The Lobsters, as they are known, face Yala City, the league’s bottom side, a team that trails PAFC by a mere two points. A loss would be nothing short of a disastrous, embarrassing prospect for the island, not just an embarrassment for the club, but for football fans all over Phuket. The very notion of the island being without a professional football team is unthinkable considering its moniker as the ‘Jewel of the Andaman.’
Yesterday’s match offered fleeting glimpses of improvement, moments of dominance, yet PAFC seemed strangely ill-equipped to handle their newfound possession. Lining up in yet another new formation, a 4-3-2-1 this time, the constant tactical tinkering hardly seems conducive to building consistency, let alone results.
Predictably, the team’s Achilles heel – set pieces – proved their undoing once again. Within the first minute, a long throw-in was met by the head of Brazilian Felipe, giving the visitors an early advantage.
PAFC enjoyed large swathes of possession in the first half, and their pressure eventually told when striker Bank bundled home a goal-bound effort from Kai Boham in the 14th minute.
Despite their territorial advantage, the home side struggled to translate possession into meaningful chances, with the midfield and attack frequently failing to connect. Their woes were compounded by the loss of Luke Pavon to what appeared to be a hamstring injury in the 24th minute.
Then, in the dying moments of the half, familiar failings resurfaced. Thitchot, the PAFC left-back, conceded a penalty with a challenge that many felt warranted a red card. Diego Pereira coolly dispatched the spot-kick, restoring Muang Trang’s lead.
SUBDUED
The second half was a subdued affair, the energy sapped, perhaps, by the midday sun. PAFC were left chasing the game, while Muang Trang defended comfortably, effectively putting the game beyond doubt in the 80th minute. Pereira completed his brace with a diving header from a cross on the left.
On the touchline, Coach Tum looked bereft of ideas, his demeanour suggesting he would have liked nothing more than to take matters into his own hands.
The cliché that some clubs are simply “too good to go down” has been bandied about in relation to this PAFC squad. But when a team is so palpably lacking in confidence, relegation becomes a very real possibility. Yala City, rightly, will go into next week’s crucial fixture as favourites. For PAFC, the stakes could not be higher.
Simon Causton is the host of ‘A Thai Football Podcast’ and writer of the ’Tee-Sen" (ที่เส้น) - At the line’ blog which covers all things Thai football.