Most of Grilled's supporters must have imagined that, despite Grilled's inadequacy in the S-League, they would be big fishes in the next division. They were wrong.

The illusion held for the first match as Grilled disposed of Tinombala FC 2-0, but that was followed by deserved defeats to Thorocozzieq FC, Pudgy Penguins and Shining Lights. To be fair to Grilled, there was one reigning Singapore Cup winner and one to-be winner in this group of teams.

Grilled fared badly in the Cup too, despite sacrificing Subri to a long-term injury in the second round. FC TerriFic of Division Five spanked Grilled 7-0 in just the fourth round, which condemned a reeling Birds team to their heaviest Cup defeat of all time.

The Birds did recover somewhat in the second half of fixtures, though they came nowhere close to challenging for honours. Big wins against BonGGie FC and Shining Lights, both hit by administrative issues, patched Grilled's fading reputation somewhat, and a late win against to-be champs Pudgy Penguins restored more pride.

That was not enough for Grilled to finish in the top half, and Grilled fans did indeed get the qualification match they so desired - but one to avoid dropping into the third division, not one to return to the S-League. Cyco C.F. were dismissed 3-1, thankfully.

To add to the overall sense of decline, the reserve team lost ten of their eleven friendlies, and almost all of them by ridiculous margins, with the only win coming in the season-closing Singapore vs. Vietnam challenge that had some first-teamers as reinforcements. The Chicken Wings youth academy saved some face by winning their junior league, something that may not happen for some time for the senior side.