A screamer from Hutcheon midway through the second half and a well placed low drive from Prakash secured all three points for a new look SCC side on the first day of the COSMO season against a strong Brewerkz side. The first half was a bruising encounter with the referee having his work cut out to keep a lid on things. The Singaporean public, always keen on a firework display, would certainly have clapped the teams off at half time as the refereeâ??s yellow card flashed on numerous occasions. That said, there were precious few chances and the deadlock rarely looked like being broken. The best chance came on the half hour mark when a well worked one-two on the edge of the SCC box created a good one on one chance for Brewerkz. Dan, the debutant SCC keeper, made himself very big and saved well from the oncoming striker.

A strong SCC penalty appeal was then denied as Rogers latched onto a through ball from Wilson and looked to have been sandwiched by the keeper and centre half. Hutcheon, in particular, was a real menace and Brewerkz struggled to come to terms with his pace and strength. At the back, Davies looked assured in dealing with the threatening right winger and Goerojo led by example. Whiteley was kept on his toes by his mum who had made the long trip from the UK for this game. SCC began to look more dangerous after the break as the intensity of the Brewerkz sideâ??s first half performance began to tell on a wet surface at Tampines. David got far more joy on the left wing and put in a number of testing crosses. Sam and Owenâ??s work rate in the centre saw them begin to get the better of their opposite numbers. SCC boss Monaghan decided to keep up the pressure by introducing a string of new players from the large SCC squad that has been assembled for this campaign. Danny was lively, Drew added presence in attack and Adamâ??s passing began to unlock the Brewerkz defence. Dan was called into action only once in the second half as a deflected cross off his own defender almost wrong-footed the SCC keeper.

The first goal was worth the wait, coming with around twenty minutes left on the clock. Sam slotted the ball into Hutcheon who turned his man and smashed home a superb shot into the top corner. The Brewerkz keeper could only watch as the mass ranks of the SCC were sent into rapture. This goal prompted Brewerkz to push more men forward which the SCC defence dealt with well. Their efforts were eventually rewarded when Ganesh was found by Sam on the edge of the box. His precise low shot found the back of the net and SCC cruised to a solid 2-0 win. The result was in part testament to the tough pre-season insisted upon by SCC coach Owen Monaghan and he will be pleased with the fitness and structural discipline of his rank and file. He may need to focus on his teamâ??s creativity though. Despite scoring two goals from distance SCC did not create enough clear cut chances in this game. The team bus on the way back from the teamâ??s first home game (in nearby Malaysia) was filled with an upbeat mood, at least for the first hour of the journey. However, the team then found out that the fireworks of the afternoon were a mere warm up act to a real fireworks competition in downtown Singapore later that evening. The long tailbacks caused an extended period between final whistle and the first Tiger at Stumps, but the taste of this initial victory will remain with the SCC players for some time to come.

Man of the Match â?? Andrew Hutcheon Simon Wilson (Scribe)