Abdul Astounded
Not long after Stacey surprised Grilled's followers by being named last season's POTS, the award would pass to another dark horse, as returning academy graduate made good
Abdul bin Jantan picked up the gong. The decision was perhaps not that much of a shock this time, with registered supporters being able to vote, although the exact formula was not revealed.
Departing head coach
Han Lik-Tsun, acting as the emcee to great acclaim, congratulated the bemused Abdul, who has made twelve starts and scored once for the club. While Abdul has not exactly set the world on fire, Han praised his stabilizing influence and absolute commitment, as well as his extremely high base standard of play.
In a departure from previous end-of-season dinners, this edition was held on a Friday to take advantage of reduced rates, and Han added to the sense of change by commenting on the also-rans. "Mohd Safri came close, unfortunately he has not scored nearly enough goals. Tian also performed above expectations and earned the club's Golden Boot, but needs to be more consistent."
Han let slip that Grilled had seriously considered bringing another old boy back into the fold, as midfielder Abd Rahim bin Othman had been transfer-listed with a valuation of S$850000 by Lisbon club Bagaço Team. The Birds decided to conserve their funds after much hand-wringing, though, with Abd Rahim's salary a huge stumbling block, and he eventually left for Andorran Division Three side pingpongandorra.
The Young Player of the Season went to 18 year-old
Tang Hengcai, whose five competitive goals, including one in the exhilarating qualifier against Rapala FC, distinguished him from an especially competitive field of trainees. Former ArseVikings man
Li Boon Boon and Chicken Wings promotee
Krishnan Adabala were also singled out for mention.
It was perhaps inevitable that the dinner ended once again with the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement award, this time to
Han Lik-Tsun, and by no less than the first Grilled player to receive one, Quah Han Kok. Quah had flown in from Peru specially for this, and his embracing his old captain made for a particularly poignant moment.
