49. 433 is the Magic Number!
Could this be our year? I'm more than happy with the squad and according to Nen Borey, the Almighty Buddha is smiling on us, although I'm not sure how given the rise in energy prices recently.. Anyway the important thing is bar Kong Rafat and Teat Chandara, our reserve goalie and a 34 year old left back we have managed to keep our best players and the vast majority of our cup winning team. We've won the cup.. now I want the C-League.....
Match 1 – Svay Rieng v EDC
We kick off
our C-League campaign with a trip to Svay Rieng, who are back in the big time
after winning promotion from the Second Division. They have forward, Ly Ravy
who has a good record against us and some talented youngsters. We need to put
these sides away though if we are to win the league. I start with a 4-2-3-1,
which has served us well recently.
Team: Som, Pisa, Daravon, Gbayoro, In
Sambath, Kakada, Rattanak, Pheara, Oudom, Taboula, Pidor
Match Action
We start brightly. Young Pheara looks lively and slips in Taboula who fires well wide. We are in control of the game. .seemingly, Then from a mysterious random throw in Prak Mony Udom receives the ball and crosses in for Sary Rottanak who volleys high into the roof of the net. That wasn’t supposed to happen... Pisa for the first time in the game gets forward down the right and fires in a cross which is hit first time by Rattanak but well saved by the keeper. Better. Another chance falls to Taboula, but he fires straight at the keeper. Disappointing..
We’ve played
OK, but find ourselves a goal down at half time.
Into the
second half and I revert to a 4-2-2 with Oudom replaced by Noron to join
Taboula up front. We attack with vigour. Pheara gets down the right and squares
for Noron but his shot is blocked. Then, Pisa gets in on the right side of the
penalty area and his fierce shot is tipped over the bar. The corner is cleared,
but only as far as Pisa, who finds Rattanak. He chips it forward, Noron breaks
the offside trap. He lays it back to Pheara!!!! He places it into the corner
for a brilliant equaliser. 1-1. We push for a winner, but create surprisingly
little, while at the other end the home side forced two fine saves from Som. The
hosts finished the stronger as we flagged. A draw on the opening day of the
season against a newly promoted side is disappointing, but not a complete
disaster.
Final Score Svay Rieng 1-1 EDC
Rottanak
29 Phera 53
Match 2: Tor Kraham v EDC - Hun Sen
Cup First Qualifying Round
So we go
back to the start again and try to qualify for the cup we won just 6 months
ago. The beginning of the defence of the Prime Minister’s trophy starts off in
the obscure climes of Tor Kraham. Unlike in previous campaigns I am going to
make few changes, as some are still struggling for match fitness and form, so
this could be a good opportunity to build these up. I go in with a 4-2-4 and a
full strength team. Ratana replaces In Sambath at left back. Noron partners
Taboula up front.
Team: Som, Pisa, Daravon, Gbayoro,
Ratana, Kakada, Rattanak, Oudom, Taboula, Noron, Pidor
Match Action
Inevitably
we dominate, but still lacking that killer instinct. Noron volleys well over
after good work from Pidor and Taboula has a shot well saved. Then Rattanak
keels over in the middle of the pitch after a heavy challenge and is in
absolute agony. He cannot move and the poor 21 year old is screaming in pain.
The game stops for ten minutes while medical staff from both clubs rush onto
the pitch to attend to my young midfielder. All the players are in bits,
including the opposition; they know this is serious as he is crying out in
agony. He is stretchered off the pitch to a standing ovation from everybody at
the ground. My head physio, Sos Veasna indicates this could be a very serious
injury. He is replaced by Chea Samnang. From the restart, Panha picks up the
ball and runs straight through the EDC defence and places it past Som. It’s
understandable in the circumstances; my player’s heads were not on football,
but on their team mate. The Tor Kraham player also showed class by not
celebrating his goal, even though it was a rather good one and against the
current cup holders.
We attack,
but they are equal to everything, blocking shots, keeper saving, playing really
annoying offside trap. We look clueless as to how to break down this team. 1-0
to them at half time. In the circumstances it’s hard to give them the hairdryer
treatment as I normally would have done. I change tactics though and take off
Tuy Oudom and replace him with Samanag Nhem.
I then go to a 4-3-3 with Taboula, Noron and Nhem leading the line with Pidor
in the number 10 role.
We dominate
again in the second half, but it looked like being one of those days. After our
triumph in the Hun Sen Cup last season, this would be a horrible way to lose
the defence of the trophy. Until. Pisa plays a lovely through ball down the
right channel for Nhem to latch onto. He squares a lovely ball for the sliding
Noron to fire home. Relief. We attack some more. Taboula gets into the left
channel checks back and crosses. It’s headed away, but only as far as Chea
Samnang who volleys home for 2-1. Another quick breakaway sees the slickest
move of the game. Pisa, who really is a class act, switches play. Taboula heads
to Noron who feeds Taboula on the edge of the area. His first time pass the
onrushing Pidor is crucial and the youngster slides it home for 3-1 and much relief.
We look like we may have a fourth goal in us, but it doesn’t matter, job done.
Credit though must go to our opponents here, who never gave in and carried on
attacking until the very end. Our class shone through in the end though and the
lads have shown masses of character and togetherness today. Through to the next
round we go, where we will once again make the six hour trip to the beautiful lands
of Mondul Kiri..
Final Score Tor Kraham 1-3 EDC
Panha
20 Noron
63
Samnang 68
Pidor 70
Min Rattanak out for up to 12 months
As soon as
the full time whistle was blown, we all went down to the Royal Phnom Penh Hospital to check on
Min Rattanak. Sos Veasna and the doctor told us he had a damaged spine and
would be out for 12 months at the most, meaning he will miss the whole season.
We all wish him a speedy recovery...
Match 3: EDC v National Police
06/04/24
The rozzers
are in town so the crime rate is down. They only just escaped relegation last
season, but have since improved their squad, with the familiar face, Sung Rot
feeding their dangerous striker, Chey Chitra. They also play in a dodgy diamond
formation like Khemera, so I go in with a 4-3-3, which hurt Tor Kraham in the
cup. Samnang Nhem starts up front in a three pronged attack with Noron and Taboula. This formation could be a
great discovery for this team.
Team 4-3-3: Som, Pisa, Daravon,
Gbayoro, Ratana, Kakada, Samnang, Pidor, Taboula, Noron, Nhem
We start
brightly. Nhem gets down the right flank and finds Pidor whose pot shot is
saved well by the keeper. Pidor then fires in a free kick which has their
keeper at full stretch. A goal is coming and it arrives when Pidor finds Nhem
inside the penalty area and he coolly slots past the keeper for a deserved lead. We attack some more. Nhem
looks dangerous and has a shot tipped round the near post, while Taboula has a
header saved too. Then, from a random free kick, Sok Oeun Pidor bends a beautiful
free kick which the keeper could only parry into the roof of the net. 2-0. Then,
from a corner, the referee awarded us a bonus penalty which Ouk Ratana
converted to make it three.
In the
second half and the police had a few attacks of their own to try and reduce the
deficit, but to no avail. Chitra is hardly getting a kick. We add a fourth when
Pidor’s determination on the edge of the box allows him to feed Pelap Taboula
to place his shot past the keeper to open his account for the season. The
Police charged forward again, but they could not break down our defence or beat
Som. They hit the post late on, but that’s all. In the end, a comfortable win against
a team who have caused us problems in the past. That bodes well!
Final Score EDC 4-0 National Police
Nhem 6
Pidor 33
Ratana 38
(pen)
Taboula 62
Match 4 – Prek Pra v EDC 13/04/24
We take on
mid-table Prek Pra in good form. We start once more in a 4-3-3, with one change
being Pheara coming in for the injured Samnang.
Team: Som, Pisa, Daravon, Gbayoro, Ratana, Kakada, Pidor, Pheara, Taboula, Noron, Nhem
Match Action
Unfortunately I was laid low with a stomach bug, so my Assistant Manager, Nen Borey took charge of this one. Here's his notes and match report.
We are
dominating this game and create a few chances.
Pisa is
felled in the box, Ouk Ratana converts 1-0 to EDC
Pisa once
again marauds down the right. He lays it infield to Nhem, who lets fly.. and
finds the top corner of the net! Pick that one out! 2-0 to the EDC with less
than 20 minutes on the clock. After three games we are top on goal difference
with seven points, but most importantly only one goal conceded. We are getting
the job done against the lesser teams in the division and furthermore from the
end of last season, we are now on a ten match unbeaten run in league and cup. This
is the consistency I have craved with this team. Who knows where it might lead?
Final Score: Prek Pra 0-2 EDC
Ratana
11 (pen)
Nhem
17
Match Action
We are
dominating this game and create a few chances.
Pisa is
felled in the box, Ouk Ratana converts 1-0 to EDC
Pisa once
again marauds down the right. He lays it infield to Nhem, who lets fly.. and
finds the top corner of the net! Pick that one out! 2-0 to the EDC with less
than 20 minutes on the clock. After three games we are top on goal difference
with seven points, but most importantly only one goal conceded. We are getting
the job done against the lesser teams in the division and furthermore from the
end of last season, we are on a ten match unbeaten run in league and cup. This
is the consistency I have craved with this team.
Final Score: Prek Pra 0-2 EDC
Ratana
11 (pen)
Nhem
17
A Curious Twitter Poll Bug
On the game,
EDC fans have actually had a poll to ask whether Min Rattanak should be part of
the first team. One of the fans, Som Chenda had this to say, “Make him the
focus of the team duh!”.. Well currently Min Rattanak is lying flat on his back
in Royal Phnom Penh Hospital with broken spine, duh!”
Match 5 – EDC v Khemera 27/04/24
It’s fair to
say our record against Khemera is nothing short of abysmal. We have recorded
just one win over today’s opponents in six meetings and that was way back in 2021
during the Keegan season, a 6-2 thrashing and when they were a newly promoted
side. Since then Khemera have had the better of us in the last four games and
have become our bogey team. If we can beat them today, then this would be one
hurdle cleared towards winning the title. We have started the season well, but
annoyingly find ourselves only in 6th because everyone had a round of
fixtures without us for some strange reason.. Anyway we are fresh and raring to
go. Khemera are just above us in 5th. A win today would see us jump
into the top three with a game in hand. Abdi comes in for Noron and the
versatile Pidor fills in the midfield hole left by Rattanak’s injury. I stick
to the 4-3-3 formation which has served us well recently.
Team: Som, Pisa, Daravon, Gbayoro,
Ratana, Kakada, PIdor, Pheara, Taboula, Abdi, Nhem
Match Action
We have the
first attack. Nhem gets down the right flank and crosses for Pheara who heads
over. After eight minutes, Pidor fires in a free kick which was parried by the
keeper. Taboula responds quickest and taps home the rebound. 1-0. Khemera
respond well and have a few attacks of their own, which we manage to snuff out
without Som being called into action, Taboula has a shot straight t the keeper.
Then, young Pheara plays in Abdi with a lovely through ball, but the Somalian
Pele could only strike the foot of the post. Soon after, another Pidor free-kick
from wide on the left was met by the head of Anderson Gbayoro who scored his
first ever goal for EDC. Things were going swimmingly until Ratana pressed the
self destruct button by going in two footed on their wing back, Hong Makara. I
have to sacrifice Abdi for the versatile In Sambath who will slot in at left
back, with only two strikers. We get to half time unscathed.
Into the
second half and it’s like nothing has happened. Pisa skips down the right and
crosses onto the head of young Pheara, but his header somehow goes over the
bar. One great feature of this season so far has been Sok Ouen Pidor’s set
pieces. He fires in a free kick to make it three and a strike that Roberto
Carlos would have been proud of. It looks like our hoodoo against Khemera may
finally be over...
Strangely,
despite having only ten men on the pitch I could afford to rest Daravon and
Taboula for the next match against Nagaworld. Khemera enjoyed a bit more
possession and created a few chances, but there was an air of comfort about
this game which we have rarely experienced before. Our defence was equal to
everything and dealt with anything Khemera could throw at us. We never looked
in any danger. As for Sok Oeun Pidor, he was the best player on the park, creating
two goals and scoring one. Unbelievable! Up to 3rd we go with a game
in hand, level on points with Nagaworld and behind Boeung Ket and Angkor Tiger.
We are challenging already and unbeaten in 12 games.
Final Score EDC 3-0 Khemera
Taboula 9
Gbayoro 18
Pidor 60
An unbeaten start to the 2024 C-League has seen EDC rise to the upper reaches of the C-League table. But with matches against the bigger teams on the horizon, can our friends electric prove themselves as serious title contenders? Find out next time on The Ultimate World Football Manager Game!
Read Part 50 - Lighting The Spark Here!
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