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PANNAL ASH UNDER 16'S 2010/2011 COUNTY CUP CHAMPIONS

Kellingley Welfare 1 (1) v Pannal Ash 3 (1) (County Cup Final 8th April 2011)

It was never going to be easy what with two regular players unavailable for selection and then losing Josh Clarke to a sickening injury mid way through the first half but the lads showed spirit, determination and skill to run out worthy champions on Friday evening.

As is usually the case Ash got off to a slow start. Playing an unfamiliar 4-4-2, to cater for Josh Kirk's absence, meant there were mitigating circumstances but the lads did look nervous and were exposed on a couple of occasions due to a lack of pace. It was this lack of pace which created the opening goal for Kellingley a miss kick by Aaron mid way inside the opponents half let Kellingley break with speed, the chance seemed to have been lost when the ball was passed out to the right far too early but an excellent cross into the box was well headed in by the attacker and gave Liam no chance.

Ash weren't put off and were straight back into their stride and it came as no suprise when Lewis finished superbly to level the match at one a piece.

Shortly afterwards Josh and Lewis went up for the same ball and a sickening clash of heads left Josh with a fractured cheek bone and plenty of time to revise for his GCSEs! Will Rushworth came on and put in a great shift for the remainder of the game, never blessed with searing pace Will has wonderful feet and controlled the midfield brilliantly.

The second half saw Ash revert to a more familiar 3-5-2 formation and as is often the case they dominated the match from thereon in.

Kellingley had no answer to Tom and Lewis' pace up front nor Liam Glennon's strong tackling in midfield. The tie was put beyond doubt by two more Lewis goals and the score could have been even better had Jake Reaney's penalty been an inch or two lower, but it wasn't to be.

It was a great team effort by all the lads, it's great to see how far they've come since the start of last season when a few new lads joined the team and how much better they've become during the course of this season with further new additions, the future is definitely bright!! It's hard though to look beyond Lewis as man of the match but special mention must go to Tom Coull who was tireless throughout the second half and ran the Kellingley defence ragged, it was this which created much of the space for Lewis to score, Liam Glennon and Will Rushworth ran the midfield and Liam Corbett, although not called on too often throughout the game, was coolness personified when needed and is proving to be an excellent 'keeper who exudes confidence which spreads throughout the team.

We can't forget Martyn, Chris and Andy who put in hours of effort, much of it outside of training and matches. A successful season like this doesn't happen by accident and they take much of the credit for what has been achieved to date. As Andy said shortly after the game 'it's results like this which make it all worthwhile'....so say all of us!

Finally a special mention to Lewis who now embarks on what may well be a very bright and successful professional career with Leeds United. It's hard to believe that he may well have been lost to the game altogether following a nasty knee injury a couple of seasons ago but since the beginning of the 2009/2010 season his goals have helped the team get to where they are today. Never short of a word for the ref or the opposition he will be missed but he leaves us with the best wishes of his team mates, the management team, parents and supporters alike who've had the privilege to watch him play over the course of the past two seasons....good luck Lew!!!