U12 Panthers pass the Benchill Benchmark test - and move up to 2nd in D1

9 October 2011

This morning's fixture saw the U12 Panthers come up against Benchill, one of their main adversaries from  last season's campaign. At U11, there was nothing between the two teams; both home and away league meetings finished 3-3, before the excitement of a 4-4 draw in the cup semi-final. Ultimately, the Panthers did take the advantage last term - finishing one point ahead of Benchill in the league and going on to win the cup after the drama of the semi-final penalty shoot-out. So, coaches and players on both sides were looking forward to more of the same as the teams met today in Division One.

Not for the first time, the Panthers started in bleary-eyed fashion. Benchill enjoyed too much time and space deep in Panthers' territory and won a free kick on the right wing, just outside the Panthers' box. The free-kick was lifted high into the area and dropped inside the top left-hand angle to give the hosts the lead. 1-0

Two seasons ago, early setbacks would set the tone for Panthers' performances and results, but not these days. The boys returned the ball on the centre spot and never looked back. The rest of the first half was virtually all Wilmslow. The scores were level again within a few minutes, as a goal kick was intercepted inside the Benchill half, and the ball ran through for Jack to collect and beat the 'keeper. 1-1

Soon after, the Panthers were in front. Josh Wheeler ran clear and saw his shot parried by the Benchill 'keeper. The ball appeared to be rolling safely beyond the left-hand post, but Jack was quick to seize the opportunity and slipped the ball in to put Wilmslow ahead. 1-2. Scorer then turned provider as Jack swung a corner into the Benchill 6-yard box and Rohan was the first of four advancing white shirts to reach the ball and head the Panthers into a two-goal lead. 1-3

Changes were made on 20 minutes and (Benchill old boy) Matias joined the game. Immediately he began enjoying some good runs down the left channel and - fed by George Barnett - produced a tidy finish shortly before half-time to give Wilmslow a three-goal cushion. 1-4

Half time came and went, with managerial warnings of past experiences; Benchill are not the kind of team to give up on a game at any point. And so it proved. For ten minutes, the Benchill midfield and forward line pushed the Panthers back and the visitors struggled to get the ball out of their own half.

With some legs tiring, there were more changes on 40 minutes and the momentum swung back towards the re-energised Panthers. A through ball from Dan was touched by Josh Wheeler into Matias' path and he shot low past the 'keeper to put the result beyond any doubt. 1-5. The same pair then combined again, as Josh played Matias through the Benchill offside trap and clear on goal before Matias rounded the 'keeper and pushed the ball into the empty net. 1-6.

In the closing minutes, Josh Wheeler was tripped in the box and stepped-up to take the penalty - striking the ball well to the right of the 'keeper who parried acrobatically and saw the ball spin over the bar. With minutes ticking away, Wilmslow somehow managed to play the advantage and concede the final goal of the game. Having been allowed to play on after a foul, the Panthers lost the ball high up the field and, with the midfield in advanced positions, watched from distance as the Benchill striker collected a long clearance to score. 2-6 the final score.

With the exception of the lapses in concentration at the very start and end of the game, this was one of the most accomplished performances we have seen from the Panthers. From goalkeeper to centre forward, every member of the squad contributed and after the opening minutes the result never looked in doubt. The team has definitely moved up a gear from the opening two games of the season and begin to look like a force to be reckoned with.

MOTM awards were difficult, based on the overall team performance. Bronze went to Matias for his hat trick, although he and the other Panthers strikers went away from today's game realising that we need to work hard on how to beat a well organised offside trap. Silver went to James for an assured performance after coming on at centre back. Gold went to George Barnett who, along with the rest of the defence, barely put a foot wrong all game.

Source: A Wheeler

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