Fan For A Match

SONY SUGAR 1 - 1 TUSKER

2007-07-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

Once again, the Fan For A Match-ed side drew in a match that went down to the last minute. This time it was in our favour. After going behind on a George Odari header in the late going in of the first half, it was up to Victor Ali to draw level on 89 minutes.

With this result, the teams stay level in the table, with Sugar one point ahead and in the lead to the title. The thing is, however, I cannot find an official website for any team, so this is all I can tell you.

Here is the all-time Fan For A Match standings:

1W - 2D - 1L / 5GF - 4GA

This week's lucky team: SONY SUGAR (Kenya)

2007-07-20T00:38:00.000-07:00

We're back with the fourth match of Fan For A Match, and due to my busy week, I'm featuring them on the very day they're playing. It's a heated one this week, folks: We're talking the top of the Kenya Premier League table here. Leaders Sony Sugar of Awendo is playing host to second Tusker FC of Nairobi at Green Stadium.

Leaders by a single point, this match is of vital importance if Sugar want to defend their 2006 title win. At the moment, I can only find two players who has a spot on the squad, them being Victor Ali and Alfred Oduor. Whether they're good or not I can't say.

Neither can I find a website for this elusive club.

There you have it. In a few hours, possibly the most important match of the season will be underway. Let's get three points out of this!

Come on you Sugar!

SLIGO ROVERS 1 - 1 GALWAY UNITED

2007-07-20T00:21:00.000-07:00

There's the trifecta: After a win and a loss to start the blog, we've got us a draw. A painfully received one at that. After having gone ahead on 58 minutes through Matthew Judge, the Rovers were stripped of the win with five minutes remaining on a Derek Glynn goal.

The Bit O' Red have every right to feel like they've been robbed, as they had many chances to put away the match, in the early going with Hughes and Kudozovic. The fans at Showgrounds were no doubt frustrated after losing two points in such a fashion against a low-ranked team like Galway.

A recap from Sligo's site can be found here.

Here is the all-time Fan For A Match standings:

1W - 1D - 0L / 4GF - 3GA

This week's lucky team: SLIGO ROVERS FC (Republic of Ireland)

2007-07-11T01:23:00.000-07:00

The third team to feature on Fan For A Match is none other than the Sligo Rovers of the Football League of Ireland. Smack in the middle of the table at roughly the midway point of the season, the Rovers are far from their glory days, that of 1994 and 2005, when they took the league as national champions. Regardless, they'll probably feel a tad confident going into their match on Saturday, 14 July 2007 against third-last Galway United FC.

Making the Sligo side more formidable for their opponents is the fact that they have a handful of respectable names, such as former Irish youth internationals Gavin Peer, who has played for Blackburn, and Matthew Judge, a former member of Tottenham Hotspur. Of note is the presence of the rare Bosnian on the team, midfielder Fahrudin Kudozovic.

At last, we also have a dependable website for our team, which offers club info, frequent updates and player foci.

So, we're all confident the Rovers can get three points at home against Galway, with the Showgrounds crowd behind them all the way. It all comes down to the pitch on Saturday.

Come on you Bit O' Red!

JK VAPRAS PARNÜ 0-1 JK MAAG TAMMEKA TARTU

2007-07-11T01:08:00.000-07:00

Well folks, you can't win 'em all. Fan For A Match was handed its first loss this weekend courtesy of Estonian outfit Tartu, beating the FFAM affiliate JK Vapras Parnü by the slimmest of margins, a 1-0 victory thanks to a Siksten Kasimir goal in the 24th minute.

Unfortunately, due to my lack of Estonian language skill thus Estonian internet photo hunting skills, the above photo is the best I could find. It represents an unidentified player heading the ball under the guard of two JKVP players. From when, I don't know. From where, I don't know. But there you have it.

A statistical recap, in Estonian, can be found here.

Here is the all-time Fan For A Match standings:

1W - 0D - 1L / 3GF - 2GA

This week's lucky team: JK VAPRUS PARNU (Estonia)

2007-07-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

In the obscure Estonian Meistriliiga, JK Pärnu Vaprus have had a roller-coaster existence in the past handful of years. 2007 is the first time since 2001 that they've stayed in the same league two years in a row. Crowned champions of the third division in 2004, boasting a +136 goal differential, following up with a sweep of the second division the next year with a +53 goal differential, they're now steadily fighting in the middle of the premier table in the country of funny-sounding names. However, it all comes down to this Sunday, when the pride of the 50, 000-strong town of Pärnu take on JK Maag Tammeka Tartu.

Unfortunately, I have no idea who's good or who's not on the Pärnu side, but there is a multitude of giggle-worthy names, such as defenders Rando Rand and Rain Poldme, midfielder Rait Sormus and striker Indrek Joost.

Also unfortunately, my Estonian isn't so great, so gathering info on the teams and the match is quite a chore. The most informative site so far is the German Wikipedia page on which I found the roster.

That said, it's gonna be a close contest on July 7th at Pärnu Kalevi Staadion, and I'll be back after the match to hopefully carry good news.

Ära tee nalja Vaprus!

Superstar Rangers 1-3 Joe Public FC

2007-07-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Alright! The first instalment of Fan For A Match is a success, as Joe Public FC routed their hosts, Superstar Rangers by a score of 3-1, thanks to a brace from Kerry Baptiste and an injury-time third from Nigel Pierre.

The fans at Marvin Lee Stadium were treated to one hell of a match, with both sides compiling 21 total shots on net. It's worth noting that Public keeper Alejandro Figueroa made an exemplary eleven saves throughout the match.

A full recap can be seen here.

Here is the all-time Fan For A Match standings:

1 W - 0L - 0D / 3 GF - 1 GA

This week's lucky team: JOE PUBLIC FOOTBALL CLUB (Trinidad & Tobago)

2007-06-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

Joe Public FC, of Trinidad & Tobago's Pro League, are enjoying a pretty good season. Currently third in the table, they're taking on Superstar Rangers, ranked sixth on Saturday, June 30 at SSR's home stadium, Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.

Notable names on the JPFC roster include captain Dale Saunders, stalwart on the T&T national team, Jorge da Silva, an experienced Brazilian defender, and Keyeno Thomas, also a local international and MVP of the league in 2004 with Jabloteh.

The club's website doesn't offer much information, seeing as a click on "Match Schedule" earns you the 2002 version of the fixtures.

Regardless, it's no doubt going to be an exciting match. And with the pressure on Joe Public as being the first team to receive the honour of being fan-for-a-matched, I'm sure they'll succeed in their task.

Come on you Eastern Lions!

By way of introduction

2007-06-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well hello all you blogspotters!

Sam's the name, football is the obsession.

This here blog comes from a concept that Bob at the excellent TheOffside.com used to embrace, but of late has abandoned to pursue other bloggy ideas.

The concept is this: Every week, I'll more or less randomly select a football club from a country of this planet, and become a dedicated fan for their weekend match. I'll introduce all of you to the club, muster up a match preview best I can, and hopefully pick some winners.

Through all this, I hope to enlighten as many as I can to the wonderful and diverse culture of football and supporterdom worldwide.