With a tin can in hand, a couple of GFC’s fans, Shailoo and Kumar, went around to raise funds for the victims of the recent Earthquake in Nepal, raising more than $200 in the process. This amount will be sent to Nepal’s Red Cross Society in aiding their earthquake relief program. GFC would like to thank everyone for their enormous generosity!!

We’d also like to thank Suchin and GFC’s very own Kalpana for taking all those wonderful photos on the night. They can be viewed on Facebook at the following locations - Gallery 1 and Gallery 2 . Do view them and tag all those whom you know!!! Also, if you want to get all the details for future upcoming parties in Brizzieee, we recommend you ‘like’ Suchin’s Facebook page, Nepalese Party in Australia.

We at GFC are very pleased that the party passed by with only a couple of minor incidents. As the staff of the venue commented, “You are the most well-behaved party goers that we’ve dealt with” and that “They’d be more than happy to let us book the venue in the future again”. I’m sure most of, if not all, those who attended the evening had a wonderful time and we would welcome any suggestions and feedbacks to make our next event better than this one!! To all those who attended the event, as well as those who helped out on the night, a massive THANK YOU!!

Gurkhali Ayo!

Day 1 (Qualification Round)

Gurkha FC 0 – 2 Saudi Tigers
Gurkha FC suffered their first defeat in a long time after losing 2 – 0 down to the Saudi Tigers in the Asian Uni Games’ first round group match. GFC never really settled down throughout the match as the Saudis with their fluid movements and good team play dominated in the first half.

A quick break down our right flank was finished off superbly by their striker leaving our goalie with no chance. The second goal was controversial as a penalty was conceded from seemingly out of nothing.
Andrew had challenged for a loose 50-50 ball, against one of their players, in our penalty box and had cleared the ball, albeit with a high boot. The referee awarded a penalty for this action. Our protests fell on deaf ears and their striker swiftly dispatched the penalty to the despairing dive of our keeper.

2 – 0 down in half time didn’t help with the players’ confidence and although we played better in the 2^nd half, a lack of finishing as well as the Saudis possession play resulted in GFC losing for the first time in 9 games. Things could only get better as this was definitely not the Gurkhay way of playing footy!!

Gurkha FC 1 – 0 Thailand
(Pata)

In the second match of the group stages, GFC was pitted against the Thai team, whom we have had a couple of friendlies; losing both times. This was a game in which both sides were evenly matched as GFC kept pressing for a goal and the Thai team responding just as well. It was Pata who broke the deadlock with a sweet strike from outside the penalty box which curled into the goalie’s right hand corner. 1 – 0 up to GFC!!! The Thai team replied with a series of attacks which were broken down well by our defence, one of them in particular a thunderous shot which our goalie managed to divert over the bar.

After the second half, the Thai team continued pressing for their equalizer but GFC was equal to the task as well, responding with a number of attacks which just did not seem to end up in the net. GFC had a couple of scares as one of the Thais long range shots was tipped over the bar and another through ball was saved with the outstretched leg of our goalie. The final whistle for the game blew and GFC breathed a sigh of relief as we knew that we had just managed to scrape by for the win.

Gurkha FC 3 – 1 Indonesia
Manish (3)

GFC won the last of their group matches with a 3 – 1 victory over Indonesia. Manish, who’s becoming something of a goal machine, scored a hat-trick ensuring that GFC progressed into the next round of the competition. The assists for the first two goals were provided by Gakul, from a free kick, and Bikram, from a corner, with Manish scoring with his head on both occasions. Manish’s third goal was created by himself as he latched onto a pass and dozed his way to goal. 3 – 0 to GFC within the first half!!

The 2^nd half was played out in a slow mannered fashion as the Indonesians were continually frustrated by GFC’s keep ball tactics. On their one rare occasion which they did threaten, Thulo made a few decent stop but injured his shoulder. He signaled to the referee about his injury, but the referee instead blew for a free kick to the Indonesians in the penalty box; his reasoning was that the keeper held onto the ball for too long. Their player drove the ball past the Gurkhay wall and into the net to make the final score 3 – 1. Not a good way to concede a goal, but a good lesson learnt for the keeper. Throw the ball out in an event of an injury to oneself.

In any case GFC qualified for the next round of competition to be held on the following day. This achievement was blighted by the fact that there were a few injuries suffered on the day, Amar (thigh), Bikram (knee), Shin (nose), Sunil (ankle) and Thulo (shoulder). GFC struggles on.

Day 2 (Round 2 to Finals)

Day 2 of the competition was another group stage competition, with only the top team progressing into the semis. As runners up in our group from the previous day, we had to play against one third placed and another first placed team from another group, these being Hong Kong and Somalia.

Gurkha FC 1 – 0 Hong Kong
(Manish)

Our first game on the 2^nd round was against Hong Kong, who was basically a revamped SkyWind team from the South Side League. They had a number of new players including a trio of gorays. In any case, we still dominated them, but never got close to scoring the number of goals which we did in the league. With Thulo out injured with a shoulder injury, and only available as a limited outfield player, it was left to Saurav to play as a keeper although he had next to naught experience in the position. In any case, Manish finished off the tie with a well taken goal with GFC dominating both halves. Saurav did well enough as keeps with a couple of good catches.

Gurkha FC 1 – 1 Somalia
(Manish)

The second game was a trickier tie with the larger and more physical Somalian side. Manish was the scorer again with the Somalians scoring from a controversial penalty. Everyone agreed that the referee for this game was totally inexperienced and probably biased as he let the Somalians get away with most fouls whilst stopping play whenever any of GFC players committed minor ones. The conceded penalty, although it was a foul, was committed outside the box but since the player landed in the area, the referee deemed it to be a penalty. The Somalian striker duly obliged in putting the ball in the back of the net.

Gurkha FC 1 – 0 Somalia (Replay)
(Manish)

With GFC and Somalia tied for top place, it was decided that a replay would be played to decide who should progress to the semis. The GFC players were really geared up for this, what with a sense of injustice that they felt from the prior game. The game was much more pleasing to watch as well as the players played with more purpose keeping possession of the ball although not creating the chances required. The scorer for this game was once again Manish. With the goal in our pocket, it was left to GFC to play out the game with a sensible play of keep ball and making the opposition run, something which the Somalians did plenty of. In any case, this was a great win for the team and a definite morale booster. GFC progresses to the Semis!

Semi Finals

Gurkha FC 0 – 0 China
(lost 3 – 4 on penalties)

GFC was pitted against China in the semis with the final score being a goalless draw. In between, there was a heated argument with some of the Chinese players which definitely spoilt our players’ tempo and rhythm. That being the case, not many chances were created by either side as both seemed to be evenly matched although the Chinese were the bigger and more physical side. The match eventually ended goalless and thus resulted in the dreaded penalty shootout.

As Saurav had practically no experience, up stepped Shin to take the keepers spot for the shootout. We kicked off the penalty shootout with Gakul, Manish and Pata scoring the first of our three kicks and the Chinese players responding in kind. Our fourth kicker was Shin who had his shot saved by the Chinese stopper; they scored their next. We were 3 – 4 down and we had to score the next one to be in the tie. Amar stepped up and his shot was also save splendidly by the Chinese keeper. With that being that, GFC lost the shootout and were denied a berth in the Finals.

Gurkha FC 0 – 1 Hong Kong United

There was still 3^rd place up for grabs, but with most of the players injured, excessively tired or with other commitments, GFC withered to a 1 – 0 defeat. Nothing to be ashamed of, as even without a full compliment of players, GFC players held their own for sustained periods of time, eventually losing to a fluke goal concede by Ashok, who had stepped in to play as keeper; about time Saurav took a break from the gloves and let his legs do the talking.

Conclusion

Ahhhhh… finally at last, the conclusion for this piece of article.

Firstly apologies for the delay in posting this article and also for not making it as informative as it should have been; the reason being with so many games played on the day, it was difficult to keep track of who did what and what was happening exactly on the pitch.

Secondly, well done GFC players for a tournament well played!!! Although we did not achieve our target of a Finals placing, our eventual placing as the 4^th best team in the tournament was in itself an achievement. And this was done without our full complement of players, mainly out due to injuries.

Lastly, thanks to all the supporters who turned up and stayed for the whole duration of the tournament. Your support is well and truly appreciated. Apologies to some of you who may have returned a bit darker than usual!! You know it was worth it!!

And finally finally… with all the injuries from the tournament, it’s a good thing that we do not have any games this week. So all you fellow players, do have a good rest and get well soon!!

And finally finally… this time for real finally… do come down to GFC’s Pre-Dashain party this Sunday, 25^th of September at the Electric Playground. You know you wouldn’t want to miss it!!

Gurkhali Ayo!!

GFC was at it’s best yet again, as they demolished BlackStar Roasters 5 – 1 in the final game of the Southside League, consolidating 3^rd place in the league’s standings as a result. Due to time constraints, referee availability and ground availability, the last match of the season was played as a winner takes all match; i.e. points and goals counted double!! With this in mind and the potential of beating a ‘khuiray’ team for the first time in the league, our boys were very much up for the challenge.

Things however did not start out as expected as our boys failed to settle down initially, being pressured from the whistle. BlackStar’s long balls was causing problems for GFC, with one in particular, beating the defence and only a last minute intervention on the line from Shin prevented a definite goal. However, a quick break from GFC had Sunil scuttling down the right and his cross was not cleared properly by the opposition, prompting Manish to ram home the first goal of the game! The keeper had no chance to react such was the power of the shot. 1 – 0 to GFC!

The goal, however, only boosted the opposition’s tempo as their long balls were causing a mess of a problem with our backline. One such ball put them on a one on one situation with our keeper, Thulo, who did well to save with his legs. This was followed by another similar situation, but Ashok was on hand to clear the ball off the line. The boys were really showing their determination in not conceding a goal and putting their hearts for the win!

Using the saying of, “Well if you can’t beat them, join them”, Gakul threaded a long ball into the path of Manish, whose neat touch caused some confusion between the defence and their keeper resulting in an easy finish for our striker. 2 – 0 up and GFC was on a roll!

The goal still did not dampen the opposition’s mood however as they continued to ply on the pressure. They were however, limited to shots from outside the box as they failed to break our defence down. One such strike from their striker had Thulo scampering at full stretch, but it barely missed bulging the net by just the post. Another long shot from their midfielder was plucked safely just on the line. Thulo had evidently learned to hold the ball properly probably still remembering the soft goal conceded a couple of weeks back.

At the other end of the field, GFC were not to be outdone as Bikram tried one of his long range shots, which sadly flew over and out of the ground. A great tackle from Shin resulted in him getting the ball and driving forward, before releasing Sunil on the right wing with a through ball. Using his speed, he beat the opposition for pace before putting a sweet ball into the penalty box, only to be missed by players. All it needed was a touch to be put into the back of the net! Great play from GFC nevertheless!

By this time, GFC was on the top of their game and had settled down well enough. A ball down the left was dealt by their defence well enough, but Dipen was showing his ever present determination and chased the lost cause, pressuring them to win a corner. From the resulting corner, Shin headed just wide of the goal. Great play and pressure from GFC!

Half time blew and as seems to be happening regularly, the players were in good spirits, with the usual banter about next to nothing. Good to see such great team spirit, which can only be good for our future games.

The second half started much brightly for GFC as the players settled fully on the Mt Gravatt pitch. Within a couple of minutes of the restart, Upesh had threaded a nice through ball to Manish who chipped the ball over the keeper and into the net. 3 – 0 to GFC!! His second hat trick in as many games!! What a game he was having!

Within a few minutes of scoring his third goal, Manish had the ball in the net again as he powered and dribbled his way into the penalty area before beating the keeper and stroking the ball into an empty net. Following this incident, some of the GFC players got into an argument with the opposition, but luckily no hands were raised and the scene died down after a while. No complaints over this as GFC was on a roll being 4 – 0 up now!!

With GFC settling down nicely after this minor incident, another through ball to Manish beat the opposition’s defence, who all waved for offside; the referee didn’t blow his whistle though. Manish playing on a striker’s stroked the ball past the keeper and made the score 5 – 0!! Still probably frustrated from the earlier argument, Manish celebrated his goal DX style (look it up in on YouTube for those who don’t know what it is about) and got a yellow card for his efforts.

That was the last of GFC goals, although this did not mean that the team did not create any more chances. Sunil was released on the right wing and using his pace, cut into the box, however, he could only blast the ball over the bar. Moments later, Pramod created a chance for himself but he also blasted the ball over the bar.

The common sports adage these days seem to be, “If you are good enough, you are old enough”, and hence a long awaited debut was given for our 14 year old striker Sameer who came on for Manish. He got straight into the thick of things, with his speed, touch and pure determination troubling the opponents much bigger defenders. He even got into a few goal scoring chances but scuffed his shots, although with experience, those will surely end up at the back of the net! In any case, it was a nice debut for Sameer who showed no fear, truly keeping with the Gukhali spirit!

In another sweet move on the left flank, couple of neat one twos on the left released Dipen, who crossed, but resulted in a corner. From the resulting corner, there was a toe stepping incident on Pramod’s foot right in front of the referee. Although the referee warned the offender, the incident was repeated and the referee promptly sent the player off. A tad bit harsh we all thought as it probably only deserved a yellow. In any case we had the advantage, or so we thought.

The players probably went a bit lax after the sending off as long ball into our right defence, beat Amar, and the opposition took one touch and shot which Thulo did well to save. He then released the ball to the left, where the ball was lost to one of their many ‘kalay’ imports. He drove forward and shot from range which flew past our keeper and into the net; Thulo hardly moved, although he could have done much better than NOT MOVING!!

With time running out, BlackStar got more into the game even with a man down. However, GFC held firm and drowned their attacks easily enough. There was even a late chance for Sushil, who had come on as a striker, who did well enough to shoot from range, but did little to trouble their keeper.

Final whistle blew and all the players breathed a sigh of satisfaction having beaten their first ‘khuiray’ team of the season. Good going guys! There are sure to be more such moments in the coming games!!

With this result, GFC consolidated their third place ranking in the league standings, thus qualifying for the quarter-finals of the knockout stages. And this is where the REAL competition starts as the top 4/5 (depending on the final format laid out by the organizers) teams fight it out to be named the best team in the league! The format and fixtures have as of yet to be confirmed by the oragnisers. Stay tuned GFC fans for further news and opponents for the next round of our journey.

Having gone on a now 8 match unbeaten streak, GFC players confidence are on a high as they know this is one of the best chances of gaining their first piece of silverware in their short history. Dates of fixtures and opponents will be displayed as soon as they are released. This is the first time that GFC has secured a place in the knockout phases as well as securing their best ever league finish in the league. So what are you waiting for GFC fans? Get down to the field and support and cheer on YOUR ONLY Nepalese football team in Brisbane as they try and claim their first piece of silverware!

Gurkhali Ayo!

Next Match

There are no next league fixtures this coming week. The team will however be taking part in the Asian Uni Games to be held in Annerley. See previous post for more details on this coming tournament.

Side Post

As was written in the previous match report, GFC now has a new page on Facebook, which is being regularly updated. Do join us and ‘likes’ us. Don’t worry GFC fans, this site will still be kicking alive and regularly updated as well!

On a more important side note, tickets for the “Dashain Ayo 2011” are now on sale. GFC cordially invites everyone for this Pre-Dashain Dance Party of the year right here in Brisbane! For more information on this great event, go to our Facebook page. Please approach any of the GFC players to purchase your tickets. This event will surely be a blast!! So do join us!

Next fixture is yet to be confirmed due other tournaments taking place in between the season. Finals are likely to take place in mid October. Stay tuned for updates.

Date: 11th August (Sunday)
Time: 11.30 am
Venue: Mt Gravatt

Please be at the field by 10.30 am!

Gurkha FC 6 – 0 SkyWind FC

There were goals galore in GFC’s 2^nd match with SkyWind FC at the Mt Gravatt Soccer Club which now stretched GFC’s unbeaten run to 7 matches. With the Yeronga ground being under repair for the next 6 weeks (or so), GFC played their first match of the season at the Mt Gravatt Football Ground. With the previous week’s game called off due to bad weather and having beaten SkyWind earlier with a score of four to nothing, the players were in a confident mood as well as having the “khuta chilauni” disease (itchy legs).  The players were all up for this one, that’s for sure!!

As with the first game, it was GFC who dominated the first half throughout, although passes went astray as the team tried to settle into the new ground. Within a few minutes after kickoff, after a neat exchange of passes, Pata released Sunil on the right wing for a one on one situation with the keeper, who deftly slipped it under the despairing keeper. 1 – 0 to GFC within the first ten minutes!! Was it a sign of things to come?

The next incident was one of the most memorable of the match as Dipen, our marauding left back, started one of his overlapping runs into the box. As he received the ball and dribbled his way into the penalty area, he barely avoided a lunging tackle by a defender as he skipped over his foot but lost his footing. Penalty!! There could have been serious consequences had that tackle connected with Dipen. No, no, no, not a broken leg, but an all out fight!! Anyway, everyone willed Dipen to take the penalty which he did, although he looked rather bewildered about the prospect of scoring his FIRST goal for GFC! But he stepped up anyway and really, should have done better as his tame shot was easily parried away by the keeper and the follow up scuffed. Still 1 – 0 up!! No worries Dipen, Just Chill…

A looping ball over the top barely reached our half and Pata, who was in fine form, headed the ball forward for Manish. His first touch however let him down, but he nevertheless gave chase and challenged the follow up ball fairly with the keeper, who was now stranded; Manish stroked the ball calmly into the empty net. 2 – 0 up to GFC!!

A through ball to Thulo by Upesh, sent the right-back on his way but who then blazed it skywards. That’s what happens when you try to get a defender to finish like a striker!! Pramod was being frustrating in front of goal as well as he didn’t shoot when supposed to and shot when was supposed to pass. Ryu was having a great time in goal as the defence, led by Ashok and Shin, lapped up all their attacks; he touched the ball only once in the first half. All in all a well played first half with the players slowly getting to grips with the new ground.

Half time blew and there was nothing much to talk about except the opponents. Seriously guys, they had names such as Batman, Spiderman, He-man, Tommy etc; on the back of their pink coloured jerseys with a sponsor named BubbleGum or something like that.

Anyway, back to the match as the 2^nd half kicked off with Gakul (who had been on the subs bench) taking the field and Raj (aka Josh, aka Barnes, aka Talu, call him what you may) also making his debut for GFC. His first course of action was a dribble down the left flank followed by a great cross which evaded everyone else. Nice entrance in any case.

On the right flank, good interplay between Sunil and Thulo resulted in a throw in. The throw in was trapped neatly by Upesh before releasing a clean pass to Manish, who flat footed the defence with a drop shoulder, before ramming the ball past the keeper. 3 – 0 to GFC and this surely was game set and match!! Or so we thought.

From a seemingly nothing move, Gakul received the ball from the centre of the field, made his way forward and from outside the penalty box, had one look up and tried one of his now-trademark placement shots, which looped over the keeper and into the top right hand corner. 4 – 0 up and this was becoming a stroll in the park for GFC! (I did NOT want to sound arrogant here!)

All this while, Shin who was playing in the heart of defence, had been consistently barraging upfield to get on the score sheet. In his first of many runs into the opposition box, he headed the ball straight into the hands of the keeper, from a corner. In his next foray up, he headed the ball way over the crossbar from a superb cross by Barnes.

Bad luck for our import all this while, but as the Latin saying goes, ‘Nil Sine Labore’ (Nothing Without Hard Work) and this is exactly what he got. From an un-cleared corner, the ball fell nicely to Shin, whose quick feet belied his position as a defender taking him past a couple of defenders before finishing into the corner of the goal. A well deserved goal putting GFC 5 – 0 up!!! Probably had enough by now one would think. Not really.

The last goal was a case of raw power added with a spice of luck. From a free kick, Gakul rolled the ball to Manish, who rammed the ball straight through the keeper’s legs via a deflection off a defender. 6 – 0! Hat-trick for Manish, his second of the tournament and that was surely the last goal of the game! Even the recollection of all the goals was getting this writer into a dizzy state as there were too many to remember! But this was it! Finally, the ref blew for full time. Phew!! What a game!!

Our final match of the season will be against Black Star Roasters and this will be a 6 pointer; i.e. winner takes all, due to ground bookings, referee availability, etc, etc. So with third place still not guaranteed, (look at the league table on Facebook for a clearer understanding on the situation) the final match will be a must win match!! Actually, it’s just so that we can boast about having beaten at least one “khuiray” team. No draws allowed!! Well actually, a draw will seal the third place position and that would be a good overall standing for GFC. But for now, stay prepared and see you in Mt Gravatt.

Gurkhali Ayo!!

Next Match

Gurkha FC vs Blackstar Roasters FC

Date: 11th August (Sunday)
Time: 11.00 am
Venue: Mt Gravatt

Please be at the field by 10.00 am!

Side Notes

On a side note, GFC now has a new page on Facebook, which is being regularly updated. Do join us on our Facebook Page and ‘likes’ us. Don’t worry GFC fans, this site will still be kicking alive and regularly updated as well!!

On a more important side note, tickets for the “Dashain Ayo 2011” are now on sale. GFC cordially invites everyone for this Pre-Dashain Dance Party of the year right here in Brisbane! For more information on this great event, click here. Please approach any of the GFC players to purchase your tickets. This event will surely be a blast!! So do join us!

“DASHAIN AYO 2011″

For more information, contact any of the GFC players or read previous post to join us on Facebook. See you there!!

Gurkha FC maintained their unbeaten streak with a hard fought and well earned 3 – 2 victory over Malaysian Team A. With this win, GFC has now gone undefeated in 6 games. This was a match in where all the players showed great mental strength, determination and energy to string a comeback having been 2 -1 down.

The opening 20 minutes was dominated by GFC with the midfield retaining most of the possession without really making any headway. Within this time, from a seemingly inconspicuous play, Amar tried one of his trademark long range shots a few meters into the halfway line. Normally his shots would end up either in the AFL pitch or the block of apartments behind each of the goal. This was a bit different though as, not into the AFL pitch did the ball fly, but right over the keeper and into the net! 1 – 0 to GFC!! Our players seem to be making a habit of scoring fantastic goal!! Wonderful stuff from Amar which David Moyes would have been proud of!

Did that kick the players up for more? Apparently not, as the opposition seemed to settle more into the game and raised their level of play. With their neat intricate passes they had the GFC players chasing shadows for much of the time. Such was the state of play that within their first real attack they had the ball in the net. A lovely shimmy from their winger followed by an inch perfect cross was calmly side-footed into the far corner by their striker, who had arrived on the blind side. 1 – 1 and it was back to all square.

The Malaysians had much of the play in the 2^nd part of the first half without really making any clear cut thanks to dogged defending by our defenders, with Ashok and Dipen making last ditch tackles to clear dangers and Bikram  making his “it’s either you or me baby” booming clearances. GFC soaked up all this pressure whilst launching a series of counterattacks well, with Gakul and Upesh in the heart of it all. Andrew’s blistering pace was causing the opposition’s defence all sorts of problems with the only thing lacking being the final ball, whilst Pata’s clever play was continually being foiled. All this while Manish was cast as a frustrated lone figure upfront and it was this frustration which probably boiled over with him exchanging a series of verbals with the opposition. Aray Manish, Just Chill…

Half-time whistle blew and it was a frustrated atmosphere within the GFC camp as the general feeling was, that we could play a whole lot better than this! To change things around, Pradeep and Andrew were subbed in favour of Sunil and Pramod (who was also making his GFC debut! Welcome to the club Pramod!).

Half time started and the play improved slightly with Pramod getting into the thick of things, one of which was playing a one two with Manish, which the latter fired over. Amar and Bikram both tried their trademark long shots which both flew skywards. With our defenders up in attack, intelligent play from the Malaysians saw them start a counter attack from our left wing. With Bikram rushing back to halt his progress, the opposition player took a shot at goal from long range before he could be reached. Our normally reliable keeper, Thulo, totally misjudging the height of the ball, and although it lacked the power to be a belter of a shot,allowed it to slip from his fingertips and straight into the net. 2 – 1 up to the Malaysians!

As the Malaysians gained in confidence, they started a series of attacks with one creating a one on one situation with the keeper. Bikram’s last minute presence was sufficient for the player to hurry his shot with Thulo saving well with a one handed stop. Next they had a free-kick outside the penalty area, which one of them belted over the wall and straight onto the crossbar. SMACK!! Lucky shave for GFC!

The contest in the 2^nd half was much more evenly matched and with one of GFC’s attack, Pramod was sent clear but it was judged to have been offside by the referee and in any case, he missed the shot. A few minutes later, with the ball in the penalty area, Manish was on hand to guide the ball into the net beyond the keeper’s despairing dive. 2 – 2 and it was evens stevens again! What a match this was turning out to be!! An El Classsico??!

With both teams going for the win, it was the Malaysians who again got another free-kick on the right of the penalty area. The same player again stepped up and rifled the ball over the wall which Thulo managed to get his fingertips to help it onto the crossbar. In their next attack they had a shot which pace was taken off by Amar’s foot with our keeper making an easy save. Within this time, Sunil suffered a foot injury and was replaced by Andrew.

The last few minutes of the 2^nd half was one of pure excitement. Manish, who had been taken off for treatment on his foot after a collision, had just come on again and was putting himself out and about. Within a few moments, he found himself free in the penalty area and tried to place his shot to the left of goal. What followed was something one would imagine watching in a slow motion replay, with their keeper diving to reach the ball, but just touching his fingertips, before making its way into the corner of the goal (imagine all this happening really slowly and you get my gist). GOAL! 3 – 2 to GFC. What a turnaround it had been!! There were scenes of jubilation on both sides of the field, as well as off it, as the players and fans rejoiced in celebration!! 2 goals to Manish, Arsene Wenger did you say you needed another striker??

With the clock seemingly taking forever to reach full time, the Malaysians gained another free kick right on the edge of the penalty area. Up stepped their now all-too-familiar free kick taker who bent the ball over the wall and which seemed destined for the top corner. This time, Thulo made amends for his earlier gaff as he stretched and flung himself to tip the ball over the crossbar! A wonderful save! From the resulting corner, one of their players managed to get his head onto the ball, with our keeper stranded on the ground (that idiot had slipped while trying to challenge for the ball!!). Our hearts stayed in our mouths as we saw the ball thankfully fly way above the crossbar. Seconds later, the referee blew for full time. GFC wins again 3 – 2 and the streak continues…

Our next match will be against Black Star Roasters and it’s about time we did something about beating “khuiray” teams ,as stated in the previous post. This game was a good workout in preparation for the next match with the boys showing great grit, determination and bravery (just like the Gurkhas!) to grab a win from the jaws of defeat. Kudos to the Malaysians for making a great game out of it! (I probably wouldn’t be saying this had we gone on to lose the game!)

Gurkhali Ayo!!

Next Match

Gurkha FC vs Blackstar Roasters FC

Date: 29th August (Sunday)
Time: 11.00 am
Venue: Mt Gravatt

Please be at the field by 10.00 am!

Gurkha FC’s run of good results continued with a comprehensive 4 – 0 victory over SkyWind FC. The match started in typical GFC style, with GFC dominating the opening proceedings. We had the majority of possession without actually being able to penetrate SkyWind’s defence. When we finally thought we had managed a breakthrough when the opposition conceded a penalty, our usually reliable striker Manish blasted the bar into seventh heaven. However, he made amends just a  few minutes later, when Gakul fed him a lovely ball from the centre of midfield and with the deftest of touches, he flicked the ball over the keeper and into the goal. 1 – 0 to GFC!!

More possession to us with Manish cracking a peach of a shot straight into the cross bar. Just before half time though, GFC got a free kick 30 odd yards from goal. What followed was a classic case of passing accuracy at its best as Gakul took the free kick which swerved right over the keeper and straight into the net. 2 – 0 up and we were on a roll!! All this while, the opposition had only managed to get into our box just twice. The referee blew for half time minutes later.

The general consensus during half-time was that we should be giving this team a “dhobi” style scoreline, with small patches of arguments on how we should be playing. Possessions aplenty with the only thing lacking being the final ball and the finishing. Nevertheless the boys went into the second half with a confident strut.

The second half had barely started when GFC got another free kick 25 yards from goal. With Gakul and Manish standing over the ball, it was difficult to guess who was going to take the shot. Up stepped the latter and what a free kick it was, bang right over the wall and keeper and straight into the net again; 3 – 0!! A splendid free-kick which any Premier League manager would have been proud of! Not to be outdone, Bikram tried a shot from outside the box which probably found it’s way into the trees.

Saurav had the ball in the net later on, which was judged to have been offside. The same scenario was repeated by Bikram, although he was clearly onside. This probably got him agitated, motivated, frustrated, call it what you may, but he had the ball in the net in the next minute which actually counted! Picking up the ball from midfield, he had one look up and struck the ball from more than 25 yards out, which looped straight into the net. Fantastic piece of finishing!! 4 – 0; and it was probably game set and match!!

Towards the latter part of the match, with the players tiring and taking the opposition for granted, SkyWind had more of the ball and started attacking GFC’s goal. Thanks to splendid defending from Shin and gang, their attacks were mere patchy shots which lacked power and accuracy. Eventually the referee blew for full time with the final score being 4 – 0 to GFC.

Some lessons to be learnt from this match:

1. This is the most important one. ALWAYS respect your opponents. DO NOT EVER take the opposition for granted; not matter how weak they may seem. No goalie likes to concede a goal and for the latter part of the 2^nd half, they seemed more than capable of scoring one.
2. When being substituted in, know your roles properly and stick to it! It seemed that, at times, there was confusion on where the substitute player was supposed to be playing.
3. Finally, to a lesser extent, communicate on the field. Three players at the same location.. Two to three players going for the same ball.. Wingers not helping their full backs out and vice versa.. etc.. etc.. You get my point. At times though, the passing seemed almost telepathic. Keep that up!

On a final note, this was a great result and should prove a confidence booster against the next few opponents, 2nd one probably being Blackstar Roasters. Hope the players are all pumped up for this particular battle. About time we went on to beat one of the ‘khuiray’ teams! Come on GFC!

Gurkhali Ayo!!

Next Match

Gurkha FC vs Malaysian A

Date: 21st August (Sunday)
Time: 11.30 am
Venue: Yeronga

Please be at the field by 10.30 am!