MOUNTAIN EXCITEMENT

Shelf Panthers 2 Longcroft Lions 4

With both coaches and two players recently returned from the Alps, you’d have expected the Panthers to be at home on slopes. But they found it an uphill struggle in the second half as they toiled up Hipperholme’s answer to Mont Blanc.

This allowed the visitors – whose own home matches are played on the Huddersfield Matterhorn – to turn a 2-0 half-time deficit into a 4-2 win.

Shelf raced into the lead after just three minutes. Left-back Tom Wood picked the ball up on the edge of the area and blasted an unstoppable shot for his second goal since Christmas.

The Panthers could have doubled their lead after 15 minutes when Ryan was put through by Toby and unleashed a powerful drive, only to be denied by a diving save by the keeper.

Two minutes later, Shelf were two up. This time, Ryan turned provider and Toby steered the ball expertly past the advancing keeper to bring his tally for the season to 13.

But after the break, the visitors took charge of the match, orchestrated by their beanpole striker “Crouchy.” Scott “Franz Klammer” Williams could have done with a pair of skis to help him keep pace with the number 15’s giant strides. And the Lions’ first two goals – after 36 and 47 minutes – both resulted from perfectly-flighted corners from the boy who puts the Long in Longcroft.

The Panthers were given fresh heart by an exquisite chip from Toby that floated inches wide. But most of the action came at the other end. In the space of three minutes, Man of the Match Jonny Jones made a phenomenal goal-line clearance, goalkeeper Cameron Wells pulled off a great fingertip save, and a Longcroft shot bounced off the post.

As the Panthers tired, the visitors wrapped up the match with a third goal in the 49th minute and a fourth in injury time.

After the match, coach Tony Williams unfastened his ski visor and said: “To be honest, we needed some fresh legs…Alpine Fresh…the new washing powder from Bold. It’s what your shorts have been missing…”