66. Sieve-Like Defending

 When we last left off things seemed to be back on track in EDC-land. Results had picked up and we found ourselves just one point off the top of the table, right in the hunt for a shot at C-League glory. Even the board seemed happy and most importantly the other boss, Charlotte was also pleased with how the team was progressing. If you have been reading this story long enough though you will know that some complete nonsense is just around the corner..

Our Defence

Match 15 – Chhlam Samuth v EDC 05/07/25

We must continue to keep winning to maintain the pressure on Angkor Tiger. The team have an excellent record against our opponents, but we must not take our eye off the ball. Samuth lay in 10^th, four points off the relegation zone, while we are in second. I make a couple of forced changes. Vavanak and Yaty are both suspended so in comes Chea Sam at DMC and Sok Panha to partner Gbayoro in Central Defence. Nhem is preferred to new signing Nhem Dara up front.

Team: Som, Ratana, Panha, Gbayaoro, Bairaing, Sam Chea, Chea Samnang, Men Samnang, Nhem, Noron, Taboula

The hosts make a much brighter start and have two early efforts wide, while we have barely touched the ball. I demand more in just the third minute and my players listen as we assert dominance in the game. Men Samnang picks up the ball and runs at the heart of the defence, before laying off to Chea Samnang, whose first time pass releases Nhem in the box who powerfully strikes the ball home from the angle. Brilliant from the youngster again. Samuth respond but it is us who double our lead. Ouk Ratana in his 99^th appearance for the club has turned into Roberto Carlos of late and one such free kick swirls into the top corner for 2-0. Samuth haven’t given up. Dangerman, Ke Vannak heads against the upright. Then they get a dodgy penalty after a goalmouth scramble, which is converted by Ouk Voeun. 2-1. Just after half time and Men Samnang is upended in the box after chesting down a Ratana throw in. Given! The full back steps up and smashes home his second goal. We strike not long after when a team move started deep in our own half results in Nhem crossing low for Noron to sweep home a fourth goal. They pull one back when Panha misses an aerial ball and Ke Vannak squares for Dara to convert. Nhem though can do what he likes and dribbles into the box from the excellent Men Samnang’s pass and slams it into the top corner for 5-2. Bunsan pulls one back for the hosts and they hit the post late on, but by hook or by crook we win another game.

Final Score: Chhlam Samuth 3-5 EDC

Voeun 45                                     Nhem 12, 75

Dara 61                                       Ratana 24, 51 (pen)

Bunsan 85                                   Noron 54

Halfway through the season and that result has opened up a little two horse race between us and Angkor Tiger.

Tola Mao Makes Professional Debut

In the 5-3 victory over Chhlam Samuth I was delighted to give a debut to defensive midfielder, Tola Mao, yet another youngster to come through the ranks at EDC. I hope to promote as many as I can and establish themselves in the first team  reckoning like Ratana, Nhem and Pheara before him. (Hopefully it might make him buck his ideas up in training mind you)

Match 16 EDC v Prek Pra 12/07/25

We just have to keep on winning and see where it takes us, starting at bottom of the table, Prek Pra. As we know from past experience you take this opposition lightly at your peril. I make a few changes. Yaty replaces the unsteady Panha in central defence, while Vavanak returns at DMC. I am spoilt for choice with attacking options, but keep faith with Noron and the slightly out of sorts Taboula. We need to win, don’t care how, a deflected goal off Noron’s backside will do, just three points to keep the pressure on The Tiger.

Team: Som, Ratana, Yaty, Gbayoro, Bairaing, Vavanak, Chea Samnang, Men Samnang, Nhem, Noron, Taboula

Match Action

We attack from the get go and win a free kick. Ratana, who has suddenly developed a wand of a left foot whips it in, straight onto the head of Taboula at the far post, who leaps like a salmon to powerfully head the ball into the roof of the net. Great start. 1-0. Nhem nearly rounds off an excellent move to make it two, but shoots straight at the keeper. We do double our lead, this time from a Men Samnang corner. Yaty flicks the ball on at the near post and Mat Noron ghosts in at the back post unmarked to tap home from the angle. On 22 minutes we make it three. From a counter attack, Nhem is played in on the right edge of the area, but his shot is parried away by the keeper. Taboula retrieves the ball and crosses in low for Noron to turn home his second. 3-0 it’s looking like a cricket score already... don’t get too complacent lads.. My fears are compounded when Chanraksmy is allowed too much time to pick out a cross, straight onto Ung Dara’s head  for 3-1. FOCUS! I bark from the touchline. We respond. A resurgent Taboula whistles one over the bar. He then connects with a Nhem cross with a stunning g volley which whistles into the top corner for 4-1. Into the second half and we dominate once more. However Mr Klose rears his ugly head again, as their goalkeeper, Sophana somehow plays the perfect goal kick straight to Ung Dara in an onside position who fires it confidently past Som for 4-2. Suddenly Ung Dara, their 33 year old striker turns into Kylian Mbappe. From Som’s goal kick the ball is headed forward and Mbappe runs onto it like a greyhound, before lashing it past Som for 4-3.. Don’t let this slip now!! Enter Captain Fantastic, Chea Samnang... Vavanak has the ball in midfield. He finds his skipper who turns and unleashes a fierce shot which flies into the top corner like a bullet for 5-3. Boy we needed that! Mbappe hasn’t finished yet though and a stinging shot is only just tipped round the post by Som.. Then from a stupid misplaced throw in we give them the opportunity to break. The ball is worked left and then crossed in where Chanroeurn thrashes the ball home first time. The bottom team in the C-league suddenly cannot miss! 5-4 incase you’ve lost count. They weren’t finished. I go into contain mode. Taboula is playing as a flippin' wide midfielder, it’s getting that desperate. Nhem is sacrificed for Sam Chea as I look to keep them out, It’s no use. The FM gods have decided my fate. Prek Pra are playing one touch football in the manner of Brazil 1970 and we can’t cope with them. Forget Mpappe, Ung Dara has turned into Pele, Chamroeurn, Jarzinho.. Young Vavanak who has also morphed into Carlton Palmer plays a stupid ball towards Noron and they seize their opportunity. Can’t remember how, but it ended up at feet of Pele inside the box who slipped the ball under the hapless Massimo Taibi.. sorry Som to complete an incredible comeback. Once more Prek Pra have put a huge spanner in the works of EDC’s march to C-League glory..  Somehow, my laptop has survived this experience in one piece... On the bright side we are nine games unbeaten, but we are now three behind Angkor Tiger who beat Nagaworld 2-0. What a waste!

Final Score: EDC 5-5 Prek Pra

Taboula 4,41      Ung Dara 27, 47, 62, 94

Noron 13, 23              Chamroeurn 78

Samnang 64

Match 17 – Build Bright United v EDC

Every game from now in is a must-win if we are to win the C-League. The criminal surrendering of the game against Prek Pra must not and cannot be repeated. I go in with pretty much the same team and they can hopefully make amends after their capitulation from a 4-1 lead against the bottom team. Unforgivable! That game is over and now we must concentrate on the remaining fixtures, starting with Build Bright away. They have ex-EDC man, Sung Rot in their ranks and a dangerous striker, Soksana. The newly promoted side have kept their heads above water this season and are in 9^th position. We are second, three behind the beer company.

Team: Som, Ratana, Yaty, Gbayoro, Bairaing, Vavanak, Chea Smanang, Men Samnang, Nhem, Noron, Taboula.

Match Action

Disaster!  In the opening minutes. Chea Samnang passes the ball backwards to who he thinks is Yaty. It turned out it was the referee. Their striker Pom Samnang latches onto it and buries it past Som. FFS! We respond. Taboula has a fierce shot tipped wide and then Noron forces a fine save from Taboula’s cross. Hope. Ratana takes a throw on the right and the defender misses the ball. Nhem turns quickly and hooks the ball into the roof of the net for a very clever equaliser. 1-1. We start to exert dominance, passing the ball with confidence in midfield. Noron has a stinging shot well saved by the keeper. Then another disaster strikes on the stroke of half time. Our corner is headed away. Savy Soksana runs down the right, before playing the perfect ball to the onrushing Pom Samnang, who slams it past Som for 2-1. FFS! A flowing move through midfield though results in Mat Noron cutting in from the left before unleashing a fierce shot which flies in at the near post, with the keeper only able to palm the ball into the roof of the net. Two each!

In the second half we dominate and look far more likely to take the lead. I exchange the out of sorts Taboula for Chitra. A big hoof downfield from their keeper, results in the ball being flicked on and Pom Flamin Samnang runs into it (who else) and slams it once again past Som....Aarrrgghhhh! i hate this stupid game!”!!!!!Nhavbfhiegfhydguf!!!

Djsofbhdbfhdis Pom Samang scores another breakaway goal 4-2 when will we learn? When will we f******g learn you stupid defenders i will sack you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We pull one back when Nhem gets in behind their defence and his shot deflects off a defender and squirts under the keeper 4-3. I go all out attacking and it’s end to end, with them looking as likely to extend their lead as us to equalise. One or the other was going to happen. From their goal kick for once it didn’t go to Pom whatshis face, but to Ouk Ratana. The right back drives forward with the ball, before slipping in sub, Nhem Dara to slide the ball home for a dramatic late equaliser 4-4. Either team could win it now. Gbayoro recovers brilliantly to recover a missed header and he feeds Vavanak who floats a lovely ball to DARA!!!! He hits the foot of the post from the angle.. how unlucky! Four each and I’ve just about got my breath back! However in the cold light of day we have slipped to third and Tiger have a game in hand, so could stretch their lead to 5 points. Once again we let it slip, just at the time when we needed to keep on winning and our defence is an utter shambles, We will never win the title with this defence and changes are needed fast.

Match 18 – National Defence v EDC

I just want a good solid performance and a clean sheet. We are a “fur coat no knickers” team at the moment, great going forward, but terrible at the back. This is not helped by the suspension of Ratana and Yaty, meaning 18 year old Ly Vattanak will make his debut and partner Gbayoro in central defence. I go with a more conservative 4-2-3-1 formation, in order to try and maintain some solidity against dangerous opponents. We must win. A 4-0 win over today’s opponents put Angkor Tiger 5 points clear, so we need to close the gap to two.

Team: Som, Sihavong, Vattanak Gbayoro, Bairaing, Sam Chea, Chea Samnang, Men Samnang, Nhem, Taboula, Mony Udom

Match Action

We start well. Chea Samnang bursts forward but his shot is straight at the keeper. We look more solid and organised than in previous games. Gbayoro picks up the ball on the halfway line and plays an accurate ball for Samnang Nhem who runs into the the right channel. His snapshot is parried by the keeper, only into the path of Taboula for an easy tap in from 6 yards. The way we are playing though our lead was not to last long. A lucky rickashy from a Bairaing tackle fell to midfielder Nen Hai, whose easy through ball finds Dairpatch who is clean through on goal and slots it comfortably past Som for the equaliser.. We are just not learning at the moment. The aptly named Thorn Darapitch is a prickly customer. He latches onto another through ball with our defence all at sea yet again and makes no mistake. All that work we have done in training on organising the defence gone to pot. I am fuming! A thorn in our side he is. We come close to an equaliser when Mony Udom’s cross is glanced ontothe bar by Taboula. The same player comes to our rescue again when Bairaing flight in a cross and the Nigerian hotshot half volleys the ball home first time. 2-2 after just 27 minutes. Kamikaze football! The impressive Udom has a free kick tipped round the post by former EDC man Um Channou. We end the half the most likely to take the lead, but the score remains Desmond at half time. In the second half and it becomes a slug fest. They seem content with the draw, nothing but a win will do for us. I go attacking, throw on Pheara and Chitra and go 4-3-3. On a breakaway the brilliant Taboula gets into the right channel and crosses in where sub Pheara meets the ball with a bicycle kick, (think David Platt v Belgium in Italia ’90) straight past the keeper. 3-2. We are hanging on a bit here, but when the ball is hacked downfield, their defender inexplicably whacks the ball out for a corner. Chea Samanag swings the ball in and super sub Pheara rises at the far post to nod home a clincher. Pidor pulls one back for them with the last kick of the game. 4-3 papers over the cracks of our frailties a little but keeps us in touch at the top of the table. A win is a win, but still 5 behind the Tiger who plough on with a 2-1 win over lowly Port Autonome.

Final Score National Defence 3-4 EDC

Darapitch 11,17                                     Taboula 4,28

Pidor 96                                                   Pheara 68,90      

Chea Samnang wins Goal of The Month

Club captain and all round midfield dynamo, Chea Samnang has won the July Goal of The Month Award for his sensational strike against Prek Pra.

Match 19 EDC v National Police

It’s a grudge match nowadays against the Police, with Sok Ouen Pidor and the cheating Judas on ‘theirs’, plus a constant headache over the years, Timothy Okereke.. Great. They really have been on a recruitment drive of late and have conscripted a decent team, which lie in 5^th, two behind us currently. We just have to keep on winning, hope the Tiger slip up somewhere and then beat them at our place. We are racked with international call ups for Ratana and Nhem Dara and suspensions to Bairaing and Sam Chea add to our absentees, so in come Vavanak at DMC, while young Ly Vatanak switches to left back.

Team: Som, Sihavong, Yaty, Gbayoro, Vatanak, Vavanak, Chea Samnang, Pheara, Nhem, Noron, Taboula

Match Action

We kick off and knock the ball around quite comfortably but there is no incisiveness. One stray pass and they are in.. Our old friend Pidor has the ball on the left and his perfect ball for the onrushing Okereke sees the Nigerian reach the bye line where he clips a perfect cross for Dina to easily nod home. That was far too easy... Then our captain lunges in on their midfielder and is shown a red card. Things are all going Pete Tong as it often does against the Police.. We rally. I throw on young central midfielder, Sann Dara for his debut in centre mid to give us more numbers there at the expense of Noron. Pheara is at the heart of everything and his through ball to Taboula results in him hitting it narrowly wide. Encouraging. 1-0 to them at the break. We huff and puff in the second half, but fail to create much. Sok Ouen Pidor takes a random corner, straight onto the head Chainuth’s head for 2-0..  Is there any way back? Well.. Taboula is upended on the edge of the box. Up steps the unlikely man of defender Chan Yaty.. What’s he doing there? Where’s Taboula? Yaty steps up and smacks it straight into the top corner, 2-1 game on! We come alive. Pheara is buzzing around again. Sihavong finds the energy to overlap on the right and Taboula suddenly looks dangerous. Pidor at the other end reminds us of his ability and has a pot shot just over the bar. From the goal kick, Som strikes a clean ball up to Nhem, who instantly brings the ball under his spell, creates a little bit of space, before belting the ball into the top corner. Quite magnificent from the youngster once again! It’s end to end as both teams seek a winner. Okereke forces the best out of Som on a couple of occasions. Then our goalkeeper launches another handgrenade down the pitch into the path of Nhem who has the composure to give the keeper the eyes, before slotting cooly past him at the near post. Unbelievable Jeff! Ten man EDC 3-2 National Police. We batten down the hatches and even have a couple of chances to win it through that man Nhem and a Gbayoro header. But. With just four minutes to go another Pidor corner causes chaos in the box and the ball is stabbed home by that old foe Timothy Okereke for 3-3.. Then we hit the suicide button. The inexperienced Ly Vatanak takes a pointless long throw which is seized upon and crossed in for Sadet to lash home the winner. Heartbreak for EDC! Joy for the flippin’ police.. 4-3 to the coppers...

Final Score EDC 3-4 National Police

Yaty 55                                       Dina 7

Nhem 65.76                             Chainuth 54

                                                  Okereke 87

                                                  Sadet 88

Gutted! Our 11 match unbeaten run comes to an end and sadly our C-League hopes fade once again for another year after Tiger and Phnom Penh Crown open up a 5 point lead at the top with a game in hand. We cannot win the title with such a leaky defence. 

A sudden glut of high-scoring games have derailed EDC's title bid. Next match, a six pointer against league leaders Angkor Tiger. Can EDC keep their faint title hopes alive? Find out next time on The Ultimate World FM Game! 

Read Part 67 One Step Forward Two Steps Back Here!