After a disastrous performance that resulted in an 8-0 defeat a fortnight ago, Schwarz Star was up against Rul United at Kent Ridge Secondary School. Kick-off was delayed by 30 minutes as neither sides had a match ball with them. Despite the delay, it did not dampen the spirits of players.

The Schwarzians in yellow kicked off the game and it didn’t take long for the first goal to come. A mistake by Whye Ming saw him drop the ball as he landed after a successful catch. The opposing striker, still lurking around him, pounced on the loose ball and blasted it into the back of the open goal.

1-0 down but Schwarz Star fought hard and reclaimed a goal from a corner. Peter’s corner into the 6 yard box was met by a wild swing from the opponent, sending it past his own keeper.

Half time soon arrived with the scoreline tied at 1-1. Coach Jason took the opportunity to deliver his message at half time and the sides re-emerged for the second half.

Schwarz Star looked more goal-hungry than their opponent and was quickly proved by Yang Sheng, who was making a return after a long layoff due to his NS commitments. Receiving a brilliant throw from Yun, he controlled it and spun around his defender, before lashing a ferocious shot from metres outside the box at goal. The keeper got a touch on it but it wasn’t enough to stop the ball from going in off the base of his left goalpost.

With the lead, the Falcons took the game to their opponents, bombarding them with waves of attacks. The Schwarzians thought they got the third when a corner in was met by the rising Satnam, who headed it towards the bottom left corner of the goal. However, a timely intervention by the opponent cleared the ball off the line.

With the amount of pressure applied on the opponents, the arrival of the third goal was never a doubt. A through pass from Melvin played Peter through the defence and the keeper was the only player between Peter and the goal. Peter went for the low drive past the keeper but was stopped by the keeper’s outstretched hand.

However, as luck would have it, the ball bounced up into the air, and all Peter had to do was to get his head to it. He did, and the ball trickled into the back of the net, giving the Schwarzians a 3-1 lead with a third of the half to go. It was a much welcomed goal, as the Falcons looked to bounce back with a win after a dismay performance last time out.

The match had its last piece of action when a penalty was awarded to Rul United after a trip in the box. The pressure was mounting as the penalty taker was at the spot, with Whye Ming doing everything to put him off. The referee blew the whistle and the penalty was saved by Whye Ming down his left side.

The Falcons were relieved but it didn’t last long as the referee blew for a retake, citing that Ishak had entered the box before the kick was taken. The retake was taken by another player, and he made no mistake with his effort, sending Whye Ming the wrong way.

3-2 was the score now and it was all to play for with just a couple of minutes left in the game. Schwarz Star defended as a unit in the dying minutes to secure the hard-fought win, and it was welcomed by the team as the end of an eventful February drew near.

schwarzstarfc.com caught up with centre-back Satnam, who sportingly granted us this interview.

1) Hi Satnam, how have you been? You’ve been with SSFC for almost 2 years. What was your 1st impression when you first joined the team?

Hey, I’ve been great. First of all thanks for giving me the opportunity to do this interview. Wow! Has it been that long? I feel old. When I first joined SSFC, I was very impressed with the training and the commitment shown by the boys every week. It’s also encouraging that the boys have always supported and helped me out. Players like Leonie, Kevin and Thava always give me pointers and the fact that we have a licensed coach around to train us really made Sunday trainings more worthwhile.

2) What are some of the more memorable experiences you have with the club?

I can remember a few. Once was when we had a match in a horrible muddy pitch and I messed up completely and everyone was shouting at me. It made me want to give up football there and then, but wise words from Brandon convinced me to stick to it and improve. And I feel that today I have improved as a player and still have more to offer. I also remember the enjoyable time I had during the team chalet and futsal sessions. It is one of the most memorable times I have had in Singapore.

3) Now that the SSFC Competitive Team will be plying their trade in the upcoming D2D Saturday 5pm League, what are your views on it and what goals would you be setting for yourself. How do you see yourself contributing to the team?

I am really looking forward to compete in the league. I believe it’s a good learning experience for the team; for us to grow stronger and to learn to work together as a unit. It will also give us the much needed pressure to perform well in the league. I’m looking forward to contribute as well. As the competitive team has only a few centre backs, I hope to cement my place in the team and grow to become a solid wall of defense although I’m still learning to do so under the guidance of our Coach.
My Goals are to defend well, keep clean sheets and organize the team well. Being a senior player, I am responsible for commanding the team and to make myself heard. I enjoy playing with the competitive team and its great playing week in and out with the lads and fellow seniors like Melvin and Yen.

4) The past few matches and training sessions saw a leaner and meaner you. What’s your secret? What inspired you?

I think it’s just hard work and determination. I go to the gym almost every weekday doing squats and deadlifts, eating healthy by cooking my own food. Also, with some help from my personal trainer friend, I managed to lose a few pounds and gain some muscle. Sadly I don’t fit into my jersey anymore. I think the fact that a fitter me would perform better for the team was a big factor that inspired me to lose weight. I knew that being able to run faster, longer and have more strength to harass opponents would help me to improve my game.

5) What are your future plans with SSFC and what would you like to see in terms of the development of SSFC such as in training or in management?

I hope to perform well in the D2D league with the Competitive Team and hopefully participate in more leagues and further improve as a player. I might not be around much longer as I may have to return home to Malaysia. But, I would love to see SSFC playing in the S-league. I don’t think it’s impossible because we have a good foundation and have accomplished so much in the past years. As the Adidas slogan goes, ‘Nothing is Impossible’.
As far as improvements go, management wise, SSFC is on sound footing. But I would like to see more intense training and more selective training to players so that we can further improve. Perhaps, stuff that is shown on ‘www.insidesoccer.com’. I think it will help the team.

2) With 5 years of history to look back on, what are some of the incidents the club has experienced that leaves an impression in you?

Schwarz Star FC ’s Senior Committee would like to think this opportunity to wish all players a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year and Happy Holidays!!

schwarzstarfc.com caught up with Coach Kenneth mid-season and spoke on this year’s target, the SS training platform and what SS has to do to be considered a leading team in the local scene.

1) It has been a topsy-turvy season so far. What is your target for the rest of the season?

Whenever I lead the team in a league match, I want to “will” the team to win. Winning is a habit and a joy. So no point make losing a habit.

Another objective for this year is to get the team to improve upon the execution of the discover playmakers program. I have had this program as my guiding light and so my objective is for my players would be able to feel the efficacy of this program.

2) You were away for 2 months from the league team, have you recharged and refined your strategy for the remainder of the season?

Definitely, if not, my absence would have been in-vain. There were reasons why the past few performances were not as expected and if I were to come back and do the same thing, then we will only get the same old results.

I want my players to play without fear, without handbrakes on. I would “lead and will” the players and leaders of the team to start to impose their individualism and yet be able to play together to the SS strategy.

3) SS has a big squad, who are the players that you feel will come through the ranks this year?

There are players who are starting to shine but they must be able to find their “tipping point”.

On the other side of the coin, some players are finding it hard to take a step-up because they have difficulty dealing with their identity and understanding of what SS really means to them. They are good players in their own right, but have not progressed as a team player because they don’t realize how much they can contribute and how important they can be to this team. They too tend to rely on the coach.

Players who will stand out at the players who feel that they are important to the team. But the lack of a certain level of “professionalism”, to feel that the team actually depends on them, to walk into games big and strong with head held high, knowing that there are “fans” watching out for them, are some reasons how players fade away after getting to a certain level of their game.

4) Are you saying that they are losing their skills?

I want a player with a winner’s mentality who knows that he is going to win. Some players have not been able to progress because they play within themselves, they are not able to contribute to the fullest extend, they lack that command and control of themselves. They play like they want me to tell them and control what to do.

Players who receive a pointer from a coach and then expand on it, shows that they want to win. They express themselves on the pitch after discovering themselves. If a player can have this in his mind, and that his job is to make his team mates play better and look good… now that is a winning mentality.

A winning mentality is manifested in actions. It is natural.

They have to realize that there are quite a few eyes watching them when they put on the team’s jersey.

5) What is the “tipping point” that you are talking about? How do players achieve it?

Responsibility and accountability. These are not difficult words to understand or explain but these are difficult to execute. It is not about who informs who about being late.

It is about knowing what you do affects other players. And when that circle of responsibility and accountability among the players is complete. We get a team. When every player feels that it is his responsibility and to respect the other players and have fun in winning, we get a team.

When players turn up wanting to make his team mates play and look better on the pitch, we get a team.

6) What does SS have to do to be considered a leading team in Singapore?

You will agree with me that all leading teams have a successful playing strategy. This strategy has to be repeated. When 11 such players hit their tipping point, from being a normal good kick about Sunday team, we become a team worthy of being champions.

EFL Qualifying Division
SSFC 0 – 1 Rampant Lions
30th Jan 2010, Fuhua Secondary School

For the 3rd time in 2010, SSFC fell to a 0-1 defeat against lower-positioned oppositions. This time, it was at the hands of cellar dweller, Rampant Lions. It might have been a dubious offside goal awarded against the Falcons. But it was undoubtedly an out of form showing by SSFC, which saw them slide further away from cementing a fourth spot finish.

Unlike previous defeats where the opponents put up a steely defence, this match saw SSFC have more chances to score throughout 90 mins. But it was disappointment for the growing bunch of spectators as they fluffed chance after chance upfront. Twice in the first half, the SSFC wingers had clear headers at the backpost but both players, left unmarked, failed to steer it in. The Rampant Lions’ gutsy fullbacks were having a field day as they routinely shut out the Falcons’ pacy but dimunitive wingers.

The intensity injected by the Lions pushed the game up a notch, perhaps a notch out of the Falcons’ comfort zone who are used to a patient build up. Incited by the opponents’ tenacity, SSFC started losing their cool. As more robust challenges went unchecked, both sets of players, most unnecessarily, began having a go at each other in a war of words and off-the-ball incidents. The football was hapazard and merely reactive.

Even after the break, when the opponents lost steam, SSFC failed to capitalize. More time to turn. More space to run behind. More chances appeared but they went abegging. Thumping efforts from Donohue. E only dented the adjacent construction site’s offices as shots blazed off target. It was a better performance in the 2nd half but without any rewards. Save for the unfortunate injury on our tough captain, M. Taufiq as he took a blow for the team while valiantly keeping the defeat to a respectable one goal deficit.

Collecting 3 points out of a possible 12, SSFC’s chances of challenging for a promotion spot can already be written off, unless they can ride on a wave of luck from the Chinese festive season.

EFL Qualifying Division
SSFC 0 – 1 Newton Heath
5 pm, Temasek Secondary School

For SSFC spectators who turned up on the 24th of Jan, encouragement turned to condolences as their team lost to Newton Heath, 1 – 0. Despite having a large share of possession, the Falcons could not perfect their final touches as their attacks amounted to zilch.

A smooth artificial pitch at a scenic spot, nestled in the southeastern corner of Singapore would have been a beautiful venue to notch up a win. Yet the Falcons failed to build onto the previous weekend’s win. SSFC launched attacks down the wings but most searching balls failed to find their mark, as aerial balls kept running beyond the side or goal lines. Trying an alternative approach paid no dividends either as all through-the-centre approach was calmly dealt with by the opponents in red. POTQ Kevin Wun was left struggling up front as he fought a lonesome battle trying to elude tight marking while feeding on a few hopeful passes.The first half was goal-less as both teams cancelled each other out.

After the break, the opponents’ patient play paid off as they dealt a sucker punch to SSFC. Debutant goalkeeper, Maverick could only watch in vain as his defence was caught out in a turnover of possession in the defensive third, their forwards combining to race past the defence and score. It could have been worst, as another defensive lapse saw red players swarming forth but this time Maverick’s gungho acrobatics saved the day. A desperate but brave leap just narrowly kept a goal-bound shot out.

With a 1 goal lead to defend, Newton Heath packed their lines and repelled all attempts by SSFC to equalize. Other than the odd breakthrough into the 18 yard, the Falcons were resigned to raining long shots which did little to trouble the opponent’s keeper. Newton Heath will relish the 1-0 win over Schwarz Star as they closed in on SSFC, with three matches in hand.