Outgoing Polish custodian Edmund Kryus was a picture of relief as he finalised his S$2.5 million exit to Sidabras, exactly the same amount as he arrived for. The 25 year-old had never been taken to by most Grilled supporters, which was not entirely his fault, though he did keep a respectable ten clean sheets in his 38 starts.

The pressure of keeping goal in Division Two with a thin defence took its toll eventually, and Kryus was at a low ebb by the time he hurt his knee against FC La Manga CCP, which effectively spelt the end of his Birds career. Kryus harboured no hard feelings, though.

"It was a great experience to have a couple of seasons at this level, though it didn't work out as I had hoped." he said, with admirable composure. "I've thoroughly enjoyed working with the players at Grilled, and hopefully they will climb to greater heights."

This does however leave a gaping hole in front of the net, and fans are unlikely to be satisfied with either Hovaness Noubaryan or Dan Seng as their long-term options. Head coach Niculae Stanca acknowledged that, but also warned that the search for a new first-choice keeper could take some time.

"Edmund did well in his time here, but to take the next step up, we need somebody really special. These fellows don't come on the market very often, and we can't afford to make mistakes."

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