For all of the Birds' confident posturing, it was JUtd who stood up, and they completely blew away all comers en route to an incredible 40 point-season. In the process, they destroyed Grilled 12-2 on aggregate, and exposed how fatal their defensive shortcomings were in the face of a finely-tuned machine.

In the face of such potency, Grilled's second-place finish was little more than a faint consolation, coming off another mid-round Cup exit at the hands of the reborn Saraca Swashbucklers. Former youth favourite Zhao Jing Wei made a seamless transition from Arrogance, and Tian Yonghang carried his Golden Boot-winning form over from the previous season, but neither of this was enough to overcome a dodgy and possibly declining backline.

There was at least entertainment aplenty for the fans, and top of the list must be the exhilarating 3-1 league win over SKF F.C., in which three goals were recorded in the very last minute of normal time. This occasion alone has led to supporters beginning to stay in their seats until the end, in the hopes of not missing another incredible reversal.

With JUtd running away with the championship being apparent by mid-season, fan attention shifted to the Chicken Wings youth side, where wonderkid Fang Tong Rong continued banging them in from all positions, and soon eclipsed Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim's scoring record. High hopes too were held for emerging teenage talents such as Au Chi Wan, Low Liang Jun, Zahin Abdul Ghaffar Farhan and Kazuto Hoshi, among others, as they demonstrated considerable understanding in midfield whilst capturing the National Youth League trophy.

The fragility of Grilled's reckless attack-at-all-costs philosophy seems to have finally taken its toll on the management, as Stanca hinted at a medium-term shift, to a safer approach. The first casualty of this realignment was lu Zunwen, who was flogged off to Arcturules, following discontented winger Shiya Shaahee volunteering himself for the transfer list. With Liang Liyong also made available, it looks likely that there will be fresh blood for the Birds in store.