Up 2-0 at half time, the Lithgow Panthers had to fight to keep visitors Bathurst St Pat’s to a draw at Lithgow on Saturday.
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Panthers' Guy Mannering said the quality of the competition was not a surprise for the young Panthers outfit.
“For a top of the table clash it was expected. It was probably a bit disappointing to go up 2-0 and then let the other team back in,” he said.
“Overall, for our young team, it was a great learning curve to be at the top of the table.”
He said the inclusion of Hannah Kable in the team created some much-needed structure in the mid-field in the absence of Clare Bosman.
The Panthers went on the attack early, with Souths scrambling to keep several attempts out of the net.
It was no surprise when Mackenzie Stewart broke through to claim Panthers’ first midway through the first half.
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It was a fierce fight in the midfield, with Australian schoolgirl representative Kable making her mark. Their persistence paid off, with Chelsea Marshall slotting in the Panthers’ second, a lead they maintained up to half time.
It was a completely different St Pat’s that emerged after half time.
St Pat’s coach Jaden Ekert said the senior players led the comeback in the second.
“It was a complete one-eighty from the way we played in the first half. We were very unorganised, our basics weren't the best. In the second half they addressed it and played a whole lot better,” he said.
“They all played quite well as a team. There were just a lot of mistakes in that first half. In the second half our senior girls, our captains, really stood up and led the way, which is what I expect.”
Ruby Clarke and Sophie Conroy broke through for St Pat's, with Panthers on the defensive for the last 13 minutes to deny St Pat’s a third.
Nothing changes on the leader board as a result of the draw but St Pat’s were confident on the run into the finals.
“We’ve got a good run home, but saying that, we’ve still got to win, we’ve got to play better than we did today,” Ekert said.
“Some older heads have come back this year so it's a great mix of old and new and that's always awesome to have, because the young girls follow what the old girls do, and when they need to play better they do.”
LITHGOW PANTHERS 2 (Chelsea Marshall, Mackenzie Stewart) drew with BATHURST ST PAT’S 2 (Ruby Clarke, Sophie Conroy).
Kirsty Horton
A journalist with 15 years of experience, Kirsty Horton has been the editor of the Lithgow Mercury newspaper and a journalist for mastheads including the Great Lakes Advocate, Nambucca Guardian News and Moree Champion. She is now a member of ACM's features and special publications team.
A journalist with 15 years of experience, Kirsty Horton has been the editor of the Lithgow Mercury newspaper and a journalist for mastheads including the Great Lakes Advocate, Nambucca Guardian News and Moree Champion. She is now a member of ACM's features and special publications team.
