U11 Panthers march on - against Timperley Villa and the elements

Timplerley started the game with the wind behind them, facing an unfamiliar Wilmslow IX with Nathan at centre back, Jack up-front partnering Josh Wheeler and Captain Dan watching-on from the touchline. The wind proved troublesome throughout the 60 minutes and Timperley took advantage in the early stages as they mounted a series of attacks before taking the lead - against the form book, but not the run of play - after five minutes.

The Panthers looked surprised to be trailing (although I'm not sure why), but there were no signs of panic. They tried to pass the ball, but too often found themselves amongst a crowded midfield down the centre of the pitch. After some instruction to force their width, Jack played a glorious cross-field ball from left touchline to right wing, which was met by Josh Wheeler who crashed the ball into the top left-hand corner from the edge of the box.

For the next ten minutes, Wilmslow continued to toil and Timperley belied their league position as the two teams looked very evenly matched. Timperley kept Henners on his toes with balls played through the Panther's defence and Wilmslow had some promising forays down both flanks but lacked the finish or final pass. Both sides were struggling to fashion any clear-cut chances.

The momentum tipped Wilmslow's way five minutes before half-time after Nathan was up-ended just inside his own half. Nathan's long free kick cleared the collection of players in the middle of the pitch and bounced invitingly into the Timperley area for Calvin to help the ball deftly over the advancing 'keeper and into the empty net. Within a couple of minutes the Panthers had a two-goal cushion; Josh Mehta, enjoying a rare run-out at right midfield, carried the ball confidently into the Timperley box and fed Max to his right and Max finished neatly across the 'keeper into the bottom left corner.

Max doubled his tally on the stroke of half-time after good work from Rohan saw the ball drop onto Max's right foot and he drove it straight into the left corner of the Timplerley net.

A 4-1 lead after 30 minutes with a wind-assisted second half to follow.

Timperley regained their resolve at the start of the second half but had to cope with unrelenting wind in their faces. They struggled, as Wilmslow had done in the first half, to clear the ball from their defensive third and the Panther's fifth came directly from a goal kick that fell for Jack in centre field. Jack carried the ball into the left side of the area and committed the Timperley defender before rolling the ball to Rohan who didn't pass-up the opportunity to score his second in two games, placing the ball firmly into the bottom right hand corner of the goal.

The next goal was less classy; Jack was again involved as he tested the 'keeper with a good strike from 15 yards, and the 'keeper did well to keep it out but Josh Wheeler was on hand to knock-in the rebound.

The wind ensured that nearly all of the action was in or around the Timperley area, and it was Josh Wheeler that went closest to extending the lead with a shot from just outside the box that hit the crossbar. Jack, a willing provider, turned scorer shortly afterwards as Max carried the ball into the area and fed Jack, who was able to toe poke the ball over the 'keeper at close quarters.

Despite having the score line and the elements against them, Timperley continued to compete gamely and were rewarded with a second as the Panthers (not for the first time) took their territorial dominance for granted and over-committed men forward. Henners was left one-on-one and the Timperley striker finished well with three Wilmslow players chasing back to make a tackle.

Josh Wheeler and Calvin combined well together in attack for the first time and they shared the next two goals. First, Josh won the ball in centre field outside the box and laid the ball to the left for Calvin who opened his body and added a smart finish over the 'keeper into the top-right corner. It was roles reversed five minutes later as Calvin and Josh found themselves two-on-one against the Timplerley defence and Calvin passed-up the opportunity to add to his personal account by squaring the ball for Josh, who touched the ball over the line for his hat-trick.

With the result no longer an issue, Wilmslow finished with two solo efforts, first a run from Dan through the middle of the defence and a nonchalant finish into the bottom corner. Then Jack followed suit, outpacing the last defender to attack the Timperley box and finish in emphatic style from close range.

11-2 the final score in a match that produced some quality moments despite the difficult conditions. Timperley, who played the second period with only eight men, arrived and departed with smiles on their faces. Their first half performance suggested that they can improve significantly on past results with a bit of good fortune, and their determined attitude throughout was a credit to them and their coaches.

On recent form, this was a fixture from which Wilmslow expected to take three points and the Panthers did end-up convincing winners. There were some sticky moments in the first half, not helped by the wind and some unfamiliar player positions, but overall it was a good morning's work. Defensively they will need to be more assured in their next league game against Alderley, but in front of goal (and some distance away from it) there was some clinical finishing and a growing willingness to forsake personal glory and play the right ball. Indeed, one of the most encouraging aspects of the game was witnessing players looking to set-up their team mates and sharing in the celebrations for all of the goals.

Simon Cole chose this week's player awards. Bronze went to Max for a brace of goals and some great support work. Silver to Dan who showed when coming off the subs bench why he is rarely on it and Gold/MOTM to Josh Wheeler who scored three, looked back to his best and even smiled a couple of times.