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| DYNASTY 3 v 0 HONG KONG REDS (II) 10th March 2007, KO 6.30pm, Kowloon Tsai Park, Lok Fu Team: Ken Abela, Ian “OG” McAlan, Mark Christal, Neil Finney, Duncan Micallef, Tony Chan, Tony Stringer, Jason Lee, Dennis Hayworth, Mike Wrigley, Hans, Keith Jolley, Matt Houghton, Leo. Match Report by “Mad” Ken Abela Debut for MK ends in KO for OLSC Hong Kong Reds had been on a long unbeaten run, and their next opponents, Dynasty, had recently been given a spanking any daddy would have been proud of. Surely it was a mere formality that another victory beckoned?  Nothing in football, except that Everton will not win the Champions League, is guaranteed. The sneaky opposition turned things their way with calls for a referee and linesmen, an unheard of phenomenon in the world of Hong Kong amateur friendlies. At first it seemed like a ploy from the Dynasty guys to pretend they were playing a professional game, something to tell the grandchildren about - “I remember the day we got beaten by Liverpool in a floodlit stadium, with lush greenery underfoot, being watched by a packed stadium.” Upon reflection however, a more sinister reality became apparent. Those that were at the previous meeting between the two sides will remember the truly perfected way in which the Shuttleworth Machine had done his goal hanging and produced talentless, goal-poaching moments that Ruud van Nistelrooy would be proud of. The mere mention of officials quickly saw the end of the goal hanging possibility, and it was thus that Mr S made himself unavailable.  There was, of course, another rather frustrating reason for the referee. Recently, you may have read that Hong Kong lacks decent facilities for training for the upcoming Olympics in Beijing. As a result, Olympic divers have taken to joining local football teams in an attempt to practice their technique. The speed with which referees blow up for the fouls gives an indication as to the perfection of those acrobatic pirouettes, turns and other interesting forms. The start of the game saw some very interesting choices being made by Dave “Benitez” Oh. Also rather interestingly, HK Reds chose to have their kit turn up late and thus start the game in a shambolic mixture of colours. Adding to this chaos was the lack of any recognised centre backs. It was this that led to HK Reds’s first undoing. With a massive 1 minute and 10 seconds gone in the game, an attacker’s challenge from Mark saw the first salmon-esque leap from just inside the box to the 6 yard area. 10 out of 10 for form, little splash upon entry - penalty. There was little our glorious keeper could have done, except maybe dive the right way. 1-0.  This early bombshell affected HK Reds in a very bad way. Passes went astray, possession was lost cheaply, and intelligent runs were ignored for the more obvious trying-to-run-past-all-of-the-opposition. It seemed highly likely that the next goal would be scored by the opposition. However, cometh the hour cometh the man. Having just won the ball from a misplaced pass, their winger knocked a somewhat hopeful ball into the box. Under no pressure the keeper came out and shouted, “Keeper’s”. However, in the noisy cauldron that is Kowloon Tsai Park, the Maltese English "Keeper’s" translated into Scouse English as “run to the ball, get in front of me, and chest it majestically into the empty net.” And so it was that our own Ian “Finnan” McAlan stole the opportunity for a Dynasty player to score next - an own goal that was unfortunately not captured on camera. Of course, given the chance to try to hit the target under a similar, no-pressure situation following a short corner, the same player not only missed the target, but the ball had to find its own way back in a taxi.  The end of the first half saw the HK Reds trailing 2-0, with improvements there to be made. If ever there was a moment for a rousing speech, this was it. This was the time to mention AC Milan, or West Ham. Into this role stepped Jason with a stirring shout of “The referee is sh*t”. Enough said.  The second half was much better, with changes being made at the back, and passes being strung along nicely. Some great moves down the wings, along with people finding those runs with visionary passes, gave HK Reds more chances on goal. However, it just wasn’t happening. Shots were being saved, hitting the post or just going wide. It seemed the HK Reds players had been watching the current Liverpool strike force too closely. As a result of the need for HK Reds to score goals, gaps started to appear and Dynasty were soon utilizing their pace up front. A number of clear cut chances for them were wasted, and other attacks were halted by some brilliant defending and one moment (and possibly the only moment in his career) of goalkeeping brilliance. However, in the end Dynasty were able to kill the game off with a third 10 minutes before the end. Final score: Dynasty 3 HK Reds 0, with the referee pulling out the card 3 times for Dynasty players. Not a single one of those was for simulation, but Hong Kong’s hopes of a medal at the Olympics look good. Bring on the Outdoor Simulation event. Man of the match is a tough one, with Wriggles running around creating chances and missing them all; McAlan with a finish he could never hope to emulate again; Jason for his stirring words and effortless running in midfield to mention but a few. I think I’d go for Tony Stringer in midfield for his ability to keep a cool head when all around him were laughing at Ian, his solid distribution and taking of free kicks that went past the first man. Tony has been asked by the Liverpool staff whether he could go over to Anfield and teach some of the lads there what the ball is supposed to do regarding the wall. Man of the Match Tony Stringer Everton Wally Wallet Award Retained by McAlan, who seems to be trying his best to make the award his own. To view more photos of the game click here. |
| Previous match reports HK Reds v Spartans Vets HK Supporters’ 6s 2009 HK Reds v USRC HK Reds KL Tour 2007 HK Reds v Savills (II) HK Reds v AIG (II) HK Reds v AIG (I) HK Reds v Savills (I) Dynasty v HK Reds (II) Dynasty v HK Reds (I) Manarise v HK Reds Sandy Bay Strollers v HK Reds Pepsi Shooters vs HK Reds Want to play for the Hong Kong Reds football team? 11-a-side-team please email: dave@hongkongreds.com Hong Kong Reds Magazine    Click magazines for large view |
