Raptors boys under-13s (pictured) opened their account with a great win in their first league game of the season.

Coach Paul said: "It was an early start up the M62 to face Crompton Lions in Shaw. And we started slowly by conceding an early penalty, giving the home side the lead.
 
"Raptors responded well and dominated possession and quickly brought the score level with Tommy following up on a spilled save to level. We continued to dominate  creating plenty of opportunities and shortly before half time, Bobby struck, again with great awareness and a good follow up, to put us ahead.

"A few changes at half time again saw us create loads down the right side with Luca narrowly missing a chipped shot and then firing into the side netting following two similar passages of excellent link up play.

"The third such attempt saw Bobby net his second from six yards out, after Luca crossed instead of shooting himself.  Crompton hit back to make it 2-3 with a superb strike into the top corner leaving Cameron no chance in goal.

"We switched it around as it started to get a bit scrappy and with the last kick, Lucas side-footed one from 25 yards out into the corner. Final score 2-4 to Prestwich. A great first win, with Player of match being Alex for a dominant defensive display as captain."

There was a change of scenery for the Panthers under-10s boys as they took on Swinton Tigers at Sandgate.

Coach Ste said: "The Panthers wanted to improve on last week and they got off to a flying start with Ethan slotting home a neat through ball from Hudson. The first half was end to end with both teams having plenty of chances, and after Swinton came back into it William converted Ollie’s cross in the stroke of half time.

"The second half couldn’t have started any worse, conceding straight away but that seemed to spark that Panthers into life. James scored a great solo goal, before Ethan bagged his second, by converting another cross from Ollie.

"The Panthers were dominant for much of the second half, with James scoring a long range effort to cap an occasion that was fully enjoyed by all."

Titans under-16s boys had a great win away at Whitworth.

Coach Nathan said: "We won 2-1 and battled really hard for the three points on a tough, slanted pitch, to make it two from two.

"We had most of the ball, creating some very good chances and we were very happy with the effort put in. Big shoutout to Huey with some top saves and player of the match was Harry. Goals came from Zach and Jack, with assists from Harry and Olly."

Our Diamonds under-12s girls beat Cherrybrook 4-0 away, in an impressive display.

Coach Mark said: "I thought we started sharply and were really on it from the off and had the opposition pegged back for the first five minutes. This resulted in Cherrybrook playing the long ball which seemed to knock us out of our stride a little.

"We took the lead with Erin and Maria linking up, with the latter getting on the scoresheet for the second week running. However, like last week we couldn’t convert our dominance into more goals and went into halftime only leading by the solitary strike, thanks to the upright and some good keeping.

"The Diamonds put the their collective feet down in the second half and had total control of the middle of the park which led to us  playing some great football from the back line up to the forwards.

"The Cherrybrook goal was absolutely peppered but most shots seem to be put down their keeper's throat and she pulled off some great saves.

"Going into the last 10, still just up by one, had me fearing we’d concede a daft equaliser but the girls kept pushing and Erin hit a quick fire hat-trick to make the score look somewhat like it should have been. On another day it could’ve been double figures.

"While I still think we’ve not hit our best form in the first two games, I’ve lost count of the number of shots on target we’ve had. We’ve played beautifully in parts and dominated possession and walked away with two wins. But I still feel there’s more to come.

"Parents' player of the match was Eva, who dictated the game from the middle. Mark's player of the match was Darci, whose attitude was superb and performance faultless. Kris and Craig recognised Erin and Maria as a duo as both bagging goals and really opening up space for each other."

The Phantoms under-16s boys did themselves proud with a stunning 5-1 win at Shaw.

Coach Marc said: "There was some great football from the lads and they were much better than last weekend. It was good to see them get the win and look happy playing together and more like a team.

"It’s always a scrappy one against Shaw, but we outplayed them and quite easily dealt with everything they threw at us. This led to Shaw getting frustrated towards the end. Goals were scored by Alex (2), with Isaac, Jamie and Euan getting one each. Player of the game was Jamie."

Phoenix under-11s girls came up against an outstanding opponent who impacted their match with Ordsall.

The girls went a goal to the good with a super strike from non-stop Noe, before Ordsall introduced their star player and the game changed dramatically.

Coach Brendan said: "It was a tough game for the girls, with a couple of players missing through injury and other activities. 

"This was not helped when we suffered another injury after just five minutes. But that didn't impact what was a really positive start to the game. The girls were on the front foot, gaining control early on. The football was flowing and a couple of efforts from the strong running Adalind went close.

"Lois marshalled the defence superbly, anticipating danger and playing some lovely long passes. Mia and Brooke were full of determination and strong running. Lola was authoritative in midfield, winning duels and playing lovely passes forward. Blake was a willing runner and looking to pass when on the ball. 

"Noe's goal was a cracker - work on ball striking in training paying off. Ordsall then brought on a player who changed the game for them.

"That said, Phoenix started the second half strongly. April was a constant menace on the left with her fantastic dribbling skills. A switch in formation led to Iris, Noe and Adalind in midfield and one of their moves led to Iris scoring an excellent goal, gliding past two defenders and finishing smartly in the corner. 

"Lois rounded off another flowing move with April prominent, with a trademark strong finish in the corner. Then our advisory was brought back into the fray for Ordsall.
 
"There was a superb display by Grace who was deputising in goal due to our star keeper Isabella being unavailable. It didn’t look like Grace hadn’t played there before and she won a deserved player of the game award.

"We were extremely impressed at the attitude of the girls. They battled hard against a strong team and continued to pass the ball superbly and they should be very proud of their efforts." 

Thanks, as always to Donna, Brooke's mum, for the Phoenix pictures: