Tit For Tet
The Birds' Trophy of Legends campaign started off with a right whipping from last season's Macedonian Sapphire Challenger Cup kings FK Tetovo, who absolutely destroyed a befuddled Birds XI, in displaying the potential of a rock-solid defence.
Bhavya Panigrahi did swing a free-kick past former national youth goalie Thanush Dhimitri right after half-time, but this would be a mere footnote in a 9-1 marked by Gábor Sikesdi's hat-trick.
It had to get better after that, and it did, with Grilled redeeming themselves by scoring seven in each of their next two outings. Dutch VI.31 hopefuls AFC Burre were on the end of a shutout that had
Paulino Trindade take over for a stretch in the second half, as Miroslav Martiník missed an injury-time consolation header.
Enrique Baena, who had scored an own goal against FK Tetovo, would kick things off against another Dutch challenger in Molotoff - but the fifth divisioners would at least wrest two back, in a 7-2 show.
Belgian VI.908 champions beerschot !!! would be the Birds' final test, and the duo would play out a two-all draw, in what was possibly the most educational of the day's fixtures.
Chan Ze Han, tenacious as ever, would pot a wonderful off-leg attempt in the 67th minute to cancel Amatzia Ben Miriam's opener; Leon Zeeuws then appeared to have won it as he beat
Gilbert Webb from the right, four minutes from time, but up went supersub
Chia Kwang Tse to convert via an angled header.
There was somehow less joy for the Farmer Bunnies, who found themselves on the wrong end of three big shutouts, beginning with a frankly shameful 0-5 to Turkish Division Four strugglers TOGAN SK. That might have been considered a bit of a fluke, but after enjoying an undeserved walkover versus Portuguese V.175 team Red Sonics FC, it would be back to more of the same.
Portuguese sixth division winners Sporting Bárbara would see league top-scoring Argentine star Ubaldo Azzena hit twice in a 3-0 washout, as the Buns struggled to make any impression on their admittedly numerous counters. It didn't get better against Polish IV.25 representatives Thuja occidentalis, who had Finnish veteran Juha Honkanen play the Azzena role.
Vitaliy Efendiev, still struggling with a bandaged left wrist sustained in the friendly with NSF Lëtzebuerg, recognized that their attacks were simply not coming together. While he refused to pin it on Djoko Tambusai's recent departure, he would warn that it didn't look like getting better. "We have to find a new, working system soon - or next season may be bad."
Grilled International did not have the best of it either, and their two losses and a draw meant that the Birds actually managed the best record of the three clubs, despite their league collapse. There was certainly no lack of entertainment against Uruguay III.7 side C.A. Hacha y Tiza in the opener, with
Tommy Dongelmans and
Chua Jun Long firing International into a quick lead, Alex Franco heralding a comeback that had Hacha lead 4-2 in the 49th minute, a
reverse comeback by the Bruneians that had them back ahead by the 65th, and who else but Number Nine Franco tying it up at 5-5, with literally the last kick of the match.
It would then be a 3-5 loss to South African H.I. III.9 club Fat Luck Club, whose twin threats of Erik Robinson and Thiago Bosco doomed
Wang Hanxuan's early two-goal explosion. International would then exert themselves over Venezuelan third divisioners Real Casalta III that had
Tommy Dongelmans sign off with a classic chip, before Turkish IV.61 outfit FenayenerFB edged them 4-3, thanks to the inventiveness of Italian forward Mario De Pascalis.
