Battyeford battle back

SHELF PANTHERS MATCH REPORT 24 JANUARY 2010
Battyeford under 13s 3 Shelf Panthers 3

Two last-gasp goals – including one deep into added time - saw a tenacious Battyeford team snatch a draw against a slightly out-of-sorts Shelf side.

Emerging from an enforced six-week hibernation, the Panthers found themselves with only 11 available players for their first match of 2010 in the absence of Ross, Nat and William. And the big question was whether captain Jonny would suffer a Samson-style loss of strength after shedding his shaggy locks – but those fears were soon allayed when he executed a full-blooded covering tackle after five minutes.

Seconds later, Shelf took the lead through Toby, who tormented the home defence throughout the game with a Man of the Match display of powerful and intelligent forward play.

As the Panthers broke at speed from their own half, Tom Mann threaded the ball through to Toby in his favourite position on the left edge of the box and he smashed a left-foot shot hard and low to the keeper’s right.

Shelf came within a whisker of going further ahead two minutes later when Sam twice had goalbound close-range efforts blocked by defenders, and it was no surprise when Toby made it 2-0 after 13 minutes with a hard, high shot which the keeper got his hands to but couldn’t keep out.

At that stage, it looked as though the Panthers would cruise to an easier victory than their hard-fought 6-3 win when the sides met in September. But Battyeford clawed their way back into the match, pulled a goal back and had the better of the last ten minutes of the first half.

Two minutes after the restart, Battyeford carved out what seemed like a certain equaliser – only to blaze the ball over the bar from a couple of yards out.

It was a sign of things to come. As the home side piled on the pressure, Luke had to make a string of saves.

Then, with 13 minutes left, Tom Mann appeared to have made sure of the points when he controlled the ball on the edge of the area and curled a shot into the bottom left corner of the net.

Battyeford refused to give up, though. They pulled a goal back through a header from a free kick with two minutes left, and equalised after a goalmouth scramble in the third minute of Fergie time.

Despite dropping two points, Shelf remain top of the league at the half-way point in their season. And, with rivals Savile Town suffering a surprise defeat, the Panthers’ destiny is in their own hands. No-one can take the title away from them…provided they win all their remaining games.