Bullets rue wasted chances as they go down to a solitary goal

28 Feb 2012

The junior Bullets cross swords with Sengkang Secondary School this afternoon and came out second best by a narrow 1-nil margin. A goal conceded from a momentary lapse of concentration in the first half was enough to cost the Bullets. Even a courageous performance in the second half to find the equaliser was in vain.

In a tightly-contested encounter, both sides closed down every inch on the pitch, making play scrappy. Possession was even but the Sengkang boys were creating the better chances.  Off a corner in the 18^th minute, Sengkang opened accounts when a corner kick from the right was half-cleared by the Bullets. With no Bullet taking responsibility for the second clearance, the ball bounced out of the penalty box but fell nicely to a Sengkang midfielder who punted the ball accurately into the goal beyond the reach of Bullets goalkeeper, Muhd Rozaini.

The Bullets tried to provide a quick response, with good inter-play in midfield and forwards, Javier and Afiq making incisive runs into the danger area. They were not able to make the breakthrough behind the opponent’s defence but earned several free kicks in decent positions. Alas, these were all wasted as the free-kicks were sent directly into the hands of the grateful Sengkang goalkeeper. Just before the half-time whistle, the enterprising Afiq showed good skills to get behind the Sengkang defence and down the by-line. However, the resulting cross was too close to the goalkeeper.

In the 2^nd half, the Bullets dished out more of the same but the final ball was either too long or cleared by the last defender. They did well to limit Sengkang to a couple of attempts at goal with an open shot superbly palmed away by Rozaini. As the clock ticked by, more Bullet attacks were beginning to go down the flanks to avoid the tall Sengkang central defenders. With such high energy coursing through the Bowen team, one might feel an equaliser coming. It almost arrived when right- midfielder Aloysius Lee had a left-footed shot in the 46^th min fumbled by the Sengkang goalkeeper. The best chances were from free-kicks and corners but the Bullets wasted almost all of them with poor delivery into the box.

The referee blew for full time to signal a failed Bullets comeback. The Bowen boys looked dejected as they leave the field but if they want to overcome their next opponent in the form of hot favourites Singapore Sports School, they will need to snap out of their daze and learn to make their opportunities count.

Man-of-the Match: Muhd Afiq for showing great hunger for the match, taking responsibility  for most of the Bullets’ attacking play despite missing lunch this morning.

Line-up: Rozaini, Akmal, Saiful, Adrian, Hazim, Danial, Aizan, Rafid, Aloysius, Afiq, Javier