Sisaket

Sisaket FC

Ground: Sri Nakhon Lamduan Stadium

Capacity: 11,200

Club Founded: 1999

Dissolved: 2022

Thai football is littered with clubs that enjoy success and then fold, often because of financial issues or some other scandal. Sisaket FC is such a tale.

Club History

The Sports Authority of Thailand formed Sisaket FC to play in the Provincial League, the third tier of football. The team won the competition's inaugural season. The ‘Dangerous Koupreys’ climbed to the second-tier Thai Division 1 League, before dropping back down a level. 

The club kept faith with coach Chartkla Subsongpol, who led the side to promotion back to the second level. Success continued when Sisaket won promotion to the Thai Premier League in 2009 with Piroj Anantanarong finishing as the top scorer.

Somchart Yimsiri took over as team boss in a rather turbulent season. SSKFC escaped relegation through the playoffs. Freddy Marinho, Kim Kyung-Ju and Wisoot Wichaya all had spells as head coach. Piyawat Thongman ended as the top scorer.

Englishman Dave Booth was appointed to lead the side for the 2011 season. Brazilian Royter Moreira replaced him within a few weeks. The club was known as Sisaket Muangthai FC through a sponsorship deal, with Wuttichai Tathong and Victor Amaro finishing as joint top scorers.

Trouble Ahead

In 2012, the local Sisaket government backed the newly formed club Sisaket United FC in the third-tier Regional League North Eastern Region. Sisaket FC decamped to Ubon Ratchathani and changed their name to Esan United FC. Moreira, Phayong Khunnaen and then Paniphon Kerdyam came and went as coach. Tana Chanabut banged in the goals after being signed from Police United. 

However, what was to become a long-running saga first reared its head. It was found that fake documents had been used to legitimise the move to Ubon Ratchathani, along with the name change. The club was suspended for the season, returned to Sisaket, and retained its Premier League place for the 2014 campaign.

League Cup Finalists

Former Thai international midfielder Chalermwoot Sa-ngapol took charge of the team on their return home, while international forward Sarayuth Chaikamdee scored the goals. Ekkapan Jandakorn skippered the team in 2015, on a fine League Cup run that almost ended in glory.

Pattaya United and Police United were among the sides beaten when Sisaket reached the final, with Leroy Lita in the side, where they were up against Isaan neighbours Buriram United. SSKFC went down to a solitary goal at Bangkok’s Suphachalasai Stadium.

Božidar Bandović was appointed head coach before Masahiro Wada replaced him, with Anton Zemlianukhin finishing as top scorer. Former Thai international defender Dusit Chalermsan took control of the team playing in the rebranded Thai League 1 in 2017, before being replaced by Velizar Popov. 

Mariano Berriex led the scoring when Chalermwoot Sa-ngapol was in charge. They were relegated to League 2. Robert Jose da Silva was appointed to try to regain Sisaket’s top-tier status, but Somchai Chuayboonchum soon replaced him. The club also faced match-fixing charges. 

Promotion Denied

The side reached the FA Cup semi-final in 2018, where Buriram United beat them at the Boonyachinda Stadium in Bangkok. The team would have won promotion twelve months later under head coach Worachai Surinsirirat. However, because of the ongoing dispute with Esan United and failed payments to former players, the club was deducted twelve points.

In 2020-21, Chusak Sriphum coached Sisaket before Preeda Chankra replaced him. The side finished in the relegation places. Santi Chaiyaphuak was appointed for a season in Thai League 3 Northeast, when the team qualified for the playoffs.

Esan United License

The club didn't start the following season after the Thai Administrative Court ordered the FA of Thailand to return Sisaket FC's license to Esan United and pay them 18.5 million baht in compensation. Esan said they wanted to return and be given their Thai League 1 place back, but they didn't pursue it further.

My visit

Sisaket 0 Nakhonratchasima 3

League Cup Round One - Wednesday 13th June 2018

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 651 🎟️ 100 THB (£2.40) 

Holiday Plans

I'd planned my twelve-day holiday to Thailand for a while when I arrived at work for an early shift a couple of weeks before departure. I was like a little lad on Christmas morning as the Thai League Cup draw was about to be made.

I’d attended the 2017 final the previous November with my mate Steve, but this would be different as I would be travelling up country alone to a town I’d never been to before. Dale down in Chonburi helped as ever in the build-up.

He started sending me a translated version of the draw that was live on Facebook. I kept trying to get a look, but I hadn’t a clue what was going on. Some cynics would say I had plenty in common with those conducting proceedings.

I wanted to visit Isan for part of the trip, so I was overjoyed when the draw pitted two teams from that region. The stadium's capacity meant that tickets wouldn’t be an issue. It was time to start booking rooms and transport ahead of Sisaket v Nakhonratchasima.

Hangover Warning

Forward to Wednesday 13th. I arrived in Bangkok the previous morning in an adventurous mood. I rested, showed off my talent at the local snooker hall, ate, and even had a game of bingo before a few beers with Steve in Minburi.

There was something about the Sudtong Club where we settled on the main drag. It didn’t have an extensive range of beers or luxurious facilities, but to me, it was proper Thailand. Low prices, reasonable snacks, live music, friendly folk and by a dual carriageway. I loved the place.

In fact, I loved it a bit too much, staying on after my pal and then waking a bit the worse for wear at 5.30am. My flight wasn’t until 9am, but traffic was terrible during the Bangkok morning peak, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

The hold-ups could be worse than usual, as in many places a lane of traffic had disappeared while the sky train extension was in progress. It was some herculean job, but it would surely eventually ease the congestion a little.

Train Ride from Ubon

I began to perk up after some comfort food. My flight was on time, and I was very excited. As I noted, I could be visiting places where little English was spoken, or indeed written. This merely added to the thrill. My flight was to Ubon Ratchathani, from where I decided to take a taxi to the railway station. 

I could choose between train or bus, but as a railway worker I took the sensible option. The fare to Sisaket, or Si Sa Ket as it was also listed, was about 30p in sterling. I had around an hour to wait, so I bought a bottle of water and watched the world go by on the platform. I was attracting some attention.

The transport police came over for a chat. One of their colleagues photographed us from across the tracks. They were very friendly and asked what I was doing and where I was going. When I said Sisaket, they said, “Why?” I explained I was going to the football, which surprised them. They couldn't get their heads around it. 

I don’t suppose they’d come across many overweight backpacking fifty-plus-year-old Yorkshiremen going to watch Sisaket play? As it turns out, I noticed signs on the route and then between Sisaket and Surin the following day, warning of people trafficking. Perhaps the police thought that was my game? 

I ran away minibuses to football and organised the Beer Battered Seadogs Cricket Club on three brief tours of Bangkok, Pattaya and Hua Hin, for which I was still receiving counselling, but people trafficking? No thanks? The welcome had taken me back. A young lady was most helpful in the ticket hall. 

In fact, my one slight disappointment was that I was all geared up to use some very basic Thai when everyone spoke decent English. The station at Ubon Ratchathani was uplifting, at least to someone involved in the industry back home, where saving money comes above customer service. It had a ticket office, first-class lounge, toilets, reasonably priced stalls, lots of staff and police.

I’d been told that my train was cheap because it was a local service, but I’d have smiled if they put me in an open truck. Thailand did that to me. Not everyone speaks English, but they smile. It’s only natural to reciprocate. How did we get it so wrong in the UK? Anyway, I digress. People packed all manner of items on board. Vendors went up and down the train. 

I opted for a bottle of water and a piece of barbecued chicken on a stick. It certainly beat paying £5 for a pasty! The journey took an hour. It was hot when I arrived in Sisaket. Market stalls were on both sides of the railway tracks. I walked the ten minutes or so to the Boonsiri Boutique Hotel, my place of rest for the night.

Welcome to Sisaket

I’d read that taxis were rare in town, so I asked reception to book me one to take me to the match, because the stadium was on the outskirts. The young lady said it was no problem and it would be there at 5pm. After a siesta, my room phone rang to tell me that my carriage was awaiting. What excellent service! 

I explained to the driver as well as I could where I wanted to go. He nodded and headed off. It was normal to see scooters with fans wearing team shirts travelling to matches in Thailand. I was a little concerned not to see any as the stadium floodlights appeared on the horizon. I needn’t have worried. 

Pre-Match Build Up

I was at the right place, and the game kicked off at 6pm. I was early. 100 Baht (£2.20) secured me a seat near the centre of the covered stand. I had time to look around. I managed to enter the stand behind the goal to take some photos, where I came across a couple of local ultras taking their banners and drums upstairs. 

Again, broad smiles were the order of the day. The early kick-off time affected the attendance. Many were still at work. I was slightly shocked that only 20 or so fans had made the journey from Korat to cheer on Nakhon Ratchasima. It was a case of choosing any spot as the teams warmed up.

Sri Nakhon Lamduan Stadium was a typical multi-purpose arena as seen around Thailand, with an athletic track around the pitch. Stands formed a horseshoe on three sides, with the Main Stand standing alone with a roof and seats over the centre section. 

Cup Tie Action

The home side were the underdogs but started well with their Brazilian number 10, Cristiano, looking very talented on the ball. Two WAGs of Brazilian appearance sat in the stands as the crowd gradually built. Swatcat keeper Todsaporn Sri-reung made a good save from Cristiano's long-range shot. The goalie was on loan from Police-Tero.

Fans on the far side made most of the noise. The few behind the goal joined in as the sun quickly dropped. The locals sang a song to the tune of Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven Is a Place on Earth. While Cristiano was good with his feet, he missed an easy headed chance midway through the half from a perfect cross from Nattaphol Sukchai.

Nakhon Ratchasima put together their first meaningful attack when Phaitoon Nontadee went on an excellent run, beating several players, pulling back to Veerapong Korrayok, who hit the side netting. Natthakit Insao also reached the byline for the hosts before teeing up Pongsak Boonthot, whose weak header was easily dealt with just past the half-hour mark. 

A few minutes later Igor Luiz fluffed a headed chance from a Wongsaphat Silahirunrath free kick. The visitors went 1-0 up a couple of minutes before the interval, when Nebojša Marinković went on a fine run. Phaitoon Nontadee nodded home to the joy of Ratchasima’s gargantuan Serbian coach Miloš Joksić. 

A video from my matchday visit

Many more Thai football videos on Rob’s Roving Sports Report

Swatcats continued where they left off, as they were the better side for the first ten minutes after the restart. Sisaket looked to get back into the game, with Cristiano missing another sitter with his head. However, the hosts were offered a lifeline when the referee awarded them what looked like a very soft penalty after sixty-seven minutes. 

Justice was seemingly done as Cristiano blasted the spot kick at least ten yards over the bar. The Koupreys had their danger extinguished a few minutes later when they paid for their missed chance. A fine ball saw the defence go missing as Leandro Assumpção waltzed through to double the lead. 

The Brazilian, who previously played for Sisaket, added another soon after with a fine run and a beautiful chip over home custodian Pornchai Kasikonudompaisan. It received well-deserved applause from all around the stadium. Confidence seemed to drain from the Sisaket players. Fortunately, the visitors realised that their job was done and didn’t inflict any greater damage. 

The hosts came close twice before full-time. Swatcat keeper's clearance fell to Cristiano, who saw his effort blocked on the line. The same player hit the bar with the last action of the game after a Methanon Sutthasen effort was nodded into his path. The match was certainly a tale of two Brazilians. Rather than Ratchasima’s Leandro, Sisaket’s Cristiano could have been the hero 

Discovering Sisaket

I thoroughly enjoyed it all. Now it was time to find my way back. I hadn’t risked asking the driver to return in case the match went to extra time. I mean, how was I meant to explain the permutations to him in Thai when he’d dropped me off? With no taxis around and the crowd heading away, it was time to get my daily steps in.

It was still very warm as I walked south before taking the main drag back towards town. I was relieved to find a 7-Eleven halfway up Thanon Khu Khan to buy a toastie and a Gatorade. I’d read about a potentially lively bar near the bus station, but I couldn't find it. 

The video of my Isan Holiday in 2018 from my YouTube Channel

Instead, I stopped for a beer at Stand By. It seemed to be popular with well-dressed locals. I was tired and needed a shower, so I headed back to my hotel and started watching another England ODI victory over Australia. While this was naturally satisfying, I hadn’t planned weeks in advance to sit in a hotel room when I could explore.

After changing, I headed along Ratchakan Rotfai, where people were working at the night market stalls. I went past the station, where I’d read reviews for a bar called Cuckoo’s Nest. I walked all the way without locating it. I had a plan B. Hotel Prompiman was said to have a bar, club and snooker hall. It was time that I found out. 

Sure enough, this looked like the place to be in town. I took a seat at a vacant table and bought a large bottle of Chang in an open-fronted place with I-Bar, a club across the yard.

The service was excellent, with the waitresses filling the glass as it emptied. On reflection, the figure-hugging dresses advertising the popular brew persuaded me to have another. I settled my tab and was mulling over a visit to the nightclub when a couple of local fellas beckoned me over. They insisted I drink with them. 

Being the perfect diplomat and tourist, I concluded that it was the least I could do. One of the fellas was in the army. He showed me photos of himself in full uniform on parade, followed by images of his family. I hoped his phone didn’t have too much storage as I made my excuses and went across the way. 

It had been some time since I’d been clubbing, but my memory told me that the bouncer hadn’t smiled and welcomed me the same way as was in evidence here. Entry was free, and drinks were sensibly priced.

People stood by tables and were served, but they seemed fine with me going straight to the hatch and paying. Again, everyone smiled. A very decent band had the place rocking. It was definitely bedtime a couple of large bottles later. A local had tried to strike up a conversation when I first tried to order a beer, but the music was too loud, and I wanted to take everything in. 

The same fella saw me as I looked at the food on the busy street stall. He seemed a friendly chap and insisted on giving me a lift back to my hotel, even waiting while I popped into 7-Eleven for snacks. Somehow, I couldn’t imagine that happening in the UK. 

It summed up Sisaket and its wonderful smiling people. It wasn’t the most aesthetic of towns, but the locals more than made up for it. I wouldn’t hesitate to return. Little did I realise that five years later, I would marry a local woman, live in the province's countryside and be a Sisaket United supporter!

If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy my YouTube Channel, with numerous homemade Thai football videos and a wide range of content covering all aspects of life in the Land of Smiles, including the one above, a guide to Sisaket.