Pattaya United took a positive step towards Premiership survival last Saturday after securing a vital point in a scrappy 1-1 draw with Ratchaburi FC at the Nongprue Stadium.
It took a good 15 minutes for the game to come to some semblance of life and the first shot on target was well saved by United goalkeeper Pattiwat. This seemed to serve as a wake-up call to the Dolphins and on 24 minutes they took the lead when Jae Ho connected with a Pina corner to head powerfully into the Ratchaburi net.
United then enjoyed a period of apparent dominance, but against the run of play Ratchaburi equalized via Chutiporn’s sharp dipping bullet of a shot. It could have gone even worse for the hosts and they had goalkeeper Pattiwat to thank for saving smartly from Yannack’s effort at the end of the first half, keeping the two teams level at the break.
With both teams striving hard for maximum points, the second half started with greater urgency yet neither side could find the breakthrough. Pattaya’s Soony came closest to breaking the deadlock after coming on as a second half substitute, but his acute shot glanced off the far post and out to safety. The game ended in a stalemate and both teams were reasonably happy with a share of the points.
United’s Pinto Junior said afterward, “it was a hard fought game but we had chances and should have won, however every point is important at this stage of the season.”
With five more rounds remaining in the current campaign, Pattaya’s next fixture is away to Sisaket FC on September 18.
