Panthers triumph against the odds at Shrewsbury

The Panthers boarded the bus up to Bangkok with a mixture of excitement and nerves knowing they were about to face the biggest international schools in Thailand. It was soon obvious why they deserved to be there with the Under 11 girls displaying some lovely flowing football. Ultimately they missed out on the play-off spots as tiredness took its toll, but they should be very proud of the way they played. Our team of Under 9 boys, very much in the learning stage but with bags of talent, made sure everyone saw what an exciting prospect they are for the future. However, the Under 11 boys in a word, were exceptional! Straight into the first match they showed all of the attacking flair and class going forward we have come to expect but also resolute defending and outstanding goalkeeping, which in a competition where we had to beat Patana, Shrewsbury and Harrow was vital. Their spirit, teamwork and skill was too much for the other schools and they topped the group stage taking them into the final against Harrow. Despite getting behind twice they were not going to be beaten and with minutes left to go found the equaliser and sent the match to penalties. Arrin, Nik and Harry all put their spot kicks away immaculately leaving the goalkeeper, Luke, to pull off a heroic save to win the tournament sparking jubilant scenes. Well done to the whole team and thank you to all of the parent supporters. Everyone who attended the event was a credit to St Andrews, Green Valley!