City under-15s defender Charlie Oliver previewed their opening Group B fixture with Vasco da Gama in the Lion City Cup and revealed that he’s excited to get started at the Jalan Besar Stadium later today.
“We’re really excited, we just want to play football now – the squad is all in a good mood but not too giddy, just focused and ready for the match.”
City play a Vasco side who got off to a good start in Group B on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Singpore under-15s. Charlie was quick to praise their upcoming opposition and warned City will have to be at their best to get a positive result.
“Vasco are a good team, they pass it well and the full-backs bomb on – they’re a good side, we just need to be careful and keep our concentration.”
Oliver has impressed in training since arriving in Singapore and has done his chances of a starting berth no harm at all with his commanding presence in the back four. He’s a strong, combative centre-back, well-versed in playing the ball out from the back – the City way.
“We’ve got pace, we know how to pass the ball well, we can finish and our team spirit is great.”
With the temperature still expected to be in the high 20s when the match kicks off, coach Darren Bowman pointed to communication as key if City are to be successful in the tournament. Charlie doesn’t think that will be a problem.
“We stick together,” were his final words.
With hours remaining to kick-off, that togetherness will be vital against dangerous opposition.
We’ll have live updates on Twitter and match highlights on the site after the match which kicks off at 18:00 local time and 10:00 UK time.
