Boon Lay Secondary's rookie football team win silver but get gold for grit

Boon Lay Secondary's boys make history in schools contest after just months of training

Boon Lay Secondary's Haryzal Abdullah squaring off with Chua Chu Kang Secondary's Rebin Elhan B. Rozzani, 16, in the battle for the West Zone B Division boys' football championship at Jalan Besar Stadium last Wednesday. Chua Chu Kang won 2-1. Boon La
Boon Lay Secondary's boys' football team - led by captain Yaslam Ferhard Aljaroo (in red) - with their principal Tan Chor Pang (in light orange), PE teacher cum coach Umar Joe Hamid (far left) and his two-year-old son Fateh Isa Umar, as well as chemistry teacher cum coach Dineshkumar M. Subramaniam. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Boon Lay Secondary's Haryzal Abdullah squaring off with Chua Chu Kang Secondary's Rebin Elhan B. Rozzani, 16, in the battle for the West Zone B Division boys' football championship at Jalan Besar Stadium last Wednesday. Chua Chu Kang won 2-1. Boon La
Boon Lay Secondary's Haryzal Abdullah squaring off with Chua Chu Kang Secondary's Rebin Elhan B. Rozzani, 16, in the battle for the West Zone B Division boys' football championship at Jalan Besar Stadium last Wednesday. Chua Chu Kang won 2-1. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
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It was a bittersweet silver medal for a team that started training only months before their competition season.

On one side of the field, faces crumpled into tears as the referee blew the whistle, signalling the end of the game.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 09, 2018, with the headline Boon Lay Secondary's rookie football team win silver but get gold for grit. Subscribe