It is becoming a routine for VS to play against the Singapore Sports School in soccer. After convincingly overcome Serangoon Secondary 2-1 in the National Semi Finals, once again VS is in the National Final against Sports School.
Despite having our Captain and top player sidelined due to H1N1, the B team is still ready to give the tournament favourite a run for their money.
Though we lost our Captain to the flu, you can become that 12th player for the team. So be there for the school, the team and the boys……
Event : National Schools’ B Division Soccer Final
Date : 29th July 2009, Wednesday
Time : 16:00hr
Venue : Meridian Junior College
18 Comments. Leave new
How did the result go?
Heard today is C Division semi-finals too.
Hi.
Despite a valiant and brave performance, it was unfortunate to lose 5-3. The players played with an high level of pride and passion.
The spirit and passion in the players and supporters was amazing. 🙂
Vs will always be Vs: Something more.
I think this is the 3rd time in successive years that VS has lost to SSS. The 1st 2 times were in the C Divison Finals. It is still a great achievement considering that SSS has the best footballers from the whole of Singapore!
history of encounters with Sports School:
C Div final 2006 : 0-9
B Div final 2008 : 0-4
B DIv final 2009 : 3-5
VS started yesterday game nervously and we actually had an open goal on sight within the 1st 10 min after our right winger got to the touchline to cross beating the keeper completely. in our amazement, our striker only a few yards away from goal blasted the ball over instead of a simple tap in with the goal at his mercy. it was a big disappointment for the boy and the team, confidence was shaken. then sports school put one past our keeper. heads were down but the Victorian spirit was ALIVE. with the supporters cheering behind the team, we got 1 back before half time.
our boys came out for the 2nd half with a revised confidence – YES! VS can beat sports school!
then the score went to (VS:SS) 1:2 -> 2:2 -> 2:3 -> 2:4. at 2:4 the boys still believed they can. and we got another goal (goal of the match) 3:4. as we pushed on for the elusive equaliser, a lapse in defence allowed sports school to score another during injury time to seal the match at 3:5.
in my heart VS is already National Champion before the kickoff cos many believe sports school has created an uneven playing field.
APLLAUSE to our team!!! the boys came, competed and fought for Victoria…. they walked away with their heads up cos they kept the flag unfurled…
hope the boys will walk away with a stronger sense of self belief that sports school can be beaten – beaten by Victoria cos Victoria is something more. i am looking forward to the next final against sports school.
hmmm… do i have enough leave??? better start conserving… u better too… cos the team needs the 12th player in u…
a special thank you to our FOC volunteer coach – Mr Yang Song. a fine son of Victoria who sacrificed and dedicated his personal time to coach the team… Thanks Yang Song…
The fine display of the VS players and the fervent spirit of the students supporting the school are vividly captured in text and pictures by Mr Randell Siow, a VS teacher, on his blog, as indicated below. The rendition of the VS school song was just wonderful. Brought back great memories of the days when we were cheering on the school teams at inter-school matches in the many types of sports that VS excelled in. V-I-C-T-O-R-I-A, VICTORIA!
http://mrsiow.blogspot.com/2009/07/b-div-soccer-f…
http://www.sportsschool.edu.sg/Uploads/News%20And…
How is VS doing in the C Division?
Thanks JP
Salute to the Boys…
ps
fyi
the C Boys need to win their final game against
Serangoon Gardens Secondary School
at 4pm, Victoria School Grounds
to progress to the National C Division Semi-Finals….
Game is tomorow
Tuesday
4th August
VS was C Division champions in 1992. There were 2 other years when they were runner-up in C Division (1990s/2000s) I think.
I was a proud boy from that batch of champion in 1992. Though I wasn't part of the team, I was part of the entire school cheering from the stand of Bedok Stadium. We beat St Patrick 1-0, scoring the winning goal deep into the last 5 min of the game by striker Gurmit Singh (not the one on tv).
VS 'C' Boys won today's game, 4-1.
Apologies but the Boys still have another game this Thursday,
6th August
4.30pm
against St Pat
at Victoria School
and they need a win to ensure a berth in the Nationals Semis
So if you are free, do come and drop by and be the 12th player!!!
Hi Zan,
Did VS manage to beat St Pat's?
The Electric New Paper :
Three key Victoria School players down with H1N1 but football match goes on
Could school have won if match had been postponed?
THE school had three key players, who were down with Influenza A (H1N1), in quarantine.
31 July 2009
THE school had three key players, who were down with Influenza A (H1N1), in quarantine.
Looking to prevent the spread of the virus, Victoria School principal Low Eng Teong, asked for a postponement of the National Inter-School Soccer B Division Boys Finals.
But his request was turned down by the Co-Curricular Activities Board (CCAB), and the match against Singapore Sports School went on as scheduled yesterday.
Should the CCAB have risked possibly infecting the other players?
Mr Low said three players were out, including the captain. He had requested for a postponement because he was concerned that some of the boys would have been exposed, which wouldn't have been good for the other team.
A spokesman for CCAB told The New Paper that the request had been rejected because Victoria School still had enough players to continue with the game.
Mr S Elangovan, Senior Specialist CCA (Sports) at CCAB, said: 'The rule is that a team needs a minimum of nine players, so they had enough.
'With three players down, Victoria School still had 14 left, so they had to go on.
'The Ministry of Education has said that everything goes on as per normal despite the H1N1 outbreak, and the moment any of these players show even slight symptoms, the school will monitor them.'
The Singapore Sports School won the match, with a score of 5-3.
There were those in the crowd, however, who felt that it would have been fairer if the match had been rescheduled.
'If they had postponed it for a week, it would have been a better fight. It ended a bit one-sided,' said Ms Linda Srdek, 45, a housewife.
Mr Zulkifli Abdullah, 52, a retiree, said: 'For the benefit of soccer, I feel it should have been postponed. With the three players, they could have won.'
Indeed, when the two teams met in the preliminary round of the competition, they drew 2-2.
Victoria School had fielded their best 11 then.
The final yesterday was subdued compared to those of previous years.
The finalists had been told to take just 100 students each to support their teams at Meridian Junior College in Pasir Ris.
The 100-supporter limit was set because of space restrictions at Meridian and to curb the spread of the H1N1 virus.
'My staff had informed the students that there were limited places. But the school spirit is so strong that if you tell them not to come, they'll want to come even more.
'The turnout is quite good, but there probably would have been more under normal circumstances,' Mr Low said.
'We didn't tell our students explicitly not to come, but we didn't arrange for transport for them to come down here,' said Dr Irwin Seet, Director of Sports at Singapore Sports School.
Shea John Driscoll, newsroom intern
The C Division Hockey semi-finals between Sengkang and Teck Whye was postponed because several Sengkang players were down with flu.
VS could have won the B Division Football finals if it was postponed.
The Victorian Spirit – The story of the Victoria School B Division football team
Today
Story and photos contributed by reader Aaron Aik.
Meridien Junior College, Wednesday, July 29, 2009 – On July 7 2008, after a drought of more than 30 years, the Victoria School B Division soccer team finally made it to the national finals, where they faced the team from the Singapore Sports School.
Spectators from both schools turned up at the Jalan Besar Stadium in full force. Both teams played their hearts out, but alas, the championship went to the hands of SSS.
The Victorian team knew that even though they had lost the match with their heads held high, they had to come back to fight for the coveted title once again.
One year later, on July 29 2009, the battle was about to unfold yet again.
The Singapore Sports School (SSS) have always been the leading school for many of the sports in Singapore, with many students having represented the country in international competitions. Despite having lost the North Zone title to Sengkang Secondary School, SSS managed to overcome all odds to cruise through to the national finals, and were the favorites to win.
Victoria School, despite having won the East Zone title, were the underdogs in the competition. The B Division team had to face off against many strong schools around the country, all of whom were vying for the same prestigious title. Having nearly lost out in the group stages, the team fought hard to get back on track, beating Serangoon Secondary School in the semi-finals with a score of 2-1 to qualify for the national finals for the 2nd straight time.
This presented the team with another chance to win the National Schools B Division Football Championship. However, three of the team’s key players were sidelined due to the H1N1 situation, and this made it even more difficult for the team.
Meridian Junior College was chosen as the site of the battleground for Victoria School and the Singapore Sports School. Despite the spectators’ area being smaller than the previous year, and the H1N1 situation still looming, many supporters from both sides still came forward to lend their support to their respective teams.
A quick search on Google on “B Division National Finals 2009” and one will come across the blog of the Old Victorians’ Association where a post was dedicated to help garner support to ‘be the 12th player on the team’, meaning to be there and give one’s fullest support.
Even with a fairly equal number of supporters from both schools, the resonating cheers from VS threatened to drown that of the opponents. A glance across the Victorian section of the crowd and you can find boys from the school, both past and present, who had come to cheer on the school.
Parents and teachers took time off their busy schedules to lend their support for this final match. A VS student was even spotted with a video camera filming the whole match.
The game kicked off on fairly even terms as both teams attempted to score the first goal to dampen the morale of their opponents.
Despite fierce determination shown by the VS team, the SSS team found the net first with Muhd Syimir Amisabudin (#17) scoring from a powerful long-range shot, bringing the score to 1-0.
A goal wasn’t going to stop the VS team from giving up. Barely six minutes after the goal by SSS, Mohamed Amsyar B Omar Abdullah (#8) scored the equaliser, tying the game a one apiece.
It was still early days for both teams as they attempted both defensive and offensive strategies against one another. Both teams were neck and neck and the 1st half ended 1-1.
The whistle sounded promptly for the 2nd half of the final battle. At this point, no one could predict what was going to happen.
Within the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half, SSS was given a free kick. Despite the brave efforts of the VS defence, SSS edged ahead 2-1 as captain of the SSS team, Muhammad Zakir Samsudin (#5), scored.
The confidence of the VS team was shaken, but the Victorian Spirit prevailed. Loud cheers erupted from the VS spectators as they encouraged the team not to give up, but to continue to fight on.
The players were not letting their supporters down. They played with all their might to try and level the score yet again.
However, the SSS goalkeeper proved to be too quick, as he dived and prevented a shot from going into goal. This earned the VS team a corner.
As the ball flew in a magnificent arc, Xavier Yen (#3) managed to get the ball after it was deflected from his teammate, and then tried to shoot into goal, but was blocked by an SSS player. Santosh Magar (#16) then pounced from behind Xavier to scored the equalising goal once again, leaving the SSS team stunned.
With renewed confidence, the VS team prepared for the kick-off to defend against SSS, and to find another window of opportunity to strike again.
Lady luck, however, wasn’t on their side as Muhd Raushyan Mazlan (#2) found the net for Sports School just 5 minutes after the second equaliser, bringing the score to 3-2 in favour of his team.
Even with the tight defence and strong offense from the VS team, Muhd Muhaimin Salim managed to score yet again for SSS, as they now led 4-2.
Time ticked by slowly for the VS supporters. The minutes passed and the VS team tried extremely hard to put another goal into the SSS net. They weren’t about to give up on their dreams just yet.
Their efforts paid off in the 71st minute when Muhammad Iskandar Zakarya (#21), with help from his teammates, managed to score and reduced the deficit to only one goal.
The final whistle inched closer, and although players from both sides began to get tired, they both played their best to the very end, attempting to defend and score at the same time. The VS supporters knew the game wasn’t over, and the banging of drums and screaming of cheers would erupt over at their corner in the stands almost every few minutes.
But in the 83rd minute, Sports School’s Muhd Muhaimin Salim, who bagged his team’s third goal, managed to score yet again, giving his team a crucial 2 goal advantage at such a late stage.
The dreaded final whistle blew as the match came to an end. It was a very close fight for both schools but in the end, the B Division Championship title went over to SSS for yet another year, as they won 5-3.
The VS team and supporters were no doubt disappointed, but the loss did not dampen their moods as they cheered first for Sports School, and then for Victoria School.
Players from both teams congratulated one another for the wonderful play displayed by their teams. As the VS team went back to their own area, each and every player shook hands, thanking one another, their coaches and their teammates for helping one another bring their team to the national finals for the 2nd consecutive time.
And finally, every team member stood and held hands, faced the VS crowd and bowed to show their appreciation for the unending support. Cheers erupted from the VS crowd as they acknowledged their team’s success.
And as the rest of the crowd dispersed, the VS team and supporters continued to stay on the field. With flags held high and every VS student present, the Victorian Anthem was sung.
In the midst of the crowd, the principal of Victoria School, Mr Low Eng Teong, was spotted right in the centre among them, singing the school anthem with all his heart. This was indeed a rare moment for the VS team and community.
A special mention goes out to Team Captain Dilip Thapa (#10), Bijaya Thapa (#9) and Prasith Nair (#11) who were unable to play due to the H1N1 virus. Without their efforts and dedication to the team for the previous matches in the group stages, quarter and semi-finals, the Victoria School B Division Soccer Team would not have made it this far.
With tremendous valour, determination, passion and indomitable spirit, the VS team scaled greater heights when they believed in their ultimate goal with every single breath they took during the game, and their hunger to achieve it grew as they fought on for the coveted national title.
As a teacher from Victoria School said, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” Even though Victoria’s football boys did not win the championship title, her students know that in their hearts, the VS B Division Soccer Team will always be champions.
Nil Sine Labore (Nothing Without Labour).
hey anyone knows how the table work for b boys for nationals? is it knock out or something?
If I am not wrong, the top 4 teams of each Zone Finals get into the Nationals Finals. The 16 teams are then divided into 4 groups. The top 2 of each group get into quarter-finals, then semi-finals and finals.