(Photo credit: Official Samut Prakan Facebook page)

After our FA Cup exit at Bangkok United on Wednesday, Samut Prakan are now out of both domestic cup competitions and can focus on the remaining 18 league games...starting with Rayong FC at home. Let's have a look at the T2 table as we approach the half-way point in the season. 

Nongbua Pichaya are in the box seat at the top of the table but only four points separate the top five clubs, and one of those is Rayong FC, our next opponents. As it stands, Samut Prakan are two points below the sixth place play-off spot, currently occupied by Pattaya United. 

Rayong FC is sure to be a tough game?

It certainly is, but on the same night Samut Prakan bowed out of the FA Cup at Bangkok United, Rayong also went out of the competition against Songkhla FC in a match that went to extra time and penalties. Then of course they had to make the long journey back from South Thailand. Could fatigue play a major part in tonight's match because Rayong will have had little more than 48 hours to recover?

The Dragon Horses have had a good league campaign so far, losing only two of their sixteen matches (against Ayuthaya and Pattaya), and their miserly defence has conceded just 9 goals. They are also on a run of eight games undefeated.  

The goalscoring has been pretty spread around but the top scorer, with six goals to his name, is Tiago Chulapa. The 35-year-old Brazilian striker is the classic Thai football nomad and currently at his 9th Thai club since 2017 (including his second spell at Rayong). In his native Brazil, he had more clubs than Tiger Woods, and then had a brief spell in The Middle East before coming to Thailand. 

The last time Samut Prakan met Rayong met at home

You only have to go back to February of this year and it was the first game for our new manager Tana Chanabut. I described it as possibly our worst performance in four seasons as Rayong ran out 4-0 winners. Hopefully there will be no repeat of that tonight.

(First game in charge but no longer at the club)

To the match itself

Top scorer Fernando had reached the dreaded four yellow card ban so unfortunately had to sit this one out. We were sure to miss not only his goalscoring prowess but also his aggression up front. Striker Kitti Kinnonkok came in for just his second start of the season. Kitti scored 13 goals in 19 games for Chainat United last season but it's a considerable step up from T3 to T2 football, especially at home to an in-form team like Rayong.

The first quarter of an hour was noticeable for Samut Prakan's hesitancy in playing the ball out of defence. Goalkeeper Jirunpong couldn't seem to make his mind up whether to launch it long or trust his defenders. You felt that a defensive mistake was probably going to be our downfall and so it proved on 32 minutes as Kittichai gives the ball away on the right, and Rayong's Japanese midfielder Ryoma Ito makes no mistake with the finish, probably the only real chance of what was a drab and niggly first period.

The hardcore foreign supporters club now numbers three; myself, Sheffield Jon and Bjorn from Norway. Enjoying a half-time chat and discussing Christmas and New Year plans, we very nearly missed the Samut Prakan equaliser but managed to see it through a wire mesh fence. The second half was just minutes old when Arnont Pumsiri lashes in a shot from outside the box that flies through a melee of players and probably leaves the Rayong keeper a little unsighted. An unexpected early lifeline and a route back into the contest. 

Theppitak almost restores Rayong's goal but his shot fizzes just wide of the target. 

Supawit Romphopak comes on for Prakan as a late sub. The likeable attacking defender has featured in virtually all of Samut Prakan's matches this season and has five very useful goals to his name. It's announced after the match that he will sadly be saying goodbye to the club and moving on. You will be very much missed young man! 

Full-time: Samut Prakan 1 Rayong FC 1

Overall thoughts?

You know what, as things stand, I'll take that - a point at home to Rayong. Because at half-time, I honestly didn't think we'd get back into the game, but we did. It means we end the year in 7th place and are just one point below a play-off spot. It's not a bad position to be in and hopefully we can kick on in the second half of the season.  

After the match, the club and supporters club honoured the fans who had attended the most matches in the first half of the season. It was a wonderful gesture and it's things like this that make me proud to be a Samut Prakan fan. Big thanks to the one and only Pathomchai Buppharoj for organising the event and captain Ronnachai Rangsiyo for also giving me his own shirt after the game.

(What an honour. Thank you captain! Photo credit: Official Samut Prakan Facebook page)

(Tun receiving a gift from Bianor Neto. Photo credit: Official Samut Prakan Facebook page)

(We've travelled many hundreds of miles together. Photo credit: Official Samut Prakan Facebook page)

Who's up next?

We have a two-week break before the T2 season resumes on the weekend 6th-7th January. Samut Prakan face a tough trip to Chiang Mai FC on the Sunday (the first of two away games against the Chiang Mai clubs within a fortnight)

Going?

Unfortunately we'll be giving this one a miss. Tun and I will be on holiday in India and don't return to Thailand until the 10th January. Actually, I'm not sure we would've gone anyway. We're not great fans of Chiang Mai and certainly didn't fancy going up twice in the same month.   

Samut Prakan fixtures 2023/2024