Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Tuesday, 6 January 2009 - Last year’s S R Nathan Challenge Trophy runners-up Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Combined team were held to a goalless draw against home side Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) in their Group B match on the first day of the competition.
ITE boasted several club players, including S.League’s Young Lions trio of goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud, skipper Irwan Shah and forward Fadhil Noh, but NP made light weight of their reputation with a disciplined game plan.
The visitors had a lion’s share of the match in terms of possession but found no breakthrough in cracking the NP defence.
ITE could have been behind against the run of play in the 16th minute when NP forward Syafiq Zainal evaded Irwan’s sliding challenge to produce a diagonal pass on the path of skipper Saiful Bahari, only for the latter to scuff his attempt.
That near-miss spurred ITE into action as they bombed the NP half with their direct play. Still, that did not force NP goalkeeper Tan Boon Yong into serious goalmouth action in the first half.
The institutional football powerhouse’s inability to trouble NP had coach Imran Yusoff giving a stern lecture at half-time to the team.
ITE’s second half showing had greater urgency as they relied on their more proficient technique and fitness to trouble the hosts.
For all their superior qualities, NP simply refused to yield to their incessant pressure. Even when Tan flapped the ball under pressure late in the game, Saiful’s inspired leadership and determined defending saved his blushes.
The home side almost cracked one minute before full time when ITE crossed the ball to and fro in the penalty area before landing at Fadhil’s feet.
With only metres to goal and tiring NP defenders struggling to cover the gaps, he contrived to sky his shot over, summing up the frustrating night for the away team.
Saiful was pleased with his side’s hard-earned point in front of their schoolmates and hoped this would be the platform for them to reach the latter stages of the competition.
“It was a very good result for us as ITE are one of the best teams in the tournament. We played very well and fully deserved the point."
“Personally it was one of my best performances in my football career. (Looking forward though), we can improve further and even win the tournament if we play to our full potential."
“To do that, we have to win our three remaining group matches. Because of our performance against ITE, the other teams would be on a greater lookout for us.”
He also paid tribute to his teammates for contributing towards the result. “Last year’s team had more talent, but this year’s had more discipline and teamwork."
“They have put in a lot of effort to compensate the lack of individual talent. That was simply what they did today to work out a deserving point against a strong team.”