Gombak United Football Club was a professional football club based in Bukit Gombak, Singapore that last competed in the top tier of the Singapore football league system. The club took part in the S.League from 1998 to 2002, and from 2006 to 2012. During the early years of the S. League, Gombak United played their home games at Bukit Gombak Stadium. They have won the Singapore League Cup once.
History Gombak United made their S-League debut in 1998 after securing a 10-year deal worth S$5 million with Shakey’s Pizza. Prior to joining the S.League, the club was known as Redhill Rangers FC. The club than changed its name to Gombak United in 1998.
From 1998 to 2002, the club played their S.League home games at the Bukit Gombak Stadium before pulling out of the S.League at the end of the 2002 season due to financial difficulties.
Gombak United returns to the S.League in 2006 and moved their home games to Jurong West Stadium. They pulled out for the second time before the 2013 season due red flags in their financial projections.
In December 2015, the club officially wrote to the FAS for permission to return to the S.League in 2017.
In 2016, Gombak United was one of the three ex-S.League clubs being told to cease profit-generating operations and vacate stadium clubhouses. The revenue generated from the clubhouses is meant to help sustain football operations, and in that way contributes to the development of the sport in Singapore. The Bulls kickstarted their Centre of Excellence (COE) in 2016 with two youth teams, which are funded through profits from clubhouse operations. The clubhouse was moved from Gombak Stadium to Kitchener Road.
At the end of 2017, Chairman John Yap applied to the Football Association of Singapore to return to the Singapore Premier League, but the application was not successful.
There were speculations that the club may return to Singapore Premier League in 2020. However, John Yap mentioned that he had not been approached by the FAS to prepare the club for a return. The party seeking to lead the club forward decided to put the plans on ice.
2008 Singapore League Cup winners En route to the League cup final, Gombak United beat cup favourites [Lion City Sailors FC|Home United]] in the quarter-final and Young Lions in the semi-final. They faced Korean Super Reds in the final where O. J. Obatola scored a 90' min goal to secure the team’s first piece of silverware in their history
Seasons SeasonS.LeagueSingapore CupSingapore League CupPosPWDLFAPts 1998 10 20 3 4 13 25 52 13 Group stage 1999 5 22 8 8 6 35 35 32 Quarter-finals 2000 5 22 11 4 7 33 26 37 Quarter-finals 2001 10 33 8 4 21 36 72 28 Group stage 2002 12 33 2 6 25 33 83 12 Group stage 2003 2004 2005 2006 8 30 8 8 14 48 54 32 Round of 16 2007 4 33 13 9 11 54 40 48 Quarter-finals2nd Runners-up 2008 5 33 14 10 9 47 39 54 Round of 16Winners 20093 30 14 11 5 52 32 53 Round of 16 Quarter-finals 2010 6 33 12 10 11 33 25 46 Round of 16 Semi-finals 2011 6 33 14 6 13 43 41 48 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals 2012 9 24 7 8 9 23 29 292nd Runners-up Quarter-finals 2013 2014
2003 saw the introduction of penalty shoot-outs if a match ended in a draw in regular time. Winners of penalty shoot-outs gained two points instead of one. Gombak United sat out the S.League from 2003 to 2005, and for a second spell from 2013.
Last updated on 25 February 2014
Managers David O'Connor (1999) Moey Yoke Ham (Jan 2000 – Aug 2001) Ivan Raznevich (Jan – Feb 2002) Jimmy Pearson (May – Aug 2002) Salim Moin (Jan 2006 – Dec 2007) Swandi Ahmad (Jan – Jul 8, 2007) A. Shasi Kumar (interim) (Jul – Jan 2009) Darren Stewart (Jan – Dec 11, 2009) K. Balagumaran (Jan – Dec 13, 2012)
Honours Domestic Singapore League Cup Winners (1): 2008
Records and statistics Top 10 all-time appearances +RankPlayerYearsClub appearances1 Bah Mamadou2001–2002 2008–20101602 Ruhaizad Ismail2006–20111583 Jaslee Hatta2006–20111534 Obadin Aikhena2006–2007 2010–20121255 O. J. Obatola2006–20091176 Jeremy Chiang2008–20121027 Agu Casmir2007 2008–2010838 Zaiful Nizam2006–2012819 Ridhwan Jamaludin2008–20128910 Hamqaamal Shah2009–201278
Top 10 all-time scorers +RankPlayerClub appearancesTotal goals1 O. J. Obatola117622 Agu Casmir83343 Fazrul Nawaz46254 Jang Jo-yoon60165 Ruhaizad Ismail158136 Alfred Emuejeraye18117 Obadin Aikhena12510 Jung Hee-bong479 Kingsley Njoku27810 Julien Durand297
Biggest Wins: 6–1 vs Super Reds (On 6 June 2007) Heaviest Defeats: 9–3 vs Home United (On 18 July 1998) Youngest Goal scorers: Fareez Farhan ~ 16 years 10 months 27 days old (On 25 June 2011 vs SAFFC) Oldest Goal scorers: Mustaqim Manzur ~ 30 years 9 months days old (On 28 October 2012 vs Loyola) Youngest ever debutant: Fareez Farhan ~ 16 years 8 months 13 days old (On 11 April 2011 vs Albirex Niigata Singapore)
Awards
Singapore Premier League
Young Player of the Year Gabriel Obatola (2010) Coach of the Year Alan Wong (1998) John Yap (2000)
Others
People's Choice Award Gabriel Obatola (2009)
References
External links