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Team Profile, Information and Match reports 12/13

Under 14’s Blacks

Sponsored by

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Managers Profile:

Name: Adam Gill

What is your football background? I have always loved and played football all my life, was entered into trials for Rochdale school of excellence where I was signed up with a contract with Rochdale in the last 30 man squad !!!!!.I played for several years with Rochdale but unfortunately I had a freak accident on holiday and had a severe broken leg as a result, which I never recovered from and I had to "hang up my boots". Couple of years later I began to play again but not semi pro, just Sunday league and 5 a side which isn't the same but still very enjoyable.

How long have you been involved with Pennine Juniors? I have been involved with Pennine for around 15 months

How long have you been managing a team? I have only just started to manage the team in the last few weeks, I have been working as a coach before that.

What do you like most about managing a team? I love managing the team as it keeps me involved with the game and like helping and seeing the lads improve and become better footballers

What do you find challenging when managing a team? Sometimes it's hard to start players as sub and bringing players off during a game as I don't want them to think it’s because they are not playing well or that I don't like them, it's just the way we have to work with Pennines policy which is every child gets at least half a game each week, which I think is a really important rule.

What has been your funniest/best/ most memorable moment? The funniest time in my short time at Pennine is probably when we were losing during a game and at half time I said to our sticker "don't worry you'll score a hat trick in second half", and sure enough he did exactly that and we won the game!!.

Describe your team: My team is full of great personalities and some comedians, everybody gets along really well and our time together is enjoyable all the time. We have some excellent players and if I can help them in any way by working with them then it would make me very proud. Our lads have become a very close nit bunch and help each other out if needed.

What are you focusing on in training? We are working on all aspects of the game but at the minute we are using possession drills, as I want the players to play football, hopefully we’ll look and play like Barcelona :)

Tell us the best game to date and why: Our best game must be the game I mentioned above we're we we're losing at half time and turned it around to win with a master class second half.

What advice/tips would you give to young, up and coming footballers? Make sure you are enjoying the time you are playing, and always believe you can do better and train to do so. Also, when playing a game make sure you give it 100% and don't think I could have done better after the game.

Contact details: 07449829001 Training times and details: Mon 7.30-9pm, Cardinal Langley

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Results at a glance: Pennine Juniors Under 14’s Blacks 2012 / 2013 Season

Date

Fixture Result Scorers M.MOM C.MOM P.MOM

08/09/12 Pennine v Prestwich Red

W 4-0 B.Simmonds, P.Gillan, T.Simmonds, B.Smyth

J.Kershaw P.Gillan T.Simmonds

15/09/12 Rossendale v Pennine

W 0-1 P.Gillan J.Kershaw

D.Joesbury

B.Simmonds

22/09/12 Pennine v Pennine Reds

L 2-4 B.Smyth, E.Smith B.Simmonds C.Panton J.Kershaw

13/10/12 Pennine v Ramsbottom

W 6-0 B.Smyth(2), S.Keown(2), B.Simmonds, T.Simmonds

B.Simmonds S.McCready S.Keown

20/10/12 Bacup v Pennine

W 1-5 T.Simmonds, P.Gillan, S.Keown, B.Smyth(2)

C.Leyland E.Smith B.Smyth

03/11/12 Pennine v Unsworth

W 2-1 J.Kershaw, S.Keown M.Whitehead C.Leyland D.Joesbury

10/11/12 Pennine v Radcliffe

L 3-4 P.Gillan, B.Simmonds, S.Keown C.Panton N.Christian E.Smith

17/11/12 Prestwich v Pennine

W 1-4 B.Smyth(2), P.Gillan, C.Leyland T.Simmonds

J.Chee N.Christian

12/01/13 Pennine v Westbury H

L 1-1 Cup

P.Gillan M.Whitehead

P.Gillan D.Joesbury

09/03/13 Pennine Reds v Pennine

W 0-1 J.Kershaw B.Simmonds

E.Smith B.Smyth

11/04/13 Westbury H v Pennine

W 1-3 B.Smyth, S.Keown, P.Gillan E.Smith

18/04/13 Ramsbottom v Pennine

W 0-7 B.Smyth(3), S.Keown, E.Smith, J.Kershaw, T.Simmonds

S.McCready J.Chee J.Kershaw

20/04/13 Whitworth v Pennine

W 0-1 N/A – Default 0-1 win as Whitworth unable to fulfil fixture

25/04/13 Unsworth v Pennine

W 0-1 B.Smyth T.Simmonds B.Smyth E.Smith

27/04/13 Pennine v Rossendale

W 1-0 B.Smyth S.Keown

M.Whitehead J.Kershaw

30/04/13 Pennine v Whitworth

W 7-0 B.Smyth(3),P.Gillan,B.Simmonds, S.McCready,S.Keown

D.Joesbury

B.Simmonds B.Smyth

04/05/13 Pennine v Westbury H

W 2-1 S.Keown, B.Smyth J.Chee

S.Keown E.Smith

06/05/13 Pennine v Bacup

W 4-2 B.Smyth, S.Keown, B.Simmonds, T.Simmonds

All Players

All Players All Players

09/05/13 Radcliffe v Pennine

W 0-4 P.Gillan(2), B.Smyth, S.Keown E.Smith

J.Kershaw N.Christian

21/05/13 Pennine v Broadway Celtic

W 2-1 Cup

B.Smyth, S.Keown B.Smyth

T.Simmonds J.Chee

25/03/13 Pennine v Westbury T

W 4-0 Cup

B.Smyth(2), E.Smith, S.Keown P.Gillan

B.Smyth D.Joesbury

28/05/13 Walshaw v Pennine

L 4-1 Cup

P.Gillan C.Leyland

D.Joesbury

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Goal scorers M.MOM (Adam Gill) C.MOM (Dave Simmonds) P.MOM (All parents)

B.Smyth 23 B.Simmonds 3 E.Smith 2 D.Joesbury 4 S.Keown 13 E.Smith 2 C.Leyland 2 B.Smyth 3

P.Gillan 11 J.Kershaw 2 B.Smyth 2 J.Kershaw 3

T.Simmonds 5 M.Whitehead 2 J.Chee 2 N.Christian 2

B.Simmonds 5 T.Simmonds 2 P.Gillan 2 E.Smith 2

J.Kershaw 3 C.Leyland 1 J.Kershaw 1 T.Simmonds 1

E.Smith 3 C.Panton 1 D.Joesbury 1 B.Simmonds 1

C.Leyland 1 S.McCready 1 C.Panton 1 S.Keown 1

S.McCready 1 S.Keown 1 S.McCready 1 J.Chee 1

D.Joesbury 1 N.Christian 1 All Players 1

B.Smyth 1 M.Whitehead 1

P.Gillan 1 B.Simmonds 1

All Players 1 T.Simmonds 1

All Players 1

Summary (by David Simmonds) This season has been an incredible journey for the lads, setting a new club record by

winning twelve games on the bounce and being undefeated for fourteen consecutive

games. In their eighteen league games the team only conceded fifteen goals, keeping ten

clean sheets in the process. This is testament to the skill of Pennine’s keeper, the

organisation and bravery of the Pennine defence and the hard work and battling qualities of

the team’s midfield. In the same eighteen league fixtures, the team scored fifty eight goals,

with nine different players finding the net. This was a result of some fine midfield play to

create the chances and excellent skill and accuracy to convert the chances into goals. All of

this is down to the hard work and dedication that lads have put into each every training

session. They have bonded well as a team and hopefully will all go on to play adult football

together, forming the same long term relationships as I have done which can be seen by the

number of Mini-soccer plus Junior managers and coaches which all came from the original,

and very successful Pennine adults team from some years ago.

The Premier League Super Cup presented some new challenges to the team with many

players missing vital games. However, the team that was practically thrown together for all

three rounds adapted quickly, found their feet, and gave a very good account of themselves,

finishing an unfortunate runners up.

This is a very spirited team with arguably the best collection of players Pennine Juniors

Football Club has seen. Long may it continue and I look forward to seeing you next season

albeit as a parent and not a coach.

Final note, a huge thank you to Adam Gill who is simply a different class in terms of

coaching. Adam has improved every single player and I am personally looking forward to

watching the team play (as a parent) next season.

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Final Premier League Table

TEAM P W D L PTS

Pennine Juniors Black 18 16 0 2 48

Radcliffe Borough 18 13 2 3 41

Westbury Sports Hurricanes 18 12 1 5 37

Pennine Juniors Red 18 11 3 4 36

Unsworth 18 8 2 8 26

Bacup JFC 18 7 1 10 22

Prestwich Town 18 6 2 10 20

Rossendale Valley 18 4 2 12 14

Whitworth Valley JFC 18 3 1 14 10

Ramsbottom United 18 2 2 14 8

Latest Match report:

28/05/13 Walshaw v Pennine Black (PREMIER LEAGUE SUPER CUP)

Final of the Premier League Super Cup. Pre-match news wasn’t great, with Matt Whitehead,

Jack Kershaw and Arron Birtwistle all with long term injuries, Callum Panton and Dan James

away on holiday, and Euan Smith still suffering after a heavy knock on the knee, the Blacks

only had 10 fit players. Fortunately for Pennine, Euan declared himself fit so the Blacks were

just about able to field 11 players. The opposition were able to field their 4 academy players

who had now been released for the Summer, most notably Aimiable, a large striker with

lightning pace. The game kicked off with Pennine playing up the hill, against the wind on a

very small compact pitch at Bridge Colts. Walshaw started brightly, dominating the opening

twenty minutes and it was no surprise when they took the lead. A corner was flicked on and

the Walshaw’s right midfielder ran behind Pat Gillan to smash home a volley, it was no more

than Walshaw deserved with Pennine really struggling to get out of their own half. More

chances presented themselves for Walshaw, with Dan Joesbury mopping up most through

balls and Ben Simmonds making a heroic goal line clearance. If this first quarter of the game

belonged to Walshaw, the second quarter belonged to Pennine. A high ball into the

Walshaw penalty area saw the Walshaw keeper drop the ball. Bailey “Buzzer” Smyth picked

up the scraps and smashed the ball towards the Walshaw goal. With the goalkeeper and

defenders beaten, everyone held their breath but the ball took a layer of paint off the

outside of the post with the ball going narrowly wide. Two minutes later “Buzz” went

through again but this time was cynically taken down. “Buzz” showed the referee the stud

marks going from his knee to the top of his thigh but the referee decided not to have a word

with the Walshaw defender. From the resulting free kick, another goal mouth scramble in

the Walshaw penalty area resulted with the ball going narrowly wide off the boot of Steve

Keown. Another chance for Pennine and again “Buzzer” raced through. As he surged into

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the penalty area he appeared to get a tug on the shirt. The referee, pointed to the spot

and Pat “Ice Man” Gillan tucked the ball into the corner to make 1-1. With the game

petering out to half time, the Pennine management felt extremely pleased with the team’s

first half display, against all of the elements, this had been a tremendous effort by the lads.

With seconds of the first half to go, Walshaw punted the ball into the Pennine penalty area

with Aimiable in an obvious offside position. Inexplicably, the referee waved play on and as

James Chee attempted to close down Aimiable. In doing so, he nudged the Walshaw striker

in the back and the player fell to the ground. Penalty ! Let there be no mistake, this was a

huge injustice. The Walshaw player struck the ball into the middle of net, 2-1 to Walshaw

and within seconds the half time whistle blew.

The players complained about this injustice at half time, but were told to try and focus on

playing football, but if the Blacks fast flowing football was their key attribute this season, it

wasn’t going to happen on this tight little pitch, Pennine were simply going to have to fight

their way out. The second half started in the worst way possible. The ball was played

between Conor Leyland and Nathan Christian and Aimiable blew the defenders away with

unbelievable pace, Blackburn Rovers have a great player here! The Walshaw centre forward

raced into the box, squaring the ball to a midfielder for a tap in. 3-1 to Walshaw. If the first

half was played in phases of dominance, this game was now end to end. Bailey Smyth was

played through by Ben Simmonds and the striker found himself one on one with the keeper.

The shot was smashed straight at the keeper and he just managed to cling onto the ball with

Steve Keown rushing on. Another chance for Pennine fell to Pat Gillan, with the ball again

going narrowly wide. Walshaw punted the ball upfront and Aimable collected it on the left

hand side of midfield, he nudged it past James Chee and left the defender in his wake with

the Walshaw striker curling his effort just around the post. Conor Leyland then had a

chance. A free kick was awarded on the left hand side and Conor curled a beautiful effort

towards the far top corner of the net. The Walshaw keeper completed a fine saving tipping

the ball over the bar and somewhat puzzlingly, a goal kick was given. Walshaw raced to the

other end and won themselves a corner. The ball dropped into the penalty area and with

the Pennine players all looking at each other, a Walshaw midfielder nipped in to toe poke

the ball home 4-1 to Walshaw. This was definitely the 5 minute phase that changed the

game with Pennine missing two or three good chances and Walshaw converting theirs.

Pennine pressed on and the lads simply would not give up. Tom Simmonds competed for

the ball and took a very bad challenge from Aimable. The referee shrugged his shoulders at

the trail of stud marks up the back of Tom’s leg and gave Pennine a free kick. With some

very wear players, three or four of them walking wounded and no options on the bench, the

lads battled hard trying to force their way back into the game. A late chance fell to Steve

Keown in front of goal but the chance went agonisingly wide. The final chance of the night

fell to Walshaw. As their player raced through, Nathan Christian appeared to play the ball

off his foot and out for a goal kick. The whistle blew and the referee pointed to the penalty

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spot. From the resulting penalty kick Dan Joesbury, who was definitely Pennine’s hero of

the night, threw himself to his left, pulling off a fabulous save. The referee blew the final

whistle and the chance to win the league and cup double was gone. The Pennine lads

battled like Trojans in this game. If there is one lesson to be learned for next season, we

need to be brave, have strong minds and try and push out further up the field. Playing

against such raw pace can be very difficult and psychologically forces defenders to drop

deeper and deeper. This means that the midfield are unable to put pressure on the ball as

there is too much ground to police and the opposition then have more time on the ball to

pick out long passes over and through our defence, just a final little tip from the coach Dave

Simmonds !!

Previous match reports:

25/05/13 Pennine Black v Westbury Thunder (PREMIER LEAGUE

SUPER CUP)

Semi-finals of the Premier League Super Cup. If there are had been a hint of a slow start in

some of our previous games, this wasn’t one of them. The Blacks were on fire straight from

the start with several good opportunities going close. When Bailey Smyth received the ball

on the edge of the area, his cross-shot was turned superbly around the post by the

Westbury keeper and from the resulting corner taken by “Buzzer”, Euan Smith steamed

through the pack with his header flying past the keeper into the back of the net. If ever the

comment “he just wanted it more” was more relevant, this was truly it! Within minutes it

was 2-0. James Chee hustled the ball off a Westbury striker and his through ball was met by

Bailey Smyth who slipped the ball past the keeper with the ball nestling in the corner of the

net. The Westbury management were unimpressed as they believed a foul had been

committed. When the ball had been nipped off the Westbury player there had been a

tangling of feet which resulted in the Westbury players boot coming off, it was a grey

decision which could have gone either way but a controversial one nevertheless. Westbury

had a great chance just before the break when their striker went through one on one with

our keeper Dan Joesbury. Dan raced out quickly and did enough to force the Westbury

striker to hit his shot over the bar. Apart from this chance, Pennine were now running

dominating play with the midfield keeping the ball superbly and creating more opportunities

to increase the lead and the defence limiting Westbury to very little. The half time whistle

went with Pennine in control 2-0. The Pennine management felt we were a little two narrow

when attacking Westbury and felt that if we could get the ball into some wider positions,

and a little earlier, we could create even more chances. A warning was given that Westbury

were very capable of scoring goals and beaten our Red team 8-0 in the previous week, it

was therefore important to work hard and not become complacent as they were more than

capable of hauling themselves back into the game. The second half started and Dan James

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found himself on the left hand edge of the penalty area, he swivelled to get the ball back

onto his right foot and curled a lovely effort just around the post. Westbury were now

finding their feet and if Pennine had dominated the first half, it wasn’t the case in the

second. The first effort came from distance when a fiercely struck shot was caught expertly

by Dan Joesbury, but their best chance presented itself when the Westbury striker broke the

offside trap and again raced through one on one, his shot was fired at goal from close range

but “DJ” stuck out a leg and turned the ball around the post. It was the wakeup call the

team needed and in the blink of an eye, after some amazing work by Bailey Smyth down the

right hand side, the team went 3-0 up when Steve Keown turned in “Buzzers” cross. From

the excellent save by Dan Joesbury to the converted goal by Steve Keown, this was surely

the period of the game that turned the tie in Pennine’s favour. Minutes later Westbury were

through again, another one on one and another great save from “DJ”. Another response

from Pennine and this time the moment that sealed the game, a moment of sheer brilliance

from Bailey “Buzzer” Smyth. Bailey dropped deep, some 35 yards from the Westbury goal.

He skipped past an opposition midfielder and from 25 yards out unleashed a thunderbolt

strike which the Westbury keeper saw whistle past him like the tail end of a comet. A

fabulous finish to cap a fabulous performance by the zippy Pennine striker. One sour

moment for Pennine was a bad injury to Euan Smith who was unable to complete the game.

Euan took a very heavy knock on the knee and worryingly was unable to put any weight on

it. Westbury were now a beaten side and two late crosses by “Buzzer” were met by Pat

Gillan who’s energy was still carrying him in to the opposition box. Both chances went just

wide and it has to be said that a goal would have capped a great performance by Pat who

was being asked to play out of position on the left hand side of midfield. The final whistle

went, 4-0 to Pennine. With important players such as Matt Whitehead, Jack Kershaw and

Callum Panton not available, this was a titanic performance by the Pennine Blacks and

probably one of the best of the season. Dave Simmonds gave his coaches man of the match

to Bailey Smyth. The player was involved in everything that Pennine created, his work rate

was excellent, tracking back and chasing defenders and on the ball he created chance after

chance as well as scoring a very good brace. Adam Gill gave his managers man of the match

to Pat Gillan. A tireless performance by Pat who now looks one of the fittest player on the

team. His box to box efforts depicted everything good about the Pennine team in this fixture

and Pat thoroughly deserved this accolade. The parent’s man of the match went to Dan

Joesbury. This 4-0 score line flattered Pennine a little bit with “DJ” making some huge game

changing saves in this game. His skill not only gave Pennine a clean sheet but prevented

Westbury from hauling themselves back into this game, a top performance from Dan “the

best keeper in the league” Joesbury. The referee was given 60/100.

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21/05/13 Pennine Black v Broadway Celtic (PREMIER LEAGUE

SUPER CUP) Quarter finals of the Premier League Super Cup. Another slow start by

Pennine with Broadway Celtic edging the first twenty minutes of this game. It was no

surprise when Broadway took the lead although the striker who raced through to score the

goal looked a long way offside. Against a very well organised Broadway defence, the

Pennine Blacks now had a huge mountain to climb, but the Broadway goal seem to trigger

our boys into action (not for the first time this season). Pennine started to get a grip of the

midfield with Euan Smith and Tom Simmonds in particular working extremely hard for the

team and giving Broadway no time or space to play. The Pennine equaliser came soon after

when Ben Simmonds battled hard with a defender to muscle the ball away from him, the

ball spilled out and Ben went into a 50-50 challenge with the keeper with the ball heading

towards the goal. Bailey Smyth nipped in and the general feeling was the “Buzz” got the last

touch on the ball before it had crossed the line to make the score 1-1. It was no more than

the striker deserved as his work rate for the team was fabulous throughout this game. In the

dying moments of the first half, Jack Kershaw had a chance to give Pennine a half time lead,

but the ball flashed across him with pace and he was unable to connect. Half time 1-1. In

the second half Pennine had the majority of the chances, but tension grew as none of them

were converted. Nathan Christian was now raiding constantly down the left hand side,

linking very nicely with both Jack Kershaw and Pat Gillan. Conor Leyland and Callum Panton

never really looked in trouble, always calm and composed in defence but with the simple

chances not being converted, there was a feeling it was going to take something special to

win the game, and Stevie Keown did not disappoint. Tom Simmonds battled hard to win the

ball in midfield and surged forward between the left back and centre back. Tom spotted the

diagonal run of Steve Keown and slipped the ball between the two defenders, Steve raced

on, getting to the ball before the keeper and smashed the ball home into the opposite

bottom right hand corner, a truly superb finish ! 2-1 to Pennine. With ten minutes remaining

it was always going to be an uneasy finish against a Broadway team that simply never gave

up. “Buzzer” found himself in front of goal, but his shot went agonisingly wide. With three

minutes to go and everyone thinking that was that, Broadway had a shot from the edge of

the area which looked in all the way. Dan Joesbury, the Pennine keeper chose his moment

of glory and pulled off a simply stunning save to turn the ball around the post. A moment of

sheer brilliance by one of Pennine’s most consistent players. Broadway took the corner

which Pennine defended well and the referee blew for full time. Final score 2-1 to Pennine,

and into the semi-finals. The parents voted James Chee to be their man of the match. This

was an excellent choice as James showed strength and determination when competing for

the ball and a calm maturity with his passing. Tom Simmonds was given the coaches man of

the match for his tenacity, work rate and a sublime through ball to set up the winner. Bailey

Smyth was given the manager’s man of the match for his fabulous forward play, chasing

down defenders and causing the Broadway defence problems all game. The referee was

awarded 55 /100.

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09/05/13 Radcliffe v Pennine Black

Battle of the Western league Titans. With the final league placing’s already decided, Pennine

being the Champions and Radcliffe runners-up, this fixture saw the two strongest teams in

the league, pit their wits against each other on a very wet, soggy evening. Radcliffe had an

early chance which went narrowly wide, but from then on, Pennine took control and played

the fluid football which had been evident throughout most of the season. When Ste Keown

slipped the ball through to Pat Gillan mid-way through the first, Pat guided the ball

beautifully past the Radcliffe keeper to open up the scoring, 0-1 to Pennine. More chances

developed. In particular Ben Simmonds hit three long range shots, one a spectacular effort

when the keeper’s clearance was controlled on the chest and smashed back over his head

from some thirty five to forty yards. With the keeper well beaten, the ball glided within

inches of the left upright with Radcliffe and their keeper looking particularly relieved. Half

time, 0-1. The conditions were particularly wet and slippery and the lads were instructed to

follow up every shot as their keeper was likely to spill a few in such difficult conditions. It

was great news for Pennine that Bailey Smyth listened to this advice when ten minutes into

the second half, “Buzz” chased down the keeper who spilled the ball leaving the lightning

fast Pennine striker an easy tap in, 0-2. Other notable chances involved Jack Kershaw going

narrowly wide and Ben Simmonds thumping the post with a left footed shot, but it was

Steve Keown who notched up Pennine’s third, scoring in his fourth consecutive game, when

“Buzz” squared a pass to Steve who unleashed a fierce drive past the keeper from the edge

of the penalty area. 0-3 to Pennine. If the second half football was as good as we have

played, the fourth and final goal of the game epitomised everything about Euan Smith and

how he has played this season. His desire, won him the ball close to the half way line, he

skilfully jinked past two players and drew one the centre backs towards the ball.

Instinctively he hit a perfectly weighted slide rule pass between two defenders and Pat

Gillan guided the ball superbly over the head of the onrushing keeper into the back of the

net, a fantastic finish to make it 0-4. The build-up to this goal was just about as good as it

gets in regards to the individual brilliance of Euan Smith. This was a thoroughly rewarding

result against an excellent Radcliffe side and the lads showed why they were deserved

champions. It was no surprise that the manager’s man of the match went to Euan Smith for

another excellent all round performance. The parents voted for Nathan Christian, for

keeping the ball superbly and showing fabulous composure on the ball. Jack Kershaw was

awarded the coach’s man of the match for his industry, tenacity and hard work, covering

every blade of grass ! The referee was awarded 90 /100.

06/05/13 Pennine Black v Bacup

Victory in this game meant that the Pennine Blacks would be Premier league champions. A

very hot evening of some 20 degrees meant that the players would need to think about

ways of keeping their energy and perhaps not chase lost causes.. For the second game

running Pennine started slowly and a mistake in defence saw a Bacup striker dash through

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and finish superbly past Dan Joesbury. Not the start the team needed. 0-1 to Bacup.

Pennine bounced back and straight from the re-start the ball rolled back to Scott McCready

who punted the ball forward, “Buzz” anticipated superbly and rolled the ball past the

oncoming keeper, 1-1. This was his tenth goal in eight games with the small nippy striker

keeping Pennine in the hunt for their first Premiership title. Ben Simmonds followed up with

consecutive headers from corners which went narrowly wide. Ben then battled hard to rob

a Bacup defender of the ball, he squared a pass to his brother Tom, who rolled a super

through ball into the path of Steve Keown. The Pennine striker now oozing with confidence

unleashed a thunderbolt strike that flashed past the keeper hitting the underside of the bar

and into the net 2-1 to Pennine. Pat Gillan had a chance to extend the league which was toe

poked just wide and second later Bailey Smyth and Steve Keown exchanged passes to

release Ben Simmonds who struck his shot into the corner of the net to make it 3-1, a super

team goal. Half time 3-1 to Pennine. The players were told to expect a Bacup backlash and

Bacup did not disappoint. Within minutes of the re-start Bacup were deservedly back in the

game with their striker giving Dan Joesbury no chance, 3-2. Pennine were in a real game

now. Bacup were throwing everything forward and competing very hard for every 50-50.

They had a chance to equalise but were thwarted by a fine save from Dan and for a good 10

– 15 minutes looked like the team to get the next goal. Pennine freshened up by making

some substitutions and with 10 minutes to go, Tom Simmonds fired a left footed shot past

the keepers right hand and into the corner. The goal sealed the victory and the Premiership

title. PENNINE BLACKS CHAMPIONS !

Some enormous performances from Pennine, in particular Euan Smith, the midfield general,

Tom Simmonds who created the second goal and scored the winner, “Buzzer” Smyth who

constantly tormented the Bacup defence and James Chee who looked solid and reliable

against a strong opposition attack. All of the team were given man of the match by the

parents, the manager and the coach, the referee was given 90/100.

04/05/13 Pennine Black v Westbury Hurricanes

This game should be remembered for the battling qualities of the boys and not the

controversial incidents that took place during the match. The game started badly for

Pennine with a cold start and lack of concentration. Westbury fired home the first goal with

a superb half volley after a mad scramble in the penalty area. 0-1 to Westbury with only 10

minutes of play gone. Pennine reacted immediately creating several good opportunities.

Bailey Smyth collected the ball some 30 yards out and struck a venomous shot which

whistled past the keepers left had post. Jack Kershaw hit a left footed shot which dribbled

past the same post. Half-time 0-1.

The players were looking tense and nervous in the first half so the Pennine management

gave them words of encouragement and told the boys to go out, enjoy it, relax and keep the

ball. The second half started with Ben Simmonds having an early strike from distance which

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went just wide and then a few minutes later Ben slipped a lovely through ball to Bailey

Smyth. “Buzzer” toe poked the ball past the keeper with the ball agonisingly hitting the foot

of the post. Steve Keown reacted first and smashed home the equaliser. It was no more

than the Pennine striker deserved, his huge contribution in the last few games have

propelled the team into this seven game winning streak (prior to this game). It was all

Pennine now. Euan Smith had an opportunity which he smashed towards the goal but to the

keepers credit, he stuck out a leg and the ball re-bounded out. More chances fell to the

Pennine forwards and each and every one were thwarted by the Westbury keeper. With

only a few minutes to go, the feeling that it wasn’t going to be our day started to creep in,

but then, you should never doubt “Buzzer”. The forward blistered through the Westbury

defence and with only the keeper to beat poked the ball home into the corner of the net.

Final score a 2-1 win to Pennine, their eighth win on the trot. The parent’s man of the match

award went to Euan Smith, for a titanic performance in midfield. Euan put in his usual

enormous work effort but also competed physically and won the dual with a player of much

bigger physique. The coach’s man of the match was awarded to Steve Keown. Steve showed

why he is one of the best striker’s in this league. He put in a huge amount of effort, battled

hard to win the ball upfront, linked the play with the midfield superbly and showed a

predator type instinct for his goal. The manager’s man of the match went to James Chee

who showed fabulous character in the face of adversity. James did not let his concentration

slip and played superbly despite being rattled by some unsavoury comments from a

Westbury player. Thoughts to Matt Whitehead who broke his collar bone in an incident with

the same Westbury player. The referee was not scored as he was given a written report

which was sent in to the NBJFL.

30/04/13 Pennine Black v Whitworth

Another warm sunny evening in April, with the football pitches now becoming very firm and

bouncy. Pennine took the first fifteen minutes to come to terms with the conditions and in

all fairness didn’t get the ball under control and pass the ball well. It took a flash in the pan

goal to wake Pennine up when an excellent Dan Joesbury cross was completely missed by

the Whitworth keeper leaving Pat Gillan a tap in to open up the scoring. The second goal

soon followed when a long clearance from Scott McCready was chased down by “Buzzer”

who beat the keeper to the ball to slot home his fifteenth goal of the season. Moments later

a third for Pennine. As the ball came into the feet of Ben Simmonds, the midfielder flicked

the ball over the on-rushing defenders head, he ran round the other side and smashed a

volley past the keeper. Half time 3-0. Within seconds of the re-start Pennine had scored a

fourth, another Scott McCready through ball saw “buzz” nip in before the keeper for his

second goal of the evening, almost a carbon copy of his first. Pennine were now enjoying full

possession and creating chances at will. The “Buzzer” hatrick came a few minutes later after

a great through ball from Steve Keown was smashed home by the small gifted striker, his

eighth goal in the last four games. More Pennine possession and more chances followed but

it was time after when Scott McCready added to the tally by scoring directly from a corner

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kick. To round off an excellent evening for Pennine, Steve Keown tapped in the seventh

after a lovely through ball from Tom Simmonds was flicked on by Jack Kershaw. Steve

prodded the ball home from close range and if anyone deserved a goal it was Steve. He

acted as a focal point for the Pennine attack throughout the game and unselfishly created

chance after chance for all of the players around him. You could see how popular this goal

was as the crowd, the players and the management team celebrated wildly as the ball

crossed the line. Final score 7-0. The parent’s man of the match award went to Bailey

Smyth, for an excellent hatrick. The coach’s man of the match was awarded to Ben

Simmonds, who’s hard work and creativity plus an excellent flick and volley saw him catch

the eye in midfield. The manager’s man of the went to Dan Joesbury who showed that not

only is he the best keeper in the league but also a very capable player outfield. Dan followed

his instructions to the letter, working hard for the team and keeping the ball brilliantly by

using short ten yard passes. The referee was given 90/100.

27/04/13 Pennine Black v Rossendale

The game commenced in the warm sunset of this Thursday evening in April. Pennine started

well straight from kick off and an early chance arrived when an overhead kick from Euan

Smith went just wide of the Rossendale post. Jack Kershaw was the next to have a shot on

goal, his left footed opportunity dribbling past the same right hand post. 0-0 at Half time.

Pennine created chance after chance in the second half and it felt like the goal was never

going to come. It was always going to take something special to beat the incredible

Rossendale keeper, and in fact it was something special, Goal of the season ! A lovely slide

rule pass from Nathan Christian into the feet of Steve Keown. Steve turned and slipped the

ball inside to Bailey Smyth. Bailey dropped his shoulder, skipped past one defender and

curled a magnificent goal into the keepers top left hand corner of the net. This was a goal

that even had the opposition clapping, a great team goal yet also a fabulous individual goal

from “Buzz”.

The parent’s man of the match award went to Jack Kershaw, his work rate was next to none.

Most of the Pennine opportunities were created down the left hand side in one of Jack’s

best games of the season. The coach’s man of the match was awarded to Matt Whitehead,

Matt stifled the opposition, putting pressure on the ball at every available opportunity and

keeping the ball superbly by playing a short ten yard pass. The manager’s man of the match

awarded by Adam Gill went to Steve Keown for yet another truly fantastic and selfless

performance !! Steve’s technical ability is as good as any striker in the league and with this

tenacity in his game looked unstoppable. The referee was given 80/100.

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25/04/13 Unsworth v Pennine Black

A warm evening, a hard bouncy pitch and a match ball that resembled a pink beach ball

made conditions not conducive to good football. If some of our football had been fast,

flowing and pleasing to the eye this season, this performance wasn’t. What we did see

though was a bunch of lads that were prepared to give everything for the shirt with some

high energy performances and some magnificent battling qualities. Four early chances could

easily have resulted in four goals with one effort dribbling wide, Euan Smith striking the foot

of the post, Bailey Smyth shooting over from close range and an overhead kick from Ben

Simmonds going narrowly wide. In a dominant first 30 minutes, Pennine were well

organised, hardworking and willing to chase down lost causes. 25 minutes into the first half,

a fabulous through ball from Connor Leyland split the Unsworth defence, Bailey “Buzzer”

Smyth raced through to round the keeper and slot the ball home into an empty net, it was

no more than Pennine deserved. Half time 0-1. If Pennine had dominated the first half, the

first 20 minutes of the second half were an entirely different story. With Ben Simmonds

resting with a tight calf muscle and Steve Keown taking a knock, Pennine restructured to put

five in midfield, matching Unsworth who also had five. It was probably the first 20 minutes

of the season where the Pennine management felt we did not have control of the midfield.

Unsworth started to dominate and we could have no complaints if they had scored an

equaliser. In a desperate attempt to regain control Matt Whitehead was asked to do a man-

to-man marking job on their best player and with the re-introduction of Ben Simmonds,

Pennine took back control of the midfield. At 0-1 the game was always going to be tight and

when Matt Whitehead burst through in the final seconds, the ball was struck with venom

but flew narrowly wide of the keepers left hand post. Pennine dug in, battled hard and ran

their socks off, finishing the game back in control and more likely to score the next goal.

That goal didn’t arrive for either side and Pennine ran out “fortunate” narrow 0-1 winners.

The parent’s man of the match award went to Euan Smith. Euan gave the team a huge

physical performance, it was a real battling effort by the central midfielder. Euan took a very

sensible approach to the game by getting through an enormous amount of defensive work

to help protect that 0-1 lead. The coach’s man of the match was awarded to Bailey Smyth,

easily his best performance of the season. Bailey chased and harried the defenders whilst

being involved in all of the Pennine opportunities, a real “team” performance from “Buzz”.

The manager’s man of the match awarded by Adam Gill went to Tom Simmonds. The small

battling midfielder worked tirelessly for the team, constantly putting the opposition under

pressure, snapping around their ankles and forcing them into mistakes !! The referee was

given 80/100

20/04/13 Whitworth v Pennine Black

A default 0-1 victory due to Whitworth not being able to fulfil the fixture.

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18/04/13 Ramsbottom v Pennine Black

Due to no availability of a pitch, this fixture was reversed to Hopwood, on a very cold,

blustery, April evening. A Pennine team full of confidence didn’t take long too long to get

started when a mazy run from Ben Simmonds released Steve Keown to open the scoring.

The second goal game soon after when the ball pinged around the Ramsbottom penalty

area, after a scramble the ball popped up and Euan Smith fired a super volley into the

bottom corner. More chances arose and just before half time Jack Kershaw slotted in the

third after a defence splitting ball inside the right back from Ben Simmonds, with a neat tidy

finish from Jack. Pennine started the second half with similar swagger and soon after the

break Tom Simmonds added the fourth after a super through ball from Scott McCready

from the right hand side. The two Pennine fullbacks were now raiding with constant

menace, Scott McCready down the right and Nathan Christian creating havoc down the left

hand side. Then came the Bailey “Buzzer” Smyth hatrick….. The first came from a corner,

another goal mouth scramble ensued and “Buzz” poked home from short range. The second

from a free kick on the left hand side. Just outside the penalty area, 25 yards from goal,

Bailey struck the ball around the wall and into the bottom corner. The final goal of the

evening completed the hatrick and Pennine’s seventh after some fabulous work down the

right hand side. Dan James and Scott McCready linked well and when the ball was centred,

“Buzz” fired home. Final score 0-7.

This was another excellent performance both defensively and offensively with Dan

Joesbury’s biggest problem keeping warm. Conor Leyland martialled the defence with Euan

Smith and Ben Simmonds taking total control of the midfield. Steve Keown led the forward

line brilliantly and constantly linked up the play with the midfield, capped by a super hatrick

from Bailey Smyth. The parent’s man of the match award went to Jack Kershaw. In

particular Jack’s second half performance saw him get through a lot of work and he caused

the Ramsbottom problems all game. The coach’s man of the match was awarded to James

Chee who never missed a tackle or header. James surged forward with the ball regularly

with a huge amount of confidence. The manager’s man of the match awarded by Adam Gill

went to Scott McCready, who defended superbly and created several goals with his bursts

of energy down the right hand side. Yet another disciplined performance by all of the

Pennine players !! The referee was given 80/100.

11/04/13 Westbury Hurricanes v Pennine Black

This was always going to be a difficult fixture, a mid-week game during school holidays

would always stretch the squad to the limit. Pennine started very brightly, and it was no

surprise when Bailey Smyth struck home the opener with just a few minutes gone. After 15

minutes gone, Pennine were two up when one of our players was bustled over in the box.

Steve Keown coolly slotted home the penalty giving the team a small comfort zone.

Westbury fought very hard to keep the score down and at half time 0-2, the manager told

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the players how pleased he was with their excellent start to the game. The second half

started in the same vain as the first and it wasn’t long before Pennine added a third with Pat

Gillan slotting home his seventh goal of the season from the penalty spot.

09/03/13 Pennine Red v Pennine Black

After 16 weeks without a league match, it’s fair to say that this was not a fixture that the

Blacks management team would have wanted. The Pennine Red team have showed some

outstanding form this season and as well as playing several games whilst the Pennine Black

team had been forced to stay in bed, the Reds had some real momentum winning their last

few games. It was felt that some of our lads would suffer with a lack of match fitness and

rustiness so the decision was taken to play 4 wide midfield players for half a game each. This

tactical decision was made to try and keep the midfield tenacious and deny the Reds time

on the ball.

The Blacks started brightly with two early chances for Ben Simmonds which both zoomed

over the Reds cross bar. Bailey Smyth showed great movement running the line brilliantly

and frequently got away from his man marker to get behind the Reds defence. Bailey

created chances for several members of the team and half way through the first half got

away from the last man and through on goal. As he was about to fire home, the nippy

forward was pulled back without managing to get his shot away. Unfortunately the referee

missed the shirt pull and the chance was gone. The Reds had only one great chance to score

when Corey Hill was adjudged to be on-side, but with Dan Joesbury spotting the danger and

dashing out quickly, the angles were narrowed forcing the player to strike the ball wide. The

Blacks were now piling on the pressure with our midfield controlling the game. In particular

Ben Simmonds and Euan Smith were both having superb performances keeping the ball

with great maturity. More chances followed for Bailey Smyth, Steve Keown and Conor

Leyland but all were thwarted by the very impressive Reds keeper, George Crabtree. Half

time, 0-0.

The management team were forceful with their half time talk. The players were told to keep

their patience and not to argue if something goes wrong. In essence, don’t panic, be

confident and stay together!

The second half started and Scott McCready was now having significant joy down the right

hand side, putting in some excellent crosses which caused the opposition a lot of problems.

An opportunity dropped to Jack Kershaw and from three yards out the ball went narrowly

wide. Again the Blacks continued to plug away with space developing all over the pitch.

Bailey Smyth broke through and appeared to be bundled over, again, no penalty. Tensions

were rising off the field and although you could feel some “parental” anxiety creeping in,

not with the players. They continued to believe and stick to their principles, keeping the ball

with good movement and short sharp passing whilst maintaining an excellent work rate. The

big moment came mid-way through the second half when Scott McCready again surged

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forward down the right hand side and when his cross dropped to Jack Kershaw, the player

this time made no mistake, burying his shot into the opposition net, 0-1 to the Blacks ! It

was no more than the team deserved. The players celebrated wildly but a moment of calm

was now required. A momentary lapse of concentration allowed the Reds just one good

chance when a mis-placed pass fell to Morgan Stubbs. The player raced forward but his shot

was turned around the post superbly by the Blacks keeper, Dan Joesbury. In the final

minutes the team kept the ball, with a panache that left their opposition frustrated and

unable to create one final opening. Final score 0-1.

This was arguably the teams most disciplined performance of the season. Dan Joesbury

didn’t have too much to do but when the questions were asked, Dan always had the

answers. Callum Panton and Conor Leyland were simply superb! The centre half pairing

were so miserly that they hardly gave the Reds a chance, and this gave the rest of the team

the confidence and assurance to play football in the oppositions half of the pitch. Nathan

Christian has now developed into an outstanding full back. Not only was he solid and strong

in defence but he kept the ball well using a nice easy pass, and always dropped into a

supporting role, ready to receive the ball when team mates were under pressure. Euan

Smith and Ben Simmonds both put in high octane performances, strong, determined and

covering all areas of the pitch, time and time again. The midfield pair took the game by the

scruff of its neck and never looked like losing control. The versatile Matt Whitehead never

gave the ball away all game, giving an accomplished first half performance in midfield and

also gave good cover at full back in the second half. Scott McCready proved to be the game

changer, his surges down the right hand side of midfield accompanied by some precision

crossing led to the Pennine goal. Scott created several chances and the opposition never

came up with a plan to try and subdue him. Finally, the bright spark of the day was surely

Bailey Smyth. “Buzzer” was back to his best, working hard, hunting down defenders, putting

them under pressure, running the line and getting behind the opposition defence. He

created chance after chance for other members of the team and always looked like Pennine

Blacks most dangerous offensive player.

The parent’s man of the match award going to Bailey Smyth. Bailey’s fantastic work ethic

made it impossible for the Pennine management team to take him off for a rest. The coach’s

man of the match awarded by Dave Simmonds went to Euan Smith for high energy, good

controlled aggression and excellent composure with the ball. The manager’s man of the

match awarded by Adam Gill went to Ben Simmonds, again, for a strong midfield roll, tough

tackling, whilst covering a lot of ground with some good creativity. This was a thoroughly

disciplined performance by all of the Pennine players, the lads stayed fully focused from

start to finish!! The referee was given 85/100.

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12/01/13 Pennine Black v Westbury Hurricanes (CUP)

After a 9 week break…..It was little surprise that the Blacks who have played some fabulous

smooth flowing football this season, started this game a little rusty. After a 9 week break,

most of the players really struggled to find any rhythm in the first half and Westbury were

easily the better side during that period. Pennine were often getting frustrated with each

other and tried playing the long game to no avail. It was only the heroics of the Blacks

keeper Dan Joesbury that kept Pennine in the game. Westbury deservedly took the lead 10

minutes before half time when their striker cut in from the right hand side and hit a

scorcher past the Pennine keeper. Pennine continued to try and kick the ball long rather

than build up the play with short sharp passing, and too often the ball was given back to the

opposition. The team consequently went into the half time break 0-1 down. The coaching

team re-iterated that the players must keep the ball and make shorter passes. The players

understood that they needed to find space much quicker and be available in support

positions rather than running past the player with the ball. This team talk had a modicum of

success and in the second half they started to look like the team that had played fast flowing

football in the first half of the season. The team started to turn up the pressure in the

second half and created several good chances with Matt Whitehead having his best game of

the season, playing in three different midfield positions. Matt kept the play simple by

winning the ball and making short ten yard passes and certainly in the second half looked

the best player on the pitch. The Pennine forwards were also starting to turn up the heat

with Steve Keown, Bailey Smyth and Pat Gillan all putting in really good second half

performances. Mid-way through the second half, the Blacks won a free kick in a central

position, 25 yards from goal. Bailey Smyth struck the ball with venom which then re-

bounded from the Westbury crossbar. Pat Gillan was the only player to react and followed

up with a tap in to make the score 1-1. Pennine really fancied their chances now and in the

final ten minutes the lads felt the game was there to be won. All Westbury offensive play

was mopped up by the very impressive James Chee and Callum Panton and in the final few

minutes Tom Simmonds made a great run and was played through with a one on one on the

keeper. As he was about to pull the trigger, a last gasp challenge by the Westbury centre

back cleared the ball out for a corner and the chance was gone. Full time 1-1 and penalties

to come.

Westbury took the first penalty and scored with Conor Leyland then having his penalty well

saved. Westbury scored again with James Chee slotting the ball home for Pennine, 1-2

down. Westbury scored their third penalty so when Euan Smith had his penalty, again well

saved, Westbury’s next penalty, which was duly converted, sent them through to the next

round. The parent’s man of the match award went to Dan Joesbury. His first half

performance was fabulous, with several brave, first class saves, which kept Pennine in the

game. The coach’s man of the match went to Pat Gillan whose effort and tenacity clawed

the Blacks back into the game. The managers man of the match went to “the little terrier”,

Matt Whitehead, who didn’t stop battling all game and rarely gave the ball away. Whilst the

Page | 19

first half performance was very disappointing, particularly with one or two players

arguing with each other, the second half really picked up and the lads started to get back

where we need them to be. If there are two things the team need to take from this

performance it’s keep it short and simple, plus, not to have a go at a player if he makes a

mistake. The referee was given 50/100.

17/11/12 Pennine Black v Prestwich

A great away day. After two back to back games at home, it’s always nice to have an away

trip, so the team took a trip to deepest, darkest, Salford. The Blacks had already faced this

Prestwich side in the first game of the season and they proved to be tough physical

opponents with an excellent well organised defence. After some stern words during the

mid-week training about preparation and not shouting at each other when things go wrong,

the Pennine team went into this game with an excellent attitude. Prestwich started the first

15 minutes of the game with ten men, playing five at the back, four in midfield and one up

front. Despite plenty of possession, Pennine were reduced to several long range efforts. The

eleventh man arrived and Prestwich returned to a conventional 4-4-2 system. From then on,

Pennine found it slightly easier to break down what had been a resistant Prestwich defence.

The first goal arrived when Conor Leyland clipped in a free kick, Tom Simmonds flick header

found Pat Gillan who struck the ball home superbly. Tom Simmonds could have added a

second Pennine goal when a cross from Jack Kershaw flashed across the six yard box and

Tom leapt early to nod the ball just wide. Another attempt just before half time was

thwarted by the excellent Prestwich keeper as Bailey Smyth was played in and the strikers

shot saved from point blank range. Half time, 0-1. The second half began in much the same

way with the centre of midfield completely dominated by Pennine’s reliable due of Euan

Smith and Ben Simmonds. Both players worked tirelessly for the team with Euan’s desire

and strength in winning the ball and Ben’s first touch and passing really catching the eye, a

truly excellent display by the Pennine pair. Bailey Smyth put the Black’s 0-2 up with a cross

come shot which nestled in top corner, the team asked the question and you can guess

Bailey’s reply, “No, I really meant it” Matt Whitehead and Jack Kershaw showed touches

of class with a strong work ethic and combative style and Tom Simmonds simply ran the

Prestwich left of midfield ragged with box to box running from start to finish. It was Tom

who threw himself into a challenge to win a free kick for the third goal. The coach told

Conor Leyland to have a go at goal, and the Pennine skipper replied “Oh, don’t worry, I am”

and well, he did!! The ball was struck venomously from a full 25 yards giving the Prestwich

keeper absolutely no chance. You’ve just got to admire that type of confidence! Steve

Keown could have added a fourth when his chip went just over the opposition bar. After a

scramble in the Pennine penalty area, Prestwich scored a good consolation goal to make the

score 1-3 and then Bailey Smyth added gloss to the score line with a finish of the highest

calibre. A long ball into the penalty area saw Tom Simmonds control the ball and lay it off to

Bailey who smashed home a volley from 12 yards out into the corner of the net. Euan Smith

and Ben Simmonds received notable mentions for their excellent midfield displays. Pat

Page | 20

Gillan and Bailey Smyth also received notable mentions for their good touches, creativity

and fine finishing. The parent’s man of the match award going to Nathan Christian. This was

Nathan’s second MOM in two weeks, and he fully deserved this award for keeping a cool

head at the back whilst offering some width as he attacked down the left hand side with

some neat one-two’s and good crossing. The coach’s man of the match went to James Chee

who had his most solid game of the season. James used his strength and pace to win the

ball, he showed confidence on the ball and his distribution was excellent as he gave the

midfield a simple 10 yard pass without giving the ball away all game. The managers man of

the match went to “little nipper”, Tom Simmonds, the youngest player in the team by some

distance. Tom covered his own full back superbly whilst popping up constantly in the

opposition penalty and claiming three assists to his credit. This was a thoroughly satisfying

performance by all of the Pennine players !! The referee was given 85/100.

10/11/12 Pennine Black v Radcliffe

Lessons to be learned. Poor preparation led to a bad start in this game. Despite having a

large amount of possession, Pennine Blacks found themselves two goals down inside the

first 20 minutes, and from then on we were always chasing the game. The first goal game

after a Radcliffe break down the Pennine right and when the ball was centred, it deflected

off the Pennine skipper and into the goal. The second soon followed after a long diagonal

ball into the Pennine left back position, and when the ball was flicked on, the Radcliffe

centre forward raced through to slot the ball home, 0-2. Both goals had come against the

run of play, but Radcliffe had proved to be extremly tough opposition, stubborn in defence

and very sharp on the break. The Blacks were in shock, but then began the fight back. After

a neat interchange with Steve Keown, Pat Gillan slotted the ball home with an excellent

finish to get Pennine back into the game. The Blacks were now piling on the pressure with

several good opportunities going narrowly wide. With a minute left before half time,

Pennine swung in a corner and Ben Simmonds stormed through the pack to nod the ball

home. Half time 2-2. The team talk focused on Radcliffe’s long ball and quick breaks and the

management identified that Radcliffe liked to hit a long ball into the corners to try and get a

2 on 1 situation with Pennine’s full-backs. The team agreed it was important to give the full

backs support and if necessary, to try and run in behind the full backs to give them cover

when faced with a long ball situation. Five minutes into the second half, Radcliffe hit a long

ball into the full back area which was flicked on and the same nippy Radcliffe striker raced

through to score, 2-3 to Radcliffe. Remember the half time chat? You could now sense that

this game was going “right to the wire” and the Black team reacted from the setback

superbly. The team completely dominated the final 30 minutes creating chance after

chance. With 15 minutes to go, Conor Leyland swung in a free kick and Steve Keown jumped

like a salmon to score another headed goal, 3-3. With the scores level, Pennine were now

looking for the win and had an excellent chance after a goal mouth scramble which resulted

in the ball dribbling past the wrong side of the post. With Radcliffe clinging on, a hopeful

counter attacking ball was punted into the Pennine penalty area. With Dan Joesbury blinded

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by the low winter sun, the ball struck the Pennine keeper dropping straight to the

Radcliffe striker who nudged the ball over the line to make the score 3-4. With minutes

remaining, that was surely that, but Pennine remained defiant and in the dying seconds Pat

Gillan squared the ball to Bailey Smyth. With a fabulous controlling first touch with his left

foot Bailey then struck sweetly the ball sweetly with his right. Everyone waited with baited

breath expecting the net to ripple but instead the ball scraped the wrong side of the

Radcliffe post. The final whistle went with victory to an impressive Radcliffe side. Pennine

had created many good chances in this game and had not taken them and coupled with an

uncharacteristic bad day in defence, the 3 points had not gone to the Blacks team. Some

lessons to be learned and some things to work on in training. Ben Simmonds received a

notable mention for an excellent second half effort. The parent’s man of the match went to

Euan Smith for his graft, physical strength and overall desire to win, a huge 100% effort from

the Pennine midfielder. The coaches man of the match went to Nathan Christian for facing

some difficult situations with a cool head and offering a fantastic attacking option down the

left hand side. The manager’s man of the match went to Callum Panton. For some

fantastically timed, last gasp tackles and excellent distribution. The referee was given

60/100.

03/11/12 Pennine Black v Unsworth

Football at its best. At the start of the season, this game was expected to be our most

difficult and it did not disappoint. Throughout this game Unsworth displayed some excellent

quality and the game proved to be a thorough examination on how far the team have

progressed. The match started brightly and continued that way for the full duration with

Pennine keeping the majority of possession but Unsworth counter attacking through their

pacey forwards. Early chances fell to Steve Keown and Pat Gillan which were both well

saved by the opposition keeper and after a neat trick on the edge of the area by Bailey

Smyth, the nippy striker struck the ball sweetly but unfortunately just over the bar.

Unsworth also had some chances and were frequently thwarted by the brilliance and

lightening pace of Conor Leyland and the bravery of goalkeeper Dan Joesbury. Pennine

continued to press and in particular showed some good quality down the left hand side,

with Nathan Christian and Matt Whitehead linking superbly. More chances went begging

and the majority of play was now taking place in the Unsworth half. However, with just one

minute remaining before half time, Unsworth broke down the left, with the ball being cut

back into the centre and the ball poked into the Pennine net for a half-time 0-1 lead for the

opposition. During the half-time talk the Pennine coaches, referred back to an earlier defeat

in the season where Pennine had gone in 0-1 down, against the run of play, after creating

many chances. In that game, during the 2nd half, the lads had played with too much urgency

and panic and so the coaches asked the lads not to repeat that performance. The lads were

asked to remain calm, stick to their principles and keep playing in the style that had been

worked on in training, and that is possession, possession, possession…..The lads did not

disappoint! The second half started with Pennine keeping the ball superbly and they soon

Page | 22

calved out a few early chances. The team kept a strong, positive mental attitude and with

ten minutes of the second half gone, a fierce Pennine shot was well saved by the Unsowrth

keeper and after a goal mouth scramble, Jack Kershaw threw himself at the ball to nudge it

over the line for his first goal of the season, levelling the score at 1-1. The team were now

playing with real fluency and more chances developed with a huge penalty shout being

turned down after Bailey Smyth was bundled over in the penalty area. At the same time,

gaps were now developing between the Pennine midfield and defence with the Unsworth

strikers cleverly dropping deep to retrieve the ball and turning and running at our back four.

On the odd occasion our fabulous back four were beaten, Dan Joesbury ensured a safe pair

of hands were there to mop up and thwart the opposition offensive play. Unsworth’s one

main outlet, a player with great skill and acceleration spent the last quarter of the game

playing on the left hand side. His dangerous play was nullified by the midfield energy of Tom

Simmonds who doubled as a right back with the excellent James Chee whilst both Pennine

players also tried to provide an attacking option. Pennine’s best moments were now coming

down the right hand side and after a good cross from Tom Simmonds was met by Euan

Smith, the ball was smashed against an Unsworth defender with the ball going out for a

corner. Bailey Smyth clipped in a lovely ball into the six yard box and Steve Keown rose well

to nod the ball over the line with the Unsworth keeper clutching the ball back from over the

line with Euan Smith knocking the ball over the line again, just to make sure. 2-1 to Pennine

with 5 minutes to go! It was no more than the lads deserved with the Pennine defenders

playing with confidence and stubborn resistance, every one of the midfield players putting

in an enormous shift for the team and all of the strikers working hard and linking well. In a

very mature final few minutes, Pennine could have added a third as Ben Simmonds jinked

past a couple of defenders on the right hand edge of the box and centred the ball for

another goal mouth scramble and then Bailey Smyth also putting a chance narrowly wide.

The final whistle went with the score 2-1 to Pennine, a huge performance and a huge result.

Every member of the team put in an excellent performance and the lads really did work

hard for each other. Nathan Christian, James Chee, Euan Smith and Tom Simmonds all

received notable mentions for effort and skill with the parents man of the match going to

Dan Joesbury for some very important saves, real bravery and brilliant handling, the coaches

man of the match going to Conor Leyland for strength, pace, leadership and confidence on

the ball and the mangers man of the match to Matt Whitehead for his effervescence,

energy, tackling and ball retention. The referee was given 95/100.

20.10.12 Bacup v Pennine Black

A tough encounter. A whirlwind start from Pennine saw the quickest goal of the season.

Straight from the kick-off, after some short interchanges in midfield, Bailey Smyth broke

away down the left hand side and slammed his shot against the bar. The ball came straight

back to Tom Simmonds who made no mistake tapping in his third goal of the season to put

Pennine 0-1 up after less than 30 seconds. The next 20 minutes proved very difficult. The

Pennine management, prior to the game, had decided to put a man marker on Bacup’s best

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player which consequently left Pennine one short in midfield. With Bacup starting to

dominate the midfield area, they could count themselves very unfortunate to have a good

free kick ruled out for offside. This sparked a change from the Pennine management who

reverted back to the normal system by putting Euan Smith into the middle of midfield. This

change resolved the issue instantly and Pennine immediately took back control of the game,

as Euan calmed down the play with some good challenges and accurate, short, ten yard

passes. Euan Smith, Jack Kershaw, Matt Whitehead and Tom Simmonds in particular got

through an enormous amount of work and retained the ball superbly with some nice neat

passing. With 10 minutes of the first half remaining, Steve Keown dropped into a midfield

area, and with a fantastic turn started to run with the ball at the Bacup defence. With pin

point precision, he slipped the ball through to Pat Gillan who tucked the ball neatly into the

corner of the Bacup goal as Pennine took at 0-2 lead into the half time break. A great finish

from Pat and a moment of pure genius from Steve. More of the same followed in the

second half. Callum Panton and Conor Leyland were once again dominant in defence and

barely missed a challenge all game. Conor gave the perfect captains performance and led by

example with his tackling, effort and encouragement to all members of the team, whilst

constantly driving out the back four to squeeze the midfield higher up the pitch. Now

playing up hill, Pennine found a fantastic target in Steve Keown, whose control of the ball

and link play was of the highest standard. Steve, sprayed the ball into wide areas as the

Blacks continued to attack down the flanks. Euan Smith was having a huge game for the

team in the middle of midfield, breaking up the Bacup play with some strong challenges and

using the ball brilliantly, he simply didn’t give the ball away all game! The third goal soon

arrived as the ball arrived into the feet of Ben Simmonds from the left hand side of midfield.

Ben let the ball run across his body and hit a square pass across the edge of the area to

Bailey Smyth who unleashed the ball into the top corner. The small tenacious striker,

affectionately known as “Buzzer” was having his best game of the season as Bacup struggled

to cope with his work rate, pace and top class finishing. Minutes later Bailey added his

second goal and the teams fourth. After a mis-kick by the Bacup keeper, the ball went

straight to their nemesis and Bailey smashed the ball in to exactly the same top corner, this

time from 25 yards out. A few minutes later, Scott McCready had a chance to add another

goal as he swung in a free kick from the left hand-side. The keeper saved well with the ball

parried out and after a frantic goal mouth scramble, Bacup cleared the ball. Dan Joesbury in

the Pennine goal still had plenty to do, showing real bravery on three occasions. On each

occasion, a Bacup player was played through and Dan slid out to win the ball from the feet

of the oncoming strikers. Steve Keown added a deserved fifth goal for Pennine and a late

reply from Bacup made the final score 1-5. This was a really satisfying performance from all

of the lads, they thoroughly deserved their win with every player putting a really good

performance. In particular, Steve Keown, Matt Whitehead and Tom Simmonds all had

excellent games and received notable mentions. The three players that received the man of

the match awards for huge team performances were Conor Leyland for his desire and

leadership, Euan Smith for a game changing, calming influence with a really high work rate

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and Bailey Smyth for his team ethic chasing and harassment of the Bacup defenders

coupled with some superb finishing. The manager’s man of the match was awarded to

Conor Leyland, the coach’s man of the match to Euan Smith and the parent’s man of the

match to Bailey Smyth. The referee was given 85/100.

13.10.12 Pennine Black v Ramsbottom United

Back from the break. Pennine started brightly which was a huge surprise to the

management team after a three week break. The Blacks created chance after chance with

the majority of the play taking place in the Ramsbottom half of the pitch. Ramsbottom

worked extremely hard and defended like Trojans but after a long distance effort was

parried by the keeper, Ben Simmonds followed in to score the opening goal from an acute

angle. Minutes later another good chance for the team went narrowly wide after some

excellent work from Pat Gillan who rounded the keeper but his shot resulted in the ball

going narrowly wide. Pat is really on top of his game now, showing a good work ethic and

getting into some great forward positions. Pennine were defensively well organised with

Callum Panton and Conor Leyland martialling the defence, offering the opposition nothing in

the way of chances, with Matt Whitehead as tenacious as ever and Scott McCready having a

superb game on the right hand side. Scott exuded confidence, his cover work at the back

and short passing finding a Pennine Player on every occasion resulted in a performance of

the highest standard.

The only disappointing part of the first half was the team only going in 1-0 up at half time,

after playing some excellent football and creating many chances. If the lads played well in

the first half, in the second they were sublime, showing hard work, determination, accurate

passing and some excellent finishing. Steve Keown worked extremely hard for the team and

thoroughly deserved his first goal of the season as Pennine increased the lead to 2-0. Steve

showed some fantastic touches, good link up play and with the high work rate added to his

game, produced a very pleasing performance which brought a smile to the faces of the

management team. The third goal soon came and was easily the best finish of the day.

Bailey Smyth chased relentlessly to pinch the ball off a Ramsbottom defender and was

played through after a neat one two with Ben Simmonds. The keeper came out to narrow

the angle but Bailey struck the ball with venom into the bottom right hand corner, simply

unstoppable! Euan Smith and Tom Simmonds put in the biggest shifts of the day. The two

Pennine players covered every blade of grass and it was Tom who added the fourth goal. A

power drive from Steve Keown was parried and as the ball came back in from Jack Kershaw

via the left wing, Tom stole in from the right hand side to tuck the ball away. Jack Kershaw

was a constant menace to the Ramsbottom defence and linked fantastically with Matt

Whitehead down the left hand side, both creating plenty of chances for the rest of the

team. It was Bailey Smyth who added the fifth goal with another lovely finish, lobbing the

keeper from 20 yards and in the final few minutes of the game, Ben Simmonds skipped

through the opposition defence, faced with a one on one with the keeper. Ben lifted his foot

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underneath the ball, flicking it over the head of the Ramsbottom keeper who gasped “You

cheeky beggar”, or at least it was another word beginning with “B”. With the ball heading

goal ward, Steve Keown nipped in and completed a very satisfying day by helping the ball

over the line, final score 6-0. After his man of the match a few weeks ago, this was a very

quiet day for Pennine keeper Dan Joesbury.

Adam Gill gave the manager’s man of the match to Ben Simmonds who used the ball

brilliantly, setting up two goals and scoring one, the coach’s man of the match was given to

Scott McCready whose distribution was fantastic and showed great maturity with his

defending and the parent’s man of the match went to Steve Keown who’s work off the ball

improved enormously and showed what a class player he is with the ball, linking the play

superbly and scoring two excellent goals. The referee was given 74/100.

22.09.12 Pennine Black v Pennine Reds

A game of two halves. Pennine Blacks started the game brightly with some good passing

and excellent movement. Most of the play took place in the opposition half as the Blacks

created chance after chance, only to be thwarted with a fine display from the Pennine Reds

keeper George Crabtree. Euan Smith and Ben Simmonds once again dominated the midfield

areas with Bailey Smyth and Steve Keown looking particularly lively. Against the run of play,

Pennine Reds took the lead when their striker found himself in acres of space and expertly

guided the ball in off the post. Despite a huge protest of “offside” from the Blacks team,

supporters and coaching staff, the goal stood as the linesman’s flag stayed down and the

Reds took a shock 0-1 lead into the half time break. If the first half play from the Blacks was

measured, precise and full of good flowing football, the second half was completely the

opposite. The Reds scored again early in the second half after a mix up between players and

panic set in as the Blacks attempted to claw their way back into the match. Fast flowing

football went out of the window, as did control of the game with frantic football and a long

ball over the top becoming common. With 20 minutes to go, the Blacks management team

decided to sacrifice defender Nathan Christian who had again played extremely well and go

with three defenders at the back, and three strikers upfront. As the ball bounced around the

Pennine Reds area, a 50-50 challenge between Bailey Smyth and the Reds keeper, resulted

in the Pennine Blacks nippy striker poking the ball home to bring the score back to 1-2. It

was no more than Bailey Smyth deserved as the player put in a huge amount of work for the

team throughout this match. Minutes later Euan Smith was pushed upfront and within

minutes knocked the ball home to make it 2-2. In a very exciting finale, with the Blacks

throwing everything at the Reds goal, and the Reds counter attacking superbly, holes in the

Pennine Blacks defence started to appear and with a few minutes to go, the Reds took the

lead with a fine finish. Minutes later, after a lack of communication in the Black defence, it

was 2-4 to the Reds with the Blacks players clutching their heads in disbelief. It was no more

than the Reds deserved; they had worked tirelessly in the second half to keep the Blacks

team out and had shown tremendous courage and energy to run “box to box” to support

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their strikers. Adam Gill gave the manager’s man of the match to Ben Simmonds who

passed the ball superbly throughout the game, with the coach’s man of the match given to

Callum Panton after some brilliant tackles and reading the game superbly. The parent’s man

of the match went to Jack Kershaw who once again gave 100% effort and was a huge threat

for the Pennine Black team down the left hand side. The referee was given 45/100

15/09/12 Rossendale Valley v Pennine Black

After a slow first fifteen minutes, Pennine found their feet and started to create chances

with the Rossendale keeper providing stubborn resistance. Jack Kershaw once again put in a

courageous performance with some tough tackling and creativity down the left hand touch

line. Several long range efforts from the Pennine midfield were well saved and a frantic goal

mouth scramble resulted in the ball deflecting off Pat Gillan and going narrowly wide. Ten

minutes before half time Pennine took the lead when a fierce strike from Bailey Smyth was

parried into the path of Steve Keown, who hit another shot which was again saved by the

Rossendale keeper. Pat Gillan reacted before anyone else and tapped in from close range to

give Pennine the lead. With the score 0-1 at half time, the players went out for the second

half and continued to apply pressure on the Rossendale back four. Pennine looked to

increase their lead with several long range efforts from the industrious Ben Simmonds,

including one which dipped inches over the bar and several shots from the lively Bailey

Smyth, three of which struck the woodwork. Euan Smith and Ben Simmonds put in real high-

octane performances to dominate the midfield for large parts of the game with both players

deserving to be on the score sheet. Rossendale did have several flurries forward but were

thwarted by the excellent handling of Dan Joesbury. The Pennine keeper had a superb day

and never looked like conceding a goal with his agility and smart keeping breathing

confidence throughout the Pennine back four. The defence, led by captain Conor Leyland

and another superb performance from Callum Panton restricted Rossendale to very few

chances. Pennine left back Nathan Christian also caught the eye with a really tidy

performance, linking up well with the Pennine midfield. Fifteen minutes from time, Nathan

darted forward and when the ball dropped to him, twenty five yards from goal, he hit a shot

with such venom that the cross-bar was still shaking at the end of the game. More chances

followed and Pennine were awarded an obvious penalty when Bailey Smyth was brought

down in the area. The referee, however, reversed the decision and gave Rossendale a free

kick as the Rossendale coach shouted for off side. Minutes later Matt Whitehead was

presented the ball and again was scythed down inside the penalty area, the referee noted

the challenge and shouted “advantage” as the ball dropped to Pat Gillan in front of goal. The

Pennine striker was denied a second goal with the on-rushing defenders blocking the shot.

The final whistle went with Pennine claiming another three points but somewhat puzzled by

the decision making of the league official. The manager’s man of the match was awarded to

Jack Kershaw, the coach’s man of the match to Dan Joesbury and the parent’s man of the

match to Ben Simmonds. The referee was given 45/100.

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08/09/12 Pennine Black v Prestwich Red

Pennine controlled the first half with Prestwich offering very little offensive play. The teams

went into half-time at 0-0 and the players were asked to increase their work rate plus attack

quickly down the sides instead of through the middle. A strong second half performance by

the Under 14’s Blacks, led by Conor Leyland with a fantastic captain’s performance, saw Ben

Simmonds open the scoring with a well taken goal inside the box. A second goal soon came,

after a sublime through ball by Tom Simmonds. This resulted in Pat Gillan being taken down

inside the penalty area and the player dusted himself down to convert the penalty. A third

goal soon followed as Tom Simmonds burst through to slide the ball past the keeper and

after a plague of Pennine injuries, the versatile Matt Whitehead moved to the right back

position to continue his unique tenacious style. Jack Kershaw pressed, challenged and

harassed with another 100% effort performance and the ever reliable Callum Panton along

with the robust Ryan O’Conner continued to compete very hard to maintain Pennine

possession. In the dying seconds, a stunning strike from Bailey Smyth secured the three

points for Pennine. The manager’s man of the match was awarded to Jack Kershaw, the

coach’s man of the match to Pat Gillan and the parent’s man of the match to Tom

Simmonds. The referee was given 75/100.

With thanks to this year’s team sponsor Nestor Partnership