Whaley Bridge Under 16s put in an impressive display at 'home' against Stockport Vikings Warriors. The game was played at Chapel High School, for reasons I will not bore you with, and Whaley started fast. A sweeping move saw Jack Howell cross for Kieran Connell to grab the opener, but somehow a mysterious bobble put him off and he blazed over. Moments later Ole 'The Assist Machine' Madden played a ball through to Zain Saeed. The flag stayed down and Saeed lofted it over the keeper for 1-0. Minutes later it was Madden again, this time playing in Howell who netted the second. Stokport had no answer, and another smart move down the left saw Howell pass to Ethan Williams on the overlap. Williams crossed, and this time Connell made no mistake to make it 3-0. As the half drew to a close Saeed sent in a corner, and Howell grabbed his second with a flying header. The second half started slowly, with no pattern to the play as Whaley made several changes. Eventually Howell bundled his way into the box, and when the defender brought him down the referee had no hesitation. Would Howell get the chance for his hattrick? No, it was the cool head of Saeed who could give Eden Hazard a lesson in penalty taking, and it was 5-0. More changes brought more chances, and Howell in particular squandered several. However, he was not alone, and Hamaad Chaudhry, Madden and Connell were all off target. The sixth was inevitable, and it was Howell who provided it. He beat the offside trap and finally found the bottom corner. There were more chances, but Whaley settled for a 6-0 win that sees them pressing for third place.