Grappenhall v Egerton 12/3/2011

Grappenhall B 2-8 Egerton Panthers

Franklin and Co Hammer Grappenhall

Near perfect conditions greeted Egerton on their arrival at Grappenhall and a change in formation saw the Panthers opt for an all out attack philosophy, with them looking to bounce back from the previous weekends uncommon result. Alex was drafted in as a second striker whilst the manager opted for Ben to hold the fort on his own in defence. From the first whilst, the Panthers threw everything at Grappenhall and almost opened the scoring in the first minute when Ollie's shot was well saved by their keeper. The barrage of shots kept coming with the keeper saving well from both Leo and Alex. How long could Grappenhall hold out?
The deadlock was finally broken on 5 minutes when Ollie saw an opportunity and took it, poking the ball past the keeper to make it 1-0. They smelt blood and continued to attack in waves, putting together some neat passing moves combined with fine individual skill. The second came courtesy of the same player, running onto a fine through ball by Ed, Ollie slotted the ball past the keeper to make it 2-0. The 3rd came moments later and was a goal straight from the training ground; following being awarded a corner, Luke signalled to play it short, Leo received it and laid a return ball into his path for Luke to run onto and smash past the keeper from the edge of the area, great move, great goal. 3-0. It should have been 4-0 minutes later but somehow the Grappenhall keeper managed to save four point blank shots. Grappenhall were putting the Panthers under very little pressure, so it came as a surprise when they pegged a goal back, a fumbled catch by Mitch fell to the feet of their striker who rolled the ball into the back of the net. 3-1. This seemed to have no effect on the Panthers confidence and they soon extended their lead when Ed smashed home a volley from a corner to make it 4-1. With the half time whistle about to go, Ollie found himself in space in the box to crash home the 5th and earn himself a hatrick. HT 5-1.
The second half saw the introduction of Andy, taking up the sweeper role that Ben had successfully commanded in the first half. Within a few minutes, he was on the score sheet, Luke laid the ball back to him 20 yards out for him to hammer home a screamer that almost burst the net, take a bow son....take a bow!! The panthers then began to play as individuals, forgetting the passing game the team was built on, resulting in a few frustrated shouts of "you need to release it & pass the ball quicker" from the sidelines. With everyone pushing up, trying to get their name on the score sheet, Grappenhall broke and slotted a well placed shot past an on rushing Mitch. 6-2. Order was restored moments later when Leo managed to stumble his way into the box after a good run, before smashing a shot across the keeper into the bottom corner 7-2. He could have had a second moments later but his shot came back off the post. The Panthers weren't finished there as Andy pushed up front to find space to turn and strike the ball past the keeper 8-2. Mitch fancied a goal and came rushing out of his net to sprint the full length of the pitch for a corner only for him to narrowly miss the ball as it was swung in. When the final whistle blew, the Panthers had increased their goal difference and regained second spot in the league, however had it not been for a great display by their keeper and the post saving them 4 times, the Panthers could have had a hatful more. FT 8-2.
Team: Mitch-Ben Has-Andy-Luke-Leo-Ed-Ollie-Adam-Oliver-Alex

Grappenhall A 0-5 Egerton Pumas

Pumas March On

Having witnessed the previous game, the Pumas were eager to get going and build on the performance displayed by the Panthers. With the wind in their faces, the Pumas struggled to settle, taking time to get their passing game going. Some energetic closing down by Jack stopped Grappenhall from settling as the Pumas began to find their feet. Both keepers seemed relatively quiet in the opening stages as the midfield battled it out. The Pumas were rewarded for their hard work when a shot from Jack went through the legs of the keeper "a la" Suarez, rolled across the line to be tapped home by Bradley 1-0, the deadlock was broken!
The pumas began to build on their lead and started to dominate possession without really threatening the goal, the wind playing a major part in the lack of chances. Ben was battling away in midfield and a few nice touches from Stan had the Grappenhall defence on their heels. Having been away on a school trip the previous week, questions were asked before the game about Tom's fitness, but on today's performance you would never have known as he held the back line and distributed the ball accurately to the midfield, the always running Freddie helping him with his defensive duties.
The second half couldn't come quick enough and a murmur from assistant Jim of "we'll batter these second half" was about to come true HT 1-0.
With the wind now behind them the Pumas came flying out of the traps, playing some great football on their way to increasing their lead. Jacko found space in the box to turn and shoot, his shot cannoned of a defender, sending the keeper the wrong way and into the back of the net 2-0. The introduction of battering ram Isaac began to put more pressure on the Grappenhall defence and his hard work paid off when he slotted home, 3-0. That lead was to be extended further when Ben, from an impossible angle, somehow managed to hit a shot at goal. This seemed to catch the keeper off guard as he seemed to slap the ball into his own net. Ben seemed more surprised than anyone he'd scored but they all count 4-0. Bradley was his usual tricky self, a quick turn and flick saw the ball roll through a defenders legs, the shout of "megs" from the sideline brought a smile to his face. That smile was almost made bigger when he struck a free kick towards the top corner, only for it to be well saved by the keeper. Matt was in equally good form at the other end, keeping out anything the grappenhall strike force could throw at him. The Pumas would extend there lead late on when ben found room to shoot and beat the keeper to make it 5-0. At the final whistle, the pumas almost broke into smiles as they maintained their 100% record in the Albert Steele and remain in the qualifying places. FT 5-0.
Team Matt-Brad-Tom-Freddie-Stan-Isaac-Ben Hen-Jack