DPMM FC photo shoot 

HRH Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah (Front Row C), the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, in a group photo with the DPMM FC staff and players during the photoshoot session held at Jerudong Mini Stadium yesterday. Image courtesy of Sanusi Hussin of The Brunei Times. 

 

 

Hello Manila 😀  

The Manager of Hua Ho Manggis, Lau (L) and Advertorial Writer from The Brunei Times Md Azli Azney at the airport yesterday. Image courtesy of Obelina Wang of The Brunei Times 

Woohoo, it’ s my first trip to the Philippines *sakai mode on* and thank you to FitFlop Southeast Asia for inviting myself to the Philippines for the FitFlop conference event at Bohol, the Philippines.

I am traveling with Azli Azney, reporter from The Brunei Times for the coverage and we will be joined with the media and magazine representatives from Indonesia and the Philippines.

We will be witnessing FitFlop’s SS15 Regional Launch and it’s very likely that the new line will be available in Brunei in the near future.

The new collections for FitFlop – Indigo, Lustre, Tera Nova and Garigue – will be the main features of the launch. I’m pretty sure my mom will be excited since she’s a huge collector of FitFlop footwear as she shops the collections in Singapore.

I shall be posting more pictures on my social media instagram at @ranoadidas so do follow me there for updates. Thank you Soon Tiong for this opportunity.

  

 

DPMM FC took a bump at home  

DPMM FC in action against Home United at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. Image courtesy of Ridhwan Kamarulzaman of The Brunei Times.

It didn’t go as planned. DPMM FC couldn’t convert their impressive training performance to a competitive match against Home United last Wednesday and they paid dearly for their miss chances. Home United scored two late goals to sink DPMM FC to their first defeat in the 3rd round of the S•League competition.

However, it was Rodrigo Tosi who drew first blood as he tapped in from close range, off an Azwan Salleh cross down the left in the 76th minute. The lead didn’t last long as the visitors scored three minutes later through a corner kick. The winner came in the 88th minute and it was a little too late for DPMM FC to salvage at least a point.

DPMM FC were better in the second half despite the defeat but it was the two identical goals they conceded cheaply that made the difference. DPMM FC could have scored more goals but hats off to the defence of Home United for holding DPMM FC at bay. Even the keeper of Home United had one or two crucial saves and that made a difference.

DPMM FC still lead the league but their gap can be trimmed down to two points if Warriors FC win their next game (1st October). DPMM FC have two more home games to redeem themselves and it could be the most crucial games to date before their final two matches which will be played in Singapore. It was a bit disappointed to see a low turnout at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.

 

 

 

Preview: DPMM FC vs Home Utd  

 

 

Steve Kean is confident that DPMM FC will get all three points as the players are raring to play after a mini-break in the S•League competition. DPMM FC had dropped a few important points at home previously but managed to grab other points and have a five point gap in the league. Kean was not surprised that the other contenders were also dropping points in the last few games as they could have overtaken the lead from DPMM FC.

Kean was very happy with how the lads have shown on the training pitch and he shared how the performance of both the first and the second team wasn’t much of a difference compared to the beginning of the season. The squad’s depth is stronger than before and this will give better options for the coach during the match.

He did show a slight concern that the lack of match practice might affect the momentum but it did give the coach plenty of time to work of tactics and fitness during the mini-break. Furthermore, Roy O’Donovan is still nursing a slight hamstring injury but he should be featured in tomorrow’s match.

The key player here will be Adi Said who have been in scoring form in the past few games for DPMM FC. But will the mini-break slow down his momentum? His presence had added more dimension in DPMM FC’s attack especially with Rodrigo Tosi and Roy O’Donovan upfront.

So peeps, do catch DPMM FC tomorrow against Home United at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.

 

DPMM FC players in training session yesterday at Jerudong Mini Stadium 

It was good to see all the players hungry for action during training 

Steve Kean shared that the difference between the first and the second team’s performance is getting smaller which is great for the squad 

Shooting practice session 

Steve Kean is so eager for the match tomorrow against Home United FC 

The fixtures for DPMM FC to determine which team will lift the S•League trophy 

  

 

Tosi steals all 3 points  

Tosi scoring the winner in the 90th minute through a penalty. Image courtesy of S•LeagueDPMM FC go five points clear at the top of the Singapore League (S-League) heading into the third round after a 2-1 comeback victory over Tanjong Pagar United FC last night.

Rodrigo Tosi converted a penalty four minutes into injury time to claim all three points for the Brunei side.

The Brazilian bagged a brace for DPMM FC in the victory, bringing his tally to a league-leading 20 goals, one up on Kazuki Sakamoto of Albirex Niigata (S) FC.

The triumph puts DPMM FC on 46 points from 22 matches, followed by Warriors FC with 41 points.

According to updates on the S-League facebook page, Tanjong Pagar took the lead in the 22nd minute after Kamel Ramdadi fired the ball into the bottom corner at the Queenstown Stadium in Singapore. Roy O’Donovan was brought down in the penalty box four minutes later but the offence was waved off by the referee.

DPMM FC almost equalised in the 33rd minute but Tanjong Pagar goalkeeper Aurelien Herisson managed to tipped the ball over the bar.

O’Donovan was taken off at halftime to make way for Shahrazen Said.

DPMM FC were putting plenty of pressure on offence but Herisson replied with impressive saves.

Brunei’s only professional team finally equalised in the 61st minute after Tosi rose the highest to head home a corner.

Adi Said almost gave DPMM FC the lead five minutes later but saw his header go over the crossbar.

Herrison was kept busy and once again came to the rescue of Tanjong Pagar in the 86th minute but he ultimately failed to keep his team level in the dying moments of the match. The other game saw Harimau Muda B (Malaysia national under-21 football team) steal a 1-1 draw against Woodlands Wellington FC at the Woodlands Stadium in Singapore. Andy Ahmad broke the deadlock for Woodlands in the 54th minute after tapping in the ball.

It looked like they were heading home with all three points before Syafwan Sahlan netted for Harimau Muda in the 88th minute.

The competition continues on Tuesday with Hougang United FC hosting Harimau Muda at the Hougang Stadium in Singapore. Hougang United are on 33 points and require only a point out of the match to be in the top half heading into the split round. Balestier Khalsa FC, who are on 30 points but with a better goal difference, will need the Malaysians to win to keep their hopes alive. They will also need to beat Harimau Muda at the Pasir Gudang Stadium in Johor on Friday to seal their berth.

Three-time defending champions Tampines Rovers, Warriors FC, Home United FC and Albirex Niigata (S) FC are all joining DPMM FC in the top half for the next round. Text courtesy of Yee Chun Leong of The Brunei Times.

 

The highlights between Tanjong Pagar United FC and DPMM FC. The video quality is poor by the way.

DPMM FC visit IGS 

 

DPMM FC management and players with IGS management and teachers during DPMM FC’s visit to IGS College last Thursday

Steve Kean, head coach of DPMM FC

 

 

DPMM FC set the benchmark  

 

Highlights of DPMM FC vs Woodlands Wellington FC

 

All they needed was three points. A two or three goal victory would have suffice. I didn’t expect DPMM FC to steamroll pass Woodlands Wellington with such ease. I’m not too sure if this is the biggest score line for DPMM FC or the S•League this season as they humiliated the visitors with a 8-1 score line last Tuesday.

The result meant that DPMM FC are confirmed to be playing in the 3rd round of the S•League which I still think is kinda of a weird format. They could have just let it be for two rounds (home and away) like any other league. So regardless whether DPMM FC top the league, it doesn’t mean that they won the championship. They will still have to face the top clubs in the third round to determine the champions of the S•League.

Adi Said was again on the score sheet as he grabbed a brace. That makes it 5 goals as in many games for Adi Said and it was good to see Steve Kean fielding all top forwards – Roy O’Donovan, Rodrigo Tosi and Adi Said. They all scored five goals among them and now Tosi has leading the scoring charts with Albirex Niigata’s Kazuki Sakamoto.

Now DPMM FC have one match remaining this Saturday as they take on Tanjong Pagar in Singapore. Regardless of the outcome for the last match of the second round, DPMM FC will remain in the summit of the S•League which accounts for nothing as the top six teams will be vying for the championship.

Steve Kean shared that DPMM FC were quite ruthless upfront and it’s a message to the rest of the title contenders. He was happy with the goals and it could have been more if it wasn’t for the heroics of Woodlands’ Ahmadulhaq (in goal). However, Kean was slightly disappointed that DPMM FC didn’t walk away with a clean sheet. He also praised that back line as they played as a unit compared to previous matches.

Will DPMM FC carry their momentum this Saturday against Tanjong Pagar in Singapore? We shall wait and see. Images courtesy of Sapyri.

 

Adi Said scored twice last Tuesday. Will he ever stop scoring?  

It was nice to see DPMM FC striking a Yasmine pose after scoring a goal 

Another Yasmine pose during the goal celebration 

Boris scoring from a corner. It’s nice to see goals coming from different players. 

The fans that turned up last Tuesday and it wasn’t such a big turn out after the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy event 

Roy O’Donovan was back from suspension and scored twice 

  

 

DPMM FC vs Woodlands  

Let’s not take the lead for granted. DPMM FC can increase the gap to four points should they bag all three points tonight against Woodlands Wellington. So far the visitors are ranked 10th in the 12 team league and on paper, DPMM FC must grab all three points.

There are only two more games left before they proceed to the third round. So it’s best that they avoid any slip ups and end of a high positive note in the second round of the S•League.

Tampines Rovers FC had the chance to overtake DPMM FC last night but only managed a 2-2 draw against Albirex Niigata FC. DPMM FC won’t be taking Woodlands very lightly.

Steve Kean shared that the team has been training vey hard and hope they won’t be any individual errors.

It’s good to know that Roy O’Donovan and captain Rosmin Kamis will be back from suspension though Joe Gamble will be missing due to suspense.

Adi Said who has been on hot scoring form will start again and he has been scoring for DPMM FC for the last three matches.

So do catch DPMM FC vs Woodlands Wellington FC tonight at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. For your info, the grandstand seating area will not be available and all the tickets will be sold for $5.

DPMM FC training yesterday at Jerudong Mini Stadium. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

 

DPMM FC squandered points at home  

 It wasn’t a big turnout last night at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. Maybe the Raya festive season is not over yet.Adi Said was the star of the night but it was Hougang United FC who stole a point with a late equalizer. This can become a familiarity area for DPMM FC to give away points in the dying minutes. Previously Tampines Rovers FC scored in the dying seconds to change the course of the game. Last night was no different. Hougang United FC are one tough cookie and they celebrated the draw as if they won the match.

If DPMM FC just disciplined themselves late in the game to hold the game, it would have been a great three point effort match especially coming back from behind and furthermore, they played at their home. In the dying minutes, Geison Moura broke the hearts of DPMM FC as he scored the equalizer right after a great throw-in effort by the visitors. The match ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw but the first half was kinda forgettable indeed. DPMM FC were toothless upfront and they didn’t look as hungry as they were during the training I observed a couple of days ago.

After the break, Hougang United FC drew first blood through Nurhilmi Jasni in the 53rd minute, right off a counter attack and caught DPMM FC’s defence napping. It was definitely a wake up call for DPMM FC after the visitors scored. Before the goal, DPMM FC looked more dangerous in attack and they could have broke the deadlock earlier on. Roberto’s close range shot drove over the bar in the 51st minute and that miss proved costly as the visitors scored immediately from a run of play.

DPMM FC’s Maudadi had a great performance on the field in the first half before being replaced by the star of the evening, Adi Said who scored a brace. In the 75th minute, Adi Said benefited from a corner as his header went past the keeper with ease in the 75th minute. However, it was his second goal that was a piece of magic. He collected a pass of his teammate and he made a rasping drive past the keeper from a diagonal angle. As you know, he was not certain to play for DPMM FC as he is listed for the upcoming Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy. It was good that he was made available for this game and that made a lot of difference when both Donovan and Rodrigo couldn’t find the net.

Rodrigo could have made it 3-1 late in the game. It could be even contender for goal of the season. He flicked an incoming pass with the side of his boots and then volleyed a dipping shot from 30 yards that rattled the bar to the relieve of Hougang’s keeper. Even I couldn’t believe that wasn’t a goal. That would have put the game in the bag with a valuable three points for the home side.

Shahrazen also had one or two efforts that would add more cushion on the lead. In the end, Geison Moura’s goal overshadowed Adi Said’s heroics as a super sub and DPMM FC had to settle for a point.

The result meant that DPMM FC are now one point ahead of Tampines Rovers FC in the S•League. With three games left in the second round, DPMM FC must focus on their training as they have a three week break before the league commence.

 

Roy O’Donovan was just unlucky not to get a goal or two 

Adi Said scored two goals but wasn’t enough to steal all three points 

A minor scuffle that could have gone bad 

 

 

Warriors closes gap  

 

The highlights between Warriors FC and DPMM FC last night

 

At one stage, DPMM FC were 10 points ahead in the competition as they were on a hot streak with seven consecutive victories. Last night, Warriors FC handed DPMM FC their second loss of the season with a narrow 1-0 victory. The goal was courtesy of a set-piece in the first half through Hafiz Rahim. DPMM FC were missing Aziz Tamit who was nursing an ankle injury as Shahrul took his defensive duties with the return of Boris Raspudic in defence.

DPMM FC had an early chance to grab the lead. Perhaps it was the best chance of the game when Roy O’Donovan raced unchallenged with only the keeper to beat but Warriors FC keeper Hassan Sunny foiled his attempt. The keeper was up to the task to parry off Roberto Alviz’s free kick a minute later. Warriors FC had plenty of scoring opportunities as well but Wardun made many crucial saves.

A great job by Warriors FC defence led by captain Daniel Bennett who was partnered by Marin Vidosevic to keep a clean sheet against the highest scoring team in the league. The victory now puts Warriors FC four points away from league leaders DPMM FC. No wonder Steve Kean said the four big games (Albirex, Warriors, Home and Tampines) are vital.

DPMM FC head coach said, “Warriors played better in the first half. We were a little bit slow to push forward and Warriors won a lot of second balls.”

DPMM FC next game will be next weekend when they take on Global FC in the RHB Cup in Singapore before their crucial match against Home United FC on Friday 6th of June at Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.

Images below courtesy of Abel Khoo (Singapore).

DPMM FC line up last night 

DPMM FC in against Warriors FC 

Warriors celebrating Hafiz Rahim’s winning goal 

DPMM FC coming close in scoring the equalizing goal  

DPMM FC fans from Brunei Shell Marketing and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (Brunei) 

Warriors FC with their supporters 

  

Click image to read more

 

Gunning for 3 points  

Catch DPMM FC vs Balestier Khalsa FC this Friday at Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium 

Can DPMM FC’s Azwan Ali head for another victory tonight?

DPMM FC is aiming for their fourth win in a row after overcoming the likes of Courts Young Lions, Harimau Muda and Hougang United FC in their last three outings. Scoring a healthy 14 goals in the three games, DPMM FC host another tricky opponent Balestier Khalsa FC at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium tonight. Yea, it has been a mini break for DPMM FC after their last game but DPMM FC head coach Steve Kean believes that they can carry the momentum forward.

With DPMM FC on the second of the S•League, Kean was not surprised that previous league Tampines Rovers dropped points. “No, not at all. I think the schedules have taken a lot for Tampines as they have to more games (in AFC) and a lot of traveling involved. We even know what traveling is like even on a short haul flight. And when you start traveling around the world, traveling can catch with you and I told the boys to keep getting the points and Tampines will surely drop some points.”

However, the surprised package of the season has to be Warriors FC who are now on the top of the S•League by one point though DPMM FC can leapfrog to first if they draw or beat Balestier Khalsa FC tonight. Warriors FC and DPMM FC are the only team to have lost once this season.

All key players should be back for this match tonight. Sairol Sahari and Rosmin Kamis who missed the previous game will be featured tonight and this is a major boost for DPMM FC to claim all three points. Kean is also targeting another clean sheet and he stresses how defence is the key to victory.

However, the team selection has been causing some headaches to Kean because the bench players have also been performing while deputising for the first team players who were injured. This shows the maturity of the squad of DPMM FC. Kean praised one individual, Azwan Ali, as he’s learning new things and adapting them during the competitive matches. Kean said Azwan has great strength in his legs and that made the difference when he scored for a leaping header against Hougang United FC for the winner.

You can read more about Azwan’s interview in today’s The Brunei Times and he has been instrumental in DPMM FC’s attacking formation. Even Kean praised that Azwan Ali can play in any team in the world. Let’s hope Azwan Ali can repeat the same performance that he has delivered in the past few games.

So guys, do catch DPMM FC tonight at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium and you can also stand a chance to win a flight to KL or JKT (sponsored by Royal Brunei Airlines) and the winners will be announced by half-time.

Wardun in training. Let’s hope for another clean sheet and of course, it’s a team effort too. 

Steve Kean has been instrumental in guiding the team – mentally and physically – on and off the pitch

 

You•C1000 signs with DPMM FC  

Kathrine Hii, Manager of Hui Huang Enterprise withPg Waslimin PSJ Pg Hj Abd Momin, DPMM FC’s Club Manager

A new sponsor was unveiled for DPMM FC yesterday at Charcoal BBQ & Grill. You might familiar with the H-TWO-O isotonic drink as it’s the official sponsor for the S•League season. Now DPMM FC have signed a sponsorship agreement with YOU•C1000 as the said product will be official isotonic drink for DPMM FC.

The agreement of the sponsorship deal was signed between Pg Waslimin PSJ Pg Hj Abd Momin, DPMM FC’s Club Manager and Katherine Hii, Manager of Hui Huang Enterprise, the sole distributor of YOU•C1000.

The isotonic drink have a lot of benefits especially providing vitamin to your system. This is a perfect brand to partner with DPMM FC as it promotes a healthier life style. DPMM FC management team was very delighted with the sponsorship deal with Hui Huang Enterprise and this will also help to promote the branding of YOU•C1000 as a healthy isotonic drink.

YOU•C1000 will also be undergoing a study to choose an ambassador from DPMM FC squad to represent the face of YOU•C1000. The players will be shortlisted by the DPMM FC management and the principal of YOU•C1000 from the region will go through the profiles of the players and select an ambassador to be the face of YOU•C1000. More on that next time.

Hui Huang Enterprise will be sponsoring both the Lemon Water and Orange Water isotonic drink of YOU•C1000 (not the smaller bottles from the image). The bigger bottle are not gassy or fizzy like soft drinks and it contains 1,000 mg of Vitamin C. These drinks are better when served chilled.

As I was goggling about the product, did you know that a famous blogger Xiaxue also did a piece on YOU•C1000 back in 2010? The product has been around for 10 years but Brunei has only introduced this into the market 5 years ago. Another interesting ambassador for YOU•C1000 is Manchester United’s Rob Van Persie who was the face of YOU•C1000 last year.

My personal preference are the small bottles of YOU•C1000 which gives an adrenalin rush whenever I sip it. It’s concentrated with Vitamin C and also fizzy (the way I like) and tastes great too.

In other news, DPMM FC management announced that there will be a lucky draw for the upcoming match on Sunday. The grand prizes are one return ticket to Jakarta for one and one return to Kuala Lumpur for one. The prizes are sponsored by Royal Brunei Airlines. This draw is only eligible for paying spectators ($5 and $8) and the winners will be announced on the scoreboard at half-time during the match between DPMM FC vs Tampines Rovers FC this Sunday. There will be other consolation prizes as well.

 

The signing ceremony at Charcoal BBQ & Grill
Exchanging of documents between DPMM FC and Hui Huang Enterprise. Also in the picture is the DPMM FC management and a representative from Hui Huang Enterprise
DPMM FC will be provided with the bigger bottle of YOU•C1000 (lemon and orange). Image taken from Xiaxue’s blog.
Rob Van Persie was the face of YOU•C1000 in 2013

Catch DPMM FC this Sunday as they take on Tampines Rovers. Both have perfect records but DPMM FC has yet to concede a goal.