St Andrew's Junior College Band 2-1 Agape FC

ST ANDREW'S JUNIOR COLLEGE, SINGAPORE - St Andrew's Junior College Band (SAJCB) pipped an under-strength but valiant Agape FC 2-1, with the winning goal coming with the last kick of the game on Sunday.

Agape were under pressure throughout the match, as the more experienced and fitter SAJCB dictated the pace of the 60-minute match with no halftime. Both teams struggled with the soggy conditions of the SAJC rugby pitch, as a morning downpour put paid to any chances of a free-flowing game.

Typically, it took a mistake to break the deadlock. Agape skipper Amos Pang, who uncharacteristically missed a few clearances early in the game, finally made one mistake too many, as SAJCB punished his inability to clear his lines effectively with a well-taken shot that zipped under the goalkeeper.

It was a goal that was always coming, as the home team settled down more quickly, cheered on by their home crowd of about ten clueless schoolgirls. Agape goalkeeper Tay Teckseng had already made two crucial stops to prevent SAJCB from taking the early lead.

SAJCB did well to keep the ball moving all over the pitch to tire out their opponents. However, their final ball was lacking as a combination of desperate defending and the waterlogged pitch halted their progress. They were frequently given the opportunity to test the keeper from range, hoping to profit from slippery conditions.

But it was a different story after SAJCB had taken the lead. Agape brought on substitutes Kenneth Yee and Darric Teo in place of the ineffective Eddy Ho and Chu Jianliang, and the personnel change almost reaped immediate dividends. A wayward Agape shot suddenly found Kenneth with the ball at his feet 10 metres out, as he coolly dinked the keeper with his weaker left foot. Celebrations wre quickly halted as SAJCB claimed offside. There was no sure way for the referee to tell as he was too far away from the action. It was tough luck, as the goal was chalked off for offside.

That set the tone for the rest of the match, as wave after wave of black jerseys crashing forward in attack foundered on the defensive rocks of Matthew Chua, Amos and Ah Hai. Agape soon began creating chances of their own. Their main threat came from the neat but sometimes over-elaborate inter-play bwtween Agape's three trialists, Theophane Chan's friends from Singapore Institute of Management. However, they always seemed to struggle as the defence failed to keep up with the midfield, leaving a gap for their opponents to exploit.

The match was now a more evenly-contested affair, as both teams seemed to get the measure of the prohibitive conditions. As the referee signalled ten minutes, a substitution turned the match on its head. Agape's wing wizard Samuel Pan, who was delayed by an over-zealous security guard and eventually had to climb over the fence to join the game, replaced central defender Amos as Agape threw everyone forward to get an equaliser.

With time running out, Samuel linked up well with Zixiang on the right flank, before delivering an inch-perfect cross to the far post, where another of the trialists tapped it in. The away support exploded with emotion as Agape celebrated an equaliser with five minutes to play.

It was all Agape could do to concentrate as SAJCB kicked off trying to re-establish the advantage they had held for most of the match.

Alas, Agape's courageous comeback was not to be as the final twist in the tail came deep injury time. SAJCB had a corner with regulation time completed. As Ah Hai headed the ball out for the umpteenth time in the match, the referee signalled for one last corner, even thgou time was up. A lofted ball played into the six-yard box should have been claimed by Teckseng, but the ball was bundled home in a goalmouth scramble. It was even unclear who had got the last touch, although it was later discovered that Chan Zikai had let the ball through his legs.

As the referee blew for full-time, both teams shook hands as the bad-tempered moments of the match were all but forgotten. It was a harsh result for Agape in their first competitive match in over a year, but they have the opportunity to put things right in the rematch. Aaron Wong, out for several months with a mysterious skin disease, might just recover in time for the big match.