Sisaket United FC
Ground: Sri Nakhon Lamduan Stadium
Capacity: 9,500
Club Founded: 2012
League: Thai League 1 (current level)
Some Thai cities simply get football and follow their team with great passion. Sisaket United is a fine example.
This page covers the club history and my first match watching the team. Matches and memories from January 2023 to April 2024 have their own page. As do matches from the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
Early History
In 2012, the local Sisaket government decided to back the newly formed club Sisaket United FC in the third-tier Regional League North Eastern Region. This led to Sisaket FC decamping to Ubon Ratchathani and changing their name to Esan United FC.
United moved in as tenants of Sri Nakhon Lamduan Stadium. Support was received to back their doctrine of encouraging the local community to become interested in sports and to push the youth in the province to develop their football skills at the national level.
Their debut 2012 campaign in the third-tier Regional League Division 2 Northeastern Region saw the team miss out on promotion through the playoffs. Poor league finishes saw the ‘Fire Rumdol‘ placed in the Thai League 4 Northeastern Region in 2017 after the restructuring of the national league system.
The goals of Chatri Rattanawong and Phanupong Intachomphu helped fire United to the title, but the promotion play-offs ended in dramatic defeat to Chiangrai City. Suriyan Chankam finished as the top scorer a year later.
United applied to sit out a season owing to budgetary issues and the Covid-19 pandemic before returning for the 2021-22 campaign. Thongchai Rathchai rattled in the goals under head coach Pramoul Thinkatork before Narongthanaphorn 'Pat' Choeithaisongchodok took over for the 2022-23 season, where another playoff place resulted.
It ended successfully, as was the case twelve months later, when Alex, Neto, and Romario were the Brazilian overseas signings. Matteus Pannigazzi, and Argentine midfielder alongside samba forward Danilo, fired the side to promotion through the playoffs in 2024-25.
Their debut 2012 campaign in the third-tier Regional League Division 2 Northeastern Region saw the team miss out on promotion through the playoffs. Poor league finishes saw the ‘Fire Rumdol‘ placed in the Thai League 4 Northeastern Region in 2017 after the restructuring of the national league system.
The goals of Chatri Rattanawong and Phanupong Intachomphu helped fire United to the title, but the promotion play-offs ended in dramatic defeat to Chiangrai City. Suriyan Chankam finished as the top scorer a year later.
United applied to sit out a season owing to budgetary issues and the Covid-19 pandemic before returning for the 2021-22 campaign. Thongchai Rathchai rattled in the goals under head coach Pramoul Thinkatork before Narongthanaphorn 'Pat' Choeithaisongchodok took over for the 2022-23 season, where another playoff place resulted.
It ended successfully, as was the case twelve months later, when Alex, Neto, and Romario were the Brazilian overseas signings. Matteus Pannigazzi, and Argentine midfielder alongside samba forward Danilo, fired the side to promotion through the playoffs in 2024-25.
Consolidation was achieved in Thai League 2, with Pipob On-Mo in charge of the side for the second half of the season. Somchai Chuayboonchum, a former Sisaket FC head coach, was appointed and led the Fire Rumdol to promotion to the top flight. The star performers were Steeven Langil, Fellipe Veloso, and Kittipong Wongma.
My First Match
My First Match
Sisaket United 6 Nakhon Ratchasima United 0
Thai League Cup Second Qualifying Round - Wednesday 21st September 2022
👨👨👧👧 459 🎟️ 60 THB (£1.40)
Family Introduction
Family Introduction
The opportunity to attend this game came as part of a wonderful week, after my partner Taew drove me to her rural village in Sisaket province to meet her friends and family. I was having a whale of a time and enjoying every minute after adjusting to Isan life.
I had mentioned I‘d quite like to visit the city and coincide it with going to the match to kill a few birds with one stone. We had a lovely few hours visiting a temple, the aquarium and going up Si Saket Tower on Koh Klang Nam.
Matchday
I had mentioned I‘d quite like to visit the city and coincide it with going to the match to kill a few birds with one stone. We had a lovely few hours visiting a temple, the aquarium and going up Si Saket Tower on Koh Klang Nam.
Matchday
A return visit to the excellent DD restaurant, where Teaw‘s cousin Jib worked, served fantastic food at incredible prices. Once fed, we bought some small trees to plant at home, which would hopefully produce harvests in years to come.
I was driven to the stadium, where there was still a good half hour until kick-off. I couldn’t persuade her to go in with me, as she seemed happy on her phone. I bought a ticket for the covered side rather than a cheaper one opposite, as there was a threat of rain in the air.
Buying a beer, I considered buying a United shirt. I had already purchased a previous season's Sisaket FC top on Lazada and was trying to find out the fate of that club, who were embroiled in a long-running saga with the Thai FA. It was noticeable that the United logo was on the back of the main stand.
Sitting upstairs in the back row, I immediately noticed the pitch was in a bit of a mess. It was dry and muggy for the 5pm start. Before the game got underway, I got a nice surprise. Another was when Taew's cousin, Suriyan, whom I had met a couple of times, came upstairs and sat with me, along with his friend.
He hadn’t mentioned that he was a football fan when we chatted. Teaw had told him where I had gone in so we could have a chat, with his limited English, which was better than my pidgin Thai. The company was welcome.
The match was scrappy in the early stages, with referee Yodsakorn Pakdeesuwan needing to blow for plenty of fouls. The hosts took the lead in twenty-four minutes as a shot from Thaweekun Thong-On took a deflection off the head of a Nakhon Ratchasima defender to fly past keeper Putawat Prangthon.
The keeper kept out an effort from the scorer just after the half-hour mark following a great turn in the box. The visitors responded when Aekkachai Singwong shot narrowly wide before Prangthon dropped a cross, which saw Baphit Chooklin denied by a goal-line block.
Shortly before the interval, Phattharpong Phengchaem went on a long run for Sisaket, which ended in his shot being parried. The official, meanwhile, was causing consternation from both sides with some of his decisions.
The lead was doubled a minute after the restart when Nittipat Kansorn seemingly lost control before neatly dinking over Prangthon. The game was more or less over as a contest a couple of minutes later as Baphit Chooklin netted to make it 3-0, capitalising on a defensive error to go clean through.
It was 4-0 after fifty minutes as the visitors capitulated. Kansorn wasn’t marked as he planted home a header from a free kick. Sisaket went to sleep with twenty-one minutes still left on the clock when Watchara Chanthai controlled well and then fired back across Prangthon and into the net.
I wasn’t massively impressed with the home sub, Cristian Alex. The attitude of the Brazilian seemed to be on the lazy side, and he only kicked with his left foot. He then proved my assessment to be total rubbish when he played a one-two to go through and round Prangthon to score close to full-time.
There was still time for fellow Brazilian substitute Neto Santos to miss an open goal at the back post. The home side had played very well, encouraged by an increased crowd once they had finished work.
We headed out, where I rejoined my good lady, calling at a wholesaler on the way back to her home in Suan Kluai, ready with beer and provisions for the party the following day. Yes, I really was enjoying life!
I was driven to the stadium, where there was still a good half hour until kick-off. I couldn’t persuade her to go in with me, as she seemed happy on her phone. I bought a ticket for the covered side rather than a cheaper one opposite, as there was a threat of rain in the air.
Buying a beer, I considered buying a United shirt. I had already purchased a previous season's Sisaket FC top on Lazada and was trying to find out the fate of that club, who were embroiled in a long-running saga with the Thai FA. It was noticeable that the United logo was on the back of the main stand.
Sitting upstairs in the back row, I immediately noticed the pitch was in a bit of a mess. It was dry and muggy for the 5pm start. Before the game got underway, I got a nice surprise. Another was when Taew's cousin, Suriyan, whom I had met a couple of times, came upstairs and sat with me, along with his friend.
He hadn’t mentioned that he was a football fan when we chatted. Teaw had told him where I had gone in so we could have a chat, with his limited English, which was better than my pidgin Thai. The company was welcome.
The match was scrappy in the early stages, with referee Yodsakorn Pakdeesuwan needing to blow for plenty of fouls. The hosts took the lead in twenty-four minutes as a shot from Thaweekun Thong-On took a deflection off the head of a Nakhon Ratchasima defender to fly past keeper Putawat Prangthon.
The keeper kept out an effort from the scorer just after the half-hour mark following a great turn in the box. The visitors responded when Aekkachai Singwong shot narrowly wide before Prangthon dropped a cross, which saw Baphit Chooklin denied by a goal-line block.
Shortly before the interval, Phattharpong Phengchaem went on a long run for Sisaket, which ended in his shot being parried. The official, meanwhile, was causing consternation from both sides with some of his decisions.
The lead was doubled a minute after the restart when Nittipat Kansorn seemingly lost control before neatly dinking over Prangthon. The game was more or less over as a contest a couple of minutes later as Baphit Chooklin netted to make it 3-0, capitalising on a defensive error to go clean through.
It was 4-0 after fifty minutes as the visitors capitulated. Kansorn wasn’t marked as he planted home a header from a free kick. Sisaket went to sleep with twenty-one minutes still left on the clock when Watchara Chanthai controlled well and then fired back across Prangthon and into the net.
I wasn’t massively impressed with the home sub, Cristian Alex. The attitude of the Brazilian seemed to be on the lazy side, and he only kicked with his left foot. He then proved my assessment to be total rubbish when he played a one-two to go through and round Prangthon to score close to full-time.
There was still time for fellow Brazilian substitute Neto Santos to miss an open goal at the back post. The home side had played very well, encouraged by an increased crowd once they had finished work.
A Grand Day Out
No comments:
Post a Comment
Many thanks for your comments. They are greatly appreciated.