Feathers Fly
Subri Stars
Malaysian striker
Subri bin Ku Zainol stepped out from Rotteveel's shadow as he recorded a brace for Grilled to lead twice, though it wasn't enough to shake off Herron who always found a way back. That brought his tally to three in the last two matches, as Grilled slowly regain some of their early season zest.
There were many who foresaw another hiccup for the Birds, as Herron have been utterly convincing in dismissing FC RaZer Infernus 6-1 and Rapala NC 9-0 in their most recent home matches. United Warrior Team's managing of a draw brought Grilled some hope, and despite starting without van Liere, the hosts were soon up on their feet running with a second minute strike.
John MacKinnon, who has slotted into the Grilled central midfield so smoothly that it was easy to forget his arrival, showed that he had an eye for the killer pass too when he spied Subri in full flight passing ex-international Chen Haupai. Haupai stepped up a moment too late for offside to be called, and Subri stroked expertly under keeper-coach-captain Mohd Nadzir to stun the travelling fans.
That brought much-needed confidence to the Grilled ranks, and their pressure yielded a number of corners, which were unfortunately mostly claimed by the goalkeeper. One particularly telling specimen was hit to the near post by Sid, where it was headed well back to Han Kok by
Fabian Bona. Han Kok's forced effort skimmed off a defender and crashed into the other post with Mohd Nadzir watching.
Nie Yong-chul would again prove to be Grilled's stumbling block, as the midfielder managed to find the net once again for the second time this season. Herron's Anders Eriksson was on another level altogether when he swerved powerfully past incoming challenges from MacKinnon and Spirig, leaving Grilled short at the back. Yong-chul sped intelligently into space, and half-volleyed Eriksson's assist beyond Sulaiman's reach.
Back to square one, Subri worked his socks off to once again put Grilled in front. Grounded after missing a header, the Malaysian was first to react when Jie Siong sent the ball right back with a weak shot. He swung a leg to divert what would otherwise have been an easy take by the goalie, before more or less running it over the line even as defenders piled on him. Never shy to acknowledge effort, the Grilled support rang out with cheers for the "adopted local".
Grilled were to be undone by a simply fantastic goal by Herron fullback Niclas Ulfsson, as his left-footed attempt found its way through a pack of players and curled right inside the post. Sulaiman was furious at not managing to save that, but in reality he could be forgiven for going easier on himself, as the speed of the strike meant it was nigh-impossible to stop.
Sulaiman would save Grilled from defeat as the legendary Shu Chi-Fu threatened to punish a bad pass in midfield single-handedly. Taking the ball all by himself through the heart of the Grilled defence, Shu lifted the ball such that it appeared Grilled's Egyptian goalie would be lobbed, but Sulaiman somehow managed to get his fingertips to it with a combination of backtracking and leaping to preserve the result.
