Hougang United's preparations for the upcoming Singapore Premier League season continued with a 1-3 defeat against Tampines Rovers at Bishan Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Cheetahs returned to pre-season action on Saturday, 22 August, for another valuable test ahead of the new campaign, facing Tampines Rovers in our third preparation match of pre-season.
It was an evenly contested opening period, with Hougang looking to build from the back and create opportunities through the wide areas.
The Cheetahs enjoyed particular success down the right flank during the first half, regularly finding space to progress the ball and deliver into the Tampines penalty area.
However, it was Tampines who opened the scoring in the 19th minute. A loss of possession during our build-up allowed the opposition to capitalise and take a 0-1 lead.
Hougang responded positively and found the equaliser six minutes later.
A well-worked passage of build-up play allowed the Cheetahs to switch the point of attack before Ayman Kassimi found space on the right. His delivery into the penalty area picked out Connor Flynn-Gillespie, who finished the move in the 25th minute to make it 1-1.
It was another goal for our Scottish striker during pre-season and a positive example of the attacking patterns the squad has been working on throughout our preparations.
The Cheetahs continued to create promising situations during the remainder of the first half, particularly from attacks down the right side, but were unable to turn those opportunities into further goals as the teams went into the interval level.
The second half proved more difficult, with Hougang struggling to reproduce the attacking threat shown during the opening 45 minutes.
Tampines regained the lead in the 55th minute after another turnover in possession left the Cheetahs exposed, before adding their third five minutes later following a clearance from a ball played into the space behind the defensive line.
Despite attempting to find a way back into the contest, Hougang were unable to create the same volume of opportunities in the closing stages and Tampines saw out the remainder of the match to secure a 1-3 victory.
While the result was disappointing, the match provided another important opportunity for the coaching staff to assess the squad ahead of the new season. There were encouraging moments in our first-half attacking play, while the second half highlighted areas that will require further work on the training ground.
With three preparation matches now completed, the focus remains on building greater understanding, confidence and consistency within the group as we move closer to the start of the Singapore Premier League campaign.
Hougang United 1-3 Tampines Rovers
⚽ 19' Tampines Rovers
⚽ 25' Connor Flynn-Gillespie (Ayman Kassimi)
⚽ 55' Tampines Rovers
⚽ 60' Tampines Rovers
🏟️ Bishan Stadium
📅 Saturday, 22 August 2026
Photo by Jonathan Wee (IG: @jonathanweee)