Veterans Slump to their first defeat

Friendly @ Canberra Secondary

Kamikaze Veterans vs Unknowns


The Veterans had been going into this match high on confidence carrying a proud unbeaten record since their resurrection. They left the game with their heads held even higher as they knew they had put in a performance that rolled back the years.

One had to go back several years to remember a Kamikaze match that was comprised of Sivabalan, Arafath, Shanmugam, Haresh, Jraj and Seelan all in the same team. Nostalgia ruled the day but the Veterans team put the criticism, that they were not fielding a true Veterans side, to bed by fielding a side that tugged at the heartstrings of Kamikaze faithful.

However, it was not to be a fairytale start as the Goalkeeping woes continued and Jraj's inexperience saw him concede two very early goals. That setback seemed to only spur the team ahead as they made a storming comeback to equalise through Arafath and Vinnie.

The highlight of the day definitely had to be the penalty incident that earned Kamikaze their 3rd goal. In what was already a controversial moment, Haresh had seemingly simulated a foul that convinced the referee to award the penalty. But the drama was happening outside the pitch, as Seelan who had just substituted in to replace Shanmugam, immediately substituted out to allow Shanmugam to take the penalty. Shanmugam showed extraordinary composure to drill the penalty straight down the centre before substituting himself out for Seelan. Once again, the fans were delighted at the rolling back of good old days, Veterans style, as opposed to the very rigid and structured organisation that the current KKZ teams show.

Although Spaceship popped in to score a superb individual goal, he could not prevent the team from going down 5-4. Nevertheless, the spirits were high, and Jayaseelan had this to say,

"After so long you had a team where the pioneers played. Not only did you have Arafath, Shan and Vinnie on the same pitch, you had them all on the scoresheet well. And the best thing about this team is that win, lose or draw, we celebrate the same!"

Haresh was quick to add,

"But some things never change and we sure are gonna give Jraj a thrash or two for his wonderful keeping. But kudos to him and the boys for their effort and spirit."

In a week that saw KKZ make headlines for all the good reason, there could never have been a better form of publicity for the team's longevity and endurance than this friendly match.


KAMIKAZE!!!

Squad: Jraj, Sivabalan, Premnathan, Anand Spaceship, Ghazali, Arafath, Seelan, Vinnie, Sangaran, Shanmugam, Jaya, Haresh, Vishnu

Goals: Arafath, Vinnie, Shanmugam, Anand Spaceship
Assists: Haresh (3)

Final Score: Kamikaze Veterans 4 - 5 Unknowns United