Weekend Roundup

On paper, TeamCuzz's match against Team Fugu was cancelled due to some miscommunication between the organisers. Here at TeamCuzz, we have tasted it once too often to know the real cause of it. The curse has struck yet again! Refuse to believe it at your own peril.

On a more serious note, we thank all (players & fans) for sacrificing their time and effort to be present at the said venue. ESPZEN has since officially apologised for the error and will be rescheduling the fixture to a more suitable date in the future. On top of that, TeamCuzz will be receiving a credit note of SGD25 as compensation. The amount will be used to offset some of the league fees for the season (Note: To those who have not paid, please be reminded to do so as we need to pay the rest of the fees very soon).

To make up for the disappointment, TeamCuzz had a light training session at Pasir Ris Primary instead. This was a good opportunity to have a kickabout session where everyone had a chance to be involved in. In the 9-aside games played out on the magnificient turf pitch, many took advantage to strut their stuff in the more relaxed environment, while some others (1 in particular) used it as time to get back their touches after being out for a long period of 2 weeks. It was certainly a time well spent in terms of getting TeamCuzz to keep their momentum. That apparently, was not enough.

Not keen to lose out on match fitness, TeamCuzz managed to arrange a last-minute friendly with another team (Fake TeamCuzz) at Punggol Sec the next morning. As it was rather last-minute, TeamCuzz could only manage to call upon 13 players for the clash. In the unfamiliar cooler sun-less setting with desert-like hardground, much reshuffling was done. In goal was Fabien Zulkhairthez, with usual midfield duo Hyder & Imran pairing up in central defence like Hyder & John Terry. The fullback slots were filled by debutants Anuar & Nasir, while the side flanks had fullbacks Faizul & Hisham in more advanced territory. With Shahril sitting in front of the defence, Saifuddin had license to roam and spread passes to pacey forwards Haikal & Syukri. With Khairil and Shahrul on the bench, it was fair to say that TeamCuzz had a strong team for the match they didn't intend to lose, or win big.

And they delivered as promised, winning 3-0 rather comfortably. Syukri struck from close range in the 1st half, after good work by Haikal down the left flank. That was to be followed by a stunning goal by Anuar, whose volley from just outside the box flew straight into the back of the net. It marked a superb debut for the firefighter, who filled in the left back slot seamlessly. With Nasir also excelling at right back, it raises questions as to how long '1st' choice fullbacks Faizul & Fazlon can hold on to their positions. The 3rd and final goal was an own goal after Arul's 'some say immaculate, others say lucky' inswinging corner kick.

With a cleansheet to his name, and a larger than usual wrist, goalkeeper Zulkhairi deserved the MoTM award. When interviewed after the game, he said, "As I awaited for attacks from Fake TeamCuzz, I had time to reflect on our weekend. Although no league results went favourably for us, it must be said that TeamCuzz had a good weekend overall. The league match might have been cancelled, but then again, we didn't have a natural goalie for the game, so it could have helped us prevent dropping crucial points. Now, at least I have had 2 days to train as goalie and am confident to slot my hands into those gloves when the need arise, though I really hope not to."

With the monetary compensation, kickabout session and morale-boosting win to salvage the weekend, we should thus not complain, rather, rejoice in the moment that a higher order has a final say for He knows what's best in everything.