RMM 6 Sunday Cowboys 2

With the Maniam League still in it’s Monsoon break, RMM were again involved in a friendly game to maintain match fitness. As with the previous week’s game, the weather was ironically good and the pitch at the Kelab Sultan Sulaiman in good condition with the exception of a few barren patched in the center circle.

Early signs for RMM were good as a squad of 16 were confirmed fit for the game. A look across the pitch also revealed that although RMMs opponent for the week, Sunday Cowboys had the dreaded token African player in their ranks, most of their squad members were also in RMMs age group!

As it was RMMs policy to give all squad members a fair run in the game, Guvnor had a bit of a headache in team selection. However, given the turnouts of the last few weeks, this was a good problem to have for Guvnor.

With a big squad to select, Guvnor could afford to be a bit creative with his selection.

Guvnor himself started on goal to give birthday boy and regular 1st half keeper Shark’s birthday a break. In front of him, the backline comprised of Singapore Danny and Aeroplane King in the middle, Speedy on the left and Red Devil Meng on the right.

The engine room welcomed back Hardman Joe to support Iceman’s guile with Flash That and Futsal Foo providing speed on the flanks.

Birthday boy and former hotshot hitman Shark started in his preferred position upfront partnering RMMs current hotshot hitman Superstar Batigol to form a past / present strikeforce.

With arguably RMMs best keeper in goal, the backline looked reassured and with Hardman Joe winning the battles in the middle of the park, giving Iceman the opportunity to break forward, it was a matter of time before RMM took the lead.

In one of his lung busting runs forward, Hardman Joe unleashed a equally hard shot that could only be parried by the Sunday Cowboys (SC) keeper into the path of the prowling Superstar Batigol. The deadly hitman needed no second invitation and promptly smacked the rebound in with his left foot.

The RMM superstar’s second goal not long afterwards when Futsal Foo’s slide rule pass played the lumbering forward into a one on one position with the SC keeper. With supreme confidence, Superstar Batigol passed the ball in with his right foot off the post for a 2 – 0 RMM lead.

RMM were looking dangerous going forward at this point with Speedy and Red Devil Meng joining in with frequent forays down the flanks as well.

Shark - RMMs other striker - however, looked short (no pun intended) of match fitness and struggled with the pace of the game, regularly being too slow in chasing down passes and spraying wayward passes. On one occasion, the towering part time striker missed a gilt edged opportunity to grab his opening goal when his diving header from another dangerous Futsal Foo low cross only managed to stop the ball dead on the spot.

The once prolific Shark finally broke his duck for the game when he ghosted in to glance home a header from yet another cross off the on form full flowing Futsal Foo.

Regular followers of RMM could be forgiven for having a sense of dejavu as RMM finished the half with a 3 – 0 lead.

Guvnor then decided to tempt fate when he decided to once again start the positionally challenged Speedy in goal with non tackling Partyman Eddie in front of him to provide the cover. Guvnor himself moved back to his favoured position in the middle of the park.

It was then the turn of RMMers to have a sense of dejavu when SC pulled a goal back not long after the restart. A harmless looking cross from SC was dealt with in typical comical RMM manner. The result was the ball falling into the feet of a thankful SC striker who needed no second invitation to put the ball away.

3-1 and many feared it was going to be Groundhog Day all over again.

It was then left to birthday boy Shark to change the script. Now partnering his most successful partner in crime, Mat Burit, he was played thru brilliantly by a Mat Burit through pass for a one on one opportunity. The giant strikers first touch was just a tad heavy and it gave opportunities for a retreating SC defender and the on-rushing SC keeper to clear the ball. What happened next was somewhat controversial as all 3 players collided and the ball ended up trickling into the net.

Although Shark had initially not claimed the goal as he felt he made no further contact after his initial first touch, the Dodgy Goal Committee (DGC) awarded the goal to the grateful striker. The DGS argues that Shark could have made further contact with the ball but had not felt it due to the collision or that his first touch had in fact carried the ball all the way into the net with no one making any contact with the ball during the collision. The truth was that he was probably awarded the goal by the virtue of it being his birthday….

The goal made it 4-1 and RMMers were collectively relived not to have to repeat last week’s scenario all over again.

That sense of relief was temporary shelved when SC managed to score a second goal to make it 4-2. The SC winger floated what looked like a harmless cross towards the direction of the RMM goal and the ball somehow ended up in the back of RMMs net. With a positionally challenged keeper in goal, this came as no surprise to die hard RMM followers.

RMM then had a great chance to restore a 3 goal lead when great interplay between Futsal Foo and Shark on the right resulted in Mat Burit having a great opportunity to bury the ball from 6 yards at the far post. Mat Burit however blasted it high and wide for another miss of the season contender.

Whilst his general play was good, Mat Burit’s confidence in front of goal was in shambles. The next time he found himself in an one on one situation, the chrome domed hitman decided to slide the ball across for the lurking Shark for a simple tap in instead. That goal meant that RMM now were leading 5-2 with Shark bagging a controversial birthday hat-trick.

With the 3 goal lead restore, RMM were now buzzing and everyone was lining up for a post thanksgiving turkey shoot.

It wasn’t long before RMMs Superstar Batigol got his hat-trick as well. Not wanting to be outshone by his predecessor, the hitman with the superstar looks and playboy lifestyle stole in at the far post to head home yet another cross by Futsal Foo to claim a text book hat-trick comprising of right foot, left foot and a headed goal.

6-2 and RMM did not slow the tempo down. The veterans kept on the front foot and were unlucky not to score more goals when the final whistle went.

The slide had finally been arrested and RMM would do well to carry this form back to the Maniam League when it resumes.