100 Not Out!

Sunday�s match against Pattaya United was our 100th in the Thai Premier League. Here I look back at five other notable games from our recent history.


1. Korat 1 Chonburi 3
Thailand Pro League 26th June, 2005

Having already sealed promotion by thrashing Pang Ga 8-1 at Srinthorn the week before, we journeyed to the north east knowing that a win would see us crowned Pro League champions. Having taken the lead midway through the first half, Chonburi were pegged back 4 minutes later when the home side equalised. However, Nikorn Anuwarn eased a few jangling nerves right on the stroke of half time by restoring our one goal advantage.

As the second half progressed the travelling army of 15 were becoming more and more anxious, as the orange shirted home team poured forward in search of the goal that would deny us the title. Fortunately, a strike by Panawut Janta seven minutes from time eased our fears and we could start celebrating our first major trophy win and look forward to life among Thailand's elite.

2. Chonburi 1 Thai Port Authority 3
Thailand Premier League 28th January, 2006

After a wait of seven months we finally got to taste life in the newly structured Thailand Premier League. And how sweet it was. Five minutes into the brand new season, Piopob On-mo had put us in front. We were going to walk this league. Unfortunately two hours later, life wasn't so good. We had been beaten 3-1 by a much better team and learned a few harsh lessons about how tough life was going to be among the big boys.

TPL Record P1 W0 D0 L1 F1 A3 Pts 0

3. Tampines Rovers 3 Chonburi 2 (aet)
Singapore Cup Final 26th November, 2006

We were the first overseas club to reach the final of the Singapore Cup. And we twice came within a few seconds of being the first to win it. Goals on 74 minutes by Pipob On-Mo and 76 minutes by Arthit Sunthornphit had sent the 20 visiting fans, plus a few thousand ex-pat Thais into raptures. 2-0 up and looking comfortable. What could possibly go wrong? Whether it was inexperience, nerves or sheer exhaustion Chonburi seemed to stop playing in the last quarter of an hour and this allowed Tampines back into the game. A strike by Aliff Shfaein on 84 minutes was followed by a Santi Chaiyaphuak goal in the dying seconds and the game went into extra time.

Reduced to nine men after the sendings off of Kafoumba and Adul Lahso, we hung on until deep into injury time only to concede a heart-breaking third goal when penalties seemed the likliest outcome. It was a bitter pill to swallow but even this cruellest of defeats can't take away the fact that it had been a memorable weekend. I'll tell you all about Palmy's half time concert and the second half being delayed by 15 minutes due to goalkeeper, Badra Ali's, visit to the toilet another time!



4. Chonburi 3 Thai Honda 2
Thailand Premier League 5th May, 2007

A reasonable start to the season saw Chonburi sitting in 3rd place after 7 games when mid table Thai Honda came to visit. The decent run had seen crowds grow to about the 1,000 mark but the atmosphere at the Chonburi Municipal Stadium was still more like an English county cricket match than top flight football. But that was all to change thanks to a stunning comeback and a downpour.

We were 2-0 down and staring defeat in the face when it started to rain. Everyone in the main stand moved to the back of the terraces to seek shelter. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. All being crushed together created a sense of solidarity. The chanting and singing started and, on the field, the players responded. From what had seemed a hopeless situation we were now level and looking for the winner. Roared on by the fans, the team launched wave after wave of attack. When the third goal came it was greeted as if we'd just won the World Cup. A great match and terrace culture had arrived in Chonburi. It took the rest of the country a while to catch up.

5. Chonburi 3 Krung Thai Bank 2
Thailand Premier League 21st November, 2007

This was to be a remarkable occasion and will live long in the memory of those lucky enough to have been there to witness it. ESPN/Star Sports along with all the Thai news and sports channels had despatched film crews to record the event for prosperity. They weren�t to be disappointed. Over 10,000 people, double our regular attendance, had somehow squeezed into the Chonburi Municipal Stadium and the atmosphere was (oh, go on) electric. The match certainly lived up to its billing. In spite of missing an early penalty Chonburi had surged into a two goal lead by the break and were looking good to make history as the first provincial club to win Thai football�s biggest domestic honour. Our chances were further increased when the visitors were reduced to ten men. It was within our grasp now. Of course, it wasn�t to be that simple. Feeling that they had nothing to lose, KTB threw everybody forward in an effort to salvage something from the game and keep alive their own faint hopes of lifting the trophy.

This new bold attacking policy paid off, and soon not only were they level but they were looking the likelier side to go on and win it. With my nerves, and those of 10,000 other Chonburians, in tatters the coolest man in the ground, Pipob On-Mo took it upon himself to put us all out of our misery by firing home a late winner. The crowd erupted and the celebrations began in earnest with firecrackers and flares being let off in every part of the ground. The final whistle prompted a good natured pitch invasion and we had done it. CHAMPIONS!!! A fitting end to what had been a wonderful season.

So, there you have it, five great games from our past. Let's hope that we have many more in the future. And, who knows, when our 112th TPL match is played, we may be celebrating another trophy.

Chonburi FC Fan Club






It has been a great honour to be a part of the Chonburi Fan Club for the past seven years. I have seen it grow from only a few people to a few thousand. In the early days we would attract less than two hundred people for home games and the atmosphere was a lot different then. It was much quieter and goals were greeted by polite applause.

For away trips we would usually have less than twenty people travelling. Of course it was harder to get to some games - Chiang Mai and Satun are a long way from Chonburi! On the day we won the Pro League title - 26th June 2005 - there were only 15 of us in the stadium in Korat. However, we celebrated as if we'd won the World Cup and made more noise than 1500!

The following season, our first in the Thailand Premier League, the home attendances grew to just over a thousand. We also started taking a few more fans to away games. The lone bus (not always full) would leave every other Saturday from a Jet petrol station in Ban Beung. I made many friends on those trips. And I still see a lot of those people at the matches today.

It was also during our first TPL campaign that the Fan Club football team started. We played our first match at Ban Beung Stadium against a local side and had a big party afterwards. Unfortunately, those who were there that night have probably never forgotten my attempts at singing karaoke. It was awful! But it was my revenge for being made to wear a Manchester United shirt during the game. We were also invited to play in a Pro League Fan Club Meeting match on 26th August 2006 at the SAT ground next to Rajamangala Stadium. It was a great afternoon and more new friendships were formed.

Over the years I have met so many wonderful people through Chonburi FC. They are now like a family to me and we have shared some special times together. Obviously there have been many great occasions on the field: winning the Pro League, the Singapore Cup semi-final and final, winning the Premier League and our AFC Champions League anf AFC Cup adventures. But there have also been good times away from the stadium : the New Year's Eve party in Bang Saen, the football and futsal tournaments, people's weddings and of course our legendary fan club parties.

Chonburi are now probably the best supported club in the country and I am really proud of that fact. But I'm also proud to be able to say that I've been there right from the start and have enjoyed this wonderful period in my life with some very special people. Some of them I still see every week and others have moved on to do different things but I will always remember them. It doesn't matter how big or successful the club gets we will always have each other. Thank you, Chonburi FC Fan Club. Let's hope that we have many more good times in the future.

We Are The Champions

The Story of the 2007 Season - Part 1




At the start of the 2007 season nobody could have predicted that Chonburi FC would be crowned as champions of Thailand. We had finished the previous season � our first in the top flight � in 8th place. A respectable position but with the league now expanding to 16 clubs the new year would surely see us end up comfortably in mid table again.

The opening couple of matches didn�t really give us any clues either. An uninspiring first day victory at home to Suphanburi was followed by a 2-1 win at Narm Gai Jon Stadium (surely the hottest ground in the country!) against TOT. The latter we very nearly threw away by sloppy defending in the closing minutes only to grab an undeserved late winner ourselves.

The following week we were completely outplayed and outclassed by an impressive BEC Tero side who looked like they�d be challenging for the title at the end of the season. However, after this defeat we strung together an eight match unbeaten run picking up 17 points in the process. This run included the match that, as far as I�m concerned, changed the face of fan culture at Chonburi.

We were trailing 2-0 at home against Thai Honda when it started to rain. Everybody who had been sitting at the front of the stand had to move back to get under cover. It was impossible to sit when everyone was cramped together so we all had to stand. With the rain falling, a drop in temperature, the floodlights on and a large crowd of mainly men squashed together, I was transported back to my youth on the terraces at Oldham. I remember thinking at the time that this was just how it used to be in England but without the nastiness. The crowd too seemed to sense something was different and roared the Sharks on to a memorable 3-2 win. From that day on the atmosphere at Chonburi would be very special indeed.

The rain also played a major part in our next match. We had travelled in large numbers to Nakorn Pathom for a 4:00pm Wednesday afternoon kick off. The game kicked off in bright sunshine but midway through the second half, with Chonburi leading 1-0, the heavens opened. I have rarely seen rain like it. And I have never seen a football match played in such conditions. However, the full ninety minutes were played out and by the final whistle the pitch was completely under water. And, it was still raining!

We all huddled together in the away stand not daring to make a run for the bus. After about 30 minutes of non stop rain someone opened the door to the team�s dressing room and we scampered across. We spent the best part of an hour sheltering in there with all the players and the backroom staff. Eventually the rain eased enough for us to get back on the bus. The driver somehow managed to drive safely through the flooded streets of Nakorn Pathom and we were finally on our way home.

The unbeaten run was finally ended by a 0-1 home reverse against PEA. However, the following week a huge away following saw the Sharks play the best football we had played so far. A 3-0 thumping of Osotspa left us near the top of the table going in to the mid-season break. We could all enjoy the rest knowing that the best was yet to come and that a top four finish wasn�t beyond us.

To be continued���

We Are The Champions
The Story of the 2007 Season - Part 2





When the season resumed at the end of August just 4 points separated the top 4 teams so it was important that we got off to a good start. Our first match after the break was an away trip to the Thai Army Stadium for a game against title rivals, Tobacco Monopoly. We were accompanied on our trip by a crew from ESPN/Star Sports who were filming our adventures for their �Football Crazy� show.

The fans were in good voice on the way up and were full of confidence, refreshed and re-invigorated after the break. The team too seemed to have benefitted from the short lay off and tore into their opponents in a manner that suggested our first leg performance hadn�t been a fluke With an emphatic 2-0 win under our belts we returned home in the knowledge that we were still second, behind Tero, only on goal difference and now had a four point cushion between ourselves and Krung Thai Bank, who had replaced the beaten Tobacco Monopoly in third. It was the perfect way to present Chonburi FC to a wider Asian audience.

Our next two matches were back to back encounters with mid table outfit, BKK University. There was a collective rubbing of hands in anticipation of the six points that we would be collecting. However, as with most things, it didn�t quite go according to plan. During a mad twenty minute period in the first half of the away game we conceded three goals, and could have conceded more, as the hundreds of visiting fans looked on in astonishment. A goal early in the second half gave us renewed hope but the comeback didn�t materialise and we slunk back home to lick our wounds.

After another week off for internationals we had our chance to exact swift revenge against those upstart students. Ninety minutes later we were again wondering, �What went wrong?� A 0-1 reverse had severely dented our title hopes and we had slipped to third, two points behind a Krung Thai Bank team which was rapidly building up a headful of steam.

It didn�t get any better in the following weeks. A 2-2 draw away against Suphanburi and a dull 0-0 home draw with TOT weren�t exactly the kind of results that potential champions should be producing. But, fortunately for us, none of our rivals had been able to capitalise so after four games without a win we still trailed the leaders (KTB) by just two points.

Our next home match was a mid-week fixture against Nakorn Pathom. It was also my birthday. Now, I�m not suggesting for one minute that that evening�s performance was for my benefit but it certainly gave me a day to remember. The players had suddenly rediscovered their touch and the confidence came flooding back as we took apart the hapless visitors, who couldn�t have complained if we�d scored 10. In the event it was a fine 3-1 victory. In context of the whole season this was probably our most important result. Had we lost, who knows what may have happened but with a win under our belts we launched ourselves on a run of five straight victories.


There was then a slight blip, a 1-1 home draw with a stubborn Army team, but we were soon firing on all cylinders again; thrashing PEA 4-0 away, beating the Navy 1-0 in Sattahip, a 1-0 home win v Osotspa and a 2-0 triumph in Ratchaburi against the Police. This meant that going into the penultimate game of the season, at home against our nearest rivals KTB, a win would give us the championship.

It was to be a remarkable occasion. Once again ESPN/Star Sports had despatched a film crew to record the event for prosperity and they weren�t to be disappointed. Over 10,000 people, double our regular attendance, had somehow squeezed into the Chonburi Municipal Stadium and the atmosphere was (oh, go on) electric. The match certainly lived up to its billing. In spite of missing a penalty Chonburi had surged into a two goal lead by the break and were looking good to make history as the first provincial club to win Thai football�s biggest domestic honour. Our chances were further increased when the visitors were reduced to ten men. It was within our grasp now. Of course, it wasn�t to be that simple. Feeling that they had nothing to lose, KTB threw everybody forward in an effort to salvage something from the game and keep alive their own faint hopes of lifting the trophy.

This new bold attacking policy paid off, and soon not only were they level but they were looking the likelier side to go on and win it. With my nerves, and those of 10,000 other Chonburians, in tatters the coolest man in the ground, Pipob On-Mo took it upon himself to put us all out of our misery by firing home a late winner. The crowd erupted and the celebrations began in earnest with firecrackers and flares being let off in every part of the ground. The final whistle prompted a good natured pitch invasion and we had done it. A fitting end to what had been a wonderful season.

However, we still had one final home match to play. The following Tuesday we entertained Tobacco Monopoly in an event for which the phrase �anti-climax� could have been invented. In their infinite wisdom FAT had decreed that all final round matches should kick off on the same date and at the same time, on its own, a sensible piece of scheduling. However, when the date is Tuesday 27th November and the time is 4:00pm you begin to question the wisdom. I�m sure that if we�d wanted too we could have applied to change the time but in the event we duly went through the motions in front of about 5 or 600 people who were more interested in watching Sek Loso and his band set up behind one of the goals in preparation for that evenings concert. The match ended in a 2-1 defeat for the newly crowned champions therefore bringing an end to a 13 match unbeaten run. A rather low key end to an impressive campaign but it took me a couple of days to shake off the hangover I got as a result of the party.

Having followed the club since the very beginning I had a huge sense of pride for what we�d achieved. However, this wasn�t just Chonburi�s victory. It was to change the face of Thai football. Suddenly other provincial clubs were starting to sit up and take notice. �If Chonburi can do it, why can�t we?� The TPL was no longer the preserve of the company clubs and armed forces teams but now town teams from outside the greater Bangkok area could realistically compete and actually stand a chance of winning something. Chonburi had shown the way. Build up a local fan base, run the club properly and all this could be yours. What we have seen happen in the past few months is as a direct result of this small team from the provinces taking Thai football by the scruff of its neck and giving it a good shaking.

What will happen in the future remains to be seen but this is currently a golden time for Thai football. I really hope that it is managed properly and we can have a league to rival those in Vietnam and Japan.

A few personal recollections from my time following Chonburi FC.

Chonburi FC 2002 - 2006



My first Pro League match was on May 5th, 2002. I saw Chonburi Code Red FC beat Nakorn Pathom Hunter FC 3-1 at the Chonburi Municipal Stadium. I remember it being an entertaining game but I was surprised that only about 100 people were there to see it. I went to another couple of matches that season: v.Satun Striker W3-0 and v. Suphanburi Sabre D1-1 when I even managed to take a friend along.

I also managed a couple of games the following year but it wasn�t until the 2004 season that I started going regularly. Chonburi were now called The Sharks and played at Sirinthorn Stadium. I didn�t miss a single home game that year as we finished 6th out of 10 in the league. The crowds were still very small but the football was good and it was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

The next season I was accompanied on my visits to Assumption College by my good friend, Ian. Even my wife, Nui, started taking an interest; she used to hate football! This was to be a very successful year as we won the Pro League title, snatching the prize in the very last match away against Korat. Even though we had been at the top of the league for a long time the home crowds were still disappointing. We were only getting about 250 people at each match.

On the day we won the league, there were 15 Chonburi fans in the stadium. Ian, Nui and me were joined by 12 others who had travelled up to the north east in a mini bus and a car. It was a great occasion and I�m proud to be able to say that, �I was there!�

The following year was our first in the Premier League and we returned to the Chonburi Municipal Stadium for our home games. We also reversed our kit. Previously our home kit was red and our away kit was blue but this year we introduced a blue home kit. With the arrival of top flight football the crowds rose to an average of about 1,500.

Away travel in those days was courtesy of one bus (not always full!) which used to leave from a Jet petrol station in Ban Beung. We made some good friends on these trips and most of these people are still coming to the matches today.

Chonburi performed OK during that first season, finishing 8th out of 12 teams, but our real success came away from the league in the Singapore Cup. Due to work commitments I was unable to get to any of the early rounds but I travelled out for the Semi Final Second Leg in late September. Chonburi won on penalties and booked a place in the final which was due to be played a few weeks later.

We were the first non Singaporean club to achieve this and the atmosphere in the stadium on that Sunday night in November was awesome. About 20 Chonburi fans had made the trip and we were joined by a few thousand Thai people who worked in Singapore and the pop star, Palmy. They were all cheering for The Sharks.

Unfortunately we let a 2 goal lead slip in the last 10 minutes and ended up losing 3-2 after extra time. However, it is a trip, and a match, that I�ll never forget!