GCBFC Under 11 Panther's 2008/09 Match Reports

Date : 8th March 2009 Fixture : SPL Youth Plate Semi Final Result : Guildford City Panthers 2 - 8 Cove

The weather conditions were perfect at the rec for an exciting semi final plate fixture, the highly improving Panthers entertaining top of the league Cove.

Panthers began the game at a high tempo, and their excellent passing and movement along with stern tackling and good positioning, meant they controlled the game in the opening fifteen minutes and were by far the better side. After two close opportunities, Panthers were the first to capitalise and opened the scoring through a set piece. A magnificent corner taken by Charlie King was met in the box by defender Joe Baverstock, he made no mistake in slotting it into the bottom left hand corner for his only goal of the season so far.

Cove pressed hard looking for the equaliser, often playing long balls for the two quick Cove forwards to run on to them. Panthers defence found it very difficult to deal with the pace and power of the Cove forwards, and four virtually identical goals involving long passes and rapid pace, gave Cove an uncatchable lead. Panthers continued to play their pass and move football and almost pulled a goal back just before half time, a Steven Tonkmor effort going just wide. Cove however, did manage to scramble one in to bring the half time score to 1-5.

Panthers rallied well at the break, and began the second half once again as the better team. It was great to see that all the players continued to battle very hard for every ball, despite the score line they were far from giving up. Charlie Searle had a good effort saved, and another went just wide of the post, his strike partner King had another wide effort and Dan Woodgate also went close. Panthers then reduced the margin when a ball fell to Jordan Pateman on the edge of the area and Pateman took a great touch beating the defender before smashing it past the diving Cove keeper.

The margin could and should of been reduced further, when chances in the six yard box fell to Mathew Brooks and Searle but this week it was not to be. In a very even second half overall, Cove did manage to find two more goals and ran out eventual winners by 2-7. However, the spirit and determination showed by all Panthers players in front of a very big supporting crowd made it an excellent game despite not making it through to the final.

It was very sporting to watch the Panthers wishing good luck for the final to the Cove boys, and although very disappointed they will get further opportunities I have no doubt about that. They should all feel very proud with their achievements so far, already been promoted, making a semi final and improving every week, and they have all only been together for six months. Now they can all concentrate in improving their league placing starting next week and I am sure with the constant improvement and the huge team spirit that they have will soon be climbing the table.

Well done to all the Panthers for a great game, Thomas Spence was awarded Man of the Match for this fixture, Thomas's attitude, hunger and spirit capped a fine display from the team. Can't wait till next week..............

Pitchside: Ian Baverstock

Date : 1st March 2009 Fixture : Surrey Primary League Div 4 Result : Guildford City Panthers 4 - 1 Staines Lammas

The second game in 24 hours was played back on home soil in a league encounter against Staines Lammas. After a 2-2 draw away at Staines in the first game of the season, Panthers large crowd waited in anticipation to see how many tired legs had fully recovered from a brilliant performance the previous day. The answer was all of them.

Again, Panthers wasted no time in continuing their magnificent recent form and boosted by the returning Oscar Patterson, Max Evans and Ben Wratten, were once again straight out of the blocks and off to a very good start. The closing down of the opposition all over the pitch when Panthers were not in possession, was evident right from the start and is the key factor in how the result would turn out. Panthers grow week by week and when in possession play some brilliant passing football equal to any side in the division. The encouraging and uplifting reward in this game and the one just 24 hours earlier was the hunger the Panthers had to work so hard in winning back the ball when not in possession.

Although not scoring in the first half, Panthers had the majority of the play and chances were created and narrowly missed. Ben Wratten, Charlie Searle and Jordan Pateman had good efforts and tried to break the stalemate, but it was a defensive half and a mature performance once again not conceding and staying nice and organised.

Half time saw versatile Ben Bookham take the goalkeepers gloves, and it wasn't long before Panthers took the lead. Mathew Brooks pushing on from midfield found Charlie King, his turn and delivery back into the area was sublime. Stephen Tonkmor jumped to head a looping little header over the advancing Staines keeper to add to his goal from the previous day.

Panthers then upped the tempo, and a switch that moved Dan Woodgate to centre midfield, quickly created two more opportunities. Joe Baverstock thwarted a Staines attack, fed Woodgate whose pass to the advancing Wratten split the defence in two. Wratten made no mistake in the finish and gave Panthers a 2-0 lead.

With four substitutes available, Panthers could rest players to get the most out of everyone and once again the effort from all fifteen players on the day was fantastic. Ben Turnbull experienced a rare outing on pitch for the second half after not conceding in goal for a match and a half. It was Turnbulls excellent pass that found Charlie Searle away on the left, and when Searle is off and away it usually means goal. Searle finished again with ease making it 3-0 and a super result again for the team.

Charlie King scored the goal of the game with a brilliant finish from outside the box, 4-0 to Panthers and the second brilliant performance within 24 hours. A goal of exceptional quality and individual skill pulled one back for the visitors but Panthers saw out another victory in a very uplifting display of attitude and commitment.

A Fantastic weekend for the team and all should feel very proud of their own personal performances and more importantly the team performance. Ben Wratten was awarded Man of the match following a hard working display and a cool goal, but once again all players showed quality, coolness and commitment of the highest standard. Well done to you all and can't wait till next week..........

Pitchside: Ian Baverstock

Date : 28th February 2009 Fixture : SPL League Cup Quarter Final Result : Hersham 0 - 4 Guildford City Panthers

The first of two fixtures this weekend for Panthers, saw the team head to Hersham for a tough quarter final tie away to a side from the division above.

Panthers were fantastic from the start and had to defend hard for the first 20 minutes, however they maintained good shape and awareness and seemed always in control. Jordan Pateman, Mathew Brooks, Dan Woodgate and Stephen Tonkmor were excellent in helping out the superb defence of Ben Bookham, Joe Baverstock, Dominic Fairhurst and Chelsea Hilton-coombs, and Panthers who were not the better side in the opening moments required to dig deep to maintain the goalless scoreline.

Panthers then began to take charge of the game, after holding an effervescent Hersham side, started to create their own chances. The brilliant Tonkmor when given space, was lethal with his distribution and chances fell for the in form strikers Charlie Searle and Charlie King. However it was Tonkmor that broke the deadlock and gave Panthers a well deserved lead. Pateman dominated in his holding midfield role, and after breaking up a Hersham attack found King with a super pass out to the right. King was rapid with his quick pace and took off down the right before cutting a wonderful pass inside for Tonkmor to stroke in first time from the edge of the area.

King himself had a super shot saved by the keeper from a full thirty yards following a fine tackle and pass from the inspirational Baverstock. Panthers held firm to half time as tackles from Bookham, Baverstock and Fairhurst were noted for their quality and timing, and the speed off his line by Panthers keeper Ben Turnbull was awesome at times.

Tom Spence joined the defence at half time and showed what a rapidly improving player he has become, never losing his position and working so hard in the second half to help maintain Panthers clean sheet. Dan Woodgate as always gave 100% as did all the players and started to create problems whenever he received the ball. Woodgate's pass to Searle cross field was quick and allowed Searle to do what he does best, springing the offside and having a good effort saved by the Hersham keeper.

Panthers doubled their lead ten minutes into the half when an excellent Brooks - Tonkmor combination found King unmarked in the area. In form King made no mistake beating the keeper at his near post to continue his excellent showing in recent weeks.

Panthers dominated and rather shocked their opponents with their hunger and passing ability after the second goal. Every player showed all travelling support a team performance well above that of the previous weekend and all players believed in themselves and all their team mates.

Charlie Searle added a third and fourth for the Panthers following brilliant play from the irresistible Tonkmor. Searle showed great pace for both goals, finishing with either foot and clearly there is no better striker at this level than the Panthers number 8! At the final whistle a rapturous round of applause greeted the conquering Panthers as they progressed in to the semi-final on what was the finest performance so far this season. The team were faultless in this display and all should feel very proud with their achievements.

Stephen Tonkmor was awarded man of the match after such a cool and collected performance, setting up two goals and scoring another, although eleven other players were not far behind for the award themselves. Breathtaking display of attitude and commitment by all concerned, well done, cant wait until next week..............

Pitchside: Ian Baverstock

Date : 22nd February 2009 Fixture : Surrey Primary League Div 4 Result : Feltham Reds 5 - 5 Guildford City Panthers

Honours were even in a ten goal thriller with Guildford City Panthers coming from behind to equalise three times to earn a well deserved draw, and nearly snatching victory, in a pulsating match. Man of the Match Charlie Searle showed superb finishing skills in netting four times, and this was backed up a superb, battling team performance.

Panthers began the game sluggishly as in recent weeks but when two goals down, rather than let their heads go down, the boys fought back to be level with a scrambled goal by Charlie King after great work by Stephen Tonkmor and a shot by Charlie Searle parried by the keeper. The Panthers trailed 4:2 at half-time but began to fight back again and to control the midfield, with Jordan Pateman, back in the side after missing the previous game, showing his strength in the tackle and commanding presence in front of the back four. Matthew Brooks showed good skill to run from his own half beating three defenders and Max Evans typified the Panthers battling spirit in the game.

The Panthers responded superbly in the second half and were level midway through the half after a Charlie Searle double, a fine solo effort and a tap-in after a superb through ball by Thomas Spence set Dan Woodgate away to provide the perfect cross. In the second half the Panthers defence held firm, with a central defensive partnership of Dominic Fairhurst, and Oscar Patterson, showing admirable determination and a cool head under pressure playing at centre back for the first time. Chelsea Hilton-Combes again had a great match, as did the goal-keeping duo of “Bens” (Turnbull and Bookham) who shared the gloves in this game.

Feltham took the lead for the third time with a breakaway goal through the middle, but Charlie Searle finished off from close range after Dan Woodgate had a strong shot saved by the Feltham keeper. The Panthers nearly snatched it twice at the death and finished the stronger of the two teams, with the Feltham keeper pulling off a superb save to foil Stephen Tonkmor, managing to keep hold of the ball with two Panthers attackers waiting for the loose ball. The Panthers did get the ball in the net for a sixth time and everyone thought that was the winner, but it was ruled out by an offside decision.

Superb team effort!! Well done everybody!!

Pitchside: Chaz Brooks

Date : 15th February 2009 Fixture : Surrey Primary League Div 4 Result : Guildford City Panthers 4 - 2 Send Galaxy

A fine performance all round for The Panthers in this their latest league encounter. Very well organised, and maintaining shape and discipline from the start, Panthers dominated the opening twenty minutes and capitalised on this with two very good and quality taken team goals.

Central midfield partnership of Jordan Pateman and Mathew Brooks took a fine hold of the game, Pateman in his familiar holding role breaking up play, and Brooks bursting forward every time he got the ball. It was Brooks wonderful pass that picked out an effervescent Charlie King, and King wasted no time in sprinting on to the ball, past two Send defenders before coolly firing in to give the Panthers a well deserved first goal.

Three minutes later, Panthers doubled their lead, this time Pateman sent a long ball out to the left, Charlie Searle raced on to it, brilliantly knocking it past an advancing defender before running with it for a full thirty yards and smashing it in. Two more efforts from the Panthers went narrowly wide, Brooks, King and the excellent Daniel Woodgate all looking to add to the Panthers dominance.

Send, who beat the Panthers narrowly just three weeks ago, were looking to get back into the game and created some chances of their own just before the interval. The back four of Chelsea Hilton-Coombs, Ben Bookham and central Dominic Fairhurst and Joe Baverstock, all made decisive tackles to prevent Send breaking through. Send did find a goal to half the deficit and half time Panthers deservedly lead 2-1.

Panthers started the second period as they left the first. All were hungry to win the ball, and shape and positioning was exceptional. Max Evans worked tirelessly on the left wing, putting in a very good shift, as did Tom Spence, Yama Laly and Oscar Patterson that when came on and were required to fill in at a number of places, all did great for the team.

Baverstock made the telling pass that Charlie King latched on to on the half way line, before scoring an almost identical goal as his first one, superb pace to beat the defence before coming out on top once one on one with the keeper. Panthers fourth goal was soon to follow, Woodgate supplying a great delivery into the box and with Send failing to clear the ball, Searle lashed it goal bound. It crossed the line off a Send defender and was disputed by the Send players, but the referee correctly identified that the ball was in and the lead to Panthers.....4-1.

Panthers battled hard and concentrated in the latter stages and although Send did find another goal, Panthers all showed up and got stuck in when it mattered. Ben Turnbull made two notable saves in the second half, and kept the Panthers well in front, but Hilton-Coombs, Baverstock and Fairhurst continued to tackle well and hard until the final whistle.

A well deserved win for the Panthers, great team effort all round, capped by a fine Man of the Match performance by Charlie King, who took two brilliant goals with ease and simplicity. Well done to all concerned for an entertaining and great display of football...................................Can't wait until next week...........................

Pitchside: Ian Baverstock

Date : 18th January 2009 Fixture : Surrey Primary League Div 4 Result : Meadow Boys 2 - 2 Guildford City Panthers

For the first game back in 2009, and a very difficult fixture away to second in the table Meadow Boys, Panthers were magnificent in their first game for six weeks! With two influential players missing (get well soon Danny and Matthew), Panthers started the game very positively and had to work extremely hard from the kick off against a well organised and very fast Meadow side.

Dominic Fairhurst showed tremendous speed at the back and alongside Joe Baverstock, Chelsea Hilton-Combes and Ben Bookham managed to thwart early Meadow attacks. Panthers fell behind on ten minutes when a great through ball split the defence and Meadow took a deserved lead. The attitude showed by Panthers when they had gone behind was tremendous. Stephen Tonkmor got on the ball and worked his magic in supplying excellent passes to Charlie Searle and Charlie King.

After a couple of wide efforts, Charlie Searle then levelled things up with a great left foot effort after picking up one of Tonkmor's passes. Ben Turnbull in the Panthers goal was outstanding on the day and prevented Meadow from going in front before the break with two excellent saves, diving both to the left and right and tipping both round his posts.

Level at the break, Panthers begun the second half as the better side. Within five minutes Panthers had stole a lead and taken advantage of some poor Meadow clearing. Thomas Spence picked up a cleared ball on the edge of the box, and picked out Charlie Searle at the far post for a tap in and the lead to Panthers.

Meadow came back hard and pushed the play deep into Panthers half looking for the equaliser. Jordan Pateman who had another great game, worked back tirelessly in helping the defence, as did Max Evans to help protect Panthers lead. For the rest of the game Panthers defended with commitment and courage, and tackles by Yama Laly, Oscar Patterson and a clearance off the line by the brilliant Fairhurst kept the Panthers in front.

But it was the heroics of Turnbull in goal that was admired by all. Four outstanding saves in the second half saw Panthers protect their lead until the last minute of the game. It was unlucky for Panthers that Meadow equalised, but it was a fair result on the day although hard to take for the team after showing all watching their superb attitude and athletic display.

Ben Turnbull was named man of the match for the best goalkeeping performance seen in this division this season. Well done boys (and Chelsea),...........can't wait till next week!!!!!

Pitchside: Ian Baverstock

Date : 30th November 2008 Fixture : Surrey Primary League Div 4 Result : Walton Casuals Vandals 5 - 4 Guildford City Panthers

Panthers made hard work yet again of this away fixture, due to a slow start and poor positioning. Walton took the lead on five minutes with a well taken effort after some terrific play from their midfield. Panthers hit back immediately with hard working Jordan Pateman striking a brilliant shot from the edge of the area into the bottom left hand corner.

Panthers lack of concentration during the rest of the half proved their undoing. Panthers defence were often left very exposed with the home sides midfield marauding through on numerous occasions. A penalty was awarded for a tame foul on a Walton forward and Panthers keeper Ben Turnbull could do nothing with the coolly disposed spot kick. Under pressure, Panthers found it difficult to keep possession of the ball, and poor marking and not tracking back soon created another opportunity for Walton to take a 3-1 lead into the break.

Second half Panthers were much improved in all areas, they were hungry for the ball and straight away won possession and created the first of lots of second half efforts. Mathew Brooks finished quite beautifully with an exquisite chip over the keeper to bring Panthers back into the match. Charlie Searle was unlucky not to equalise when Dan Woodgates cross from the right was an inch from the sliding in Searle at the far post. Walton regained a two goal cushion totally against the run of play.

Panthers reacted positively and Steven Tonkmor forced over the line to reduce the deficit to one and bring the score to 4-3. Panthers kept going and were well driven by the effervescent Woodgate and the shear determination and passion from defender Joe Baverstock. Tackling hard and fast and breaking up play, Baverstock was once again committed and boiling.

After two or three more attempts, Panthers got the breakthrough and levelled things up! Charlie Searle hit a good close range effort which the keeper carried over his own line. Panthers deserved the equaliser with a good second half team performance, and were unlucky to lose with virtually the last kick of the game. Chances created by Panthers in the second half by far outweighed those of the home side and a draw would have been a fair result. A good cross and finish by the Walton forward gave them victory with no time left for a Panthers response.

A disappointing result in all, with a large chunk of the first half lack of concentration to blame for this result. Panthers once again made things difficult for themselves having to chase the game. Man of the Match for this week was awarded to Joe Baverstock for tremendous work rate and commitment throughout. Unlucky result, looking forward to next week.....

Pitchside: Ian Baverstock

Date : 26th October 2008 Fixture : Surrey Primary League Div 4 Result : Guildford City Panthers 7 - 1 Feltham Reds

The Panthers wrapped up this excellent victory with a superb display of team spirit and commitment.

Panthers passing and movement created many openings in the game, and they were in front within seven minutes when Charlie Searle cut in from the right hand side of the box before lashing in past the Feltham keeper. Panthers doubled their lead on fifteen minutes when wonder winger Dan Woodgate finished coolly following some excellent midfield play from Jordan Pateman and Mathew Brooks. Steven Tonkmor added a third just before the break after a super long ball from central defender Joe Baverstock picked out Searle in space, he found Tonkmor, and he found the net!

Feltham pulled a goal back five minutes after the break, but that only spurred Panthers up a gear optimised by the work rate of Baverstock. He intercepted and tackled time and again which allowed the Panthers forward players to break quickly and take advantage. Searle scored his second of the game and Panthers fourth quickly followed by Tonkmor's second and Panthers fifth.

Team work rate was incredibly high, Pateman, Woodgate and Thomas Spence on the right side of midfield tracked back tirelessly throughout. Woodgate made it six for Panthers with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box for his second goal of the game. Still undefeated in competitive games this season, Panthers wrapped up a memorable victory with five minutes remaining. Searle once again finishing things off with a great hat-trick, bursting into the box from the left, and lashing in a left foot effort past the advancing Feltham keeper.

With no replacements on the day, Panthers worked extremely hard until the final whistle. Joe Baverstock was awarded Man of the match with some awesome defending and vital tackling, but a truly great display by all the Panthers on a dull and dreary wet morning. Keep it up...Can't wait until next week...

Pitchside: Ian Baverstock

Date : 19th October 2008 Fixture : Surrey Primary League Div 4 Result : Staines Town Lammas 2 - 2 Guildford City Panthers

A workman-like and spirited performance on the day saw Panthers rise to their latest league encounter following a superb promotion during the week! The first game in Division 4 proved to be a fair and balanced affair!

Panthers were quick off the mark and had early attacks before striker Charlie Searle put them in front on five minutes. Searle picked up the ball mid-way in the half before running in and coolly slotting home for his 8th of the campaign. Panthers then worked hard in defence as a team making some great tackles and interceptions. Ben Turnbull kept the Panthers in front on two occasions, one save was a super left hand tip round his post. He could do nothing with the equaliser when the scores were level on 20 minutes. Staines striker burst down the left and thumped it in following an unseen elbow on Yama Laly during his run. Central defence partnership of Joe Baverstock and Dominic Fairhurst shows great signs of knowing each other's game, and were instrumental in protecting their goal throughout the match.

Score's level at the break, Panthers made a great start to the second half. Danny Woodgate showed his skill and pace down the left wing and Ben Bookham worked hard down the right, but the energy showed throughout the match by holding midfielder Jordan Pateman was admired by all. Pateman tackled, passed well and ran after every ball... all game. It was against the run of play that the home side took the lead. Awarded a free kick on the edge of the area, Staines took advantage with a stunning strike into the top corner by their powerful centre back. Panthers once again rallied hard, never let their head's drop and kept on going. Midfield maestro Steven Tonkmor got hold of the ball a lot more in the last ten minutes, and it was his shot that Man of the match Jordan Pateman flicked over the Staines keeper with five minutes to go. It was fitting that Pateman's energy and performance was rewarded with his first goal of the season.

A very encouraging performance by the Panthers and a fair result on the day. Can't wait till next week!!!.......Keep it up......

Pitchside: Steve Summersby

Date : 12th October 2008 Fixture : Surrey Primary League Div 5 Result : Guildford City Panthers 10 - 1 Abbey Rangers Reserves

The Panthers continued their incredible start to the season, showing great discipline and creativity in a convincing victory over a courageous Abbey side.

George Geaves began the scoring with two precisely placed strikes from inside the area. Charlie Searle then began a solo demonstration of quality finishing, notching four with his characteristic incisive running & shooting. Yama Laly, Jack Perrott (on his debut), and Ben Turnbull (swapping his goalie shirt for the second half) completed the scoring.

Pitchside: Steve Summersby

Date : 5th October 2008 Fixture : Surrey Primary League Div 5 Result : Beaulieu B 1 - 9 Guildford City Panthers

The Panthers took to the field in this their second league fixture of the season. The weather was dull, wet and dreary but the Panthers were the complete opposite.

From the first whistle, Panthers were quick in the tackle and distribution was precise allowing scoring opportunities within the first two minutes. Floris Louwhoff who was playing his last ever game for City, was eager to go out on a high and had three chances before coolly slotting in his first of six on the day after excellent play from fellow striking partner Charlie Searle.

Ben Turnbull in the Panthers goal prevented the scores from becoming level with an excellent save, and quick distribution to Jordan Pateman and then Searle who ran down the right before crossing for Louwhoff to tap in his second. The passing between the Panthers players was a bit special all over the pitch, and it was not long before they added a third. Joe Baverstock tough and committed thwarted a Beaulieu attack, passed to Steven Tonkmor who twisted and turned out of trouble before finding Dan Woodgate on the left flank. Woodgate with the energy of a brand new Duracell, took off down the wing and a super ball into the centre picked out Louwhoff to get his hat-trick and give Panthers a well deserved 3-0 half time lead.

All the Panthers were bubbling at the interval and eager to get back out and finish the job off. Mathew Brooks captain for the day, was super in the centre of midfield along side Tonkmor. Brooks took the ball from a great pass by George Geaves and slid in Tonkmor to beat the keeper with a super shot. Tonkmor's skills on the ball are worth the admission money alone, and when he set Searle through a minute later it looked like the master goal scorer was to open his account for the day. A great shot was saved by the Beaulieu keeper for Louwhoff to tap in and give Panthers a 5-0 unassailable lead.

Mathew Brooks then picked up a pass from Tonkmor in the box, dropped his shoulder and hit a bullet over the advancing keeper for his first goal of the season and Panther's sixth! With the Panthers defence of Baverstock, Yama Laly, Ben Bookham and Dom Fairhurst keeping a very organised high line and winning nearly everything that came their way, attacking was made easy. Quick inter changing of passes soon got Woodgate away, and like last week his finishing was superb as he burst through the defence before finishing with ease.

Charlie Searle may have not grabbed a goal in this fixture, but there was still enough time for him to provide Louwhoff with two more, the first a powerful shot past the keeper and the second a tap in following Searle's shot. The defence gave the home side something to cheer about right at the final whistle when failing to clear allowed Beaulieu to grab a consolation goal. Floris Louwhoff will remember his final game for Guildford City Panthers. His six goals will be remembered for a long time and we all wish him all the best as he returns to his homeland in Holland along with a well deserved Man of the Match award.

So to summarise, a super all round performance by all the players, you turned dismal and dreadful weather into sunshine and warmth with a great attitude and really good work rate. To cap it off, one happy Dutch boy returning home with a smile on his face! Well done to you all.

Pitchside: Steve Summersby

Date : 28th September 2008 Fixture : Surrey Primary League Div 5 Result : Windlesham Warlocks 1 - 7 Guildford City Panthers

The Panthers kicked off their season on a fine dewy morning away to Windlesham Warlocks.

The Panthers concentration and work rate was evident right from the kick off and chances were quickly created. Starting strikers Charlie Searle and Floris Louwhoff had attempts that were just wide or saved by the Warlocks keeper. Panthers kept on pressing and on fifteen mins a wonderful pass from midfield dynamo Steven Tonkmor sent Searle clear in the box only for him to have his leg clipped and a penalty was correctly given and Panthers had a chance to take the lead. A powerful strike from Louwhoff just went wide of the post and the scores remained even.

On the right wing for Panthers Dan Woodgate was excellent, and kept on supplying crosses for efforts to continue to be blocked or saved. It was the home side that took the lead ten minutes before the break when a ball played behind a solid and organised Panthers defence was pounced upon and despatched into the bottom corner past a diving Ben Turnbull. The mass of watching Panthers parents couldn't believe the 1-0 half time score line considering the chances created in the first half was ten to one in Panthers favour.

The second half started and Panthers were deservedly level within three minutes of the restart, Louwhoff making amends for his first half penalty miss by stroking in a fine powerful shot. Two minutes later Panthers had taken the lead when Steven Tonkmor's shot was fumbled by the Warlock's keeper and trickled over the line.

Dan Woodgate who had moved to the left wing at half time, then added a third with a coolly slotted strike after a run through the defence. Panthers domination in this game and their slick passing and movement tore the opposition to shreds and Charlie Searle then bagged a hat-trick within ten minutes. Searle is the master of finishing scoring over 50 goals for the Pumas within the last two seasons. The first of his goals today running on to a through ball by Mathew Brooks, the second and third goals Searle pounced quickly on to loose balls in the area.

As Panthers pushed on looking for more goals, defenders Joe Baverstock and Jordan Pateman both had efforts go wide and over before Yama Laly made it seven with a coolly despatched goal when the ball fell for him in the box. The Panthers showed a tremendous attitude to this game and the season has got off to a flier with this excellent display of work rate and effort.

Man of the match could have been a number of players, but was awarded to Dan Woodgate for his excellent contribution on both flanks, supplying two goals and scoring another. Well done to all the Panthers for this fine and encouraging performance and long may it continue.

Pitchside: Ian Baverstock

Date : 21st September 2008 Fixture : U11 SPL Seeding Match Result : Guildford City Panthers 2 - 9 Elmgrove Magpies

This was a classic game of two halves & the Panthers emerged at the end with tremendous credit. Starting their first competitive match of the season without the pace & anticipation of Fairhurst, a make-shift back line had little time to settle before Elmgrove broke through for the first time. Their first goal was quickly followed by a second. Panthers’ Turnbull played magnificently in goal, coming off his line to foil Elmgrove forwards on many occasions, but some good incisive running & positive finishing saw the visitors continue to dominate. Despite going in to half time at 6-0 down, Louwhoff, Woodgate and Spence had each had their chances and the Panthers had looked dangerous whenever they were able to develop attacking positions.

The second half was a different story, with everyone on the squad contributing to a wonderful defiant performance. Evans, Pateman, Bookham & Searle linked superbly on the left, repeatedly sending Searle away on speedy runs. One of these moves produced the Panthers first goal, with a characteristic quality run and finish from Searle – and there could have been a couple more down the same route. Tonkmor showed a consistent willingness to dribble at the opposition, as well as some lovely passes, & it was his determined mazy dribble & cross in the opposition penalty area that produced a tap in for Searle’s second. Louwhoff had switched in to defence and his coolness & pace, alongside Baverstock’s fire & determination presented Elmgrove with a new challenge.

Again, the result is of no importance at all, particularly when we consider the emergence of a terrific Panthers team spirit. This will underpin team development & progress through this first season, no matter what their SPL division.

Pitchside: Steve Summersby