Eleven Over 22
Marzuki Weaves Spells
The Twenty2 FC project in Serangoon had lasted some seven seasons before the professional component of the club had been dissolved some two months ago, and it would be the neighbourhood remnants who would turn out to face the Birds at Buangkok Square today. It would again be veterans such as Moey and Bilal to get the numbers up, but the Ruby Challenger Cup match would also see the emergence of one of Grilled's top-rated trainees:
Mohd Marzuki Khairul.
This was a fixture made for mention even before it began, with this being
Chan Ze Han's century start in cup competition, while also being
Toma Tamiya's first - at right wing. It would also be the club's 900th competitive win if things went their way, which few must have doubted. The bookies weren't taking bets on Moey and company against a bunch of everymen gainfully employed elsewhere, even if they were being led by the combustible Azam Fakhry, who has made quite the name for himself in these parts, for his uncompromising attitude even in pick-up games.
Lining up alongside
Hwang Teck Fu and
Lim An Keng in central midfield, Marzuki would demonstrate the same eagerness for positive play that he had brought with him from the youth ranks - and with Chan and Moey his receivers up top, there was always fair odds of something coming off. The Birds' first clear chance would be Marzuki being left to his own devices in the 12th minute, though, and he reacted promptly enough to Lim's through pass down the right side of the box. Not quite fast enough, unfortunately, to beat goalkeeper Muneer khairul Hadi to it.
Twenty2 had the numbers and workrate on defence, other departments of their game aside, and Grilled would have to concede that they were best served going wide to plot out their attacks. This had them gravitate towards
Enrique Baena on the left, consciously or not, as the Spanish firewire proved himself to be ever up for a scrap on the wing. Opposite number Mohd Osman Rasydan would hardly have a minute's rest, and Baena's persistence would see him come up with the game's first assist, off a short cross to
Moey Xin Seng in the 38th.
The hosts would start to fall apart, as so often happens after the first goal, with Tabari Asyraf Ahmad Fikri soon booked for his rough play against Toma on the other flank. The ball would be recycled across to Baena soon enough - who again went the most direct route to Moey - but the Grilled captain would turn provider himself instead. With Clay Won intent on not allowing him space to turn, Moey would ping it sideways for
Teo Chuan Yong to take a shot, and he ended up going around Lim Eng Kwang, who had gone to ground far too eagerly, for a simple finish.
That made two, and three was always coming before half-time, the way the Birds were absolutely ripping into Twenty2's backline now. Baena seemed to think that he deserved one himself - as well he should - and had his signal for a return pass reciprocated by Moey, only to be wasted. That left
Bilal Mohammad Harun to do the necessary by thumping a free-kick through a less-than-convincing defensive wall, and the half would end with Moey also getting carded, after a messy attempt to dispossess Ngian Jing Jia.
Chia Kwang Tse would play the second half in place of Lim, which didn't change the complexion of the match much if at all, as the Birds carried on where they had left off. The Twenty2 fellows might have been willing to fight for their pride, but their lack of proper coaching would be painfully evident. A few probing passes were enough to have
Teo Chuan Yong free to measure up a shot on the border of the penalty area in the 47th minute, and only Won's presence on the goalline kept it from being the fourth goal then.
Not that they would escape it much longer, as
Mohd Marzuki Khairul would break his scoring duck for Grilled, in his third appearance for the senior team. His taste for cultivating the development of moves had been pretty good all around, and he would find himself temporarily in the position of centre forward, as the Birds' offence rotated clockwise entering the 50th minute. Teo was too good not to spot the opportunity, and after Marzuki managed to bring the ambitious through pass under control with a cool first touch, it was always his to miss.
That had
Hwang Teck Fu get into the spirit too with a somewhat less-composed hit into the side-netting eight minutes later, but this four-goal margin would seem sufficient for head coach
Tian Yonghang. Both Moey and Chan would be taken off for
Prokop Mottl and
Chad Thach for the final half-hour, with Bilal inheriting the captaincy, as Tian made to save them for more important occasions. Given that the substitutes went into a holding stance almost immediately, it was perhaps not surprising that this was how it ended.
