Kabouters Kapowed
Dimitris Lexdown
The Birds would play their first Hattrick Anniversary League team in the Netherlands' Kabouters verjaardag - who bear the long and storied legacy of their namesakes - today. Head coach Joost Ravesteijn has been restrained in his spending thus far, with his record spend being S$224,000 for seasoned Iranian goalkeeper Forouhar Gonabadi, who would make his debut. Coincidentally, it would be a first for Grilled's new custodian
Dimitris Germanakos too, and there was little doubt as to which of them enjoyed their new beginnings more.
To be fair, Grilled wouldn't bring out many of their big guns for this, with
Teo Chuan Yong their only established player to start, moreover as a sweeper.
Aw Keng Chuan would return to midfield after serving his suspension, with
Mohd Marzuki Khairul and
Hwang Teck Fu making up the rest of the Birds midfield three. Teo would directly face opposing skipper Harm-Jan Blankenstein in his defensive role, with Brazilian playmaker Marco Raposa perhaps the best amongst a not yet very ballyhooed lot.
Just over a thousand would turn out for this friendly, a generous showing under the circumstances, as what followed would surely not make it to many training recaps. The Birds played loosely, but they could well afford to, from how the hosts would have to start a man down due to the rest of their squad being on another exercise.
Prokop Mottl would nip inside Hugo van den Bos to open in the 18th minute, with Sten Bracké running himself into some space on the resulting kick-off, but not managing to do anything further with the ball.
It was São Tomé winger
Paulino Trindade - recently turned eighteen - to give perhaps the most promising accounting of himself yet, as he physically outmatched Bracké for much of the game. This would be expressed in two well-taken first-half goals, as he made good use of his freedom.
Radovan Jaška would add another from the right flank in between, courtesy of some hard work by
Chirag Thevar, as the Birds went four up by the 41st minute.
Unlike Gonabadi, Germanakos had next to nothing to do for the half, but he would soon be left berating himself for the loss of a potential clean sheet. Lex Kolmeijer seemed to have been covered by Thevar as Josh van Lingen made his move up the left, but it turned out that Grilled's rightback on the day had not quite recovered from an earlier hamstring tweak. Germanakos hadn't noticed, and Kolmeijer would score what might ironically be his last goal for the club, having just put in a transfer request days earlier.
There would be a yellow card for
Mohd Marzuki Khairul due to petulance before the half was out, and it restarted with
José Luiz Velho having replaced
Radovan Jaška. Fiery 19 year-old trainee Siem Boekhoudt, who had also been booked for a messy challenge that Teo barely evaded, would be presented with a great opportunity in the 51st minute. His takedown wasn't the best, however, and the rushed finish would be scooped well over the crossbar.
It would be Marzuki to gain satisfaction five minutes later, with Trindade being remarkably unselfish in passing up a fair shot for a hat-trick, to instead supply the assist. Gonabadi would improve with a couple of top-drawer saves against Teo and then Mottl, though the hosts' discipline would deteriorate as their endurance waned. Van Lingen would have to resort to shirt-tugging against an otherwise quiet
Toma Tamiya in the 69th minute, with Boekhoudt later sent off for intentional handball. Kabouters would hold their nerve, however, and there would be no further goals.
