A very hot stadium, with very little relief from a negligible wind meant this game was never going to be packed with action. In fact the game was so slow at times, 3 of us were actually more interested in a kiddie wearing a new home shirt that still had the price tag hanging out of the back of the neck.
Having said the above, when the game was moving, it was a much improved performance by Hua Hin, and a victory never seemed in doubt. For me, the man of the match was the proverbial brick outhouse, and captain for the day - No. 20 (sorry, still not up to speed on names yet).
When the first goal came, it was from nothing, but consisted of a striking of the bar, a complete mis-hit and finally a rocket finish by No. 7. Video here:
The 2nd half was much of a muchness, with both teams seeming lethargic. Then a very strange period, starting with (I think) No. 25 picking up a bad foul. The stretcher bearers ran on, but the injury was too bad. They called the visiting Bangkok Hospital Team - well this was quite hilarious. They looked absolutely astounded to be called into action for the first time this season.
First of all the ambulance driver put on a huge red backpack and started running across the pitch. He was closely followed by a young nurse carrying a box of tricks. The run was accompanied by both sets of supporters playing nee-naw sounds on their megaphones.
The player was patched-up, but was clearly in a lot of distress. He almost made it back across the pitch (took about 5 minutes), before the referee directed him back off the pitch again. The ambulance driver and nurse put a bandage on him, but it was obvious that he couldn't play football. He was directed off again.
While this was happening, I was keeping an eye on the bench - none of the subs were stirring (probably too busy eating somtam). Basically, despite having a bench full of substitutes, for a reason unknown to me, the injured player was not replaced, which meant the last 30 minutes were played with just 10 players.
We entered injury time with the score still at 1 - 0, and Thonburi pushing hard for an equaliser. All 11 Thonburi players were in the Hua Hin half. Suddenly, Hua Hin broke, and with no goalie, No. 21 put the result beyond doubt.
The crowd seemed smaller than usual, and apart from my party, I only spotted 4 other Farangs in the crowd (I'm sure there must have been a couple more).
Photos from today's match here:
Next match: 22 Mar 14 - GLOBLEX TWD vs Hua Hin
2nd in the League
is Samuel Lamptey.