Junior Steps Up
Grilled Birds issued a permanent jersey number to a youth team graduate for the first time in eight seasons, with the versatile 17 year-old
Chong Tse Chu claiming the No. 39 shirt as a reserve.
Discounting the one-match honours granted to future national U-20 forward Fang Tong Rong and Fang's striking colleague Kazuto Hoshi, the Wings had not supplied the Birds for a very long time indeed. However, few would have guessed that Chong would be the one to break the mould, and head coach
Djan Bacelar warned that he should not be expecting S-League appearances anytime soon.
"Chong is a good, solid role player, who should get friendly games here and there." Bacelar said. "Some of our more senior squaddies are thinking of moving on, and we thought that it would be good to get some new guys in early."
Not that this mattered at all to Chong, who had been encouraged to trial with the Wings by his former schoolmate, and current national U-20 goalkeeper Rupesh Sharma. "It's simply a dream come true."