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Pre-season friendlies: Signings swing game Home’s way
Gary Koh
info@sleague.com
Under the watchful eye of chairman Koh Siong Ling, Home United commenced their preparations for the 2010 season with a 2-1 win over Sengkang Punggol in a pre-season friendly at Clementi Stadium on Wednesday evening.
With several players away on international duty, the Protectors fielded a mixture of raw young boys and new signings as they tried out various combinations on the pitch.
It was the visitors who took the lead in the 16th minute when new signing Moussa Keita scored off a Duncan Elias cross.
The lead only lasted three minutes as Shariff Abdul Samat, a close-season signing from Tampines Rovers, headed in at the near post off a free kick from fellow new recruit Nelson San Martin.
The latter capped an impressive debut performance in the 58th minute, when he converted a direct free kick beyond the reach of Dolphins goalkeeper Fadhil Salim.
Apart from the Chilean midfielder, Canadian left winger Sherif El Masri also shone in his favoured position before moving into a forward position later.
He came close to adding to the score in the final minutes of the game, but sent a close-range shot over with only Fadhil to beat.
Home assistant coach S. Subramani was pleased to see the team get off to a good start in their preseason.
“It is good to have a win in our first friendly game,” he said. “It shows that we are moving in the right direction.
“The new players need time to settle down and gel with the rest of the team. In every game, we want the players to put in the effort and show they are serious in their approach.
“We are trying out different roles for the players to see where they are suited. Some of the Prime League boys really stood out, especially in the second half.”
He also believed San Martin will bring added firepower to a midfield that already boasts Brazilian playmaker Peres de Oliveira and Singaporean internationals Shahril Ishak and Shi Jiayi.
He added: “Nelson can take some burden away from Peres in attacking midfield, as he provides options in set-plays with his good delivery.”
Meanwhile his former international and club colleague Aide Iskandar was heartened with his boys’ efforts in the loss.
“I am not too bothered about the result, as it is the individual performances I am looking at this stage of the pre-season, and it has been a good workout,” said the Sengkang coach.
“There is still plenty of work to be done. While we have done not too bad defensively, we gave away too many free kicks, especially outside our penalty area.
“Our players also need to listen to the whistle on the field and let the referee make the decisions. It is better that we make these mistakes now than during the league games.”
Home host Geylang United in their second friendly match this Saturday. Meanwhile, Sengkang will make the short trip up north to take on newly-promoted Malaysian Super League side Johor FA at Larkin Stadium next Tuesday. |
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