(The passion is dwindling. A change is gonna come. Photo credit: Official Samut Prakan Facebook page) 

With Tun as my loyal sidekick for most of it, I've had an amazing five seasons following the club home and away and hardly missing a game. Following football has presented us with so many memorable travel experiences and we've made so many great friends along the way. They've certainly been five glorious years that this grey-haired old man never expected. But last weekend's 5-1 horror show at Nakhon Ratchisima, followed by a four-hour tedious drive home, had us - how can I put this? - questioning our sanity a little. So we've decided on a plan. We're not going to give up on supporting the club, no way! - but we are going to scale things back.

Away games to far-flung provinces usually involve flight tickets, a few nights in a hotel and also car hire. The costs all mount up. We haven't minded that up to now because the travel opportunities have been as important to us, if not more important than the football. However, we're now at the stage of visiting these provinces for a second or third time - and we've done it all!  We've ambled around the dinosaur museum, we've seen the basket-weaving village and we've driven along the same familiar stretches of coast. There is nothing left to do. And when there is nothing left to do except kill time in coffee shops and linger over restaurant meals, all that's left is the football. And frankly, the quality of the football doesn't justify the expense. It's as simple as that.

Secondly, aware of our 'advancing years', we are keen on the idea of doing wild and reckless things like spending a month in India or enjoying an extended visit to China, you know, before it's too late. Up to now our overseas travel plans have been dictated by breaks in the Thai football season, and that has sometimes meant passing up a travel opportunity because the weather conditions at the destination were seasonably unfavourable. But from now on, if March is a good month to visit Pakistan but it means missing several Samut Prakan games, then so be it. We'll watch the matches on YouTube from somewhere in deepest Kashmir.

Moving forward, our plan for next season will be to take in as many home games as we can (if we are in town of course) but be far more selective with our away trips. There will be no more Chiang Mai or Nakhon Si Thammarat or Krabi or even Nakhon Ratchisima. If it's a faraway destination that we haven't done before for a football match (Prachuap springs instantly to mind) then we'll consider it. 

The last game of this season is against Pattaya United on the 27th April. That's also my 60th birthday. A time for change just feels right.   

OK, back to our midweek football match against Suphanburi and let's have a look at the current second divison table

With 12 matches remaining, unless there is a dramatic change of fortunes, the bottom three clubs (Kasetsart, Customs United and Krabi) already look doomed. 

At the top of the table, it's turning into something of a three-horse race for the two automatic promotion spots, with Chiang Mai FC hanging on in 4th but being badly let down by their away form. I still think Nongbua Pichaya and Nakhon Ratchisima will prove too strong and overpower Nakhonsi United in the run-in. 

Keep an eye on Pattaya United though, who seem to be defying the odds and grinding out results week after week. Who would bet against them for a top six finish?

And how about Samut Prakan and Suphanburi?

Truthfully, they are two lower mid-table teams whose play-off chances have all but vanished. Both clubs may as well start preparing for another season in the second tier. They are also two teams in dreadful form; Samut Prakan seven games without a win, Suphanburi just one win in their last 13. 

So it should be a dull goalless draw then?

Not so fast. You might not believe this but Samut Prakan City and Suphanburi have met on four occasions at the Samut Prakan Stadium... and Suphanburi have won every bloody time! 2-0, 2-1, 2-1 and 3-2. They f***ing love playing us here. 

Score prediction?

I watched Suphanburi's last game (a 2-0 home defeat to Nongbua) and actually thought they looked quite decent in attack. If their forward line turns up tonight against a defence whose confidence must be at rock bottom, we could be in trouble. We've also scored just three goals in our last seven matches. Throw that statistic into the mix and you wouldn't bet against Suphanburi extending that 100% record at the SAT Stadium. But I think it will be a tight low-scoring game for sure. 

(The captains exchange pennants. Photo credit: Official Samut Prakan Facebook page)

To the match itself

Even the promise of free Chinese dumplings to every supporter who attended the match couldn't raise the midweek attendance to more than 224 - and it felt like many of those arrived extremely late. Manager Wanderley rang the changes with the starting line-up. In came Korean midfielder Sangjin Lee for a rare start, Fernando returned from injury to lead the attack and there was a full debut for Tachanon Nakarawong.  

From the off, this had the makings of a very even contest, two sides low on confidence and looking to end a barren run of results. There are early opportunities for both teams to take the lead as Fernando shoots straight at the keeper for Prakan, and the lively Thiago forces an excellent save from Jirunpong to deny the visitors. However, it's the home side who get their noses in front on eight minutes with a peach of a goal from Si Thu Aung, as he cuts in from the right wing and unleashes a thunerbolt into the top corner. The Myanmar striker's second goal of the season sparks wild celebration on the bench and the young man is rapidly becoming a fan favourite.

Captain Ronnachai spurns a chance to extend Samut Prakan's lead on 17 minutes but is thwarted by the Suphanburi keeper's outstretched leg, an outcome of what's rather become the story of his oft times fustrating season.  

Samut Prakan continue to create the better chances up to half time, but Suphanburi's foreign attackers - several times visibly frustrated by poor refereeing decisions - still look well capable of dragging their team back into the game.

Half-time: Samut Prakan 1 Suphanburi 0

(Si Thu Aung celebrates. Photo credit: Official Samut Prakan Facebook page)

Suphanburi probably shaded the second period but what few shots they did have on target were comfortably dealt with by Jirunpong. After conceding five goals in the previous match, a clean sheet should do him the power of the good. One of the major plus points from this evening was the performance of Sangjin Lee, who was deservedly given the man of the match award. Maybe the Korean midfielder has been criminally underused and merits a run of starts in the forthcoming games. I sincerely hope so. 

Full-time: Samut Prakan 1 Suphanburi 0

Overall thoughts?

It was great to finally get a win along with three points and to put an end that Suphanburi jinx, but this was a very even game that could've gone either way. Si Thu Aung's brilliant early strike was the difference between the two sides.

Watch the match highlights

Who's up next? 

It's a long journey to North Thailand as we play Phrae FC on Saturday 10th February.

Samut Prakan fixtures 2023/2024