control, but we soon took control when Minh slotted past the keeper for our first goal. The second was not long in coming and was a bolt out of the blue (or should I say Tu?) Chung received the ball wide on the right and shaped to cross it. However, the sneaky Chinaman had other ideas and hit a strong strike that beat the keeper for our second.
   We continued to threaten, but went into half time with a rather embarrassing 2-0 lead. We knew we needed to kill the game off, especially with our numerical advantage. Swish came back into the team to sit in centre midfield, but it was a Minh cross that found the head/face of Wai for our third goal. With that, we slipped back into that dangerous state of purposelessness, and found ourselves pegged a goal back from a long range effort. However, it served to wake us from our slumber and We played some better football. Squeekyman had the taste for goal and hit a sweet 20 yard shot into the top right corner to thwart any ideas of a comeback.
   From there, we didn't look back and launched wave after wave of attacks. A freekick taken to the nearpost by Minh was met with a ninja-like ass sliding connection by Luong. The loose ball was then promptly stabbed goal wards for our fifth. We scored our final goal, when a cross from Luong was deflected into their own net by a hapless defender.

CCCC 1 - 0 Sporting Hinton

Starting Formation:

Luong  Wai

 Chan    Be    Daniel   Chung 

Robert   Dang   J Yu   Jeff

Wood

Subs: Swish
Assists: Wai
Scorers: Luong
MOM:

   A long break and our first 11 aside match in some months. We travelled to Linton to face an unknown team at their home ground. An artificial rubber crumb pitch that actually plays nicely. We also welcomed a potential new comer Daniel - a skilful midfielder from Portugal.

   We got off to a very assertive start - dominating the  1^st half with much aplomb. Slick passing and possession play meant we were always a threat. The even surface helped produce a fast moving game. Our superiority was rewarded with a goal not long before half time. Squeeky won a header in the centre of the field and flicked it on for Luong. He ran from just beyond the halfway line to power a shot past the keeper, before realising Wai had hurt himself in the initial challenge!

   For whatever reasons, we endured a sluggish 2^nd half in which we allowed them a foothold in the game. However, we are stubborn customers and began to turn the tide back to our favour, but a head collision 10 minutes from time meant that the game was cancelled as a Hinton player picked up a deep and nasty looking cut above his eye.

&

St John's 5 aside tournament

Summer 2007

   Mini World Cup - drawn in a strong group. We emerged in 2nd place, behind the eventual champions. We knocked out the Algerian team, drawing with them in our opening game in the process. However, we'd both convincingly beaten the other team/s though we managed gruelling a draw with the top team of the tournament, whereas they had lost 3-0. That team contained some Histon players and were as string a team as we've ever encountered - short of drawing our meat cleavers, we really had to scrap for that result. Which turned out in vain, as we underperformed in our 2nd round match and lost 1-0 in the dying minutes of play.

CCCC 5 - 4 BBD United

Minh
Luong

Chan   Wai  Be  James W

Jakub  Dang  Mike  Steven

 Chung

6 huk gwais waiting. Amazing weather – low on players. Chung in goal, steven 3 hours sleep, luong bruised heel. Drop outs are disrecpectful.

We had the brighter first half, but of their six attacks, they scored 4 in total. At 3-0, we pulled one back only to concede VERY sloppily from a tight angle.

Minh goal.

2^nd half Luong dropped back for Wai and we controlled the game.

Mike two goals, Minh two more (last one a chip)

Luong hit shot that cannoned off bar and miraculously almost bounced back in with a long range strike and shld have scored at the end when bamboozling thru two fouls only to shoot at the keeper.

Loads of chances accompanied with even more passion

Chung came on in the closing stages for steven

CCCC 2 - 8 Jesus

Starting Formation:

Luong
Jason Yu
 Wai    Be    Yau    Chung 

Rob  Dang  Mike  Jwong

Wood

CCCC 5 - 3 Corpus 2nds

Starting Formation:

Luong

 Wai   Be   Sadek   Chung 

Rob   Dang  Mike  Jwong

Andy Truong

70 minutes:

Luong   Minh

 Wai   Be   Sadek   Chung 

Rob  Dang  Mike   Jwong

Andy Truong

  Corpus 2nds still held painful memories from the past when we were humiliated last time we played. Admittedly, a hatful of DX howlers gifted them the game, but we still had something to prove - mainly to ourselves. To add spice to the match, they were promotion contenders and we could ill afford a slip up.
  The pitch was velvet smooth (well, not quite, but it was nice) but it soon dawned on us that we were to play this crucial game with 10 men! A couple of players had gone MIA and so were forced to field one lone striker. Having had the experience of playing with 7 stout men against Clare Hall, we were well versed to deal with this. The play was fairly even and arguably we created the cleaner chances. I'll be the first to admit that Luong (me) is a quality player and can work wonders, even when outnumbered (muahaha). And with the help of our other gutsy players caused their backline considerable problems. Chung's physique, I mean pace was giving their leftback a migraine and from the side, Luong managed to burst through to force a low save to keepers right.
  Light emerged from the tunnel and Sadek intercepted and forced a mistake with a slightly wayward pass. The ball fell invitingly for Luong, who was alert and quickest to the loose ball to slot low to the keepers left. 1-0 and against the odds.
   This gave us the belief we relished, but we (I say we, but t was Robert Law!) allowed too much time and space for them to whip in a cross. Their forward met it with a diving header to give them the equaliser. We were annoyed, but not dispirited and Chung continued to bully the left back. Also Beasty boy found time to make some darting runs, but a slight lack of real burning pace allowed the defenders to get a foot in. Only their no.4 caused us any real problems and we were amused to hear their captain boast that man for man, they had better players. I almost laughed, up until halftime which saw us come in at 1-1.

   Half time gave us the chance to reflect on a valiant performance. We knew we could go on to win this and have me write about our heroics. We continued as we had started the first half and Luong ran onto an early chance. A race against the keeper saw the Chinaman lift the ball over the keeper only for it to to drift narrowly wide. Though nobody acknowledged it, it was actually a good case for a penalty as the keeper took the man down and got absolutely nothing on the ball.
   C4 were still going strong and took the lead when Beasty boy slipped in Luong to go through on goal. The latter duly obliged by opened up his body and feigning to shoot to the right, before rounding the keeper to score with his left. It was no less than we warranted as we had all put in a double shift thus far.
  On about the hour mark, we opened up a two goal lead courtesy of a magnificent lap by Mike. From a corner, he leapt like a Mario off a toadtsool to loop a header over their player guarding the far post. At 3-1, we were heading for a valiant victory. And at 70 minutes, Minh was on the pitch and there were 11 Chinamen. The 'extra' player really made a difference and it was Merciless that beat his man on the right flank to cross a low ball that just evaded their centreback for Luong to slide in for another left foot power finish! And we should have extended the gap, as Minh had a hatrick of presentable chances.
   With us stuttering in front of goal, Corpus made a remarkable comeback. Set pieces have always been our weakness against taller opponents and it was again our Achilles heel when they scored twice in the last 10 minutes from headed corners. They poured forwards, desperate for an equaliser, but we held fast and Minh scored our fifth goal to coincide with the final whistle and end what was an unnecessarily nervy finale.

CCCC 0 - 0 Homerton 2nds

Starting Formation:

Luong
Wai
Chan  Beast  Swish  Chung

Rob  Mike  Dang  Steven

Andy Truong

Subs: Minh, Jason Wong, Wood
MOM: Nobody!

CCCC 5 - 1 Downing 3rds

Starting Formation:

Luong   Wai

Chung   Beast   Yau   Swish

JWong  Mike  Dang  Steven

Jason Yu

2nd half Formation:

Luong   Chung

Chung   Beast   Yau   JamesW

JWong  Mike  Dang  JasonYu

Swish

   We arrived to be greeted by a frozen pitch, keen to get our league campaign back on track. Slowly the ice melted away as the sun crept lazily from behind the clouds.
   We applied early pressure and did everything so well, except for over hitting the final balls. We had an early shot on goal, fired across goal though the keeper was positioned poorly and ironically was in place to catch the shot. The defence comprised of a strong line up and repelled any attacks before the had formed As such, this gave us a platform to attack and Chung got forwards well on the left side. However, it was from the right hand side that our goal began. A throw in to Wai and the Squeekyman turned smartly to poke a pall through to Luong who then ran in on goal to slip the ball under the keeper.
  It was the catalyst that we needed and this was exemplified by Wai who had started timidly but picked up to battle and eventually nutmeg opponents.  We almost notched our second when from a quickly taken short corner, Luong drove a strong shot that the keeper fumbled.
   The were so solid through the middle - Beast and Yau supplying muscular protection to the already formidable pairing of Mike and Dang. The two side backs are also tough customers whose egos would let few players past them. Chung broke down the left and did one flying kick before Luong had a second goal dubiously ruled offside.
   Indeed it became a one sided affair and we had Jason Yu come on as right back. The self proclaimed Gerrard played at right back and got forwards often, making his gut busting runs to good effect. However, it was Luong who registered our second goal. Chung was still performing martial arts moves along the left channel and lofted a ball towards the penalty area. Luong took off and as the ball came over his shoulder, pivoted whilst on the run to crash an audacious volley past the goalkeeper. Jason Yu remarked 'that's the best goal I’ve ever seen you score'. It was a peach.

   Halftime beckoned and it had come too soon. We made some changes - Minh and James Wong coming on for Wai and Steven. Both had done very well and were unlucky to be replaced. And this showed as we started slowly, seemingly content with our two goal cushion. And our passive stance was punished when they scored a fortuitous goal to make it 2-1. Unfortunately for them, we really had too much quality across the team and two quick fire goals from Jason Yu helped us pull away again. The first was a poachers' goal as the ball fell invitingly for Jason to power in at close range. His second was the product of a slick one-two with Luong, who touched it around the defender for Jason to hit a powerful strike from 20 yards out. 'Yes!' he roared and in a fit of ecstasy, sprinted to halfway line roaring 'Gerrard, Stevie G!' Oh dear, What a loon.
   The introduction of Minh meant that his pace was always a threat. He was presented with a bevvy of chances, but failed to take them - curling one into keeper, chipped another wide and rounded the keeper too far for the other. Our fifth goal proved elusive and again, Minh provided some danger when at a tight angle, he took too long and should have pulled back for Be, but instead crossed too fast and too far for Luong's last ditch slide.
   C4 dominance became such that the Beasty indulged in some trick-taggery as our play became more expressive – their GK became a bit irate as he thought we were taking the piss. A flowing passing move almost had Beasty through on goal, but a slightly heavy touch snuffed out the chance.
  As is typical against us, there were numerous wild offisde calls from the despairing opposition. We were attacking frequently and on the rare occasion they attacked, our defence was too strong and cleared well or helped launch quick counterattacks. At corners Mike proved a real handful and almost scored from a towering header late on. The icing on the proverbial cake was presented by a Luong throughball that found Minh. Of course there were the obligatory offisde shrieks, but Merciless ignored these to finally slot in at the near post.
 

CCCC 3 - 1 Clare Hall

Starting Formation:

Be  Luong  Chan

Mike  Dang  James Wong

Chung (gk)

2nd half formation:

      Minh
Luong     
Chung  Mickey Beast JamesW

Robert   Mike   Dang   Steven

Skinny

What a way to get back into shape after the binge eating and drinking over New Years…

Saturday – Be, Mike and I played for ‘the 2nds’ in a gruelling match against a Queens 2^nd side that were much better than anticipated. It was a struggle as we went 2-0 up fairly early on, only to be pegged back to 2-2 and then trail by 3-2! But we dug in deep-style and came back strongly to win 6-4. I scored three and set up one, but didn’t play particularly well as a whole. But what the heck, more importantly, the result was a good one.

Was so tired that night, I missed a ‘wicked party’ at China Chow's. Why is it always the allegedly great nights that you end up missing out on…?

Anyhoo, in a way, I didn’t mind - in that it would have meant alcohol and/or a late night. And the football match on Sunday ranks as one of the most satisfying I’ve ever played in. It was a sacrifice well worth making.

As is required for great drama, it didn’t start well. The odds were stacked painstakingly high against us – through various reasons (most of which dubious, late or just plain lame) we had only 8 players to face off against Clare Hall. This was a team that had scored 28 and conceded only 4 goals in their 3 league games. And indeed they had three very good players supported by a handful of average guys. Their backline was comparatively weaker, but as Steven was forced to pick up people with Skinny, we had no choice but to kick off against a full strength Clare Hall team with only 7 plucky players.

Chung the Congee-Craving-Chinaman, Dang the Dastardly & Devious, Mike of Greengables, The Beast from the East, James Wong the Earl of Nice Guy Heritage, Mickey the Dextrous and myself faced an understandably confident and competent eleven, supported by an entourage of fans.

What followed was a supremely valiant display as we battled for 30 treacherous minutes to preserve parity. It wasn’t easy. Blood, tears and sweat were spilled (trace amounts of the former two) as we struggled against the incessant tide of blue and white. Eventually, backup arrived in the form of Steven, Minh and Robert. The tide began to slowly turn, although we were still 10 vs 11 for the remainder of the 1^st half. It may have been a psychological blow for them to know they had failed to break down the seven Reds of Eastern Thundera. With the addition of two more defenders and a forward, we actually had an outlet - and with it, hope - where before there was little. We actually threatened to breach the backline on occasion and even forced some corners. A deft reverse ball by me to James Wong had the Hall backline in trouble.

We held on until half time, and two of their influential players acknowledged the work we had put in to keep the score level - "well done mate, you did so well with 7 men". We were buoyed by our efforts and Yat had arrived for vocal support. Skin bravely volunteered himself in goal and Chung was unleashed. We continued in good stead - our immense centrebacks put in some fantastic performances and we became the aggressors.
Chances actually materialised and I was guilty of a couple of tame efforts. I know in Parkers, the composure would have been there for what were frankly easy finishes. Minh hit the side netting when through on goal, but importantly, we were creating opportunities.
Our goal, eventually came and was somewhat fortuitous. Be/Chung dropped in a throughball between the right and centreback (an area we had targeted). Luong took it in his stride and tried to curl it low into the right corner. Again, the connection wasn't sweet enough, but it was just enough to sneak it past the keeper. It was a moment of great satisfaction as we'd fought so hard to simply keep ourselves in the game.
With that goal, we gained confidence and had two blatant penalties dismissed– both involving Be. Who then threw the funniest tantrum, waving his arms aroud in dramatic fashion and hopping in a circular motion. We were robbed of two penalties, but the for that comedy, it was well worth it.

The game did ebb and flow both directions and at times we needed to be strong in defence. This was epitomised by Mike who managed to sent at least 7 balls over the fence, when a simple clearance may have sufficed. A poor huk gwai had to get them.
In fact the entire team stepped up to the challenge, but they found an equaliser to send their home fans into rapture. We were dismayed but did not buckle and continued to push forwards. Be just failed to convert a header from several yards out, but his blushes were spared by Minh who thumped in a shot from an acute angle to put us back into the lead.
From then on, it was a frantic affair with Luong firing wide after some good link up play with Minh. The game became so tight as our earlier exertions became more telling. However, we killed the game off in exuberant style when Luong raced onto a cross field pass to flick the ball over the keeper for our third and the final goal. 

CCCC 1 - 4 Robinson 2nds

Scorer: Wai
Assist: Luong

CCCC 1 - 11 Fitzwilliam

5 / 11 / 2006

CCCC 4 - 0 Sidney 2nds

Starting Formation:

Minh     Greg

Chan     Luong    Be    Chung

Robert   Yau   Dang   J Wong

DX

Subs: Wai, Kevin

Scorers: Greg (2), Minh, Luong
Assists: Chung (2), Luong (2)

   With that goal, our confidence was firm, more so than Robert's ample pecs. Our backline was strong and protected the king of blunders well. This foundation allowed us to build our attacks and from the left and well outside the area, Gregory curled in a delightful shot that had the keeper rooted to the spot. 2-0 to the ginger, I mean Reds.

   Half time soon beckoned, before which a couple of substitutions had been made. Mr Luong was the first casualty on the half hour mark, being replaced by Kevin. The warrior was still carrying a sore ankle from the previous game and was taken off for precautionary measures! However, he made a return in the second half and drilled a square ball towards goal, that Squeek Wai just failed to latch onto. The hunger to win was evident in all and Beasty typiifed this with some strong challenges. Greg was again a tormentor in this half as he teed up Minh for what was an open goal. The ball was to blame as he somehow missed with his left foot to the astonishment of all present. 
   A strange series of events followed with Luong being kicked in the head by a clumsy defender and then Skinny being accused of racism. This didn't put Minh off as he took a throughball, jinked past a defender and slotted in from a tight angle for our third goal. The merciless one did less well when he went for goal instead of squaring for one of Luong or Greg - resulting in the keeper making a save and the two C4 players getting stuck in the net.
   Having been kicked in the head by their right back, Luong was not in a good mood and took it onto himself to ghost past the same defender and crash a scathing drive against the upright. His (my) mood did not improve, although he was soon smiling again when an acrobatic bicycle kick guided a Chung shot/cross into the net. There was even time for the under employed DX to do trick to take the ball away from a closing attacker. Marvelous.

   With the game won, we had further chances and Minh took the ball away from Chan as he prepared to shoot. Regardless, we'd put in a solid shift and proved worthy victors. The sight of DX's trick taggery was the icing on a well made cake.

CCCC 8 - 0 Kings 2nds

Starting Formation:

Minh     Luong

Greg     Wai    Swish     Chung

Robert   Beast   Dang   J Wong

Wood

Subs: Mike, James Wong, Yauser

Scorers: Minh (4), Greg (2), Yauser, Beast
Assists: Greg (3), Luong, J Wong, ???

Player Summary by Squeekyman:
Wood: This match he had some work to do. Some excellent saves were made to keep a clean sheet. Goal kicks were much improved now which is good, but communication with your defence needs to be better - you have to shout loud n clear if you’re going to take the ball or run n clear it, be more in control. Good performance overall 7.8
Jay Wong: Played well today, made some crunching tackles, good covering and reading the play well. But too often you took on too many players n lost the ball which as a defender you shouldn’t do cause it will leave space for the opposition at the back n could go on to score. A simple pass to the midfield would be a safer option to take, that way you’re still at the back covering 7.7
Robert: Was strong and done very well defensively and got involved in attacking as well. Unlucky not to score with a powerful header 7.7
Kong: Two dead legs before the game had even started and had some anger in him too I think? None of which disrupted his game, good covering when needed, outrunning the opposition with ease, better vision too, through balls to the attackers which helped. Couldn’t really see any fault in his performance. Good job 7.9
Be: Centre back for the first time? Did really well to clear the ball away, got stuck in, made some good crunching tackles and stayed disciplined. Scored a well taken penalty to the joy of all onlookers 7.9
Chung: Endlessly working hard on the right flank, playing the game simple, with the passes but also tracking back to help defend. I'd say one of the best right mid players we have (just needs to learn when to duck-LT)7.9
Greg: Displayed competent skill, calm on the ball and got stuck in in the game, battled well n scored 2 great goals 7.9
Swish: Played really well in DMC and showed some excellent tackles, won most of the challenges n played the ball well at times. But sometimes got to look up n make some quicker passes 7.8
Yau: One of our super-subs who had a good game. Showed his usual defensive skill, got stuck in well to win headers n tackles, played some good passes n a through ball which led to a goal? Scored too at a crucial point just after halftime 7.8
Wai: Felt tired after 10mins with a stitch (cold engine), some slack touches, wasn’t holding the ball well enough in mid. Needs to cover the area better. 2nd half performance played better, some very good tackles. Hurt some players in the game (accident). Sorry lol 7.5
Mike: Wasn’t much play time for him but got into the game well, caused problems for the opposition n made some good chances for him n the team. Strong running 7.5
James Wong: Came on late and took a little time to settle in. But did well and always found space. Assisted one of our late goals. 7.4
Luong: Helping the midfield as well as doing his job in attack, always chasing loose balls n never gave up, work rate is as high as anybodies. All the hard work put in contributed to an injury, but showed determination to help win our first league game 7.9
Minh: Played much better and finally did what he is capable of. Some good passing made n working harder which helped the team win. His 4 goals boosted the team score no end. Keep playing like that n we are sure to have a good tally in every game! Good game 7.9

   We knew that squandered chances have a tendency to come back and bite you on the ass - a bit like angry dogs. Fortunately we were not to be victims of this Sod's Law (nor irate hounds) and it was the unlikely Yauser who sidefooted home. The keeper had palmed a shot to the byline, but an alert LT chased it down and squared it to the Chinese Scotsman for a rare but important goal. The on-form Gregster was next with a well struck effort and the flood gates began to swing open.
   With pleasure comes pain. Although the pain was exclusively with Luong. Yauser played a deft throughball. Luong and the (fat) keeper raced for it from opposite sides. Luong go there first and lifted a delicate chip over the keeper, before having his ankle crushed. He was immediately taken off with a sprained ankle and his goal disallowed for offside by linesman Yat - a true double whammy of pain. Regardless, C4 went on to record an emphatic victory with goals coming off the back of some confident and slick play. Greg and Minh ran riot with some clinical finishing to condemn the Kings boys to a crushing defeat.

   The energy exhibited by a rampant C4 dragged the Kings players all over the pitch and they were forced into many last ditch tackles. Greg scored a beauty of a goal, but again Yat galloping came to their rescue with a curious offside call. Midway through, Yau and minh came off. Squeeky entered the field, saying 'it's my turn, get off!'
   Greg dinked the ball past the keeper, and was hauled down for a penalty. The three man crowd roared for Be. Who obliged by jogging the breadth of the pitch to power his shot high into the goal!

CCCC 3 - 3 Selwyn 2nds

Starting Formation:

Minh     Luong

Wai     Beast    Greg     Chung

Robert   Sadek   J Wong   Kevin

Wood

Subs: Mickey

Scorers: Minh (2), Greg
Assists: Luong, Greg

Player Summary by Mickey:
Wood (GK) Could have been in more control of the defence line with more communication, nevertheless 2^nd ½ performance, he stepped up his game and came out for some danger balls 6.5
Robert (DL) Did well to cover left side also attacking, playing better balls to mid and covered when J Wong in trouble. Needs to read and intercept bait balls 7
Sadek (DC) Did well to play better in 2^nd ½. More in control of intercepting and looking for passes to play out of danger. But one mistake pass to Wood meant we paid for it! Still did well to regain control and improve 6
J Wong (DC) Good covering and reading play and clearing the ball, but needs to allow those runs when he could of just passed his way out of trouble. Reckons he can meg opposition daily 6.5
Wai (ML, DMC) Did well to adapt when he switched to centre mid with Greg, made simple passes which spreaded our play when counter attacking. Some great covering tackles too 7
Be (MC) Made some good tackles and simple balls in the midfield, whilst covering when a few team mates pushed up to attack 7
Greg (MC) Overall play was consistent, good covering tackles and played direct balls to strikers. Good to score and put us back in the game. Slick passing and shots on goal 7.5
Chung (MR) Made some good runs to open play down the right and played simple balls to strikers to run off. Also did some covering when defence was in trouble down the right side of the field 7
Mickey (ML, MC) Could have played more attacking balls, but still made some good runs/dribbles and balls to strikers, had a chance but fluffed it with left foot. Seems like things opened up when he came on in 2^nd ½ 6.5
Luong (FC) Did well to close down defenders and win the ball to open play for us, should have scored but still worked hard, and played in other players into the game 7.5
Minh (FC) Scored the 1^st goal when we down, and also to equalise at 3-3. Ran onto a few thru balls, but needs to finish. But also did well to spot other players to play the simply. He claims it was the ball, when he missed an open goal with his left foot 7

   Even at 2-0, we were still the far better team and continued to press. Luong threaded a throughball down the right flank which allowed Minh to surge past the left back and round the goalkeeper. With the goal at his mercy, he somehow slashed the ball wide with his left foot to the surprise of all watching. Other than the two goal incidents, there wasn't much getting through our midfield or defence. With no joy passing through our formation, they often lumped it forward, which occasionally caused some disruption to an otherwise steady defence.

   The Selwyn defence were very nervous about the turn of pace of our attacking players and were unsure whether to stick tight or drop off. They had every right to be when a ball lofted over the top exposed their lack of pace and alertness. Luong should have lobbed GK, but didn't get the desired touch and Minh just failed to latch onto the loose ball principally because of an obvious obstruction.

   We had three stonewall penalty claims - when put through on goal, Minh taken clean out when toe poking the ball past the keeper, Luong was tripped, but kept his footing to blast a shot wide and Wai had his legs taken away from him as he was about to shoot. With all of our hard work, we were not to be denied, and scored when Minh planted the ball past the GK, after some decisive passing to open up the Selwyn backline.

  Having just got back into the game, it was a cruel sucker punch, when we were caught too square and the simplest of throughballs exposed Wood, who could do little about a tidy finish from the Selwyn forward.

   Half time. At 3-1 down, we still firmly felt this was our game and that with a bit more effort and a lot more luck, we would go on to win the game. The conditions were getting worse and this may have contributed to a heated 'debate' during the interval. It was freezing and the rain was incessant and overall a very difficult 15 minutes. Nevertheless, we came out with increased determination.

   There was an increased urgency in our game, and we came close a few times before Luong twice put the ball in the net, but both were ruled offside by their oblivious linesmen. The first was coming back from a run, the second Mickey took a few touches too many before threading the final pass. The pressure on the Selwyn goal was to bursting point. And not long into the half, Luong -again - taking a pass in his stride, dribbled in between two defenders before composing himself and curling it low past the keeper. It looked a certain goal, but instead hit the post and rebounded just beyond Greg's follow up run.
  It looked like one of those games of chances squandered. There was plenty of action in the penalty box, but nothing was going in. Some intricate interplay allowed a square ball to Be who should have hit it first time, but opted to take a touch and the chance was gone. Chan and Chung both had attempts on goal, before Minh had a long range crack that whistled narrowly wide.
  We were not to be denied however and Greg found some space to hit a clean strike and close the gap to 3-2. Time was running out and a few more shots from Greg and a thumping header from Robert all painstakingly missed the target. Selwyn grew increasingly anxious and lobbied for the game to end, but not beofre Minh had the last word and scored from a tight angle to secure a single point.

CCCC 4 - 0 Newmarket Jockeys

Starting Formation:

Greg     Wai

Mickey   Skinny   Luong   Chung

Robert   Sadek   J Wong   Kevin

TC DX

Subs: Minh, James Wong

Scorers: Wai, Chung, Luong, Minh
Assists: Luong, Chung, Greg

Player Summary by Swishman:
TCDX (GK) Relatively untroubled and managed to keep a clean sheet. Made some decent saves and also made some good catches and held the ball rather than spilling it, like he usually does. However, his kicking was extremely poor as he had no power and no height on the ball. Did manage to do a good flying kick though. 7
Kevin (DR) Played well in his extra classic Fila boots as he listened to his team mates. Cleared a lot of  balls by conceding throw ins. Looked tired in the second half but was determined to finish the game. Could have slightly improved his communication with the Swish man. 7.5
Swish (DC) – For some weird reason Swish’s fasting made him play faster (what a bad pun! Luong). His aggression and determination helped him make important challenges throughout the game. Was quick to put in the tackles as he read the game well, he also performed a good defensive partnership with Jay as they do not play in that position often. Could have had better communication with Kevin as well. 8
Rob (DL) Had a mixed game in which he put plenty of effort into the game but also failed to put in some effort when it was needed. Throughout the game he made himself available to his team mates and was constantly running up and down the left wing. But his slackness caused the defence a few problems such as losing the ball in dangerous areas and not providing easy options at certain times. Plus he didn’t have good composure on the ball. 7.4
Jay (DC) Played well in the heart of the defence with Swish. Made a lot of interceptions and had good composure on the ball throughout the game. He also made a good tactical decision in which Chung benefited as he scored a goal, The only negative thing I can think of is that in the second half Jay’s concentration levels decreased as he missed a few opportunities to clear and he heeds a hair cut. 8
Chung (MR) Muscleman (now demoted to no.2) looked neat and tidy today as he did things by the book. He helped out in the defence and the attack and was rewarded with a goal. He kept on running up and down the right wing which the strikers enjoyed as he provided them with support. His goal was quite dreadful though, the ball took ages for it to go in, but he went ecstatic when his goal became official. 8
Greg (FC, DMC) Really played well in the holding role, read the game ever so well and made countless tackles. Put plenty of effort in the game as he was both attacking and defending. Was extremely unlucky not to score as his long range drive was saved onto the post. 8
Skinny (MC) Played well up until he had to go off the pitch due to a severe knee injury. On the pitch he was good on the ball and was always looking to put in the killer pass. He had good concentration as his timing was near perfect in that his tackling was good as he helped out when defending and his ball distribution was also good, but the strikers didn’t take advantage of it. But a few times was a bit casual on the ball and got tackled. 7.5
Mickey (ML) Never really got stuck in the game, as he looked lost a few times. His passes were all over the place as they weren’t accurate enough, but they did improve a lot as the game went on. Because he didn’t get stuck into the game there wasn’t a lot for him to do, but I am sure that this performance was just a one off. 7
Luong (FC, AMC) Enjoyed getting fouled as he spent most of the game on the ground. His work rate was really good, just like his passing. He went off the pitch to help aid Skinny’s injuries and when he did, the midfield looked lost. His work rate should be an example to all. 7.8
Wai (FC) I thought he could have done more, as in recent weeks his work rate, contribution, and confidence has grown rapidly. Looked really good and nimble on the ball as he took on the opposition with ease. Scored an impressive goal from an angle which to my surprise had some power and authority. Also he should have stolen the goal off Minh late in the second half. 7.5
Minh (FC) Scored a goal which was at Premiership level. His sudden turn with the ball caught their defence sleeping and then he punished them with a goal, though the ball from Greg was intended for Wai, so basically the goal came from nothing. Had good generous support from Chung in which he chose to use a lot. But one thing I do not understand is that he works hard on the ball, maybe too hard, but never really works hard off the ball, such as pressuring their defence. It seems like he wants to work hard when he wants to rather than when he needs to. 7.2
James Wong (ML, MC) Fucking geezer. Came on in the first half to cover Luong and took time for him to settle in the midfield. But got better as the game went on. He put some good stiff challenges in and his passing was good. He just needs a little confidence in himself and lots of support from his team mates. 7
 

   Our defence and particularly Swish and Jason Wong were doing a generally very good job at the back, especially having not played together there before. And so we had a sturdy foundation to build our attacks upon. Indeed we launched a quick counterattack when Skin played a ball through the middle to Luong's feet. With his back to goal, he played a reverse ball to Wai who had made a good run off his shoulder. The Squeekyman wasted no time when he took a touch and then powered a shot past the GK for our first of the day.
   With our noses in front, we played with abit more confidence and the Squeekster (Wai) was unlucky not to gather a ball that would have had him through on goal. Chung was making good progress on the right flank, working very, very hard in both directions. Mickey was providing some trickery on the left, but his final delivery wasn't up to his normal standard. The attacks from C4 were mounting, and on one such expedition, Skinny was fouled in the penalty box and landed awkwardly on his knee. He immediately signalled that he was in real trouble and would play no further part in the match. It was a blow in that it affected our rhythm, but did allow Minh and James Wong to come on in place of Luong and the injured Skinny. *It was later discovered that Skinny has torn his cruciate knee ligaments and faces about 6 months out of football - a HEAVY blow to the team, with the new captain sitting on the sidelines for such a long time*.

   We were still the better team, but needed MUCH more movement and desire off the ball. While nursing Skinny's twisted knee, I saw Minh break down the left flank, but literally only one Squeekyman made the effort to support him. There wasn't even any pushing up to the halfway line to squeeze the play and fill the gaps from 8 other players. That's ok on Parkers (but still not ideal) as often we can beat the players and score, but we can't and shouldn't rely on individual play or brilliance in matches. We NEED TO MOVE UP AND DOWN AS A TEAM, even if it is tiring.

   Fresh from coming on, Minh wriggled past a couple of defenders but his stabbed effort was smothered by the GK. Ironically, in a congested box the workaholic Chung, not known for scoring, hit a fairly tame shot that the keeper let squirm across the goal line for only our second goal. With five minutes to go, Luong came back on for Mickey, but there was little incident and halftime soon arrived. His first telling contribution was to strike a close range left footed half volley that flew a few yards wide of the top left corner. However, C4 were soon to extend their lead when Greg played a floated ball to Wai. It didn't quite reach the Squeekyman, but instead found the Sneakerman who hit a drive that the GK got hands to, but still rolled into the goal. Wai was at the end of it but wasn't greedy enough to tap it in and steal Minh's goal!

   Chung was still rampaging down the right flank and caused them many problems with his high work rate. On the left, James Wong took up some great positions, found a lot of space and linked up with Robert well. He just needed a little more composure, though this will definitely come with more match time/experience. Wai had been taking a few too many pot shots without much luck, but his third shot whistled only narrowly wide of the top corner.

   Another raid down the right ended with Wai heading just wide of goal after a Luong pull back - in fact, the ball more or less thumped against his head as he revealed that he wasn't expecting a cross. A little later Greg hit a stunning long range strike, that the keeper pushed onto the upright. We were getting closer and eventually a long ball allowed Luong to race against the centre back. Generally there is only one winner there and a good take from LT forced the defender to overrun and the Gk to come out of position. Cutting back on his left side, he passed the ball into the unguarded net for our fourth and final goal.

Genetics 0 - 6 CCCC

Starting Formation:

Greg   Luong

Mike   Skinny   Beast   Chung

Robert   J Yu   Dang   J Wong

Wood

Subs: Minh, Wai, James Wong, Kevin Wong, Mickey

Scorers: Greg (2), Skinny, Chung, Kevin, ...
Assists: Beast, Luong, Greg, Skinny, ...

EF 1 - 10 CCCC

Starting Formation:

Tyrell
Luong      
James     Beast     Skin     Jason

Colin    Dang     Richard    Kevin

Woody

Subs: Geoff, Greg, Him, Swish

Assists: Beast, Luong (2), Greg (2), Tyrell, Him
Scorers: Greg (3), Luong (2), Jason Wong, Skinny, Him, Tyrell (2)
MOM: ?

   With a possibly unprecedented THREE WONGS (certainly don't make a right) on the pitch, we still got off to a decent start! Haha. We applied a lot of early pressure, playing most of the game in their half. Chances came and went for the Reds as we spurned numerous good opportunities. First, after good work from Skinny and Beast, Luong totally miskicked, just yards away from goal. His next attempt was better, with his back to goal, taking a touch to turn and fizzing a shot just yards wide from the far post. The shots were building up, and Tyrell had a couple of half chances, but whose efforts were disrupted by keen defending.. However the man that the majority of opportunities fell to was none other than the Beasty man. He did well to arrive late in the box and was found on a few occasions and teed up for a catalogue of shots. However, a really off day at the shooting parlour meant that these decent openings were passed up in sometimes humorous fashion.

   It was starting to become one of those games, where you dominate completely, but just can't find the target! And this was compounded by probably one of their first meaningful attacks of the game. Our impressive and sturdy centre backs had repelled what activity they could muster down the centre, and our wing backs were tidily efficient also. However, they forced a couple of corners in succession and these were defended in numbers, but not always aggressively so. Slight hesitation and a Dang header gifted them a chaotic first goal - they wheeled off in exuberant fashion to celebrate what was essentially an own goal! 

   We never doubted our ability to win this game, but needed a quick response. We continued our attacking policy and when another chance was presented to Beasty, he pulled the trigger once more. Where previously, he had been firing blanks, this shot had a bit more venom to it and as such, a defender raised both hands to block. Big man Geoff had a good view of it and awarded a penalty. After some dispute about the decision, eventually, Greg (who had just come on) placed the ball down and confidently powered it past the keeper for our equaliser. C4 continued to dictate the game and Swish came on and was immediately amongst the action. He was a cause of a melee in which Be had another chance to smash the ball wide from several yards out. Mattalan and Greg both also had shots saved by a keeper that was beginning to distinguish himself. Swish was unintentionally involved in the next goal as his miscontrol allowed the ball to run through. Luong was first to react as he raced onto it and slotted past the keeper.

   Half time soon came and went and we burst straight out of blocks with a point to prove after their restart and we were freed to attack with the rock steady combination of Richard and Dang. Luong steered a header onto the post from a Swish cross, but minutes later, a mazy and pacy dribble from Skinny allowed him to calmly add a finish for our next goal. The Skinny one then hit the post with a sliding shot as we continued the siege on their goal.

   'Him' was giving the veteran right back a tricky time and a square ball found Luong at the edge of the area. Turning past one, he hit a thumping drive that smacked the inside of the post and in for our next goal. It seemed everybody was getting in on the action as we maraudz forwards with much intent. Luong dropped a throughball into Jason Wong's path and a neat touch allowed him to turn and beat the keeper.
   At this point, there really was no turning back, but we were vicious, eager to make further amends for our first defeat. Dang volunteered to come off, and new boy Geoff was allowed to shine. His tackling and timing had vastly improved and he showed good strength and bravery. However it was old timer Luong who went on a slalom run and played in 'Him' for 'him' to execute a slightly fortuitous Cruyff turn and blast in his first goal for C4.
   Tyrell blasted two goals in from tight angles and even the big man Geoff was almost on the scoresheet, but his effort was denied by a goal line clearance. The game was well and truly won by now, but more chances were crafted as a beleaguered opposition began to crumble. Beasty boy made some driving runs, but a possible lack of confidence saw him roll the ball across the face of goal, when a shot was probably the wiser option.

   We hadn't given up and as they weakened, we grew in strength. Skin tackled back and won the ball in our left back position, Luong picked up the loose ball and a mazy dribble and square pass found Greg, who drilled in a shot that was only narrowly wide. He made up for it minutes later, when he scored his self-claimed "2nd best goal ever". Picking the ball up at the edge of the area, he curled a powerful shot into the top right corner to leave the keeper rooted and C4 applauding.

   That proved to be the final nail in the coffin and the match was cut short by 5 minutes as their players simply gave up, trudging off the pitch with heads hung low.

Peterborough 2 - 6 CCCC

Starting formation:

Tyrell   Minh

Mickey    Beast   Skin   Chung

Robert   Dang  JWong   Sadek

Woody

Subs: Luong, Wai
Assists: Luong (2), Skinny, Tyrell
Scorers: Skinny, Tyrell (2), Luong, Minh (2)

   Reputations were on the line as C4 travelled North to local Peterborough for a friendly match. The weather was appalling in the morning, and there were few that fancied the hour long trip. However, as the morning wore on, the rain cleared and the sun came out to play. We bought a fairly strong squad with us and after getting lost a couple of times and receiving no help from the immigrant population of Peterborough, we eventually found the pitch.
   We camped in the 'visitors' dug out and after a warm up, soon kicked off, signalled by when the Caucasian Rastafarian blew his whistle. C4 got off to a bright start, and looked the more dangerous side. It was easy to see a difference in class between the two teams - C4 displayed a good range of attacking flair, energy and toughness. We'd hit the post before, new captain - Skinny, broke the deadlock with a scathing 25 yard drive. This served to settle us and fired a signal of our intent, we certainly hadn't made the voyage to grasp anything other than a victory. With 15 minutes gone, Chan had played some great football (lofting a delightful aerial pass to our forwards), but was feeling the strain and opted to substitute himself for Luong (who was itching to get on the pitch!). The latter's first involvement was to put in a throughball for Minh, who should have done better when one on one with the goalkeeper. He then got sight on goal, when dinking the ball over the full back, but his indecision allowed a covering defender to intercept.
  Our second goal was worked from midfield with Skinny releasing Luong down the left flank. He steered a left foot shot which beat the keeper, but looked to be going just wide of the far post. However Tyrell did well to follow up and was left with the simplest of tap ins. We began to really enjoy our football and we they were 2nd best all over the pitch. Beastiality partnered Skinny effectively, comprehensively winning the midfield battle with no little gusto and passion. We had willing runners making breaks down the wings and creating space for us to hurt them through the heart of their defence. Indeed, Skinny looked up and floated a well weighted long pass to Luong. The keeper came out to meet it, but the fleet footed forward lifted the ball over him for a very tidy third.
   With 15 minutes to go, Wai came on for Minh and played left midfield for the remaining time. The shadow wasn't in his prime position, but did look to get stuck in when he could. Beasty was playing a disciplined game and this gave is the security we needed to push up. As is the C4 way, we always looked to attack, though they held us off until halftime. We left the pitch in confident mood and were eager to finish the job off.
  
   When play resumed, we pretty much burst out of the starting blocks. Not long after kick off, with the help of Wai, Luong robbed an opposing defender and rolled in a ball for Minh to strike powerfully past the keeper. With a deserved four goal cushion, we made a couple of changes, notably with Wood coming out of goal, being replaced by Dang. We continued to attack, but became a little lax.$
   With Dang covering as GK, our defence had lost a bit of bite and we were twice at fault with indecision costing us two consecutive goals conceded in 10 casual minutes. With our pride bruised, we hit back strongly applying loads of pressure and an increased tempo.We were pulling the PBoro defence all over the place, giving Tyrell space and time to hit a sweet 25 yarder, that rivalled Skinny's earlier for technique and power.

   We reasserted our authority and Tyrell whipped in a delightful cross that had Luong got more purchase on with a header, should have been a certain goal. It was a glaring miss, but he almost made amends not long later, when he rattled the cross bar with a strong glancing header. We'd really upped the ante, and eventually, we got our sixth goal, when we played some good football and Tyrell squared at the byline for Minh to apply the finish.

   Again, we just kept going, with Sadek floating a long pass from defence to Wai, who slightly mis-queued his shot, allowing the GK to make a finger tip save. There was even time for a goal ruled out for offside - Luong jinked past the left back, before laying it into the path of Mickey who had made a good run in between defenders. The Chinese Maradonna threaded it through to Beasty who had he vision to lay a square ball for Minh who blasted it high into the net. However, the referee had spotted an infringement somewhere and the goal was chalked off. C4 finished strongly with committed tackles thwarting any attempts at a Peterborough fightback.

    In truth, we were the superior team and all of our players put in a respectable performance. Wood was comfortable in goal and roared loudly when outfield, Robert, having missed a lot of football and played abysmally last week, put in a more workmanlike and effective performance, Dang and Jay Wong were committed and formed a good combination in the centre of defence. Swish displayed good composure and drive. Chung's body is not to be scoffed at and had plenty of fight and verve, Chaninho showed flashes of great skill and link up play, Beasty was a powerhouse and worked well with Skin whose attack and defence was on top of its game. Tyrell was a menace and put in some very dangerous crosses, which benefited Luong and Minh, whose pace and ability was too much for their backline. And Wai worked very hard in the last 15 minutes according to Sadek, who was impressed with his work rate and desire.

CCCC 1 - 2 EF

Assists: Luong
Scorers: Wai

CCCC 5 - 4 CCS

Starting formation:

Luong
Tyrell                  Greg
Beast  Rang
Chung   Dang   Kevin

Geoff

Subs: Skinny, Wai, Hui, James Wong, Sadek
Assists: Skinny (3), Luong, Beast
Scorers: Luong (3), Skinny, Wai

Player Summary by Skinny:

   Missing a few players, we were still man for man the superior team. Leo volunteered himself to the other team, in the expectation of a busier afternoon. However, the want-away goalkeeper found his team 3-0 up within about 15 minutes. Mistakes on our part had virtually gifted them with such a healthy lead. The scoreline didn't reflect the pattern of play, as Greg tested Leo with two low shots and Tyrell should have scored when charging to meet a Luong square ball. The latter should have scored at least twice in that period, but Leo did well to make himself big. Beasty stabbed over an open goal after a goalmouth scramble, but we were beginning to lay siege on their goal, with low crosses and direct passing causing them no end of troubles. However, our only reward were corners, of which we had many. That is until, according to Hui, that Skinny and then he came on to add a different type of threat (malnourishment) to our attack. Mantis claims that his quick pass to Beasty allowed him to thread a throughball to Skinny. The new captain shaped to shoot but as Leo hit the floor, Skinny cut it back for Luong to tap it in. We'd finally got the goal we deserved and continued to pile on the pressure. Rang was doing a great job as the battling midfielder, but we weren't passing from the back particularly effectively. However, when in attack, we looked very dangerous and created some very good chances.
   Frustration began to increase with our repeated attacks narrowly missing the target, but these were eased with our second goal. Bursting through the centre, Luong spots Beasty and Skinny making penetrative runs. The runners opened up space for the Luongster, but instead of shooting, he played a weighted ball to Skinny to strike first time and unleash an unstoppable drive past Leo.

   Half time came and went, and we continued our Chinese renaissance. With the lime green Adidas F50 Tunit booted chubby Chinaman leading their front line, we were the hungrier team (literally) and it was only a matter of time before the equaliser. That matter of time was about 10 minutes, with Skinny dropping in a pass down the throat of their defence. Luong latched onto it, let it run across his body to spun and guide it in for our third goal.
  The game began to get seriously tetchy - the other team were eager to dish out some physicality but wailed when on the receiving end. Tempers begun to flare, although our fourth goal bought about a quieter period. A cross from Skinny on the left flank was diverted in, with his left foot, Michael Owen style by Luong. It transpired that this was only the calm before the storm, before agitation reared its ugly head again. One of their players were allowed to ghost past two of our players before rolling the ball past a nonchalant goal keeper. The game reached a flash point when Greg was fouled twice by their fat captain, the second of which being a very cynical elbow to the chest. A reasonably large melee broke out, but was eventually calmed for us to continue the match. With Dang and Skinny waiting to come on and bring fresh impetus, Tyrell and Greg were substituted, although they did not take to this very well.
   The next flash point arrived when Mantis, who was refereeing, got involved in a spat with one of their mouthier players. A full scale ruckus was close to breaking out, with Mantis readying his deadly incisors. However, fortunately, we resolved the matter and Wai won the game with seconds to spare striking a fierce shot on the turn, having been set up by Beasty.

   We didn't play particularly well, but to come back and win from 3-0 down against an uncouth team with a good goalkeeper says something. Also, if you look at the number of actual saves our keeper made (next to zero) compared to how busy Leo was, that gives u a better idea of the game. We also passed up loads of good chances as well as numerous narrow misses. It wasn't a great game by us, but it wasn't all bad either.
 

"Wanted to let you know you did an amazing job throughout the years and it’s gonna be hard for someone replace the role you played." Jason Yu

"Well, Tran man, I have to say that under all the captains I have played under (and that has been quite a few) you have been the best of them all and it was an honour to play for you." Andy Yauser aka my favourite DMC.

"Just wanna say thanks for including me in the squad and for putting up with my cramps for the last three years. Been telling the Bengalis how good you are, and what you do for the team. I have always appreciated what you have done for the team on and off the pitch." Sadek "so swish" Miah

"Congrats on a successful few years! :p You’ve done a great job." Colin Chanster

"I haven’t known you that long, but I’ve seen enough for you to earn my respect" Kevin Leung

"Why you don't want to be the captain any more? You are the best captain I know" Leo, the flying Chinaman

Chisoc Picnic Tournament

Group Stage:
Koreans 2 – 4 C4 A
Malaysians 1 - 4 C4 B

Malaysians 0 – 5 C4 A
CCS 1 - 0 C4 B

Abacus 2 - 0 C4 A
Chisoc 0 - 7 C4 B

Semi- final
C4 A 1-1 C4 B (2-1 after pens)
Abacus 0 - 0 CCS (1-0 after pens)

Final
C4 A 6 - 0 Abacus

Player summary for C4 A, by Jason Yu:
Luong: Scored many goals in the tournament and probably would have won the golden boot if there was one! Lots of running which troubled the defences and good passing in the opponents’ area which created many scoring opportunities. (8.8)
Beast: Played well in his holding position and was managing the rotation of the substitutions effectively. Played some good balls and used the ‘Beast’ turn in some dangerous areas. Scored few goals and converted the important penalty in the semi-final shootout. (8.6)
Jason Yu: Remained strong at the back throughout the tournament. Demonstrated some good running and managed to lob the keeper in the second game. Stepped in as GK in semi-final shootout, and successfully saved five out five attempts. (8.7)
Skinny: Constant running was always a threat to the opponents. Good holding up of the ball at all times and scored a terrific goal in the semi-finals against Dang’s team. Showed flair and skill throughout the tournament and was instrumental in the heart of the midfield. (9.0)
Chung: Defended extremely well, was always in position and broke quickly when supporting the counter-attacking moves. Used his muscles effectively when required against the opponents. Also played well in goal.(8.5)
Mike: Scored the important first goal in the Final, which broke the deadlock! A lot of running throughout the day. Showed some good skills and came back to defend at important times. Scored a few goals throughout the tournament. (8.5)
Yau: Played his usual game. Ever so disciplined in the back line and was always first to get into tackles. Some good passing and through balls which resulted into goal-scoring opportunities. Unfortunately had to leave early in the tournament due to other commitments. (8.4)
Chao: Again was extremely strong at the back and was always in position. Never really had too much trouble with the opponents. (8.4)
Wai: Good running all day and was troubling the defences. Showed some skills on the ball which resulted in a few goals. (8.2)
Geoff: Made some important saves when needed but was never really troubled throughout the day. Came outfield at times and showed some promising defending and passing. (8.0)

The annual BBQ tournament transcended into a Picnic competition. C4 had dominated this tournament in recent years, but faced some new teams in the Korean and Malaysians and a much improved Chinese CCS squad.

It was to be the last game in which long time captain Luong would be leading and so it was vital that we did well. We fielded two teams, brimmed with talent and were obvious early favourites. There was little to separate the two, but for arguments sake, Luong’s team were given the A team tag. After helping set up a set of goals, both C4 teams opened the tournament with matches against the Korean and Malaysian societies.

Our teams were distributed as following:

C4 A: Luong, Beasty, Skinny, Chung, Jason Yu, Mike, Chao, Yau, Wai, Geoff
C4 B: Dang, Minh, Greg, Tyrell, Jason Wong, James Wong, Mickey, Sadek, Robert, Wayan

Group Stage:
Koreans 2 – 4 C4 A
Our first match was against the Korean Soc, a team described as ‘handy’ by scout Chao. However, we got off to a very confident and assertive start, passing the ball about well and probing frequently. Our dominance didn’t return any goals but instead a freak mis-kick by the unlucky Luong led to a bizarre own goal, leaving Geoff stranded and totally bemused.
We were not put off our stride and knew that our ability would see us through. Indeed some nice passing moves led to Mike slamming home at the near post with a powerful left footed shot for a richly deserved equaliser. With parity in order, we maintained healthy possession and looked to attack at every opportunity. Our next goal was the product of some very slick one touch passing, starting from Chung receiving the ball and laying a quick pass to Beasty. He then laid it off to Luong who weighted a perfect first time ball into the path of Yau, who competently slotted the ball home through the keeper’s legs! That move even had the opposition purring ‘great goal, lads’.
Luong tried to make amends for earlier by scoring a slightly messy goal to make it 3-1, though others refused to let him live it down…haha. Mike added to our tally not long after with a scorching near post drive and we’d secured the win. Big man Geoff came out of goal to stretch his legs and we rotated swiftly to keep us fresh for the next match. We conceded later through a counter attack, but we’d done enough for the Koreans to realise it was no more than a consolation goal. We’d played very well, with the players slotting in comfortably into whatever positions were asked of them. Mike showed some very powerful running and Skinny typically demonstrated all round good work. Beast and Chao were both strong and uncompromising, while Wai showed a lot of tenacity and ability to get into the box.
Cumsa 0 – 5 C4 A
A strange match, whereby we didn’t play with quite the same urgency as before. We pressured the goal and took a number of shots, but didn’t score as many as our dominance warranted. Beasty and Luong both scored to force the issue. Skinny slotted in his first goal of the tournament and our fourth came about when the effervescent Jason Yu bombed forwards and from a Yauser cross, managed to lob the keeper (and force the covering defender to get stuck in the goal net). Wai bagged the fifth, it being a cool finish after neat one two with Yauser. It was a relatively easy game, again with Geoff making a foray into the outfield jungle and showing plenty of energy.
Abacus 2 – 0 C4 A
With our other team losing 1-0 and top spot looking very unlikely for them, we did our best to finish second also. Beasty didn’t even bother playing this game, insisting on refereeing instead! We aimed for a one goal loss against Abacus, although it seemed nobody had told Chung, who went on rampaging runs before being hauled off! We gave pitch time to Geoff and James Wong as we strolled around the pitch in true pedestrian style. We went 2-0 down quite soon and had news from the other pitch that the CCS team were losing and thus Dang’s team could still finish top. We threw on some heavyweights, but not long after heard that the other game was drawing and so we still targeted the solitary goal. However, it was not to come, despite some increased efforts and we accepted a 2-0 loss to a determined Abacus side.

Interval
James Wong had already left for Dim Sum with his family and Yauser departed during the interval for London. The Koreans later failed to beat the Malaysians and so despite our less than valiant efforts we ultimately finished in top position, with Abacus finishing in surprise second. And so, it would be an all C4 Semi final after all.
Following a brief discussion, both teams eventually agreed to play to win ('let's go all out' were the main slogans as well as Wai cheekily urging us to 'rip through them'!).

Semi Final: C4 A vs C4 B – 1-1 (2-1 after pens)
The semi final proved to be a close match, with both teams trading blows with alarming regularity. Team Luong got off to the better start, with us coming close on a few occasions. Luong span Greg and blazed a left footed shot over the crossbar, Mickey Chan asked why Greg had let him do him like that. Greg answered, 'he’s much stronger than he looks, you know!' I'd have to agree to that, although I do look strong as well, right...?
Anyhoo, Dang's team took the lead when a mistake gifted Tyrell the ball and he powered it in with only the keeper to beat. We replied quickly with Skinny finishing off a powerful run to make the scores even. There was some tough tackling and no punches pulled, both teams eager to claim bragging rights. Wayan came close to adding a second, but some very determined defending thwarted him as he was about to pull the trigger. At the other end, Skinny was put through to go one on one, but Jason Wong pulled off a good save, though the slim one knows he should have done better.
The defensive shield of Jason Yu, Chao and Beasty all kept close tabs on the talented attacking line up of C4 B and the rest of us provided the legs to test the Dang inspired backline. It was frenetic stuff, but the match finished 1-1 and penalties loomed. All stepped up, with Jason Yu making a few truly tremendous saves and eventually nobody but Beasty converting and so we gladly progressed into the final.

Final: Abacus 0 – 6 C4 A
‘We’ve beaten them before, we can do it again’ roared Colin, but instead it served to spur us on as we thrashed Abacus 6-0 in a relatively easy final. Due to Abacus request, the match was shortened to 10 minutes halves and Beasty, Mike, Chao and Jason Yu started, with Geoff in goal. We looked at our bench and the strength was easy to see – Luong, Skinny, Chung and Wai were waiting in the wings.
Mike and Beast combined well up front with the pace of Mike complimenting the strength of Beast. Twice they combined to score the initial two goals, the first a stinging near post shot. It should be mentioned that the Abacus keeper was really very good and had kept a clean sheet against CCS (incl. the penalty shoot out) prior to this match. Chao and Jason Yu had very few problems and were assured in possession, but we’d seen enough of the rampant duo of Mike and Beast and at 2-0 up, Skinny and Luong came on to add to Abacus woes. Immediately they linked up with Luong smashing a ferocious near post drive past the despairing Abacus GK (see fig 1.1). Our energy levels were good, as we’d rotated well throughout the tournament, but soon Chung and Wai were to see some action for our able defenders. However, not before Skinny ran at the defence and then fed Luong who in one movement took a touch with the outside of his boot before rolling it past the onrushing keeper for our fourth goal (see fig 1.2). Wai, who had shown much improved work rate notched our fifth with a well taken goal before half time, after Mike had backheeled it to the baby-faced Chinaman (see fig 1.3).
With their star keeper leaving at half time, it looked like a rout was on the books – 5 goals in 10 previous minutes supported this view.
However, we seemed to ease off the pressure, despite maintaining tight control of the game. Our passing and movement was still impressive, but we just didn’t score as Abacus stepped up their efforts to contain us. Chung somehow found himself in goal and Geoff got a taste of the game. The crowd grew a bit restless, as the goals weren’t materialising. And so we opted for three attacking players in Luong, Skinny and Wai to help get us moving again. Wai had the ball in midfield before playing a diagonal ball through to goal. Skinny just failed to latch onto it, and as the ball looked destined for the goalkeepers outstretched arms, the Mercurial and hunky Luong slid in at the last moment to guide it past the keeper for our sixth and final goal (see fig1.4). Chung came out of goal for a bit of and did some flexing, but with a minute to go, greedy Luong came back on! Chaninho and Minhinho both wanted to come on to join in with the exhibition football, but we had limited pitch time as it was and so Luong said no! The match soon ended and we’d played consistently well to finish as merited champions and bring the curtains down on the Tran dynasty as worthy winners (and owners of a bottle of bubbly – incidentally, where did that go?!)
                                                                                            

Mini World Cup '06
Coldham's Common

China 2 - 1 Jamaica
China 3 - 1 Portugal
China 4 - 0 Mexico

China 0 - 1 Hong Kong

Vietnam 1 - 1 Tibet
Vietnam 3 - 1 W*nkers
'Nam 2 -1 Spain

'Nam 0 - 1 Switzerland

China: Dang, Minh, James Wong, Jason Wong, Geoff, Wai, Mike, Rang

China 2 - 1 Jamaica
Late arrival, meant poor warm-up , with everybody waiting for Minh to put his boots on. But when he did, the match kicked off.
The match was quick paced, but a lapse in defending awareness meant the Jamaicans found time to slot in their first goal under Big Geoff's diving body.
0-1 to the Jamaicans. As soon as we restarted, we piled on the pressure, keeping most of the possession, crisp passing, excellent movement, then it finally came, the goal we needed, with Mike smashing in a goal from 5 yards out.
We continue to dominate the match. The Jamaicans looked tired in the heat. One of their players said, 'Don't worry you will win this' to the China Captain. Such positivity was punished with Minh wiggling his way past 2 players to score our deserved winner.

China 3 - 1 Portugal
Considered to be the hardest opposition in our group, we set out with no game plan, just concentration on playing our way of football. The 'team Joga Bonita' had skilled individuals, but it was our team work that shined. A quick goal from the on form Minh, created the break me needed. some close shots from the opposition only fired us up more. our movement down the wing and through the middle was far too much for their weak defence as we went another goal ahead.
Maintaining our momentum and their poor finishing, it was end to end action, then 5 minutes to the end. Mike running at the opposition on the left wing, dinked inside, a crisp pass to Minh and on his favoured right foot smashed in our third.
Portugal were cursing at themselves, and with the longest ever 3 and a half minutes left, the Portuguese netted in their first and only goal against us.

China 4 - 0 Mexico
The final match of the group. We entered it where we left off. Excellent movement on and off the ball, good passing. Our stamina showed as the opposition looked tired and sunstroked, we ran rings around down and they had very few shots at goal. Minh revelled in playing against this opposition, he dinked, teased, wiggled and twinkled toes his way throughout the match. We dominated possession and movement and won comfortably in the heat of the afternoon. Minh-4 goals, Mexico

2nd Round: China 0 - 1 Hong Kong
Having aced the group Stages we were favourites to win, but Minh in his Goal frenzy of the Mexican game, rolled his ankle. But neverthe less we were still a strong team, HK had kicked off and we began were we left off. harassing, processing, and creating chances. A tackle to Young Wai in our half meant the last defender was outnumbered on a lucky break and HK scored. After their celebration, HK Knew that we were a team capable of scoring, they played all 6 at the back. Every person defending and blocking every shot pass we had, they had a couple of quick breaks but the captain stood up and chased every attacking play they had. after numerous shots corners and with over 70% of the possession we failed to break pass their numbers. China were defeated and HK celebrated like they had won the tournament themselves.

Overall it was a very good tournament, I'm very proud of the way my team played, Minh, absolutely Outstanding upfront, fantastic goals. Mike, excellent attacking on the Wing. Jason twinkle toes and defending. Rang great work rate, defending and dominating the midfield, James running up and down the left wing. Big Geoff in goal, some good saves, unlucky for the ones that did manage to sneak pass him. And Wai, though you did get tackled and let HK score, you got up and attacked.
Great positivitiy in the team, excellent work rate, and goals. We're unlucky to lose to such a weak team, but you've shown the skill and teamwork that would make any manager/ team captain proud. Thank you.

Luong's Tournament summary for Team Vietnam:

Vietnam 1 - 1 Tibet
We got off to a cracking start, as we pressured from the whistle. Within 20 seconds Wayan had stolen the ball from a defender to score what was surely the quickest and first goal of the tournament! We faced a physical side of Italians/Spanish, but more than matched them. There were chances and our forward play was good. However, we conceded a dubious penalty and the scores were soon 1-1. We had a great chance to win the game when Luong squared for Jason Yu, who scuffed his shot in front of an open goal. 

Vietnam 3 - 1 W*nkers
The next match was against the dirtiest team we’ve EVER played. Rough, uncouth and brutish – they had a player sin binned for his dangerous tackles. We gave as good as we got and had chances to wrap up the game after the supposed defender Jason Yu put us in the lead. Ray scrambled in a second goal to kill the game off and we got the deserved third late on in. We worked hard for each other and nobody on the team could be accused of slacking.

'Nam 2 -1 Spain
Wood had arrived and we faced a very English team – tall and vocal. We played well and were always quickest and hungriest for the ball. Wayan continued his scoring run with a fine effort at close range. Wood made a brave block that kept us in the lead, which was soon doubled when at the halfway line, Luong let the ball run across his body before cutting back inside and sending a chipped throughball to the marauding Jason Yu, who then got the faintest touch to nutmeg the keeper.
We had a chance to make it 3-0, Wayan making a darting run on the left before squaring for Beasty, who let it run to Luong for an open goal tap in. However, having spotted a player down, we sportingly played the ball out, much to the delight of crowd. We were in control of the game, though they did well to nick a goal in the dying stages. I'm sure we actually won this 3 - 1...?

2nd Round: 'Nam 0 - 1 Switzerland
We topped our group and faced the Swiss turned out to be a team dominated with Algerians. It was probably the easiest  of our four games from a physical sense. However, their creaky defence was made up for by a skilful attack. Our work rate was much better and we should have punished them as we were far the more balanced team. We were failry comfortable in possession, but a mistake at the back whilst we were knocking the ball about gifted them a rare chance on goal, which they scored from off the post. It was a real sucker punch, as we felt we definitely had the beating of this team. With so little time remaining, we poured forwards, but couldn't find that elusive goal that our play warranted.

In summary, we'd exceeded expectations, as we had a competent, but very small squad. Our play improved as the tournament progressed and we were painfully unlucky to exit at the second round. The Tibet team went on to lose narrowly to the eventual finalists, Cameroon and had only one of our teams gone out, the unification of China and Vietnam would have created a team capable of competing with any on the day.

Mauritians 0 - 2 CCCC

Scorers: Skinny (2)
Assists: Greg, Minh

RH Chisoc 2 - 2 CCCC

Scorelulrs: Luong, Minh
Assists: Beast, Greg

Squad: Geoff, Dang, Jason Yu, Jason Wong, Robert, Sadek, Chung, Mickey, Beast, Greg, Skinny, Luong, Minh, Wai, Wayan

   Nevertheless, we were in confident mood and the two musclemen (Chung and Robert) flexed in the bright sunlight. Our first match was a tale of C4 dominance and ginger foolishness. It took a while for us to break the dark horses, but two Skinny goals was enough to settle the tie and quieten the mouthy Ginger minger (not Greg :p).
   This team never really threatened us and we coped well with what they had to offer. Geoff was dependable in goal and the back four were steady. Dang and J Yu were too strong for their attackers and our full backs Robert and J Wong even had time to take the ball out of defence on many occasions. Our players were strong and we played some good football and rotated well to keep us fresh. The scoreline should have been more telling, though we missed a fair few chances and the minefield pitch contributed to a slower game than we would have liked. Overall, a pleasing start and a confident performance.

   The second match, Beasty refereed the first half and we began with a different starting lineup and made things a bit harder for ourselves. The opposition was nowhere near our standard and we should have put the game to bed in the first half. We had a load of chances, a diving header from Wai being a pick of the bunch. Perhaps a little complacency settled and we took too long to get our shots off, despite some good build up play. Totally against the run of play, a sliced clearance form Chun Yip perfectly setup their striker for an easy goal. It was a real sucker punch, with RH Chisoc providing very little bite in attack. We immediately made three changes and started with much more urgency, now that our pride had been hurt. We made several good chances in the 5 remaining minutes of the half, with Skinny and Luong both combining well and coming close. The opposition were beginning to fear us, saying things like 'watch that guy, he's f*cking good' (translated from Cantonese). Our touch in the final movement of some very good moves was letting us down, although we asserted total supremacy from the moment we went behind.

   At half time, we were fired up, but were hit with the news that Geoff had gotten injured and Jason Yu stepped in to fill his ample sized gloves. The second half was the most one sided affair - we bossed every area of the pitch and got forwards with great purpose. Our only fault was that our egos were hurting and as such, we rushed some of our play. Having said that, we were pouring forwards and virtually camped in their half.
   Our midfield and attackers each had between 1-3 chances each, but couldn't find the net. Some neat play carved open the Chisoc defence on numerous occasions. Eventually, our hard work was rewarded when Beasty played a delightful throughball that either Luong or Skinny could have latched onto. However, Skinny let it run through to Luong who side-footed it in for a belated but oh so deserved equaliser. Thereafter followed a period of 20 minutes of pure dominance - we literally bombarded their goal with wave after wave of attacks. Our only problem being that we couldn't score! We did everything right, but it seemed destined that we would not score, despite having chance after chance. RH were tiring badly and it was men against boys. We had three goals disallowed - Skinny squeezing past the keeper, Luong stabbing in at the near post and a Wayan effort all dubiously chalked off.

  We created so very many chances and the match was becoming dangerously one sided; we were ferocious and did everything right, other than display composure in front of goal. With several minutes to go, Minh came on and hit what looked like the winner. We continued to press for that killer goal, but were hit with another sucker punch from nowhere. A mistake at the back gifted them with an easy finish. With only two minutes left, we gave our all, but were ultimately robbed of a victory that should have been ours. In goal, Jason Yu revealed that he touched the ball a total of four times in the second half, regulation interceptions and picking the ball from the net.

  The Ying Wah team had by this time gone home, forcing us to miss our final match! Grrrr! We would have beaten them, I'm sure (they'd just drawn 2-2 against the Mauritians), but it was not to be, which was a shame as we were eager to redeem ourselves. With the game being forfeited, we should surely have been declared champions! We were the strongest team on the day and had a lot of energy and rage left over!
   The tournament, if we can call it that, was shoddily organised although it was just about worthwhile as it was the team that flexed their might, not just Chung and Robert.

Clare-Fitz MCR 1 - 3 CCCC

Starting formation:

Wai   Minh

Tyrell    Yau    Greg   Wayan

Chung   Beast   Skinny  Sadek

Luong

Second half:

Wayan   Minh
Luong
Tyrell   Yau   Greg   Wai

Chung   Beast  Skinny

Sadek

Assists: Chung, Minh, Wayan
Scorers: Yau, Wayan, Minh
MOM:

   It was a beautiful day and we got off to a comfortable start. After a period of decent passing, we created a few good chances, but it was not until Chung crossed in from the right and Yau converted did we score our first. They barely broke forwards and the keeper was not really tested. However, a dubious foul was awarded against us and from that freekick, they steered the ball in for an equaliser. We missed a few good chances and with 5 minutes to go, Luong came out for a run about. We finished the half the stronger team and made a few changes during the interval.

Darwin 2nds 3 - 5 CCCC

Starting formation:

Luong
Sadek
J Wong    Beast    Skin    Rang

Rob     Dang     J Yu    Kevin

Leo

Subs: Wai, Greg

2nd half formation:

Wai   Greg

Rang    Luong   Beast   Kevin

Rob     J Wong   J Yu    Sadek

Leo

Subs: Skinny, Dang

Scorers: Sadek, OG, Wai, Skinny, Greg
Assists: J Wong, Skinny, Luong, ?
MOM:

Player Summary:

  We were quite comfortable at the back, with the defence proving sturdy. Harry was struggling with some of our pace and pressure and when Luong pushed up, he was forced to play a backpass. Sadek was quick to close down the keeper, who haplessly showed us an air kick, allowing the ball to roll Enckleman-like into the goal for our second. The same keeper managed to pick up the ball outside the area, to which we took a quick free kick that hit a man standing no more than several feet away. C4 were in the ascendancy, and Greg and Wai came on for the two frontmen, who had both done a lot of hard graft. Going forwards, we still posed a significant threat, but became a bit sloppy when on the back foot. One such instance of carelessness gifted them a goal and and a lot more belief.
   A little later, after some swearing by linesman Swish, they equalised from our left when we were slow to close down a cross that floated fortuitously into the back of our net. We were visibly rocked by the turn of events and Leo was forced into a good save from a corner. We were not so fortunate the next time the ball was crossed in and they took the lead with a well met header.

   Changes had to be made and so Swish and Luong came back on, hoping to inject some more energy to proceedings. The substitutions seemed to make a difference, and soon we scored a deserved equaliser when the keeper spilled a shot and Wai beat the defender to it to shoot into an empty net. With us re-establishing ourselves, we retook the lead when we switched the play from the right - Be quickly fed Luong, who turned and played a ball into Skinny's path that allowed him to break through on goal and plant a neat shot past the keeper. From that point we never looked back, finishing the half a goal to the good.

   We started the second half (that Dang then Jason Yu refereed) with a lot of enthusiasm, but Luong's tendency to break forwards often left the midfield quite isolated. They had a bit too much possession in the middle of the park, but found it hard to break down a stubborn defence. Behind the defence, Leo was doing a great job as was always quick off his line and made a couple of agile saves. At the other end, we were dangerous on the break, with the likes of Skinny, Greg, Luong and Wai (dubbed 'The Shadow' by J Wong) pouring forwards at every opportunity. The defensive duties were performed admirably by Rang and Beasty in the midfield, supported by a never say die defence.
   Greg forced a good save at close range, but Skinny powered the rebound wide. Our pace was too much for Darwin and we often broke down the wings with much freedom. On one such occasion, Luong broke free on the right, although was unceremoniously fouled after sliding the ball into Skinny's path. The next foul occurred in the penalty area, the warrior managing to wriggle past two players before having his ankle crunched. He managed to keep his balance before curling the ball wide, however, the damage had been done - the tackle on the ankle causing considerable sprain and subsequent swelling, putting him out for the next two games and becoming a serious doubt for the Mini World Cup.
   With 10 minutes to go, Kevin immediately came back on for the injured warrior and we continued to press. Rang had put in a consistent and determined performance, but was denied a goal when he drifted in a long range effort, beating the keeper only for a defender to head the ball off the line. The match was announced 'game over' by Dang, when Greg left a defender chasing and squeezed a shot past the keeper to make it safe at 5-3.

   That goal wiped out any hopes of another comeback and we finished worthy winners against the team that pipped us to promotion. The match against the Bengalis went reasonably well, considering we were without players and had just played a competitive 90 minutes. The third match against a PC World team was a bit lacklustre, but we jogged out as 7-4 winners.
 

APU 3rds 5 - 3 CCCC

Starting formation:

Greg     Minh

Luong    Beast    Skin    Lamo

Rob     Dang   Mike    J Wong

TC DX

Subs: Wai, Sadek, Hui, Kevin

2nd half formation:

Wai     Minh

Hui    Beast    Greg    Mike

Rob     Dang   Skin    Kevin

TC DX

Scorers: Minh, Luong, Wai
Assists: ?, Minh, Mike
MOM:

Player Summary by Anon
Tin – return of the TCDX (pls don’t return again). His first game for a long time, what a game for him (don’t think he will come back again). Calamity Tin we shall call him now, I think the word calamity describes his whole performance. Playing in the circus as a juggler would be best for him. 4
Robert – had a reasonable game however needs to release the ball quicker. 6.5
Mike – he started as DC, but was more effective as a flank midfielder with his pace. Wonderful cross for the assist, good debut. 7
Dang – this game needed his presence and he didn’t disappoint with his pace and power. 7
Jason W – was outnumbered at times when APU attacked. Not one of his more solid performances. 6.5
Lamo – struggled with the strength and aggression in midfield. 6.5
Luong – struggled at left midfield but was more effective when he went forward. 7
Be – sat back too much which left a big gap in the midfield that resulted in giving APU too much space to run. Had a better game in the second half. 6.5
James – he started off in midfield but was muscled out by the APU midfielders, was more effective in defence and played well. 7
Wai – The shadow has scored again. Quiet game but you can always guarantee he will be the first one in the opposition box. 6.5
Minh – showed glimpses of threat with his dribbling, one of them resulted in a wonderful solo goal from the half way line. His passing needs to be better and quicker. 7
Greg – was quiet upfront and didn’t really show much threat as he usually does. Played better and harder when in midfield. 6.5
Andy Hui – only played 15 mins and then ran out of breath. 6
Sadek – didn’t have enough time to settle into the game was much better as a linesman. 6
Kevin – had a steady game and made no major mistakes. 6.5

   They kicked off but we immediately seized possession in a promising position. Both teams took turns to attack, and we had an early chance to open the scoring. A backpass from their left back was seized upon by Luong, whose shot was beaten away by the GK - the C4 player knowing he should have done much better.

   This missed opportunity was punished by a series of errors involving DX juggling with hot potatoes - thrice fumbling routine catches, all of which led to goals. On the first occasion, Jason mischievously handled on the line, though admitted that the ball had already crossed the line. DX's calamities had cost us, but it's important to cut him some slack. Making him feel guilty when he is trying to help us is unfair and doesn't achieve anything.

   Despite a fairly even run of play, we were being caused problems each time the ball was crossed into the box. We found ourselves 3-0 down, even though we'd not been outplayed. To our credit, we didn't let our heads drop and kept playing. We responded when Minh picked up the ball and burst past a defender before firing smartly past the keeper. The pattern of play remained whereby both teams looked dangerous going forwards. We scored our second, when Minh played a pass to Luong who gathered it before hitting a shot that deflected twice before hitting the back of the net.

   A team discussion at half time saw a massive rejuvenation and we earned a dominant second half performance. Hui added some genuine left sided play and Mike burst down the wings repeatedly. The whole team upped the work rate and we got our third goal, with Wai's instinctive finishing putting us back into the game.
  The opposition found it hard going and another break on the left saw Lamo hit a shot straight at the keeper, with players looking for the square ball. Wai was twice put through, but loose touches let him down and the defence were able to recover. Two chances further chances materialised, the first when from defending, Mike played a ball down the line for Luong to chase. Beating two players, he slightly overran it and the keeper was just able to smother. APU were looking tired and all out of ideas, although we just couldn't find the back of the net. Skinny drilled in a cross shot that Luong could only side foot wide and that pretty much summed up our day.

   The match soon ended, although once again, we felt we'd done more than enough to warrant a better result. Some comical handling had cost us heavily, but we showed a lot of resilience to launch a comeback that almost could and perhaps should have won us the game.

Clare-Fitz MCR 0 - 1 CCCC

Starting formation:

     Luong
Skinny
Ray    Beast    Sadek    Chung

Rob     J Yu    J Wong   Kevin

Leo

Subs: None!
Supporters: Chung's vest
Scorer: Skinny
Assist:
MOM: Leo - hampered by injury, but still produced a few superb diving saves and was always quick off his line.

Player Summary:
Leo: A sprained ankle didn't stop him flying across his goal like an urban ninja to make some very aesthetic and important stops. A very promising full debut 7.7
Robert: Muscular, but his body was not in the game enough. Needs to learn to play when the ball is still live. Hard working down the left flank, but not one of his better displays 6.9
Jason Yu: Generally an impressive performance - very strong and did exceptionally well with his heading. Unlucky not to score, when on his trademark charge and pirouetting like a hippo 7.3
Jason Wong: Had a composed and effective game up until he got complacent and eventually lost his cool 7.0
Kevin: 22 years old today and he  was comfortable, albeit did make a couple of dangerous errors. Almost completed a few good passes, though the weight was just a tad heavy 6.9
Ray: Crossing was not as good as usual, although did try to link up play. Had the right intentions, but along with most, had an off day 6.9
Beasty: Put in a strong and workmanlike shift in central midfield. Good tackling and work rate, but guilty of bickering with Jason Yu towards the end 7.3
Sadek: Low on match practice, but was effective in central areas. Didn't cramp up and was vocal. Got tiger kneed by Be and lived to tell the tale 7.2
Chung: Musclebound and eager, he closed down the opposition and had a great work ethic. Not his best game, but was combative 7.2
Skinny: Took his goal well but got too close to the keeper on other occasions. Passing was not quite on song, though kept his composure 7.3
Luong: Not many balls to feet, though should have done better with his only two chances. Chased lost causes and wanted the ball, but the scrappy game too often passed him by 7.2
 

   We remained sharp, but chances were at a premium. Our next was created by a good lofted ball from Ray that found Luong breaking through the centre. His first touch was exquisite (it was) as he killed the ball in mid stride, after it had arrived over the shoulder. With only the keeper to beat, he took the cheeky option and tried the lob with his second touch, but succeeded only in finding the roof of the net.

  I don't like to criticise the referee, but he was making some peculiar decisions. What was a tough, but perfectly fine tackle by Jason Wong, was awarded a free kick in a dangerous position. They lined it up and managed to hit the underside of the crossbar, the resulting rebound we only just managed to clear. However, moments later, at the other end, a very obvious foul on Sadek was waved away - despite most of the players on both teams having almost stopped play.

   We worked hard, but with very little significant progress and the rest of the half petered out with only one memorable incident in which Skinny was found with a penetrating pass, but couldn't quite bring the ball under his spell.

   The second half was about as bad as we have played all season. There was a clear lack of urgency and most seemed satisfied with the scoreline. Play was particularly scrappy and we were guilty of a lack of communication, often with two players going for the same ball.
   Frustration was born in the absence of fluency and we began to play (badly) as individuals. Errors began to creep in with alarming frequency and was it not for some good goalkeeping and last ditch defending, we could easily have found ourselves on level terms, with a team that literally, and with all due respect, wasn't in our league.

   Our best moment came when despite being crowded out, Sadek played the pass of the match, when threading a throughball to Luong. Having let the ball run across his body, he tried to lift a shot over the keeper that was on the way down. Unfortunately, the shot was expertly clawed away as the keeper somehow managed to get a hand to it.

   We were still dangerous on the break, although there was very little accurate passes played. A very presentable chance fell to Jason Yu, who had got forwards at an opportune moment, controlling the ball with his thigh. Robert and Beasty were screaming for a square ball to tap into the open goal, but 'Gerrard' span and scuffed a shot from 6 yards out, with the keeper sprawled on the floor. Robert fell to his knees and hammered the floor in frustration for about 20 seconds.

   As the match wore on, we looked jaded and the backline was reluctant to push up further than 30 yards - thus inviting waves of unnecessary pressure. The heat got too much for some and cracks appeared as a result. The final 10 or so minutes saw us camped in our own half for much of it as we sat back and withdrew. Leo made a couple of stunning saves as we held on for a shameful 1-0 victory, having looked out of sorts for the later parts of the game.

* Absentees:
Wood
Chao
Dang
Wai
Alex
James Wong
Yau
Steven
Chan (night prior)
Minh (on the day)
Greg (on the day)
Lamo (on the day)

Squad:
Leo
Dang
Chao
J Wong
Alex
Chung
Be
Skinny
Luong
Mickey
Wai
Minh

CCCC 0 - 3 Birmingham
CCCC 3 - 1 BBC United
Birmingham 0 - 0 Benetton
BBC United 0 - 1 Benetton
CCCC 0 - 1 Benetton
Birmingham ? - ? BBC United

Player Summary:
Leo - A sound performance, some good saves with perhaps only communication letting him down 6.9
Dang - Was strong, but a few vital mistakes from the usually dependable Dangster typified our overall game 6.8
Chao - Again a sturdy display and often kept the opposition at bay, but never really performed 6.9
J Wong - Committed and aggressive, but struggled for stamina as the tournament wore on 6.9
Alex - got forwards well, but didn't have enough time to settle. Tackling made up for some poor touches 6.8
Chung - worked hard, but found it equally hard going. Tried, but with little reward 6.8
Be - took time to settle, but scored an important goal and worked hard 6.9
Skinny - Injury was apparent and was a shadow of the normal Skinny 6.9
Luong - touch let him down, although did initiate a couple of good passing moves 6.8
Mickey - played well when we were on top, but not quite on form for the majority 6.9
Wai -  Had a great 2nd game and a general improvement in work rate 7.0
Minh - dropped too deep and dwelled on the ball too long, but like the rest of us, never really played like he can 6.9

Dom - Ate most of my ham and mustard sandwiches, but took some photos 7.0
Greg - Ate my chocolate croissant AND ordered a chicken curry 5.5
Nancy - froze to death and had to endure Dom's company 7.0
 

   There was a debut start for the very able Leo and the squad looked capable of challenging. We had three supporters - Nancy, Dom and Greg, who in time would battle wind and rain (as well as eat most of my sandwiches and chocolate croissants!)

   Everything was going fairly well until the Jason Wong needed a cack. He took the wrong exit (to the service station) and ended up in Hatfield! This detour and an extensive hunt for the pitch itself meant that we had to kick off virtually as soon as we'd arrived. This lack of preparation and a tough first match saw C4 get off to a disastrous start.

CCCC 0 - 3 Birmingham
   We opted for three at the back, two midfielders and a forward, although ultimately we failed to come to terms with the pace of the game. We were often second best and slow off the mark, taking too long settle. They hit the post from a pot shot and we knew we had to up our game. Indeed we became more physical, with the likes of J Wong and Chao adding a bit more aggression to our play. However, they took the lead after a slight mix up on our behalf and slammed home a shot at close range. We battled back and created a couple of half chances, but a misplaced throw on set them up perfectly for a killer second. With the game out of reach, we opted to cut our losses and rotate the team. We conceded a third and the nail was well and truly hammered in. We slumped off the pitch on the final whistle, ashamed and aware that we must do better.

CCCC 3 - 1 BBC United
   A must win game and we stared with much more fire in our bellies. They had a couple of decent players although rarely threatened, as we were much more resolute. Our first chance materialised when Chan robbed their defender and fed Luong whose attempt to round the keeper was thwarted with the keeper smothering just in time. I later discovered there was an element of luck, as I overheard the keeper ask his team mate 'I did get the ball didn't I?'  Either way, it was a gilt edged chance and with the game in the balance, it could have proved costly. However, he soon made up for the earlier miss, when placing the ball past the keeper, despite mis-controlling the ball at the first attempt. We played possession football and with that one goal cushion, the likes of Chan began to bamboozle his markers. However, we were caught in possession and conceded against the run of play. Our determination shone through and we re-worked more chances, ironically it was a miss hit shot from Skinny that Wai managed to direct goalwards for our 2nd goal. In fact Wai was proving a real thorn in their side and put in some wacky tackles as well as working his way into dangerous attacking positions.
   With the game in our control, we brought on fresh defensive players to shore things up. Chao and Beasty came on, with the latter thumping home our third goal, after some good all round work. The match finished with C4 triumphing 3-1 against a fairly capable team.

CCCC 0 - 1 Benetton
   A truly decisive match and we opted to keep the game tight, utilising our more physical players to play a containing game. The plan worked fairly well, with both teams finding it difficult going. They had the first clear chance, but blasted wide from a good position as C4 temporarily lost their focus. The game plan fell apart when they were awarded a controversial penalty when the ball took an awkward bounce and hit Dang on the arm. They took it well and gave Leo no chance and this put us in a very precarious position against a physically very powerful team.    With their confidence boosted, we found it increasingly difficult to find our rhythm and made a double substitution just after half time. Skinny and Luong replaced the hard working pair of Chung and Beasty, and this temporarily lifted us. However, with time running out, they began to spray the ball about, forcing us to work very hard to regain possession. With us stretched, they created several openings, though some last ditch defending from Dang and co. and good saves from Leo kept us in the game.
   We finally got a couple of moves going, with Skinny hitting a fierce low drive having been released by his midfield compatriot. Mickey was thrown into the fray with minutes to go, though we should have pushed him up to partner Minh. With our better passers on the pitch we should have made some headway, but the team from Manchester kept it simple and found even more space as we pushed up for the equaliser. Alex later came on (sneaky) and helped with progress on the left, however, we didn't have enough in our tanks to reverse the damage that had been done in the first half and we were out of the tournament.

    We didn't hit enough consistent form to propel us into the latter stages, and we needed to against a crop of very decent teams. The £110 entry fee would have filtered out a lot of the weaker teams and with some more practice we can compete with these. We will need to play at a higher intensity to get accustomed to the pace of these matches and learn to settle much earlier.
   Also, we will need more discipline on and off the pitch - we should have practiced when not playing and held our positions better. Though overall, it was an important experience and one that I hope we can learn from.

Chao being pulled, Beasty doing something against BBC United

Refugee Legal Centre 6 - 12 CCCC

Starting formation:
Wai
Greg   Luong
Skin   Dang
Beast

Supporters: Chung
Scorers (Approx): Greg (4), Skinny (3), Beast (2), Wai, Dang, Luong

Jesus 3rds 2 - 7 CCCC

Starting formation:
Julian
     Luong

Greg   Beast   Skinny    Chung

Rob     Dang    Yau     J Wong

Wood

End formation:
Wai
      Luong
Minh     Julian    J Wong    Chan

Skinny   Greg    Yau    Alex

 Leo

Scorers: Greg (3), Wai (2), Julian, Minh
Assists: Chung, Dang, Minh, ???
MOM: Julian or Greg - both had goals, skill, tenacity and an amazing work ethic. Take your pick!
Supporters: Yat

   We had a strong squad to face this challenge and having lost by a goal to this team last season, we were especially determined to do well. Makelele-Yau made the journey from London to participate in this enthralling encounter and the mercurial Julian was also available, coming back from Colchester the day prior. Mickey was a surprise addition, with Chao volunteering to step down due to a slight ankle injury (Chao – I don’t want to let myself or the team down in this important match). The final unexpected face was that of a GK called Leo. He’d befriended Julian on Saturday and came down with his mate, in the hope of some pitch time. Just before we kicked off, Wood kindly offered to share some the game.
   Even without the likes of Jason Yu, Chao and those that played on Saturday (Lamo, James Wong, Kevin, Sadek) the strength of our squad for this match was plain to see – Minh, Wai, Alex, Chan (and Leo) were ready to deputise.

   The weather and pitch conditions suited us – it was dry and surprisingly pleasant – and we did not disappoint in getting off to a very respectable start. Our work rate was exemplified by our front players, who when not in possession, hounded and often robbed their defence. When on the ball, our movement was cutting and we dominated the opening period. The defence and midfield were winning most of their battles and the movement of our attacking players created space to pass into. However, after missing a few half chances, we found ourselves 1-0 down from virtually their first attempt on goal.
   An innocuous scuffed shot from the edge of the area looked to be rolling wide of goal and Wood shepherded it ‘out’. To our dismay and Wood’s horror, he succeeded only in ushering it into our goal! It was a moment of uncharacteristic error, as the Woodster has been a revelation throughout the season – saving our yellow, white and tanned hides on many occasions.
Despite this setback, our spirit was not so easily broken and we set about to launch a quite fantastic comeback. We picked up our play and continued to hammer on the Jesus door.  

   Our equaliser came quite soon with an on-form Greg receiving a pass before cutting back inside of his marker and hitting a vicious low strike into the bottom left corner. This set the tone for the rest of the match as we put in a whole hearted performance throughout.
   Beasty and Skinny were controlling the central areas with a quelling combination of strength and skill. Greg had moved infield with Julian pushing out wider to the left and this paid off when Greg was instrumental in our second to take us into the lead. We’d forced them to shift the ball back to their left back, and Chung immediately chased to apply pressure. This resulted in a rushed pass back, which Greg intercepted and dummied for it to wrong foot the GK and roll past him for what was technically an own goal. 
   We were using the wings well, with Chung and Julian steaming down there and the team playing balls into space. Dang and Yau were proving insurmountable force, supported ably by the two side backs, Robert and Jason Wong that defended well and moved the ball forwards effectively. There was a good level of fluidity and it was not long before the superbly industrious Julian powered down the left before firing us into a 3-1 lead.

   With Beasty doing a great protective job in the middle, this allowed Skinny to burst forwards in support and the slim one breaking from deep gave them an extra problem to deal with. With so many attacking players, it was Greg again that gave us a 3 goal -cushion by out-muscling the left back and slotting an assured finish at close range. We kept up the tempo and decided to give a rest to Julian and Greg, who had both been brilliant and covered a lot of ground. On came Minh and Wai for the closing minutes and with these fresher legs, we entered the interval with a healthy 4-1 lead.

   The momentum was firmly with the BLUES of C4, but we had to be careful not to become lax. We were first on the pitch – looking hungry and eager to finish the job and passed the ball about, waiting for Jesus to begin.  We kept the starting line up as it was that finished the 1^st half, although Minh operated on the left flank and Wai was pushed up front. Wai’s ability to get into the box and Minh’s pace on the wing being key reasons to the switch.

   Having endured a difficult first half, it seemed Jesus were resigned to losing and began in a carefree manner, especially with a crowd of about 15 – 20 of their supporters gathering. With nothing to lose, they actually improved and put us under a bit of pressure. We held them off, although it was obvious we were not fully prepared for this. We made a couple of changes with Alex coming on for Jason Wong and Skinny (who had gone off when his boot ripped apart!) replacing Robert. It became a more open match, but a mix up between Wood and Alex resulted in the latter being taken out Paul Robinson – Wayne Bridge Stylee. The clearance fell to a Jesus forward who had the simple task of shooting into an open goal, with only the tender frame of Skinny in the way. Our lead had been cut down, but again, we were determined not to relinquish our grip on the game so easily. Chung made way for Chan, who had been putting in a masterclass of bemusing refereeing and occupied the right side of midfield.

   We worked the ball down the wings again and getting to the byline, a ball was whipped into the box. It looked destined for the Gk’s hands, but Wai had other ideas and nipped it away before emerging on the other side to tap into the unguarded net. It was a good piece of anticipation and the cheeky smile from Wai said it all. By regaining our lead, we became more dominant once more and they resorted in some very tetchy fouls. One such offence gifted us a freekick just outside the box. Skinny looked to have secured the rights to it, but instead Wai floated it over the wall and away from the diving keeper for our sixth goal.
   With only about 20 minutes to go, Woody stood down to allow Leo a stint in goal. However, it was Dang who stepped up into midfield to help Beasty when Greg had dropped too deep into defence. And miraculously, Dang was the one to play a through ball to Minh, who beat the giant centreback before rounding the keeper to score our seventh and final goal.

   With the game won, Julian was unleashed back onto the pitch at the expense of Beasty. Thus far, Luong had been fairly steady, but totally unspectacular, managing to crash a shot against the post, despite being wrongly ruled offside afterwards. Chan was tightly marked but still found space for some trickery and won a few headers! The newly promoted Dang ventured upfield, but suffered his first cramp of his season and was substituted for J Wong to have a crack at the DMC position.

   The match finished with us back in control and earning a deserved 7-2 victory to give us a feint chance of promotion.

The following photos were taken by Dom, some weeks ago:

Starting formation:

Wai   Minh

Lamo   Beast   Skinny   Chung
James Wong

Sadek   Chao   Alex

Peter

General 2^nd half

Lamo  Wai
Julian
Him    Luong    James Wong     Minh

Kevin   Skinny   Sadek

   We were not at the races in the 2^nd half and allowed them to score – although our complacency had it coming. This did wake us up somewhat, and with the arrival of Julian (who had got on the train to Norwich!) we began to play football. In the remaining 20 or so minutes, we scored a further SIX times and had the ball moving across the pitch at a good tempo. Final score was 8-1 and with Sundays match looming, a reasonable outcome. It was a relatively comfortable win, a chance for some out of practice players a game and those that needed it, a stretch of their eager legs.

Kings Lynn 1 - 6 CCCC

Starting formation:

       Lamo
Luong
 Jun    Beast    Greg    Minh

    Robert   Dang    Yau    Chung

Jonno

Subs: Wai, Ray
Scorers: Jonno, Luong, Minh (2), Ray, Wai
Assists: Yau, Minh, ????

   An away friendly to Kings Lynn and some complications regarding the green minibus of mercy meant that myself, Wai and ‘Wilson’s Dad’ were forced to drive down. We were without a handful of players, who were at the QM 5 aside tournament - Skinny, Jason Yu, Jason Wong, Alex, Kevin and Chan. We were with two subs and a solitary supporter (called ‘Winky), we strode onto the pitch, with the realization dawning on us that we’d played here some 8 or 9 years ago!

   The average age of their team seemed to be at least 35, and quietly, we were confident of a result. With Wood out, we had to rotate keepers. Jonno was first between the sticks and the game opened to a scrappy start. We soon discovered they were a physical bunch, with a penchant for tackling the man rather than the ball.
   Ray, coming from Norwich, arrived a bit late, but was soon on the pitch, as Luong donned the gloves and Ray slotted into left mid, with Jun pushing infield. Beasty was getting into the match, but had two humorousS shots on goal, that looped high and wide. 

   The middle of pitch was getting very congested and despite our probing efforts, there were few clear chances. We’d decided to make numerous subs and Lamo and Wai came on not long in. Some confusion arose and Jonno’s first onfield contribution was to almost concede what was a clear penalty. However, the ref was stationed on the half way line and didn’t give it, despite the fact that Jonno was not even supposed to be on the pitch! When he eventually got on the pitch legitimately, it wasn’t long before he stormed down their left flank and fired past the keeper from a tight angle for the breakthrough goal.

   Our defence was generally solid and Yau got forwards to whip in a cross. The ball was headed clear, but Luong was quick to strike a low curling volley from the edge of the area that had the keeper beaten as soon as the ball flew off his boot. Any nerves were gone with this two goal cushion and our play was definitely the more assured and cultured, but we were occasionally unsettled with their less than subtle style. We dealt with their up and over tactics, and inadvertently we had forced them into this, as we did well to close them down. We weren’t at our cutting best, but before the interval, Minh found space in the area to fire confidently past a despairing GK to take us into a 3-0 lead. We held our advantage and made a couple of changes just before halftime to help inject some fresh enthusiasm and keep the clean sheet.

    At half time, we made further changes. Chung, who was hiding, agreed to cover as GK and the experienced pairing of Minh and Greg went up front. At 3-0 up, we slipped into a slower pace and allowed them  more space than previously. We should have found the net, when breaking forwards, but the hard work was wasted when the final pass was too often delayed on or not made.

   About 15 minutes in, Jun, who had done well, but was injured in multiple places, had to go off and Lamo came back on. Having spent some time on the sidelines, the youngster was quick to find his rhythm as he jinked past people with ease and made some neat passes and crosses.
   The defence were still dominant and Jonno made a terrific sliding recovery tackle that typified their attitude. Yau and Dang were fairly unflappable and played the ball out of danger. Yau swapped with Chung in goal and Greg who had played the day before, made way as Robert came back on with Ray pushing up into left mid. Soon, this change reaped reward as a slightly wayward cross by Ray found itself in the back of the net, 4-0. But IMO, actually getting the ball into the danger areas, is self-made or calculated fortune.

   However, they managed to earn a penalty when they broke free and a recovering Dang mistimed his tackle and bowled the Kings Lynn player over. Yau was left with no chance with the well struck shot fizzing in and we were woken from our slumber. This sparked a long period of possession play on our part and we had the ball moving sharply, leaving them to chase shadows, still desperate to get their fouls in. We were quick to re-assert our authority with another goal to quash any chances of a rebellion (we were the true kings here :p). Minh chased down their last defender and picked up a weak back pass, before jinking past the Gk and slotting in our fifth. The largely sexy football continued and soon Dang relieved Yau (in goal) with the game out of contention.

  Beastly was getting his tackles in and playing some quicker passes and players were beginning to play to potential such as Chung, who was like a mercenary on double pay and bumper pension, and worked hard showing good composure and strength. This raised tempo allowed Lamo to get forwards effectively, with the Mr Chung as a consistent outlet behind him. A good move on the right, involving the two aforementioned Chinamen, allowed Minh to break down the right and whip in a great cross into the box from tight on the byline. With a defender applying pressure, Wai was in the box and unfazed to strike a sweet volley to score a great sixth and final goal.

   We didn’t let up and pushed the game until the final whistle, and proved worthy winners in a game that we performed ably. We underestimated the physical brutality of the opposition and were guilty of cruising when 3-0 up, but there were certainly some very slick moves. The new boys gave confident performances and the defence were mostly well on top. Some very sturdy displays from all in the backline and a hard working midfield allowed us to get forwards to generally good effect. We should have been more willing to cut back or make the final pass when in good positions and would certainly have added to our tally if we had done so.

Robinson 2nds 1 - 0 CCCC

Starting formation:

Minh
Luong          
Beast   Skinny  Greg  Chung

Robert   Chao   Dang   Alex

Wood

Subs: Wai, Ray
Supporters: Yat
 

   On the day that our new kits were handed out, C4 were humbled in a 1-0 defeat against a physically dominant Robinson side.

   We were without Yauser, Jason Yu and Jason Wong, but our squad still looked good on paper. The match started poorly for us as we struggled with the pace of the game for the first half an hour. We were forced to soak up a good deal of pressure and were twice saved by last ditch goal line clearances by Alex and Robert. We held on by the skin of our teeth, but conceded a penalty when Skinny handballed. They stepped up confidently, but Wood was at hand to make a marvellous save to deny them the opening goal.

   It should have given us a wake up call, but it took us time to get some sort of foothold. We did eventually show some ability when we came to life in the last 10 minutes. A quick one two between Luong and Beast allowed the latter to square a pass to Skinny, who turned well, but had the ball poked away as he was about to shoot from 6 yards. Our best chance of the match fell to Luong, when Minh flicked the ball on and taking a touch with his left, he dinked the ball to the back post. Somebody shouted in celebration, but the ball sailed agonisingly wide. The half finished with us finally showing some encouraging signs.

   The 2^nd half was fairly even until Greg injured his ankle and was forced off the pitch. Wai came on to replace Mayo, but our shape had taken some damage and we toiled for the remainder of the match. They bundled a goal in from a corner, but Ray, who was reffing the 2^nd half, saw a push on Wood. Their goal eventually came from an identical move, but this time the goal stood.

   With 20 minutes to go, we were flagging badly and changes should have been made. We pushed up and with often 3 or 4 players caught upfield, we were often hit by the counter – with two very presentable chances spurned by Robinson. The middle of the pitch resembled marshland from the incessant rain and our midfielders found it hard going. We never truly believed we would turn the game around and indeed despite a few half chances, we failed to make an impact. We created far too few chances and unlike the heroics shown against Emmanual, we submitted far too tamely.

Homerton 2nds 5 - 3 CCCC

   We got off to a twitchy start with the first kick almost costing us. We improved, but switched off during our own goal kick, it came back at us, and this resulted in a goal with Wood caught stranded. Our game was raised in response and we were almost level when Skinny fed Wai who swivelled and his left foot shot hit the outside of the post to fly out for a throw in.
   Our pace was beginning to tell as Luong was fouled just outside the penalty area. However, our equalising goal was the product of Greg’s determination as he charged down a Gk clearance. The ball fell kindly for ‘Mayo’ and he was left with an open goal that his endeavour merited.
With our tails up, we took the lead not long after. Greg played a ball down the left flank, with Luong giving chase. It was the defenders ball, but the hustling no.9 forced an error that allowed him to turn and whip in a low cross to Wai. The youngster should have slid in on it, but instead stayed on his feet which allowed the defender to block. Having fallen on his ass, Wai just managed to toe poke it in and avoid embarrassment.

   Homerton were gifted a lifeline when awarded an inexplicable penalty. They took the gift well and powered it past the competent Woodster. It was a sucker to work so hard, but be punished in a dubious moment. The Reds were not knocked back too badly on this occasion and launched several good attacks.
One such move had the keeper scrambling to tip over a looping Beasty effort that was bound for the top corner. Dang met a corner with a ferocious drive that soared just over the bar. We were not to be denied when Skinny scored the goal of the match. Having turned his mane in the centre of the park, Luong played a delightful throughball to Skin. He didn’t disappoint when he broke through on goal and smashed it past the keeper to restore our deserved lead.

   Halftime soon arrived and went and we entered it with much optimism. There were no changes as at the time, we had no subs, but we were certainly confident of the victory.
   The tempo of the first half continued and the Home team looked beaten. However, our lack of communication was proving a problem and long balls over the top were causing a worry. Other than that, we were playing well and produced some sensational football. Our defining mistake was not killing the game off when in our pomp. They were good at getting the ball into the box and after one had been cleared, another immediately caught us napping and their left winger stole in to score.
The match became more even but we were undone by ANOTHER penalty decision. A melee in the box made it difficult to determine what it was given for, but nevertheless, they scored to take the lead. It was a real sucker punch – both penalties coming at pivotal moments, but we didn’t give up.
   With 17 minutes to go, J Wong had had enough, still suffering heavy bruising from last weeks efforts. Minh came on in his place and despite having fallen ill, caused problems when on the ball. With us pushing forwards, we were caught out when a Homerton player bundled his way through and stabbed the ball into he corner, giving Wood no chance.
With under 10 minutes to go, we continued in the same vain, but a suspect linesman put a halt to our every attack. While perhaps occasionally we would stray offside, it was amazing how the offside count totalled about 10-0 in their favour.

Queens 2nds 1 - 5 CCCC

1st half formation:

Minh   Greg
          
JamesW   Luong  Skinny  Chung

Robert   Chao   J Wong   Alex

Wood

End formation

Wai
Luong          
Beast   Skinny  Sadek  Mickey

Robert  Chao  J Wong  Chung

Wood

Subs: Beast, Wai, Mickey, Sadek
Supporters: Yatster, Nancy, Robert's m8

Scorers: Minh (2), Mickey (2), Wai
Assists: Luong (2), Skinny, Beast
MOM: Jay Wong - an intelligent, tough and committed display at centre back, also typified by the entire back four and GK.

Player Summary by Mr Anon:

CCCC 4 - 1 Peterhouse

General formation:

 Wai   Minh
          
Be    Skinny    Luong    Sadek

Robert    Dang   J Wong   Alex

Greg

Subs: Steven, James Wong, Jason Yu, Kevin
Scorers: Wai (2), Luong, Minh
Assists: Luong, Minh

Player Summary:
Greg (GK, FC) An easy 1st half in goal, which saw him sprawled at the edge of the area for much of it. Was a threat going forwards on the pitch, but contributed very little defensively 7.1
Dang (DC) Generally very good at his job - like a rock in the heart of our defence. Only criticism would be that on occasion, his communication also resembled a rock 7.3
Jay Wong (DC) A comfortable performance and solid when not fooling around. Has missed lots of footy of late, but a put in a good display 7.2
Alex (DR) With his new boots, the kid had a decent match and was rarely troubled. Reading of the game was also admirable 7.2
Robert (DL) Again, too little footy lately and it showed at times. Lacked the vigour of old, but did enough when called upon 7.1
Steven (DR, DC) A good debut from the guy that didn't want to play. Has good potential, can tackle well and understands the game competently 7.2
Sadek (MR) Another rusty man, but played with a lot of determination. Split his boots, like his pants, but did well otherwise 7.2
Beasty (ML, MC) a committed performance, but still needs to berate his team mates after the ball is out of play. Generally good, though nothing special, innit! 7.2
Skinny (MC, GK) A better performance from the Skinster. Has looked a bit off the pace after Xmas, but showing signs of a return to form. Denies conceding the penalty 7.3
Luong (AMC) A bad game by his standards, couldn't get the ball out of his feet. Worked hard, but had little joy other than a solitary goal 7
Wai (FC) Scored two well taken poachers goals that Lineker would have been proud of. Lacked focus when his bum-chum Greg came onto the pitch 7.2
Minh (FC) Didn't show the recent form on Parkers, as he often held onto the ball for a bit too long. However, did score a tidy goal 7.2
James Wong (MR) Has been out of action for 2 months, but got in some good tackles and got forwards well 7.2
Jason Yu (DC?) Complications meant a late arrival, but came on for the last 15 minutes, where he proceeded to charge around the place with some purpose 7.2
Kevin Wong (n/a) Arrived late, towards the end of the match, didn't get on the pitch 4
 

   Originally, we wanted to use our younger/less experienced players to test their mettle, but a few failed to appear and so we began the match a man down. We were hoping for reinforcements in Lamo's friends 'Jun' and 'Jonno', but shyness and illness kept them away. In addition to the above listed, we were without Jason Yu, Minh, James Wong and Kevin for the first half. Despite this, we got off to a steady start and controlled the initial periods of the match. In truth, Peterhouse rarely threatened throughout the match and I can't remember the keepers making more than a single save. We worked fairly hard and but for some uncharacteristic heavy touches, should have had a bagful of goals before the half was over.
   With others out of form, it was Wai who popped up to slot in two slick goals from close range as the ball bobbled loose. We spurned several other chances, with Luong being the main culprit. When he chipped wide from intercepting a poor back pass, it sadly summarised his game thus far. However, the Reds were on the whole fairly comfortable in possession and switched play well when deep in our own half. The defence was commanding when required and Peterhouse were generally second best in midfield. New boy Steven had played some part during the first half and showed plenty of promise, but by half time, we lacked that cutting edge to reflect the difference between both sides.

   There were a few changes made at half time, with senior players Dang and Skinny giving way to James Wong and Minh. Dang stood in as GK (as did Skinny in the latter stages of the game) and Greg also came on in an outfield position. We began a bit scrappily as the new look team took a while to adapt. We rarely looked in danger of conceding a goal, let alone lose that match and this had a negative effect as we dropped our work rate considerably. We operated at about 70% and seemed to coast through the remainder of the match. Luong, who had had an indifferent game, eventually got his reward when he slid to loop the ball over the keeper, after a dinked ball by Minh.
   The favour was returned soon after, when Luong dummied a ball to allow it to run onto Minh, who then confidently beat the keeper at his near post to make it 4-0. With the match sewn up, the team lost a lot of solidity as numerous changes were randomly made and this coincided with Skinny conceding a penalty late in the match. He states that it was not a penalty, but the shouts for it seemed to come more from our players than theirs. The resultant penalty was not well taken, but Skinny failed to keep it out and it rolled tamely under his slim torso. Jason Yu had come on with about a quarter of an hour remaining, but we rarely rose above mediocrity. The game 'petered' out with us regaining our grip on the game, but it never really proved challenging enough.

No photos of the game...

Long Road 2 - 3 CCCC

Starting formation:

 Greg
Luong          
Be     Skinny     Yau     Chung

Robert    J Yu    Dang   J Wong

Wood

Subs: Minh, Sadek, Chao
Supporters: Yatster, Jenn, Kevin, Wai, Nancy

Scorers: Greg (2), Yau
Assists: Skinny, ?, ?
MOM:

Player Summary:

APU 3rds 3 - 1 CCCC

Starting formation:

Luong   Minh

Robert    Be    Skinny    Chung

Ray     Chao    Dang    J Wong

DX

Subs: Greg, Wai, Sadek
Supporters: Yatster

Scorers: Skinny
Assists: ?
MOM: Hard to remember who had a good game. It was pretty tame from the 2nd half onwards.

Player Summary:

DX (GK) An 8 month lay off and the jovial DX was back. Made a couple of good saves and his goalkicks were generally very impressive. However, at fault with the last two goals 6.7
Ray (DL) A surprise inclusion, but played fairly well. Couldn't link with Robert as well as anticipated, but was resilient 6.9
Dang (DC) Strong, committed and dependable, but caught out of position on the odd occasion. guilty of unsporting behaviour 7
Chao (DC) Also committed and tough, but seemed a shadow of his usual self as he'd played a full match the day prior 6.9
Jason Wong (DR) The most energetic match this season and made a couple of determined runs. Got caught out of position as a result, but an improved display 7
Robert (ML) a bit out of sorts - tried hard in general, but was slow to track back and not as hard tackling as usual 6.8
Be (MC) Gave a good account in the first half against very aggressive opposition, but faded like the most of us in the 2nd period 6.9
Skinny (MC) scored a fantastic goal, but struggled against a minefield of a midfield. Went on one great run but thwarted as he pulled the trigger 7.1
Chung (MC) battled like a trooper and selfless in his attitude. Unlucky to be withdrawn late in 7
Luong (FC) passing was loose and couldn't settle on the ball. Won lots of freekicks and played a couple of penetrating passes, but far from his best 7
Wai (ML) a late substitute and little time to impress. Although needs to be a bit stronger and muster more belief in his skill, which he has much of 6.7
Greg (?) Another late sub and his ability needed in an attacking context. However, mysteriously unwilling to go forwards. Guilty of shirking responsibility before the match started 6.8
Sadek (DR) Made a good contribution, coming on late. Composed on the ball and disciplined. Had no problems with doing linesman duties 7

   However, we got off to a solid start in what was an ultra competitive first half. They had two big bruisers in the centre that stifled our play, although Skinny and Be coped well. We were dangerous on the break and both Minh and Robert had good chances to score when put through. The defence were holding up well and looked up to the challenge, but we were still winning too few first and second balls. Both teams were giving away unnecessary fouls in dangerous positions, but neither side had the guile to capitalise
   It was not until about 5 minutes until the break that we made the incisive breakthrough. Luong picked up the ball in midfield and somehow his pass forced the keeper off his line. The rebound then fell to Skinny some 30 yards from goal and he hit a curling low drive past the back-pedalling keeper to finish a good counter attack. It was a relief in that it had been coming, but the small size of the pitch meant that the game had been very physical.

  We held our lead convincingly until half time and the first half had gone fairly well. However, the second half panned out to be a dreary affair from our point of view. We lost the strength and hunger and in turn failed to compete from their equaliser, which occurred about 10 minutes in. A freekick and lazy marking allowed an APU player to nod in at the far post. From then on, we seemed to capitulate in a most disappointing fashion. They began to overrun us in all areas and nobody seemed desperate to bust a gut to turn the tide. We gave them space and didn't even challenge for first balls. As we tired, they grew in confidence and we put up limited resistance. The two goals they scored can be attributed to GK errors, but we should never have allowed them so much dominance. With about 20 minutes to go, we did not do enough to turn the tide and despite the introduction of Wai, Greg and Sadek, we didn't do ourselves justice. Skinny was put through for a good chance, but blasted just wide. It summed up our performance and the fighting spirit we once prided ourselves on seemed a distant memory on this cold day.

   In summary

- We got off to a jittery start with them arriving incredulously late and our players unwilling to muck in for linesmen duty.
- We should have found the second goal, but we were a bit disjointed in the final third.
- EVERYBODY should have been busting a gut to turn the game, but we were closer to rolling over than staging a valiant comeback.

Magdalene 2nds 1 - 3 CCCC

Starting formation:

Luong   Greg

James W    Be    Skinny    Chung

Robert  Jason Yu   Dang   J Wong

Wood

Subs: Minh, Wai
Supporters: Jenn, Yat, Nancy

2nd half formation:

Luong   Minh

Wai     Be      Skinny     Chung

Robert  Jason Yu   Dang   J Wong

Wood

Subs: James Wong, Greg
Supporters: Jenn, Yat, Nancy

Scorers: Greg (3)
Assists: Luong (2), Skinny?
MOM: Greg - a hatrick and all very well taken goals. Could up the work rate off the ball, but invaluable contribution otherwise.

Player Summary by Skinny:

Woody: Needs to communicate more with his defenders, be an extra pair of eyes to help Dang and his defence. Never really troubled, made saves when needed and was unlucky to concede a goal due to a deflected shot.
Jay Wong: Carried a bit of a belly after coming back from HK. Needs to up his stamina a bit, but had an alright game. Played some simple passes and handled with the fat forward  well...haha
Jason Yu: Got stuck in as usual which is good to see. Partnered with Dang quite well, needs to communicate more with his fellow defenders. Cut out the danger most of the times, but needs to be careful not to leave dang all alone when playing tougher opponents.
Dang: If only we could clone the Dangman. Showed a commanding presence in defence. Other defenders around him needs to learn and realise that unfortunately there's only one Dang on the pitch, he will cover for you with all his powers but he's getting old-ish, so provide support for him as well.
Robert: There was so much space down the left side of the pitch which he didn't use to his advantage. At times became an attacking winger and left his defensive duties aside. Needs to be more disciplined when playing tougher opponents. He has good full back abilities and needs to realise where his potential lies.
James Wong: Had a relatively quiet game. Needs to get more involved in the game especially in the middle of the park. Needs to have more composure on the ball and link well with his midfielders. Played a couple of descent balls to his forwards but needs to provide more service to his forwards.
Be:st performance he's put in so far this season. Was involved in most of the plays and won most of his battles in midfield. Some deathly back heels and some poor ones which resulted the other team collecting the ball and causing a break troubling the defence. Linked well with the forwards and midfield. Lets hope this Be keeps on stinging throughout this season.
Skinny: To be honest had a dry game haha! Started relatively well but faded considerably. Was more frustrated with his performance and should have concentrated more in applying himself into defensive duties and also getting more involved battling in midfield. Had a dizzy head and a bruised back after a collision which looked a bit suspect which resulted a big dip in his performance. Excuses, excuses, excuses!!!
Greg: Man of the match for me. Caused problems in their defence numerous amount of times. Dribbled the ball with great flair and for once brought a pair of shooting boots on. All 3 of his goals which he put away with little ease should be congratulated. Well done "Dim Sum"...........
Luong: Pity not to get on the scoresheet but was influential throughout the game. Set the tone to his players to battle the FULL 90 minutes and his work rate around the pitch set a great example to his team. Caused problems in their defence and showed great movement with and without the ball.
Wai: Needs to realise once you put on that C4 shirt we mean business. Needs to provide more options for his midfielders and forwards. Find open spaces, make darting runs around and through their defence. Needs to put in more tackles and get stuck in. We all know you've got the ability, but whether you can do it in proper matches remains to be seen. Keep your head up and prove us all wrong and show what you can really do.
Minh: Played well with the amount of time he had on the pitch. Linked well with Luong upfront and also his midfielders. Needs to be match fit to play an important role for our next match. Owes me some KFC as well.

Thanx 4 Jenn from the block and Yat from the flock (sorry can't rap). Anywayz thanx 4 cheering the team on but where were the half-time oranges this time Jenn?
 

   After last weeks impressive display, we were thrust back into the doldrums of Division 6 football. It was a bitingly cold day and upon treading on the semi frozen pitch, perhaps we should have predicted a patchy game to match. Our squad was fairly strong and with our posse of supporters (Jenn, Yat and Nancy), we were confident of a good result.

   Indeed, the Reds began in determined fashion and bossed from the offset. It took only a couple of attacks for us to register our first goal. Greg was played in on the right hand side and powered past a defender before launching an unstoppable shot past the keeper. It was a very early goal and the scorer earned himself a numb chin for his efforts as a recovering defender slid in clumsily after the shot. The goal helped settle us and we looked dangerous in attacking areas. The game was a bit scrappy and there were a few moments of confusion in our defensive half. In truth, the opposition were not the best, but they capitalised on our hesitancy by scoring an unlikely goal. With the ball being semi cleared, a Magdalene player hit a shot that took a nasty deflection to beat Wood, who had been comfortable thus far. It was an unnecessary goal to concede and a sloppy one at that.

We did not let it get to us too much and we worked our way towards goal continually. Skinny deftly controlled a ball in the penalty box and Luong skied the half volley as he lost his footing. We were eventually rewarded when Greg, again, found the back of the net. It was a cutting move, whereby the midfield fed Luong, who took the ball forwards before releasing a tidy throughball to the willing runner, Greg. He beat his man for pace and strength before lifting the ball over the GK to restore our lead.

C4 were certainly the more threatening team going forwards and Luong's endeavour earned us a freekick on the edge of the area. In getting goalside of his marker, he was unceremoniously hauled down for what looked to be a clear penalty. However, the ref awarded a freekick, which Skinny placed for Greg to curl a beauty over the wall and into the back of the net. A defender got his head to it, but it simply skidded off him, 3-1. The scoreline remained like this through to half time and we trudged back to regroup. Despite leading by two goals, we looked the more miserable team. We were disappointed with our overall level of play and our lack of end product. It seemed to me that we became complacent, knowing that should they score a goal, we wouldn't fail to do so. We needed to be psychologically stronger and begin to make it difficult for them to play (although they were doing this perfectly fine themselves :p).

We brought on Wai and Minh to add some fresh impetus and the second half began in earnest as we attempted to 'redeem' ourselves. Be was one of the first to rectify the fire that had been largely lacking as he lunged into a somewhat reckless sliding tackle. The match took a decidedly ugly turn and there was tetchiness on both sides. Jason Wong was caught on the wrong side of a Magdalene attacker and miss-timed his lunge, catching him full on. The Magdalene Captain was quick to pressure the usage of cards and indeed a yellow was shown and 'Wong' had his name taken. In truth, the tackle was clumsy and may have deserved a card, but this was child's play compared to the bevy of reckless challenges made by Magdalene throughout the game.

The dirtiness was becoming rife as the ever uncompromising Jason Yu used his strength to the disgust of our opposition. The comical words 'you're the dirtiest player, you cheat' (or something like that) were yelled at our no-nonsense centre back. The game actually became more open as a result of the messy nature of it. Magdalene did attack on occasion, but our defence was more than a match for them, with only one good chance being gained by them. At the other end, we were still dangerous (and bad), but the frozen pitch did not help as we toiled for a breakthrough. The front two were causing problems with their pace, but we couldn't quite find the finish to match the opportunities. Our luck was not good, as proved when on one surging run, Skinny (who had been below usual standard) was fouled and fell badly on the rock hard ground.

Greg and James Wong came back on with about 20 minutes to go to alleviate tiring legs, although this did little to slow the pace of the game down. It was not until 10 minutes to go did we take control of the match and play some more measured football. We found more space and our passing became a little more assured. Indeed Luong was put through on goal by Minh with a stinging cross field ball, but such was the pace of the ball, he could only attempt to poke it past the keeper, though the latter did well to get a block on. The fleet footed Warrior was almost through on goal again not long after, although a poor refereeing decision cost us. Dribbling past two defenders, Luongface was tripped but managed to regain his footing. When one on one with the keeper, the ref had already decided not to play advantage, instead pulling us back for the initial trip...Grrrr!

The match finished 3-1, with us having regained ascendancy, but not doing enough to ensure a scoreline that reflected the true chasm in ability.

We'd been slow to pick up players and lacked the commitment shown last week. Our passing was poor and we lacked composure for most of the match. A below par performance almost cost us a trip to Dojos, but the supporters were influential in deciding that we should go, and indeed we did. The portions were big, the discount was generous and hungry stomachs fulfilled - our best result of the day.

Erm...too many shimmery shorts for my liking.

The DX twins can't draw attention from Be's eventual groin grab. And no, I'm not taking a slash...

There's so much space left...oh, what the hell!

Emmanuel 3 - 2 CCCC

Starting formation:

Luong   Wai

Be    Skinny    Chao    Chung

Robert    Yau    Dang   Sadek

Wood

Subs: Minh, Mickey
Supporters: Jenn, Yat

2nd half formation:

Luong   Wai

Be    Skinny    Chao    Chan

Robert    Yau    Dang   Chung

Wood

Subs: Minh, Sadek
Supporters: Jenn, Yat

Scorers: Luong, Skinny
Assists: Be, Wai
MOM: ?

Player Summary:

Wood (GK) a passionate and assured game. Great handling, commitment and a lion's roar. 8
Robert (DL) positionally not the best, but made up for it with strength, determination and work rate. 7.9
Sadek (DR) lacking match fitness, but a combative display with good composure. Linked with Chung well 7.8
Dang (DC) A no nonsense performance, marred only by one incident. Tough and unflappable 8
Yau (DC) Partnered Dang very competently, also strong, dependable and determined. Played very well, despite being groggy 8
Be (ML) took a while to get involved, but once on form, showed glimpses of his old tenacity. Good backheel to setup first goal 7.8
Skinny (MC) A good performance in the attacking third, but lacked the energy to perform all of his midfield duties 7.9
Chao (MC) Arrived late and hence took a while to settle. But provided that much needed steel in midfield 7.8
Chung (MR, DR) his best performance in a red shirt since joining. Combative and pacy, he was resilient and a threat on the right until his injury 7.9
Wai (FC, MR) A reasonable performance against tough opposition. Helped assist our 2nd goal, but looked a little lost at times 7.4
Luong (FC) hehe...high work rate and showed he can tackle as well as attack. Found lots of space as the game wore on and scored a good goal. 8
Minh (MR) Still carrying a leg injury, but his late introduction helped add a different dimension to our game. Showed improved running 7.6
Chan (MR) a very tidy performance, coming on as a substitute. Good work rate and slick moves 7.9

The opening minutes were fiercely contested, but Emmanuel with a handful of good players began to dominate early exchanges. We defended stoutly and despite them putting a few passes together, we remained reasonably compact and sturdy. Our forwards kept their defence on their toes and our first break came when Luong knocked the ball past the last defender. A covering defender hurtled back, but Luong cut a square ball back to Wai, whose first touch let him down slightly and they were able to recover.

Chung played very well on the right and broke down that side like a teenage Park Ji Sung on a few occasions. However, it was Be on the opposite flank that helped set up the first goal. He latched onto a pass that saw him running away from goal, but hearing a shout from Luong, he unselfishly backheeled the ball back into the danger area. Luong let it run across his body (to send the defender the wrong way) then swivelled and hit a first time shot that curled neatly into the far corner.

We played reasonably well for the next 10 minutes, but with neither side making many clear cut chances. We were playing fiercely and other than some poor positioning, we were strong throughout. They played quite high up the pitch and with our fast forwards, we troubled them on a few breaks. Skinny with good options, chose wrongly to hit a long range shot, that ironically clipped off my foot and almost ricocheted into the corner. However, all our hard work was undone during a moment of confusion in our ranks that led to a high ball bobbling in our 6 yard box before being despatched with minimum effort for their equaliser. By about this time, Sadek, who had done well, but severely lacked match fitness had to be replaced by Chan.

We rallied well and didn't allow our heads to drop. The game became a very even affair with both sides cancelling each other out. Our centre back pairing had been strong, but the blinding sun caused a miss-cued interception and it fell to an Emma striker who made no mistake in blasting it past the stranded Wood (who had been dominant throughout - great handling and an improved command of area). This occurred 3 minutes before half time, but again we were largely unfazed. We stepped up our game to see it out, going in at the break trailing by a single goal, but pleased with the overall display.

At the interval, Chan preferred a wing role and so we restored Wai up front. Indeed, the diminutive Mickey proceeded in bamboozling his markers and played very well on the right. Other than the evntual goals, there were two incidents that distinguished the second half - Firstly, Yau slashed at a cross and the ball presented itself to an onrushing striker, who managed to sky it with the goal at his mercy (Chao/Robert did well to put him off, but it was still a sitter). Secondly, Skinny broke through on goal and the keeper came out. He lobbed the ball over the keeper, Dang screamed, Luong stopped, the team anticipated, the ball hit the post!

We were growing in confidence and Be and Chao gradually got more into the game. Robert was typically strong, but we conceded a very soft penalty as their player flung himself (akin to Pires) to the floor from the slightest touch. This time, Wood screamed. Actually, it was a roaring McEnroe-esque tirade, but their referee had made his highly dubious decision and they scored from the spot. This actually helped spur us on, as we felt very hard done by. Our performance reached new heights and we played some great football. We scored with about 10 minutes to go, but we sandwiched that strike with 3 great chances. The first, a dinky throughball from the midfield (Chao?) that released Luong. Warrior left his marker for dead and with the keeper to beat, he flashed his shot agonisingly wide, wasting our best chance of the match. He tried to make amends by going on a mazy dribble, before putting in Skinny, who was a tad slow off the mark and the keeper came out to smother. Skinny was again put through with a measured ball, but he took two touches too many, allowing the keeper to claim the ball at his feet. Ironically, Skin did score, but not from a measured pass nor particularly good play. Wai was scrapping for the ball at the edge of the area and a fortuitous ricochet fell to Skinny, who this time struck with great venom to beat the keeper.

At 3-2, we were very much in it and Emma had to hang on to their slender lead until the final whistle. We pushed and pushed for the equaliser and we finished much the stronger team. Minh, who carried an injury, came on late and added some attacking flair, however, it was not to be and we finished gallant losers.

Our performance was one of our best to date, even with a reduced squad- two key players missing and a couple with limited match fitness. We'd played well (although I still think there is room for improvement) and put in a very decent display. The match caused noticeable discomfort to the home team, as can be witnessed in their match report. They'd won the match, but may have felt a bit lucky on the back of their performance.

King's 2nds 7 - 4 CCCC

Starting formation:

Luong
James Wong

Skinny     Be   Yau     J Wong

Robert    Yu    Dang   K Wong

Wood

Subs: Minh, Chao
Supporters: Yat, Sadek

Second Half:

Luong    Minh

 Be    Skinny     Yau     Chao

Robert   J Yu  Dang   J Wong

Wood

Subs: Minh, Chao
Supporters: Yat, Sadek

Scorers: J Yu, Skinny, Luong, Be
Assists: Yau, Skinny, ?, ?
MOM:

Player Summary by Chao:

Woody – Saved a few and let in a few. 5/10
Kong – Made a few vital tackles. Tried to organise the defence under difficult circumstances. Struggled with their centre forward 5.5/10
Jason Yu – Tried hard all game and got struck in, in the 2nd half. Struggled with their centre forward 5.5
Jason Wong –Put under pressure on the right and dealt with it. 5.5
Kevin – Cleared the line and made a few interceptions. 5
Robert – Strong in defence but didn’t offer much attacking wise. 5.5
Andy Yu – Tried to control the midfield though didn’t get the support of others. 6
James – Wasn’t as influential as previous games but still worked hard and linked up with attacking players. 6.5
Luong – Scored a goal and missed a few chances. 6.5
Chao – Didn’t get back enough and missed two glorious opportunities. 5
James Wong – Subbed on and off which disrupted his rhythm. 5

Overall
Our game completely fell apart. We underestimated our opponents and panicked after going two behind. The defence struggled to clear the ball and couldn’t deal with their centre forward. The midfield didn’t help out enough and put the defence under too much pressure. We didn’t work as a team and there was no communication.
 

   We failed to play as a unit and despite a promising start, a quick succession of sloppy goals left us reeling on the ropes and we never truly believed we could pull it back. Some iffy offside decisions against coincided wit a lot of C4 dominance in the initial 10 or so minutes. However, it was our flat footedness that saw an on form striker burst through to draw first blood. We rallied and did brilliantly when Skinny expertly lobbed the keeper to draw us level. However, again we were not alert to a throughball and again were punished. We stepped up another level and a scuffed shot from Yau saw a brilliantly timed acrobatic diving header from Jason Yu to restore parity from two yards.
   We were twice more caught napping and looking for referee decisions that were never going to come our way. Added to that, our miscommunication helped them add two further (and very similar) goals before half time. We played reasonably up until the interval, but crucially failed to find the net. 4-2 we entered half time and despite an uncomfortable two goal cushion, there was plenty left to play for.

   James Wong, who'd played yesterday, was sacrificed as we looked to introduce some more pace into attack. We started with plenty of verve, but that shamefully disintegrated as we conceded the first goal of the second half. With the blinding sun and wind against us and at 5-2, heads began to drop, although I felt there was plenty of time to turn it around. The slump in morale and our ludicrous insistence at not playing to the whistle (despite a clear offside) soon had the score at 6-2. We had about half the team on the pitch still fighting, and being a team game, this was not enough. Our drop in work rate forced us to continually play the quick through ball and long 'pass' that actually yielded some joy. Luong latched onto one such pass and chipped the keeper to bring us closer at 6-3. The same player was absolutely exhausted chasing often hopeful passes and when through on goal on 3-4 occasions, found his legs too weary to finish. There was also very little support in the attacking third until James Wong came back on. With 15 minutes to go, we conceded again (another blatant offside) and the match was mentally forfeited. We went through the motions and with little to play for, actually got the ball moving quite neatly. We bore down on goal a couple of times, with Luong teeing up Yau for a miss-hit, before Skinny and Be combined to grab a consolation fourth, minutes from the end.

   The disappointment was huge, we'd underperformed, were disjointed and conceded far too many. The defence was in sparkling form before today and the midfield lacked cohesion and tenacity. Our attack could have done better, but were too often left isolated. It was, in all, an abject performance and we should remember the hurt with resolution not to endure it again.

Darwin 2nds 0 - 4 CCCC

Starting formation:

Luong     Minh

 Greg     Skinny     Be   Chung

Robert   Dang    Chao   J Wong

Wood

Subs: James Wong, Kevin, Tyrell
Supporters: Yat, Sadek, Rose, Wai

Second Half:

Luong    Minh

 Greg    Skinny     Be     Tyrell

Robert   Dang   Chao   J Wong

Wood

Subs: James Wong, Kevin Wong
Supporters: Yat, Sadek, Rose, Wai

Scorers: Minh, Greg (2), Skinny
Assists: Skinny (2), Minh
MOM:

Player Summary by 'Swish':

   We went with the trusted 4-4-2 formation, but it took us sometime to get settled. Despite the haggard play, chances for us were rife, but we were extremely wasteful - often taking too many touches and allowing the keeper to smother. Our most gilt edged chance was created by a surging Skinny run, but again we failed to find the net as he blazed over from several yards out and Luong screaming/roaring for a tap in. Our quality on the ball was not at its best, but the difference in ability was clearly apparent even in early exchanges. Our pace was a huge asset as time and again we broke through, leading to their captain exclaiming to his team mate, 'it's not your fault, we have no pace at the back'.

  Our back four were efficient and tidy with their work and the attacking qualities of Greg and Skinny were causing them problems. Robert was dominant in the air and his strength was proving a handful. The back two were a strong presence, although some inevitable confusion arose from the new pairing (that incidentally, once settled played very well) but they defended with great ferocity. Wood had little to do, but was always alert and was quick to intercept and his safe hands provided much needed stability. Jason Wong and Chung battled admirably, but lack of match practice (and blisters for Chung aka Fei Long) meant they were not quite at their best. Be played some unusual passes, but came into it more as the match wore on. Minh latched onto a host of chances, but the keeper smothered bravely. Luong huffed and puffed, but was feeding off scraps for much of the first half.

  In our defence, the pitch was not suited to our play and brought it down to their world of physical aggression. We did notch a goal before halftime, when Skinny overhit a long pass, but Greg did excellently to chase it down and nick the ball past the keeper. It took a deflection that looped over the stranded GK and Greg was waiting for an easy tap in at the other side. Our second goal was scored when Skinny played a sublime pass that Minh sprinted onto and lifted over the keeper. It wasn't a great performance, but we had the game under control as we sauntered off at half time. During the break, Chung discovered numerous raw blisters on his feet and so Tyrell came on at right midfield.

   We started the second half brightly and were determined to keep a clean sheet and improve our tally. We began to play some more fluid football as our opponents seemed to tire and struggle with the new pace of the game. Indeed, an intricate passage of play that again saw the predatory instincts of Greg highlighted our third goal. Tyrell sped down the right flank before cutting inside to whip in a cross from the right. The ever alert Luong dropped back to meet the cross and sensing a gap between two defenders, he (well, I) produced the self proclaimed 'touch of the season' - exquisitely cushioning the ball between both defenders, allowing Minh to receive it in the penalty area. Merciless forced a good save out of the keeper, but Greg was quickest to the rebound, pipping a recovering defender to smash it in. I quickly mocked up a diagram (using Tit Hall players) to illustrate the Bergkamp-esque touch of Luong:

Anyhoo, our third goal came within 10 minutes of the restart and it further deflated the will of Darwin. We introduced James and Kevin Wong for Beast and Jason Wong as we continued to assert our superiority. Space was beginning top open up for us and we built many attacks down the throat of Darwin. The newcomers got into the action, Kevin bringing the ball out well and James Wong narrowly missing as he slid in at the back post. However, it was Skinny that blasted in our fourth goal from just inside the area, adding the final nail.
  The frustration in one particular Darwin player was obvious (the annoying and ridiculous Scottish guy) as he came flying in with a late and spiteful tackle. He then continued to moan like he had been all match, absolving himself of any blame. I shan't waste anymore time on him, but 'w*nker' sums him up quite fittingly.

   We finished strongly and had further chances to score, an LT supplied disguised through ball to Tyrell being one of the many. The performance was assured, but we wasted way too many good chances - something we must correct. We warmed down with a 10 aside kickabout match on Parkers, which we dominated despite tired legs.

  Special thanks to the supporters (Yat, Sadek, Rose, Wai) that came to...support and did so with sterling effort.

Photos By Mattalan

Swish comments: Everybody needs to talk to one another a lot more as the whole team lacked communication. We also need to come back and cover gaps that some people have left behind. These were just a few points collected at the game.

He was never the best Streetfighter character, but his flaming kicks could come in handy

We defended stoutly and deserved the clean sheet. Wood takes time out to have a dump.

Skinny skips across the surface, tra-la-la-la-la.

Much of the play was contested in the centre of the pitch

Christs 2nds 1 - 3 CCCC

Starting formation:

Minh
Luong                  Skinny

   Be   Yau  Jason W

Robert   Jason Yu   Dang    Kevin

Wood

------------------
Subs: Chao, Cheese
Supporters: Sadek, Rose

Second Half:

Luong    Minh

 Cheese    Skinny     Yau     Be

Robert   Jason Yu   Dang   Chao

Wood

-----------------
Subs: Greg, Tyrell, James Wong, Jason Wong, Kevin Wong
Supporters: Sadek, Rose, Wai

Scorers: Luong, Minh (2)
Assists: Luong, Skinny, Tyrell
MOM:

Player summaries 2 & 3

By Skinny (unfinished!)

Wood: Rarely troubled. Some great shot stopping. Unlucky not to keep a clean sheet.
K. Wong: Dealt well with the opposition's pressure. Some good attacking runs. Needs to get new boots.
J. Wong: No nut-megs this time. Played some simple passing football and put in some strong tackles.
Chairman: Had a good all round game. Broke attacks well and supplied simple balls for his midfielders.
Kong: A typical but vital performance. A couple of dodgy moments but that's his age kicking in :p Winning the ball practically throughout the game. Solid!
Jason: Some strong tackles and combined well with Kong. Once breaking up attacks supplied simple balls for the team. I think there was a hand-ball at some point wasn't there?
Robert: Provided many options down the left. A good all round defensive and attacking display. Needs to communicate more.
Cheese: Played a decent game. Gave the left side more width and provided some good balls to the forwards.
Yauser: A truly disciplined DMC. Was always in the thick of things. Once the team lost possession, never gave up trying to win the ball back. Keeper peed him off haha!
Be: Took time to settle into the game. Played out on the wings when he should have helped in the middle where most of the action was. Some good counter attacking plays.
Luong: His pace was too much for the opposition. Made some great runs and linked well with Skinny. Never lost his cool and an unbelievable work rate.
Skinny: Put in some good tackles. Provided some great through balls, which split the oppositions defence apart. Unfortunate not to get on the score sheet.

TBC?

by Ghostwriter

James Wood – kicking was better than usual and made some good saves. Possibly could have prevented the only goal. 7
Robert – a threat to the opposition when attacking from the left. Could have prevented the goal if positioning was better, however a committed display. 7
Dang – tackled hard and good clearing headers. 7.5
Jason Yu – tough and aggressive display. 7.5
Kevin – positioning needs improving, drifted inside too much, which allowed plenty of space on the right side. However a comfortable display. 6.5
Jason W – tackled well however stamina let his overall game down. 6.5
Andy Yau – strong, very good tackling and controlled the midfield very well. 8
Be – tackled well but this was a quiet performance for his usual standard. 6.5
Luong – scored a well-taken goal but his dribbling was not up to his usual standard. 7.5
James Yu – this was a quieter game for this attacking midfield but gave a sturdy display. 7
Minh – well taken 1st penalty, however his second penalty was poor. Overall an average game. Should have used his pace more. 7
Cheese – a solid midfield & defensive display but showed a lack of stamina. 7
Chao – gave a solid defensive display, however his distribution to midfield was below standard. 7
Greg – was a threat down the left as the opposition were tiring. Gave the GK trouble from a well-taken free kick. 7
Tyrell – gave the team more energy towards the end of the match and gave GK problem with a quick free kick. 6.5
James Wong – 5 for lateness and getting lost :p
 

   Anyway, the game began at a brisk pace, with neither team settling. However, we were first to threaten - our pace opening them up on increasing occasion. Much of the play was shunted out to the wings, but our link up play wasn't as deft as usual. It was probably Luong who had our first opportunity, when he seized on a loose ball and nicked it over the defender, headed it on, but the resulting shot was blocked by the keeper. Skinny and Minh both had moments in the opposition box, but failed to find an end product. Also from a corner, a half chance was cleared back out and the ball drifted back in. Jason Yu dived like an Italian ballerina, but failed to connect with what would have been a sure goal.
   Our defensive play was a bit edgy and we gave them too much space too often. The tackling was hard, typified by that thug J Wong, but we found ourselves too far from the play and rushing our work. It was not until a measured clearance from Jason Yu, that our first goal was born. Luong raced onto the ball and poked the ball past the keeper, only to be tripped in the penalty area. The referee was reluctant to award the decision, though the GK admitted the offence and Minh stepped up to coolly slot home. We'd been probing for some time and it was a deserved goal. We stepped up a bit and had the ball in the net again when Skinny exchanged some neat passes with Luong before slamming it in at close range. However, the referee had blown for an earlier handball by THEIR player and nobody involved further up the pitch had heard it!

   We continued to press, but there was not much action at either end. We went into half time leading 1-0, but the disappointment in our play and scoreline was palpable. There was not enough threat through the centre and the midfield didn't look wholly comfortable with the formation. We reverted to 4-4-2, making some tough decisions along the way.

   The half began with renewed grit and indeed we began to look the better team. We had numerous chances, but often chose the wrong option, opting for long range shots and strikes from tight angles - it was doubly frustrating as players were in positions for cut backs and through balls. It was quite early on however, that we scored our second. Luong held his run, and Skinny slid a ball in for him to pace onto. LT Warrior took a look up and steered it past the keeper with his first touch on his left foot. The relief was significant and the two goal cushion was no more than we merited. However, the third goal just wouldn't come, despite a wealth of chances and we were hit with a sucker punch, when Robert slipped to allow a strike on goal. Wood did very well to save, but the rebound fell to the more alert Christ attacker who lashed it in.
  To our credit, we didn't panic too much and continued to play our game. However, complacency seemed to effect too many as we were often second to the ball and ball watched frequently. Also, our communication was a bit dismal and mix ups occurred. Despite this, we were very much in control and Wood later commented at how bored he was, as the final 25 minutes was played entirely in their half. Their keeper did well to save several shots, but his blushes were spared when an offside decision was harshly called when Skinny had him picking the ball out of his net. Minh had the chance to finish the game, when he was clipped inside the box. However, his curling shot whistled just wide of the mark. Greg and Tyrell came on in the final 10 or so minutes and the latter had a gilt-edged chance when he was presented with an open goal, but his header was more of a facer and it squirmed narrowly wide.
  From previous matches, we'd learned not to take anything for granted, so we really dug in deep towards the final five minutes. The defensive aspect of our game was raised a notch and finally, we got our third to kill the tie when Minh rounded the keeper late on in. James Wong, having gotten lost on the way to the pitch, entered the fray, but had little to do before the match ended with us claiming a satisfying, if slightly mediocre 3-1 victory.

Player Summaries are like busses and girls. They have big rear ends. Also, you don't get one in yonks and they all arrive at once!

by Mr Mattalan, a.k.a. Sadek
James Wood – Played very well when called into action, although he was pretty much quiet during the whole game. Also noticed an improvement with Mr Wood as his kicking was at a very good standard.
Kevin Wong – He should have had the word ‘Wrong’ on the back of his shirt, as he failed to make an impact for the team. Failed to make important clearances, including tackling, communication with the other players, as well as drifting away out of position. Just need to improve your concentration so that you can intercept the opposition’s passes as some of their passes were obvious and also to create a good relationship with the other defenders.
Jason Yu – This bear has noticeably been improving, though today was a step back in the wrong direction. He failed to read the bounce of the ball, get the first challenges in and perform a good partnership with Dang, a vital ingredient that the team needs. But did make some useful runs forward to help create chances upfront.
Dang – The self styled barbarian had a mixed game, as he and Jason Yu had very poor communication with each other, which was evident from the touch line. This caused the defence confusion, panic, and very nervy atmosphere. Although Dang made some excellent challenges, clearances, good leadership and showed some awesome pace. Keep up the excellent work.
Jason Wong – Mr Toe Rag played ok, made some good strong challenges as he always does. He is also a good linker with all the other team as he managed to win the ball and clear it by passing the ball to one of our midfielders. One thing I wasn’t impressed with was his dive in the opposition’s second half, you need to go to the Arsenal training academy.
Robert – In the film Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee was beating up bare people and then lost his concentration and ended up with three-claw marks across his stomach and his cheeks. As for Robert, he played very well with good interceptions, strong challenges, and good teamwork, but then started to fade away. His concentration levels dropped as balls were played through and around him that could have been dealt with. But a good performance though.
Cheese – Tried very hard to both defend and attack, was good at doing both. But his stamina is a worry as he is never seen in training. The poor man then got subbed off and started to cry about it, an attitude we don’t need in the team. You cannot turn up late to a match and not turn up to training and get what you want, in my eyes Jason Wong did the right thing.
Andy Yau – It’s always hard to fault this dude. He played strong in a defensive midfield role and also played some fantastic football with his passes, runs on and off the ball and his teamwork. The second half was very nervy, perhaps he could have played that Makelele role to sit back and make clearances from route one balls and let James Yu do the attacking?
Chao – Played well in the right back position, wasn’t afraid to go into the challenges, linked ok with the other players, But he needs to improve his communication as nobody really heard a word out of his mouth.
Be – Dr Robotnik had a quiet game, didn’t really do much. He could have got more involved by offering his service to help defend. He didn’t really impress me with his passes either, not quick enough nor accurate enough.
James Yu – Was by far the best player on the pitch, he was relentless in attack and made some incredible runs and created lots of chances. His passing was good, his runs were good and general teamwork was at a high level. But near the end he got a bit greedy by taking shots whilst there was a better chance to pass to someone and let them score as they were in a better shooting position, so the game could have been safe a lot quicker. Unlucky with your first half effort run, you reminded me of myself.
Luong Tran – Very much involved with the attacking play, played some good balls to the midfield and Minh. He was very good on the ball with his runs and range of passing. In the second half, the so-called warrior that he claims to be looked as if he was playing with an injury.
Minh Phung  - Played very well as he linked well with Luong and the midfielders. Was twisting and turning their defenders throughout the whole game as he was searching for a goal. His runs off the ball were very good too. He also won a penalty which he failed to convert, some sort of Jaap Stam business.
Greg- came on late as he arrived late which doesn’t sound good. But played well on the wing. Showed great dribbling skills, great pace and passes. Good performance.
Tyrell – The squirrel has taken a break from looking for his nuts and played for the last 10 minutes or so. Played well as he combined well with the midfielders and strikers. Had a good chance to score with his head, his hair probably got in the way of his vision.
James Wong – Came on very, very late and I don’t think he had a touch of the ball,  make sure you turn up earlier so you can get a slice of the action instead of standing there like a scarecrow.
Thanks to Kevin Wong, and Chao who volunteered to help out with the linesman, and for Rose who took some pictures.

Photos by Sadek and Rose

A solid challenge from Jason Yu. He takes no prisoners, but plenty of the opposition's shorts!

The forwards needed more support and for the team to push up another 10 yards

Other than Be, who fancied a sit down, we were on the whole quite committed in our own half...

But were too frequently outnumbered during OUR corners

Our passing to feet and space brings joy as Luong finishes neatly with his left foot. Then sprints back?!

Trinity Hall 3rds 1 - 14 CCCC

Starting formation:

Minh
Luong                  Wai

   Be   Chao  Skinny

Robert   Jason Yu   Dang    Kevin

Wood

------------------
Subs: Chung
Spectators: Sadek, Ruddock, Cheese

Second Half:

Wai    Minh

 Cheese    Be   Yau  James Wong

Robert   Dang   Wood   Chung

Simon

-----------------
Subs: Luong, Skinny, Chao, Jason Yu, Kevin
Spectators: Sadek, Jenn

Scorers: Skinny (7), Be (3), Luong (3), Wood
MOM: Skinny - absolutely loads of goals from midfield and a good all round game.

   The match started with us adopting a Chelsea-esque formation. Indeed, it worked well with Robert in particular overlapping very well and C4 were in rampant form. We dominated early exchanges and were somewhat wasteful with the hoard of chances that we created. The 'deadlock' was not broken until an ill-timed backpass allowed a Tit Hall striker to intercept and slide the ball past a helpless Wood. It was certainly a wake up call, although we'd slipped up on at least 8 chance before that event.
  In truth, it may have helped spurn us on and we galvanised in spectacular fashion. The pattern of play didn't change and we soon scored when Skinny found the net from the tightest of angles. Defensively we were solid and the full backs brought the ball out with good composure. The midfield trio were strong and resilient, while Minh's pace was a worry for them. Some strong running from numerous players had them in all sorts of trouble. We fashioned chance after chance and by half time, we'd scored four more to lead 5-1 at the interval.

   At half time, there were numerous changes. We gained another supporter in Jenn and we jiggled our formation to 4-4-2. The new Goalkeeper, Simon, came in for what was a good if slightly uneventful debut and Wood came out into central defence. Cheese returned to the fold after a long absence and James Wong and Chung occupied the right hand side. Wai played alongside Minh and it was Be and Yau to boss the centre.
  We showed good concentration to maintain and dictate the flow of the game, despite a significant four goal cushion. The new players didn't take long to settle and ironically, Be managed to twice get on the scoresheet with some late runs. Enough was enough, and Luong and Skinny took to the field after 20 minutes of play. Within minutes, the newcomers combined to score a simple goal. We were particularly strong down the left with god combination play from  Robert, Be and the rusty Fromage. The latter crossed in a few teasing balls and our overall play was improving. Quite soon, the goals began to flood in. Traffic was becoming increasingly one way and Wood was at hand to smash in his first goal for C4, with a well taken shot through a posse of players. Jason Yu and Kevin came on with about 15 minutes to go and against a tiring Tit Hall side, were effective in their roles. Most of the game was being played in their half and other than one good save, Simon had little to do. Our penultimate substitution was for Chao to come back into central midfield and continue his good work there.
  We can't have a match report without some obligatory gloating. Well, here goes. A measured through ball released Luong with only the keeper to beat. The keeper came flying out of his area and Luong took the ball past him, only for him to handle blatantly outside the area. There was no whistle, so Warrior took control of the loose ball, dummied two defenders then finished neatly.
   Towards the end of the match, Minh came back on, though the match soon finished three minutes prematurely when Skinny hit a shot that after some sailing, smashed into an unfortunate window. Yikes...

   In summary, we played well and were resolute throughout. Of course we will face tougher opposition, but we can be happy with our own performance.
   When we didn't spend so long on the ball and moved it about quickly, that's when we were at our most dangerous. The tempo is raised and it's hard for opposing teams to cope if we play quick, accurate passes. Somebody like C.Ronaldo is technically fantastic on the ball, but the way he holds onto the ball for so long is often detriment to the rest of the team as it slows the tempo down and his teammates are often out of position when he finally does decide to release it. That is why he is often labelled a 'talent' rather than the finished article!
  I thought Robert made some very strong runs down the left flank and Skinny of course was instrumental in attack. Kevin was composed and did a good job, while the whole of thedefence were very alert and strong in the tackle. Be played well and grabbed three goals, while Wood capped a decent performance outfield with a well taken goal. Yau was imperious in his DMC role and the trickery and pace of Minh and Wai caused them problems. All of the new guys settled well and produced sound displays, with Chung's reluctance to head, but willingness to flying kick one of the many highlights! Chairman Chao reminded us of his strength and steadfastness and James grew as the game progressed.

   Perhaps the main concern was that having done the hardwork and reached the byline, we were too hesitant to cut it back. Had we done so, we would have had another 5 goals at least. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives and should we keep working hard for each other, we should have a good season.

Photos by Sadek

Skinny saunters onto the pitch, in time to produce a devastating performance...

Goal mouth action, as we relentlessly bombard the keeper with shots from all angles

Fake Scholes (Robert) and Warrior combined expertly on the left

CCCC 13 - 0 Chinese Christians

Starting formation:

Skinny  Luong

Lamo  Be  James Wong  Sadek

Ray    Jason Yu   Yau    Kevin

Lamo's friend

------------------

Minh

Scorers: Lamo (2), Luong (4), Minh (3), James Wong, Ray, Be, Jason Yu
Assists: Too many to remember!
MOM: Difficult to say - no stand out performances combined with very little challenge.

Player Summary by James Wong:

Lamo's friend (Rob)- Didn't have a great amount to