|
12 September 2010 Match report for Wilmslow Town U12 Panthers 6 - 1 home win against Timperley Athletic U12 (12/09/2010)
  Half time team talk (1) and novel ways to take down nets! (2)Click image above for larger pictures / slideshow 2 images available The second match of the season opened with the Panthers really up for it, following their great performance (and win) from their last match. This time the weather was sunny with a little wind, (but nothing like the previous week). As the boys warmed up, it was strange to see the not insubstantial form of Nathan appearing dwarfed between the goal posts at the Jim Evison pitch.
The team lined up (at least in theory) Nathan in goal, Harry, TC, Neil and Max in defence, Charlie and TB on the wings Morgan and Callum in midfield with Jamie behind Adam who led the line with Ted, TJ, George, Joe and Braden on the bench.
The team were clearly buoyed by last week’s win, and started brightly, with a shot over the bar from Charlie, some great battling down the wing from TB, and before very long, a goal from Callum coming from a Charlie cross, 1-0 to the Panthers, a great start! Once play resumed the Panthers pounced once again, as Adam had a shot saved by the goalie following a great through ball from Morgan. This is not to say that the Timperley team didn’t mount any attacks of their own, they did, however Nathan remained largely untroubled during the opening stages of the match. The game continued with the Panthers dominating possession and Timperley making their breaks while they could. Callum was tripped and won a free kick, which Jamie deposited into the box, however despite a great deal of effort and some scuffling, the ball was got away by Timperley. This was typical of the game as a whole, with the Panthers’ profligacy resulting in far fewer goals than could have been the case. Callum had a shot which went wide, TB had a shot which curled its way to the top corner and then just beyond, which was followed by a break by Timperley which saw TC streaking up field in hot pursuit of their attacker. Before long it was time for a change of faces as Morgan, Jamie, TB, TC and Charlie came off to make way for TJ, Joe, Teddy, Braden and George. By this time Timperley had started to re-assert themselves and Nathan had more to do, including a great block, parrying the ball out of the danger zone. The Panthers countered, and Joe was there with a chipped shot that went over the goalie but unfortunately also just over the net too. Timperley made a break once again and in a last ditch desperate effort to get his man, Neil pushed him unnecessarily, in the back and gave away a free kick on the edge of the Panthers’ box. The Panthers lined up with 4 players in the wall and then moved en masse, eventually getting into place with some vocal encouragement from Nathan. However this could have been costly, because at least two attackers were unmarked in the box. Furthermore, a four man wall probably would have made little difference had the player curled it over their heads, but thankfully Timperley wasted their chance and skied the ball over the crossbar – a bit too close for comfort for the Panthers that one!
TJ, Braden and George worked a great move culminating in George having a shot, which was defended by the Timperley goalie and the header on the rebound went over the top of the goal. The poor Timperley goalie having made a good save, then blotted his copybook by kicking the ball out badly - unless he intended it to go straight to Adam - who was on it in a flash. Again, no goal followed, and Timperley went on the attack once again. Harry made a break up the wing putting a classy sliding tackle/pass through the Timperley defence to Adam, to put him through for a shot, but again the back of the net remained stubbornly empty. What was going on? Why wouldn’t the ball go in? This was going through the minds of the spectating friends and family, when to their relief another Panthers attack finally came to fruition, as George crossed to Adam who with an acrobatic hitch kick (apparently – hitch kick is a new one on me!), volleyed it into the back of the net. The score moved to 2-0 to the Panthers (finally!). Clearly it was a relief to the Panthers as their carefully orchestrated goal celebration ensued – Teddy’s homage to snow angels - much to the horror of those family members watching who do the washing of the white shirts... cheers Teddy!
Timperley came back after this with a break up field, with Neil again in last ditch defending mode, in hot pursuit, however he took his time and managed to put the attacker off their shot and help get the ball away. The ball came back to Nathan all too soon, with the shot ricocheting out of his hands into the air, only for him to catch it as it came down again, a great save. The defence without TC to keep it steady seemed to wobble a lot, and Timperley were able to mount a number of attacks causing Nathan to have to save again (unnecessarily in his view, clearly, as his furious face began to match the puce colour of the opposition kit.....).Rightly so - as John commented “..the Panthers seemed to think that dinky little passes and deft dribbling and clever touches that work on Astroturf would work in the long grass”. Confident clearances to the wings were what was really required. And it was opportune that the half time whistle blew and the team could regroup, with the score at 2-0.
The second half
After an animated half time team talk from the manager, the Panthers took to the pitch with renewed determination. Neil, now with a better understanding of how to use Nathan, was able to pass the ball back to him when under pressure, enabling a clearance without too much danger to the Panthers. Neil was then on the attack up the wing, enabling Callum to make a break on goal up field and to put the ball into the box, but the Timperley defence put Adam under pressure and he couldn’t get the ball under control before the defence whisked it away and up the field.
There were a series of throw-ins, much to the disgust of the referee, the same one was retaken several times as it appeared that the both teams had forgotten the rules of throw-ins - until TJ stepped up for the Panthers – and was rewarded with a “well done son” from the referee for getting it right first time. Throws are quite simple - two hands behind the head with both feet on the ground behind the touchline!
More Panthers pressure followed – Braden had a shot which was caught by the goalie, again the ball bouncing up to be re-caught – Max came hurtling up the wing for his shot on goal which also went wide. Neil was caught by one of the Timperley players and had to go off injured, to be replaced by TC. Joe was the next to break towards goal with a curving run, he put his shot in but it was deflected by the Timperley goalie only for Callum to pounce on it, but sadly it was another shot that got skied over the top of the goal, much to his chagrin. The next shot on goal was as a result of a corner from George which Joe connected to, only to see the shot deflected by the ‘keeper, however Harry was able to put it in the back of the net to make it 3-0 to the Panthers. By then it was time to switch once again, as Max, Callum, Adam and Harry left the field to join Neil as Jamie, Morgan, Charlie, and TB returned.
At this stage in the game, the possession was shared more evenly between the teams as each attacked and defended in turn. The back four used the offside trap to great effect and won a free kick for the team from close to the half way line. Jamie stepped up and floated it into the box, however as most of his team-mates stood and watched it sail over their heads rather than following it in, no-one was there to convert it into a goal and it went out for a goal kick. Charlie turned provider once again, bringing the ball out from the middle out to the wing and down the line and then on to Jamie, who had a shot on goal which again went too high. Joe and Jamie combined next as Joe passed to Jamie who went up the wing, Morgan had a go at an overhead kick in the box, but didn’t quite connect (but full marks for trying!) however in the aftermath of this, George put the ball back into the box for Joe to score, 4-0 to the Panthers!
Braden was next to have a shot on goal, which again went wide. The ball went from end to end again, Teddy defending well and putting it firmly back up field with aplomb. This pass enabled TJ to link with George who deftly put Braden through to assist Joe with his second goal , making it 5-0. Charlie put in another great cross but it was caught well by the Timperley goalie. The resulting goal kick up field was headed firmly first by Charlie who had raced back into position, then onto TJ, keeping possession for the Panthers. Joe was off up the wing again and into the box, however this time, passed it to his team-mates rather than having a shot himself, but unsurprisingly, the team wasn’t expecting a pass and no goal resulted. Braden had another shot which was deflected wide, and the resulting corner was lost to Timperley. The following attack by Timperley finally resulted in a goal, Nathan diving helplessly as the ball hit the back of the net. Now the score was 5-1. Maybe the start of a Timperley revival was on the cards - hopefully not.
The next shot on goal was from the Panthers, as Joe’s effort skimmed the post as it flew past, the one after from TJ following a cross in from Jamie, but saved again and then finally success for TB, as he appeared to have scored the Panthers’ sixth, however the offside whistle had blown and unfortunately TB’s goal was disallowed. The Panthers hadn’t finished yet though, and after a great long, diagonal ball from TC, Jamie skipped past the Timperley full back and put a measured pass between the Timperley centre backs for Braden to finish in style, making final score-line 6-1 to the Panthers.
Reading the report back, although this was a great result, it’s clear that the Panthers dominated the game and had a lot of shots on goal, but only 50% were on target of the 26 recorded. In fact this disguises the true team performance, because the defence were left exposed so many times as a result of most of the team pushing forward and not thinking about defensive responsibilities. This is why TJ’s performance in midfield and TC’s in defence were so important to us today. In fact TJ and TC should be singled out for specific praise in this respect, as it is not just about goals. I wonder why, in a 6-1 win, that Nathan our superb goalkeeper was voted ‘Man of the Match’. It is possible he could have been bored to death, with nothing to do in this match, if the team had played for each other and not just for goal glory.
Manager’s comments (rant)
Despite the great result and on the one hand being really pleased for the boys, I wondered why I didn't feel as happy as I did last week after the game. Firstly I want to pick up on the last point in the report. Whilst it is important for the boys to vote for Man of the Match, as they are the ones that matter, I need to point out some of the unsung heroes of this team at the moment, and I know Adam may be one of those next week, as he sacrifices his wishes for the good of the team. TC plays each game as a reluctant centre back knowing that if he doesn’t, we will be exposed badly, although he would also like the chance to score goals too and play in other positions. That is why he is captain. He sacrifices his own wishes for the good of the team! TJ continually positions himself well to cover other players, who are also continually on the hunt for the glory of goals. I know some players even try to negotiate on the pitch with their teammates for a change of position, so they can score goals without even consulting the manager. This is not acceptable in the Panthers!
Our full backs, while they are encouraged to get up and support the attack, also need to remember their defensive responsibilities when we lose the ball. However it is the midfield I need to focus on. Often our midfield and to some extent the full backs were caught too far forward without cover, except when TJ and Jamie, whose role is not really a covering role, were to cover for them. The other midfielders tracked back all too infrequently in this game especially when compared to last week. So instead of playing 4-2-3-1 when we lost the ball with 5 players in midfield, often we were playing 3-1-6 (at best), sometimes even as bad as 2-7.... So despite a better score line, the performance overall was nowhere near as good as last week, and against a better team it could have been disastrous.
There was a high tendency within the team today not to pass, and it was noticeable that a lot of our players like to run with the ball for extended periods of time, which results in a lot of wasted effort when the inevitable loss of possession occurs. The ball will always travel faster when passed than when a player runs with it. We now need to learn to play as a team, passing controlling and moving the ball more, so that we score goals together rather than individually all trying to score goals. The focus at this level of football should be on learning how to win as a team and score more goals than the opposition, rather than just scoring and winning as a bunch of individuals who happen to be on the same pitch, at the same time, wearing the same kit who fortunately happen to be quicker and more technically skilful than the opposition.
But hey this a new team, with a great bunch of talented players who can easily rectify this, and we’ll start on Friday at training. However we must remember the motto of this team is to
“LISTEN, LEARN, HAVE FUN, BE THE BEST TEAM PLAYERS WE CAN BE, TO BECOME THE BEST TEAM WE CAN BE.”
Thanks to Andy L and Tim for volunteering to run the lines in the absence of any Timperley volunteers.
Many thanks, particularly to Andy C but also Emma (see picture number 2!) Claire, Andy L, Andy H, Jason, Harry, Julie and any others who we didn’t notice who all helped Helen, Stu and myself set up and clear down today. Every bit of help is really appreciated, as it can take some time to get everything sorted out.
GBK Man of the Match: Nathan Forrest
Dream Team results: Gold: Nathan for an unnecessarily excellent display of goalkeeping and usual vocal ‘encouragement’ and leadership. Silver: Harry for an energetic box to box display of full back play and a well deserved goal. Pity no one covered for him when he went on his marauding runs. Bronze: TJ for a superb defensive minded midfield display, heading, clearing, passing, moving, tracking back, covering and taking perfect throw-ins
Crunchie Moments: TB for his disallowed goal, Morgan for his spectacular overhead kick effort in front of goal and Joe for his two goals
Wispa Moments: TJ and Charlie for fearless clearing headers in the second half (before the ball had bounced)
 MOTM: Nathan Forrest Silver: Harry Mail Bronze: Thomas Jefferis
Team : N Forrest, T Botham, T Collicott, M Forde-Dunlop, H Mail, C Sciple, T Strang, N Woodward, T Jefferis, C McKew,
J Nugent, J Saks, G Steel, B Harris, A Leigh, M Murphy
 Goals : H Mail, C McKew, J Saks (2), B Harris, A Leigh
 Assists : C Sciple, J Nugent, J Saks, G Steel (2), B Harris
Referee : Frank Gallagher
Source: Helen << to news index
Wilmslow Town U12 Panthers : More Information
|
Site design by IMA Electronic Media 
