Week 34: 24th July

Week 34: Spartans 2 v Monopoly 1 6.00pm - Sandy Bay new astro
It was a humid evening with every one arriving nice and early for the big one. Spartans kicked off and started in good fashion with some good interplay with Medhi and Steve G along with Knowles. It was a Medhi pass which cut two defenders and found Joe who pirouetted first to strike home the opener. Great start which only got better with Medhi striking a left foot shot into the top corner giving the keeper no chance. 2 nil up with 25 minutes gone Li Yougsen was through who was only thwarted by an outstanding save from Monopoly keeper. We could have easily been 3 up.

At the other end Bertie and Briggsy were very solid handling a good and aggressive Monopoly forward. James Ross and Thomas Deering working hard to stop the Monopoly wide players who were finding gaps but were stopped by some outstanding defensive work for our part.

Half time 2-0 and very positive with the start however second half was a different affair and Monopoly clawed their way back into the game with a goal early from a goal box scramble. We started to look a bit shaky and Monopoly pushed forward with Thomas Ma producing an excellent save. Minutes later Tommy got an elbow to the head but thankfully shook it off to continue in a courageous move.

As Monopoly was dominating a few tactical changes including the beefing up of our midfield along with Jeff up front doing a great job holding the ball up. Steve G had made a great run into their box only for their keeper to produce another top class save to keep Monopoly in the game.

As the minutes ticked on and we couldn’t seem to get the third killer goal all thoughts were on defending our slender lead with safety first football. A few nail biting moments in the end with a few dangerous corners and free kicks. In the end we did enough to hold them out and record a memorable victory. It wasn’t pretty but it was hugely gutsy and draining effort.

Week 33: 5th June

Week 33: Force 0 v Monopoly 1 12.00noon - Kings Park
Monopoly went at Force right from the start with Rob Chamberlain and Evan Hale causing plenty of problems up front with Chamberlain getting his just desserts within the first fifteen minutes via a tap-in at the far post. Monopoly were verging on being rampant and Chamberlain was unlucky not to get a couple more within the first twenty minutes. After a few changes Chris Ingham picked up the mantle and created his own kind of havoc rampaging up front but was also unlucky not capitalize on chances that he and Monopoly were creating.

Force slowly eased there way back into the game resulting in a couple of free kicks that Monopoly's keeper easily tamed. Their long throw-ins were difficult to defend but Force never really looked like they were going to cause Monopoly any other serious problems and sure enough they did not.

The first half ended with the mighty Steve Wozencroft clashing heads with one of Force's players, cutting his forehead in the process and having to take to the sidelines for some emergency bandaging via one of our Monopoly's spare socks. Force could smell blood – literally, and Monopoly were immediately put on the back foot for the remaining few minutes of the first half.

The second took on a different perspective with Force forcing Monopoly to defend but again their defensive team worked tirelessly and Monopoly's keeper was never really troubled apart from one shot that fizzed over bar. Monopoly were guilty of squandering some excellent opportunities to kill off the game and fortunately despite the half seemingly going on forever the ref blew and the Champions League final beckons for Monopoly.

Week 33: Spartans 3 v Revolution 2 6.00pm - Sandy Bay new astro
A balmy Saturday twilight match for a cup semi saw us play against second place Revolution. Starting as favorites Spartans went into the game with loads of optimism, come kick off we had only a few reserves but nevertheless a strong squad.

Kick Off and we were slow off the blocks. A harmless kick into our box saw Sam fumble and slotted home for Revo to go one up. Not the best start after only 10 minutes.

However things took the turn for the worse when a miss kicked goal kick put us in load of pressure and collision between Sam and Bertie resulted in Revo’s second after 15 minutes, with Sam knocked practically unconscious by the collision. Clearly the game wasn’t going to script.

However like true Spartan style all season we bounced back. We started to play good football and then a corner wasn’t cleared properly for Nathan to hammer home our first goal from outside the box with a terrific strike. We continued to press and it was only a matter of time before Forlan provided the inspiration to escape his defender and slot home the equalizer before the break.

The second half was high pressure stuff and little separated both sides. However we seem to have the better play and Knowzer and Steve G stepped up to dominate the middle the park in fine fashion. We had a Jan goal disallowed which was flagged for offside from a curling free kick. Then Medhi had a great chance to get the lead after Steve G shot was finely saved by their keeper only for Medhi to scoff it high. Jens then ran on to a through ball by Medhi only to hit the post.

However the crucial goal came from unlikely source in goalkeeper Sam long punt up field, which saw the Revo defender somehow miss head it straight to Forlans predatory instincts. He calmly slotted it passed the keeper to put us in the lead. The last 15 minutes Spartans were under pressure. Revo having several free kicks and corners into the box. However Jan and Bertie where up to the task and headed everything back with interest in a fine defensive display.

Finally the whistle went and a fantastic win after a major setback in the beginning.

Week 31: 14/15th May

Week 31: USRC 1 v Monopoly 2 7.30pm - Kings Park
To guarantee a Champions League semi-final this match was a must-win for both teams. Unfortunately it took a turn for the worse within the first ten minutes when Lukasz Drozdek chased down a long ball and in the process landed on and badly twisted his ankle. It was clear straight away he was in trouble and the game was put on hold until the ambulance came and he was stretchered off and taken to hospital.

After an x-ray it’s turned out that Lukasz has dislocated and broken his ankle and he’ll require surgery to insert a plate and some pins into his leg to make sure the break heals properly. The surgery should happen in the next few days once the swelling has gone down.

Because of the delay it was agreed with the referee to shorten each half and the game resumed.

The game was fairly tight for the rest of the half with both teams enjoying possession. USRC conceded a free kick and Graham McNally struck a ferocious long-range effort that beat USRC’s stranded keeper before crashing back off the cross bar and into safety. Towards the end of the half USRC had Monopoly’s keeper doing his Superman impression and had he had eyes in the back of his head he would have been relieved to see the ball also ping back off the cross bar.

The second half saw a few USRC reinforcements enter the fray but after fifteen minutes of further stalemate it was time for a change. Monopoly’s Rob Chamberlain moved up front while Richard Broadhurst came on to police right midfield. Within minutes the change drew dividends.

Broadhurst collected the ball just inside the USRC penalty box and with their full back leaving too much space behind him rolled back the years, pushed the ball past him and lashed one in Broadhurst-style from an acute angle to make it one nil.

Minutes later before Monopoly knew it they were two nil up. With USRC’s defence failing to clear and some good pressing work by Monopoly’s vintage right midfielder, Rob Chamberlain was neatly picked out in the middle of the box and although under immediate pressure and with his back to goal, he managed to turn their defence inside out and place it past USRC’s hypnotised keeper to make it 2 – 0.

With only ten minutes to go USRC had to turn up the heat. For the most part Monopoly handled it although USRC’s corners caused some problems. Monopoly’s keeper managed to punch one ball clear only for it to bounce back Laurel and Hardy style off someone’s head and hit the underside of the crossbar before being cleared. Monopoly survived that one only to come a cropper shortly afterwards when another corner was flicked on to the far post then laid off to USRC’s player on the edge of our area who struck an excellent shot that left Monopoly’s keeper with no chance to make it 2 – 1.

Committing bodies forward, USRC’s efforts to equalize meant they were stretched and Monopoly came close to exploiting the space with Graham McNally and Rob Chamberlain weaving their magic and opening up their defence. With only minutes to go the situation was under control and shortly afterwards the ref blew leaving Monopoly with the three points, a top of the Champions League table finish and a place in the Champions League semi-final.

Week 31: Spartans 2 v JLeaguers 1 4.30pm - Happy Valley 5
Kick-off and a fairly scrappy game with both teams struggling to control much on tough pitch. The first half ended up scoreless, the second half opened up with a long range effort from Kyota Yamada giving the JLeaguers the lead. However the Spartans responded well with Jan Buttle-Ulvin bulldozing the equalizer for Spartans before Jens Floor secured the winner with a powerful header. 

Week 31: Men Utd 1 v Studz 0 3.00pm - Kowloon Tsai 3
The first half was relatively quiet with few chances for both sides. In the second half Men United reshuffled their formation and this allowed some free flowing attacking displays. A dazzling run from Eric Tang allowed Mark Chan to score his first goal in the legal league. Both teams had further goal scoring opportunities but Men United held their nerves and ended their season with a win.

Week 30: 8th May

Week 30: Legal Head 0 v Mes Amis 0 12.30pm - Sandy Bay
Neither team could break the deadlock with both sides having great chances to score. In the end the points where shared.

Week 30: Force 3 v JLeaguers 0 6.00pm - Ma On Shan
Force went ahead with a well taken goal by Black Yuen to give them a 1 nil lead at the break. The second half was fairly even until a Force player was bought down in box and Keith Mui slotted home second. Black Yuen then scored his second before JLeaguers were dissalowed a late consolation goal by an offside flag.

Week 30: Men Utd 0 v Monopoly 3 1.30pm - Tai Hung Tung
Report 1: Few chances resulted in the first half but a mistake from a Men United defender led to a goal for Monopoly despite an attempted goalline clearance. Men United had a decent run of possession and goalscoring chances early in the second half, but further mistakes led to goals for Monopoly midway through the second half. A game to forget for Men United.

Report 2: This had the makings of potential end-of-season banana skin after the ferociously named Men United had Monopoly against the ropes earlier on in the season.

 Monopoly soon took control of the game getting their tackles in and making the most of their aerial advantage. Their front four were all working well together up front causing all kinds of problems in the final third and were unlucky not to test Men U's keeper more severely given the amount of possession they had.

 The first breakthrough came towards the end of the first half when Monopoly's Chris Skinner converged on Men U's 18 yard box, carefully guiding the ball out to the left, then collecting the subliminal return pass and expertly lifting the ball over the onrushing keeper who did well to claw it off the line only for Skinner to pounce and head it in to make it one nil.

 Monopoly regrouped but in the second half almost came unstuck from a unexpected wayward goal kick that the mighty Men U were unable to convert. It did lift their game, though, and Monopoly were lucky to escape a brief period of defensive mayhem without conceding a goal.

 It did, however, galvanise Monopoly who soon tightened things back up and after surviving what turned out to be Men United’s only moment in the sun, went back at them full throttle with one wave of attack after another. The pressure Men U were under eventually paid off when Lukasz Drozdek threaded a sweet through ball from the inside of Men U's area that was in turn flashed across the face of goal for Oscar Vega to time his run perfectly and lash one into the onion bag to make two nil.

 By now it was game over for the not-so-mighty Men United although there was still time for more from the rampant Monopoly. Richard Dobson came as close as you can get to your first goal, for a team most can only dream about playing for, without actually scoring, when he connected beautifully with a perfectly flighted corner that invitingly sailed across the face of goal with come-and-stick-me-in-the-back-of-the-net written all over it. As he towered majestically it was already too late for the Men U keeper who was instantly beaten only to be saved when the ball crashed back off the cross bar.

 Rob Chamberlain tormented Men U's defence and playing in Monopoly’s stand-in left winger with a defence-splitting through-ball and with only the keeper to beat the resulting effort on goal went well wide to much deserved derision when a goal was the very least it deserved.

 Chamberlain did, however, get his just desserts after toying with their right back, nutmegging him in the process and sending the ball in and across goal for Drozdek to expertly collect and place it past their keeper and into the back of the net to nicely wrap up the three points.

Week 29: 2nd May

Week 29: JLeguers 2 v Men Utd 2 3.00pm - Happy Valley 3
Men United was only able to start the match with 9 players but managed to take the lead through a 30-yard strike from Joe Cheung. Men United defended deeply in the first half and JLeaguers levelled the match shortly before the end of the first half. In the second half, Men United regrouped and a brilliant pass from William Chan gave Joe Cheung space to strike a lovely left foot drive into the top left corner of the net. With only a minute to go, Men United conceded a penalty through a handball which JLeaguers duly converted.

Week 29: Monopoly 0 v Mes Amis 0 12.30pm - Sandy Bay New astro
This had the potential to be a tough test for both teams and on a roasting hot day that’s just what happened.

Mes had Monopoly under pressure for long spells during the first half with some quality players in the final third of the pitch picking up the ball just outside of Monopoly’s area, playing it around in front of their back four and keeping them on their toes and making them work hard to keep them out which they duly and did. Monopoly were guilty of giving away free kicks in dangerous places and Craney came close with a well struck shot that fizzed over the cross-bar.

Oscar Vega expertly played Dave Tang in behind Mes’s back four for a one-on-one but it wasn’t to be as their keeper managed to keep his shot out. Rob Chamberlain came on and immediately made an impact going at Mes’s defence with his trickery.

The second saw Mes under a steady stream of pressure although they had their moments but were once again thwarted by some excellent defending. Monopoly’s front four were all working hard winning the ball but were unable to fashion any real clear cut chances apart from a one-on-one with the keeper that Oscar Vega was unable to convert.

In the end the heat took its toll with huge gaps appearing in both halves but with everyone being too tired to exploit them and the game finished nil nil which was a fair result.

Week 29: BOCs 1 v Revolution 2 4.30pm - Sandy bay old astro
Revolution guaranteed themselves a top 3 finish for the first time in 10 seasons with a narrow 2-1 win over BoCs at Sand Bay.

The first half was a scrappy affair and both sides struggled to create chances: 2 busy midfields cancelled each other out. The only moment of quality saw BoC open the scoring after about 20 minutes. Jason Lee picked up the ball in midfield and set off on a mazy run, shrugging off several Revolution challenges before delicately chipping the ball into the top left hand corner from about 20 yards. A class goal, and that gave BoC the lead at half time.

Revolution made a tactical change at the break, moving Mike Tyrell out of defence and into central midfield, and the move paid immediate dividends. BoC conceded a free kick on the edge of the area only a minute after the restart, and Tyrell's searching cross was emphatically headed in at the back post by Richard Andrew. 5 minutes later, Mike scored what proved to be the winner when his high ball into the box was missed by everyone and found its way into the net.

Revolution twice went close to making the game safe, but Richard Andrew hit the post after a great run and Terry Graham was denied by a brilliant save by the goalkeeper. BoC then came roaring back and dominated the last 20 minutes. They came close to scoring, notably when Jason Lee headed straight at the keeper and a cheeky backheel hit the post after a goalmouth scramble, but Revolution held out to secure the points

Week 29: Studz 0 v Goodfellas 4 1.00pm - Boundary St
Goodfellas started with only ten players but still managed to hold their own against a determined and composed Studz. In the middle of the first half, Shaka Hinds found the net after a corner from Pravesh Narain. The first half ended one-nil.

Early in the second half, Cedric Couble was left alone on the left flank and he slotted in after Shaka Hinds fed him a perfect through ball. Shaka Hinds scored again from a long distance lob that left the Studz keeper stranded. Pravesh Narain wrapped up Goodfellas's scoring after Cedric Couble's pass found him alone on the left wing.

Week 28: 23/24th April

Week 28: USRC 0 v Men Utd 0 7.30pm - Kings Park 1
Report 1:Both teams had few chances in the first half. In the second half the tempo of the game was stepped up and Men United had several chances to win the game, including Steven Baram's header glancing just outside the post, but both teams were unable to find the back of the net.

Report 2: USRC against 8,9.10 and finally 11 United Men finished as it ,with 15 min delay , started : 0 - 0. The game was as disappointing as the news that there was no beer on sale in KP due to expired liquor license. Both Keepers not even close to being in danger, both teams had no right to claim the 3 points. A game to be forgotten soon. 

Week 28: Monopoly 4 v BOCs 0 1.00pm - Kowloon Tsai 1
From the kick off, Monopoly were confident and raring to make up for last weeks’ draw against Revolution. With a strong squad, plenty of subs and blue skies they were in the mood to make the most of this match and within the first five minutes were one nil up. After a surging run, Oscar Vega latched onto a through ball from midfield and after taking the BOC defence to the cleaners, he blasted his shot into the top right corner and made their keeper think twice about getting out of bed on a Saturday afternoon. One-nil to Monopoly.

Despite the early lead, BOC’s kept up the pressure and could have been right back in it when their nifty striker beat Monopoly’s offside trap but unfortunately pulled his shot enough for Monopoly’s Youn Seong to claim it. Monopoly continued to suck up the pressure conceding several free kicks just outside their area in the process.

Some intricate play and sound ball retention between defence and midfield led to Monopoly’s second goal, with Dave Tang picking out the perfect through ball on the left side of BOC’s box leaving it for Matt Howcroft to dispatch the ball into the top left corner and the first of numerous cringe-worthy goal celebrations to come. Two-nil Monopoly.

Monopoly were hungry for more and it was still the first half. Maintaining their domination of possession, Oscar Vega and Ed Doyle produced some magic in midfield with flicks and back-heels and with Lukas Drozdek tormenting the left side of BOC’s defence, he picked out Ben Walker who, with a neat tap-in, made it three-nil at half-time.

With twenty minutes to go Monopoly were full steam ahead and looking to add to the score sheet. Drozdek flicked the ball past BOC’s defence and Matt Howcroft, once again latching onto the through ball, was sent through into the box before snapping at the shot which the keeper could only parry into the net. Four-nil with more dubious celebrations to boot.

As the game drew to a close, Howcroft thought he’d reached footballing Mecca when he latched onto Chris Skinner’s header and taking him wide of the goal he managed to curl a lob into the far right of the goal only wheeling away in ecstasy only for the linesman to flag for offside with the game remaining at four-nil. 

Week 28: Goodfellas 1 v Mes Amis 3 3.00pm - Happy Valley 4
Mes scored two early goals before GF's David McLeod pulled one back to give GF some life. Mes put in a third toward the end of the first half. The second half saw some pretty even play from both teams and the scored remained 3-1.

Week 28: Revolution 1 v JLeaguers 0 4.30pm - Ma On Shan
Revolution ground out a narrow 1-0 victory over J-Leaguers in Ma On Shan in a classic "game of two halves".

J Leaguers did not start well and their passing and approach play in the 1st half was not up to the usual standard Revolution have seen in previous games between the teams. This allowed Revolution to take the initiative and dictate proceedings early on, attacking at will down the wings and having the better of things in the middle. Revolution took the lead after 15 minutes with a scrappy goal, when J Leaguers failed to take a number of chances to clear the ball and Rudi Dray hammered home from close range. Revolution continued to force the pace for most of the rest of the half but aside from a shot from Ricky Bernardo which fizzed just over the bar did not create anything of note. J Leaguers came back into the game, having a couple of shots just before half time, but Revolution went into the break in front and confident.

That confidence was misplaced. J Leaguers went to 5 in midfield and were a different side in the second half, which they dominated. Revolution, forced to go to 4-5-1 themselves to counter the waves of attacks, were unable to get out of their own half. J Leaguers won a dozen corners and several free kicks in dangerous positions. J Leaguers playmaker Okabe came closest to scoring from two free kicks, but Revolution keeper Richard Hudson was able to tip each round the post, and in the end the excellent Revolution back 4 held firm, didn't allow J Leaguers a decent chance from open play, and Revolution took the points.

Week 28: Spartans 6 v Force 2 12.30pm - Sandy Bay New astro
Spartans double by Steve Gordan set the tone for emphatic victory. Further goals to Jim Rose and Mike Knowles gave Spartans a handy lead at the break. A nice chip from Keith Mui gave Force some hope before Li Yongsen increased the scoreline.

Week 28: Studz 1 v Legal Head 1 3.00pm - Sandy Bay old astro
Goals from Nana Kofi and a well taken taken penalty by Alex Todd meant both sides shared the points.

Week 27: 16/17th April

Week 27: Monopoly 2 v Revolution 2 9.00pm - Kings Park 1
In an important Champions League game Chris Marshall fired home the first to give Revolution the lead before the break. The second half goals from Oscar Vega and Ed Doyle gave Monopoly the lead. However Terry Graham came to the rescue to save Revolution and earn them a point.

Week 27: Spartans 4 v Men United 0 1.00pm - Kowloon Tsai 1
Spartans claimed the title with a victory at Kowloon Tsai Park against Men United. Spartans dominated the game but failed to create many goal scoring opportunities in the 1st half when Men Utd deployed a defensive set up . However 3 well taken goals from Steve Gordan double and Joe McEgan in the opening 10 minutes of the 2nd half settled the game. Both teams failed to convert a couple of their opportunities afterwards with solid performance from goalkeepers of both sides but an own goal by a Men Utd's defender in the last minutes completed the scoreline.

Week 27: Goodfellas 2 v Force 3 4.30pm - Happy Valley 5
Force started out strong with a goal that resulted from an ultra-long throw-in. Goodfellas fought back with some all-out hustle and crisp passing and earned a goal when Shaka Hinds fed Henry Leung with a through-ball. Pitch conditions worsened as the game proceeded and Force once again found its hit-and-run strategy to be particularly effective as it scored another goal--this time from the right. Force were up two-one at half-time. In the middle of the second half, Force put in a third goal--a wonder shot from an acute angle. Goodfellas continued its uphill battle and earned a second goal when Pravesh Narain took down a pass inside the box and calmly struck the ball. The rest of the game, Goodfellas kept on pressuring Force but to no avail.

Week 27: Mes Amis 1 v BOCs 0 1.30pm - Ho Man Tin 2
Mes Amis started brightly with both teams having chance before the break. The second half was still close before a bit of Tony Hamilton magic got Mes Amis the winner.

Week 26: 9/10th April

Week 26: Spartans 2 v Goodfellas 0 9.00pm - Kings Park 1
In a close game little sperated the sides in the first half with few chances for either team. The second half was an open affair with both teams having glorious chances to score. Shaka Hinds missed one early in the half for Goodfellas. However Spartans Jeff Cantwell made no mistake from his shot from an acute angle after good lead up work from Joe McEgan. Both teams had further chances to extend the lead before Medhi Selhi wonder strike settled the issue with 5 minutes to go.

Week 26: Force 2 v Mes Amis 2 1.00pm - Kowloon Tsai 1
A game played in good spirit little sperated the sides. Goals by Carlos Dilerbo and Nick Smith for Mes Amis where cancelled out by Keith Mui and Black Yuen. In the end both teams had to settle for a draw.

Week 26: Legal Head 0 v Revolution 2 4.30pm - Happy Valley 5
A Will Toye penalty open the scoring after a Ken Abela handball. Revolution taking a slender lead into the break. In second half the deciding goal was from an Andy Saxon corner headed in by Al Moore.

Week 26: BOCs 3 v JLeaguers 1 1.00pm - Po Tsui Park
BOC came from a goal behind to win this game 3-1. The JLeaguers were missing a few key players today but that did not stop them from scoring the first goal. Against the run of play, they scored when a mis hit shot was hit hard into the ground for the ball to bounce over the BOC keeper. These type of goals have been typical of the BOC season this year, conceding weak and freekish goals.

BOCs were dreading another similar fate. With the pitch wet from a downpoor, the ball was skidding on the surface and goalmouth incidents were few.

Trailing 1 nil at halftime, the BOC team talk was to just keep pressing as chances were importantly being created. 10 minutes into the second half, BOC drew level, Tommy Kwan holding off a defender and squaring to an unmarked Chi Mann who hit the ball first time. The ball skidding off the wet surface had just enough pace to beat the keeper at his near post. That spurred the BOCs to seek a winner and that came 5 minutes later.

Nice play on BOCs right wing led to the ball making it's way to Tommy Kwan who hit the ball across the goalie who managed to get a good hand to the ball only to see it roll slowly over the line. By this time the JLeaguers were dispondant and soon conceded a third. A throw in to the box, with all the JLeaguers standing off led to Oscar, cooly curling the ball into the top left of the goal with the goalie rooted to the spot. There were still some more good chances for BOCs to make the margin larger but poor finishing ensured that the game finished 3-1.

Week 25: 19/20th March

Week 25: USRC 2 v Mes Amis 2 7.30pm - Kings Park 3
This was one of those classic matches that have become legendary at King’s Park on Friday nights. With champions Mes still smarting from the 4-0 thrashing they received on their last visit and eager for revenge and with vital champions league points at stake, it had all the makings of a season-defining tie, and so it proved to be.

USRC started with a makeshift back four and before long USRC Yau Yee League player Carlo Dilibero scored with a rocket of a shot from fully 40 yards. To be fair to the Italian from Stockport, he did a Dennis Law and didn't celebrate. USRC were rocked back but heads didn't drop as they fought their way back into the game. Making good use of the width, Chan put in a good cross from the right which fell just behind Callaghan in the box, while Grimshaw got in a number of deep crosses from the other side. USRC also forced a number of corners that Mitchell tried to put into the goalmouth. Unfortunately they ended up closer to the goalmouth on Pitch 3 than Pitch 1.

Half-time: USRC 0 Mes Amis 1 Talk at half time was full of determination and the USRC knew that they were still very much in the game. Just the one change was made. Buckley to play upfront with Callaghan moving to wide right and debutant Boas into the hole. he change clearly paid dividends, for Mes, as with just five minutes played they extended their lead with a slick exchange of passes and a shot across Ewart into the far corner.

So 2-0 down and seemingly on their way to defeat but there was still fight in the boys and no shortage of skill. Boas’ pace in the middle was causing the Mes backline problems and their constant substitutions were disrupting their rhythm. When Kulkarni picked up the ball 30 yards out and ran at the defence, they backed off sufficiently for the Hong Kong University student to get a sight of the top corner. It was enough and he duly dispatched the ball into it. With their tails up USRC went for the jugular and a long Ewart drop kick and Buckley’s menace caused the Mes keeper to fumble and Buckley swept in the equalizer. After that it was end-to-end stuff. Dilibero could have won it for Mes when his mishit shot hit the post, while Boas had two one-on-ones with the Mes ‘keeper but couldn’t find the net with either.

So 2-2 it finished, with USRC the happier of the two teams. Mes Amis’ vociferous travelling support went quiet in the second half and disappeared off to Wanchai after the game to continue their party, albeit in a more subdued mood then when they had turned up at King’s Park. For USRC, while the draw with Legal Head had felt like a defeat, this one felt like a victory.

Week 25: Revolution 0 v Force 1 1.30pm - Tai Hung Tang 3
Both teams were 50/50 in the first half, however is was James Ng good pass which Stanley Ki headed the only goal of the game. Revolution dominated the game in the second half but unfortunately could not break the defense of Force until the end of the game.

Week 24: Spartans 3 v Legal Head 0 1.30pm - Sai Kung Stadium
After the Spartans shock defeat ending their 13 game winning streak there was some talk around town that the Spartans season would flounder. With a bearish 14 players but nevertheless strong squad the Spartans ventured far off to the seaside of Sai Kung to take on a resurgent and quite different Legal Head side from previous encounters.

Kick-off and some near misses before Michael Knowles stepped up to drive home our first, admittedly there was a slight deflection but that wasn't noticed by the bumper crowd in the stadium. The second goal game from a Legal Head goal kick won brilliant on the header by Jimmy Rose. Jens powered through the players with speed and determination to score Spartans second. Then before the break Li Yongsen broke through the Legals defence with several yards of pace to slot home the third.

The second half was much the same but without the finish. A few glaring missus saw the score line remained untouched. Speedy debutant George Mitchell could have easily scored a hat trick along with a host of other regulars but it wasn't to be. The score remained 3-0. 

Week 24: 12/13th March

Week 24: USRC 3 v BOCs 2 7.30pm - Kings Park 3
It was a game that started very strangely indeed, due to the most part to BOCs starting with only eight players on the field and the fact that they then proceeded to waste time from the kick off knowing that the rest of the team was on its way. The USRC themselves looked fazed by the situation adding to an overall sense of a lack of urgency in the game. Still, it wasn’t long before the superior numbers told and an apparent Buckley shot going nowhere was deflected into his own goal by a BOCs defender after five minutes.

With the BOCs’ cavalry arriving, the USRC then produced their best football of the game. A scramble in the BOCs box was finally put away by Kay Kulkarni after it looked like John Slater was about to get on the USRC score sheet for the first time Minutes later a long cross to the back post was met on the volley by Schroder from a tight angle for a van Basten-esque contender for goal of the season and things looked done and dusted. The complexion of the game, though, changed suddenly with the last act of the game when a Leone throw out bizarrely hit Slater on the heels and the BOCs forward knocked the resulting loose ball into an empty net.

Half Time: 3-1

With the spectre of the 3 goal lead thrown away last week against Legal Head firmly on everybody’s shoulder the USRC produced a half that had only very rudimentary links with Pele’s or anybody else’s beautiful game.

It was a half where stringing three passes together seemed to be beyond the USRC for most of the time, where the defence were never allowed a breather as ball after ball was partially cleared only for it to come straight back, where there were at least half a dozen corners to defend, where hoofing became the name of the game, where very few chances were created and those that did fell to Mitchell who seemed to want to emulate the rest of the team by ballooning the ball into the air. Finally, after much last ditch defending, the old failing came to light, the defence went to sleep at a free kick and the tall BOCs forward sent a looping header over Ewart. The USRC, to their credit, held on reasonably easily for the remaining 5 minutes.  

Week 24: Men Utd 1 v Revolution 3 4.30pm - Happy Valley 5
Revolution won for the first time in 4 games, but left it late before finally killing off Men Utd's challenge. Revolution had a great start, taking the lead with less than 10 minutes played. Andy Saxton brought down Chris Marshall's right wing cross and hammered it into the bottom left hand corner of the net. That set the tone for the first half, with Revolution enjoying the majority of the play, but unable to find a second goal, although they were perhaps unlucky to have a goal disallowed for a marginal offside. Men Utd had their moments, however, notably when they came close with a 20 yard free kick which just slipped past the post.

Revolution started the second half by going close via Lewis Man's header, but found it increasingly difficult to keep possession, and Men Utd made them pay when their first attack of the half saw them equalise. A corner was whipped in from the right and Derek Tsang lost his marker and nipped in to divert the ball into the net. Revolution responded with wave upon wave of attacks on the Men Utd goal, but as the second half went on it looked like they wouldn't make the breakthrough. Chances were created, but the ball wouldn't go in - Dean Lochrie hit the post and headed just over, and Vijay Dolwani's long shot dipped just too late.

With time running out, however, Chris Marshall made the breakthrough. Andy Saxton found him in space in the penalty area and Chris coolly slotted home. The same double act combined 2 minutes later, when Chris's left wing cross was turned in from close range by Andy for his 8th Legal League goal of the season to seal the game and finally calm Revolution nerves.  

Week 24: Goodfellas 3 v JLeaguers 1 4.30pm - Happy Valley 4
Goodfellas started pressuring JLeaguers from the get-go and were rewarded with a goal midway through the first half after Henry Leung dropped in a pin-point cross from the right wing and Howard Tang headed the ball into the net. The first half ended 1-nil. Second half saw a wonder strike from Pete Kang who dispossessed a JLeaguers player and then let a canon loose from just inside the JLeaguers half. JLeaguers fought back hard and earned a goal after some simple yet splendid passing play. After absorbing more pressure from JLeaguers, Goodfellas managed to find its legs back and sealed the victory with a goal-mouth scramble goal from Kang.

Week 24: Studz 0 v Force 4 1.30pm - Aberdeen 4
Both teams have chances in the game, a long shoot from Studz had just hit on the bar and gave a warning to Force defense. In a fast strike of Force, Chung Chiu opened the score in the first half. In the second half, Marco Agostini headed the 2nd goal from a long throw. Force had a lucky goal later, a long throw from Keith Miu had slighty touched someone before it went to the goal directly. Studz fought back and gave a lot of pressure to Force in the remained time but unfortunately could not turn the chances to goals. In another fast strike Keith Miu secured the victory of Force.

Week 23: 5/6th March

Week 23: USRC 3 v Legal Head 3 7.30pm - Kings Park 3
USRC started in confident mood and put pressure on the Legal Head goal with a series of corners. But the first goal came from a well-worked move that created a tap-in for Henry Callaghan. Legal Head battled back and created one or two openings themselves. Then Andy Mitchell picked the ball up on the left and ran at the defence. After beating a couple of defenders for pace, he picked his spot in the far corner to put USRC 2-0 up at the break.

Second half started much as the first and Michale Blay added a third for USRC when he controlled a cross from Rick Leone and shot from the edge of the box. That should have been it, but Legal Head fought back bravely and scored twice from similar positions on the left to make it 3-2 going into the last five minutes.

With USRC hanging on, Legal Head were awarded a free-kick for an offence that only the septagenarian linesman saw. The ball was duly delilvered into the box and headed in at the far post to make it an unlikely 3-3 draw. Legal Head were the happier team in the USRC bar after the game.

Week 23: Monopoly 1 v Spartans 0 9.00pm - Kings Park 2
Monopoly played well from the start and although Spartans still enjoyed plenty of possession in Monopoly’s half, it was only just over the half way line where they were held. It took a while before Monopoly caused Spartans any real problems but they were without doubt holding their own and playing decent football in the process.

Dave Tang wriggled and writhed keeping possession and spreading it out wide while Lukasz Drozdek chased everything down putting the Spartans defence under pressure that they clearly weren’t used to. Obviously rattled, in one utterly bizarre moment, the Spartans keeper passed the ball straight to Drozdek who, totally surprised by the gift, inexplicably passed to Dave Tang, rather than shooting himself, for what would have been a certain point blank effort. Drozdek, however, more than made amends after being put through down the left with an inch perfect ball from Matt Howcroft that he raced onto and in one smooth move, half-volleyed a spectacular shot from the edge of the area that arced beautifully over the Spartans keeper in it’s goal bound trajectory before billowing the back of the net. What a goal.

Spartans were hacked off and came straight back at Monopoly with corners and free kicks, including a heart-stopping one on one, that ultimately the Monopoly keeper and defence did an excellent job of repelling. Dave Tang once again continued to work his twinkle-toed magic in the Spartans penalty box with the ball seemingly glued to his feet, Harry Enfield style. He cracked off a superb shot that their keeper could only parry, immediately after which Oscar Vega was neatly picked out at the far post who, five yards from goal, could only blast it straight into the keepers’ arms.

The second half saw Monopoly under constant and increasing pressure from Spartans as the minutes ticked by and, as the spectre of losing loomed large, Monopoly spent much of the half defending. They did however manage to fashion more opportunities with Evan Hale somehow guiding an inch perfect Ed Doyle corner over the bar from one yard out! Hale had another opportunity to increase the lead but it wasn’t his day and he was quickly closed down forcing his shot off target.

It wasn’t until the last few minutes that Spartans genuinely could have equalized as prior to that it was pressure but with no end product. As Monopoly’s tiredness caught up them, they were guilty of giving away one free kick after another in dangerous areas. Spartans hit the outside of the near post, narrowly missed heading in a floated cross and finally volleyed a point blank shot over the bar after the Monopoly keeper had parried. Finally, though, the ref blew for full time and Monopoly heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Week 22: 26th-27th February

Week 22: Legal Head 0 v JLeaguers 1 7.30pm - Kings Park 3
Match Report coming....

Week 22: BOCs 0 v Spartans 3 1.00pm - Kowloon Tsai 1
BOCs started brightly with Spartans suprised by the intial onslaught by a determined team. However as the half continued gaps started to open and Li Yongsen was on hand to take the first chance to give Spartans the opener. An excellent chip from Mike Knowles put Li Yongsen in for his second before the break. The third was a well taken shot by Mike Knowles which the keeper had no chance to secure all the three points for the runaway competition leaders.

Week 22: Mes Amis 1 v Studz 1 3.00pm - Happy Valley 4
Match Report coming....

Week 22: Goodfellas 3 v Men United 0 3.00pm - Happy Valley 5
First half started off even despite the fact that Men United only had 9 players at kick-off. Both sides had chances to score but were stopped by solid goal-keeping Second half, when Men United had a full squad, Goodfellas woke up and broke the deadlock when Shaka Hinds threaded the needle to Cedric Couble for a well-taken shot. Not long after, Couble found himself the beneficiary of a goal-mouth scramble and scored his second of the game. Goodfellas's third came from a Hinds' assist to David McLeod who calmly took the pass and lobbed it over the keeper. Men United were awarded a penalty but couldn't convert.

Week 22: Force 1 v Monopoly 0 3.00pm - Happy Valley 6
This was a must-win game for each team but lacklustre performances from both sides meant the first half ended in deadlock. Monopoly's game started to come together in the second half with plenty of possession in Force territory, however, they were unable to fashion any real opportunities or test their keeper. It was another breakaway goal that was Monopoly's undoing with Force beating the offside trap before scoring to make it one nil late on giving Monopoly little time for an equalizer. They went at them and could have done better with a couple of opportunities but it was Force who came away with the win.

Week 21: 19th-20th February

Week 21: Monopoly 4 v Studz 2 9.00pm - Kings Park 3
Starting with a bare and make-shift eleven cobbled together throughout the course of Friday, Studz started the first half by far the better team finding plenty of space in midfield to cause considerable distress to the Monopoly defence. The pressure paid off pretty quickly and, resulting from a corner, Studz took advantage of a loose ball in the Monopoly penalty area getting a shot away that deflected in.

This finally fired the dazed Monopoly into action who came straight back at Studz equalizing within minutes after some scintillating close control from Dave Tang who weaved this way and that before curling an inch perfect shot around Studz’s stand-in keeper.

With Monopoly piling the pressure on and playing a high back line, Studz took advantage of the situation with a rapid fire break away that beat the offside trap. The gazelle-like Jason Lee latched onto a through ball and, shrugging off defenders, rounded the Monopoly keeper to stroke it home and making it 1 – 2.

Stunned, Monopoly picked themselves up and continued with a final few minutes of first half pressure. Their efforts paid off and in the remaining few moments Graham McNally picked up the ball down the left flank and drove at the Studz defence before unleashing a well struck shot that flew across the face of goal and in to make it 2 – 2.

The second began much the same as the first with Studz pressuring Monopoly and pinning them back through various free kicks and corners. As the half wore on gaps began to show and it was an inspired substitution that eventually broke the deadlock. Graham McNally let rip with a ferocious free kick from just outside the area that the keeper could only parry before the lightning reflexes of Richard Broadhurst ensure that he pounced on the loose ball to stab it home and make it 3 – 2 Monopoly.

Only minutes later the excellent McNally, oozing confidence, once again rounded player after player before letting rip with another belter that was almost a carbon copy of his first to give Monopoly a 4 – 2 lead.

With little time remaining Monopoly dropped back and defended their lead however Studz’s valiant attempt to forge a comeback was thwarted by some resilient defending and, ultimately, the final whistle.

Week 21: Men Utd 1 v BOCs 1 3.00pm - Happy Valley 2
Report 1: Men United dominated the early part of the game but BOC took the lead from a set piece. Men united continued the pressure and had drew level through a fine effort from Benjamin Ng. Men United continued to press for the winner with several scoring opportunities but were unable to take all 3 points in the end. 

Report 2: BOCs took the lead mid way through the first half after Jason Lee latched on to a free kick that was flighted with pinpoint accuracy. The first half ended with BOCs leading. In the second half, MEN UTD got the equaliser capitalising on a BOC error. A miskick from BOC centre half sent the ball towards the BOC goal and the alert MEN UTD striker lifted the ball over the outrushing BOC keeper to level the score. With the game being a CL game, both teams searched for the winner, BOCs put the ball into the net but the goal was rightly ruled as offside, MEN UTD had a big penalty appeal turned down by the ref for a handball. To be fair it was more for ball to hand. The game was quite physical and fouls were committed by both sides but it was good to see that the referee kept his cards in his pockets and gave many players final warnings

Week 20: 5th-6th February

Week 20: USRC 5 v Goodfellas 1 7.30pm - Kings Park 1
USRC were quickly two up both from corners by Ed Fife. The first was headed in by Kay Kulkarni and the second an own goal off the keeper. Concerted pressure from USRC led to the third, a lovely left footer from 25 yards out by Dave Kirby. Then a chipped free kick from Vince Docherty came back off the keeper and was headed by Ed Fife . USRC had a 4 nil lead at the break.

The second half Goodfellas got one back right away from Pete Kang but right away USRC got their fifth. Dave Kirby from a free kick from the edge of the box.

Week 20: Mes Amis 2 v Revolution 2 1.30pm - Sai Kung Stadium
Revolution ended a run of 4 straight losses to Mes Amis as the 2 teams fought out a 2-2 draw at Sai Kung Stadium.
 
After a rather scrappy opening - the unexpectedly heavy pitch did not help with passing - Mes started to assert control on the game and put the Revolution goal under some pressure.  They had to wait until around the 20 minute mark to open the scoring, when Tony Healy burst into the area to latch onto a good through ball and scored with a low shot from about 15 yards. 
 
The Revolution equaliser came out of the blue about 10 minutes later.  Rudi Dray lofted the ball down the left channel and Dave Jessop ran onto the pass and lobbed the Mes keeper with a spectacular chip from about 20 yards for his ninth goal of the season.  1-1 at the break.
 
The second half saw Mes re-assert themselves with the majority of the play in the Revolution half, although they created few good chances and were very close to giving away an own goal when a stray backpass slipped just past the post.  Just when it seemed that Revolution had weathered the storm, Ashley Bell gave Mes the lead with a curving shot through a crowd of players that slipped into the bottom right hand corner.  However, Revolution were not to be denied.  Having pushed forward and gone close on a number of occasions, they equalised with a few minutes left when Rudi Dray's powerful header from Andy Saxton's corner eluded the Mes defence and went in off the back post.  Honours even, and a more or less fair result.

Week 20: Force 4 v Legal Head 0 12.30pm - Sandy Bay new astro

Week 19: 29th-30th January

Week 19: Men Untied 1 v Mes Amis 6 7.30pm - Kings Park 1
Men United were heavily pressured at the back in the first half with Mes Amis leading 3-0 at half time from a double strike from Stuart McInnes.  The second half saw Men United pull one back with Kin-Ho Lo providing a brilliant pass to Kenneth Ching to score his first goal in the Legal League.  This sparked a brief period of revival for Men United but further goals from Mes Amis in the latter stages of the second half sealed the game for Mes Amis.