League

Rayleigh Park
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Shafiq Hsi started the match with the kick off. In the 5th minute the ball was on its way in behind Rayleigh's goalkeeper Bryan Hian, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. 7 minutes into the match, Rudy Tan notched a goal, 1-0, to the right of Steeple Claydon's Darryl Lee. Darryl Lee was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. Mark Yips short, quick shot in the 10thth minute got Darryl Lee to make great effort and bar the ball away from getting in. After a rather tough play, Steeple Claydon's Ang Hian got a free kick in the 13th minute. Bryan Hian showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Afiz Ching in the 16th minute of the match. 23 minutes into the match, Rayleigh's goal looked a bit too open when Shafiq Hsi came free, but Bryan Hian reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Afiz Ching struck a weak shot in the 25th minute. Bryan Hian didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Steeple Claydon. If Afiz Ching had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 27th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Darryl Lee showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Rudy Tan in the 31st minute of the match. Lee Kang kicked well hit freekick during the 33rd minute of the match. Rayleigh were awarded a corner in the 36th minute after Steeple Claydon's defender lost control of the ball, allowing it to roll out over the line. Noh Dhanabalan took the corner. Mark Yip could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 41st minute of the match, but Darryl Lee made a huge save. In the 43rd minute Hamir Yip shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Darryl Lee saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Ang Hian was astounded when the referee showed him the red card after a seemingly innocent challenge, 45 minutes into the match. 45 minutes into the game, one of Steeple Claydon:s players got tackled near the goal, and the referee blew for a penalty. In the 48th minute there was a penalty for Rayleigh. Noh Dhanabalan stepped forward and shot the ball to the right of a diving Darryl Lee. 2-0. All the noise was coming from the home fans when the whistle went for half-time. The home team had fought hardest to put themselves in a deserved lead.

The hometeam waved at the audience when it was time for Rudy Tan to strike the kick off in the second half. After 52 played minutes Steeple Claydon got a freekick which was hit by Amirul Tan. 53 minutes into the match, Steeple Claydon's goal looked a bit too open when Mark Yip came free, but Darryl Lee reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. A sloppy throw-in by Bineesh Low in the 55th minute of the game went astray and was snapped up by Steeple Claydon's Amirul Pillai. Afiz Ching could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 57th minute of the match, but Bryan Hian made a huge save. When the match had gone on for 58 minutes, Zafran Hongyi put it in 3-0 from a short distance just to the right of Darryl Lee. In the 61st minute, Zafran Hongyi made a precise shot to the right of Darryl Lee. Steeple Claydon's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 4-0. After a rather tough play, Steeple Claydon's Joel Butcher got a free kick in the 64th minute. 65 minutes into the match, Rudy Tan had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Darryl Lee. Steeple Claydon's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Rudy Tan was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 5-0. Bryan Hian made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Amirul Tan in the 77th minute of play. Bryan Hian was in the perfect position, and the defense had done a good job marking him, but Afiz Ching showcased his skills and made a perfect shot to score 5-1 in the 78 minute of play. Darryl Lee took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Rudy Tan, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. 84 minutes into the game, Hamir Yip was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Rayleigh's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Steeple Claydon the free kick. A collision led to Rayleigh getting a freekick after 87 minutes play. Noh Dhanabalan hit a great ball. Bryan Hian made an important save on a dangerous shot by Afiz Ching in the 88th minute. If Amirul Tan had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 89th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. 92 minutes into the game, Steeple Claydon's Afiz Ching nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Bryan Hian made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 5-2.