After almost three months away, Our Stags were finally back in action as they took on Lion City Sailors in the Playback Community Shield. There were several new faces in the Tampines Rovers squad this 2026/27 season following the arrivals of Zharfan Rohaizad, Shodai Yokoyama, Kenshin Yamazaki and Yuma Kimura, alongside the re-signing of Takeshi Yoshimoto. Excitement had already been building before kick-off, with the Playback Fanzone providing a lively backdrop of food, activ