Fighting spirit from Noor's mother lives on

Long before he became a coach, Noor Ali made his name in local football as a gritty winger for clubs such as Woodlands Wellington, Hougang United, Singapore Armed Forces FC and Geylang United (now Geylang International), as well as the national team.

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Remembered mostly for his relentless, never-say-die spirit on the flanks, this was a trait he inherited from his mother, Normabi H.S. Mohd Noor, who died on Nov 26 at the age of 78.

And in a week which Noor described as one of the toughest of his life, his Geylang side displayed that same unyielding resolve, as they clawed back from two goals down with 10 men to draw 3-3 with Balestier Khalsa in the Singapore Cup round-robin stage at Our Tampines Hub on Nov 30.

Noor, who missed the team’s training sessions in the lead-up to the tie against the Tigers, said: "My mum is a fighter and I grew up always admiring how she overcame what she needed to and brought up my three siblings and I.

"I was never the biggest player on the pitch, and I won't say that I am the best coach in the league, but at the end of the day, I will always fight till the end and that character was instilled in me by my mother.

Noor added that his mother would always ring him to find out details of when his team were playing, and it has been an "extremely difficult" week following her death.