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Bok set to rotate in Warriors’ opening league fixture
Sham Majid
info@sleague.com
It might well be the advent of a brand new campaign and a match between league winners and cup champions, but SAFFC’s maiden S.League outing against Geylang United at the Warriors Arena on Wednesday evening already looks like playing second fiddle to another fixture looming ahead.
The most successful side in league history are casting their eyes on proceedings on Saturday, which could make or break their ambitions of rubbing shoulders with the creme de la creme of Asian football’s aristocrats.
Following last Saturday’s barnstorming 3-0 smash-and-grab raid over Indonesia’s Sriwijaya, Richard Bok’s charges now stand on the brink of qualification to the AFC Champions League (ACL), and a win against Thailand’s Muang Thong United on Saturday would propel the Warriors into the tournament proper for the second successive season.
Despite stressing the need to get their domestic season up and running, it was clear that Saturday’s proceedings were the focal point of Bok’s thoughts.
“Yes, we have a league game on Wednesday, but at the same time we have a massive game on Saturday which would determine whether we play in the ACL or in the AFC Cup so of course, we are keeping a firm eye on our ACL match,” he elaborated.
“Of course, we also want to have a good start against Geylang, and I hope that the players coming in on Wednesday would come in and show the philosophy which we’ve been trying to implement for the past two months.
“But it’s fair to say I would be making a few squad rotations to my team.”
With a grand total of ten new imports drafted into the SAFFC roster this season, Bok’s “pass and move” blueprint has been well-documented during pre-season, and he gave an insight into his footballing vision envisaged for his new look side.
“We want to play more on the ground with short passes and triangular movement,” he explained.
“It’s basically a very dynamic playing style where players are not static.
“So far, our new players have been doing okay but we still can improve, and being new to the league, it takes a bit of time to gel, as well as for the local players to accommodate them.
“Hopefully, as the season goes, our playing style would develop and we can improve on that aspect.”
Bok insisted that their friendly fixture with the Eagles during pre-season, which culminated in a 5-1 whipping for Geylang, would not be a barometer of his opponents’s collective strength.
“That was a friendly so there’s nothing to judge from that,” he remarked.
“We know it’s going to be tough but hopefully with the players I’ve got, we can get a good result.”
Geylang coach Mike Wong is bullish about the makeup of his charges going into the new season.
“This is a slightly different team from last year, and we’ve brought in more experienced players,” he commented.
“Peter Tomko, our new striker, has scored good goals in Europe, so hopefully he can do the business in this league as well.
“We would still go through our passing movement, going down the flanks and exploiting spaces. That is how we would play this season as well.
“We intend to do better than last year. We would firstly try to achieve 50 points, and then push on from there.”
Wong is under no illusions regarding the task awaiting his side.
“The first game would be tough, but we would go there and give it a good go,” he added.
“The stability of SAFFC is still there and Richard Bok is a coach who has guts, especially when he changed his team when they won the title last season.
“To change a mid-table team is understandable, but to change a title-winning squad really takes some guts, and Bok has that.
“Indra Sahdan and their new Uruguayan striker Federico Martinez are working well, and with John Wilkinson providing cover along with their wingers, they really have a good team.
“We lost three games in pre-season, so it’s a bit of a concern how we let in those goals, but maybe it’s better to concede them in friendlies rather than during league games. But if we don’t learn from them, we might as well shoot ourselves in the head.”
The Eagles would be without the suspended Jonathan Xu, while Rastislav Belicak and Masrezwan Masturi are sidelined through injuries.
SAFFC meanwhile will have everyone available, with Park Tae Won, who is not participating in the ACL playoffs, likely to feature on Wednesday.
Warriors’ treats to fans at their first home match
Singapore Armed Forces Football Club (SAFFC) will give free admission for their first home match against Geylang United Football Club on 3 February 2010, Wednesday at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.
Fans can look forward to a carnival atmosphere with free popcorns, cotton candies and balloons for kids. There will be pre-match and half-time games and activities with prizes to be won.
In addition, limited edition watches to commemorate SAFFC’s participation in the AFC Champions League will be on sale at a special prize. While stocks last.
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