Stanley Rangers U9s v Castleford Panthers U9s
05.04.09

Stanley managed to hang on to their unbeaten record by the skin of their teeth against a very good Panthers outfit.

Stanley started brightly and the forward combination of Owen Trout and Declan Honeyman laid the foundation for the backs to work from, and this allowed Man of the Match Alfie Goddard to cross the whitewash in Stanley’s first set, for the first of his three tries. Panthers immediately hit back when some unusually poor defending by Stanley allowed them to level the scores, and then go in front with the conversion. Both sides looked to take control of the match, but this proved difficult for either to do such was the ability and desire of both teams. 

As the first half continued the teams traded tries, with the Panthers taking advantage of a favourable bounce to go in front, only for the sometimes unstoppable Owen Trout to charge over in front of the posts, and then convert himself. Panthers then struck again when their impressive stand off again took advantage of a nice bounce from a good kick to touch down again. But this only served to spur the Stanley on, and they seemed to step up a gear for the remainder of the second half with Top Tackler Jake Smith forcing his way over for Stanley’s third try, and then some great work by Owen Trout and Alfie Goddard saw them take advantage of a defensive mix up for Alfie to score his second try of the game on the stroke of halftime. 

Panthers started the second half in determined mood, but their aggressive tackling and strong running were matched all the way by a resolute Stanley team, and a low scoring second half was a testament to the defensive ability of both teams, with Jake Smith making three try saving tackles in the second period. Panthers piled on the pressure and managed to regain the lead with only seven minutes left on the clock when their impressive prop forward barged over for a try, but Stanley refused to be beaten and despite turning possession over twice in quick succession they managed to regain possession and work the ball into a good position just over the half way line after a nice run and off load by Cameron Lees, this allowed Alfie Goddard to take advantage of a fragmented defensive line and weave his way past three players for a breathtaking winning try.

Stephen Gibbs and Kyle Holdroyd worked tirelessly in the second row throughout a tough game with some fearsome running and tackling but were just edged to the Man of Steel award by relative newcomer Brett Miller, who ran and tackled strong and hard all game. There were improved performances again from Liam Sawyer and Lewis Pearson, and once again Laim Brady and Ben Green tackled above and beyond their size. The outstanding effort award was shared between Alfie Goddard, for his winning try and an impressive ‘take’ from a high bomb right on his own line under intense pressure, and Jake Smith for his three tackles all near his own try line and all on Panthers impressive stand off.

This was a very pleasing performance from the Stanley boys against a good outfit who pushed us all the way. Our desire to work as a team was evident today, and that was the most pleasing aspect of the game, well done to all involved.

Tries: Alfie Goddard (3), Owen Trout, Jake Smith.

Kicks: Owen Trout, Jake Smith, Stephen Gibbs.