Fadhil Yunus
Former DPMM FC defender Charlie Clough scored his first league goal of the season for current club Nakhon Ratchasima during the narrow 1-0 win over Ratchaburi FC in the Hilux Revo Thai League 1 at the 80th Anniversary Stadium in Thailand recently.
The Englishman, who marked his league’s 11th appearance since his move was confirmed during the transfer window last December, also scored his second goal for the Swat Cat following his match-winner against Uthai Thani in the quarterfinals of the Thai FA Cup.
With the tie heading for the break goalless, Clough connected with a firm header into the back of the net following a corner from Naruphol Ar-romsawa, proving too strong for Ratchaburi goalkeeper Kampol Pathommakkakul to handle.
The Taunton-born also had an opportunity to double the scoring in the 52nd minute but his goal-bound header was kept out by Pathommakkakul.
It was also a first victory under the guidance of newly-appointed head coach Kevin Blackwell since the Englishman took over the reins last month.
Clough’s first league goal marked his latest contribution to the club after he was named as the Player of the Month for the month of February.
The former DPMM FC fan favourite, who was brought in to strengthen the club’s position at the second leg of the season, also helped his side manage a clean sheet.
He had also enjoyed a decent start to his Thai career after helping new employers to two clean sheets in his first three league appearances.
The Swat Cat will look to get a strong finish to the season in the Thai top tier with fifth-placed Chonburi FC their next opponents at the Chonburi Stadium this Saturday.
The highly-anticipated match will be contested between two players associated with Brunei football as Chonburi have national winger Faiq Jefri Bolkiah in their ranks.
Faiq, who represented the country six times, has been in decent form for the Sharks and could be in contention to retain his place in the starting line-up.
The Bruneian, who had a brief stint with Portuguese outfit CS Maritimo, is still in search of his first goal but has already registered three assists so far this term.
Like Clough, Faiq also embarked a new adventure in Thai football during the most recent transfer window.
