Lamphun Warriors

 

Lamphun Warriors FC is a professional football club from the city of Lamphun in northern Thailand, which is located around 25km south of the Lanna capital Chiang Mai. Until the 2020-21 season the club was called Lamphun Warrior, until an "s" was added to the title.

Formed in 2011, as the league structure continued to develop in the country, Warrior moved into the municipal Mae Guang Stadium to play their home games. The team ended their inaugural season in second spot of Regional League Division 2 Northern Region as Pat Thongpenkul led the scoring.

Sarawut Wongchai was the top scorer in 2012 as the team finished in a disappointing ninth position. Three consecutive eighth place finishes ensued, with Teerawut Wongtan offering a degree of potency up front.

The goals of Shola Jimmy Omotosho took Warrior to fifth position in 2016, before the league structure was altered for the 2017 campaign, with Lamphun being placed in Thai League 3 Upper Region.

Warrior ended the 2017 season in twelfth position. Goals were scarce, with Panuwat Sripao and Ekachai Pitsanu netting four each to top the charts. Aphirak Sri-arun oversaw the coaching duties for the 2018 campaign, which started out well and ended in third place, thanks to the goals of Saran Sridech. 

Ronnachai Pongputtha led the goals chart in 2019, with Warrior ending their season in third place with home attendances rising to second in the divisional rankings under head coach Jongsarith Wuttichuay.

 

Natan Oliveira netted with regularity in 2020-21, then now Warriors, finished as champions of Thai League 3 Northern Region before going on to top the Upper Region group in the Champions League play-offs and win promotion to the second tier, despite losing the final against Muangkhan United.

The upward trajectory continued following large financial investments in the club. Warriors went on to lift the League 2 championship in part through the goals of Thales Lima who joined mid-season from Udon Thani while keeper Samuel Cunningham led the clean sheet list.

 

Brazilian, Wanderley Junior, was initially appointed as head coach in 2022-23, however, Dusit Chalermsan replaced him before a ball was kicked. Alexandre Gama was appointed to the role in November 2022.

The club was required to decamp to Chaing Mai to use the 700th Anniversary Stadium while Mae Guang Stadium, also known as Lamphun Province Stadium was upgraded for Thai League 1 football. The goals of Mohammed Osman helped the side to a midtable finish in 2022-23

Warriors returned to their traditional home for the 2023-24 campaign as the side again cemented their status as Akarapong Pumwisat led the scoring. All this was while the out-of-town Lamphun Warriors Stadium neared completion and the ownership of the club changed hands as the previous incumbent upset the authorities through an online gambling expose.

The stadium hosted the opening two home games of the 2024-25 season before the authorities impounded it as it was registered by the previous owner. Lamphun were forced to return to the 700th Anniversary Stadium up the road in Chiang Mai.

Lamphun Warriors FC will play in Thai League 1 in the 2024-25 season.

My visits

Monday 2nd April 2012

I was in Chiang Mai for the 25th anniversary of their International Cricket Sixes. Because I was involved in a match with Yarrambat, the Melbourne based side I represented the previous day, I was unable to attend when Warrior played at home, so I decided to visit on our day off.

Over an extended Sunday night drinking, my friends and teammates Russell Lamb, Dylan Forster and Simon Bray said that they'd like to go with me rather than just lying around the hotel. 

The following morning, I was waiting in the foyer of the Pornping Hotel at the designated time, when my pal's eventually began to appear. They had stayed out a lot later than me!

We hired a songthaew for 500 baht (around £10) to take us on our journey. I had to admit that Lamphun did seem a lot further than it appeared on the map. The others were in various states, none of which I would have described as being lively. 

The driver dropped us off at the market, where we had a good look around without ever getting close to purchasing anything. I led the party using my map, which I was sure was taking us the right way. We saw the old city wall and crossed the moat. 

I had the feeling that there wasn't a hundred per cent confidence in my orientation, and I was praying I was getting it right, with us having a team fines evening to follow that evening. We headed down a quiet road which did have me slightly concerned until I confirmed my route with some youngsters in a school playground.

Sure enough, we were soon by the bus station, with the stadium just around the corner. We checked out how often the buses ran before walking around to take a look at Mae Guang Stadium.

In truth, it was slightly disappointing, especially after my experience at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai the previous evening in the same division in which Warrior competed in. There was a Main Stand with a roof and open sections on either side of it at one side of the pitch. A tarmac running track surrounded the very bumpy playing area. On the far side of the pitch was an open stand. Both ends consisted of flat open standing.

We took some photos and had a walk on the pitch before heading back to the bus station. We got some water and nibbles. Poor Simo fell asleep once again on the small bus, which cost us just 20 baht each on the return. It was pretty packed, and I'm sure the locals would have been surprised to come across four farangs on their local bus route!

The good news for everyone was that the bus dropped us by the Gymkhana ground, which was hosting our cricket tournament. We were soon enjoying lunch and I went for a nice foot and leg massage while enjoying watching the action.

Absolute bliss and a good morning out. At least I thought so!

Sunday 30^th March 2014

Even extensive planning can sometimes go badly wrong, and this was a perfect example. All looked so perfect. I was in Chiang Mai again for the annual international cricket sixes. My team, Yarrambat didn’t have a game until Tuesday as several of the squad was involved in their Grand Final back in Victoria. 

Instead, I’d gone to the ground to assist the committee do a bit of commentary. Lamphun junior cricket coach Chris Dodd had given me travel advice for minibuses to Lamphun from outside the Gymkhana Ground and my mates had given me their blessing to miss dinner and meet up later. I mean what could go wrong.

A bus arrived and even though I had to stand for a while, I was in good form looking forward to ticking off another Thai venue and watching some football action. The journey had taken a bit longer than I’d hoped for, but for just 20 Baht (40p) I could hardly complain. 

We pulled into the bus station at 6.05 which was certainly later than I wanted. However, if I rushed, I’d just miss the first ten minutes, which was no real problem.

I jogged around to the stadium to find no football match in progress. Several residents were using the track around the pitch, and several youngsters were playing football in the middle, but it was definitely not the derby between Lamphun Warrior and Lampang.

I had no idea why it wasn’t taking place and I could spy no westerner to ask. Instead, I took a few photos of the stadium from a different angle to my previous visit. Two additional roofs had been added to the solitary stand, making it quite an impressive arena. This though was of scant consolation.

I grabbed a bottle of water and jumped aboard a large coach heading back to Chiang Mai. This took me along motorways past the Warrior training ground along the way and to the main bus station. As I’d previously never been there, this was at least useful for future reference.

I arrived back in town and went to my room for a quick change of clothes and to check the internet to see what had happened? The previous day many bars were shut after 4pm as Sunday saw the local Senate Elections take place. 

The authorities wanted to make sure locals voted. Consequently, the match had been moved forward twenty-four hours. An excellent Twitter had posted the news earlier in the week, but I’d missed it during my Bangkok frivolities. It transpires I missed a 0-0 draw.

I headed round to the White Lotus to meet with my pals to lots of laughter. I deserved nothing less!

Lamphun Warriors 2 Muangkan 0 (Sunday 1^st April 2018) Thai League 3 Upper Region (att: 794)

 Finally, I managed to get to a match at Mae Guang Stadium! I’d been commentating at the opening day of the 2018 Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes before getting away around 4pm in my quest to head south.

It was a hot day, and as I waited on the main road near the Gymkhana Ground a songthaew pulled up. I was quoted 500 Baht to the bus station in Lamphun just behind the stadium. This worked out at over £10, but the convenience suited me.

My driver and his missus had an unexpected windfall, but it was nice to spread out in the back and to travel alone. It allowed me to take a video as we went through the busy market area around Pa Sao.

Crowds were gathering on my arrival, with hundreds walking around the paths on the outside of the complex. I bought my admission ticket for 60 Baht (around £1.30) and some questionable snacks; which I initially thought to be chicken nuggets and fries.

There was no restriction on any seat, so I tried to get somewhere with a bit of legroom. It was good to see many of the junior players from the academy along with parents attending the match and supporting their home club.

The ground also had two or three separate sections playing drums and trying to get behind the team, but I wondered why they didn’t all join together and make a noise in unison? It was a phenomenon mirrored at several other Thai stadiums.

It was soon apparent that the playing surface was not going to assist free-flowing football on the deck. It was hard and bobbly and obviously used far too much as a community facility. Passing and control of the ball was extremely difficult.

The visitors came closest in the early stages when a free kick from wide went narrowly over the angle of post and bar with Warrior keeper Sakdawich Sert-lert flapping. A fine passing movement from the hosts, with the ball bouncing all over the place, put pressure on the visitor’s goal.

Lamphun’s Panuwat Sripao looked decent enough as he tried to pull the strings before his side went 1-0 up on thirty-nine minutes as Apichai Ku-or scored with a sliding finish from a cross to the near post.

At the interval, I decided to explore to see if there was a shortcut back to the bus station, before settling for a place on the open side from a different angle, and to hopefully see a different match!

The Muangkan team came out looking the better side after the break and was full of attacking intent. Unfortunately, their lack of pace, skill and the awful pitch allowed Warrior to defend their goal without too many worries.

Sert-lert made a regulatory save at his near post before a couple of efforts flew just over the bar without calling the custodian into action. Saran Sridet went on a fine run for the home side, but his forward colleague fluffed his chance of a shot on goal.

Anusorn Promprasit saw a deflected free-kick go just wide for Muangkan before I decided to make my way around to behind the goal, where some punters were peering over the fence for free. It could be argued that they should have demanded compensation.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, the lead was doubled. A neat pass put in Sridet wide on the right. It was an opportunity to run on goal, but his task was made easier by some kamikaze goalkeeping.

The visiting keeper came flying out and past the ball, as Srident rounded him, bore down on goal and slipped the ball into the empty net from the edge of the area. The home fans were euphoric and celebrated in style. The referee blew for full-time shortly after.

I was now tasked with finding a way home, with absolutely no idea of bus times. The man on the counter wrote down 8.15 and told me where to stand. This meant just a twenty-minute wait, which was fine.

A coach pulled in at the appointed time. It had set off from the town of Tak and was complete with welcoming air conditioning and reclining seats. I was ushered on board by an increasingly frustrated man on the desk who wasn’t interested in issuing a ticket.

The journey back to Chiang Mai took less than thirty minutes. Both the driver and the lady assistant smiled and made a signal that no fare was required despite my offering. I certainly didn’t argue and soon jumped into a tuk-tuk to catch up with my pals, for a few beers before bed.

Lamphun Warriors 3 Chiangmai FC 2 (Friday 25th February 2022) Thai League 2 (att: 1,230) 

My timing for a junior day of cricket in Chiang Mai on the following Sunday worked perfectly as it coincided with this local derby as well as a Maejo United home game the following day. After a flight and checking in at my extremely dated guest house, it was time for some refreshments.

My pal George met me by the moat as we visited a couple of bars, the first of which was still trying to hide the fact that they were serving beers mid-afternoon owing to restrictions caused by the pandemic.

I probably had one too many as time soon gathered pace, meaning a swift walk down Loi Kroh Road to where I knew a songthaew departed to Lamphun. I had asked beforehand on Facebook if tickets in advance were necessary, but all was well.

It was getting on for the 6pm kick-off when I bailed out of the small bus and headed round to buy my ticket for the open side. There was just time to grab some snacks and a beer before the arrival of the teams in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

 

The first things I noticed were the upgrade in playing surface and floodlights and plenty of signage to make the stadium look homely. The club had invested heavily on and off the pitch aiming to reach the top level of Thai football.

The previously more illustrious visitors went ahead through an unmarked Veljko Filipovic from a corner on five minutes. The tall defender was given the freedom of the box as he stooped to head home on the half-volley past keeper Adisak Doungsri. 

Anuntachok Yodsangwal levelled things up midway through the first half when his low shot from a narrow-angle via deflection off the open legs of away team goalie Jaturong Samakorn, who should have done better.

Evgeny Kabaev had a shot saved by the legs of Doungsri as Chiangmai responded. Lamphun’s Brazilian forward Thales Lima saw a powerful drive pushed over by Samakorn as the very watchable contest ebbed and flowed. 

Kabaev really should have got his half volley on target after being supplied by Saharat Posri with Arthit Sunthornphit driving narrowly wide for Warriors prior to Samakorn dealing acrobatically at his near post from a free kick from the same player.

Sunthornphit would not be denied, putting Lamphun ahead six minutes after the restart as he volleyed home a pullback from Mg Mg Lwin. It would be the provider from Myanmar who sent the majority of the crowd wild with just over twenty minutes remaining on the clock as he put in Sunthornphit’s cross at the back post to make it 3-1. 

Chiangmai regrouped and got one back through Amornthep Maundee as he completed a fantastic passing move at the far post leaving them eleven minutes plus stoppage time to try and recover a point.

Filipovic moved forward and went on a terrific run. but Tawan Khotrsupho couldn’t get on top of his fierce cross, with the header spiralling over the bar. The defender was involved again in the dying stages when an effort from Maundee fizzed agonisingly wide. 

A fantastic advert for Thai football. I left very chipper and ready to tell my friends back in Chiang Mai all about it, but my evening was only halfway through. I was astonished to be told that the last big bus had left for Chiang Mai at the terminal behind the stadium.

I guess it must have still been a restricted Covid service in operation. The last train had long departed. I searched everywhere hoping to see a songthaew walking the streets of the pretty city for well over an hour.

 

The online taxi services were unavailable. Fortunately, a Plan B was formulated after seeing a sign for a hotel on the road north. I managed to secure a room for about £14, topping up on provisions at a nearby 7/11 before enjoying a relaxing sleep minus late beers.

I returned by songthaew the following morning, exchanging smiles and more conversations with lovely Thai people ready to sort myself out for the afternoon’s entertainment.