Dateline 7^th August 2016

 NRFC 2 Navy FC 1

Navy provided the opposition at the 80^th Anniversary Stadium in this “6 pointer” relegation battle. The future of either team in the TPL could be decided by this vital fixture.

In early exchanges Navy looked bright on the break but with Lindemann probing, the home team had more of the play.

In the 7^th minute Tagbajumi struck the upright with a swiveling 15 yard shot as the home team pressed and minutes later after a superb run and cross from Lindeman, Adiyiah forced a fine save from the visitor’s keeper.

As the first half drew to a close Chanatphol went close with a curling shot from outside the box then seconds later the home team went close twice with the Navy defence in tatters with the keeper again doing well to keep out Lindemann’s drive.

In a final first half flurry Sawandee Pralong attempted a long range drive which went narrowly wide. At the other end Adiyiah was lucky to stay on the pitch after TV replays showed him striking a Navy player in the face. This incident could have been disastrous because had the official seen the offence, he would have been forced to award a penalty.

The Swatcats produced many chances in the first half with the midfield buzzing and producing some smooth and effective moves but the defence looked loose at times with Nagano missing, presumed injured. The home team’s approach play continued to impress but that final ball into the danger areas was proving hard to find as Navy packed their defence.

The second half began with the Swatcats again on the front foot with continuous pressure and in the 63^rd minute a superb Chanatphol free kick was well saved by the keeper.

In the 59^th minute a Navy defender wrestled Chanatphol to the ground and a penalty was awarded. Lindemann converted to give the Swatcats a deserved lead.

The Swatcat defence was coping well with occasional Navy breaks but in the 64th minute a snap shot from the visitors rattled the bar – a real wake up call for the home side. Navy now sniffing an unlikely point and now having to attack went close again in the 65^th minute.

The men in orange regained their composure and Adiyiah went close, then in the 80th minute a sweet move involving Adiyiah and Tagbajumi ended with a goal from Chakrit, driven high into the net from 10 yards.

Navy ensured a tense last few minutes when they scored in the 82^nd minute with a diving header but the Swatcats survived to earn themselves the three points despite losing Chalermpong after a red card for a hefty challenge on a breaking attacker.

Another very encouraging performance and a vital 3 points for the Swatcats – a special mention at this point for Pralong and Lindemann both of whose recent form has been outstanding.

 With this victory they have leapfrogged Army and Navy and now have Pattaya and Si Saket firmly in their sights. There is NO WAY that this team will be relegated given recent performances. Another encouraging sign is that the fans are drifting back – the attendance tonight looked to be around 8-9 thousand.

With some tough fixtures ahead but with confidence high the next month is going to be interesting. Chang Rai, Bangkok United, Suphanburi and Buriram fixtures loom. I can see no 3 pointers there but if the team can grab a couple of points, we should stay clear of the bottom 5.

This may be contentious I know but I would venture to say that the current performances are BETTER than in most of the games played last season. Our shape is generally better and we have made fuller use of players in the squad. Milos Joksic has got the players on his side and team spirit and confidence seem high. If (when) we survive this season, I think that we can be pretty optimistic about our chances next year – and maybe 20 000 plus attendances!!