Following the win in our last outing against Wesley Methodist Church, the Panthers looked forward to our next match against Trinity Christian Centre. However, a combination of injuries and late withdrawals to the squad meant that only 12 players were available at the start of the match (including 2 who were carrying injuries). The team lined up as follows:
With both teams taking some time to settle down, it was TCC who started off the brighter. A cross into the box by TCC came off James and the referee blew for a penalty. Fortunately for the Panthers, the TCC penalty taker skewed his shot wide and the Panthers were let off the hook.The Panthers soon started to find their footing and made use of the flanks to cause TCC some problems. Derrick, who had been working the frontline on his own soon found some space down the flanks and drilled the ball across the face of TCC’s goal but no Panther was alert enough to latch onto the ball.
The Panthers' failure to make the most of their chances soon told as TCC capitalized on some individual errors to take the lead. The Panthers’ backline was caught in possession and the resulting cross presented an easy tap in for TCC to open their account. PMC Panthers 0 – 1 TCC
The Panthers didn’t let their heads drop and continued to press for the equalizer. Both teams had a few more chances as the half progressed including Tim who managed to create some space for himself but failed to get his shot away and no further goals materialized.
Half Time Score: PMC Panthers 0 – 1 TCC
The Panthers started the 2nd half eager to make up the deficit and started to show more urgency in their play as Andy came on for Justin who had been soldiering on through the 1st half with an injury. There was now more aggression and penetration with Tim and Derrick leading the front line as the Panthers pegged the opposition back. However, the equalizer never materialized. This cost the Panthers dearly as TCC soon took advantage of some slack defending by the Panthers to score from a corner. PMC Panthers 0 –2 TCC
With 20 minutes left on the clock, there was still more than enough time for the Panthers to drag themselves back into the match. The Panthers still controlled the match and posed the far greater threat. However, the lack of substitutes soon began to take its toll as the Panthers seemed to lack the final push to get the ball over the line. A good ball down the line by Andy saw Derrick get away from his man and burst down the byline to cut the ball back to Kee Min who arrived late into the penalty box. However, a lack of composure by Kee Min meant that he failed to control the ball as it came off him and even then Marc came agonizingly close to latching onto the rebound.
With all still to play for, the Panthers had a few other good efforts but still nothing came of it. It was obvious not much was falling the Panthers’ way when TCC managed to flatter the scoreline when a good save by Sean rebounded off the oncoming TCC forward and into the empty net. PMC Panthers 0 – 3 TCC
With nothing to lose now the Panthers just continued to press for a goal to give the scoreline some respectability but TCC continued to hold out for a rather commendable clean sheet.
Final Score: PMC Panthers 0 – 3 TCC
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