Tampines Rovers' new signing Jermaine Pennant came off the bench to contribute a second assist in as many games to help his side defeat Malaysia Premier League outfit Johor Darul Ta'zim II 1-0 in a friendly match at Jalan Besar Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Fellow new boy Jordan Webb was the beneficiary as he headed home the 33-year-old's free-kick seven minutes from time to settle the tight affair.
It was an impressive cameo from the Great Eastern Yeo's record signing in front of a larger than normal crowd of around 1,500 fans in the heart of Singapore.
With an AFC Champions League (ACL) playoff against India's Mohun Bagan coming up in a week's time, Tampines coach V Sundramoorthy put out a strong lineup that included nine former LionsXII players, with ex-Liverpool star Pennant left on the bench due to a niggling thigh problem.
JDT II handed starts to the Singaporean duo of Baihakki Khaizan and Shahril Ishak, as well as former JDT winger Nurul Azwan Roya.
The visitors had the first opportunity of the night as Baihakki glanced wide from a corner, but Tampines were largely on top in the first half.
The returning Shahdan Sulaiman was an influential figure in the proceedings as he got involved in almost everything from his no. 10 role just behind Fazrul Nawaz. His superb slide-rule pass on 17 minutes sent Hafiz Sujad racing down the left flank, with Fazrul just failing to get the decisive touch in front of goal from the latter's low cross.
Then, on 34 minutes, the 27-year-old produced another neat through ball to release Hafiz inside the box, but the left winger could only fire off-target from a tight angle.
The first half finished goalless though, with Christopher van Huizen and Webb introduced 12 minutes after the break to inject more energy into the Tampines attack.
Pennant joined in the fray on 67 minutes to replace South Korean defender Kwon Jun, as he swiftly took up the playmaker vacated by Shahdan.
JDT II were aware of the danger that the former England Under-21 winger could pose, with no fewer than three players marking him in the middle of the park.
Pennant gradually settled into the game, though, going on a couple of good runs before making his mark on 83 minutes.
With the Stags awarded a free-kick 25 yards from goal, it was the perfect opportunity for Pennant to place it into the top corner. However, he elected to loft it towards the back post, where a lurking Webb was perfectly placed to loop a header beyond the stranded Al-Hafiz Hamzah for the match winner.
That concluded the tight affair, with Pennant pleased with the run-out despite being just "70% fit".
He said: "I have a slight thigh strain, but I know the club want me to play at some point for the fans,
"So even if I had only one leg, I'll be out here to play.
"This is only my second game so I'll need more time to settle in, but I'm happy to have contributed for the goal. I spotted Jordan alone in the box and it was about putting it into the right area for him to score."
Pennant will not play any part in the Tampines' ACL qualifying campaign though, with Sundramoorthy revealing after the game that he was not registered in time to make the squad.
"He came in late, so we could not meet the AFC deadline to register him, but we'll have him for the AFC Cup if we fail to qualify," said the former LionsXII coach.
"Still I think more or less, we're prepared and it's important that we go into the competition with a good mind set."
Pennant, who arrived in Singapore two weeks ago, is the biggest ever signing in the 21-year history of the S.League. His competitive debut is likely to come on Feb. 15 as Tampines begin their 2016 S.League campaign against Geylang International at Jurong West Stadium.