Yala beat Phuket FC, 1-0

PHUKET CITY: Surakul Stadium remains less than a fortress for Phuket FC as the “Sea Dragons” were once again beaten on home soil, this time suffering a 1-0 defeat to last-place Yala.

With the win, Yala picked up their first-ever points in the league after four consecutive losses.

After five matches in the fledgling Division 2 of the Footbool Association of Thailand, high-flying Satun top the table with 13 points, followed by Nakhon Sri Thammarat (12) and Narathiwat (11).

In a match that could have gone either way, a lapse in defense led to a goal by Yala about half way through the second half. It was only the second goal of the season for Yala, who had already given up nine, and their players were understandably happy with the result.

There were a few hundred people in the crowd at the enormous stadium, including a small number of foreigners.

Entrance to the matches is 50 baht for adults and free for children, and spectators are allowed to bring in their own refreshment – including coolers of beer.

Despite the fine weather and optimal conditions, two factors conspired to keep attendance figures down.

First was a poorly-publicized rescheduling of the match from 5pm to 7pm.

A number of people who showed up for the match at the originally scheduled time didn’t want to wait two hours; many of them had more interest in the Manchester United vs Manchester City match that was underway on TV at the same time.

In fact, some of the biggest cheers from the crowd came when the stadium announcers updated results from that match.

Also getting cheers was the announcement that Narathiwat beat Nakhon Sri Thammarat 4-0 on the road in the only other division match played that day.

Phuket currently languishes sixth in the standings with four points, having registered a win, a draw and three losses thus far.

Next up for Phuket is a home game against Pattani, scheduled to start at 7pm according to the league’s official website.

The league table and upcoming schedule is available in Thai language here.

— Thanyaee Sookthong & Stephen Fein