Panthers show resilience to produce dramatic comeback to win.
The Panthers entertained Lichfield city at Long lane this Sunday .It was a dewy morning, there was tension in the air as Lichfield city were reported to be a very good side. If we are being honest the Panthers haven’t been really tested yet this season but this this game was set to be a tough encounter.
During the team talk the “Gaffer” made it clear that we needed to switch play quicker as we would be caught out against better side likes today’s opponents.
The Panthers kicked off towards the club house and started brightly with Tank and Wizza going close to breaking the deadlock. Then after a cagey 15 minutes the Panthers conceded their first goal of the season when the ball was deflected off Louis (Grealish) Beesley past the helpless Lewis.
The Panthers were quick to reply when Tommy Simkin scored following a slide rule pass from Wizza. Following this the Panthers appeared to become a bit complacent with players either rushing to get rid of the ball or dwelling on the ball to long, this was a far cry from the football the boys had been producing in the previous weeks.
Lichfield took advantage of this and before half time they went into a 3 -1 lead following a penalty awarded for a foul in the box and poor marking by the Panthers from a corner. During the first half the Panthers were reduced to long range efforts which were saved by the very good Lichfield keeper. Half time 1-3.
At half time the management team informed the Panthers that if they didn’t step up their play the game would some been out of their reach. A tactical change was made at half time with Louis going in goal and Lewis moving into defence.
The second half started with the Panthers looking a bit like their old selves, Harvey and Rio combined well down the right flank to created several chances which were either well saved or were shot over the bar.
The Panthers got themselves back in the game when following good work by Harvey he set up Tommy to slot home his second goal of the day. As he Panthers threw players forward they were caught on the break, good goalkeeping by Louis kept out the opposition.
The Panthers were now gaining confidence with Sam and George starting to play like their usual sleeves and Tank and Wizza became to constant threat.
Next came a controversial moment when Wizza hit a shot high towards the net the Lichfield keeper did well to get a hand to it but it appeared to hit the roof of the net before bouncing out. The referee didn’t see it that way and he waived play on. Following this the Panthers showed real resilience to get themselves an equaliser and this can with about 8 minutes to go when Tommy rounded off his hatrick. Not content with the drawn the Panthers pushed for a winning goal and the ever reliable George came up with a goal worthy of wining any game when he shot high into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
At the final whistle the Panthers were relieved to have won a game they could easily lost. Credit goes to the opposition who pushed the Panthers hard for the full 60 minutes. The panthers were delighted within the win but they know they will have to play better in the coming weeks if they are to continue their winning streak.
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