New S.League champs manager already looking for bigger and better things next year
WARRIORS FC 1
(Hafiz Rahim 48)
ALBIREX NIIGATA 0
After five long years, Warriors FC are back at the summit of Singapore football.
The most successful club in the country were crowned champions of the Great Eastern-Yeo's S.League for a ninth time last night after they squeezed out a 1-0 win over Albirex Niigata at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.
That result, coupled with Brunei DPMM's 2-1 loss to Tampines Rovers at the Jalan Besar Stadium, saw the Warriors top the table by three points on the final day of the season.
Hafiz Rahim's 48th-minute header handed the Warriors victory in front of their own fans and coach Alex Weaver is already looking to bigger and better things next year.
While content with helping Warriors reclaim their place as Singapore's No. 1 club, the Englishman said: "The first thing I'm going to do is enjoy the weekend off.
"It's been a long season and the boys have done brilliantly to win the title.
"I'm just happy for everyone involved at the club, the players and the fans, that we've won the title after such a long time. We're back where we belong.
"It doesn't end now though. Next week, I'll get back into the office and we'll start planning for next season, because we have continental football to think about."
They may have entered yesterday's game knowing their destiny was out of their hands, but the Warriors looked like a side determined to hold up their end of the bargain.
Their first chance came after nine minutes when Nicolas Velez picked out Hafiz inside the box, only for his close-range effort to be blocked by Norihiro Kawakami.
Kevin McCann was next to threaten in the 19th minute when he unleashed a powerful free-kick from 30 metres, but goalkeeper Kenjiro Ogino was equal to the task as he parried it to safety.
Velez, who was shaping up as the hosts' most dangerous player, wasted a good chance in the 35th minute when he blazed over after he had done brilliantly to beat his man and burst into the box.
But there was no denying the Warriors three minutes after the break.
Velez nodded Daniel Bennett's cross into the path of Hafiz, who made no mistake as he sent his header into the back of the net.
With the home side's attack having done their bit, it was then down to the backline to keep them in front and, as he has done countless times this season, Singapore's No. 1 Hassan Sunny proved impossible to beat.
He did well to beat away a powerful header by Kazuya Okazaki in the 50th minute, before producing a flying save to keep out a 30-metre piledriver from Itsuki Yamada.
The pick of the bunch came in the 71st minute when Okazaki looked destined to find the top corner with a curling free-kick, only for Hassan to claw it away at full stretch.
PLAY SAFE
The Warriors, aware that Tampines were beating DPMM, then did what they had to do to play out the closing stages of the match.
The final whistle ignited wild scenes of joy, especially for those Warriors players who were tasting trophy joy for the first time.
For one player, however, it was a familiar feeling, given he had won the Malaysian Super League title last year with the LionsXII, although Irwan Shah insisted the latest triumph was just as special.
"I can't choose between the two really," he said.
"I'm just so happy to be part of an S.League title-winning side and I'm really thankful to coach Alex for putting his faith in me.
"Now that I've been fortunate enough to win the MSL and S.League title in consecutive years, I'm looking forward to improving and achieving more success next season."
- The writer is a freelancer.
- WARRIORS FC: Hassan Sunny, Ismail Yunos, Daniel Bennett, Marin Vidosevic, Irwan Shah, Shi Jiayi, Thomas Beattie, Miroslav Pejic (Agu Casmir 90), Kevin McCann, Hafiz Rahim (Zulfadli Zainal Abidin 70), Nicolas Velez (Hafsyar Farkhan 87)
- ALBIREX NIIGATA: Kenjiro Ogino, Taiyo Nishida, Kento Fujihara, Norihiro Kawakami, Itsuki Yamada (Kazuya Fukuzaki 90), Shuhei Hotta, Kento Nagasaki, Keisuke Ota, Kazuya Okazaki, Kosuke Matsuda, Kazuki Sakamoto.
OTHER RESULTS
- Tampines Rovers 2 Brunei DPMM 1
- Balestier Khalsa 0 Home United 1
Weaver the toast of new champions
KEY MEN: Players and officials throwing Alex Weaver in the air to celebrate their league triumph, which came after Hafiz Rahim's (above) solitary goal sealed a 1-0 win over Albirex last night. - TNP PHOTO: BENJAMIN SEETOR
It looked as though Alex Weaver's time in Singapore was headed for an abrupt end when he stood down as Hougang United coach in April last year, just two months into the S.League season.
However, he was given a lifeline when Warriors FC appointed him as coach a couple of months later following the resignation of V. Selvaraj.
And fast forward just over a year, the Englishman can lay claim to being the mastermind behind the Warriors' charge to a record ninth Great Eastern-Yeo's S.League title.
Rather than think about vindication following his axing by the Cheetahs, Weaver preferred to focus on what he has now achieved with his new team.
"Since the first day I've been here, the club have been fantastic," he said.
"They've allowed me to introduce my ideas and given me the chance to build a team, and I'm just happy I've been able to repay them with the S.League title.
"I think the players and I work well together, they understand what is expected of them and they've gone out and played their part on the field.
"When you join a club and you immediately find yourself in such a positive environment, then it makes it very easy to forget what happened at Hougang."
For now, Weaver can enjoy a well-deserved break. But there will be bigger fish to fry next season with an Asian Football Confederation competition to plan for, be it a spot in the Champions League or the AFC Cup.
He is optimistic last night's triumph will only be the start of greater things.
"For now, we will revel in the fact that we've brought success back to this great club," Weaver added.
"This title puts the Warriors back where they belong but, hopefully, the S.League trophy will be the first of many."
"This title puts the Warriors back where they belong but, hopefully, the S.League trophy will be the first of many."
- Warriors coach Alex Weaver
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