"Uniform Friendly" on New Year's Eve...

Honestly speaking this hastily-arranged fixture came as a surprise to me when I was told the "Uniform Duo" (SAFFC and Home United)be playing against each other at Jalan Besar on the New Year's eve.

John Wilkinson (left) skippered Protectors against his old club

After all, not all the teams have started their pre-season training and let alone if DPMM's status is officially confirmed despite the earlier report on Asean Football Federation website (AFF).

"I just want to know my new players' strength so I called (SAFFC coach) Richard Bok for this friendly match." said Home United coach Paul Lee after the match that saw his side lost 2-0 to its arch rivals.

"However, it's still to early to gauge my team's performance when players like (captain) Shi Jiayi and (Fred) Mendy are still not back in Singapore.

"I think for now result of this game is not important, as I need to check the condition of my players." added the Korean coach who just completed his Pro License coaching course in South Korea.

Almost ready...

Echoed his counterpart's sentiment, coach Bok sums up his assessment identically at his post-match press briefing.

"To me, getting the team into shape matter most than the result." he said.

"Also, we have five players not back into the team and the key is to get the team gel together as quickly as possible before the season starts.

Hassan Sunny joins SAFFC this season

"While I am glad that our new signings have given us more options in areas like midfield and goalkeeping" concluded coach Bok who saw the inclusion of quality players such as Shukor Zailan and Hassan Sunny from Tampines with Seiji Saito confirmed as the Warriors' fourth import.

Earlier on, the CCK-based powerhouse retained the service of last season's top scorer Mislav Karoglan and recruited Shimpei Sakurada and Tatsuro Inui from Albirex Niigata (Singapore).

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