[Brian Swartz]

12.14 vs. Penajam(4-1-4, 5th) We're short Oropka today as he came down ill a couple days ago and was sent home to avoid risk of spreading the infection. This leaves young Sutanto as our only available sub. Penajam has similar injury issues right now and while they've been up and down, three of their four wins have come on the road. They're a high-scoring bunch but give up a lot too, more than any other club in the top half of the group. We need our scorers to break out of their slump today.

We're slight favorites as usual at home, but the pundits like Penajam to take this one as they think our injuries are more critical.

1' -- Well that didn't take long. Yogi finds Ewangin in the area, and he takes a bit too long allowing them to knock it away for a corner. Ningmabin eventually got an angled volley from about 20 yards, he would have to hit it through a crowd and it was sent high.

5' -- Twice in one minute Gede Putra collides with Yarangga, on opposite ends of the pitch. Both times he got the worst of it, Frans got only a foul call for his trouble.

7' -- Ningmabin crosses for Uropmabin, but it's a little too far. Another good start for us, but we need to capitalize and get something on the board.

10' -- Is this a football match or a street fight?? Hidayat smacks into Ewangin, who goes down and Sutanto will come on. 80 minutes to go and no subs -- we need to do something quickly, because things could get interesting late in the match.

For a while it was played almost exclusively in midfield, their attacks threatening virtually nothing and us getting caught offsides or mucking it up with an ill-considered pass.

27' -- Yogi leads Sutanto, too hard or that was a clear one-on-one for the youngster. Not as good as Fabian normally is with that kind of pass, just too much on that one.

28' -- The fouls continue, and Yarangga picks up a yellow. Even if he doesn't get sent off today, he'll still be suspended for our next match. I have no choice but to tell him to back off for the rest of this one.

40' -- After a few minutes of sustained pressure, Adie finds Uropmabin for an angled shot from about 10 yards, and he easily beats the keeper on left(far) side! For the first time in about three full matches of action, we score and we really needed that one. It's 1-0!

42' -- A rather blatant foul by Urwan stops a counterattack, and he's fortunate not to get carded there. The freekick goes into a scrum, but Sutiono eventually manages to make the clearance.

44' -- Another foul by Urwan and there's not even a hint of leniency this time.

47' -- Uropmabin goes around two defenders ... and tries a shot from well right of the area. Center ... the ... ball, that's a ridiculously low-chance shot and you've got Yogi and Sutanto in the area. Think, dude!

HT -- Shots are 4-1, with their lone effort a half-volley from outside the area. My primary concern right now is that two our best three defenders are limited by the fact that they have been carded and I have no subs. We need to be smart in the second half, if we are we've got a great shot at holding on for the win. Our passing has been pretty atrocious when we've had the chance to attack, so it'd be nice to clean that up and get an insurance goal as well.


46' -- less than 20 seconds in, they get a decent angled shot but Sutiono was back there blocking off part of the angle and Setia played it smart, cheating the other way towards the short post. He made the save easily, and there's no harm done.

47' -- A nice push, Adie's in good position to blast a cross ... their keeper tips it, high in the air and I thought it was over the goal. Instead, it came down right at the far post, and Sutanto put it in from practically inside the net with a header that would have been hard to miss! That's his second goal of the season, and I won't look a gift horse in the mouth -- we'll close up shop and keep things tight at the back the rest of the way. I remember what happened last time we had a 2-0 lead, and I'm not interested in giving them any chance to repeat that scenario. Adie gets the most undeserved assist I think I've ever seen, his second of the match!

51' -- Full of adrenaline, Sutanto screwed up a chance for another one. Urwan centered for Sutanto and with attention focused on the others, he had a great look at a blast from about an 8-yard angle. It was right at the keeper though and blocked away, if he'd gotten it close to either post I don't think anybody would have stopped it. Too much power, not enough direction on that one.

53' -- Sutiono absolutely lost track of Tuharea ... I don't know what he was looking at but he just stopped, they hit Tuharea with a lead pass and he was all alone, beating Setia like a rented turnstile to the right side. 2-1. I wish we weren't so darn good at having horrid defensive breakdowns right after we get a lead ... We can't just play keep-away now, there's too much time left.

60' -- Sutiono and Taharea both slide for a through ball that's in to the area ... Sutiono gets it so they'll have a corner, Taharea doesn't get up and has to leave the match. Bad luck for Penajam, they manage a header toward the goal and into a crowd, but Setia manages to grab it.

65' -- Uropmabin gets his head to a long freekick by Adie, but it was moving too fast for him to get an accurate bead on it and he puts it wide.

69' -- Almost an exquisite passing play as we traverse the final third in the air, headed first by Yarangga and then by Uropmabin, but the second pass was just a bit too far for Sutanto to get to.

Meanwhile, we are getting fouled more and more often, yet nobody on Penajam is getting carded. I'm becoming annoyed by this.

72' -- Just as I'm thinking how the field is opening up on both ends as fatigue is mounting for both clubs, Uropmabin finds Yogi over the middle, he outruns their defense right down the middle of the pitch and launches a rocket from the edge of the area into the left corner of the goal, no chance! 3-1, and it was the kind of play that shows why Fabian Yogi is our best player, nobody else has the skill to both handle the ball like that at that speed and blast a shot like that. That should put this match away. Should.

79' -- Sutanto in between defenders up the gut, lays off it to trailing Yogi, over to the right, good chance for Adie -- he doesn't do enough with it and it's out for a corner. Then Adie compounds his error by getting called for a foul and he's given a yellow card. I can only shake my head in annoyance, but he is tired and still working his way back into shape so it's hard to be too upset. Besides, there's nobody on the bench to put in ...

81' -- They get a corner ... which we knock out for a corner ... which we knock out for a corner from the other side ... which Ningmabin finally clears.

89' -- Uropmabin lets loose a ridiculous blast from ... had to be 35 yards out. What is he doing shooting from that rang... I mean, great shot! It's over Igor's head and in, the exclamation point on a great show for the home fans!! A screamer from halfway to midfield, and there's nothing the keeper could do. Absolutely incredible. 4-1.

90' -- Yellow card for Hidayat!! It's about freaking time, I literally laughed out loud, gleefully.

FT -- We win 4-1, the most we've scored this year and we did it without our top goalscorer(Ewangin) most of the way. It's also the first match we've had either way decided by more than a goal, a fantastic win for us. Decky Uropmabin scored 2 of his 3 season goals, with an assist as well to clearly earn player of the match. Yogi(1 goal and some fine plays in midfield though his passing was bad in the first half) and Patrick Adie(2 assists) were excellent also.