Sukhothai fan, Bill Greaves, shares his thoughts on last Saturday's match.
Chonburi Stadium is about the same size as Talay Luang, perhaps a little bigger. My wife was very pleased with the cleanliness of the ladies bathroom. I am a lot less agile than I used to be and I was very happy with the steps and stairways. It should be noted that the absolutely worst spot for away spectators, resides in Lampang. Cheers arose when a spectator achieved a bottom row seat there.
What was the atmosphere like on the day?
Sukhothai have a large group of supporters who live in/near Bangkok. They call themselves Firebat Hardcore and can electrify any atmosphere. They were incredible in the pouring rain for our 0 – 2 defeat at the hands of Muang Tong. Sadly, they were largely absent from the Chonburi game so it was quieter than I had hoped for.
How do you think Chonburi as a club handled a very sensitive occasion today?
It was a tragic and sad situation. I think Chonburi handled it very well with discretion and dignity.
What are your feelings on the first half?
I thought Sukhothai were terrible. The goal was soft and I was preparing to endure another Buriram style 6 goal massacre. However, as we got closer to half time, I started to feel that we might just get away with a one goal defeat. Could we equalize? We couldn’t even get out of our own half.
And the second period?
Again, a one goal loss was on the cards until the red card. Then it was out and out manic defending with a bit of help from the woodwork. By the end of the regular 90 minutes a one goal deficit was going to be a sad but acceptable defeat. The 93rd minute? I’m sorry but my brain has been unable to rationalize that yet. Is that not exactly why we go to football games? My voice is hoarse, my demeanour is hysterical. Sympathy for Chonburi? Wellll, maybe a little.
Which of your players stood out today?
Sukhothai social media is full of Sarawut Thorarit our goal scorer but Kittipun Saensuk the goalie was superb. I still think that the goal he let in was a bit soft but after that, heroic was a bit of an understatement. Laércio Soldá our big Brazilian defender glued our defence together – again. Towards the end of the game he moved up to try to create some attack. Sukhothai strikers are as rare as Ukrainian electricity so maybe that is a move that Coach Amato is contemplating.
Which Chonburi players impressed you the most today?
Amadou Ouattara, Yoo Byung-soo, Faiq Bolkiah and Channarong Promsrikaew are the players that impressed me. All forwards including the goal scorer. They were fast tricky and their play was intricate. I can not be critical of any of the Chonburi squad. The goalie - Chommaphat Boonloet - had little to do apart from picking the ball out of the net and the defenders were much the same.
What is your opinion of the final result?
What a terrible question to ask me. The final result was a fair result of the game. Sukhothai have no strikers and came down intent on a 0 – 0 draw. A soft early goal ended that dream but we played incredible defence for the rest of the game. Chonburi can claim to have been robbed by a lucky last minute strike. If Sukhothai had lost to a saveable shot early on we would be moaning just as loudly about our indomitable defending being all for naught.
How does Saturday's result and performance compare with your other matches this season?
We let in 9 goals in the first 2 games. Then Laércio Soldá appeared on the scene and we have let in 8 in the 9 games since. Last year we had the most goals in the second division; this year we have become a defensive juggernaught. We came south planning on a scoreless draw. We were not flawless but we got the result we were looking for.
What are your expectations for the rest of the season?
Are we part of the relegation struggle or a mid-table team? I will answer that when the season is over. We have a good coach and if we remain in the relegation battle, we will be top of the heap. If we get a striker we could be comfortably mid-table.
And for Chonburi?
Chonburi are third in the league and I suspect that they are over performing. We were beaten by Port last week and we deserved what we got. They were the better team. We drew with Chiang Rai and lost to Muang Tong away. I believe that we can win our return matches, same as Chonburi.
Do you have any amusing or interesting stories from your trip today?
After the psychological terror and horror that I endured at Chonburi Stadium do you really think I am prepared to be amusing? Seriously, I used to teach in Bangkok and my memory of Bang Saen is of a Grade 3 student who came here for school break. He returned 2 weeks late doing a fairly decent imitation of an Egyptian mummy, coated in bandages from his struggles with jellyfish. Chonburi and amusement do not mix.
