Due to team numbers, the 2nd placed team in the Thai League 4 Southern zone will then have to take on the 3rd placed team from the Northeastern zone for a place in the Champions League play-offs which will see 12 teams battle for two promotion places to Euro Cake Thai League 3.
But Phuket’s chances of sealing that 2nd place slot increased greatly last night (Aug 16) after they sealed a 2-0 victory over Chumphon.
Chumphon had replaced Phuket at 2nd in the table at the weekend after they beat Yala United 1-0, due to an uneven number of teams in the league it was Phuket’s turn to have a week off.
But last night’s 2-0 win put Phuket back in 2nd now with a two point advantage over Chumphon and with a game in hand.
Pattani are also still in contention for 2nd place as they sit at 4th in the table just four points adrift of Phuket and also having played the same number of game (20).
And it was clear after yesterday’s game why it is such a closely fought battle for 2nd place. Phuket and Chumphon were giving nothing away and both teams were eager to get an advantage early in the game but with neither getting the lead they so desperately wanted.
Both teams had chances, and the keepers at both ends of the pitch were kept busy stopping a large number of attempts on goal, but by half-time neither team were able to break the deadlock.
It was much the same in the early part of the second half, but Phuket were starting to put a lot more pressure on their opponents and were starting to have far more possession of the ball.
And 31 minutes into the second half the pressure finally got too much for Chumphon and Phuket got the breakthrough they were looking for.
A short pass from Phuket’s Cameroonian forward Yannick Patrice Touguessong (29) found midfielder Thawatchai Suphanam (23) and his low shot from 10 yards outside of Chumphon’s penalty area snuck past Chumphon’s keeper Thaksin Chaiyarod (22) and into the bottom left of the goal.
But with 15 minutes of the game remaining Phuket knew the single goal might not have been enough to seal them the win and that Chumphon would be seeking an equaliser.
Phuket kept mounting more and more pressure on Chumphon and forcing them to make errors and commit fouls. And it was a foul that led to Phuket sealing their 2-0 win.
The Andaman Dragon were awarded a free kick on the right flank. Defender Poowapat Nattip (20) put a nice ball into the centre of Chumphon’s box and pressure from Phuket’s Apichart Denman (10) forced Thaksin to fumble the ball which then fell to the feet of Rattapol Bunyom (99) who smacked the ball home for his first goal for the club. Victory sealed!
Phuket are in action again this Sunday (Aug 20) and they are playing table-toppers Satun United.
When the teams last met back in July a single goal was enough to give Phuket a win over the league leaders and for sure they will be hoping for more of the same again come Sunday.
Kick-off for the game is set for 6pm at Surakul Stadium. Admission is just B50 for adults and free for kids with student ID card.