"Lets get ready to rumble, lets get ready to rumble, watch us wreck the mic, watch us wreck the mic, PSYCHE(O)"

A well taken strike by unlikely hero Bob 'Beer-Belly' Boyd in the 11th minute of extra time saw The Lions maintain their good run of form and progression towards the summit of the SSLKL. It was an out of sorts Lions performance if truth be told, which also nearly ended up in two-man brawl amongst our own players (some call it 'healthy banter'). Yeah right.

If there were minor earthquakes felt in the south of Kuala Lumpur this Sunday afternoon, there would be no need to consult the Malaysia's Meteorological Society for the answers, for I have the explanation right here. The facts are that when 16 lads are left to their own devices without any training or football at the weekends for a three week period (in this case Chinese New Year) the good life here in Malaysia has a tendency to put a few pounds on already more than ample frames, so The Lions line up before the start of the game looked more like Les Dawsons' Roly Polys warming up before a show. Blundell replaced the suspended Grayson at centre half, and White played a more advanced Tim Cahill-esque role just behind Sweeney, who was sole striker, with McKinnon still nursing a cut to his ickle toe he got 4 weeks ago in training. LEFT - Boyd and Blundell lead the chorus line...

Kicking into the sun, things started brightly for The Lions, with Messrs Donnelly and Raja using the channels well early on. Those of you that remember Bod and how fast his legs used to move, you would swear blind that Donnelly and he were in fact the same person (I mean have you ever seen Ant and Bod in the same room?).

An early corner saw an attempt by McMyler flash across the face of the goal.

Once again The Lions back four were solid enough, but the rock-hard pitch were making things difficult whenever the ball bounced, especially in the sun.

Mid way through the first half and it was The Lions who took the lead. Tracking back with a Maluri attacker, Blundell managed to out-pace the striker and put the ball out for a corner, but not before a brown trouser moment (again) as his clearance began to bend towards the far corner of Wood's goal. Thankfully the ball went a fully safe 2 yards wide, and Woods safely claimed the resulting corner. Seeing White alone in the Maluri half, Wood cleared (sorry assisted) long, and White took the ball down with ridiculous ease, and seeing the onrushing Sweeney, played an inch-perfect pass for the Lion goal machine to net his 10th of the league season (14 in total).

So with a goal to the good, things looked good, but The Lions did not make their advantage count and sat back on the one goal lead, letting Maluri back in to the game.

A disgraceful foul by a Maluri midfielder took Horne out of the game completely, with a crunching ankle tackle on 30 minutes. Horne was replaced by Watt, a warm and welcomed return to The Lions collective.

A long range effort from Boyd had the cars on the motorway speeding to the bridges for cover on 35 minutes.

One thing is for sure, The Lions need lessons in throw-ins. Basic errors from Jones and Raja, left a certain Geordie feeling 'all frustrated' and the first half whimpered to a close.

HALF TIME: Maluri 0 - 1 The Lions

After the half time team talk(s), The Lions took to the field with the instructions to push right up the field. And for the first 15 minutes of the half, they did just that. Young stamped his mark on the game and was all over the Maluri midfield and this nearly paid off when he was put clean through, only to scupper his shot wide of the post.

The Lions lead was almost doubled moments later, when White rose from a corner, only to get shoved in the back, and his subsequent mis-placed header finding Blundell whose overhead kick (his words) agonisingly hit the bar (eventually) only for the rebound to be cleared.

Once again, as in the first half (probably due to beer-swelled bellies from 3 weeks of partying) The Lions sat back, and play became sloppy. Young's early workload was doubled soon after, with great tracking back to keep The Lions in the lead.

The game almost boiled over on 70 minutes when a frustrated White and Sweeney (aka Ant and Dec) engaged in a handbags-at-dawn bitch fight in the centre circle, with each other. The shouting, pushing and shoving resulted in the pair being separated, with howls of laughter coming from the Maluri strikers.

ABOVE - Steve far right, in fight-club training for the Maluri game

White almost made amends for his actions, as the ball broke to him on the half way line following a strong tackle from Boyd, and seeing the keeper off his line, he lobbed the keeper Beckham style with the ball slamming into roof of the net from a bounce off the hard surface. Sadly, the referee had just blown for free kick and booked White for time wasting. It pens the question we have all been asking for some time, can Steve lob Seamen in the box from 60 yards...

Things got a whole lot worse for The Lions as discipline and concentration was lost. Kenyon replaced the tiring Boyd and The Lions manager looked on in disbelief and at his watch as the referree had already played an extra 8 minutes.

Of course the inevitable happened. Once again and not without question, Maluri were awarded a very generous free kick by the official, allegedly for a foul by Nice Guy Jones on the right, from which a Maluri striker hit a shot which bounced off Wood in goal, only for the Malurian answer to Tony Cottee to break free of his marker to poach and steal the equaliser (not Edward Woodward).

Following the goal, the referee consulted his linesman who concurred that he hadn't a clue how long had been played either, and much to the bemusement of The Lions players, the game continued. Thanks god it did!

Boyd replaced Kenyon and made his way up front, for the ball to be passed in from the left exquisitely from Joe Pasquale look-a-like Sweeney (you need to get him to wear a pair of glasses for the full effect), finding the boot of Boyd who sweetly dispatched the winner.

That was not before the referee had played another 4 minutes (making it 15 minutes of added time in the second half alone).

We think someone heard that he admitted that his watch had stopped.

Me and the ombudsman, are gonna do what we can, when the evening sun goes down...

FULL TIME: Maluri 1 - 2 The Lions

Man of the Match – Once again Neil 'Crazy Horse' Young (bet it's the second time he's ever heard that one). Great performance in the middle of the park, especially in the second half tracking back. Special mention should also go to Donnelly on the left who ran his arse off all day.

Tw@t of the Week – Steve White. Nark. Ginger. Refusing TOTW drink. Tw*t.