Singapore Academy Tourney

Foyd U15s in Singapore
Dave O'Donovan

Match 1 Singapore A - loss 5-nil
Match 2, Footskills Australia - loss 2-1
Match 3, Thailand - loss 6-1
Match 4, Singapore B - WIN 3-2
Match 5, Brunei - loss 5-2

An extremely muggy evening greeted the Otago lads as they ran on to the park to face Brunei in what was considered a must-win game.

While a draw would suffice to get Otago through to the bronze medal game the boys were targeting a win. On 3 minutes Brunei opened the scoring as sloppy defensive shape allowed the Brunei striker to run onto a lofted through ball and finish with a swivelling half-volley.

Not for the first time in the tournament the boys were on the back foot early. Otago 0 -1. On 20 minutes more pressure from Brunei forced a poor clearance from the Otago defence. The ball fell to the top of the box where it was played quickly out to the left where the Brunei player cut back infield and loosed a shot that ripped in under the cross-bar. Otago 0 -2.

Despite plenty of effort from Otago the boys fell victim to poor decision making, which is a part of the game at this level, but something that is often punished by opposition teams that play and train daily.

Despite this Otago scored from their first genuine foray in the attacking third. From a Cody Brook corner Ali Amman’s glanced header spilled out to Matt Kelly on the opposite side. Kelly cut in and stroked over a pinpoint cross to pick out Brook who had drifted in and headed in unmarked from eight yards out. Otago 1-2.

On 24 minutes came Otago’s next chance when left winger Daniel Ramsay sped off the left wing into the Brunei box, forcing a timely covering tackle from a defender. Moments later Otago suffered a setback when centre-back Steven Cook was floored when he took a powerful shot to the head.

As Cook lay on the ground the referee played on while Otago management screamed for play to be stopped to allow immediate medical treatment, Play stopped, but only when the ball cannoned out of the Otago upright a minute later. The big defender headed off for treatment and 10-man Otago plugged on for five minutes before he returned, while Coach Burgess ‘discussed’ the safety implications with the fourth official.

Back to full strength Otago began to gain possession and stroke passes around a formation that packed the midfield. When Otago did begin to threaten towards the end of the first half too many attacking runs were flagged for offside.

As they have all tournament Boon Ozawa and Matt Kelly drove the engine room ably. Jacob Willetts put in huge miles down the right flank, while Ali Amman worked hard in an attacking midfield role behind target-man James Tucker.

As half-time approached once again Otago minds switched to the thought of half-time oranges, and another straight ball caught out the defence, requiring swift intervention from Dijsktra in goal as he came charging a long way out of the area to hack away to safety.

Coaches Murray and Burgess delivered a mild hairdryer at half-time in an effort to snap the lads out of the slump but it did not appear to have the desired effect as the first minute of the second half saw Brunei drag a shot wide from close range with Otago defenders left sprawling.

Seven minutes later Otago came to life with Johnnie Hickey, on for an exhausted Jacob Willetts, lighting the afterburners down the right and skidding a dangerous low cross right through the six-yard box that the keeper spilled. Boon Ozawa was on hand to stab at the rebound but his effort was blocked, and the assistant referee adjudged Sam Lowe offside as he swept in the rebound.

Cruelly for Otago, only minutes later Brunei’s right winger scorched past his defender with a display of absolute pace. He drove for the byline and cut the ball across for a tap in finish. Otago 1-3.

Another dangerous ball in the box from Otago created havoc on 65 minutes. Boon Ozawa was on hand again to hack at goal from inside 6-yards after Charlie Smith had left two defenders sprawling on the left byline. The keeper saved his first time effort as Smith popped up to punch in the rebound. As the Otago players wheeled away in celebration the assistant referee flagged Smith for offside to the absolute disbelief of the Otago bench.

Once again Coach Burgess provided some ‘feedback’ for the fourth official, who he was now on fine terms with. On 72 minutes the odds of another late-game comeback by Otago were quashed when another blazing run down the right by the Brunei number 12 culminated in a tidy finish after a cutback from the by-line. Otago 1-4.

Barely a minute later however Charlie Smith gave Otago a glimmer of hope when he looped a precision header in off the upright after yet another fantastic cross from Johnnie Hickey wide on the right. The Brunei keeper was left a spectator as Smith stood his ground and calmy picked his spot. Otago 2-4.

Otago thoughts again turned to a late surge but a third goal in three minutes, this time to Brunei, put the game to bed. A free-kick on the edge of the Otago penalty area was dispatched with venom past the Otago wall and was still rising as it bulged the back of the net. Otago 2-5, and that was how it finished, despite Otago throwing everything forward in the final moments.

Man-of-the-match went to Johnnie Hickey for coming on and provided menace and spark every time he went forward. Coach Murray applauded his excellent crosses, which created the majority of Otago’s chances. So tournament over for the lads, and the disappointment is evident.

Coaches Murray and Burgess wrapped up the evening by helping the boys put things in perspective. Despite tough losses the standard of play and football sense demonstrated by the boys has increased across the week.

The point of the tournament from an Otago perspective is to expose local players to football against players that are better than they are, who train daily, and who literally live and breathe football.

This is the environment and the standard the boys needed to see to put their football ambitions into focus, and to see what is required to push for places at higher levels. Undoubtedly an excellent experience and a successful 5 matches for the Otago boys, who are full of raw talent.

So a day off now, and the team will start to pack up and prepare for the journey home tomorrow. Everyone is looking forward to the closing ceremony tonight, and winding down after what has been an extremely action packed week.

Starting line up (Subs): Dijkstra (Pongpatimet 70), Pinfold, Cook (Thom 39), Gruppelaar, Brook, Kelly, Ozawa, Amman (Lowe 63), Ramsay (Smith 60), Willetts (Hickey 34), Tucker (Wiebus 63) Injury Report: Pongpatimet (shoulder) – re-injured during match. To be re-assessed in the morning. Hickey (hamstring) – re-aggravated during match. Strapped and restricted to light duties. Cook (head knock) – mild concussion. No loss of consciousness. Monitoring overnight. Is feeling ok and medical staff are happy.

Singapore B

Otago went into this match against Singapore B, on the back of a heavy loss to Thailand in the previous game but one in which the boys had produced a strong second half performance.

The game against Singapore B was targeted as a must-win by the Otago coaching staff if Otago was to be a chance at playing in the bronze medal game.

The first half was a tepid affair, with neither side playing very tidy football in the early stages. That said Otago did have the first chance. Sam Lowe loped past his marker but dragged his shot across goal from 18 yards out.

On ten minutes James Tucker powered in a low cross from the left, which deflected off a defender and onto the crossbar. Singapore B reacted quickest to clear the ball as it fell back into play.

Neither keeper was stretched after that point, and the game lacked any fluency. Josh Dijkstra in goal for Otago was called into action in the 24th minute, defusing a rare Singapore B attack with a regulation save at the near post.

As half timed loomed the Otago coaching staff turned to discuss what to say to the lads when an attacking free-kick in a good position suddenly turned dangerous. The ball pinged off the Singapore B wall and was driven downfield to the striker who had outpaced the Otago centre-backs. 1v1 and the Singapore B player drove straight for goal. Otago hearts were hammering as keeper Dijkstra rushed out to meet the player, making a brilliant finger-tip save low to his right to deflect the ball inches past the upright.

Half-time 0-0. After a relatively uninspiring first half the second half was due some excitement, and duly delivered it in spades. Coach Murray brought on livewire Johnnie Hickey and the industrious Daniel Ramsay.

The first move off the kick-off required a save from Otago’s Dijkstra in goal. Five minutes later, after a spell of Otago pressure another turnover on attack led to a break down the right flank by Singapore B. Outpacing the Otago defence the Singapore B striker was first to meet an excellent low cross and sidefoot them into the lead. Otago 0-1.

Three minutes later a high and hesistant Otago defence was caught out, sliced open by a direct short-ball while centre-back Ben Pinfold was temporarily off for treatment. One-on-one and the Singapore B striker made no mistake, confidently placing the ball over and past the onrushing Dijkstra. Otago 0-2.

Otago played gamely on but struggled to produce the menace of previous games. Urgency led to over-hit passes and poor control, and the next ten minutes saw the ball exchanged between both sides in the midfield.

Otago created their best chance on 65 minutes when Matt Kelly bundled into the box but slipped his right-footed shot wide under pressure from defenders and the keeper. James Tucker picked up a yellow card shortly afterward for a tired late tackle.

After a neat give-and-go at the top of the box Daniel Ramsay was denied as the Singapore B keeper slid in to take the ball off his toes. With 12 minutes to play Otago were still seeking a response. A formation change to 3-5-2, combined with three Otago substitutions created more pressure in the midfield, and as Otago won more ball and pressed higher up the park Singapore B looked to clear at every opportunity.

In the 73rd minute one such clearance found its way to Boon Ozawa at the edge of the centre circle. Drifting to his right Ozawa launched a first-time 45-yard blockbuster into the top-right hand corner as he spotted the Singapore B keeper off his line. The stadium erupted and all of sudden Otago sparked into life. An absolute wonder-goal from the diminutive midfielder. Otago 1-2.

With their tails up the Otago side began to make use of their size advantage up front. Every ball was delivered straight back into the box and as normal time ended Matt Kelly laced in a glorious cross from the right. Everyone was on their feet as the unmarked James Tucker met the ball at pace and bulleted his header into the top-right corner beyond the despairing dive of the keeper. Otago back from the dead at 2-2.

As play resumed and the fourth official signalled 3 minutes of extra time spectators barely had time to return to their seats when a flat goal-kick from the Singapore B keeper found Matt Kelly at halfway.

He headed the ball directly back through a gaping hole between the Singapore B centre-backs for James Tucker to run onto. A stunned Singapore B side watched as Tucker lunged out with his left foot, steering the ball into the bottom left corner from all of 18 yards.
Otago 3-2.

Absolute jubilation for the lads having snatched the game with less than minute to play, and the final whistle was met with delight. Even the usually reserved coaching duo of Murray and Burgess allowed themselves a smile. Otago had the win they needed to stay in with a chance of making the bronze playoff.

A win against Brunei in the following game is the next hurdle on the way to that game. Man-of-the-match was a shared affair going to James Tucker for his two well-taken goals, including the game winner, and to Steven Cook for his giant performance at centre-back.

Starting line up (Subs): Dijkstra, Brook (Wiebus 73), Cook, Pinfold, Gruppelaar (Thom 65), Kelly, Ozawa, Smith (Hickey 45), Lowe (Ramsay 45), Amman (Willetts 75), Tucker

Game 3, v Thailand

Thailand 1-6 : After the huge effort against Australia the previous evening the Otago squad had less than 24 hours to prepare for the game against the highly touted Thailand side.

The boys did an excellent job replacing the weight they had lost in the Aussie game and all weighed in back where they should be. Despite the results spirits are high, and the boys have been enjoying the down time between games, heading off to the well stocked games room, recovery sessions in the pool, or watching the girls netball in the auditorium, which is unsurprisingly becoming an increasingly popular option.

Heavy thunderstorms and rain in the afternoon delayed kick-off. The severity of the afternoon storms have local authorities issuing lightning warnings which prevent outdoor matches taking place. This approach is clearly justified as earlier in the week a lightning strike hit the accommodation block with a huge crack, causing a flutter for even young hearts.

The Otago line-up for the match was a 5-4-1 formation that attempted to shore up the defensive line in the absence of Otago captain Keegan Taig, who was ruled out of the match with a suspected toe fracture sustained against Australia. Matt Kelly was handed the captain’s duties for the match, to the applause of his teammates.

From the kick-off Thailand were the team that adapted best to the soaking pitch conditions. Zippy passing and feinting runs immediately pulled Otago out of position and heaped pressure on the blue and gold defence.

Unable to clear the ball out of the half Otago attempted to weather the storm. In only the third minute Thailand poked home the opening goal with Otago keeper Pongpatimet struggling to handle the soap-like ball. Otago 0 – 1.

Thailand continued to attack at will, finding time and space in the box. In the 6th minute centre-back Ben Pinfold slammed on a brilliant slide-tackle to block a shot in the 6-yard box, and only minutes later Daniel Gruppelaar cleared off the line.

Eventually the pressure began to tell as Thailand turned up the heat, and the second goal came from a miscued Otago clearance which only found the 18 yard line. Controlling the loose ball a Thai player expertly drilled his finish into the bottom left corner. Otago 0 -2.

It was all one way traffic from there, with Thailand finding the back of the net in the 17th minute, Otago 0-3, 26th minute, Otago 0-4, and 27th minute, Otago 0-5, courtesy of Otago mistakes under pressure in the wet conditions.

A change of shape to a more attacking 4-5-1 on 30 minutes saw Otago settle and gain more possession. A few attacking wide runs followed, along with a handful of corners but Otago didn’t test the Thai keeper.

From a fast counter-attack Thailand snuck another goal from a cross on 38 minutes. Otago 0 -6.

The second half started much better for the Otago lads, who to their credit did not let their heads drop after the first half mauling. Absorbing the input of Coach Murray Otago stopped dawdling on the ball, and began to be more assertive in the tackle.

Possession and confidence began to build and Otago controlled play for much of the second half. In midfield Boon Ozawa and Matt Kelly began to link well with target-man James Tucker.

In the 58th minute an expertly worked triangle between the three unlocked the Thai defence, and a surging burst from Matt Kelly saw him ride two challenges through the box before slotting a composed left-footed finish under the advancing ‘keeper from 6 yards out.
Otago 1 – 6.

Otago remained in the ascendancy, and from a cleared attacking corner centre-back Ben Pinfold jinked past two Thai players before unloading a 40-yard rocket that skipped dangerously off the wet turf and forced the Thai keeper to parry.

A couple of early Otago substitutions saw Jacob Willetts and Charlie Smith replace the hard working Ramon Weibus and Daniel Ramsay on the wings, while Josh Dijkstra had come on in goal at half-time in place of Panithan Pongpatimet who had picked up a shoulder injury.

As Thailand found their rhythm Dijkstra was called on to make a string of saves between the 30th and 35th minutes, punching away a couple of dangerous low crosses, and tipping one effort onto the bar, and another over.

The final ten minutes saw both sides exchange possession in midfield, and as the sun finally began to reappear the referee called time on the game.

For Otago it was an excellent second half effort that reaffirmed to the boys what they are capable of. Coach Murray applauded the second half effort and reminded the boys that while results are important, the purpose of the tour is development and exposure to different styles of play.

Man-of-the-match was captain Matt Kelly for taking the game by the scruff of the neck and turning the second half in Otago’s favour.

Starting line up (& subs): Pongpatimet (Dijkstra 40), Gruppelaar, Thom (Tucker 30), Cook, Pinfold, Brook, Ozawa, Kelly (c), Ramsay (Smith 62), Weibus (Willetts 55), Amman (Lowe 70) Injuries to date: Keegan Taig – suspected fracture (toe), currently being x-rayed. Johnnie Hickey – minor strain (hamstring), responding well to treatment. Jacob Willetts – soft tissue injury (foot), responding well to treatment. Panithan Pongpatimet – soft tissue injury (shoulder), good outlook.

Match 2.

After a day off to soak in the lessons of the first game against Singapore A the lads came out a different group for their second evening match against Footskills Australia. Right from the kick-off Otago harried and won possession all over the park. Australia couldn’t string more than two passes together in the face of the organised Otago unit.

The midfield trio of Ozawa, Amman and Kelly hunted as a pack and picked off passes and players constantly in the opening exchanges. With pressure came possession and Otago looked a different side on the ball compared to the first game. Secure first touches, smart support play and accurate passing caused Australia all sorts of trouble.

An attacking Otago throw from Cody Brook allowed James Tucker to break down the line and under pressure his overhit cross looked harmless until Daniel Ramsay outran his marker and hooked the ball back into the area where Ali Amman was all alone to pick his spot and head the ball into the top corner. Otago 1 -0 after 3 minutes.

The momentum remained with Otago and in the 15th minute Matt Kelly skated past two defenders only to be thwarted by a good save from the ‘keeper high in the box. Eventually Australia managed to retain the ball and began to create chances of their own. In the 28th minute Panithan Pongpatimet produced a fine reflex save at the near post to deny a one-on-one. In the 39th minute he produced the save of the match.

A scorching 30-yard drive from the Australian number 10 was destined for the top right-hand corner until Pongpatimet intervened with a highlight-reel full stretch dive to tip it wide. A mix-up at the back almost undid his good work on the stroke of half-time, with an interception in the box being blocked by a desperate effort from Boon Ozawa.

The second half saw Otago start brightly, with Daniel Ramsay denied one-on-one with the keeper. The Australian side became more physical, and a five-minute period saw 3 Otago players requiring on-field treatment. The momentum Otago had began to wane and Otago conceded in the 60th minute when a long goal-kick fell favourably for the Australian striker, who did well to head past his defender and punch home a high half-volley to get Australia back on terms. Otago 1 – 1.

A deflated Otago were scrambling now, and a minute later an Australian corner pinged around in the box, sitting up for one of their players to poke it home from 8-yards out. Otago 1 -2. A string of substitutions and a switch to an attacking 3-4-3 by Otago coach Murray saw Otago chasing the game with renewed verve.

Throwing caution to the wind Otago bombed forward at every chance, with an attacking trio of Lowe, Willetts, and Kelly the spearhead. When the inevitable counter-attacks came some spectacular, gritty defending kept the Australians at bay.

Man-of-the-match Daniel Gruppelaar was a pillar at right back, and in the 65th minute he slammed on a clean high speed sliding tackle, getting all ball, and depositing the Australian winger into the Otago dugout, along with the 4th official who happened to be walking past at the time. Then again in the 70th minute Gruppelaar was on hand to make a last-ditch sliding block at the near post to keep Otago in with a chance. He popped up again to return a miscued goal-clearance first time from all of 50-yards, seeing his effort land on the roof of the net with the ‘keeper sweating. 

With time ebbing away an attacking corner for Otago was clipped over by Sam Lowe and came straight back out. Lowe produced a second left-footed effort which eluded the ‘keeper and bounced dangerously down off the crossbar into the six-yard box. Heart-in-the-mouth stuff but no fairytale finish as the ball was hacked clear.

Demonstrating the intensity was the collective 30kg lost by the players over the course of the game. Workhorse Matt Kelly lost a team-high 3.25kg, while the already lean Johnnie Hickey lost an astounding 5% of his body weight in the hot conditions.

The mounting injury list is a concern but team physio Jamie Gough is tending expertly to the stream of walking wounded. A morning pool session should also ease the aches and pains. Despite the result the boys put in a performance to be proud of and while they are deeply disappointed Coach Murray has told them to “bottle the hurt” and take away the many positives from the game, and turn the aim to Thailand tomorrow.

Starting line up (& subs): Pongpatimet (GK), Gruppelaar, Thom (Cook 62), Taig, Brook (Willetts 63), Ozawa, Amman, Kelly, Hickey (Smith 44), Ramsay (Pinfold 70) Tucker (Lowe 48)

Match 1 v Singapore A

Match 1. In the opening day’s programme the Otago boys found Singapore A too hot to handle.

After a heavy afternoon downpour the teams faced off on the latest-generation artificial turf at the Singapore Sports School.

An assured pre-match team talk by Coach Murray had the boys hitting the pitch for a short, sharp fifteen minute warm-up in the 30 degree heat.

The match started positively with Otago looking to string passes together but our first-touch didn’t match our enthusiasm and when Singapore got the ball it remained theirs for long periods.

The Singapore side looked like a team that has spent 3 years playing together, and their short passing game and zippy running off the ball soon created problems for us. Eventually the pressure told, with a driven corner-kick met by an angled run and re-directed into the top corner to give Singapore the lead after fifteen minutes, 1-nil.

Otago came straight back, with a long clearance from Daniel Gruppelaar at right back allowing James Tucker to get the jump on a high Singapore defence and go one-on-one with the ‘keeper but unfortunately he put his first-time attempt high and wide.

After that it was all Singapore, and the Otago lads weathered a sustained spell of pressure. Otago struggled to settle and continued to chase shadows as the ground-lights came on.

A half-clearance from a corner fell to the top of the box and after skipping past a defender the ball was dispatched into the bottom corner despite a strong touch from Otago ‘keeper Josh Dijkstra.

2-0 down and Otago began to settle and find feet, with Boon Ozawa and Matt Kelly providing the midfield links for the team to drive into the corners behind the Singapore defence, but we were unable to find the decisive ball into the box.

With Singapore unable to clear Otago set-up camp on attack and the boys enjoyed a brief spell of dominance before falling victim to a route-one breakaway. The boys had every right to complain as the Singapore striker appeared well offside, however the view of Otago management did not match that of the officials and the goal stood, 3-nil.

Singapore found another gear and fast interplay down the right led to an unfortunate handball in the box, and yellow card, for defender Steven Cook. The subsequent penalty was hammered down the middle and a shell-shocked Otago were now down
4-0 leading in to half-time.

The second half saw the team heading the advice of Coach Murray and retaining their shape, and not diving in trying to win every tackle. A string of early Otago substitutions changed the tempo of the game and a change in formation began to bear fruit down the right.

Daniel Gruppelaar linked well with Boon Ozawa and Matt Kelly to release Johnnie Hickey who used his pace to turn the Singaporean left-back on a number of occasions. The first chance of the half came from an Otago corner, which was rifled across the six-yard box but didn’t find the Otago head it needed.

Ali Aman came on and provided some muscle and energy into a packed mid-field, winning balls and harrying opposition. The golden chance for Otago came from a flowing team move, with Daniel Grupelaar controlling a crisp Steven Cook pass out of defence and rolling his defender before threading a glorious ball down the line for Johnnie Hickey to round his defender again before he delivered a grass-burning cross onto the laces of Sam Lowe who was streaking into the box.

From 8 yards out his first time shot was denied by a sprawling point-blank save from the Singapore ‘keeper to the amazement of the crowd.

More enterprising work from Otago went unrewarded and to their credit they kept their heads up and remained on terms with Singapore until late in the game when a nice flick-on un-locked our defence and despite Josh Dijkstra rapidly closing the angle he could only watch the classy lob-finish to put Singapore 5-0 up.

So a real baptism of fire for the boys and plenty to think about during our rest day. Man of the match was Boon Ozawa for his tireless work-rate in midfield.

Starting line up (Subs): Dijkstra, Brook (Thom 75), Cook, Gruppelaar, Kelly, Ozawa, Pinfold (Amman 45), Ramsay (Weibus 58), Smith (Hickey 45), Taig, Tucker (Lowe 50)