On Friday, 14 Nov 08, the Warriors defeated bitter and arch rivals, Home United, 1-0 to clinch the 2008 NTUC Income – Yeo’s S.League Championship at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The win created history for the Warriors as this was their 3rd consecutive title and 7th overall in the 13-year history of the S.League.

It was always never an easy game against the Protectors who had to win to keep their hopes alive and bringing the Championship race down to the wire. With a full squad, the Protectors set the tempo from the whistle aiming to get an early goal. But the Warriors defence, ably marshaled by center backs, Daniel Bennett and Kenji Arai, was solid and frustrated the Protectors with their confident defensive play.

Click on a photo for the close-ups.

It was a tense first half and with a 0-0 score-line, the pressure on Home United began to take its toll. The tempo stepped up in the 2nd half. The Warriors came storming in the opening minutes and had the Protectors pinned back. In the 56th minute, a swift attack down the left flank had Aleksandar Duric prodding an excellent pass to Therdsak Chaiman.

The Thai’s surging run into the box caught the Protectors’ defence off-balanced. In one flowing movement, Therdsak’s shot at goal was only half parried by the goalkeeper. It came on the path of a lunging Ahmad Latiff who made no mistake and slotted the ball from close range.

The goal raised the confidence of the Warriors and they began to dominate play. But, credit to Home United, they never gave up and manage to create some anxious moments for the Warriors. It paid off in the 74th minute when a careless tackle by Daniel Bennett gave away a penalty. But, the agony turned to relief as the Ball was put wide off the mark and the Warriors were let off the hook.

In the last quarter of the match, the Warriors maintained their composure and had the Protectors on the back seat with clever counter-attacking.

It was an outstanding match and a fitting climax to the Warriors’ season. They have beaten their closest rivals and the win sealed the Championship for a record 7th time for the S.League’s most successful Club.