The curtain will come down on the 2025/26 season this weekend, as the Lion City Sailors play their final Singapore Premier League (SPL) match of the campaign.

It has been a season of highs and lows for the Sailors. While they clinched back-to-back league titles for the first time in club history, they also fell short of progressing beyond the group stage in both the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two and ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup.

Midfielder Hami Syahin reflected on the campaign in what was his fourth season with the club.

“There are aspects of the campaign we could have done better, especially in terms of the international competitions, and we’ll look to improve next season,” said the 27-year-old, who made 28 appearances in all competitions this term.

“But to finish the season by retaining our domestic league title is still an important achievement for us, and we want to build on this foundation.”

The Sailors have not looked back since beginning the season on 25 August 2025 with a 2-1 win over Hougang United, chalking up 16 wins and three draws to seal the title with two games to spare earlier this month.

It is no surprise they lead the league in statistics at both ends of the pitch: most goals scored (68) and the fewest goals conceded (11) going into the final weekend of the season.

The strong collective effort has been backed up by a number of standout individual performances across the squad.

Strike duo Lennart Thy and Anderson Lopes have combined for 25 SPL goals this season, while Bart Ramselaar has once again been a creative force in midfield with his tally of 10 assists.

Hami himself has also been a consistent performer and has grown into one of the leaders of the team. With 123 appearances to his name, only three players in the current squad have featured more times for the Sailors.

“I’m satisfied with how the season has gone for me personally, and it’s always an honour to represent this club. The presence of so many quality players in the team definitely pushes you to improve as a player,” said Hami, who has contributed assists across three different competitions in 2025/26.

“It’s a daily challenge because everyone wants to give their best in training. Every session is intense at this club.”

It was a disappointing outing last time out for the Sailors as their hopes of completing an unbeaten league campaign were dashed in a 2-0 defeat to Albirex Niigata (S).

That result has fuelled the team’s determination to regroup and end the season on a positive note as they take on rivals BG Tampines Rovers away at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday (17 May).

The Stags are seeking to seal second place and qualification for the ACL Two, but Hami insists the Sailors are focused solely on ending their season on a high in front of their supporters.

“It was disappointing to lose to Albirex because remaining unbeaten became one of our goals midway through the season. But that’s football — sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn,” acknowledged Hami.

“In football, it’s important we move forward quickly. Tampines have enjoyed a very good season and we have a lot of respect for them, but our focus is on bringing out our style of football and making an enjoyable final game of the season for our fans.”

The Sailors are set to be presented with the SPL trophy following the conclusion of the clash against the Stags, officially marking back-to-back league triumphs for the first time — another milestone that underlines the club’s rapid rise in recent years.

Once the final whistle blows at OTH, the players will then have the chance to celebrate the fruits of their labour with their loved ones and the supporters.

“It’s always an occasion to look forward to — to be able to celebrate a season’s worth of hard work along with the team, our fans, and most importantly our families,” said Hami, a father of two.

“These people are the reason why we push so hard throughout the season, so let’s celebrate this special moment together as one team.”