23rd September 2007 is a sad day for Songbo FC. It wasn’t the defeat. It wasn’t that we conceded 4 goals. It wasn’t the way we ended our 11-match unbeaten run meekly. And it was definitely not the rain.
It was the day we saw the amount of excruciating pain, the horrendous agony, the feeling of helplessness, the groaning of disappointment and the faltering spirit left in the eyes of Tiger Yan, supposedly the fittest player we got on the park.
Apparently, the stage was set. The script was written. All was going according to the plan we all had hoped for. Tiger, scoring an all-important equalizer upon his long-awaited comeback as a striker, was to be the hero of the day. The hero who would maintain our unbeaten run.
The bumpy pitch did not read the script. Neither did his knee. There were signals sent to him after his goal. With his never-say-die attitude, they were ignored. He wanted to lift the team. He wanted to help his comrades. Leaving his brothers on the battlefield never came across his mind.
The dream soon turned into strategy. Fighting for the ball, fighting for his team and closing down his enemies were all too much for his recently-injured right knee. It did not want to snap. It did not want to let his owner down. But all was too much for it to take.
One stretch, one uneven patch and there it goes. With a snap of a second, our dear Tiger was down. Those who were near will never forget the expressions on his face and the shouts of pain and disappointment. This was the Tiger who strikes fear into the toughest of defenders. This was the Tiger who scored countless of important goals.
Here he was. Lying there. Not knowing when he will ever be good to run around again. The Tiger has been shot. Not by the hunter but the fire within him who pushed him to carry on the match.
We shall be in mourning for the wounded Tiger. Fly our flag at half mast.
Sparrow with a broken heart. (@ Australia)
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