RMM 3 Mat Blues 5

RMMs prayers for a dry pitch during the Monsoon season was answered this week but unfortunately for the wily veterans, the Cochrane pitch wasn't any better dry either. With most of the pitch overgrown and the lines missing, RMMs slick passing game would be adversely affected as well.

However, it turned out that it wasn't the pitch that was RMMs biggest threat. That threat came internally from RMM's own keepers who chose this game to press the self destruct button... repeatedly.

That self destruction button was pressed as early as the 3rd minute when 1st choice keeper Shark miscued a back pass from Danny into the path of a loitering Mat Blues striker. The striker then easily rounded the beached Shark before scoring.

That set the tone for the match and as much as Guvnor tried to galvanize the troops, it was an uphill battle from that point.

It also didn't help that RMMs backline had a distinctively makeshift look with Speedy, Danny, Hardman Joe and Red Devil Meng strung across the back.

RMM were soon 2 - 0 down as the Mat Blues wingers repeatedly stretched the RMM backs over and over again.

At this stage, it looked like it was all over for RMM as the team offered no resistance at the back and no thrust upfront with Blindman Poon running up and down blind alleys again.

Then against the run of play, sub right back Zack provided a telling cross / shot that floated into the direction of the Mat Blues goal. From out of nowhere, Futsal Foo charged in and appeared to have caught the ball on the line before grounding it for a try behind the goal line and under the post. Futsal Foo it appears, has aspirations to be Rugby Foo as well.

RMM went into the break with only a goal down and were looking forward to a better second half.

The customary switch in goal was then made with 2nd choice keeper Speedy going in at goal and Shark switching to left back. So concerned was Speedy with Shark's lack of match fitness and his running technique in such difficult conditions that he was seen giving some last minute technical and agricultural advise to his team mate on how to handle such surfaces.

As it turned out, the advise clearly didn't work as Shark was skinned over and over again by the rampaging Mat Blues right winger.

During one of those skinning sessions, the Mat Blues winger easily beat Shark out wide before firing a shot towards the near post. It was then left to Speedy to press the self destruct button next as the self styled Master Of The Alternative Universe was nowhere to be seen as he had taken up position in the middle of the goal instead. 3-1 and the worst was yet to come.

That came minutes later when this time, the Mat Blues came attacking came down RMMs right which resulted in the other Mat Blues winger firing a speculative shot that rolled weakly towards the RMM goal. As the RMM players turned to face the opponents and waited for the goal kick, Speedy raised his hand and watched the ball trickle in via his near post. The self destruct button was pressed for the 3rd time.

That was Speedy's last act of the game as Guvnor decided to spare the shell shocked 2nd choice keeper who seemed to have retreated deep into his alternate universe. Having given technical and agricultural advise on how to run on the turf, it may be a good idea for Speedy to also study how the ball rolls on such surfaces as well.

In came 3rd choice keeper Futsal Foo. Given his impressive attempt at catching and grounding the ball for RMMs only goal so far, there was every reason for Guvnor to feel confident that RMMs goalkeeping nightmare for the afternoon was finally over. The fact that Futsal Foo had let in an almost identical goal to Speedy's last gaffe recently may have slipped from Guvnor's memory.

With the score now at 4-1 from 3 glaring goal keeping blunders, one would think that RMMs misfortune may finally be over. That was not to be as what may be the most controversial incident of the afternoon was next.

Before he had hardly warmed his gloves, Futsal Foo found himself under another Mat Blues attack and found himself staring at a shot directly onto his body through a crowded box. Unfortunately for RMMs 3rd choice keeper, he let the shot slip under his body. Under any other circumstances, he would have had an earful from his team mates but given the previous 4 goals, this seemed a minor offense to his teammates.

What was unique about this goal was the actual standing of the goal. Some RMMers swore that it was disallowed for offside whilst others argues that it stood. The final decision of this 'Phantom' goal was never clarified with the match officials.

It can however be safely reported that RMM did manage to pull 2 goals back from Guvnor who had his goal handed on a silver platter by Flash That and a rare header from RMMs superstar striker, Batigol who was back after a lean spell.

Was the final score 5-3 or 4-3? A sneak peek at the super secretive Maniam's League table may shed some light into that. The talking point though was not really the 'Phatom' goal but rather the way RMMs keepers self destructed.