Scorers:
Cris
Colin
Dennis
Ok so they lost....that's nothing new. More importantly the Saints had FUN on Sunday after being robbed of the game 6-3 against Tanjong Pagar GRC at the Bukit Merah Secondary.
The lads certainly had their moments and as Dezz Piero said after the match: "Hey these guys will be talking about it well into the year."
The team can also be proud of the three fantastic goals which was mixed with a touch of world class.
First off the bat for the Saints was Cris' peach of a header of a cross from HotRod which he managed to nick in despite being sandwiched between two Tanjong Pagar defenders.
Oliver came close to scoring as early as the second minute of the game but he was denied by the woodwork. Better luck next time Ollie.!!
Weighed down by the extra pounds, thanks to pigging out and boozing during the Holidays, the Saints really lost the game in the fitness department. Several times during the game, the lads were caught out of position because they were unable to match the legs on the young Tanjong Pagar players.
But the Saints certainly didn't dissapoint their travelling fans who showed up to support their boys in blue.
Midway through the first half, the Saints earned a direct free kick just on the edge of the penalty box. Stepping up to size up the situation was Stewart , Colin 'mr consistent' Teo and Eddie Spaghetti. Seconds later catching everyone on the field by surprise, Colin lifted his shot through the Tanjong Pagar wall through the legs of Cris, who fooled the defender marking him right of his feet.
The crowds and the players went wild after the spectacular effort, especially since Colin's start was doubtful before the game because of a knee injury sustained in a match a day earlier.
But the real celebrations were saved for Den Hustler. Hustler, playing in his first match since going on the injured reserve list four months ago after a freak accident which saw him rupture ligaments in his left wrist was in fine form.
Hustler playing in a new role created specially for him in midfield inspired the Saints with an early rally in the second period. (ACE swears that its because of Everton's 3-1 win against Coventry City.) And his efforts to lift his team was rewarded with a goal scored on the volley thanks to a brilliant shot off a rebound by Rodney "Killer Touch" Goh which was way too hot for the keeper to handle
The goal sent the Saints bench into a wild frenzy. It signalled the return of the Hustler and it was a warning to all Saints opponents that the right flank will never be the same again.
OK yeah there was also a fight which almost saw the referee calling the game off. But we had fun and for this match reporter it was probably the best part of the game.
There is still a dispute as to how it actually started but I reckon we'll leave that for Eddie Spaghetti and Lester "Boo Boo" Lim to sort out the details.
All in all it was a good start to the new millenium. And the lads will continue to look to find ways of having fun in victory and defeat.
Players:
Leon
Oliver
Lenny
Wan
Alan
Edwin
Desmond
Rodney
Nelson
Cris
Lester
Dave
Luke
Dennis
Colin
Eugene