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’