07/09/2026
*AFC Appleton 3–3 Wigan Town Panthers U12s*
The 2026/27 season got off to an entertaining start as the Panthers played out a six-goal thriller away at AFC Appleton.
The first half had more than a hint of basketball about it, with both sides dangerous in transition and plenty of action at either end. Appleton opened the scoring after some uncertainty in the Panthers box resulted in a simple tap-in.
The hosts continued to threaten, hitting the bar and going narrowly wide, but some excellent goalkeeping from Fin kept the Panthers within touching distance, with Appleton leading 1–0 at half-time.
The second half started at the same frantic pace. Ellis was released through on goal within the opening 30 seconds, only to be denied by the Appleton keeper.
Four minutes later, the Panthers levelled in style. Fantastic link-up play between George, Leon and Clayton created an early contender for goal of the season as Wigan moved the ball brilliantly before finishing off the move.
The next 10 minutes produced a goal-fest. Appleton regained the lead after capitalising on a long ball, but the Panthers refused to fold. Good work from Clayton and Louis created the openings for Ellis, who produced two composed finishes to put Wigan ahead for the first time at 3–2.
From there, the game became a real battle. The Panthers defended wave after wave of late Appleton pressure, but a dangerous corner was eventually prodded home in the dying moments to make it 3–3, with the final whistle following shortly after.
Disappointing to concede so late, but there was plenty to be positive about. After going behind twice, the Panthers showed real character to turn the game around, and the second-half performance was a huge improvement from the first.
Parents PoTM: Fin — outstanding shot-stopping and distribution throughout, keeping the Panthers in the game when it mattered.
PoTM: Ellis, who led the line with relentless energy, took his chances brilliantly and never stopped working — a great example of defending from the front.
A gutting finish, but plenty of positives to build on from the opening game.
Up the Panthers!
