Another step forward

Salem Fire recorded a 6-0 win over Salem Chapel in the Salem Cup Trophy. Joshua Anand who was captain for the first half of the evening, commanded the team well from the centre as Arun scored the opening goal of the game. Captain for the second half of the evening was Raakesh and he too commanded the team well, and with Sara and Roy both got a goal each which goes to show you that the Fires are moving in the right direction towards their Adonai Football League return on August 26 onwards. Errol Champion’s side will now have a further competitive run-out on the weekends.

Scorers: Arun(2 goals), Vijay, Muhsin, Roy and Sara

Raakesh: 'It's just transfer talk'

Another 6 more games for Salem Fire and that will conclude its 4th season. No doubt the team is looking forward to a new season regardless whether they manage to bring home the AFL throphy or not. With 4 new ex-Balestier Khalsa Juniors awaiting to be part of the family, Salem Fire have to make another step to a higher level but Errol Champion will assure the team that Salem Fire is still just a recreational but competitive team.

A few words from Raakesh: 'It's just transfer talk. It’s up to the club, we just have to think about our season. Salem Fire always follow developments in the transfer market and to what the team needs. So no worries. I know that diversity makes the team interesting but they'll just have to stick according to our style of play. Training will help.'

Historical Transfer
This displays historic transfers that have spanned just under the years since Salem Fire was first set-up.

2002/2003 - Muhd Shalih Mahli (Goalkeeper)
2003/2004 - Gerard Cecil Gomez (Centre Midfielder)
2004/2005 - Muhsin (Attacking Midfielder)
2005/2006 - Moganasaravan Rajandran (Forward)

Azhar: 'I was just a bit angry at not scoring'

Salem Fire - It could not even be described as an incident, it was nothing. This was the sense Noor Azhar gave when speaking about his substitution in the second half against Saved By Jesus. The striker said: ’First of all, I don’t want people putting words in my mouth that I have never thought, especially as Errol Champion is a person that I hold in very high esteem and who I'm starting to work well with so far. At the moment, Salem Fire and this group of players are doing well so there is no reason to have arguments. Sure, I made a gesture, a venting, but it was just for me. It was a game in which I had various chances but didn’t score. I was a bit angry with myself just at that moment when the substitution happened, in the heat of the moment.’ Az then turned to the final league run-in: ’I think that we just have to think of getting our points for the next four games and we are definitely second which is very important.’

Shalih looks ahead with confidence

Salem Fire – Muhd Shalih measured up Salem Fire’s situation after the Fires saw their wishes for the top of the table stay completely dashed with a loss against Church of Ephipany and last week's draw with Saved By Jesus. ‘Right now there is not a lot to say, but there is lots to do,’ declared Shalih upon his arrival at the Thomson Hills Drive with the rest of the team. ‘We have really tried to turn things around. We are working hard to achieve our goals and to get over this difficult moment.’
The skipper is looking to continue on in this season with the confident wisdom of experience: ‘In recent weeks there hasn’t been a lot of consistency in the results, that's really where the problem lies. But if you look at the past years, there were also games that didn’t go well and then we recovered.’
The skipper is certain that at this time Salem Fire cannot but react because time is running out: ‘Now the motivation must increase because the possibility of winning something is decreasing. We are doing well in the league, perhaps not well enough for the title but for second place which is also important. And this will help us to perform better in the upcoming Salem Cup games.’
Shalih doesn’t worry about putting the blame on individuals or on the different units: ‘I will only talk about the team as a whole because each unit relies on the others.’ Neither does he tolerate the idea that Salem Fire aren’t motivated: ‘When the results aren’t there, then everyone has something to say or some reason to give. We, however, know how hard we have been working. It’s just too bad that sometimes in sports that’s not enough and when the results don’t arrive people start to talk. Especially about the referee. Now we just need to look ahead and be consistent.’

Azfar: ‘Continue like this until the end’

Salem Fire - Mohd Azfar spoke after the victory over Living Waters: ‘It was a fundamental game. The World Cup is here and it makes us more concentrated on the league than usual. We played well and we will continue like this in order to maintain the three points from Epiphany. We expected them to win against Frankel, now we’ll see what happens in the next games. We believe in ourselves. We secured a first-second place today. But we aren’t letting up, we want to fight until the end even if it isn’t entirely up to us.’ Then a word about the new star of the team, Muhd Isa: ‘He is good. He will continue to contribute for the team. We are happy for him.’

Vijay: ‘A well deserved victory’

Living Waters Methodist - Vijay Vijendre scored Salem Fire’s first goal against Living Waters. Here are his post-game comments: ‘It was a delicate moment for us, I want to compliment both of the teams. We scored seven goals, our opponents never gave up and continued to fight hard. It was a well deserved victory.’ Regarding the fight for the first position in the league, the Salem Fire midfielder added: ‘Living Waters tried to win on Sunday, Frankel could actually complicate things for Epiphany on Saturday and we believe we can still do it.'

Isa, prince of the market

The transfer market will be opening soon in the summer. There might not be a lot of money exchanging hands for players but already Salem Fire was rumoured that they will make the biggest coup in buying the most sought-after midfielder: Muhd Isa. The young rising star will soon be negotiated for. It will be a complex signing operation but we can look forward to the promise of not only plenty of goal assists but goals as well from the prince of the market, Isa.

Salem Fire: Back to training

Salem Fire - The squad will be back training this week and will be starting with a technic session. Fang Chien and the other administrators will be coming down as guests to join in a small game of soccer, using the cones as goals. Shalih might not come due to his ankle injury which will hopefully be recovered in time for their next game. The training session is at 4pm this Saturday.

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Fang Chien: 'Salem Fire will not sell Azhar'

Salem Fire - Fang Chien on Azhar: 'Errol's Salem Fire has never sold a player for money. Azhar has a one-year contract and from our point of view he will remain at Salem Fire. We are talking about the creative player who has the speed and we believe he will score the most goals for Salem Fire in the future, we are talking about a great player. If Azhar asks for a transfer, we will face that problem. I must be clear, for the supporters whom I feel great responsibility, that Azhar will not be sold. It's been two years since Mohd Adil and Muhd Helmi asked for Azhar and we said no. We don't need the money from Dragon Malaya FC or Jaguars, we don't need to sell players for money. Az not only spoke to the captain but to me, there has been no transfer request. We continue to hope that Az does not leave, Salem Fire does not sell Azhar but we'll face the problem when Az places it.'

Captain in optimistic mood

The three points taken from Calvary Assembly were fundamental to the team's position in the table. Salem Fire grow and continue to display important improvements. 'In the evening that day, we were a little tense at the start, these things effect the moral of the team,' continued Shalih. 'Then, we took total control of the game. We scored first and we scored the other 4 goals immediately, this made everything easier, despite the equaliser. Also, there was clearly a valuable difference on the field.'

Errol: 'This group can still do more'

Salem Fire - Errol Lyle Champion's post-victory analysis: 'We did what we should have done last Sunday, playing a great game aside from the uncertainty of the draw. The end of the game showcases many positive things: a very good game, a vigorous so-called start to the season and the knowledge that this group can do even more in the next game.' Then the coach added a word about the recent irresponsibility of the team: 'There is a lot of embarrassment about what has happened last Sunday. I want to team to remind each other to bring their own shin pads from now onwards. As one of the committee members of the league, I feel embarrassed about what has happened.'

Salem Fire celebrate fifth game win

Salem Fire gave the Calvery Assembly supporters plenty to jeer about in the fifth game of the season as they defeated Calvary Assembly 5-1. Muhd Yahya opened the scoring from the penalty spot on five minutes, only for Calvary Assembly captain to equalise just after the half-hour mark. On a beautiful, hot day, in Yishun, the Fires played open and entertaining football and proved that they will always be number one in the eyes of their followers, despite being irresponsible like forgetting to bring shin pads and etc.

Azhar clears it up

'I spoke to the captain about the possibility of moving. Nothing has been decided yet, we are evaluating it over these days. Please don't create rumours that don't exist.' Noor Azhar was holding nothing back, it's not his style. The striker has been at Salem Fire for a few months and he made it clear he has no problems with the club and explained that he had to make the decision based on his family as well.

Fifth game of the season

Salem Fire will play their fifth game at Yishun against Calvery Assembly, with the Fires looking to reach their objective of 13 points and then see whether the result can produce a first place in the table. The opponents are also in the running for fourteenth place. Salem Fire will go through their paces this Sunday at Yishun.

Shalih to take time out

A time for a pause and reflection has arrived for Shalih. The Salem Fire star who is now Captain of the team has decided to return home to Bishan in the summer. Shalih said: 'My relationship with Salem Fire will never end. I just want to work out what the future holds for me. It's not good-bye, just a pause for reflection for me and my family. I am accustomed to these moments, but I do not intend to exit this structure. I will continue to work for these colours, just in a different way.'