Pluzhnikov Plunder
It isn't often that a youth team match gets the masses buzzing, but David Pluzhnikov's four goals in Latvia's FC Mariners 4-2 victory over the Rancher Rabbits, definitely had the visiting fans talking - and much of that was about whether he would be available anytime soon. The 17 year-old forward was literally unstoppable once he picked it up inside the penalty area, despite Rabbits captain Tan Keng Ah's best efforts, and goalkeeper Kassim Zainun was irrelevant against that level of finishing too.
The Rabbits were hardly without bright spots of their own, with both their wingers Bryan Reynolds and Xie Siong Heng capping good overall performances by scoring, but there was no debate that the day was Pluzhnikov's. "That guy was ridiculous." central midfielder Najib Azizi Khairul Aiman said. "You'd think the ball was glued to his feet, the way he moved sometimes."
Today would also be a farewell to the professional game for a number of academy graduates, whose temporary contracts, some already re-extensions, ran out across the board. These were: from Grilled Birds, Lim Da Kum, Yeo Rong Soon and Lau Shun Da; from Farmer Bunnies, Ang Choon Leng, Ang Aik Chin and Paritosh Bose; and from Grilled International, Abu Bakar bin Harmi, Irwan Ali bin Abdul Wahab and Mohd Aleshahfezan bin Hj Mumtazali.
