Ampang Tumpangs
One-nil To The Grilled
Grilled had clearly almost thrown their league fixture against Ampang FC as they named teenagers Han Kok and Spirig together in central midfield. However, with a little help from the long-suffering Siu-Yue, they defied all odds to take home full points from Ampang Valley.
Mindful of Langeland being on two yellows, Grilled saw it prudent to reserve him for Wednesday. van Liere was also one yellow away from an automatic suspension, but his status as the prime mover of the club's attack now made it foolhardy to drop him. Siu-Yue saw it an imperative to rack up an early goal, and chased down a wide pass, returning it to Bona in the centre of the park.
Bona inched his way goalwards as Ampang's defenders sought out more potent threats to neutralise, and Bona saw a line through to goal open up, and pursued it. He let fly a thunderous ball from his right boot, but Dutch keeper Harold van der Zande had the near post well covered and palmed it over.
Quah was heartening as he followed orders in curbing his offensive game and trying some basic defending, and he stuck to Ampang's star Norwegian playmaker Johannes Andersen like a leech. Spirig tried the same with Palmfeldt, and got a stern telling-off for going in late on him. Palmfeldt pulled away in the 20th minute and collected a tight pass from Sérgio António Guerra, but he stuck it a metre wide of the post.
Hua Shen-Tai, formerly of Apostate, got the home fans in an uproar when he appeared to have edged past
Clair Harlow, and the goalie hooked the ball back out from under him. There was certainly contact with the striker, but the referee decided that Harlow got the ball first. Alain Beaujet was incensed and took it out on van Liere, getting a deserved booking.
No score at half-time, and Grilled were the happier team. Han Kok appeared fulfilled by the hatchet job he was doing quite successfully on Andersen, but went too far when he got his hands around the player and wrestled him down. Portuguese ego Guerra was left in despair when his grounder veered off goal and kissed the post, denying Ampang the lead.
The match's complexion totally changed when van Liere, finding the going hard against the impressive American man-monster Tommy Lee Burkett on his side, transferred the ball to Rottman on the opposite flank to see if he could find more success. Rottman astonishingly managed to press up some fifty metres before Martinsson took over.
Grilled's career leading scorer had little to do for most of the game, and all that pent up energy was put to good use as he swept past the last defenders and drove a solid shot out of reach to van der Zande's right. Shen-Tai had two more opportunities as Grilled saw the gift for what it was and retreated in full force, but the massed defenders prevented a shot both times.
