• Date: 16 Jul 2000 Sunday
• Time: 0930 hrs
• Place: RI
• Duration: 45 mins per half
• Crowd: Our subs and their subs + girlfriends
• Weather: Slight drizzile
• Sub: Kenneth, Zixin

Sunday morning, back in RI, Dasch awakens to its first "big time" match, playing against Citicorp, with even a referee thrown in. for once, the team arrived and was ready before the opponents. Credit must be given to captain cum secretary cum sponsor cum editor of Dasch Rovers.

Dasch started the game brightly, easily taking control of the game early in the first half, with manager Eng Kiat's astute judgment by playing Ruibin as an attacking central midfielder in the absence of both Kenneth and Desmond. Playing in goal was Bai "butter fingers" Zhiyong again. He certainly lived up to his name, more so in the first half, giving the rest of the team and small crowd plenty to worry about, especially with his positioning and ill-timed runs (in fact he did not even run off his line).

Anyway, after a few scares, Ruibin repaid Eng Kiat's faith in him with a superb lob just inside the box that got eluded the keeper and earned Dasch's first goal for the day.

Not to be outdone, Cheky, the other keeper had a surging run from a counter attack and managed to progress to just outside the box before losing the ball and falling dramatically, earning the sympathy of the referee with a free kick. The resulting free kick was good enough to curl past the wall but Daniel's kick went straight to the keeper.

It was certainly good to note that in such a heightened atmosphere, Dasch were responding terrifically to the occasion, with much commitment in the tackles and lots of hard running, including Mingheng. The defence, with a whole new lineup (again) comprising Cheky at left back, Lester at right, and Stanely and Eng Kiat at centre, had problems adjusting yet again to the combination and it finally gave up after a mix-up from a long ball from midfield.

The resultant confusion led to a loose ball that Citicorp's striker slotted away easily. I would like to note that such goals should never be given away and the defence certainly has much to do. Even then, the midfielders should be doing more than just attacking. It seems that it is Dasch culture for players to decide to play either as an attacker or defender only. Seldom do we see commitment in the form of players like Desmond who attacks and rushes back to defend when necessary. The team was certainly missing his presence in midfield where he would cut out the opponent's long balls and distribute towards our attackers.

In spite of these problems, it was heartening to see the determination from Dasch that led to our second goal. This time, incessant pressure from our attacking play led to a corner from Mingheng which Cheng Cai, who finally broke his duck in style with a typical Duncan Ferguson thumper that he blasted into goal. The ferocity of that header led the defender who challenged him for the ball lying on the ground in both despair and pain.

Play swung to and fro until just before halftime when captain Kenneth finally arrived from his driving lesson to join the team, leading to the substitution of the not very efficient Yiying.

Second half saw a reorganization of the defence with manager Eng Kiat switching to left back and Cheky moving to partner Stanely in the centre of defence. Zhixin took over as left mid from Raymond, who was quiet for much of the game, except for a run that earned a free kick just outside the box, which we sincerely believed to be a penalty. The resulting kick was curled superbly against Cheky'shead…..

Anyway, the second half proved to be a much more sterile affair with much of the battle going on in midfield. It was a stalemate for much of the game, despite Citicorp strengthening their squad with 2 Malays and a better-equipped goalkeeper. (He had a long sleeved jersey and gloves)

Both sides failed to capitalize on their chances though Citicorp appeared the better side, with our keeper, Zhiyong responding well with 2 superb saves when he was caught off position. I have to admit it would have been a Kodak moment. However, a series of ridiculous goalkicks that hardly cleared the box marred his performance, with Dasch playing itself into lots of trouble. This was the straw that finally broke the camel's back as Mingheng, all the way from right mid came all the way to take the goal kicks.

With the defence under more and more pressure due to silly mistakes, it finally fell apart just as Dasch was about to play to its first historic win of the new season. With under 10 minutes left, Zhiyong was lobbed yet again for the equalizer from Citicorp. Despite the draw, it was a fair result for both sides. However, it remains to be seen whether Dasch can find its form this season and play to its potential that has seen better days.

Overall, it was an improvement from the previous match, in terms of passing and running/tackling, however, we certainly have a long way to go before we reach the high standards we achieved almost 1 year ago.