Raptors under-13s boys triumphed 3-2 at Cheetham Hill Reds, in one of the few matches to survive the weather.
Coach Paul said: “We started well and were winning battles all over the pitch, linking well and pressing out of possession.
“Luca, playing in midfield, had definitely had his Wheetabix, as he was running the show against his old team.
“Cameron, Tommy and Lucas linked up well to see early efforts saved by the keeper, as well as hitting the upright and one going just wide.
“Luca, inevitably, got the break through when he latched onto a great through-ball from Cameron to put us 1-0 up.
“Despite losing a bit of shape, Raptors defended resolutely to retain the lead at the break.
“We were slow out of the blocks in the second half and Cheetham Hill equalised. But Luca once again took the bull by the horns and struck a powerful shot from 25 yards that beat the keeper and gave us back the lead.
“Substitutions made a difference and we found ourselves under pressure. A corner came into the box and pinged around the area with no one able to clear it, before a ricochet resulted in the home side levelling again.
“After that we got our heads up and started to find more space. Cameron delivered a cross which made its way to Raff. With a quality first touch, he took it away from the defender and slotted home on the half-volley.
“It was a deserved win and good display overall. Luca was player of the game for covering every blade of (artificial) grass and scoring a brace.”
Diamonds girls under-12s had what coach Mark described as a ‘wake up call’ in their 0-0 draw with AFC Bolton.
Mark said: “Our old friends AFC came with eight players, but in all honesty you would have thought it was the other way around.
“After last week’s heroics and with the fact we’d already beaten AFC twice this season, I think complacency slipped in.
“That in itself is disappointing because I stressed at training and before the match that we’d won nothing yet and that we had to aim to match the previous week’s performance every Sunday.
“We lost all composure and were panicking on the ball and really forgot our passing and possession game. Our communication was off and we looked tired.
“Some of our football has been sublime this season and we must remember this and believe in our ability. Hopefully this was just a solitary bump on a long road.
“The positive we have take to take is that while not at our best we still managed to keep a clean sheet.
“The important thing now is how the girls react to a setback. We have to accept responsibility for the performance but we put it to bed, train hard Wednesday and come out fighting again next Sunday and play the football we know we can.”
Panthers under-10s boys took on Longford.
Coach Ste said: "Missing both our main keeper David and back up keeper Enzo, the Panthers had to juggle the team around.
“Freddie and Ollie both made some good saves as stand-in keeper but the game didn’t flow as we wanted.
“We lacked a bit of creativity and our attacks didn’t have the momentum we would have liked but credit to all the lads for not giving up.
“It was a game to put behind us and move on. Player of the match was Jay, who tirelessly defended, but also gave everything to push us forward.”
Coach Paul said: “We started well and were winning battles all over the pitch, linking well and pressing out of possession.
“Luca, playing in midfield, had definitely had his Wheetabix, as he was running the show against his old team.
“Cameron, Tommy and Lucas linked up well to see early efforts saved by the keeper, as well as hitting the upright and one going just wide.
“Luca, inevitably, got the break through when he latched onto a great through-ball from Cameron to put us 1-0 up.
“Despite losing a bit of shape, Raptors defended resolutely to retain the lead at the break.
“We were slow out of the blocks in the second half and Cheetham Hill equalised. But Luca once again took the bull by the horns and struck a powerful shot from 25 yards that beat the keeper and gave us back the lead.
“Substitutions made a difference and we found ourselves under pressure. A corner came into the box and pinged around the area with no one able to clear it, before a ricochet resulted in the home side levelling again.
“After that we got our heads up and started to find more space. Cameron delivered a cross which made its way to Raff. With a quality first touch, he took it away from the defender and slotted home on the half-volley.
“It was a deserved win and good display overall. Luca was player of the game for covering every blade of (artificial) grass and scoring a brace.”
Diamonds girls under-12s had what coach Mark described as a ‘wake up call’ in their 0-0 draw with AFC Bolton.
Mark said: “Our old friends AFC came with eight players, but in all honesty you would have thought it was the other way around.
“After last week’s heroics and with the fact we’d already beaten AFC twice this season, I think complacency slipped in.
“That in itself is disappointing because I stressed at training and before the match that we’d won nothing yet and that we had to aim to match the previous week’s performance every Sunday.
“We lost all composure and were panicking on the ball and really forgot our passing and possession game. Our communication was off and we looked tired.
“Some of our football has been sublime this season and we must remember this and believe in our ability. Hopefully this was just a solitary bump on a long road.
“The positive we have take to take is that while not at our best we still managed to keep a clean sheet.
“The important thing now is how the girls react to a setback. We have to accept responsibility for the performance but we put it to bed, train hard Wednesday and come out fighting again next Sunday and play the football we know we can.”
Panthers under-10s boys took on Longford.
Coach Ste said: "Missing both our main keeper David and back up keeper Enzo, the Panthers had to juggle the team around.
“Freddie and Ollie both made some good saves as stand-in keeper but the game didn’t flow as we wanted.
“We lacked a bit of creativity and our attacks didn’t have the momentum we would have liked but credit to all the lads for not giving up.
“It was a game to put behind us and move on. Player of the match was Jay, who tirelessly defended, but also gave everything to push us forward.”
