43v3r 5 - 2 Grilled Birds
III.1, Here We Come!
Grilled Birds head coach
Tian Yonghang warned his players not to expect an easy time of it, a division down. "They should have experienced the proof for themselves through today's friendly, but it bears repeating - there are some top, top players and team in Division Three. While I do expect us to contest for the title, it's not a gimme."
As it is, the Birds will replace Sandy Footprints in III.1, the first time that they will participate in this particular league. More than that, they have not played any of the other members, with the exception of a single Singapore Cup game against just-promoted fc.tower, back when they were known as FeMaiden, over fifty long seasons ago.
Tian thought this good for a brand new restart. "Think of it as returning to roots, as it were. We have plenty of new blood to wean, and it's good for them to grow in a fresh environment. Avoids unnecessary comparisons with what had gone before."
It might be the last dance for some of Farmer Bunnies' oldies, as they fell 1-3 to Puerto Rican II.3 champions Flamenco Beach Kickers at home. They will enter the top flight in great shape, from how they toyed with the Buns' backline at times. To be fair, this was against a raw
Ong Li Jing, who could hardly be faulted for yielding two goals to seasoned Number Nine, Maurice Díaz.
Veteran Hungarian winger Lajos Bagin would drive another home from the left side four minutes before half-time, with Saudi forward
Ibrahim Zahran Al-Maashany finally clawing one back for Farmer Bunnies, immediately upon replacing
Vitaliy Efendiev in the 80th minute. It was telling that Ibrahim didn't look all that mobile despite having to last just over ten minutes, but nearly forty years of wear and tear can do that to the best.
Dalibor Kostadinović would all but confirm a rebuild in the post-match press conference. "Our Hall of Fame will gain many new members in the near future." the boss hinted. "It will be another new era."
