GFC: We'll start with an easy first question. Tell us how you came to start playing football when you were a kid…

Zakariah: I started when I was young, training with my brother. He also played as a goalkeeper for his team, so I learnt a few skills from him. As time went by and I grew up, I took part in the Milo school first, and then I started to play for the Under-14 team at Home United. When I was 16, I came under the National Football Academy, and then later I went back to Home United. But after one year with the Prime League team, they released half the team, so I was back to square one. I went for trials with Gombak, and slowly I worked my way up, year by year, into the Prime League team. Last year, I got an opportunity to play in the S.League. I always tried to play my heart out for the team, and this year the club offered me a contract, and now here I am!

GFC: You said you were released by Home United while you were in their Prime League team. Was that painful?

Zakariah: Yeah, it was painful, because I started with them when I was young. To be released by them was hard, and I had to go find a new club. But one day, a neighbourhood friend told me he saw an article about there being a selection trial at Singapore Polytechnic. We went there together for the selection, starting from the beginning, and after that, everything was good for me.

GFC: You have performed quite well in a few games last year, and now you're taking over from Zaiful Nizam after he got injured recently…

Zakariah: Yeah, poor thing. Zaiful is a good goalkeeper, he gives his heart out in every game, and then he got injured in our game against Geylang (United). It was terrible, so bad. I pity him when I realize things have turned out like this, but when I went to see him, he told me it's my turn now to show what I can do. He will be back next year, so he asked me to finish the year for the team first. I told him there's no need to worry, I will always do my best.

GFC: The club has had a few good young goalkeepers, like Zaiful, Razif Yahya and now yourself. What do you think is so special about the way this club keeps getting young goalkeepers who surprise everybody?

Zakariah: I'm not sure! (laughs) Razif was still here when I joined, he's a good goalkeeper too, but he found something else he wanted to do. When Razif left, I became the reserve goalkeeper for the senior team. I guess being young, we all like to challenge each other and go all out to do our best.

GFC: You've been quite involved in the Prime League too, more than maybe even the club's regular Prime League goalkeepers. Who do you see in the Prime League team who are promising and may be promoted to the senior team next year?

Zakariah: (pauses) I guess some of the defenders like (Abdul) Qayyum (Ismail) and Hidhir (Hasbiallah), plus maybe Fuad (Jufri), these players are regularly performing. If they keep on training hard, show good discipline and cooperate with the coach, I think they can go far.

GFC: Your first taste of senior action this year came in the recent friendly match against Burnley. How was it playing against a bunch of Englishmen?

Zakariah: Certainly there's a gap between them and Asian teams, it's a different environment. They are professionals, and they were very hard to play against. We tried hard enough to not let them do too well, but it was not easy. The good thing is that our defenders are good, they are willing to support me and give one another good moral support. We are always there for one another, encouraging one another. I'm happy to play for this team.

GFC: Apart from playing football, what do you like to do in your free time?

Zakariah: For relaxing, sometimes I stay at home with my family. Sometimes when I'm with friends, we like to go fishing…

GFC: Looks like this club has a lot of people who like to go fishing!

Zakariah: Yeah, like Shafuan (Sutohmoh), Wan J(amaludin) and Qaamal (Shah). It's fun, and it's a good way for me to relax myself.

GFC: That's good. Do you do other things like going to the movies?

Zakariah: Yeah, sometimes, with my girlfriend! We like to go watch movies. My most memorable movie lately is Ip Man.

GFC: The first episode?

Zakariah: The whole series! I know it's a Chinese movie, but I like kung fu. We all know about Bruce Lee, he's a great fighter, so I think we need to know about his teacher. Since Ip Man is Bruce Lee's teacher, he should be even better than Bruce Lee, right? That's why I went to see the movie to learn about Ip Man. It was good to see the Ip Man movies, I like action movies.

GFC: We are coming towards August, and one of the first things we associate with August is National Day. Have you ever been involved in the National Day Parade?

Zakariah: Nah, not in the parade, never. I did go and watch the parade before though when it was at the National Stadium, about two or three times. Compared to watching it on TV, the atmosphere is great. Plus there's all the free gifts they give out! If I get tickets to the NDP, I'll surely go and watch, but it's hard to get tickets because every Singaporean wants them. I was lucky when I was young and still in school, the teachers will bring us there, but most of them were rehearsals. I did get to see one on the actual day, though.

GFC: Speaking of school, have you got any friends from school whom you still keep contact with nowadays?

Zakariah: Yeah, from my secondary school. I was from Peirce Secondary School, in the Thomson area. I still keep contact with them sometimes. Most of them are married already, so it's good that we can still keep in touch. Sometimes we even hang out together.

GFC: Hopefully you'll get a chance to hang out during the August break! But that's when the Youth Olympic Games will be held, so will you be watching any of the events, or are you happy to just read the papers?

Zakariah: I think I'll be reading the papers. But I hope all the Singapore athletes will do their best and do the country proud!

GFC