A nearly full strength Bugils team took the field against 9 men Expats in this '6-pointer' clash at the bottom of the table. It was a shame that Expats weren't at full strength, but their 9 men certainly worked very hard against us. For the first 25 minutes, Bugils had plenty of chances, but some wayward finishing led to frustrations on our part. Expats had to rely on counter attacks but rarely troubled Bugils. Finally, Bugils opened the scoring and quickly added a second before half-time.

Given that we were 3-1 at half-time in the first meeting this year and it ended up 3 -3, we were keen not to let the same happen. Thus, we raced to a 4-0 lead at the start of the second. The 10th man had arrived for Expats (Manuel) and he injected some urgency and flair into the team, whilst the Indonesian right-winger has some success attacking our left flank. Expats deservedly got a goal back, but Bugils continued to create chances and put a couple more away to make it 6-1.
Mark (Bugils)

Scorers : Todd (1) (Wanderers)
MOM:  Husen (Wanderers), Doug (JIS)
Referee appreciation :  4/10 (Wanderers), 9/10 (Bugils: Excellent!)

The local Kampong surrounding ISCI and the drivers only had one thing on their mind, the game between the current league holders JIS and the fearless Wanderers. When still pitch dark at five to eight the JIS players wondered if this was a secret tactic to keep them in the dark.

The bookies were laying odds – lots of pre-match hype – JIS needed a win to keep their championship challenge alive – Wanderers wanted a win to virtually reclaim the title but a draw would not be disastrous. The whistle blows – the battle is on – enthusiastic Wanderers show their hand immediately – closing down the JIS players quickly and tackling hard. The aging Wanderers back four included Captain Carl and Manager Mike as well as Pedro "Crazy Horse” and the World Cup veteran Jules – and little did he realise in Italia 90 that he would be finishing his playing days with a bunch of drunken expats in Jakarta.

The US pronged strike force of Dale and Todd were working in tandem and besieging the JIS penalty area. The pace was unerring – not a game for the faint-hearted with old hand Super Hendo back in the engine room playing like a man possessed and the denizen of dribble Todd twisting and turning. Chances come and go at both ends. Wanderers have a handball shout for penalty turned down. Slowly boys, says Carl, take it easy. Don't mess things up. Remember the plan. Goal…..Todd poking it in just out of reach of the keeper.

Half time – faint smiles appear on the faces of some Wanderers players. More end to end action ensued with Husen called into action as a sweeper closing down some menacing JIS attacks, and handling the ball well all night. Wanderers kept pressing for a second but to no avail although Max hit a rasping shot which the keeper parried to safety. JIS searched for an equalizer but the boys stood firm.

Midfield hanging in there – Chris working his cotton socks off covering acres, with Manny nullifying JIS movements through the middle as JIS struggled to provide much support for Lee and Boydy. By now the boys were hollering for the final whistle. The night belongs to the Wanderers. One more point required to secure a 3rd league title.
Mike (Wanderers)

Another JIS-Wanderers clash, with JIS looking to put the heat back on the leaders. A win would put the title-holders level on points, with the Wanderers holding a game in hand.

The Wanderers started brightly, with their young left winger causing all sorts of problems out wide. Only some desperate JIS defending led to a succession of throw-ins, corners, and clearances. JIS began to get into the game, but insisted on mostly playing the ball through the middle, leaving the Wanderers back four little to do but watch the ball sail over their head, only to have their Indo keeper scoop up anything dangerous. The insertion of Sherif on the left side did cause some problems; his wide runs giving a couple of half chances to JIS.

3o minutes in, The Wanderers finally struck. A throw in was nodded on by Manny, and fell at the feet of an off balance JIS defender. His half-missed volley saw the ball spiral back towards goal, where the Wanderers’ young winger was first to pounce, scrambling the ball over the line in front of a delirious (temp of 3* at game time) Andreas. : 1-0 Wanderers.

The first 15 minutes of the second half saw JIS put their best pressure of the game on goal, forcing a series of acrobatic moves by the Wanders keeper, who time and again came expertly off his goal line to take the ball off the feet of a would-be JIS attacker. The Wanderers countered with some success, though Andreas managed to save several hard and low drives.

JIS’ best chance came with 10 minutes to go, when good pressure by Slusher and Landes produced a lay back to Gordon, who’s one-timer , to his own disbelief, veered over the bar The Wanderers did a good job killing off the rest of the pressure and the game finished 1-0. This effectively wraps up the league for the black and white, barring an epic meltdown. Congrats Wanderers !
CM (JIS)