Bullets brush aside Geenview Secondary in the National Rounds

19 Apr 2013

The Bowen Bullets rode the crest of euphoria from their 3^rd placing in the North zone competition to record an important 1-0 win over their East Zone opponents, Greenview Secondary in the National Inter-Schools Football Competition this afternoon at Hong Kah Sec School field. Bullets striker Karthik scored the only goal of the game after just getting off the plane in the morning.

The Bullets started the match brightly against their opponents who looked tentative and slightly subdued. While the boys from Bowen were pressing all over the field, Greenview made mostly half-hearted attempts at winning the ball. 10 min into the game, Karthik was allowed a sight on goal but his shot was too tame to trouble the Greenview keeper. In one of the rare moments where Greenview managed to squeezed in a grounder, Bullets keeper Danial Haikel dived full-stretched to push the ball away for a corner.

In the 31^st min, Bullets striker Javier Ho pressed the play high and managed to steal the ball off the left back. Once inside the penalty area, Javier cut the ball back for his strike partner Karthik to tap the ball into the back of the net. Stunned from conceding the opening goal, Greenview looked lost in defence and Bullets midfielder Muhd Aizan took advantage by curling the ball towards goal from outside the penalty box. Alas, his inventive attempt was pushed out by the Greenview keeper.

The 2^nd half saw a more spirited Greenview display but the Bullets managed to keep the game under control, with skipper Muhd Azfar and Muhd Akmal taking charge of midfield with battling displays. The centre-back partnership of Royce Chua and Muhd Hilman were also having an excellent outing, attacking high balls and displaying good covering for one another.

The Bullets managed to hold out till the final whistle and recorded a morale-boosting win over an opponent who 2 years ago, gave the Bullets a 7-0 thrashing during a friendly match. The improving Bullets will be given another stern test next Monday when they meet West Zone Champions Hong Kah Secondary School on their home ground.

Greenview	0 - 1	Bowen
		Karthik 31’
Substitutions
Afiq for Aizan 60’ Hakim for Karthik 72’

Bowen Bullets Starting Line-Up

Danial Haikel

Muhd Akhsan

Muhd Hilman

Royce Chua

Mhd Rafid

Muhd Aizan

Muhd Akmal

Muhd Azfar (C)

Sim Yi En

Karthik

Javier Ho

Bullets clinch 3rd place with splendid performance

10^th April 2013

Despite missing 4 key players in this afternoon’s 3^rd & 4^th playoff match against Serangoon Secondary School, the B Boys Bowen Bullets put up a commanding performance to down their opponents 2-0 at Marsiling Secondary School field.

  

Bowen Bullets are 2nd Runners-Up

In the absence of several players through injury, suspension and compassionate leave, the Bullets started the game cautiously, creating goal threats only from free-kick situations. Bullets coach Lim Queen Cher showed another tactical masterstroke in the plight of absent players by placing left-back Muhd Hanafi in the central midfield role and Hanafi did not disappoint, closing down the opponents in swashbuckling fashion.

With the support of the Bowen supporters in the stands, the Bullets slowly gained the upper hand in possession while the Bowen backline of Royce, Hilman, Arsyad and Akhsan repelled the diagonal balls swept in by the Serangoon boys.

It was still 0-0 after the first half but it was clear after the break that the Bullets had the momentum. In fact, straight from the kick-off of the 2^nd half, striker Javier Ho was put through on goal but his first touch let him down and the chance was gone.  The Bullets continued to press while the Serangoon side began to lose their way.

 In the 66^th min, a superb long pass found Muhd Afiq on the right and he raced past his marker into the penalty box. Frustrated by Afiq’s trickery, the last defender chopped him down and the referee had no hesitation in awarding Bowen a penalty. Skipper Muhd Azfar stepped up to convert from the spot.

10 minutes later, Javier Ho put the result beyond doubt by chasing down a tired Serangoon defence trying to play their way up the field. After nicking the ball from the defenders, Javier invaded Serangoon’s penalty box and flicked the ball into an empty goal via a desperate touch by a retreating defender.

Captain Muhd Azfar receiving the 2nd Runners-Up trophy

In a match that was nothing but a prelude to the final showpiece between the zone’s top 2 teams, the Bullets fully deserved the victory for showing clearly more desire and purpose.

Serangoon	0 - 2	Bowen
		Azfar 66’ (pen) Javier 76’
Yellow Card
Hanafi 9’
Substitutions
Hazim for Kenneth 65’

B Bullets book place in semi-finals with inspiring comeback

27 Mar 2013

 

2 match postponements, 6 players unavailable for selection, dubious referee decisions and 2 goals down after just 10 minutes....yet, nothing could stop the Bowen Bullets from claiming a cherished semi-final spot in the NZ Inter-Schools B Div Boys Football Competition.  The boys from Bowen Sec bravely fought back from 0-2 down to beat Fuchun Sec 3-2 this afternoon at Seng Kang Sec field.

With the threat of another match postponement lurking as droplets of rain fell just before the start of the match, the Bullets kicked off timidly and allowed Fuchun to score an early goal in the 4^th min. The Fuchun scorer was unmarked as he galloped past Bowen left-back Muhd Hanafi and centre-back Muhd Azfar to lob the ball over Bullets keeper, Danial Haikel. Further heartbreak arrived in the form of a controversial refereeing decision. As a long ball was played over the Bowen backline, right-back Muhd Arsyad raised his hand to alert the referee of a seemingly correct offside play but unintentionally touched the ball instead. The referee wilfully awarded Fuchun a direct free kick from which their midfielder whipped the ball into the top right-hand corner for a 2-goal advantage.   

As the sun began to emerge and the clouds dissipated, so did the Bullets’ slumber. A free-kick in the 13^th min from the left side of the penalty box caused mayhem in the Fuchun defence as the ball bobbled from head to head and finally landed nicely for Bullets striker Karthik to force it into an empty goal. The goal sparked off a series of intelligent one-touch play from the Bullets and they emerged with the equaliser from one of the best moves of the match. The Bullets pulled off a string of about 7 uninterrupted passes on the left hand side and when the final pass was made to in-form striker Javier Ho, he finished off the move with a swivel and shot which found its way into the Fuchun goal.

The Fuchun side could not believe that they had thrown away a 2-goal lead and struggled to regain their belief for the 2^nd half. Although a draw would have been enough for Bowen to go through, the Bullets were not resting on their laurels. The defence effectively nullified Fuchun’s 3 strikers upfront, and launched quick counter-attacks that frustrated Fuchun time and again. In the 64^th min, Bullets skipper Muhd Azfar launched another one of his trademark freekicks from outside the box and found the back of Fuchun’s net for 3-2.

Having got the lead, the Bullets executed their plan of maintaining possession excellently and managed to look sturdy until the final whistle.

The Bullets will now meet tournament favourites Singapore Sports School in the first semi-final on Monday at Temasek Poly but with the Bullets’ rising confidence and form, it does not look as if the much-heralded favourites will run away with the game.

Bowen	3-2	Fuchun
Karthik 13’ Javier 18’ Azfar 64’
	Substitution
	Hilman for Akhsan 58’
	Yellow Card
	Azfar

B Boys Bullets edge past Woodlands Sec with injury time winner

11 Mar 2013



Bullets praying for godly help



The Senior Bullets boosted their chance of qualifying for the semi-finals of the NZ Inter-Schools Competition this afternoon with a narrow 3-2 victory over the 2012 NZ 2^nd runner-up, Woodlands Secondary School. Striker Javier Ho scored a last-gasped winning goal in injury time to put the Bullets in a good position to advance from the group.

Huddle before the action begins

However, the win came at a cost, with Bullets central defender, Royce Chua, suspended for the next match against Fuchun Secondary, after receiving his 2^nd yellow card of the tournament.  But he did not put a foot wrong when he gave his team the lead by floating a free-kick from the centre of the field into the Woodlands goalmouth. The Woodlands custodian, visibly surprised by the audacious attempt, could only back-track and touch the ball into his own net.

Bullets skipper Muhd Azfar delivering another deadly pass

Royce was again in the thick of action in the 21^st min when he rose majestically to nod a corner into the back of the Woodlands goal. The 2-nil lead was a luxury that the Bullets were not keen to give up. In the 2^nd half, Woodlands came out with a vengeance, scoring quickly in the 49^th min from a corner kick and grabbing a deserved equaliser with an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty box 8 min later.

The Bullets bench getting overwhelmed by the excitement

The game was hanging in the balance until the 77^th min when a scuffle broke out between Bullets right back, Muhd Arsyad and the Woodlands left winger deep in the Bullets half. After matters had calmed down, the referee showed the Woodlands captain a red card for pushing Arsyad to the ground.

The Bullets smelled blood and went on the offensive, creating several decent chances in the Woodlands penalty box. Bullets left winger Rafid was unlucky to have an effort blocked by the woodwork. As the game went into injury time, Javier received the ball behind the Woodlands defence, turned a retreating Woodlands centre-back and rounded the goalkeeper to slot the ball home for the winning goal.

Woodlands	2-3	Bowen
		Royce 5’, 21’ Javier 80’
Substitution
Aizan for Akhsan 60’
Yellow Card
Akhsan Royce Akmal Aizan Hanafi

Senior Bullets outdone by NZ Champions again!

9 Mar 2013

 The pre-match check by the referee

The Senior Bullets started their quarter-final round of the NZ Inter-Schools Competition this morning with a 1-3 defeat to reigning NZ Champions Sengkang Secondary School.

However, the match was closer than the scoreline suggests. With 3 key players ruled out through injury, the Bullets put up a courageous show of tenacity and discipline to push their much heralded opponents all the way to the final whistle.

The match began with a frantic pace and it was Bowen who created the more clear-cut chances. Returning from a 5-match ban, Bullets striker Javier Ho was put through on goal by striker partner Karthik in the 20^th min but his effort was quickly blocked out by the onrushing Sengkang goalkeeper. Both sides nullified each other’s tactical moves and were relieved when the half-time whistle went.

The pace was just as frenetic in the 2^nd half and there was nothing to choose between the 2 sides. However, a lapse of concentration by the Bowen defence in the 55^th min allowed Sengkang left winger to deliver a grounder across the Bullets’ goalmouth to be poked in by his counterpart on the right. Nevetheless, the Bullets worked hard to look for a reply and earned the equaliser in the 60^th min. A free kick outside the penalty box by Bullets skipper Muhd Azfar evaded the Sengkang wall and found the bottom left hand corner of the Sengkang goal.

8 minutes later, Sengkang took advantage of a goalmouth melee and some hesitation by Bullets keeper Danial Haikel to help the ball into goal. Sengkang’s second goal seemed to take the stuffing out of Bowen’s challenge and in the 72^nd minute, Sengkang blasted in the 3^rd goal to put the result beyond doubt.

Sengkang	3-1	Bowen
		Azfar 60’
Substitution
Ren Yu for Rafid 70’

Senior Bullets endure two postponements to finally beat Sembawang Sec

22 Feb 2013


Pre-match briefing



Mother nature spared the B Boys from Bowen and Sembawang Sec another match postponement this afternoon as the Bullets’ last match of the first round was finally completed without interruption. The Bullets put on a commanding display without several key players to beat Sembawang Sec 3-0 and secure a place in the next round of the competition.

The Bullets were not their usual self in the first half an hour, rushing their passes and conceding possession too easily for Coach Lim’s liking. Fortunately for Bowen, Sembawang lacked the quality to penetrate when it mattered. Although the Sembawang boys  were closing down the spaces like mad men, a momentary lapse of concentration in the 33^rd min from the central defenders allowed the ball to linger dangerously outside their own penalty box and Bullets striker Muhd Asyraf needed no second invitation to hijack the ball from their feet and plant the ball past the keeper for the Bullets’ first goal.

Left winger Muhd Rafid was brought on soon after to penetrate from the wings and he put on a masterful display with the cross that resulted in the Bullets’ 2^nd goal. His pass in the 38^th min across the goalmouth reached right winger Muhd Akhsan who directed the ball out for Asyraf to score from just outside the penalty box.

The Sembawang boys lost a bit of hunger in the 2^nd half and the Bullets gradually took control of the proceedings. A nasty collision between Bullets defender Royce Chua and goalkeeper Danial stopped play but it could not stop the Bullets’ 3^rd goal. With 5 minutes left to play, striker Karthik played off the shoulder of his marker and latched on to an Akmal’s through pass, before adjusting the ball to his right to fire past the Sembawang goalkeeper.

With the win, the Bullets will now participate in the draw for the quarter finals which will see 2 groups of 4 teams each vying for the top 4 positions in the north zone. Without doubt, those fixtures will throw up tougher opponents and more difficult challenges for the Bullets.

Bowen	3-0	Sembawang
Asyraf 33’, 38’ Karthik 75’
	Substitutions
	Rafid for Yasar 35’ Aizan for Akhsan 60’ Kenneth for Arsyad 70’ Hazim for Karthik 75’

Junior Bullets crash out of zone competition

14^th Feb 2013

 

The junior Bullets suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Woodgrove Secondary this wet afternoon at the Anderson Sec grounds. The 3-2 loss means that they are virtually out of the competition.

 

Needing just a point to qualify for the quarter-finals, the Bullets got a deserved lead in the 6^th min when a drop kick from the Bullets keeper was half-cleared by the Woodgrove defence, leaving Brendan Tan with an easy task of side-footing the ball into an open goal. It was an appropriate tonic for the rest of the game and the Bowen boys continued to dominate most of the possession against a nervous Woodgrove side.

 

However, the game was temporarily stopped due to a lightning warning alert which held up the game for half an hour. Straight off from the re-start at 17^th min, a Woodgrove throw-in dropped invitingly for a Woodgrove midfielder to launch a harmless high ball towards the Bullets’ goal. It would have been a routine catch for the Bowen goalkeeper, Muhd Fazrin, but to the horror of his team mates, he somehow helped it into his own goal.

 

At 1-1, the Woodgrove’s belief in getting a win received a big boost. 8 minutes into the 2^nd half, they earned a free-kick unnecessarily conceded in the Bullets’ half. Woodgove no. 9 man then launched the ball over the Bullets wall and over Fazrin into goal. 4 minutes later, Woodgrove struck the killer blow with a goal tapped in after a goalmouth melee.

 

The Bullets threw caution to the wind and deployed 3 strikers. Then skipper Aloysius Lee gave the Bullets renewed hope in the 52^nd min when he blasted an unstoppable shot into goal from 25m out. The Bullets went on the offensive, creating several chances which were thwarted by the excellent Woodgrove custodian. One shot hit the crossbar and another was pushed away by the goalkeeper.

 

With the loss, the Bullets’ only hope of progressing is for Anderson Sec to do the impossible job of overcoming Serangoon Sec in the last match of the group. It was indeed a disappointing end to the Bullets’ promising season.

 

Bowen 2 -3 Woodgrove

 

Substitution

Muhd Irfan for Markus Lam 31’

 

Yellow Card

Josiah Phua  40’

A mature 2nd half display sees the Senior Bullets crush Siling Sec

4^th Feb 2013

The Senior Bullets earned a well-deserved 4-nil win over Siling Sec this afternoon at Marsiling Sec field. But they were made to work extra hard as Siling Sec fielded an unorthodox 5-man defence to thwart the Bullets attack from the wings.

In the first half, the Bullets were not their usual selves, conceding unnecessary corners and free-kicks which allowed Siling to create chances from dead ball situations. Siling nearly scored in the 24^th min when Siling’s main striker rose unmarked to nod the ball over the crossbar. In open play, the Bullets also looked nervous and were not able to retain meaningful possession for long.

The 2^nd half saw Bullets dangerman Muhd Afiq restored to the line-up, taking the place of Rafid Khan. The change had an immediate effect as 7 mins after the restart, Afiq’s floating free kick across goal was nodded into an empty net by Muhd Asyraf.

The goal calmed down the Bullets and they began to bring the ball down and play on the ground. Afiq proved to be the talisman again as he slalomed his way past his marker and unleashed a looping ball over the stranded Siling goalkeeper for the Bullets’ 2^nd goal.  Encouraged by the goal, Afiq demonstrated a piece of great individual skill in the 60^th min when he danced his way past 4 defenders in the penalty box but his finishing was too tame to trouble the goalkeeper.

Chief striker Karthik then got his name on the scoresheet,  glancing a header against the crossbar and over the goal line in the 70^th min. It was his last contribution in the game as the Bullets made two changes to rest players for the last game on Wednesday. Asyraf put the final nail in Siling’s coffin with a shot that bounced in front of the goalkeeper and into goal. This was after a superb tackle by Muhd Azfar who won the ball in the middle of the park and relayed it to Asyraf.

The 4-0 win puts the Bullets in a good position to qualify for the 2^nd round of the competition. All they need to do is to register a win on Wednesday against Sembawang Sec.

Siling	0-4	Bowen
		Asyraf 47’ Afiq 68’ Karthik 70’ Asyraf 80’
	Substitutions
Muhd Afiq for Rafid Khan 40’ Muhd Yasar for Karthik 74’ Muhd Aizan for Muhd Afiq 74’ Muhd Hazim for Muhd Arsyad 77’

Junior Bullets held to 1-1 draw by resilient Serangoon Sec

31 Jan 2013

The C boys Bullets almost pulled off a famous victory over their nemesis, Serangoon Sec this afternoon but had to settle for a draw after coming back from a goal down.

Both sides met at the same stage of the tournament the previous year and were understandably cautious during the first 15mins of the match. The Bullets, however, created the better chances, with captain Muhd Danial pulling the strings from midfield. Serangoon Sec were quick to realise this and gave Danial the rough treatment on a few occasions, causing him to get cautioned by the referee for retaliation in the 24^th min. 5 mins before the end of the first half, a corner from the right by Aloysius Lee was volleyed down by Danial towards an open goal, but the ball bounced off the ground and over the crossbar.

Serangoon Sec  took a shorter time to settle in the 2^nd half and with a rare foray into the right side of the field, they opened accounts. The Bullets defence, which was doing so well before the break, were caught napping as a cross was allowed into the penalty box. An unmarked Serangoon striker needed no second invitation to send a pot shot beyond the flailing arms of goalkeeper Muhd Fazrin.

It was a shock to the system for the Bullets but the Bowen boys quickly regained their composure to dominate play. Serangoon’s ploy to stifle skipper Muhd Danial with a man-marker almost worked but Danial’s industry and inventiveness was too hard to handle. In the 38^th min, he danced his way past  his marker and was brought down by a covering defender 25m out. Danial took the free kick and sent a swirling shot over the Serangoon goalkeeper. The ball dropped into goal off the goalkeeper after hitting the underside of the crossbar. It was game on and the momentum was on the Bullets’ side.

The Bullets dominated the rest of the match but failed to score another goal to snatch victory. The Seranggon boys, though, could heave a sigh of relief after surviving a late charge by the Bullets.

Serangoon	1-1	Bowen
		Muhd Danial 38’
Yellow Card
Muhd Danial 24’

Terr-Afiq saves the day for the Senior Bullets

30^th Jan 2013

The Senior Bullets endured a frustrating afternoon in their 3^rd inter-schools match against Deyi Secondary this afternoon at Naval Base Secondary School’s artificial pitch. They were made to sweat for a narrow 2-1 win after having most of the possession.

Pre-match handshake

Deyi Sec scored the first goal in the 17^th min against the run of play. From a corner on the right, Deyi skipper jumped unmarked in the penalty box to head the ball toward the inside of the left goal post, leaving a bemused Bullets defence looking shell-shocked.

The goal woke up the Bullets and they began to look sharper and hungrier but all their moves in front of goal were swept away nicely by a well-organised Deyi defence. The Bullets continued to play through the middle to no avail until the 28^th minute when a clearance by Deyi fell to midfielder Muhd Akhsan who controlled the ball at the edge of the penalty box and fired a stinging shot into goal.

The 2^nd half saw the Bullets change tactics by playing more on the wings and with Karthik on the left and Afiq on the right, the Deyi defence were stretched to the limit. The Deyi defence managed to hold out magnificently and frustrated the Bullets with timely clearances and excellent anticipation of runs into the penalty box. The Bullets were also guilty of some poor finishing. For 35 mins of the 2^nd half, the ball rarely left the Deyi’s half as they consolidated in front of their goal, looking for a draw.

The Deyi resistance finally gave way 4 minutes from normal time. From a free-kick on the left, Muhd Azfar launched the ball across the penalty area and Muhd Afiq arrived just in time to nod the ball past the stranded Deyi goalkeeper. The Bullets saved their blushes for another day and earned 3 precious points which seemed, at some point, never to come.

Bowen	2-1	Deyi
Akhsan 17’ Afiq 76’
	Substitutions
	Muhd Aizan for Rafid Khan 67’