Black Wood Down
Promotees Mauled
Grilled Birds gave heimu XI a hiding in the first ever meeting between the sides, settling the game with a three goal spree before half-time. heimu XI threw everything into midfield in an effort to orchestrate the rhythm of the game, and once that didn't work out they were easy prey for Grilled's hungry strikers.
heimu had been wonderful at their Blackwood Field, shocking both Herron and Titus Titanium IV in high-scoring affairs. They were far less powerful on their travels, scoring just one and conceding six to lcfc and HaTT. Grilled had meanwhile only played one game at home, but that was a clear 3-0 win over HaTT.
van Liere was banished to the stands after Spirig and Borup had been for more diligent in their training, and it was the Swiss midfielder who took van Liere's spot on the wing. He repaid his coach's faith with a sweet nutmeg in the 18th minute which opened up the whole flank, and delivered a dipping cross to Martinsson's head for a well-worked goal.
A minute later, Martinsson tried a short corner that Rottman unselfishly touched on to the far post for Paullin to finish, but the quick midfielder somehow conspired to stab it onto the post from two metres out. Wai-Kin was far less wasteful with his inferior opportunity later on, and used his upper body strength well to hold off Lee Beng Liang before he swept in the second.
heimu's defensive tactics were clearly ineffective, and discontent manifested itself in the form of bad-tempered challenges. A few dirty nudges went unseen, but Shamsul Akmar's ill-spirited gesture in the 40th minute was clear as day. It got him a yellow card.
The free-kick was in a good position, and Martinsson elected to bend a floater to the side of the six-yard box. Jeppsson went for the high ball, but could not get through the sea of players already in position and was thus beaten by a solid header from Sid. Ulf Ragnlind followed Shamsul into the referee's book for blatant shirt-pulling, and heimu XI's players must have felt rather down as the half-time whistle went.
The second half saw far better defensive discipline from the visitors, and they headed off most of Grilled's attacks before they had the chance to blossom. Bona did well with an unpreventable effort from some way outside the penalty area, which had Jeppsson flinging himself across goal to make a wonderful save.
Grilled's drive petered out as hard-running Paullin wilted in the tropical sun, and soon he was reduced to jogging around in defensive midfield on clean-up duty. heimu XI were beginning to pull themselves back in the game when Wai-Kin ended all hopes of an improbable comeback with a tap-in for the fourth goal.
