'Blitzkrieg'...

...in Kuala Terengganu.

Two quick goals by PBDKT T-Team (T-Team) early in their match against Perlis were enough to see off the challenge from the young Northern Lions side which prior to the match shared the unenviable record with the home side of being the only teams without a win this season.

It was a relegation six pointer despite being played so early in the season with both coaches knew it was vital for their team to win. T-Team Head Coach Yunus Alif had outlined his battle plan during an interview that his team could not afford to let the young Perlis players to settle in the match.

Thus he encouraged his team to press hard early on and three minutes into the match it paid off. Experienced forward, Indra Putra Mahyudin found himself with a bit of space inside the box and unleashed a low shot which Perlis goalkeeper, Hairol Fazreen did well to parry but Khairul Izwan Khalid was on hand to tuck in the loose ball.

The former Felda United player was playing tonight due to the sudden illness that befallen Haris Safwan Kamal, T-Team topscorer last season.

Then seven minutes later Indra also had his hand in T-Team's second goal. Again the forward was allowed too much space and his shot came off the post. Midfielder Badrul Hisani was smart enough to anticipate and managed to get ahead of Perlis defender Mohamad Fazly Baharum and diverted the loose ball into the empty net for his first goal of the season and also his first for his new team.

Then after a quarter of an hour gone Perlis were handed a lifeline when referee Mohamad Yusof Mat Karim adjudged T-Team defender Azizi Mat Rose to have handled the ball inside the box and awarded the away team a penalty.

However Mohamad Faiz Subri failed to hit the target with his effort.

The match seemed to peter out after that. T-Team midfielder Tengku Hasbullah Raja Hasan was presented with a one on one opportunity with the goalkeeper but was denied by the young custodian. A minute later Mohamad Norfarhan failed to connect with a corner after he was left unmarked at the far post.

Then as the match was reaching the hour mark, T-Team were awarded a free-kick. Skipper Rosdi Talib delivered the ball into the box where Khairul Izwan connected well to head home his side third goal.

The rest of the match saw T-Team tried hard to increase their goal tally but in the end had to settle for the 3-0 scoreline, which marked their first win of the season, a point where many of their fans were hoping they would kick-start their 2011 Super League campaign in earnest.

...

'Away' Win for Turtles...

...at SSiNS.

Terengganu registered their second away win of the season in the Malaysian Super League against Kuala Lumpur last night. However, due to the unavailability of the KLFA Stadium in Cheras, which was undergoing upgrading works the match was held at the Sultan Ismail Nasirudin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu.

Thus it was an away match at home for the Turtles.

During the early part of the match, it was Kuala Lumpur who looked more at home on the newly laid turf of the Sultan Ismail Nasirudin Shah. They had a free-kick landed on top of the Terengganu goal while loose marking by the 'away' side saw The City Boys being presented with a free header which they could not divert on target.

However, after a while Terengganu gradually began to find the rhythm and took the match to the 'home' side. In the 25th minute Abdul Manaf Mamat was fouled inside the penalty area and Ashaari Shamsuddin took the responsibility from 12 yards.

He hit the post with his effort but the rebound fell kindly to him and Ashaari duly turned the ball over the line. However the crowd's celebration was cut short when the referee disallowed the goal as the ball was yet to be touched by another player after Ashaari took the kick.

Terengganu continued to press and Abdul Hadi Yahya came close a couple of minute later but his shot was saved by KL goalkeeper, Norazlan Razali.

Then much to the surprise of many fans, Terengganu made their first substitution in the 36th minute when Head Coach, Irfan Bakti took out the out of sort Zharif Hasna and sent on Ismail Faruqi in his place.

With six minutes to go before the interval, Ashaari dribbled the ball from the left before passing it to Hadi who unleashed a shot beyond the diving Norazlan. It was Hadi's fourth goal in four consecutive match for The Turtles.

A minute later, there was a shout for penalty when Ashaari was brought down inside the box but the referee, Suhaizi Shukri waved play on. As the match drew to a close Terengganu continued to attack and from a free-kick, skipper Marzuki Yusof hit the wall with a stinging drive.

Then in added time Hadi cut inside from the left and squared the ball to Ashaari whose shot was saved for a corner. From the resulting corner Marzuki had a another go at a loose ball but his effort lacked power and direction.

The second half began on the same note with Terengganu controlling most of the match. Then in the 52nd minute an error by a KL defender saw Ashaari regaining possession and the forward darted into the penalty box.

Despite the attention from two KL defenders, Ashaari managed to swivel and unleashed a right foot shot which crept past Norazlan, who could have done better getting down to the ground. Terengganu were two goals to the good.

It should have been three five minutes later but after defender Ronny Harun managed to head down the ball into his path, fellow defender Helmi Remeli could only shoot into the side-netting.

After over an hour of play, KL were down to ten men when Ahmad Jihad Ismail was shown his second yellow card of the match for a foul on Joseph Kalang Tie. With a quarter of an hour to go Terengganu was forced to make another substitution when midfielder, Reeshafiq Alwi was hurt and was replaced by Safuan Adli Shaari.

Then with seven minutes to go a misunderstanding between goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee and defender Nik Zul Aziz Nawawi saw KL substitute, Yong Kuong Yong sneaking in between the two of them and headed the ball towards goal. Despite his desperate scramble Sharbinee just could not prevent the ball from rolling over the line.

It should have marked the signal of a comeback by KL but the match went flat after the goal as Terengganu held on to secure another three points and climbed to third in the Super League table, a position which should last for twenty four hours at least.

...

Reasonable Lead...

...to Lahore.

Malaysia will take a two goal lead to Lahore when meeting Pakistan in the second leg of the 2012 Olympic Qualifier First Round match. It could have been a bigger lead but a combination of failing to find the target and inspired goalkeeping by the visitors kept the score to just 2-0 by the end of the ninety plus minutes.

Head Coach Ong Kim Swee could not have wished for a better start from his boys when Wan Zaharul Nizam Wan Zakaria scored just after four minutes. The midfielder latched on to a loose ball from a corner and with his back to the goal Zaharul took an extra touch before unleashing a shot on the turn which flew past the entire Pakistan defence.

Photo by Fazdlie Ahmad 'Deto'

The crowd at the Shah Alam Stadium erupted with joy and many would have been expecting it a was a floodgate being open to more goals.

Unfortunately their expectations remained unfulfilled with quite a number of chances went a begging. However Malaysia were handed a break in the last few minutes of the first half when Pakistan were reduced to ten men when red mist descended on their striker Ansar Abbas.

The striker went up with Malaysia goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi to challenge for a high ball but it was the custodian that came out on top. However, Ansar pushed ball out of Khairul's hands, a foul which was spotted by Hong Kong referee, Liu Kwok Man. Perhaps not satisfied the decision Ansar kicked at Khairul which left Mr Liu with no choice but to flash the red card.

Perhaps they were shocked by the decision but The Pakistanis seemed to lose their concentration and Malaysia made the most of this situation. From an attack the ball was delivered into the box frpm the left. The Pakistan defence tried to clear the ball but it felt to Irfan Fazail who was lurking at the top of the box.

He connected sweetly with a first timer and the low shot went past the Pakistan defence and the unsighted goalkeeper Yousuff Ejaz Butt. It was not a night to remember for Yousuff when he was replaced by his coach, Tareq Lutfi with Muhammad Umer.

It proved to be a wise decision by Tareq as Umer turned out a blinder as he kept Malaysia at bay in the next forty five minute. Of course his job was made easier by Malaysian players who failed to find the target on a number of occassions.

But not conceding a goal during the match could prove to be more pivotal and if they could score an early goal in Lahore then the tie could be as over with Pakistan needing to score four goals in order to advance.

Not to sound cocky but it will be too much to ask from the Pakistanis. But then again, football could be so unpredictable thus Ong kim Swee's boys should not be complacent with the win.

COME ON TIGERS!

...

Persisting...

Gap.

Being away to Kedah and Perlis meant mad redo1 missed the FA Cup matches between T-Team and Kelantan. Then the planned extra trip to Penang to catch USM FC vs Terengganu at the USM Athletic Stadium had to be shelved due to lack of time.

While back home the National Badminton Circuits Finals were being held at the State Stadium in Kuala Terengganu from 18-21 February 2011. However with mad redo1 checking in at 2230hrs on Sunday meant he only had the final day itself to get some shots of the actions.

The main draw for the finals of course the Men's Single Final between World No.1 Dato' Lee Chong Wei against youngster Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif who defeated several seeded players to qualify for his first national final.

The Mixed Doubles match was underway when mad redo1 stepped into the arena. The title was being contested by Tan Boon Heong-Chin Eei Hui against Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying. The latter won the first set but Tan and Chin fought back to win the next two sets and clinched the title with a 13-21, 21-18, 21-16 score.

Then it was the Women's Singles Final between defending champions Tee Jing Yi and Sonia Cheah. The match also went to rubber set after Sonia tied the score after losing the first set. However Tee was in her element in the deciding set to clinch her second successive National title with a 21-14, 15-21, 21-14 result.

By this time the arena was packing up with badminton fans eager to catch their hero Chong Wei in action against the young upstart, Mohamad Arif.

However, when the match started, it was clear the gulf of class was that big between the World No.1 and the 22 year old shuttler from Negeri Sembilan. Trying hard as he might Arif was clearly not on parity in terms of ability and experience with Chong Wei who was playing for his ninth National title.

However, one could see there was grit and determination in the youngster's game and given more time and exposure he could fulfill his potential to become an international class player.

However, this time Arif bowed to Chong Wei who wrapped the match with the score of 21-16, 21-15 in 40 minutes. Still the crowd seemed to be generally satisfied and entertained with the match. 

The next two finals saw both the Women's Doubles and Men's Doubles took place. Despite not featuring top pairs in the country, the number of crowd that stayed on till the end were quite large.

The partnership of Ng Poau Leng-Woon Khe Wei clinched the Women's Double title with a straight set victory of 21-18, 21-10 over Chong Sook Chin-Goh Liu Ying. While the last title of the night was won by the pair Tan Boon Heong-Hoon Thien How who defeated Ong Soon Hock-Fairuzizuan Tazari 21-14, 10-21, 21-19.



...

Scraping...

...Through

mad redo1 had planned to attend this evening Terengganu FA Cup First Round match against Premier League USM FC at the university's athletic stadium. It was a repeat of the first round match last season in the same competition but a change of format saw the first two rounds being played over a single match.

Unfortunately, the day being a special day for someone, the plan was shelved as he spent the time munching away at the seafood served at the No.4 Stall at the Kuala Perlis Jetty.

Thus he did not know much about the match played at the same time, approximately three hours drive from where he was. From what he gathered it was a stroll for The Turtles in the first half but could not make the most of the chances that came their way.

Penang born, Mohamad Zharif Hasna who was in his second season with Terengganu opened the scoring after twenty minutes before striker Abdul Hadi Yahya scored for the third consecutive match just before the interval.

The second half saw the home side put up a more determined fight and managed to reduce the deficit after an hour of play. Perhaps influenced by last season's result when Terengganu won 4-1 here before winning 3-0 in Kuala Terengganu, The Turtles slowed down the tempo and this invited the home side to come at them.

Sharbinee Allawee was certainly the busier goalkeeper in the second half and made at least a couple of crucial saves to ensure the tie was in his team favour. In the end, the 2-1 scoreline was enough for Terengganu to proceed to the next round.

As for mad redo1 it was a topping to a good evening spent in the northern part of Malaysia.

If she is a keen football fan then it would have been a good evening for her, but she is not. But My Dearest Linda, I love you for what you are. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY and may God bless you always.



...

Penalty...

...Heartbreak.

It was a match eagerly awaited by football fans. The transfer wrangling between the two teams during the close season involving three players now playing for the home team was the source of the 'heat' surrounding the match.

For Kelantan fans it was an opportunity by their team to show that life goes on for them without the trio. And life is indeed very well for 'The Kijang' with their current position at the top of the pile in the Malaysian Super League (MSL) while PBDKT T-Team (T-Team) are languishing in the bottom rung of the MSL.

Thus the stage was set for an explosive encounter. However, at stake was a place in the second round of the Malaysian FA Cup and a result must be reached during this match after the format was changed from a two legged affair to just a single match knock-out match for the first two rounds of the competition.

Unfortunately mad redo1 was not around to witness the match first hand and to snap a few shots from it. He was away in Kedah fulfilling a promise made to his other half since the day he got hitched way back in mid-nineties.

Being away meant he missed witnessing Indra Putra Mahyudin's first competitive goal for his new team, cancelling the opener by Kelantan's Rizal Fahmi Rosid, eight minutes after the latter scored in the 53rd minute.

Then of course he missed witnessing national striker, Terengganu born Norshahrul Idlan Talaha missed from the spot that could have prevented the extra thirty minutes from being played to separate the two teams.

In the end the lottery of penalties went in favour of the visitors but for T-Team and their supporters could take heart from their battling performance in holding the current league leaders to a draw.

It was just lady luck that did not smile on them during the shootout.

Hopefully she will when T-Team take on the field again on Saturday against bottom team Perlis. With Indra scoring his first goal of the season hopefully there will be more to come from him and his team-mates to ensure a good season for T-Team after a very poor start to it with just a point to show after four matches.

But the battle for FA Cup is over, at least for this season.



...

Dual Defeats...

...for Ganuans.

The fourth round of matches in the 2011 Malaysian Super League (MSL) saw both teams from Terengganu suffered away defeats. Terengganu surrendered their unbeaten record at the Shah Alam Stadium where they went down fighting 3-2 against a Selangor side playing their first match without striker, Safee Salee who had joined Indonesian club Pelita Jaya.

While it was Terengganu first defeat of the season, PBDKT T-Team (T-Team)'s 1-0 defeat to Pahang at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan saw their losing run continued. It is now three defeats out of four, with just a point on board from the opening day goalless draw against Kedah in Alor Setar.

The defeat left Terengganu and T-Team at eighth and thirteenth place respectively in the MSL.

T-Team coach, Yunus Alif must be feeling the pressure after still winless going into their fourth match against Pahang. His assembly of star and vastly experienced players still could not conjure up the magic that many Ganu football fans are expecting after big names such Indra Putra Mahyudin, Norfarhan Mohamad, Zairo Anuar and a few others signed for them in the close season.

Many were expecting they would be able to register their first win with Pahang just a place above them prior to the match. But T-Team were a bit slow in getting their game on and just after three minutes they were already a goal down. Zaiza Zainal Abidin tapped in from close range after a free-kick from Azamudin Akil fell kindly for him.

Tried as they might T-Team just could not find a way to bulge the home side net with the closest coming from an effort by Indra whose attempt rocked the frame of the goal but went out of play. In the end, the defeat was more due to unfortunate circumstances rather than lack of effort by the players.

Terengganu meanwhile found themselves three goals down after just under an hour of play, the reverse of the situation when they were playing Perlis on Friday in Kangar. A wonderful half volley by Fazlli Shaari in the 17th minute broke the deadlock after a one-two with Hardi Jaafar had created the opening for the former KL PLUS FC player.


Then a minute into the second half Selangor were two goals in-front when Fazli turned provider this time, supplying the ball for his skipper Amri Yahyah to connect with a looping header thet left Terengganu goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee grasping air.

Photo by Jeroe

During last season Malaysia Cup campaign, Azidan Sarudin scored for his team Kuala Lumpur from a long distance free-kick against Terengganu in Kuala Terengganu to give his team a 1-0 win.The former Kuala Lumpur skipper repeated the feat against the Turtles but this time around from an open play situation. His long shot slipped past the unsighted Sharbinee who saw the ball too little too late.

Then Terengganu began their fightback when Hadi was fouled inside the box and Malaysian international, Ashaari Shamsudin dispatched the ball past Iqbal Suhaimi in the Selangor goal. Despite trying very hard The Turtles only managed to reduce the deficit just by one more goal when Hadi slipped in unnoticed at the far post to turn Ashaari low ball into the Red Giants goal with three minutes to go.

Even though they tried very hard Terengganu just could not find their way past Iqbal again and found themselves beaten for the first time this season.

...

Northern Lions...

...Slayed!

Terengganu registered their first win in the 2011 Super League campaign with a comfortable 3-1 victory over bottom team, Perlis at the Utama Stadium, Kangar last night. First half goals from Abdul Hadi Yahya and Ashari Shamsudin gave The Turtles the lead at the interval before Abdul Manaf Mamat converted a penalty in the second period, making it 3-0 for Irfan Bakti's men in white.

A wonderful strike by Mohamad Hafizuan Salehudin with around twenty minutes to go gave the home fans something to shout about, praying rather than expecting a fightback was on the cards for their young team. It turned out to be just a consolation for Perlis, which still looking for their first win of the season after three matches.

Terengganu made their intention clear from the start that they came to Kangar looking for their first win of the season and while the Perlis side had youth on their side it was their inexperience that the visitors intended to exploit.

Joseph Kalang and Hadi came close several times for Terengganu before they eventually broke the deadlock. Ironically it came after Perlis had their best chance of the match, rocking Sharbinee Allawee's bar from a free-kick.

In the 23rd minute a pass from Zharif Hasna found Joseph inside the box. The Sarawakian played the ball short to Manaf who turned it towards goal. It was going wide until Hadi popped up at the far post to open his goal account for the new season and also for his new team after his close season switch from PBDKT T-Team.

Before the Perlis players could regroup they found themselves two goals behind when Joseph played a long ball from inside his own half to Ashari. His deft touch took the ball past the goalkeeper and from an acute angle slotted the ball home despite some desperate defending by the home defence.

Towards the end of the first half Perlis began to find some rhythm and tested Sharbinee in quick succession but the Terengganu defence stood firm. Instead it was the visitors who looked likke adding to the tally before the break with Ashari seeing his free-kick which was going in at the top corner before the goalkeeper intervention.

Another free-kick saw a scramble inside the Perlis penalty area before it fell to Terengganu skipper Marzuki Yusof who hit it on the volley. The goalkeeper was completely beaten but it landed on the wrong side of the bar.

The second half saw the same story continued with Terengganu maintaining control of the proceedings. However it was Perlis who were the early aggressor when the match resumed. unfortunately they could not find a way past the Terenganu defence.

The Turtles were three goals to the good when during a quick counter-attack by Terengganu saw Ashari being fouled inside the penalty area. Manaf who was making his first start for the season took the responsibility from the spot and duly converted the chance for his first goal of the season.

However Perlis continued to fight, which was a piece of good news to their coach, Mustaqim Omar. Then in the 68th minute they got their reward when a flowing move saw the ball reached Hafizuan who unleashed a shot from outside the box. It went in at the top corner with Sharbinee completely beaten.

It should be nominated for 'Goal of the Season' award.

Perlis tried to press for more goals but they were caught several times when Terengganu managed to launch quick counter-attacks. During one such move Ashari and the goalkeeper collided. During the confusion Hafizuan threw the ball at the referee, and having received a yellow card during the penalty incident earlier, the second one meant he had to go off.

With ten men there was no way back for Perlis and Terengganu coasted for their first win of the season. the win propelled Terengganu to second spot of the Malaysian Super League table, for twenty four hours at least before the rest take the field on Saturday.

...

Two Goals...

...to the Good.

Malaysia won 2-0 against Hong Kong in an international friendly match at the Shah Alam Stadium last night. There was no scene of celebration in Kuala Terengganu tonight as there was nothing much at stake.

At first mad redo1 rode his Mortimer to T-Cafe, the scene where celebrations were loud and boisterous after the final whistle of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup was blown and Malaysia were crowned champions. Unfortunately, it did not show the telecast on its big screen this time (how unpatriotic).

It was not Indonesia, of course. But the first outing for the Malayan Tigers after the successful campaign in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup was equally important as fans would want to see the continuation of the good work that have been done during the tournament.

With none of his GSN mates around he decided to ride around and after riding around for a few minutes he went to the Shahbandar. Much to his surprise the match was telecast on the big screen there. Thus he parked his Mortimer and sat his bums and set himself to see the Malayan Tigers in action again.

There were a few changes in the starting line-up with Aidil Zakuan returning to the centre of defence, partnering Fadzli Shas. In midfield Gurusamy started the match in the position occupied by Amar Rohidan during the Suzuki Cup. While Safee Salee had Ahmad Fakri Saraani as his partner instead of Norshahrul Idlan Talaha who began the match on the bench.

The match was largely played in the middle but it was Malaysia who first had their sight on goal with Safee's half volley stinging the Hong Kong goalkeeper into action. With the action being largely played in the middle there were not many chances.

(Image was taken from Sukan Mania page)

As the match was edging towards the interval Malaysia's persistent play paid off when skipper Safiq Rahim chased a seemingly lost cause bear unexpected fruit. A Hong Kong defender tried to shield the ball from Safiq but he miscalculated his attempt and fell to the ground.

In the process his feet kept the ball in play which Safiq gleefully took and after beating another defender unleashed a low shot which beat the goalkeeper at the near post. Rajagobal's men went to the dressing room with a single goal lead.

The match became livelier in the second half as the visitors tried to take something out of the match. Goalkeepers Khairul Fahmi and his substitute, Farizal Marlias both had to made several routine saves but overall the Malaysian defence dealt with everything Hong Kong threw at them.

Kunanlan and substitute Mahathevan both had opportunities to give their country a healthier lead but failed to hit the target with their attempts. Then as the match seemed to end with just a goal, Amirulhadi Zainal received a wonderful long pass from Sabree Abu inside the box.

The Selangor winger's first touch was a bit heavy and took the ball wide from the goal. At first it seemed the goalscoring opportunity was lost but Hadi kept his cool and swung his right foot. The ball hit the retreating goalkeeper, wrong-footing the covering defender before trickling into the net.

It was 2-0 and in the end it was all that matters for all Malaysians.

For mad redo1 the way the Malaysian team played it was a sign of maturity with every player seemed comfortable on the ball and when passing it around. Everybody seemed to be on the same wavelength most of the time.

However, it was just a friendly and the real deal will come when they face better quality oppositions in a more competitive environment. But until that day, it was certainly a win to enjoy before life returns to Super League action this Friday with Terengganu travelling to Kangar to face the Northern Lions while T-Team 'entertain' the Young Tigers.

Current standings of the Super League after two round of matches.
(click for a larger view)

...

Passing...

...of a Friend.

The Birch a.k.a. mad redo1 spent the morning of Friday, February 4 with two of his ex-Semesdians friends, Achey and Mat Ming. At first, the intention was to have 'Ketupat Sotong' (Squid stuffed with glutton rice served in coconut milk plus a few other items) for breakfast, a craving of the former who had the dish the last time he was back in Kuala Terengganu.

Unfortunately, it was not the season of the squids and the scarcity of the calamari perhaps influenced by the monsoon which is yet to cease. So we settled for another local dish, the famous 'Nasi Dagang' (another glutton rice base dish) which much to our amazement came with fried chicken and hard boiled egg.

To the uninitiated, nasi dagang are usually served with 'Ikan Aya' (Tongkol for non-Ganuan, Tuna for English speakers) and pickles. Mat Ming who joined us a bit later helped himself to a plate of 'Nasi Minyak'.

After all the dishes were safely tucked inside our stomach and paid for, we went our seperate ways. Then just as I was getting ready for Friday Prayer the phone rang with the familiar tone of a message was received.

After all the laughter this morning, it was a shock to read the message which came from another ex-Semesdian friend, Ku Jimmy. A friend of ours, Ridzuan Safuan or more affectionally known as Doer has passed away in the morning.

'Arwah' suffered from brain cancer and had undergone surgical oncology a few months back. It was the second time he had gone through the procedure but this time time around it resulted in him losing his eyesight.

mad redo1 and a few other friends paid him a visit while he was still in the Intensive Care Unit at the USM Hospital in Kubang Kerian. That was the first time I saw him since our last meeting, way back in 1991 during a reunion of ex-Semesdians at the Motel Desa.

He looked frail and weak (who wouldn't be after having your head cut open?) but responded to the sound of our voice. It was a sad moment but at the same time gave us a bit of a lift with his reaction. It was a fifty-fifty situation but subsequent news from his family were positive despite him did not regain his eye-sight.

Thus the news of him passing away on Friday came a bit as a surprise. Unfortunately, prior commitments prevented me from attending his funeral, so were a few other friends.

Admittedly, he was not one of my closest friends and the amount of conversation we had during our five years stay at SMSD were minimal to say the least. Perhaps it was more due to the fact we were placed at the opposite ends of our hostel, I was in the A Block while he was in the D Block.

But as we grew into adults the difference during our adolescence years just went away and despite not keeping in touch for a number of years, the news of Doer suffering from cancer and his subsequent demise tugged at my heart and it felt like I am losing a friend.

So Doer, may you rest in peace.

Al-Fatihah.


...

Back...

...on the Pitch!

"Baby it's good to be back
So good to be back
Baby it's good to be back,
in your arms again"

Those are the words sung by Natalie Cole in her song: "Good To Be Back".Of course for mad redo1 it is certainly good to be back, but in his case it is good to be back on the pitch playing the sports he loves most: football.

In conjunction with the long Chinese New Year holiday when many GanuSoccer.Net forum members made their way home from all over Malaysia, a get-together event was organized to give GSN members an opportunity to meet and catch up with the latest happenings.

The event was held at the 'C' Pitch of the Gong Badak Sports Complex. A few members brought some food to give it a pot-luck feel. At first, mad redo1 planned to bring fried bee-hoon, unfortunately lack of time saw him bringing poppiah instead.

Members were divided into two teams, aptly named GSN A and GSN B. mad redo1 was included in the latter and took the field for the whole of the match. It watch not for the faint-hearted as in the end the score stood at 7-7, giving it a bit of a futsal feel.

Conceding seven goals was not a good way to mark your return to the field but mad redo1 could console himself knowing that he played behind a generous defence which liked to go forward a lot. He even managed to save a penalty but could not prevent the rebound from being slotted past him by an opponent.

(Thank you Hamzi Fahmi for the photo)

It was a good outing and perhaps could lead to a few more 11-a-side matches involving GSN playing against other teams around town. mad redo1 certainly hopes so. But in order for him to give his best (for a 40 year old goalkeeper) some trainings are required.

So, to more football this year!


...

Improvements...

...Required!

For us Ganu football fans, having two football teams competing in the same competition is akin to a parent having two off-springs vying for their support in a quest for success. You are proud with both of them but when asked which one do you love more, no parents would ever pick one over another.

It is the same when both of them failed in their missions, the hurt is still felt as you wish them to be successful in everything they do.

Thus when Terengganu and T-Team failed to win their opening two matches in the 2011 Super League campaign, mad redo1 could feel the hurt inside his heart. However, he would like to look at the positive side of things.

Terengganu were held by Sabah to a goal-less draw in Kuala Terengganu on the opening day of the season while T-Team held Kedah to the same scoreline at the Darul Aman Stadium, Alor Setar.

For the next match against Kelantan, Terengganu were very much the underdog as the home side opened their account with a win over Selangor at Shah Alam to collect all three points and at the same time laid their hands on the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah trophy for the first time.

mad redo1 thought of going to the match but shelved the idea due to unforeseen circumstance.

Everything went according to the script (at least for the Kelantanese) when they scored through their skipper Badri Radzi who opened the scoring midway through the first half. However, they failed to build on that and could not find their way past Sharbinee Allawee again.

Then in the 68th minute the Sultan Mohamad IV Stadium fell silent when Terengganu captain Marzuki Yusof headed home past Khairul Fahmi from a Joseph Kalang cross to level the score. Of course a handful of Terengganu fans who made their way up to Kota Bahru could only celebrate in their heart as loud celebration would only detriment their safety.

In the end both teams deserved the point gained from the match.

T-Team on the other hand could not build their momentum from the draw in Alor Setar as they suffered to a 3-1 defeat at 'home' to Negeri Sembilan. 'Home' for T-Team for this match is Negeri Sembilan's Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi as the Sultan Ismail Nasirudin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu was still undergoing upgrading works.

Veteran Idris Karim scored a double with Firdaus Azizul notching the other as Negeri Sembilan recorded their second win, maintaining their 100% record in the process. T-Team skipper Rosdi Talib scored his side only goal of the match, the equaliser just before the interval.

The win left Terengganu and T-Team in ninth and thirteenth position respectively of the fourteen teams Super League. However it is still early days and fans will be hoping both teams will improve as the season goes on.


...