Trang 0-1 Rayong FC

Before kick off

Trang and Rayong maintained differing 100% records in Group B after the Wild Horses beat Trang 1-0.

The Dugons have lost their opening two matches and have failed to find the net in the process. Rayong have won two out of two and they sit comfortably on the shoulder of group pace setters Trat.

The team from the south started brightly with Anusorn forcing Rayong's keeper into an early save, and Waranyu flicked over following a low corner.

Rayong faithful pay their respects

Rayong started to get on top and they scored on 24 minutes when Piroj knocked in a free kick from the right which had been floated in from Pongsatorn.

The home side continued to press despite the set back although Rayong were always a threat on the break.

Anusorn continued to be a nuisance and his shot from the edge of the box crept wide of the post shortly after the interval.

On 77 minutes, Trang wasted a glorious chance when Waranyu headed over from yards out while the same  man was unlucky at the death as his shot was deflected over the bar after he set himself up.

Trang's promotion hopes go up in smoke

At the end the Dugons were unfortunate not to get a point. The created plenty of chances and they can take hope from the performance but not necessarily the result. It does appear though that they don't have enough quality to make a serious bid for Division 1 football next year.
Rayong FC however, looked to me that they played this match in only second gear and could have gone up a level or two had they needed to unlike their hosts. Natthawut, Alongkon and Piroj were a constant menace on the break and they'll be a handful for any other side in this group.

Results and Preview 10-14 October

TPL Results
Buriram Utd 0-0 Samut Songkhram
BEC Tero 7-1 TTM
Thai Port 2-0 Chiang Rai Utd
Police Utd 3-1 Bangkok Glass
Chainat 4-2 Pattaya Utd
TOT 1-1 Muangthong Utd
Esan Utd 2-1 Chonburi
BBCU 1-1 Wuachon Utd
Osotspa Saraburi 1-0 Army Utd

Fixtures
(Saturday)
BBCU v Army
Chonburi v TOT
Police Utd v Thai Port

(Sunday)
Wuachon Utd v Esan Utd
Muangthong Utd v Chainat
Pattaya Utd v Bangkok Glass
Chiang Rai Utd v BEC Tero
TTM v Samut Songkhram
Osotspa Saraburi v Buriram Utd

There will be a full house at Muangthong this Sunday as one point will see them crowned TPL champions. The prospective champs take on Chainat who themselves are desperate for points for other reasons. Earlier in the season, the Hornbills scored two very late goals as they fought back to draw 4-4 in a remarkable game at the Khao Plong Stadium. For Muangthong, they might not even need a point if Chonburi fail to beat TOT on Saturday.

The Police v Thai Port game will be a tense affair as both sides continue to battle against the drop. Police have picked up 10 points from the last 12 available while Port have amassed one less with 9 points. In the last two seasons, Thai Port have etched out two scrappy 1-0 league wins at the Thammasart against Police and the Khlong Toei Army would be delighted to complete a hat-trick of scrappy 1-0's come 9pm on Saturday night.

Inconsistent Pattaya United have been dragged back into the relegation picture with three defeats in their last four. They take on Bangkok Glass who have been on a wretched run of form themselves collecting only 3 points from the last 24 available.

The rest of the games are BBCU v Army, Wuachon v Esan Utd, Chiang Rai Utd v BEC Tero, TTM v Samut Songkhran and Osotspa v Buriram Utd.

Division 1 Results
Songkla 3-3 Bangkok FC
Krabi 4-1 Raj Pracha
Siam Navy 2-2 Korat
Chantaburi 0-3 Bangkok Utd
FC Phuket 5-2 Khon Kaen
Ratchaburi 0-0 Suphanburi
Air Force Utd 2-4 Sriracha
Phattalung 1-2 Saraburi

Fixtures
(Saturday)
Sriracha v Phatthalung
Songkhla v PTT Rayong
Bangkok Utd v FC Phuket
Korat v Chantaburi

(Sunday)
JW Rangsit v Krabi
Raj Pracha v Siam Navy
Bangkok FC v Saraburi
Suphanburi v Air Force Utd
Khon Kaen v Ratchaburi

Ratchaburi just need one point at Khon Kaen to confirm promotion to the TPL. Behind them, it looks like it will go right down to the wire with two from Bangkok United, Suphanburi and Sriracha battling to join the Dragons in the TPL. All three of them have home matches this weekend with Bangkok United (67) hosting FC Phuket, Suphanburi (66) welcoming mid-table Air Force United while Srircaha (64) take on Phattalung.

Two of the aforementioned opponents, FC Phuket and Phattalung, are just one point above the relegation placings. Songkla and Khon Kaen are one point behind them on 33 points. As previously stated, Khon Kaen have their work cut out against league leaders Ratchaburi, but Songkhla will be slightly more optimistic as they entertain a PTT Rayong side that has slipped out of the promotion hunt.

JW Rangsit will be hoping that results go to the form book as a win over Krabi could haul them to within touching distance of making a remarkable recover. Likewise Bangkok FC will be sharing similar thoughts and a win over Saraburi would just about see them over the safety finishing line.

Division 2 Playoffs
(Group A - Sunday)
Roi Et Utd v Ayutthaya
Rayong Utd v Phitsanoluk
Paknampo NSRU v Pattani

Early pace setters, NSRU, will see the visit of Pattani as a chance to double their points tally to six. The Queen Cannons hardly set the southern league alight on their travels with only four victories and 11 goals scored in ten away fixtures. NSRU on the other hand, won 13 out of 17 at home netting 37 goals in the process.
The Roi Et v Ayutthaya clash is the battle of the group heavyweights with the winner of this taking on the mantle of being group favorites to make it to Division 1.
Phitsanoluk are the only side without a point and they have another away trip this time at Rayong United. The Klaeng side were seconds away from three points last weekend at Ayutthaya but were thwarted by a late leveller.

(Group B - Saturday)
Thai Honda v Trat
Trang v Rayong FC
Chiang Mai FC v Sisaket Utd

Opening day defeats for Chiang Mai FC and Sisaket Utd sets their clash up this Saturday as one that neither side can afford to lose. Chiang Mai will have pencilled this fixture in as a three pointer while Sisaket would probably settle for one point knowing that five of their eight remaining games are at home.
Trang also need to bounce back after their poor showing in the 3-0 defeat at Trat last time. They host Rayong FC who'll be bidding to be the first league side to win at the Tessaban Nakhon Stadium this season.
Thai Honda and Trat put their 100% records on the line when they meet in Lat Krabang. Both sides got off to perfect starts and the winner of this would looking a good bet for Division 1 football next season.

Krabi 4-1 Raj Pracha

Krabi read the last rights to Raj Pracha's existence as a first division side as they brushed them aside 4-1.

Straight from the off, Krabi were on the front foot and the most surprising thing was that it took them five minutes to score. Ekachai and Anuwat had both come close before Ekaphan netted after he'd been set up by his family member Ekachai.

First half action

The goalscorer then blazed over minutes later before Ekachai volleyed into an empty net after the Raj keeper punched the ball weakly into his path.

It was one way traffic and Raj Pracha were fortunate when Michel Liade's free header from a corner hit the bar.

Raj Pracha did eventually force a bit of pressure and they pulled one back on 39 minutes when a header across the goal went through the Krabi keeper and Rewat tapped in.

Krabi always appeared to be in control and they regained their two goal lead shortly before the hour. Ekaphan crossed low from the right and the ball seemed to bobble off Thaweepong into the guest's goal.

The game quietened down until the stroke of full time when a breakaway from substitute Justine Uche Prince set up Thaweepong to sweep home for his second goal of the night.

Overall it was a comfortable win for the Energy. Raj Pracha had a couple of 10 minute spells were they looked half decent but for the main they played like a side that was resigned to their fate.

Attendance: 1,525

Wednesday 10 October - Preview

TPL
Buriram Utd v Samut Songkhram
BEC Tero v TTM
Thai Port v Chiang Rai Utd
Police Utd v Bangkok Glass
Chainat v Pattaya Utd
TOT v Muangthong Utd
Esan Utd v Chonburi
BBCU v Wuachon Utd
Osotspa Saraburi v Army Utd

Muangthong United will be out to avenge last month's Toyota League cup exit to TOT when they meet on Wednesday. The league leaders would make it 30 games unbeaten if they avoid defeat against fifth placed TOT.
A win for Chonburi at Esan United would confirm a minimum of a second placed finish for the Sharks. The battle for third position has Buriram United at home to Samut Songkram while BEC Tero look a shoo-in for three points with the visit of TTM.

BBCU remain seven points from safety and anything other than three points against Wuachon wouldn't be adequate enough. Third bottom Chainat take on the unpredictable Pattaya United who themselves aren't clear of danger. Officially there will be no Thai Port fans in attendance when they host Chiang Rai United. The five previous league and cup games between the pair have ended in draws so expect them to share the spoils in this one. The Pathumthani derby between Police Utd and Bangkok Glass sees the home side play their fifth consecutive home game. Strangely enough Bangkok Glass have to play their last five matches away from home with this being the second of five. The game will also quickly reunite BG head coach Phil Stubbins with his old employees.

The contest between Osotspa Saraburi and Army completes the picture as both sides aim to achieve top half finishes.

Division 1
Songkla v Bangkok FC
Krabi v Raj Pracha
Siam Navy v Korat
Chantaburi v Bangkok Utd
FC Phuket v Khon Kaen
Ratchaburi v Suphanburi
Air Force Utd v Sriracha
Phattalung v Saraburi

There are some vital clashes at both ends of the table this Wednesday. Ratchaburi will clinch promotion if they can beat Suphanburi. I'm sure Bangkok United and Sriracha will be hoping for this outcome as they bid to catch up on Suphanburi. Third placed Bkk Utd should be able to capitalize on any slip-ups as they visit Chantaburi while Sriracha can't afford anything other than a win at Air Force United.

Depending on how the results pan out, Raj Pracha could be relegated if they lose at Krabi. There are two massive relegation bouts in the south with Songkla hosting Bangkok FC and FC Phuket entertaining Khon Kaen. Victories for either of the southern clubs would see them move above their midweek opponents. The Phatthalung v Saraburi clash also has significant bearing on the bottom with both sides still needing more points to secure a Division 1 spot for 2013.

Weekend Review 6-7 October

TPL
Chonburi 4-1 BBCU
Muangthong Utd 3-0 Esan Utd
TTM 2-5 Thai Port
Pattaya Utd 1-3 TOT
Police Utd 4-2 Chainat
Chiang Rai Utd 1-0 Bangkok Glass
Samut Songkhran 1-1 BEC Tero
Army 3-3 Buriram Utd
Wuachon Utd 3-0 Osotspa Saraburi

It was a high scoring Saturday with no fewer than 19 goals being shared amongst four matches. A first half Paulo Rangel header followed by a late Guy Hubert own goal and a cool chested effort from Rangel saw Muangthong beat Esan United 3-0. Second placed Chonburi also won by a three goal margin as they saw off BBCU 4-1. After a goalless first half the game sprung to life when Narul prodded home on 55 minutes. Juninho levelled from the spot before BBCU were reduced to 9 men after Kwang-Hoon received his second yellow card - Ekkaraj had already been dismissed in the first half - Goals from Panuwat, Pipob and Therdsak wrapped up the 4-1 victory for Chonburi.

Pattaya United continue to baffle after they threw away a first half lead to lose 3-1 to TOT. With TOT you know they'll graft for 90 minutes and second half goals from Wichen and Ekkachai twice swung it back in favor for TOT despite them finishing with 10 men after Bas Savage was dismissed. TOT now sit in the lofty heights of 5th place.

TTM's 5-2 home loss to Thai Port saw them bite the dust as a TPL side. Two goals from Leonardo Ferreira papered over the cracks as Thai Port blitzed TTM with five different scores getting their names on the scoresheet.

Sunday's action was almost as lively providing eighteen goals from five matches. Police United answered Thai Port's thumping of TTM by beating Chainat 4-2. Three goals in the first half hour ensured that Police ran out comfortably winners.

While we're on the subject of three goal leads, Buriram's one wasn't ample enough as they were pegged back by Army in 10 crazy second half minutes. Anthony Ampaipitakwong's 51st minute strike appeared to have wrapped the game up for Buriam at 3-0 but by the hour Tatree, Lindemann and Alves had scored for Army. There was to be no further scoring although Buriram would have breathed a sigh of relief when Issarapong's injury time shot rebounded off the inside of the post.

Cleiton Silva and Bireme Diouf were on target as Samut Songkhram and BEC Tero shared a 1-1 draw while Wuachon United and Chiang Rai United enjoyed home wins. 

Division 1
Saraburi 1-1 Air Force Utd
Sriracha 2-3 Ratchaburi
Suphanburi 2-0 FC Phuket
Khon Kaen 1-0 Chantaburi
JW Rangsit 3-1 Songkla
Bangkok Utd 1-0 Siam Navy
Korat 0-0 Krabi
Raj Pracha 2-1 PTT Rayong
Bangkok FC 4-2 Phatthalung

Ratchaburi just need one more win from their last four games to book a TPL spot for 2013. Their hard fought 3-2 at Sriracha has the Dragons perched on the brink of promotion. Douglas Gardozo helped himself to another brace as Ratchaburi took the lead three times at Sriracha. The loss was a major body blow for Sriracha but Suphanburi won't have been complaining after their 2-0 home win over FC Phuket opened up a four point gap over the Blue Marlins in fourth. Bangkok United etched out a 1-0 over Siam Navy to remain third. Navy hit the bar twice in the first half but their keeper saw red on the hour before Kornwit scored from the resultant free kick.

The relief felt amongst the Khon Kaen players was immense as their late winner against Chantaburi earned the T-Rex a precious three points. JW Rangsit's second home win of the week kept their outside bid for survival alive. They beat Songkla 3-1 which meant the southern side joined fellow southerners FC Phuket in the bottom 5. Lee Tuck weighed in with a couple of goals as Bangkok FC beat Phattalung 4-2. The win lifts the Bulligans out of the relegation zone level on points with the Swiftlets on 34.

Division 2 Playoffs
Group A
Pattani 1-1 Roi Et Utd
Paknampo NSRU 1-0 Phitsanoluk
Ayutthaya 1-1 Rayong Utd

The opening results in Group A were tight with only NSRU claiming three points.
A header from Jules Brice midway through the second half was the only goal of the game as NSRU beat Phitsanoluk. Sittichai was red carded late in the game for Phitsanoluk which promptly turned Violet Army red. There were some scenes of crowd trouble as the crowd of 2,236 vacated the stadium.
The White Squirrels left it late as they salvaged a satisfactory point at Pattani. Substitute Nolan Murray tapped in five minutes from time to cancel out Pattani's first half lead.
Ayutthaya missed a glut of chances before Soulayman gave Rayong United an 89th minute lead. However a spill from Rayong United's keeper deep into stoppage time allowed Nuttapat to equalize.

Group B
Thai Honda 2-0 Sisaket Utd
Trat 3-0 Trang
Rayong FC 3-2 Chiang Mai FC

The opening round of fixtures in Group B produced three home wins.
Rayong FC raced into a three goal lead against pre-group favorites Chaing Mai FC. The northern champions did pull two goals back but 10 man Rayong held out for an important win.
The other side from the Central/East league, Trat, had a more comfortable opener with a 3-0 win over Trang.
Second half goals from Beckenbauer and Bamba Gaoussou, or "Fadel" which is printed on the back of his shirt, won it for Thai Honda over Sisaket United. It was a slow start from the Lat Krabang club but they improved after the break to run out deserved winners. Sisaket Utd came close on a couple of occasions with headers although they offered very little attacking threat once Thai Honda had taken the lead.

Weekend Preview 6-7 October

TPL
(Saturday)
Chonburi v BBCU
Muantgthong Utd v Esan Utd
TTM v Thai Port
Pattaya Utd v TOT

(Sunday)
Police Utd v Chainat
Chiang Rai Utd v Bangkok Glass
Samut Songkhran v BEC Tero
Army v Buriram Utd
Wuachon Utd v Osotspa Saraburi

The top 2 of Muangthong and Chonburi return to TPL action after their games were postponed last weekend. Since then, the duo have endured disappointing midweek results. Both will want to shake off their cup hangovers with home victories. Muangthong welcome 6th placed Esan United while Chonburi host struggling BBCU.

The biggie at the bottom is Police Utd v Chainat. Both sides occupy the two spots just above the relegation zone and defeat for either could leave them in serious trouble if Thai Port beat TTM on the previous day. The Klong Toei Army blamed the referee for their loss last weekend but there should be no such excuses if they can't beat TTM.

The fight for third place sees Buriram on 49 points travel to Army Utd who've lost four in a row in the TPL, while BEC Tero on 46, visit the muddy swamp of Mae Klong. 

With only five points separating Bangkok Glass in 5th and Chiang Rai Utd in 13th, the rest of the fixtures feature sides jockeying for their final positions. The two sides mentioned at either ends of the aforementioned pack meet as do Pattaya v TOT and Wuachon v Osotspa.

Division 1
(Saturday)
Saraburi v Air Force Utd
Sriracha v Ratchaburi
Suphanburi v FC Phuket
Khon Kaen v Chantaburi
JW Rangsit v Songkla

(Sunday)
Bangkok Utd v Siam Navy
Korat v Krabi
Raj Pracha v PTT Rayong
Bangkok FC v Phatthalung

A victory for Ratchaburi at Sriracha would leave the Dragons needing just one more win from their last four matches to book their spot in the TPL for next season.Winning won't be easy as Sriracha have won eight of their last nine with the only blemish being a 3-0 loss at Saraburi on the first day of September. Bangkok United's numbers are one less than Sriracha as they can boast seven victories in eight. Since Suphanburi unexpectedly lost at home to JW Rangsit, they've collected 16 from 18. This weekend, the Warriors host FC Phuket while Bangkok Utd entertain Siam Navy. It's a shame that one of these four clubs will miss out on promotion and they'll all be fully aware that any blips now will be costly.

In the relegation battle, Khon Kaen must collect three points at home to Chantaburi. One draw and four losses from their last five has seen the T-Rex plunge into the bottom 5. As mentioned beforehand FC Phuket have their work cut out at Suphanburi so it's highly likely they'll remain on 31 points. There are two big relegation dust-ups with Bangkok FC hosting Phatthalung and JW Rangsit welcoming Songkla. JW are hanging on by their fingertips and anything other than three points would signal the end of their two year tenure in Division 1 while Phatthalung would move six points clear of Bangkok FC if they are successful in Bang Mot.

Brief Preview of Division 2 Play-offs

The Division 2 play-offs are set to commence this weekend. The 10 week schedule is the pinnacle of the regional league season with the top two from each group earning a spot in Division 1 in 2013.
Here is a brief outlook of Groups A & B.

Group A
Pattani v Roi Et Utd (Sat)
Paknampo NSRU v Phitsanoluk (Sat)
Ayutthaya v Rayong Utd (Sun)

Roi Et Utd and Ayutthaya both won their respective regional leagues and they jump out as favorites to progress to Division 1 come December. Ayutthaya only lost one league game all season and made it to the quarter finals of the Toyota League Cup before ultimately losing to Bangkok Glass. Roi Et will be cautious after they were widely tipped last season to make it to Division 1 through the playoffs. Their campaign got of to a calamitous start when their 2-1 victory over Korat was overturned due to them fielding six foreigners for a few minutes near the end of the contest. The White Squirrels never really recovered and their bid eventually petered out with them finishing well off the pace.
From the rest, Pattani are unbeaten at home this season so not many sides will fancy making the long trip down to the Rainbow Stadium. Phitsanoluk, like Roi Et, have a point to prove after their 2011 campaign didn't meet expectations after they'd stormed to the Northern region title. NSRU have steadily improved since moving back to the north from the Bangkok region although taking the step up to the first division might be asking a bit much, while Rayong United are a club that have attracted attention this year for all the wrong reasons. There have been rumblings of unpaid salaries over the course of the season and they'll be without a couple of suspended players after their loutish behavior during their last league match against R-BEC.

Group B
Thai Honda v Sisaket Utd (Sun)
Trat v Trang (Sun)
Rayong FC v Chiang Mai FC (Sun)

There is no doubt that Chiang Mai will be expected to complete a quick return to Division 1. They won Div 2 North comfortably and with the title sewn up weeks ago, they'll have had plenty of time to rest and prepare players for the forthcoming 10 weeks. Nevertheless, I'd say this is a tougher group than Group A with any of the other five teams capable of challenging Chiang Mai for the top 2 spots.
The two teams from the Central/East will be strong contenders. Rayong FC have experience of the playoffs and have been whiskers away from promotion in the last two seasons. In 2010, they lost to Saraburi in a play off while in 2011 they were denied when Krabi scored a stoppage time equalizer in the last game to advance at their expense. Trat just squeezed into the playoffs despite the fact that they've spent a lot of money on their squad. They've shown in the cups that they can mix it with the big boys and I have a sneaky suspicion that they might prevail from this group.
Thai Honda and Trang both won their respective leagues. The Bangkok sides have generally struggled in the last couple of years in this competition while Trang will be hoping to emulate fellow southerners Phatthalung and Krabi from last season and not dwell on their disastrous 2010 effort when they lost nine of their ten matches.
The remaining side is Sisaket United who were unpopularly formed at the beginning of 2012 at the expense of Sisaket FC who metamorphosed into Esan United. I've only watched them once on SMMTV this season and from what I saw they'll probably fall short of making one of the promotion berths.

Midweek Round Up - AFC Cup & FA Cup

AFC Cup Semi Final - 1st Leg
Arbil 4-1 Chonburi

Chonburi were left to rue some poor defending after they lost 4-1 to Arbil of Iraq. The Sharks held plenty of possession and created several chances with the 4-1 victory flattering Arbil.
Amjed Rahdi flicked the home side ahead midway through the first half. Therdsak and Adul hit woodwork as Chonburi rallied and their persistence was rewarded shortly after the interval when Pipob poked home. Disappointingly, Rahdi was left unmarked minutes later as the hosts restored their lead. Suttinan then turned one into his own net before Salih Sadeer was allowed to run unchallenged to let rip a rasping shot past Sinteeweechai.
It was a disappointing result and Chonburi now have to wait three weeks to rectify the situation. In the other semi final, Kuwait FC also enjoyed a 4-1 success beating Al Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia.

FA Cup - Last 8
Army 3-2 Muangthong Utd
Buriram Utd 3-0 BEC Tero
Ayutthaya 1-2 Bangkok Glass
Chiang Rai Utd 3-1 Suphanburi (AET)

Army Utd booked their third successive FA Cup semi final appearance after they beat TPL leaders Muangthong United 3-2. Nipol beat the offside trap to give Army the lead before Teerasil levelled on the stoke of half time. Rangel's tap-in midway through the second half swung the tie the way of the pre-match favorites. However, substitute Lindemann burst through the Muangthong defence to level and an unmarked Tatree hooked home the winner four minutes from time as Muangthong exited a domestic cup quarter final for the second time this season.
Phil Stubbins' first game at the helm of Bangkok Glass ended successfully as they negotiated a potential banana skin by beating Ayutthaya 2-1. First half goals from Anawin and Leesaw saw them overcome their regional league opponents.
The first half between Buriram and BEC Tero was a tight affair, but after the break Buriram scored two quick goals before eventually easing to a 3-0 win.
The tie in Chiang Rai went to extra time with the Fighting Beetles ultimately defeating the Warriors 3-1. Leandro Assumpcao's first half goal was cancelled out by Nawin long range strike before Wasan and Nantawat won the game in extra time for the TPL side.
The semi final line up on October 24 has Army v Chiang Rai Utd and Buriram Utd v Bangkok Glass.

Division 1
PTT Rayong 2-0 JW Rangsit

PTT kept their slim hopes of promotion alive while JW's slim hopes of survival have almost bitten the dust.

Midweek Preview

AFC Cup Semi Final - 1st Leg
Arbil v Chonburi (Tues)

The first leg of the semi final will be played in the Arbil Stadium in northern Iraq. Arbil will be hoping to go one step further than 2011 when they were eliminated at the same stage of the competition by Al Kuwait.
The Yellow Castle have already won silverware this year claiming their fourth Iraqi Premier League title back in August by seven points whilst only losing once in 38 matches. 
Chonburi should be feeling relatively fresh after resting at the weekend following their quarter final victory over Al Shorta last Wednesday.
The other semi-final will be between Kuwait SC and Al Ettifaq in Kuwait City on the same evening.

FA Cup - Last 8
(Wednesday)
Army v Muangthong Utd
Buriram Utd v BEC Tero
Ayutthaya v Bangkok Glass
Chiang Rai Utd v Suphanburi

The last 8 of the FA Cup, unlike the Toyota league Cup, is only a one leg affair.
Last month's TPL clash between Army and Muangthong was a washout with Muangthong squelching out a 2-1 win. Both sides will be hoping for drier conditions as they bid to book a semi final berth. Muangthong rested up last weekend while Army's loss to Wuachon made it four consecutive TPL defeats.
Buriram and BEC Tero will clash for the fifth time this season with Saturday's league match going the way of BEC Tero. The Thunder Castle have developed themselves as a strong cup side and will enter this contest as slight favorites. 
In the last round, Ayutthaya, of the regional league, sent Thai Port packing beating their TPL opponents 2-1. Bangkok Glass make the short journey up the road aiming to reach another cup semi final. The Glass Rabbits have to do it without coach Surachai who resigned on Saturday evening. His replacement is Phil Stubbins who was previously technical director at Police United
It's been a relatively disappointing season for Chiang Rai Utd in the TPL. The northern club have flirted with relegation rather than pushing on for a top half finish as expected. The FA Cup is their last chance to turn their season into a successful one. Beating first division Suphanburi won't be easy but the Fighting Beetles faithful would be bitterly disappointed not to advance to the last 4.

Division 1
PTT Rayong v JW Rangsit (Wednesday)

After the weekend's home loss to Korat, the equation is simple for PTT. They must win every game and hope that any two of Suphanburi, Sriracha and Bangkok United self-implode allowing them to sneak back into one of the promotion berths.
JW will be in a buoyant mood after they staged a late comeback to beat Bangkok FC 3-2 on Sunday. Nonetheless, not many will be predicting anything other than a home win.

Weekend Review 29-30 September

TPL
Thai Port 1-2 Samut Songkhram
Buriram Utd 0-1 BEC Tero
Bangkok Glass 2-2 TTM
Chainat 1-2 Chiang Rai Utd
Esan Utd 0-1 Pattaya Utd
Army Utd 1-3 Wuachon Utd
Police Utd 1-1 TOT

With neither of the top 2 in action, the focus this round switched to the other end of the table.
The Klong Toei Army felt short changed after their 2-1 home loss to Samut Songkhram. With their side 1-0 up, the referee then awarded the away side a soft penalty on 73 minutes which promptly turned the tide. In the defence of the man wearing lime green, he correctly gave Sivakorn a second yellow for tugging an opponent's shirt and he can not be blamed for the defending for Samut's second goal or the miss that Watson blazed over the bar in the dying seconds. After the match, referee Tanom Borikut announced his retirement after being hemmed in his dressing room for ages due to protesting Port fans. Fortunately for Thai Port, Chainat lost and Police could only draw at home to TOT on Sunday. Chainat couldn't build on their early lead as they eventually lost 2-1 to Chiang Rai United while Police United were also pegged back by TOT with Lee Jun Ki's second half goal cancelling out a first half penalty from Daniel Cortes.

TTM had a rare good day as they fought back to grab a 2-2 draw at the Leo Stadium. The result caused BG's coach, Surachai, to throw in the towel after his highly paid stars disappointed once again.
BEC Tero finally beat Buriram after several previous close encounters with Cleiton Silva notching the only goal of the game on the half hour mark.

Away wins for Wuachon and Pattaya moved the pair onto 36 points which should be adequate to ensure another season of TPL football. Wuachon's 3-1 win at Army was the fourth loss in a row for the Bangkok side. The promise of a top 6 finish at the Home of Gentlemen is quickly vanishing and at this rate they'll be lucky to finish in the top half.

Division 1
Songkla 2-1 Raj Pracha
PTT Rayong 0-1 Korat
Krabi 0-2 Bangkok Utd
Siam Navy 4-0 Khon Kaen
JW Rangsit 3-2 Bangkok FC
Chantaburi 1-3 Suphanburi
FC Phuket 0-1 Sriracha
Ratchaburi 4-0 Saraburi
Air Force Utd 1-2 Phatthalung

The shortly departing TPL bus will now be taking any three from four as PTT Rayong bowed out of the promotion race after their 1-0 loss to Korat. Prompong's 14th goal of the season was good enough for the Swatcats as they extended their unbeaten run to six matches.
Ratchaburi brought Saraburi's mini revival to a shuddering halt as they dispatched the Warlords 4-0. Douglas Gardozo's treble moved him to the top of the scoring charts on 17 goals.
Suphanburi made hard work of beating Chantaburi but eventually they tamed the Hares with two late goals to win 3-1 while Berlin also struck late for Sriracha to keep the Blue Marlins on course for a quick return to the TPL.
Two second half goals, including one from Romain Gasmi, helped Bangkok United get back to winning ways as they saw off Krabi 2-0 on a pitch that resembled the Baseball Ground back in the 1970's.
If the alarm bells were ringing at Khon Kaen last week, they are now blaring at deafening decibel levels after their meek effort at Siam Navy who essentially had nothing to play for. The 4-0 loss ensures the T-Rex stay fourth bottom one place below FC Phuket who are also in danger of dropping to the regional leagues. Bangkok FC's loss at JW Rangsit means their level on 31 points with FC Phuket while wins for Phatthalung and Songkla gave them some temporary breathing space.