Unbeaten record finally goes despite battling display - Beaten at last after battle in the mud

5 February 2011

The Panthers lined up against Unicorn Crusaders in atrocious conditions at Lacey Green . Although a home fixture they were on the larger sloping right hand pich for the first time . Sam captain for the day lost the toss so the Panthers kicked uphill in the first period. The conditions were not helped by this being the second match of the day on the surface and it was soon obvious that the Panthers were going to find it difficult to get their passing game working properly.

1st period

A slightly different starting formation this week designed to counter the more physical opposition the Panthers face in Division 2 . As usual Gabriel in goal with Marcus and Sam in defence. The nomal middle three of Jack left Ben right with Davy central and Martin up front looking to soften up the Unicorn defence ahead of the introduction of Dillan and Aidan. Our own enforcer at the back Ollie was also held back in reserve.

The game started evenly with the Panthers being frustrated by the sticky pitch . Martin soon made his presence felt with a good run down the right which forced a corner. Ben delivered a great ball which Martin headed in at the near post to open the scoring. Soon after the same pair combined again but this time Martin's header ran agonisely along the goal liine before being cleared to safety.

Unicorn were threatening and Gabriel cleared one attack well kicking the ball to safety. Sam and Marcus were staying composed but the difficult conditions underfoot made flowing passing football difficult. Davy was looking to set Ben and Jack on the wings free and when he received the ball Martin was favouring a more direct approach. The Panthers came close to increasing their lead on a couple of ocassions before Unicorn broke down the right and the resulting cross was well dispatched to level the scores.

2nd period

Dillan, Aidan and Ollie replaced Martin Ben and Sam, and the Panthers were soon pressing again with Dillan making a run down the left that Unicorn eventually cleared. A Unicorn attack saw Gabriel slip but just recover to clear.Ollie introduced at the back was winning most loose ball and clearing forcefully. Unicorn then took the lead though when some hesitation at the back resulted in a Unicorn attacker running through to score.

Dillan nearly restored the Panthers to parity but fired narrowly wide after good work by Aidan and Davy on the right. Davy then fired in a powerful shot from distance that was well saved. The Panthers then did level Jack made another surging run down the left but it looked as though he would be crowded out by the Unicorn defence. He hit the byline though and managed to get in a cross that Marcus managed to force just over the line to level the scores.

Despite this recovery the Panthers were still struggling in the mud and Unicorn went ahead after one of their tricky forwards ran through unchallenged and finished well.

With heads still held high the Panthers pushed forward  and levelled once again when Aidan finished well after an attempt by Marcus fell into his path.

3rd Period

The last period saw more positional changes and these allowed several boys to show how versatile they can be in different roles . Marcus debuted in goal replacing Gabriel who had not been feeling 100% . Martin joined up in defence again with Ollie and Sam who looks very assured at the back reverted to his preferred central midfield role. Ben also returned on the right looking to drive the Panthers on to their first victory in this more testing league.

It was nip and tuck with both sides pushing for the winner , Aidan Ben and Dillan were probing without making a clear cut chance , Marcus was well protected by Ollie, Martin and Sam and it looked as though the result could go either way.

Unicorn however scored the crucial seventh goal after a break down the right led to a strong shot past Marcus. Martin then took over in goal for the final few minutes and caused Unicorn problems with kicks that travelled deep into the Unicorn half. Try as they might though the Panthers could not bridge the gap for a third time despite battling to the end

Summary

Although the boys lost their impressive unbeaten record to a very good Unicorn team they battled to the end and the conditions which did not favour the preferred pass and move Panthers game also had a big impact on the final score. There were lots of positive to take from the match though as the boys not only showed how determined they can be but also how effectivly they can adapt to playing different roles for the benefit of the team. It surely will not be long before they gain their first victory in this harder league if they continue to perform as they did today.

Man of The Match - Martin - A real threat up front as well as solid at the back and in goal

Silver Award - Dillan - Battled away up front without deserved reward

Aidan - Determined and full of twist and turns, and composed in front of goal

Source:

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