The best weekend of Panthers season?

Panthers title hopes were given a massive boost this past weekend, with a crucial 4 points picked up to snap a 3 game losing run. 

It comes as a welcome surprise, as the atmosphere in the fanbase had somewhat dwindled beforehand, with losses to Guildford and title hopefuls Cardiff handing the club their first losses of the new decade and providing a massive setback in the race for that all important top spot. Cardiff would add more salt to the wound by knocking the Panthers out of the Challenge Cup just days later, as 3 late goals completed an incredible comeback after being 2 goals down. 

There's never a good time for an away day at Sheffield to come around these days, but Saturday's clash in the Steel City probably came at one of the worst times it possibly could've. Going to a building where we'd blown a 2 or more goal lead on a whopping 4 straight occasions to gift at least a regulation tie after doing the same thing that week on the back of a potentially costly losing run that involved doing the exact same in the cup was a daunting prospect, as if it wasn't when looking at the game alone. 

I avoided watching the game to save myself the heartbreak, and of course, I check Twitter and we have that dreaded 2 goal advantage, 3-1 up. No way are we going to do it again?! Imagine rolling your eyes when beating your biggest rivals? That was me, and most of the Panthers faithful. I have never been more convinced of a loss when being ahead. We're cursed, right? Not long after, and its 5! Even by our standards, this collapse was going to be monumental, but no, the final buzzer had sounded and I had to wait until I'd seen at least 5 sources confirming the result to believe my eyes. We'd finally done it. A landslide victory over our rivals in very important circumstances. A field day for our offence, who scored 5 well worked goals, showing our attacking capabilities, and limiting the highest scoring team in the league to just 1, making it a solid all round performance. 

Whilst the following day's game against Fife wasn't as much of a barnstormer, despite the task initially looking rather straightforward with the Scottish sides 13 straight losses, 2 late goals assured a smash and grab win. 

The offence perhaps wasn't as lethal as Saturday, but Panthers remained assured at the back to once again display their strong mentality. A 25 shot save shutout for Jackson Whistle, who made some fantastic reflex saves, combined with Kevin Carr's 21 saves in Sheffield means a Panthers team that had conceded 18 in the 4 previous games would finish this weekend with 1 goal conceded. 

So, why am I calling this our best weekend of the season? Not only did Panthers gain maximum points, but fellow title chasers Sheffield dropped the same amount, by also losing to Guildford on Sunday. Cardiff and Belfast faced each other twice, so the best case scenario was 2 points each way, and that's exactly what happened. Panthers statistically finish the weekend with the best record out of the top 4, and are right back in the mix, probably to most people's surprise. 

Do I think we'll win the league? Probably not. Our awful start has made the margin for error incredibly small, but huge credit should be given to Tim Wallace's players for the remarkable turnaround.  If we win our games in hand, we are just a point behind Sheffield, although Cardiff winning there's would put them in the drivers seat. That being said, this team is one the fans can be proud of again.