Though it would only become official with Tian Yonghang's heartbreaking miss in the last spot kick against singnet_utd, the painful reality was that Grilled's three-season stay in the S-League had outlived its welcome long before that.

With last season's exhilarating title challenge from nowhere still fresh in their minds, the Birds were naturally after a repeat, but horrendous defeats to Be Champions FC and United Warrior Team in their opening matches woke the fans up to the cruel fact - that Grilled had been running on fumes.

On hindsight, it was incredulous how supporters could have imagined that a forward line averaging some 33 years of age could fare well against far fitter defences, and with the team not having developed a backup plan by design, it would get very ugly whenever they were found out.

They switched their focus to the Cup quickly enough, and managed to get to the semifinals in search of a last hurrah, but were met and well beaten by a dominant Be Champions FC side that would go on to lift the double. Five straight losses in the league then followed, which sealed the Birds' fate.

The Bunnies had a better time of it in IV.13, with few of their semi-professional peers offering much resistance. However, WeGoAgain turned city fc turned Doverhamption got close home-and-away wins against them despite several changes in leadership, which was enough for them to take the title.

The youth academies provided some slight cheer in a season to forget, as the Chicken Wings won in their international league while unearthing the exciting Moey Xin Seng, and the Rancher Rabbits produced Ong Kok Long alongside boasting of a wealth of potential across the board. Whether this will carry over to the senior sides remains to be seen.