Respect is a two-way street - U10 Panthers come up against tough opposition and the Unicorn Whirlwinds

10 October 2009

Today's game against Unicorn Whirlwinds promised to be a close affair, and so it proved to be. The Panthers survived some early chances for the opposition before going ahead, and then generally dominated the game, only to end up on the wrong end of a 2-1 score line. Disappointing in terms of the result, very promising in terms of the performance.

As managers, we are not supposed to aim any criticism at junior referees (who are a scarce resource and should genuinely be cherished), but When Josh W was pulled-up for offside (offside!?) when one-on-one with the keeper in the opening minutes, this was a sign that decisions were not going to go in Wilmslow's favour today.

Unicorn enjoyed the better of chances in the first period, but it was Wilmslow that took the lead after 10 minutes, as Josh W, Max and Rohan combined well to create a good opportunity that Josh W duly slotted home. At the other end, one point-blank block from George H was followed with a great diving save before the post intervened to prevent the Whirlwinds from converting a succession of opportunities. The period finished with Wilmslow in the lead and beginning to get a hold on the game.

15 minutes: Unicorn Whirlwinds 0 – Wilmslow Town 1

The second period was an equally close affair with both teams using their possession well and playing some good passing football. Just as Wilmslow were starting to dominate and create some real pressure, a Unicorn attack down the left-wing was halted as Harrison recovered to dispossess the striker with a great tackle inside the edge of the area. Unfortunately, the ref saw this differently from the Wilmslow supporters (and the Unicorn supporters stood three metres from the incident) and awarded a penalty. The spot kick was converted and the Panthers' promising start had been nullified.

Within a couple of minutes, Wilmslow were denied a good shout for a handball penalty at the other end. Granted, this wasn't the kind of handball you'd expect to see penalised at this age, but it was a good opportunity for the ref to make amends. Nothing doing. To make matters worse, Wilmslow then handed Unicorn a second through a misunderstanding at the back that rewarded the Whirlwind striker's fast reactions with a close range goal. A difficult pep talk loomed on 30 minutes to a team that had played the better football but trailed at the break. As it happened, the collective sense of injustice meant no pep talk was required, and the boys returned to the field early, determined to correct the situation.

30 minutes: Unicorn Whirlwinds 2 – Wilmslow Town 1

The start of a new period, and some more new rules to contend with. This time we learned about the new six-yard exclusion zone on the perimeter of the area when goal-kicks are being taken. One was tempted to suggest that there is little wrong with the FA's own rules and that the keeper should consider retreating into his area to take the kick; but one thought better of it. Nevertheless, Wilmslow proceeded to work hard within the variable guidelines and created a number of close-range chances. Right until the final whistle you got the impression that the Panthers would pull something out of the game, but it wasn't to be.

45 minutes: Unicorn Whirlwinds 2 – Wilmslow Town 1

So, one that "got away". Credit to the opposition for taking their chances when they came and for some resolute defending in the last ten minutes. No credit, I'm afraid, to a referee that I'm sure has had, and will have, much better games. The club is firmly behind the FA's Respect campaign, and recognises the need to encourage young referees. We value their contribution very highly. At the same time, it is hard to explain to young players how it is they have a better grasp of the rules (as they apply at the age group) than the match official, and how/why different criteria appear to be applied at different stages of the game and different ends of the pitch.

On the bright side, possibly the most cohesive Panthers performance this season, and great to see the boys carrying training routines successfully into match situations. Man of the match today was Josh W for his impressive debut performance leading the line. Very hard to find any negatives in this performance and equally difficult to single out any of the other players for individual praise, such was the excellent collective effort and team work that made today's game so encouraging to watch.

Soon, very soon, we are going to hear these Panthers roar.
 

Man of the Match : J Wheeler

Source: A Wheeler

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