On Strict Watch
Rod Sticks Them In
Grilled Birds were shut down in their exhibition game today by Papua New Guinea side Wallacean Birdwatching & Lepidopterology Society, who play in the fifth division of the Hattrick International leagues. The offshoot of the equally long-named Dutch outfit NGO for the Protection of Wild Origami Crane Birds crushed it in midfield, and the Birds had to battle hard just to get a couple of strikes in.
Mohammad Ramli Saliman was undeniably Grilled's anchor for the day, but the loudest cheers remained reserved for the 39 year-old
Tian Yonghang, who would start as an attacking midfielder. Sadly, his best days are now long past, from how his direct opposite number Mahutia Halatau - barely half his age, granted - ran rings about him, something that Tian's considered passing simply could not compensate for.
WBLS scored on the first try in the third minute, with Bradley van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie bagging it, in the aftermath of a chaotic corner kick. Thereafter, Grilled were set firmly on the back foot, but goalkeeper
Dan Seng prevented WBLS from flattening Grilled with a string of fine reflex stops. The pick of those was probably his flying save on Angus Bridges' cannonball in the 18th, one that many a top-class goalie would have been proud of.
The hosts were not only good at keeping possession, though, and they showed a nastier side to their game near the half-hour mark, with midfield enforcer Rodoljub Stamatelopoulos, and then van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie, getting booked for challenges that seemed stiffer than required. Their hard play did contribute to WBLS' improved advances, as Bridges' elbowing-out of
Jérémy Tarin en route to making it 2-0 went unnoticed.
Some of Grilled's players had had enough, and they would begin to retaliate in kind.
Remco van der Ban, a combustible character at the best of times, would target Stamatelopoulos quite blatantly, while even
Tian Yonghang got carded - if more due to poor tackling form than anything. Football-wise, WLBS continued as before, with Halatau parading his long-range shooting for a show-stopping third goal.
The spectators certainly could not compain about a lack of passion on show, with both sets of players putting far more of themselves into the match, than might have been expected of a friendly.
Mohammad Ramli Saliman took it upon himself to notch a reducer, but veteran fullback Luc Willoughby would put WLBS back up, after Halatau received the game's fifth yellow card for roughing
Tian Yonghang up.
It was time to shake it up for the second forty-five minutes, and the hosts withdrew van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie, who was flirting with a second yellow card, for Estonian replacement Keimo Anttila.
Dan Seng seemed a little disappointed to make way for
Krystian Rykowski, while
Chan Ze Han would take over from
Prokop Mottl, to line up alongside Tian.
This actually made for a very promising Grilled revival, with Chan providing some much-needed legs. They were even overturning WLBS at one point, and this cumulated in a second Birds goal in the 65th minute, following heavy pressing pressure. Ironically, it was the oft-outrun
Tian Yonghang who nicked it from Anttila, and
Iman Eshrafi chased the loose ball to finish past Bud Vince.
Vince moreover tweaked a muscle trying to reach that, and was replaced by Akis Christatos in goal. The short break allowed WLBS to compose themselves, and they would shortly resume where they left off in the first half. Rod Patchell had been a constant nuisance throughout, but as it turned out, he was far more than just a harrier; he would dribble through the Grilled defence with disconcerting ease straight from the restart, to put WLBS up 5-2.
That was also the end of Grilled's renaissance, as the lack of stamina from several of their key personnel would hit almost simultaneously.
Rashid bin Ahmad was clearly spent when he exited for
Chirag Thevar in the 75th, but unfortunately, that didn't do much for the backline.
Now bereft of any natural marshal in defence, the Birds would allow WBLS four more goals before the final whistle, as Patchell completed a deserved hat-trick.
