Page | 1

Team Profile, Information and Match reports 12/13

Under 10’s Whites

Page | 2

Managers Profile:

Name: Jonathan Cocker

What is your football background? – I played open aged

football in the Rochdale Saturday League for a number of Years with AFC Spotland winning eventual

Promotion to the Premier League. I played Open age Football with the Horse and Farrier in the Bury

League (Mainly the 2nd Team very occasionally 1st Team when they were desperate!)

How long have you been involved with Pennine Juniors? – 2 years

How long have you been managing a team? – This is my first season as team manager but I coached

last year. Although I’m responsible for the playing side I work closely with Andy Hall who is fantastic

with managing the admin side and Shep who helps with some of the coaching sessions.

What do you like most about managing a team? Best bit has to be when some of the skills and mini

games we work on in training come off in a game. It gives you total satisfaction like you are actually

adding some value to the progression of the kids!!

What do you find challenging when managing a team? - Trying to keep everyone happy !

What has been your funniest/best/ most memorable moment? – As a Parent/Coach watching your

own son score and celebrate has got to be the best bit and takes some beating. Funniest has to be at

Unsworth away a couple years ago when some of the lads came off the pitch and thought we had

lost. It was actually a 2-2 draw !

Describe your team: The Whites are a great bunch of kids who just like playing football whatever the

result.

What are you focusing on in training? – We are trying to implement a training plan that we rotate

week to week. One area we are looking to improve is fitness and in one training session we ran a

“Bleep test” which we are hoping to use frequently to gauge the general fitness of the team

throughout the season.

Tell us the best game to date and why: Most memorable game last season was vs Roach away when

we won 3-2 (Andy Hollihead scored a hat – trick).

What advice/tips would you give to young, up and coming footballers?

1) As with all sports taking part and ENJOY the game is the biggest and most important aspect to

take out of sport. Winning is secondary.

2) Be disciplined and Listen to the coaching Staff

3) Don’t give up try and try again until it comes off.

Contact details: 07790995074 Training times and details: Friday-7.00-8.00 pm, Pitch 2, Cardinal Langley School

Page | 3

Results at a glance: Pennine Juniors Under 10’s White 2012 / 2013 Season

Date

Home Away Scorers MOM

08/09/12 Pennine Whites 1 Westbury Wolves 6 Raza Hassan Raza Hassan

15/09/12 Radcliffe Blues 2 Pennine Whites 3 Raza Hassan, Ben Huszar (2) Ben Huszar

22/09/12 Pennine Whites 2 Woodbank Whites 4 Harrison Cocker (2) Josh Robinson

06/10/12 Stand Athletic 7 Pennine Whites 0 Ellie Lambert

13/10/12 Bury Am Jags 1 Pennine Whites 8 Harrison Cocker (3),Josh Robinson (2),Luke Shepherd, Hayden Hickman,Tyler Kneale

Hayden Hickman

20/10/12 Pennine Whites 3 Bury Am Jags 3 Raza Hassan, Josh Robinson, Ellie Lambert

Josh Robinson

03/11/12 Pennine Whites 3 Walshaw and Elton Lynx

7 Josh Robinson, Harrison Cocker, Raza Hassan

Raza Hassan

10/11/12 Pennine Whites 1 Whitworth Valley 6 Andy Holyhead Luke Shepherd

17/11/12 Whitworth Valley 9 Pennine Whites 2 Tyler Kneale, Raza Hassan Hayden Hickman

12/1/13 Pennine Whites 0 Radcliffe Blues 3 Luke Shepherd

02/2/13 Cup

Bury Amt Tigers 11

Pennine Whites 1 Tyler Kneale Harrison Cocker

09/02/13 Pennine Whites 2 Elton Sports Jaguars 0 Tyler Kneale, Raza Hassan Matthew Foggarty

23/02/13 Roach Dynamo 3 Pennine Whites 0 Andrew Holyhead

09/03/13 Warthfold 4 Pennine Whites 2 Andy Hollyhead (2) Raza Hassan

06/04/13

Pennine Whites 1 Warthfold 5 Ben Huszar Matthew Foggarty

10/04/13 Pennine Whites 3 Walshaw Park 2 Matt Foggarty (2) OG

Matthew Foggarty

13/04/13 Woodbank Whites 9 Pennine Whites 4 L.Shepherd,JRobinson,H.Hickman,M.Foggarty

Tyler Kneale

17/04/13 Westbury Wolves 0 Pennine Whites 0 Harrison Cocker

20/04/13 Pennine Whites 0 Stand Athletic 6 Harrison Cocker

27/04/13 Seedfield Sports 1 Pennine Whites 1 Huszar Tyler Kneale

02/05/13 Elton Sports Jaguars 4 Pennine Whites 0 Josh Robinson

04/05/13 Pennine Whites 3 Elton Sports Panthers

2 Josh Robinson,Raza Hassan,Harrison Cocker

Ben Huszar

07/05/13 Pennine Whites 1 Whitworth Valley 4 Harrison Cocker Matt Foggarty

11/05/13 Elton Sports Panthers 3 Pennine Whites 0 Raza Hassan

16/05/13 Walshaw Park 3 Pennine Whites 1 Andrew Holyhead Andrew Holyhead

23/05/13 Walshaw and Elton Lynx

6 Pennine Whites 1 Raza Hassan Tyler Kneale

30/05/13 Pennine Whites 0 Seedfield Sports 3 Hayden Hickman

Goal scorers Man Of The Match Awards

Raza Hassan 8 Raza Hassan 4

Ben Huszar 5 Ben Huszar 3

Harrison Cocker 8 Josh Robinson 3

Josh Robinson 6 Ellie Lambert 1

Tyler Kneale 4 Hayden Hickman 3

Hayden Hickman 2 Luke Shepherd 2

Luke Shepherd 2 Harrison Cocker 3

Ellie Lambert 1 Matthew Foggarty 4

Andrew Holyhead 5 Tyler Kneale 3

Matthew Foggarty 3 Andrew Holyhead 2

Own goal 1

Page | 4

Latest Match report:

Pennine Whites vs Seedfield Sports (H) 0-3

MoM – Hayden Hickman

Last match of the season at home to Seedfield played at Norden.

First half was evenly matched with Seedfield taking the first 12 minutes but Pennine finished

the stronger of the half.

Matt Foggarty making some last ditch tackles early on including a clearance off the line.

Cocker made a couple of good blocks and generally all-round the Pennine defence looked

solid.

Huszar made some good runs down the left and Hassan showing his silky skills played in

Kneale who shot straight into the keeper’s arms. All-round the Pennine team played well. 0-

0 half time

At half time switches were made with Foggarty swapping for Cocker who went on the left

wing. Unfortunately within 5 mins of the restart Pennine were 2-0 down.

A third followed shortly after and it was all uphill thereafter.

Foggarty was beaten at the near post for the first goal but the attacker should never have

got there. The second came when an unfortunate slip by the keeper let in a shot from

outside the box. The third was again after numerous missed tackles.

Pennine did have some of their own chances but once again poor finishing let them down.

Kneale twice had shots, as did Huszar and Hassan and two efforts from Cocker all to no

avail.

A particular good move between Hassan and Holyhead looked like a goal but as Holyheads

shot looked destined to find the left hand corner of the net the Seedfield keeper pulled of a

fine save to send the ball for a corner.

Hayden Hickman had a battling game and was MOM. Hassan also had a good game and

showed that next season he could be the main play maker.

In summary the change at half time weakened both the defence and the Keeping position

and without this the Whites may well have come away with a win and minimum a draw

which is no less than they deserved in this game.

Page | 5

Previous match reports:

Pennine Whites vs Elton and Walshaw Lynx (A) 1-6

Goal scorers – Raza Hassan

MoM – Tyler Kneale

The Whites were away against a good Elton & Walshaw team who had previously inflicted a

heavy defeat on us earlier in the season. They had particularly good player who was

punching (literally) below his weight in this league. The players were told to stick close to Nr

5 and not let him run at them. “Keep tight to him”

Unfortunately they ignored this instruction early on and were punished. He made all the

running from midfield and only last minute tackles, poor finishing and a good block by the

keeper stopped the goal coming sooner.

Then Elton player broke down the left and beat several players before passing to the back

post for an easy tap in. He then ran fired a stunning shot from 20 yds which rattled the

crossbar.

Hickman and Huszar tried to keep up with him but he was much too strong for them. His

first goal coming down the right beating a couple of players before slotting home.

Cocker blocked a one and one before a third goal came from the Nr 5 again.

Pennine with Hassan on the right played some neat football but far too often the final pass

was too weak and the Elton team were straight onto it and running at the Pennine defence.

Then a big moment of the game, Hickman clashed with the Elton midfield player who turned

and struck Hickman in the face with a punch. STRAIGHT RED CARD should have been order

of the day but the Referee, also the Elton manager, aptly didn’t see the incident. He spoke

with the player after some prompting, but that was all when really he should have removed

him from the game.

Nr 5 then scored a 4th goal.

Holyhead and Kneale were on for Hassan and Robinson for the last 10 minutes of the first

half and in fact Holyhead had a chance to score just before the break but shot wide. This

was after Foggarty and Huszar had put in some good tackles on the Elton defence and

winning possession.

The second half was totally different Pennine introduced Hassan back into the game and

Raza began spraying the ball about. Holyhead was given plenty of ball on the right who in

turn forced the Elton defence to work hard on several occasions.

Page | 6

Good blocks by the keeper denying Tyler Kneale on two occasions.

The Elton player scored his 4th goal following a break from a Pennine corner. He ran the

entire length of the pitch evading tackles from Hassan Foggarty and Hickman before slotting

home passed Cocker.

This had been twenty or so minutes since the last goal and showed that Pennine were able

to compete with Eton.

Then Pennine got their just reward Hassan challenging the Elton keeper (Nr5) and winning

the ball before tapping into an empty goal.

But once again following a break down from a Pennine corner Elton cleared to their forward

who finished well against the on rushing Cocker.

The team battled well but were unable to compete with the Elton midfielder who should be

playing at a higher level.

Tyler Kneale was MOM.

Pennine Whites vs Walshaw (A) 1-3

The Whites were away against Walshaw again a team we had previously beaten at home.

It was a very small pitch and suited a much bigger Walshaw team

Once again an early Walshaw goal put pressure on the Whites. The ball was lost easily and

Pennine let the winger run the majority of the pitch evading numerous tackles to score at

the near post.

Pennine then out played Walshaw for most of the game. The football was much better lots

of neat passing with Hassan/Holyead and Kneale.

Huszar hit the bar with a free kick which was scrambled away. Ben also could have scored at

the back post but shot wide with his right foot when perhaps his left would have been a

better option.

Walshaw the scored a second when a through ball was not collected by Cocker in goal, who

had been solid all game, leaving a simple tap in.

Pennine did pull a goal back when Cocker boomed a goal kick towards the Walshaw goal

and the defenders under pressure from Tyler Kneale could only find Andy Holyhead who

fired home with a great finish.

Pennine the pushed for the equaliser Huszar,Hickman,Hassan,Kneale and Holyhead all

going close. But once again nobody really tested the Walshaw keeper.

Page | 7

The third Walshaw goal came when a ball was not cleared and the striker scored well

from inside the box.

It finished 3-1 to Walshaw

Once Pennine again played some good football and were technically the better team. Be

patient the goals will come next season.

MOM – Andy Holyhead – Took his goal well with a good finish and was involved in some

good passing moves between Hassan and Huszar on the right wing.

Pennine Whites vs Elton Sports Panthers (A) 0-3

MoM - Raza Hassan

The Whites were away against Elton who we had beaten the previous week with a last

minute winner. We were all optimistic as the team had been playing well.

It was not to be this week and although the Whites had plenty of possession there was

hardly a shot on goal throughout the game.

The Elton opener came following a Pennine corner which was scrambled off the line by the

Elton defence. The ball was cleared and not for the first time this season the winger ran ¾

length of the pitch evading 2 or 3 tackles before crossing to an unmarked Elton forward who

finished with the help of Cocker.

In the second half Robinson was in goal for Cocker, who added a little more power up front.

For the most of the half it was all Pennine, Raza Hassan played in Tyler Kneale who shot into

the arms of the keeper. Another Holyhead corner was scrambled away. Hickman had a

speculative shot that went wide as did Cocker. But not enough shots were on target.

Elton started to get a grip of the game and two failed Pennine clearances in as many

seconds left a great opportunity for Elton who duly scored to make it 2-0. Pennine then lost

all control and Elton added a late third goal in the last seconds to make the score line 3-0.

The game could have gone either way but once again Pennine didn’t hit the target and

suffered the consequences.

Raza was MOM – Had a great run in the first half on the wing and throughout the second

half tried to remain cool and played some neat football with Holyhead

Pennine Whites vs Whitworth (H) 1-4

Goal scorers – Harrison Cocker

MoM – Matt Foggarty

Page | 8

The Whites were at home again against a Whitworth side playing to win the title. The teams had met on two previous occasions this season with Whitworth being the victors 6-1 and 8-2, so a tough night ahead was expected. In the pre-match team talk Pennine were told to keep it tight for the first 5mins and try to build up some confidence. This nearly went out of the window in the first minute. The Pennine defence missing a clearance from a throw and only a smart save by Cocker keeping the game at 0-0. Pennine settled but struggled to get the ball out of their half due to the high winds in their faces. Pennine continued to play out from the back with Shepherd and Foggarty seeing plenty of the ball. Whitworth had a lot of possession but really didn’t test Cocker in the goal until half way through the half. A through ball was well fielded by Cocker at the feet of the attacker. Pennine launched an attack through Huszar who fed Robinson who shot into the arms of the keeper. Eventually the breakthrough came for Whitworth as again not for the first time this season the players all got drawn to the ball leaving the Whitworth striker free at the back post to score easily. Pennine kept plugging away with Hassan and Shepherd on the left. A shot by Huszar went wide and one from Hassan was well collected by the keeper. The second goal came when a Pennine move broke down and the Whitworth man was able to shoot from outside the area it was saved by Cocker but the rebound went to a striker only yards from goal. 2-0 Half time Whitworth. A personnel change at half time with Cocker going up front with Robinson in goal. Raza Hassan on the wing with Tyler Kneale on the right. Straight from the off a good save by Robinson denied Whitworth. The introduction of Cocker and Kneale seemed to change the status quo of the game. A nice move between Holyhead and Hassan created a chance for Cocker who scuffed his shot wide. Then the Pennine breakthrough came Hickman played a ball to Kneale who once again laid of an inch perfect ball to Cocker who smashed the ball into the top corner. It was just rewards for the Whites who were totally dominating the game now. The Whitworth team were rocking and their management on the side line seemed grew from 2 to 6 all shouting instructions to their team! Pennine were now playing some of their best football of the season and Raza Hassan was causing most of the trouble. Chance after chance went astray from Pennine then two quick sucker puncnh goals broke the Pennine hearts. First another attack from Whitworth was only part cleared and a shot beat Robinson in off the near post. The second goal came when the goal hanging striker was sent clear on goal Robinson came out and made a brave challenge to collect the ball, but the strikers momentum causing a collision and Robinson couldn’t hold the ball, a clear foul in most games. The Whitworth striker reacted first and toe poked the ball home from 2 yards with the Pennine defence stood watching in disbelief. Pennine pushed hard again and a great move saw Hassan break clear and pull the ball back toward three Pennine players just a touch too close to the Whitworth keeper who was injured in a collision for the ball. That was the last action of one of the best performances of the season. Every Pennine player played well but outstanding at the back once again was Foggy who was awarded MoM.

Page | 9

Once again the score doesn’t matter too much as we are trying to coach the team to play good football which means retaining possession and good passing moves. Considering the two previous results between the teams this was a great effort. Well Done Team.

04.05.13 Pennine Whites vs Elton Sports Panthers (H) 3-2 Goal scorers – Josh Robinson, Raza Hassan, Harrison Cocker

Mom – Ben Huszar

The Whites were at home to another Elton side just a place above them in the League. This

was a must win game to ensure that they weren’t left battling to avoid bottom spot in the

League.

Pennine with all players available pulled off a tremendous win and played some of their best

football of the season against an Elton side who only had only the bare minimum of players.

Pennine continued to try and play out from the back with Shepherd and Foggarty taking

passes from the keeper and trying to play in the wingers. This tactic was working well and

such a move led to opening goal. A ball from mid field found Robinson who played a lovely

ball to the left wing for Tyler Kneale who managed to pull the ball back to Huszar who’s shot

was partially saved only for Robinson who was right on cue to finish from close in.

Elton started to get into the game and with Pennine failing to clear the ball a pass across the

area was met by the Elton forward who fired home well.

Another slick move by Pennine involving Hassan, Hickman and Huszar leaving Huszar with a

great shooting opportunity. Ben crashed the ball against the bar and it was cleared away to

safety.

Elton broke away and a good through ball was bravely collected by Cocker at the striker’s

feet. 1-1 half time.

Pennine again started brightly and were playing some lovely football. Shepherd and Huszar

on the left were causing the Elton team problems but no one was able to find the killer ball.

A cross by Hassan on the right was met by Huszar and a good header went just over the top

of the bar.

Pennine then fell behind when a free kick was sent into the area the ball wasn’t cleared

properly and the Elton forward crashed the ball home.

This was totally against the run of play.

Page | 10

Pennine raised their game again and kept plugging away, Hickman who was dominating

midfield played in Hassan whose shot/cross found the top corner for a deserved equaliser.

Pennine huffed and puffed but couldn’t break down the Elton defence down. Eventually the

winner came from the most unlikely of sources. Harrison Cocker boomed a clearance down

field towards Robinson, the ball beat everyone and the second bounce evaded the Elton

keeper and nestled into the bottom corner of the net. The rest of the players went wild and

mobbed the Keeper.

Elton tried to pick themselves up but it was too late and on the Final whistle the Pennine

players again celebrated by mobbing the keeper.

Despite the fluke goal it was a deserved win for the Whites.

Man of the Match was Ben Huszar who had his best game this year.

Well done to all the team.

Pennine Whites vs Elton Jaguars (A) 0-4

Mom – Josh Robinson

The Whites were only able to muster 7 players in this bottom of the table clash.

Pennine once again started slowly and literally after one minute a cross come shot bobbled

across the area to an unmarked Elton forward stood unmarked at the back post who was

able to tap in from a yard out.

The second goal came minutes later when yet another tackle was missed in midfield and a

good shot was fumbled over for 2-0.

The third goal came on 10 minutes a soft corner was fumbled by Cocker and slotted home

from 7 yds.

It could have been worse when Hickman hammered a clearance against his own bar but

fortunately the ball was cleared.

There was no notable play from Pennine worth recording other than Foggy probably had the

best game for the half. 3-0 half time to Elton.

The second half saw Cocker out of goals replaced by Josh and this seemed to spur Pennine

on.

Huszar had some god runs down the left and Cocker had a stinging shot parried away which

Kneale should really have converted on the rebound.

Page | 11

But just as they were getting on top a well worked goal from Elton killed the game off 4-0

Elton.

Move on!

Pennine Whites vs Seedfield Sports (A) 1-1

MoM – Tyler Kneale

This was a game of two goal keepers! In the first half Pennine struggled to make any real

progress playing up hill and into the wind. The game on a small bobbly pitch was rather a

scrappy affair, but both teams were trying their best.

Most of the action was in the Pennine half but once again Foggarty, Shepherd and Cocker in

goal looked very comfortable at the back.

A break through did come eventually and Seedfield scored on 15 minutes a shot from just

inside the Pennine box was well finished in the top corner with Cocker stranded.

Straight away Pennine picked up the pace and following a couple of corners a shot by Kneale

came back to Huszar, who coolly fired home for his 5th of the season.

Both keepers pulled off some good saves and the Seedfield keeper denied the trio of Huszar,

Hassan and Kneale in the first half. 1-1 half time

Pennine then had the advantage of playing downhill and down wind and had probably the

best of the chances in the second half. Two great moves of note firstly a through ball by

Lambert found Robinson who connected sweetly only for the ball to come back off the bar.

Hassan followed up and his effort also hit the bar; the ball was eventually scrambled off the

line.

The next move followed a lovely lay off by Kneale to Hassan who was through on goal a shot

cross by Hassan was well saved by the Seedfield keeper. The Seedfield keeper on one more

than one occasion bravely collected the ball from the White Strikers in one on ones.

Then it was Harrison’s turn, a shot low towards the bottom corner looked like a goal all the

way but was saved magnificently by Cocker turning the ball away for a corner.

The game ended 1-1 and on reflection a fair result. For Pennine this was a good result as the

previous meetings last season had both ended in defeat; plus Seedfield had just won their

last two game one against Woodbank who hammered us.

The teams meet in the last game of the season and there could be a lot at stake in the

bottom of the table clash.

MoM was Tyler Kneale who ran his socks off and played a part in the best Pennine move of

the day.

Page | 12

Well done team !

Pennine Whites vs Stand Athletic (H) 0-6

MOM –Harrison Cocker

Home match against Stand Athletic whom had inflicted a heavy defeat on us earlier on in

the season. Ben Huszar was Captain for the day.

Q. Which Pennine team would turn up today? Ans. Not the one that played so well at

Westbury on Wednesday.

Pennine were out played for long periods during this game and if it hadn’t have been, once

again for some excellent saves by Harrison Cocker in goal, the defeat would have been

somewhat heavier.

There was a lot of huffing and puffing from Pennine without any real quality when in

possession. Pennine continued to try and play the ball out from the back but too many

times the players mis-controlled the ball, passed it to the opposition or generally gave it

away too cheaply. Again poor marking (getting goal side), not pressurising the opposition

when they had the ball and players ball watching were the down fall this match.

To be fair Stand Athletic had some quality players and the two strikers stood out head and

shoulders above anyone else on the pitch. The defence was not really tested so it was

difficult to gauge whether they were the complete item or not. They restricted Pennines

attack to no shots on target and only three stinging corners from Raza Hassan in the second

half. Andy Holyhead could have had an attempt on goal but bad decision making when in a

good shape left the Pennine striker ultimately getting tackled and losing possession cheaply.

The game was 4-0 at half time. There was a slight improvement in the Second half but again

too many Pennine players had an off day the match finished 6-0.

Hayden Hickman also had a reasonable game but as with all the other players needs to put

his foot on the ball and look to make a pass to a Pennine Player.

Let’s move on!

17.04.13 Pennine Whites vs Westbury Wolves (A) 0-0 MOM – H.Cocker

Another mid – week match this time away at top of the league Westbury Wolves who had

only lost one game all season.

Q. Which Pennine team would turn up today? Ans. A very determined Pennine team who

straight from the very first whistle competed like they’ve never competed before this

season.

Page | 13

The match was played in very difficult conditions particularly the wind and a hard pitch

made it difficult for both teams. Pennine started with only 7 players (Lambert, Hassan

missing and Luke Shepherd turned up 5 mins after ko).

Westbury were attacking down wind and far too often they mis-judged the wind and the

passes went for a goal kick or straight into the arms of Cocker. Pennine struggled

throughout the half to get the ball out of their half but with Huszar strong in the tackle and

Holyhead on the wing created a good move and cross which was cleared for a corner.

Westbury pushed hard but Foggarty and Hickman supported by Cocker were rock solid at

the back. Any tackles missed were mopped up by Cocker whose handling was much

improved from Saturday.

Ben Huszar had a free kick which just went over the bar; Josh Robinson ran hard on his own

up front chasing lost causes; Tyler Kneale was up and down the wing sticking with his man.

Second half was very much the same but Pennine wind assisted had a little more of the play.

Tyler Kneale had a powerful shot tipped over by the keeper for the best Pennine chance of

the game.

After 40mins Luke Shepherd chased a lost cause and won the ball from the centre half on

the left then fired in a cross shot which the keeper fumbled and the ball eventually was

scrambled away.

At the other end Cocker came off his line to clear away from the striker who was clear

through on goal; a mixture of good saves, stout defending and poor finishing by Westbury

left the game still in the balance. Westbury pushed two more players up front in the dying

seconds to try and win the game meaning Huszar had to drop back and support Foggarty

and Hickman and still Pennine stayed solid. The last action saw a Westbury corner

scrambled away once again before the final whistle was blown.

Westbury were dejected and the Pennine players were elated. The Coaches and parents

were beaming cheek to cheek it was a very proud moment!

In truth there was not too much quality football played due to the conditions in fact it was

rather a scrappy game but what Pennine did extremely well today was to keep their shape

throughout the game and competed for every ball. The effort in this match was vastly

improved and at a scale not seen before this season. It is this level of effort that will win you

more games than we would lose.

It was a great Team performance but Man of the Match was Harrison Cocker who despite a

couple of minor mistakes held on to every ball and made several fine saves. Cocker

obviously impressed the opposition as he was asked to sign for them next season !! No

Chance !

Page | 14

13.04.13 Pennine Whites vs Woodbank Whites (A) 4-9

Goal Scorers – L.Shepherd,J.Robinson,M.Foggarty,H.Hickman

MOM – T Kneale

After the Mid-week win Pennine were optimistic coming into this game particularly with a

full squad to pick from.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the East Lancs railway was running, the pitch

was perfect, the supporters were expectant!, the opposition were all the same size, game

on !

Unfortunately some of the Pennine players failed to show up in the early part of the game

and within two minutes the game was pretty much almost over. Two soft goals in as many

minutes put Pennine 2-0 down and they were even more up against it against a very good

football side. A third goal followed after 10 mins and it was very much game over.

Pennine particularly through Andy Hollyhead created at least 3 chances of their own one

being an open goal but we failed on every occasion at the last moment.

Another Woodbank attack and another goal and a fifth followed on 25mins. 5-0 half time.

Despite the score line there had been one or two nice Pennine moves with no end result.

Sadly too many performances were far too inconsistent but pick of the first half was Luke

Shepherd and Andy Holyhead.

The second half saw Lambert in goal and Cocker in midfield. The Whites were told at half

time to go and enjoy the second half and score some goals. Almost from the off they scored

a cracking goal Raza Hassan burst down the right and a great cross to the back post was

met by Shepherd who hammered home. Great goal

Woodbank scored straight away and Pennine replied when Robinson breaking from midfield

onto a good through ball struck the ball sweetly passed the on rushing keeper. Woodbank

scored again from a great free kick (same goal as Walshaw scored on Wednesday night)

Foggarty scrambled the ball over the line after a corner for Pennine. Hayden Hickman then

got in the act when he fired in from a tight angle on the left.

But the goal of the game came from Woodbank when a corner was floated over and was

powerfully headed home. Although the player was marked when the corner was taken none

of the Pennine players ran with their markers leaving the lone striker free to score. Another

couple of goals were conceded towards the end but the final action of the match saw Mat

Foggarty volley over the bar from a corner.

It was a bad day at the office so to speak, too many times throughout the game players had

lost control of the ball when in possession, played the wrong pass, let the ball bounce

Page | 15

instead of meeting it, let the ball run beyond them instead of controlling the ball,

generally second to the ball and we had basic marking issues. However taking one or two

positives from the game ; the team had scored 4 goals in a game for only the second ever

time and particularly in the first half played some neat football in small spells despite the

score line.

Man of the Match was Tyler Kneale who had an improved game and for following

instructions, followed closely by Luke Shepherd.

10.04.13 Pennine Whites vs Walshaw (H) 3-2

Goal Scorers – M.Foggarty (2) Own Goal

MOM – M.Foggarty

First night match of the season saw Pennine upset the form books. After losing the last two

games to a team below them the early season form seemed have deserted the White. But

once again the team showed that if they put their A game in place they can win!

The Early exchanges saw Walshaw, attacking downhill, take the match to Pennine. Solid

defending by Foggarty and Hickman held them at bay with solid keeping from Cocker. Some

good attacking play between Holyhead, Hassan and Huszar showed that Pennine could also

be dangerous threat on the counter attack.

Then after 15 mins a Pennine move broke down in midfield and a shot well initially well

saved by Cocker unluckily went straight back to a Walshaw striker who slotted home.

Pennine then seem to gain in confidence particularly after some good work by Huszar on

the right who crossed to the back post only for a last ditch goal line clearance by the

Walshaw defender with Hassan closing in. Then the breakthrough came fortuitously when a

hopeful ball into the box by Foggarty eluded the defence and on the hard pitch bounced

over the keepers head to equalise; Foggy’s 1st of the season and fully deserved.

The rest of the half was played out equally by both teams. 1-1 half time.

Pennine then bossed the whole of the second half attacking down the slope. The Whites

were solid at the back with Cocker Foggarty and Hickman sweeping up any Walshaw attacks.

A Pennine corner from was attacked by Lambert and the Walshaw player under pressure

smashed the ball right into the back of his own goal. Holyhead Hassan and Huszar all had

good shots at goal. It was following another well taken corner by Holyhead that Foggarty in

at the back post hammered the ball home. 3-1 to Pennine.

Cocker pulled of two fine saves when quite easily the ball could have been spilled but it

looked like there was only ever going to be one winner.

Page | 16

A late consolation goal came for Walshaw from a “hotly” disputed free kick but was too

late and the Whites deservedly ran out winners.

There was some nice football played on a difficult pitch and an all-round good team

performance with everyone contributing to the victory. Matt Foggarty pipped Lambert to

Man of the Match this week. Well done team!

06.04.13 Pennine Whites vs WarthFold (H) 1-5.

Goal Scorers – B.Huszar

MOM – M.Foggarty

The return Match at Home vs Warthfold and the Whites were only able to field 7 players

due to holidays etc.

Pennine played well in the first half and after falling behind clawed a goal back through

Huszar and looked the more likely to take the lead. Robinson in goal pulled off some good

saves to keep the Whites in it. But on the stroke of half time Warthfold took the lead. 1-2

Pennine fell further behind before Lambert replaced Robinson in goal. Ellie pulled off two

fine saves.

Tyler Kneale could have scored on two occasions to reduce the deficit but in the end

Warthfold ran out comfortable winners!

09.03.13 Pennine Whites vs WarthFold (A) 2-4.

Goal Scorers – A. Hollyhead (2)

MOM – Raza Hassan

The Whites reversed the fixtures due to a scheduled late kick off at Hopwood Hall and

travelled to Radcliffe. Warthfold played next to the garden centre so you might have

expected a great pitch, as it was it was small, bobbly and undulating.

With Tyler unavailable due a nasty encounter with a bench and with the return of Huszar

this week the team was Cocker,Foggarty,Shepherd,Lambert,Huszar ,Hassan, and Hollyhead.

Josh and H on the subs bench.

Whites kicked off and were soon into their stride particularly some neat passing by Hassan.

On one occasion with his back to goal, allowing Foggarty the opportunity to play a great ball

down the right for Hollyhead who won a corner.

Page | 17

It was pretty much all Pennine for the first 10 mins and a goal soon came when a slick

move between Huszar and Hassan allowed the tricky winger to play a lovely pass into the

path of Hollyhead who slotted home nicely. 1-0 Pennine.

Pennine were looking comfortable at the back until a silly free kick was given away by

Foggarty on the left wing. The resultant free kick which was from quite away out beat

everyone and was well placed into the top corner. The shot was a real cracker and totally

unstoppable by Cocker.

After this Warthfold got their heads up and took possession of the remainder of the second

half particularly with many of the Pennine players losing their composure and started to

treat the ball like a hot potato. Fresh air kicks and passes to the opposition constantly

putting them on the back foot without Warthfold really testing our keeper. 1-1 Half time.

Warthfold kicked off the second half down wind and creating most of the chances. Foggarty

and Shepherd in defence and Cocker in goal still seemed in control. Then following a lost

tackle in midfield which looked like a foul on Hickman and then another on Shepherd the

Warthfold winger managed to cross the ball to an unmarked player at the far post who beat

Cocker to his right. It was now game on and with the re-introduction of the Hollyhead/

Hassan partnership the Whites hit Warthfold on the counter. A neat pass by Hassan to

Hollyhead allowed the striker the opportunity of a shot on goal which he duly obliged and

easily beat the keeper. 2-2.

Pennine then pressed hard with several corners and half chances; Foggarty just going wide

with a shot from a corner kick. It was from a short goal kick that Lambert unfortunately mis-

controlled the ball causing a bit of a scramble the ball ping ponging around the area which

should really have been cleared by Foggarty, but his clearance went straight to the

Warthfold striker who scored easily. 2-3

The game swung again in the favour of Warthfold. An attack from the home side this time

Warthfold managing to get the ball into the area down the left hand side of the goal

resulted with a powerful shot from inside the box by the Warthfold player, and with Cocker

beaten and it looking like goal all over, it was somehow blocked by Lambert on the line!

Great defending by Ellie Lambert.

Pennine hit Warthfold on the break again and again forcing blocked shots and last ditch

tackles on Hollyhead, Hickman and Hassan. With time running out Pennine created another

great move this time Holyhead running the ball deep into the Warthfold half before drawing

the defender and laying on the perfect pass for Hassan to shoot. His blistering shot beat the

keeper but the ball somehow cannoned back off the bar straight back to Holyhead who with

no more than 8 yards out was sure to score, but with the Pennine fans already celebrating

the goal Holyhead shot straight into the arms of the grateful keeper. With everyone still in

disbelief the grateful keeper punted the ball forward the with the next pass beating all the

Page | 18

Pennine defence a Warthfold striker was through on goal and with only Cocker to beat he

coolly finished and sealed the match with 30 seconds to play. The perfect counter attack,

only 10 seconds earlier it should have been 3-3!!

A lot of positives should be taken from the game this week with Hassan, Holyhead, Hickman

and Cocker having good games.

The advice this week for all the players “is to remain composed and not panic when in

possession and when receiving the ball take an extra touch if needed. Play like a Friday

training session when all the players seem to be relaxed and perform confidently!”

Man of the Match was Raza Hassan whom had obviously learned from the previous match

and played a as team player creating a couple of goals and a few half chances.

23.02.13 Pennine Whites vs Roach Dynamo (A) 0-3.

Managers - Man Of The Match Awards

Andrew Holyhead

The Whites reversed the fixtures due to a frozen pitch at Hopwood Hall and travelled to the

warmer climate of Heywood were Roach’s pitches were in perfect condition under foot.

The match had a delayed start as the Roach officials removed the remnants from the nights

before bonfire from the pitch. They then combed the pitch to remove the dog muck!

With only 7 available at the start of the match the team was

Cocker,Foggarty,Shepherd,Hickman,Hassan,Kneale and Holyhead. Ellie Lambert turned just

in time for the subs bench.

Ellie was soon on after Foggarty was injured following a great clearance to repel a Roach

attack. The Whites were under great pressure throughout the first half, from a team who

had only lost once this season. Harrison Cocker was in great form in goal and thwarted the

Roach attack on several occasions.

Foggarty went back on for Shepherd after 15 mins and with Hickman solid in midfield

Pennine were holding their own but without creating too many chances of their own.

The opening goal came on 17mins when an unfortunate mistake by Cocker who was in two

minds whether to pick the ball up or clear, in the end doing neither, left the simplest of taps

for the Roach striker.

Cocker soon made amends with a terrific double save to deny a second goal. This was short

lived as a corner from the right was not cleared a great run and solo goal by Roach’s Luke

Harrison beating several of the Whites made the score 2-0. Pennine pushed hard and

Page | 19

created some half chances following a number of superb corners delivered by Andy

Holyhead.

Raza Hassan, Ellie Lambert and Tyler Kneale all had a good first half.

The second half kicked off with Foggarty in goal and Cocker on the left. Pennine kicking

downhill started brightly with some slick passes between Shepherd and Hassan opening up

the Roach defence. Then against the run of play Roach hit the bar and perhaps Pennine

should have cleared the ball but unfortunately Cocker was caught in possession and the ball

was placed into the bottom corner of the net.

Shortly after Foggarty was injured following a late challenge by a Roach player and Cocker

had to go back into goal.

Pennine upped the tempo and created three very good chances in the space of 5 mins.

Some excellent play from Hickman set Holyhead in on goal but a tame shot went weakly to

the keeper. Hassan broke through and just ran out of steam again before firing weakly from

distance when the better option would have been to have passed to Holyhead or Kneale.

Hassan again broke through and failed to cross choosing to shoot with players unmarked in

the box.

Andy Holyhead who had again delivered some great corners had a shot that just hit the side

netting.

The only real scare Pennine had was when a through ball found the Roach striker unmarked

but Cocker ,out quickly from his line , closed him down and the shot was fired wide.

The game ended with Pennine again on the attack and all in all they were unfortunate not to

come away with a goal in the game

The whole team played well again against a good Roach team. It’s quite obvious to all that

have watched throughout the season that the Whites have come on leaps and bounds. All

the players should be proud of their development to date.

Man of the match this week was Andy Holyhead for some super corners and some great link

up play particularly in the second half.

09.02.13 Pennine Whites vs. Elton Sports Jaguars (H) 2-0. Goal scorers Tyler Kneale, Raza Hassan

Managers - Man Of The Match Awards

Matt Foggarty

Page | 20

After last week’s heavy defeat in the Cup the question was what would the team’s morale

be like this week? There was a good training session on Friday night despite quite a few

absentees and any doubts were dispelled on the night and followed into Saturday.

The Whites welcomed Elton Sports Jaguars to Hopwood Hall this week. The Panthers had

done the double over us last season so we were expecting another tough game.

The team was without Andy Hollyhead this week and started as Cocker, Shepherd, Foggarty,

Kneale, Huszar, Lambert, and Robinson. The pitch was not in the best of conditions as a

Rugby match had preceded our game.

The match kicked off and for the first 5 minutes and in the early exchanges it was even.

Pennine then started to get a grip of the game and began to pick out their passes. Lambert

and Huszar in particular were also making some strong runs from midfield.

Pennine forced a few corners and it was following one well worked corner (Practiced in

training on Friday night) that Josh Robinson on the half volley narrowly shot wide.

On 15 minutes from another corner it was Robinson again whose shot was scrambled away

by the keeper only for Tyler Kneale to score from close range. 1-0.

Pennine then had to soak up some Elton pressure but to be fair Matt Foggarty and Luke

Shepherd had the defence well covered, Harrison Cocker was again very comfortable in

goal, collecting any passes and crosses that came his way.

On the one occasion that Elton managed to break through the defence a good shot from the

nr 11 was excellently saved by the legs and the ball went for a corner. This save turned out

to be crucial with the game still in the balance.

Pennine kept up the pressure and Tyler Kneale made some good runs down the right

encouraged by Tommy!! Hayden Hickman, on for Huszar, in midfield was dominant linking

up well with both wingers.

After the half time team talk the second half pretty much continued in the same way with

Pennine having much of the ball. The team began to realise it was easier to pass the ball

than trying to run with the ball on this heavy pitch. Matt Foggarty was linking up well with

Ben on the right and following one great run the ball was crossed to Raza Hassan who

volleyed the ball towards goal only to see a magnificent save from the keeper to deny him.

Not long after Raza got his goal, a similar move down the right and a cross this time was met

by Hassan to score a well-deserved goal. 2-0

Pennine then defended the rest of the game out comfortably without any real scares.

Shepherd and Foggarty were moving well and finding space constantly completing passes to

Hickman, Huszar and Hassan. The defence had now gained so much confidence that they

were making back passes to Harrison in goal who made some really good clearances.

Page | 21

The game finished 2-0 and the Victory was well deserved!

It was difficult to select a man of the match as ALL players contributed to a very good team

performance. Matt Foggarty just about pinched it with a solid defensive display and in

particular excellent second half distribution from the back.

It goes to show that we just need to persevere since we’ve played better this season and

lost so well done to the Team!!

02.02.13 Pennine Whites vs Bury Amt Tigers (A) 1-11 CUP.

Goal scorers Tyler Kneale

Managers - Man Of The Match Awards

Harrison Cocker

Today the Whites were in Cup action against Bury Amt Tigers who were from a division

above.

A victory was never the main expectation of this game .The result was totally irrelevant. We

tried players in different positions this week and there were some positives especially early

on in the match.

We started Matt Foggarty was in midfield with Ben Huszar on the left and Andy Hollyhead

upfront. For the first 10 minutes Pennine held their own against a physically bigger and

stronger team. It has to be said that at least 3 of the Tigers players were twice the size of

our boys. Ability wise it was even Stevens.

We had some early chances with Matt Foggarty crossing well and Andy Hollyhead and Ben

linking up well on the left. Raza Hassan also played in Hollyhead.

A mystery illness then took Raza out of the game and he had to go home. (Hope your better

soon Raza).

Ellie Lambert on for Raza added a little more steel in midfield. Harrison Cocker in goal in the

meantime was also being kept busy and pulled off a string of fine saves. This included a

great volley from the Tigers winger and an equally good stop.

After about 10mins the Tigers scored a soft goal with players un-marked in the box a cross

was simply tapped in. This was quickly followed by 3 unanswered goals. Foggy came off in

between goals to be replaced by Tyler Kneale who had a great half made some great passes.

Tyler was eventually rewarded following good link up with Josh Robinson and Ellie Lambert

saw his shot go in off the post. It was 1-4 half time.

Page | 22

A quick goal straight from the off killed the game and Pennine lost shape and confidence.

Balls were given away too easily and in the wrong places and

4 of the next 6 goals were all from mistakes and without the intervention of Harrison

Cocker, Hayden Hickman and Luke Shepherd it could have been a lot worse. Pennine did

have chances to score but again missed the targets after good play with Hollyhead and

Lambert going close on three occasions.

However the Management will take the blame if there is any because we are the ones

insisting that the players try and play out from the back!

It was nice to see the players trying to play football and in fact most of the best passages of

play were by Pennine. The Tigers were just too big and strong.

I’ll wage a bet that in 2 or 3 years’ time if we play these again we would win.

Tyler Kneale and Ben’s first half performance were ones of notes. But this week’s MOM

goes to our Keeper Harrison Cocker who in the first half made some brilliant saves and

without him it could have been an even heavier defeat.

12.01.13 Pennine Whites vs Radcliffe Juniors Blue (H) 0-3 Managers - Man Of The Match Awards

Luke Shepherd

After several weeks lay off since the last game and the Christmas the Whites entertained

Radcliffe at home. The earlier fixture in the season had seen a close game with the Whites

coming out on top 3-2 but this was not to be this week; The Whites going down 3-0.

Once again the result does not give the full picture of the game and my bias view is that a

draw would have been a fairer result. Our Achilles heel more than once this season is the

inability to score goals; missed chances in front of goal and bad decision making in front of

goal continue to plague the team.

The game was even throughout most of the first half with perhaps Radcliffe just pinching

the half. Nice interplay on the right between Andy Holyhead and Raza Hassan on more than

one occasion opened up the Radcliffe defence. A good left foot shot by Josh Robinson

forced the keeper to push the ball away for a corner. Pennine were defending well with

Shepherd and the refreshed Foggarty nullifying the Radcliffe attacks. Harrison Cocker made

some good saves on the occasions he was called into action.

The Radcliffe goal came after a couple of corners which the Whites failed to clear and the

ball somehow squeezed in off the post.

Ben Huszar tried a speculative shot from outside the box and then played in Tyler Kneale

who perhaps should have scored. 0-1 Half time.

Page | 23

Second Half started with Matty Foggarty in goal and Ellie Lambert in midfield. Pennine

were now on top in this half and created several opportunities to score throughout the half

but on more than one occasion with only one defender to beat on the counter we made the

wrong decision.

Poor marking from another Radcliffe corner left the defender plenty of time to pick out his

cross without any pressure from the Whites and the ball was swept home at the back post.

Again Pennine seemed to up the pressure; Ellie Lambert put in some great tackles and

played in Tyler Kneale and Raza Hassan both failed to capitalise. A shot was fumbled but

good following up by Raza allowed him to pull back the ball from the bye line and from a

yard out with an open goal we somehow managed to miss the ball completely and the

chance was gone.

Time and time again Pennine drove forward looking to pull a goal back to no avail. One

particular move saw Cocker and Hassan sliced open the Radcliffe defence and with a 3 on 1

it looked like a certain goal. But unfortunately poor control at the last minute with the

whites bearing down on goal allowed Radcliife to clear the ball up field and with Pennine

the Radcliffe attackers showed how to finish with a shot into the top corner giving Foggy no

chance.

That was pretty much it this week. All round good performances by all the team considering

the lay off period; Luke Shepherd just about pinching the MoM from Ben and Raza.

The positive to take from the game the team are playing some nice football and creating

chances and with a little more confidence and again composure sooner or later we’ll start

banging in the goals.

17.11.12 Pennine Whites vs Whitworth Valley Cup Game (A) 2-9 Goal scorers Tyler Kneale, Raza Hassan Managers - Man Of The Match Awards Hayden Hickman

This week the whites were in a return fixture with Whitworth Valley after last week’s cup

match. Particularly after last week’s performance, we were all hoping for a much improved

performance. We were not let down and oh boy we treated to a gripping game for 40

minutes.

Forget the result this was a lot closer than the score line suggests!

Pennine started with a little uncertainty and escaped a couple of early scares before a

tremendous save by Harrison Cocker in a one and one situation kept the game at 0-0.

Unfortunately, after 10mins Whitworth scored a rather sloppy goal when the ball could

have been cleared.

However, you could tell this week that it was a different Pennine team than last week with

Matthew Foggarty defending at ease and both Luke Shepherd aided by Hayden Hickman

Page | 24

were rampaging down the left wing time and time again. Hayden had gotten himself into

few good positions and a little better technique would have rewarded him with a goal. Then

against the run of play, a powerful shot was saved but the ball some who spun out of

Harrison’s hand and just dropped over the goal line.

This seemed to spur on Pennine with the introduction of Tyler Kneale and the brilliant Raza

Hassan on the wing was paying dividends on the right. Ben Huszar was driving forward and

winning all the second balls in midfield. Surely Pennine deserved a goal ? Eventually it came

on the stroke of Half time. A fluent move down the right starting from Cocker to Foggarty

who played a lovely ball down the right for Raza who beat his defender at ease before

putting his cross onto a sixpence for Tyler Kneale who had made a fantastic run to the far

post to slot home his second goal of the season. That goal alone meant everything for us it

felt like finding the “golden fleece”. All the hard work and training came off in that one

move alone.

That single whole move and goal meant it didn’t matter about the result! For this team it

showed that if they apply themselves they have nothing to fear and play against the best.

For the Coaches it was probably our finest phase of football we had witnessed since the

team was put together and thoroughly deserved.

After that the Whitworth coaches were panicking, last week hardly a word could be heard

from them on the touch line. This week it was them who were shouting orders out to their

team. They were very uncomfortable now and realised that it was game on. 1-2 half time.

The second half meant that we had to change thing around bringing on Ellie Lambert into

the fray, Foggy in goal and Harrison on the wing.

Pennine were definitely on the ascendency and the Whitworth keeper was much the busier.

Corner after corner rained in on the Whitworth goal and really the Whites should have

made all the pressure count and should have scored. But alas it was not to be Whitworth

scored against the run of play after about 40mins and this seemed to deflate the Whites. As

they pushed forward they were caught again at the back and it was soon 4-1. More goals

followed but really it didn’t matter too much as the game was already over. Whitworth

scoring at will whereas Pennine couldn’t. A deserved consolation goal by Raza Hassan was

all the Whites had to show at the end. Whitworth’s last 5 goals coming in the last 5 minutes

which really made the score line a bit of a mockery. The game was a lot closer than that.

We’ll gladly take all the positives out of this game this week . We once again played well and

against a lesser team than Whitworth we would surely have secured all the points.

Whitworth are definitely one of the better sides in the league and we matched them for the

best part of 40 minutes. We passed the ball well, worked had, tackled great, better corners

which all in all meant we says we can be a good team.

Page | 25

Certain players to mention for exceptional performances this week are Luke Shepherd,

Raza Hassan, Foggy (in defence), Harrison (in goal), Tyler for a great finish and Managers

MoM Hayden Hickman for great commitment and running power. Well done Hayden!

Must do better – 1) try to get the shots off sooner left foot/right foot and become more

clinical. 2) Try not to ball watch when defending watch your marker.

10.11.12 Pennine Whites v Whitworth Valley Cup Game L 1-6 Goal scorers Andy Holyhead Managers - Man Of The Match Awards Luke Shepherd

The whites welcomed Whitworth Valley to Hopwood Hall for a cup game. This was the first time the teams had met and it was a promising encounter.

Unfortunately the result turned out to be a damp squib for the Whites with Whitworth capitalising on mistake after mistake made by the Whites.

Once the game had started, it was obvious that there was nothing to pick between the teams and after an opening 7 mins it was still 0-0. The first goal came following a mistake at the back. A long clearance by Whitworth was kicked into the path of their striker, instead of clearing away, it was hit first time and flew into the top corner.

The second goal came from a corner that again, should have been cleared, instead a poor clearance was deflected into the area and a shot initially saved by Harrison was spilled over the line. Yet another soft goal conceded!

Pennine pressed and following a Pennine corner the ball was cleared leaving Luke Shepherd the task of simply clearing the ball but unfortunately it was given away cheaply and with a 3 onto one Whitworth scored the third goal.

Matty Hall and Raza came on as subs and created Pennines best chance with a slick move which resulted with Matty just failing to get his shot away and a last gasp tackle sent the ball for a corner.

The second half started brightly for the Whites with the addition of Cocker on the left wing and Foggarty in goal. Pennine seemed more direct without actually creating any real chances but having more possession. Another Whitworth corner was crossed into the box and once again, this season the striker was allowed to turn and shoot without any pressure from any of the Pennine team. We’ve got to close down and tackle in these areas.

A ray of hope came with probably the longest goal to be scored this season by any team .It was Andrew Holyhead’s first of the season. The ball was well cleared by Andy with the laces and looked to be heading harmlessly towards the Whitworth keeper who unexplainably let the ball go in between his legs into the back of the net. Even one or two of the Whitworth players shook Andy’s hand a real sporting gesture.

Page | 26

Pennine then seemed to buck up for a time and a good free kick by Harrison Cocker was cleared before the same player had two more shots saved by the keeper. Raza Hassan again showed that he could run with the ball skilfully and he played in a couple smart passes.

However, Pennine could not continue and the game was effectively wrapped up when a ball out from the back by Foggarty was collected by the Whitworth midfielder and fired home expertly into the top corner. A sixth goal in the Final minutes was the icing on the cake.

There was not a lot between the teams ability wise but the Whites made the mistakes in the wrong area of the pitch and at the wrong time and were duly punished.

A closing note; We’ve set a higher bar this year performance wise and we mustn’t get too disappointed when we lose because we have improved and if we keep plugging away we will win some of these games. The important thing the players must remember is that we must continue to try to play football; bring into the matches the skills, passing, movement, and coaching we have been working on in training. The winning of matches, although boosts confidence is not very important at this moment, it is the development of the player’s skills, experience along with trying to develop a consistent and improved work ethic that will eventually pay off. This week was disappointing by the fact that too many players had an off day however; we are due to play Whitworth again on Saturday and let’s hope we can raise our game once more.

Man of the Match was Luke Shepherd who has been as consistent as anyone this year. Luke

showed some great confidence in the match taking players on, not always at the right time,

but the fact he had the confidence to do so is great encouragement to all. Luke didn’t let his

mistake which led to one of the goals affect him and never gave up. Well Done Luke!

03.11.12 Pennine Whites vs Elton & Walshaw Lynx

Following an early morning pitch inspection the match given the green light to carry on.

This week the Whites welcomed Elton and Walshaw Lynx and some on the team were

expecting an easy game due to E&W Lynx low lying position in the league. There are no easy

games in this league and if you think you are going to get one then you are more than likely

going to get beat!

Sure enough both teams started brightly and E&W fresh from two straight wins showed that

in their nr 5 they had the match winner. Time and time again he caused the Whites defence

until he eventually broke through to score. From then The Whites were trying to play

football in particular Hayden Hickman in midfield and Tyler Kneale making some good runs

down the wing there was always the danger from the counter attack. Counter attacks

brought goals 2 and 3 from the nr 5 who was a one man team. The whites defence were

giving him far too much room and on our big pitch it player into his hands.

The 4th goal came following a free kick with the Whites all pointing to unmarked players but

not actually marking them.

In between these goals the Whites with Josh Robinson again leading the line well and linking

up play with Ben Huszar on the right was causing most of the problems to the visitors.

Page | 27

Eventually after sustained Whites possession dividends paid off with a fine goal, a

powerful cross/shot from Huszar was volleyed home by Robinson for his 4th goal of the

season and one of the best goals this season. A little ray hope was shining still. 1-4 at half

time.

2nd half kicked off with the Whites applying all the pressure and looking the more likely to

score. Raza Hassan now as centre forward was showing his silky skills and forced a corner.

From this corner another counter attack with pace and again the Whites not dealing with nr

5 who ran the whole pitch bagged his 4th goal. The Whites pulled a goal back following a

direct free kick which was lashed home by Harrison Cocker. 2-5

Walshaw nr 5 scored his 5th goal soon after. Pennine kept on plugging away with Ellie

Lambert as ferocious as ever in the tackle, Hayden Hickman’s strong running , Ben Huszar

driving down the left and Harrison Cocker on the right created another opening and another

power drive from Cocker was well saved by the keeper but great following and a good finish

up by Raza Hassan ensured that he got the goal he deserved. Too little too late! A final goal

by Walshaw ensured a score line of 3-7.

This was a game where it was obvious that Walshaw had a very special player in nr 5 and he

was probably the best player we had encountered this season. The plus side of this for the

Whites was that we played well!! Some nice passing moves, positive approaches and good

attacking skills. We’ve played worse and won previously. Good performances all round this

week but special mentions for Hayden Hickman, Josh Robinson, Raza Hassan, Harrison

Cocker, Tyler Kneale & Ellie Lambert.

Raza Hassan was awarded Managers MoM for consistent performances over consecutive

games. Well done Raza !!

“We are now no longer the Whipping boys of the league so we need to up our game. We

have played some great football over the last few weeks so we now need to start making

this good play count. Decisions when to play the right ball and when to keep possession are

still a problem. There is also need to improve on passing and controlling the ball better plus

trying to concentrate on running into space to receive a pass or draw defenders away for

other players. Next week at training we will be working on this.”

Goal scorers Josh Robinson, Harrison Cocker, Raza Hassan

Managers - Man Of The Match Awards

Raza Hassan

20.10.12 Pennine Whites vs Bury Amateur Jags After their impressive away win the previous week against the same opposition there was a lot of expectations for another 3 points but Pennine were missing 2 influential players in Cocker & Shepherd. The Jaguars were also looking for revenge for their below performance the previous week.

Page | 28

The Pennine starting line-up was: Robinson, Lambert, Foggarty, Hickman, Huszar, Hassan and Holyhead

Pennine fell behind to an early goal as the Jaguars started brightly. Pennine started to play better creating chances but mid-way through the first half were caught out again to go 2 behind.

Holyhead was moved into defence and Kneale added to the strike force which paid dividends and the Whites were dominant for the remainder of the first half. The breakthrough for Pennine came just before the break with a good counter attacking move by Hassan who beat the keeper in a one on one. Pennine created the best chance of the half towards the end but Hassan this time shot wide when better options were available.

After the break, Robinson swapped gloves with Fogarty to add a more physical presence up front and Hall was added to the wing. This formation brought instant dividends and the Whites soon levelled through a goalmouth scramble that saw Robinson put the ball over the line. The remainder of the match saw both sides make chances but Pennine fell behind again through another Jaguars counter attack.

The last minutes of the game looked as though it would end in defeat for the whites but the late introduction of Ellie “no more sleepovers the night before a game “Lambert up front paid off and the team pulled level with a great solo goal by Ellie coming in off the left wing and firing home.

On balance a draw seemed a fair result with both teams creating chances and the team showed great fighting spirit to come back from behind twice in the game. Goal scorers: Raza Hassan , Josh Robinson, Ellie Lambert MOTM : Josh Robinson – Well done again Josh !

13.10.12 Bury Amateur Jags vs Pennine Whites

After last week’s poor performance the coaches and fans were wondering which Pennine

team was going to turn up today. The weather was perfect not too hot not too cold, the

pitch was not too wet and not too dry. The conditions were perfect no excuses to day then!

Sure enough the Whites delivered the goods with their biggest win ever with an emphatic

score of 8-1.

The game kicked off and both teams struggled to settle and play football on a very small

pitch. Slowly it was Pennine who took charge with Hayden Hickman winning everything in

midfield and Raz Hassan using his pace on the wing causing the Jag defence all sorts of

trouble. Matthew Foggarty and Luke Shepherd bossed the back and dealt with anything

their way. Ellie Lambert, as ever, was tough in the challenge and man of the moment Josh

Robinson was also giving the Jags defence lots to think about with his harassing and physical

presence.

Page | 29

The first goal came eventually following a scramble in the box, good following up by

Hayden Hickman resulted in his first goal of the season. Shortly after that it was another

corner that was cleared only to the edge of the box and Luke Shepherd drilled the ball home

in the corner of the goal giving the keeper no chance at all. It was soon 3-0 Josh Robinson

following up again to slot home from close range. Josh was soon at it once more with a

great shot into the top corner after beating the home defenders to the ball. Well done

Josh!Tyler Kneale, on for Raza, scored almost immediately and it was 5-0 at half time.

The usual keeper swap at half time with Foggy going into goal and Harrison Cocker coming

out to play on the left wing. Andy Hollihead on for Luke “Mr Consistent “Shepherd (who

again had a great game). Matty Hall on for Josh Robinson who had just played his best ever

game for Pennine. Ben Huszar on for Ellie “Bite ye legs” Lambert.

The second half carried on much in the same manner but with the Jags attacking downhill

Matt Foggarty was always going to have more to do. A few sticky moments in the Whites

goal area were dealt with before another scramble in the Jags area left Harrison an easy tap

in. 6-0. The seventh goal and a particular favourite was scored after a great team move

starting from the back. Matty Hall, played in by Raza, unselfishly passed a delightful ball into

the path of the on running Cocker who took the ball a couple of yards before unleashing an

unstoppable shot past the keeper. 7-0. A slight blip occurred as Pennine were caught out of

formation with too many Pennine players looking to get in on the scoring action left a 4 on 1

at the back and the Jags striker hammered the ball home with such force that all the goal

netting came away! Unstoppable!

A mix up between the Jags keeper and defence plus great work by Matty Hall closing down

resulted with the ball pinging around the goal area. Ellie Lambert’s shot hit the post and

Cocker again scored from close in for his hat-trick.

Man of the match was Hayden Hickman who ran his socks off for the Team and showed the

commitment required to win games. Well done Hayden.

For once a morale boosting Victory which was crafted out of good passing, team work and

hard graft. Let’s see if this confidence be carried forward into the next match. WELL DONE

ALL

Tommy said “let’s celebrate “I’ve no idea what he meant but it sounded good!!

06.10.12 Stand Athletic v Pennine Whites L 7-0

We were at away for a re-arranged fixture with Stand Athletic this week due to getting a bye

in the Preliminary round of the cup. Following the heavy rain that washed out all the fixtures

at Hopwood Hall we were extremely surprised that the match come could even be

Page | 30

considered playable especially as last week the game at Stand was off and all the games

were on at Hopwood Hall.

The team along with the hordes of travelling fans and spectators were greeted with a pitch

which would have been best suited for mud wrestling or water polo. It was rather

disappointing that we the home team ground staff had not made the call to us on Friday

night but alas we had travelled and changed ready to play. The Pennine management

deemed the pitch unfit to play but offered the choice to the players and parents. The

general consensus was to play the match and this turned out to be a rather poor decision.

The match kicked off with Pennine defending the wettest part of the pitch and Josh

Robinson, recalled to goal, was soon in action saving smartly at the near post. The more the

match progressed it was apparent that there was a definite lack of desire and heart

throughout the team who looked more bothered about not getting dirty than winning. The

game ebbed and flowed for 15 mins with Pennine creating only on chance of note when a

left foot shot from Harrison Cocker was fumbled by the keeper and if the boys would have

followed up quicker this would have resulted in a tap in goal. This chance went and the rest

is history.

Stand scored 4 goals before half time and a further 3 goals in the second without Pennine

making any notable efforts on goal. Ellie Lambert was the only outfield player to come out

of the game with any credit. She was brave in the tackle and never gave up and deservedly

voted MOM. Josh Robinson and Luke Shepherd had reasonably good first half

performances. Luke with some strong tackles and neat passing.

The disappointing aspect of the match was not losing but again the manner in which we

lost. Stand were no better than us they just wanted to win more. Basic marking, passing,

tackling, communicating and a general understanding of the game of football was missing

from this performance.

I questioned myself “What happened to the team that played so well at Radcliffe 3 weeks

ago ?” Next week is another game and cannot come quick enough so that we can put this

game behind us.

22/09/12 Pennine Whites v Woodbank Whites

We were at home this week on bigger than usual pitch and this probably played into the

hands of our opponents as they seemed more composed on the ball and they used the extra

space a lot better to their advantage than the Whites. From the kick off Woodbank looked

like a good team passing the ball around well whilst Pennine ,when they did win the ball,

struggled to retain possession long enough and were guilty of persistently giving the ball

away cheaply.

Page | 31

After a lot of huffing and puffing Woodbank finally scored. From a corner on the left the

ball some how reached the Woodbank striker on the edge of the area and with most of the

Pennine team watching him turn, control take aim and fire the ball into the left hand

corner of the net. What happened to closing down !

Pennine continually struggled to get the ball upto Josh Robinson who made some good runs

and on the occasions the ball was in Woodbank’s half chased the ball hard. Despite all

Woodbank’s pressure the Pennine goal was seldom trouble and the keeper and defence

coped well with any shots.

The Whites slowly got into the game following a couple of substitutions and with Josh

Robinson holding the ball up well and laying off a great pass to Tyler Neale (who went on a

surging run only to be denied by good defending) looking better.

Eventually the Whites strung together a telling move down the left with Ellie Lambert and

Ben Huszar combining well before Ben Huszar firing off a powerful shot from outside the

area which was saved by the keeper out for a corner. 0-1 at half time.

The Second half kicked off with Matt Foggarty, carrying a slight injury moved into goal with

Cocker moving onto the wing, Matty Hall on as striker for Robbo (who had a MOM first half

performance) . Straight away the powerful running of H K C was causing problems with the

Woodbank defence and they realised already that they were up against a different Whites

team this half. Ellie Lambert and Ben hussar started to boss the midfield and following an

attack the ball broke to Harrison Cocker who fired in a powerful shot which beat the keeper

on the near post to score his first goal of the season. It was now game on!

Pennine’s confidence was growing and the game became more and more even with Hayden

Hickman, Luke Shepherd and Matt Foggarty coping well with Woodbank’s attack. Then

unfortunately following another Woodbank short corner they scored 1-2. Better making

again required!

The Whites rolled up their sleeves and a great run from Ben Huszar ended with a shot which

screwed across the face of goal with the keeper stranded .The ball somehow eluded the

reach of the Pennine attack. Another attack down the left and cross found Matty Hall, who

made all the right runs up front, unfortunately slipped at the vital moment in front of goal

and the chance was gone.

This reminds me Brian Clough once said “it only takes a second to score a goal” and

straight from that missed chance the ball was punted up field and with the Whites out of

position Woodbank broke away and scored their 3rd goal. The fans and Coaches were in

disbelief!!

Andy Hall said “That’s football !!” and no truer a statement made.

Page | 32

Whites pressed again with Ellie Lambert leading the attack time and time again and she

looked unstoppable at times supported by Harrison Cocker on the wing. Matty Hall had

another shot that went wide on the left side but again the Whites were caught on the

counter attack. Along ball over the top was not dealt with and Woodbank scored giving

Matty Foggarty no chance.

A Whites consolation goal was deservedly scored in the last minute another great run and

cross from the left was met with a left foot shot which the keeper initially stopped but good

following up allowed HKC to score a simple tap in. 2-4. Then end

Some great performances on the day notably Ellie Lambert (the ref’s MOM), Ben Huszar,

Harrison Cocker , Hayden Hickman and Josh Robinson (managers MOM).

The result was no disgrace the Whites were beaten by a good side but once again the

performance and attitude of the players showed that we are making progress and going in

the right direction. A year ago a game like this would more than likely have ended in a much

heavier defeat so once again well done team

15/09/12 Pennine Whites v Radcliffe Boys Blue

And we’re off ! First win of the season and deservedly so in an exciting encounter away at Radcliffe

Boys Blues.

The Whites were back to full strength following the welcome return of Ben Huszar, Ellie Lambert and

Andy Hollihead. Straight from the kick off the Whites showed their intention with some excellent

tackling in midfield and some slick passing between the midfield trio of Huszar, Hassan and

Hollihead. Pennine had most of the possession in the first ten minutes and once again a little more

composure when in possession of the ball should have led to the first goal coming a lot earlier than it

actually did. Josh Robinson was working hard upfront and with a bit better luck could have had a

couple of goals. Finally after some good work a cross from the left was met by Raz Hassan who

finished well.

Radcliffe hit back but solid defending by the reliable duo of Matt Foggarty and Luke Shepherd kept

Radcliffe at bay. A goal ward bound shot was well saved by Harrison Cocker which was turned away

for a corner. Tyler Neale had a great LEFT foot shot saved at the near post after another great move

by the whites. A bad tackle left Foggarty injured and with the Whites a little unorganised Radcliffe

caught them on the break for an equalising goal. Again after more pressure from the whites they

were again caught on the counter attack and on the stroke off half time it was 2-1 to Radcliffe.

The second half kicked off in a similar fashion with the introduction of Ellie Lambert, Matty Hall and

Hayden Hickman. Foggarty went into goal and Cocker went onto the wing. Again plenty of pressure

from the whites who were now kicking up the slope was met with resolute defending from Radcliffe

who themselves were now creating better chances. Matt Foggarty pulled of a great save which then

hit the bar before being scrambled away for a corner. Following a Whites corner Ben Huszar arrived

into the box to drill home an equalising goal. It was all Pennine now and some powerful runs down

Page | 33

the right wing by Harrison Cocker was causing all sorts of problems for Radcliffe. Following yet

another corner a slick pass from Cocker was met by MAN OF THE MATCH Ben Huszar (who was

magnificent throughout the game) and was hammered home in what turned out to be the winning

goal.

As Radcliffe pushed on for an equaliser Ellie Lambert and Hayden Hickman stood solid in defence

and some strong tackles and great passes from midfield gave both firstly Andy Hollihead and

Harrison Cocker chances to put the game beyond doubt but were both smartly saved by the

Radcliffe keeper. In true Whites style they had the parents and coaches biting their finger nails

waiting for the final whistle which when it came was loudly celebrated.

A deserved win which was fashioned by all round good team work, good passing, discipline and a

general desire to win which was not seen in many games last year. Hopefully this is what the team

needs to kick start the rest of the season.

Well played all!!

08.09.12 Pennine Whites v Westbury Wolves

The 1st game off the season kicked off at Hopwood hall on the best marked pitch of the day !

Despite fielding an under strength team (due to illness and injuries) and up against a

physically stronger team the whites matched the Wolves in the early exchanges. Wolves

soon stepped up a gear and some last gasp defending by the rear guard of Matt Foggarty

and Luke Shepherd kept the score at nil nil. Some great saves by stand in keeper Harrison

Cocker also kept the whites in touch. Eventually the pressure told and it was soon 1-0 to the

Wolves following a mistake at the back. It soon became 2-0 then 3-0 shortly after before

Pennine pulled a goal back. In between time Captain of the day Josh Robinson had a long

range effort that just went wide with the Wolves keeper stranded. A long ball from the

keeper Harrison Cocker was chased down by Matty Hall and Raz Hassan coolly rounded the

keeper and slotted the ball home .It finished 1-3 at half time.

Matt Foggarty went into goal for the second half and was soon called into action pulling off

a string of fine saves before eventually he was beaten at the near post. It seemed like one

way traffic until Raz Hassan burst away from midfield before a great cross which ended with

a great chance being wasted by the Pennine front men who just needed to communicate

with each other. Pennine had two further chances with Hayden Hickman firing in a great

shot and MOM Raz Hassan taking on 3 defenders before a last gasp tackle stopped him from

scoring.

As the Whites tired two final late goals from the Wolves made the score line 1-6.

Matt Foggarty and Luke Shepherd had all-round good games in defence but they were just

pipped for MOM by Raz Hassan who showed some great skills on the day.

Page | 34