Story by reader Jolyn Ang. Photos by Chew Tian Wei and Marvin Lowe.
Jalan Besar Stadium, Wednesday, 21 May, 2008 - In a thriller of a game, the boys from Meridian Junior College managed to hold onto their 2-1 lead throughout the whole of the second half to see off Victoria Junior College, reclaiming the title they lost to Raffles Junior College last year. VJC, having rebuilt from last year’s disappointment of missing out on the final, came to Jalan Besar with hopes of giving VJC the first ever official A Division football double but they will have to try again next year.
Meridian showed their resolve by opening the scoring within the first minute with a potent free kick by captain, Md Khairyl (#8, MJC) that hit the crossbar and into goal. VJC Goalkeeper Joel Lau (#1, VJC) had managed to touch the incoming shot but was unable to stop it from proceeding further. The ball appeared to have gone in, but when it bounced out, confusion ensued. The Victorian backline attempted to clear it off the line only as far as a Meridian striker who made the goal beyond doubt by placing it in the left corner.
Forced to attack, the Victorians poured forward. However, their nerves showed and few doubtful decisions made by the referee did not help their cause. Their keeper, Joel, was judged to have handled the ball outside the box in the 11th minute and MJC was given a golden opportunity to double their lead with a direct free kick right outside the penalty box. Nonetheless, the shot was deflected off the VJC defense. VJC counter-attacked, only to have Alex’s (#10, VJC) pass intercepted and cleared into the sidelines. VJC’s throw-in eluded all to get to Chester Lum (#16, VJC) in the penalty box. As he was about to take the shot, he was roughed up by a MJC defender. The VJC boys looked to the referee for the penalty, but was disappointed by his waving of play on.
VJC continued to pile on the pressure and another free kick in the 14th minute was headed wide by VJC defender, Jun Liang (#5, VJC). Threatened, MJC’s coach made an early substitution, giving his #5 the nod and retiring the #30 to the bench. It seemed to have worked as Joseph (#16, MJC) managed to get the ball into the box in the 16th minute only to have Joel turn hero as he came off his line to take the ball. In the 23rd minute, Hyder (#15, MJC), who was a serious threat throughout the whole game, swung in a cross which was met by a team-mate. Luckily, the shot was saved by VJC’s keeper.
Undaunted, VJC kicked into gear and in the 26th minute, Nicholas Kang (#17, VJC) sent a cross to Alex who then flicked it to Anders (#9, VJC). With only the keeper left to beat, Andes shot the ball straight at him. Sorely missing the finishing touch, VJC tried again in the 27th minute with a corner kick by captain, Gavin Lee (#13, VJC) that missed the top left corner of goal.
When it seemed as though it was just not their day, their efforts finally paid off in the 29th minute where Nicholas Kang managed to penetrate the Meridian right flank to send in a cross to just outside the penalty box. Chester unleashed a half-volley, letting the ball strike turf once before he met it and sent it into goal.
1-1, game on, or so VJC thought but MJC replied within five minutes. Capitalising on the Victorian lapses in defence, MJC’s Mahdi (#23) made the score 2-1. He had managed to push forward and find his way past two Victorian defenders at the left flank before crossing. His cross was met by Hyder (#15, MJC), who managed to elude the Victorian centre-backs and head it past Joel (#1, VJC) right smack in the centre of goal. The first half concluded with tactical changes by VJC and another substitution by MJC, seeing Khairi (#10, MJC) come on for Fazli (#7, MJC).
The second half began with VJC also making a substitution - Yap Heng (#7) came on for Jonathan Tan (#2). Within three minutes, VJC gave MJC a scare when Jun Liang powered the ball into the box with Chester on the chase and beating the off-side trap. MJC’s keeper rushed off his line and slid in to prevent Chester from getting a decent shot.
The impact left Chester twisting in pain after the collision but it was merely the first taste of an intense half that was to come.
MJC’s #6 had to be stretchered off the field in the 46th minute but VJC did not relent. In the 51st minute, Alex managed to fire off a powerful shot that could only be parried by the MJC keeper to the right. Nicholas Kang managed to get to the rebound but was unable to contain his excitement and shot high, the ball striking the crossbar to the dismay of the standing Victorian crowd.
That was to be Alex’s last major contribution to the game and the striker was taken off due to a recurring injury that he had picked up during training. He was replaced by Kenneth Gomez (#8, VJC).
MJC gained some momentum from the 58th minute onwards as their #16’s corner kick was headed by a team-mate wide. The header having judged to have deflected off a Victorian, they were given yet another corner kick which was cleared. Seconds later, a free kick was given and taken. Victoria, unnerved by the sudden onslaught, conceded yet another corner. Unfortunately, MJC failed to convert any of these kicks.
VJC’s Anders made his presence felt in the next few minutes, taking a shot outside the penalty box in the 63rd minute. After chesting down a pass, he took his shot but saw it sail above the crossbar. With MJC players cramping up, VJC took a quick throw in the 66th minute and Anders penetrated the left flank, sending a well-placed cross that slid across the goalmouth.
Luck was not on the Victorian’s side however, as they lost their vice-captain and defender, Jun Liang to a late tackle by MJC’s #17. The Meridian player saw yellow for his brutal challenge.
A Victorian barrage in the dying minutes reaped no rewards and MJC had the chance to put the game beyond doubt in the 79th minute when Daniel Guo (#9, MJC) found himself in a one-on-one with Joel. His shot hit the left post. The Victorians heaved a huge sigh of relief. MJC managed to hang on to their lead and when the final whistle blew, blue reigned whilst the yellow side of the stadium fell silent, rueing their countless missed chances.
Nevertheless, the Victorians quickly recovered and joined the Meridian crowd in cheering for both teams. The audience was obviously appreciative after being treated to a display of sportsmanship and fighting spirit that can only be found in a clash between two deserving finalists. In the end, the difference between the champion and the runner-up in a game that really saw players of both teams play below par was merely who had the ability to sort out their pre-final jitters first.
Check out the other report on the final.
Ed’s note: If you recognise yourself or your team mates in any of the photos, feel free to leave the names in the comments section and we will update the captions accordingly.
oh i sent in those names for the report…
u all meentioned some numbers without the names, thought it might be useful
To jack, thanks for the mjc names but they are not referenced.
You need to give us the names with reference to the photo number or else it is very difficult for any one of us to update the captions.
anybody got a video of the goals?
VJC players
photo 2 – alex
photo 4 – yap heng
photo 10 – tedrid
photo 11 – alex
photo 14 – yap heng
photo 17 – alex
Oh yea sorry and one more thing abt the sportsmanship issue… im sorry that the victorian anthem wasn’t played over the system and we celebrated through the anthem as we simply were unaware of it… Not to start an issue but there are simply times when it really seems that the opposite side has no sportsmanship… well the vj players did immediately run in to take the throw in which the captain kick purposely kicked out of the mj side when one of our players went down and needed help appearing to be taking advantage of the situation
well indeed vj entered the finals as the fav side and i will definitely say that they wanted to win as much as the blue side… i felt that the challenges and tackles in the game were really good and it was a rather ‘clean’ and good game as at the same time, free kicks and cards were duly handed out.. however i dun agree with victorian that the mj goals were luck… as seen throughout the tournament the mjc captain probably has one of the most powerful and deadly kicks and it was no surprise at all that the kick found its way on target! the second goal was also all credit to #23 as he managed to beat the vj defender twice to place the ball for the incoming forward nicely to head it home… of course the vj goal was also beautiful but i wouldnt say tt mj won on luck… the game could have went either way but this time it was mj who capitalised their chances and kept their tight grip on their defense till the whistle
i think you guys are wrong. VJC WANTS THE TITTLE VERY BADLY after not making it to the finals last year. However, MJC just wants to beat vjc very badly and i guess that is the deciding factor for their victory. Both sides are very good and that is why they make it to the finals.
the MJ sch song was played over the PA system, thus is was LOUD and everyone else were obliged to stay silent while the blue crowd sang…
but while VJ were singing their song, no music were played over the PA system so we didnt know wad was going on…
on behalf of Meridians, our sincerest apologies ((:
and during the prelim rounds, Vj vs MJ, MJ played their reserves…which probably explains them losing the game (:
well, sometimes it’s just like this. sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don’t. vjc definitely were favourites and seemed to be the better team after beating mjc 3-1 in the group stages. i was there at the final and all i can say is that mjc wanted the trophy so much more. true enough that vjc wanted it too, but perhaps mjc’s loss last year in the final spurred them on even furthur. but no doubt that it was a great final and i feel for vjc. i believe they will be back even stronger next year. well done vjc and mjc!
hmm.. actually.. both sides were very competitive.. VJ only depended on their no.9 and 10. when both were closely marked, vj was not potent anymore. yea.. MJ had more flair through their wings.. but they unfit.. had cramps and all.. it was an exciting game to watch. so yea.. kudos to both team.. =)
Yes, I think that the vj goal was better, but mj definitely deserved to win too. both teams were great. I can’t help but notice however, that the vjcians were better sportsmen than the mjcians. i was really surprised they stayed silent when mj was singing their school song- but the mjcians bursted their ‘clappers’ throughout the vj song, and their players were disrespectful by running around.
anyway, a great game.
actually not to say that MJC didnt deserve the championship but i personally feel that VJC has a better team with more skillfull players..the goals scored by the vjc soccer team were more beautiful. first goal esp by mjc was mostly luck and the second was pretty alright i guess.
its a pity cos vjc was down on their luck and also did not use their chances well and thats why they lost. its not that the are lousier than MJC in anyway and i think both sides and coaches know that.
vjc photo 11 – alex
All players below are the VJC players
Photo 5 – Gomez
Photo 6 – Anders Aplin
Photo 13 – Nicholas Kang
Photo 15 – Anders Aplin
Photo 16 – Gomez
Photo 19 – Yap Heng
Photo 20 – Gavin(Captain)
Photo 23 – Nicholas Kang
Photo 24 – Ex Vj soccer player Pakin
Photo 22(actually shld be photo 26) – Pakin hugging Gavin
Photo 27 – Left Nicholas Kang and Right Yap heng
photo 22, on the left should be jonathan tan, VJ #2
Yay MJ. 😀
Wonderful story. Photo 27 made me want to cry too! Congratulations to MJC.
mjc no. 6 Zaki
mjc no. 5 Gan Hwa Xiang
no. 30 Devesh
no. 10 Khairi
keeper no. 32 name’s Edmund
no, 17 Zhi Jun
no. 9 Daniel Guo
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