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Dubai Unity Cup 2007 |
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On Thursday 16th November, 2007, 18 boys and 2 coaches set forth on the march to Dubai and glory in the 2007 Unity Cup. On the back of an unbeaten season, hopes were high in the camp, but a wounded British School Muscat lay in wait on the first morning and the boys were to learn quickly that late-night Mountain Dew and Playstation sessions were not allied to masterful footballing performances! On a cool Friday morning and with minimal warm-up due to Dubai traffic, the team swaggered out to play BSM and were given a rude awakening. A 1-0 half-time deficit and a few choice words from Head Coach Oliver Myhill seemed to spark a mini-revival, with substitute Mohammed Shuaibi scoring after the BSM keeper fumbled a Marwan Al Tamsi free-kick. However, it was to no avail when the same Shuaibi was caught in possession in our third of the pitch and BSM planted home the winner. The 2-1 defeat against our local rivals was a bitter pill to swallow and threatened to knock us out of the tournament before we’d even begun. With a renewed sense of purpose, The Sultan’s School set out to play IKNS from Kuwait. Our new opponents were clearly a talented side and they hadn’t been afraid to showcase their skills in the hostel car park early that morning. Therefore, it was a welcome surprise when we took an early lead through Abdul Rahman Al Hadhrami. IKNS came back and equalized, but then, courtesy of the new “shoot-on-sight” policy suggested by Assitant Coach Neil Allen before the game, Al Yazeed Al Ghafri scored to put SS ahead. However, as half-time loomed, goalkeeper Said Al Aufy collected a cross only to drop it again at the feet of the IKNS striker. Half-time: 2-2. The second-half of this game was to be The Sultan’s School’s best performance in the tournament. The boys soaked up pressure, adapted well to tactical and personnel changes – with Ahmad Al Lawati particularly impressing with his running of the line up front – and scored two superb goals, from Marwan Al Tamsi and Qussay Al Rahbi. Indeed, Quassay’s goal was later credited with the award of SS Coaches’ Goal of the Tournament, as much for its timing late in the game as for his classy execution of a devastating counter-attack. Final score: 4-2. 3 valuable points. Game on! The next two games, against a weak FSIS side and a talented but young (and small) JESS outfit, brought many goals and 6 points. FSIS went down 7-0 (Ghafri, Mazin Al Noumani 2, Rahby, Nasser Alawi, Al Yaqhdan Al Jadidi, Sultan Rawahi) before an outstanding goal from Al Ghafri on the stroke of half-time set SS on the road to a 4-0 victory against JESS (other goals: Alawi, Lawati, another from Ghafri). This left SS on 9 points and in second place at the end of Day One, with a very realistic chance of qualifying for the Final. It is never good to get too excited but, with SS’s performance against IKNS living long in the memory, and a cursory look at how other teams struggled against JESS (in particular), Myhill and Allen began to have visions of glory, headlines and legends being written about them and this team. The one nagging doubt remained: were we going to live to regret the three points lost against BSM? Day Two began with fog. Lots of it. Buses ran late, flights from Dubai were cancelled, and, more importantly, the pitch was sodden with dew (not the Mountain variety). St. Christopher’s School, Bahrain, awaited us and the SS boys had been drilled with the notion that two wins should be enough to ensure a place in the final. However, St. Chris hadn’t read the script! A hard fought game with few chances ended 0-0, with Sami Eyedeh performing admirably in defence. Only once did SS truly threaten the opposition goal when a goalline scrap ended with their keeper diving bravely on the ball. One point gained. Two points lost! With tiredness and cramp setting in, and more worryingly with Sultan Rawahi (thus far our best player) having to retire from the tournament with concussion after being victim of a clash of heads with our own keeper Said Aufy (which resulted, we think, in a bit of Said’s broken tooth becoming embedded in Sultan’s head!), the SS boys struggled to raise themselves for the do-or-die clash with fellow potential finalists, NIS from Bahrain. The team battled hard but was ultimately second best and the 2-1 scoreline (in NIS’s favour) flattered The Sultan’s School. However, good movement up front from Fadhal Jandal brought about a penalty which was neatly dispatched by Al Yazeed Al Ghafri for his fifth and final goal of the tournament. This earned him the SS Coaches’ Award for the Golden Boot. Our final game was against Dubai College and, with a weary team, injuries and frankly playing a very impressive outfit, we lost 4-0 and were never really at the races. In the second half the team raised their game in order to finish the tournament with their heads held high, and reserve goalkeeper Abdul Aziz Al Harthy put in a strong performance and made a string of classy saves. However, ultimately the team was glad to end a tough tournament, where much was learnt and a creditable 4th place finish could be seen as some success. Certainly Myhill and Allen learnt about the dangers of getting carried away and counting their chickens before they were hatched! Job done; anyone for paintball?! SS Coaches’ Awards: Player of the Tournament – Marwan Al Tamsi Report by Neil Allen |
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