Ashburton FC 5 - Zenith Wanderers 6

" We'd rather lose a game 5-6 than to produce a boring game of football that ends up with us at the receiving end of a one nil victory."

That consensus was shared between that of the Ashburton players as they watched themselves crumble to their first defeat in pre-season after producing a performance that was filled with characteristic aplomb which resulted in the 8-0 victory against Ngee Ann FC heretofore.

The match was delayed by an hour and a half due to the irresponsible act of Shafie, the Captain of Ashburton FC, who overslept and made the team wait for his arrival. Tan Fark Me, currently the caretaker manager of AFC, was peeved at what he felt was not a good example shown by the Captain and has released a statement saying that Shafie will be fined two weeks wages and will be given 4 strokes of the cane due to his negligent act. As the players of AFC proceeded to the field, St. Yishun Park, they were surprised to see players from Zenith Wanderers busy training and getting ready for the match. Even more surprised was Haikal, who spotted his cousin, Danial, playing at the other end. Greetings were exchanged and that was followed by the start of the match.

Zenith Wanderers got off to a brilliant start, with a goal coming from their forward. Not wanting to be sucked into a predicament, AFC fought back and equalised through Shafie, who wanted to make ammends for his late arrival earlier on. ZWFC then took the lead again, before Adam capitalised on a mistake from their goalkeeper to even out the score at two a piece. Haikal then scored a typical poacher goal making it 3-2, to bring his goal scoring tally to 23 goals in 19 appearances for the club. This was followed by a quick equaliser from ZWFC, capping off an entertaining half of football.

There was some reshuffling back at AFC with Amir taking his position between the posts as the goalkeeper and his cousin, Hafi, replacing him at the centre of midfield. Ten minutes into the half and there Amir was, feigning injury before going berserk. An act similar to that of someone who is in his/her inebriated state, Amir foamed at his mouth and charged forward with the ball at his feet, only to be robbed by ZWFC's striker and for him to net another goal. An act which left his team mates cursing under their breaths and shouting incendiary remarks at him. A low cross from Haikal was met with a superb shot from Charles, making the scoreline 4-4. This was followed by out of the world celebrations from both players, with Haikal jumping at Charles and then both players making the " Rock Never Dies " hand signs with their tongues out. ZWFC then made it 6-4, scoring two goals in quick succesions.

A late rally from AFC was followed by a goal from Adam, his second of the game. A moment of magic from the boy wonder Shafie almost made it six all but his shot from the corner flag hit the upright. The final whistle was then blown, with both sets of players congratulating each other on what was definitely an entertaining game.

" Rock Never Dies " ?

At the post match press conference, Haikal was there to justify his actions for the " Rock Never Dies " celebrations that he shared with Charles after Charles scored what could definitely be a contender for Goal of the Week.

" It was the kind of moment where we were trailing by a goal and yeah, to just see the ball at the back of the net after a cross from myself was a relieving moment. The celebrations had nothing to do with the current reports in the papers, with Shafie claiming that I am a son of the devil. Total bull. We were just very happy with the way the goal came about you see. "

Haikal also revealed that a few words were said to him before the last attack of the game.

" Well Shafie came up to me and was like, " I'm gonna try something I've never tried before ". I was totally taken aback with what he said, I thought it was another one of his egoistic moments where he felt he was far better than Superman * laughs * but he really delivered that corner well. We would have mobbed him if that went in, especially at such a crucial time. I came up to him after the match and hailed him as the Brazillian Wonder Kid. * laughs * ".

AFC's Player of the Year last season, Shakur also had this to say.

" It's nice to see both teams giving their all, and to see us putting another improved display is definitely satisfying. Perhaps a sign of good things to come ".

AFC's captain, Shafie, summed up the mood at the club.

" We're very happy with how the club is progressing. From days when our league matches were filled with back to back defeats, and now look, we're improving. We played well in the last game, and today I felt we gave our best performance, especially in the first half where we never gave up. We switched off in the second half, and that was mainly due to us being complacent. We have to avoid complacency and be more focused on and off the pitch. "

When questioned about his performance today, this was what he had to say.

" Oh I felt I did great today. I'm getting more confident in the way I play and to hit the crossbar twice, well, lady luck was not with me for sure. "

Shafie was then presented with the Man of the Match award.

AFC: ( 4-4-2 )
Hafi/Amir; Merlvin, Kenny, Maxwell?, Shakur; 'Ammar, Amir/Hafee, Adam, Charles; Shafie ( c ), Haikal.

Kit: Red shirts, white shorts, and red socks.

Environment:Hot and windy.


- AFC.