A team record of just under 7,000 fans came out to Surakul Stadium to watch the third round match-up, which also saw the return of former Phuket FC coach Paniphol “Tu” Kerdyaem. This was the first time coach Tu returned to the same stadium where he helped the then-Islanders from relegation to the Thai Division II in late 2012.
Both teams were unable to take advantage of scoring opportunities in the first half, which featured several set-pieces either side of the field.
In the second half, Bangkok defender Jetsadakorn Hemdaeng took advantage of an open net to head the ball into goal and help give the visitors a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish.
This was the fourth game in 10 days for the Ronins and their third against a Thai Premier League team this season (including previous wins over Sisaket FC and Police United).
The Ronins (5th, 25 points), have to shake this loss off quickly, as they travel to Ayutthaya (13th, 17 points) for this Sunday's Yamaha League-1 game scheduled to kick-off at 6pm. Only four points separate Phuket FC from 2nd place Bangkok FC in League-1 table.