Results Jan 22nd & 23rd
Mini Soccer
The Under 7′s had a close game with Manor Wolves going down 2-1 with Aaron Clausen scoring and Paul New claiming Man of Match
The Under 8’s had an excellent game with West Kirby Wasps drawing 2-2. It was another battling performance from our lads who came from behind twice to earn a draw. Having started very slowly, we went behind to an organised West Kirby side, who were quick out of the blocks. However, this seemed to spur the lads on, and a couple of chances quickly followed with a couple of good runs from Luke. The game swung from end to end, with some good chances for either side, before Alex Clarke equalised from what seemed an impossible angle. In fact all the parents and coaches were shouting for him to let it go for a corner, but instead he wrapped his foot round the ball to see it nestle in the net after coming off the far post. A momentary lapse at the back then let in West Kirby to go back in the lead just before half time. However, the lads came out in the second half and pressed for the equaliser straight from the start. Some fantastic crosses and corners from James really put the pressure on the West Kirby defence, and it was one of these corners that proved vital. James placed a corner right in the heart of the goal mouth, and with the West Kirby defence in confusion Alex Clarke was quick to pounce and stabbed home the ball from close range. With the game flowing from end to end, chances came thick and fast in the final minutes. However, there were to be no more goals, and a draw was probably a fair result, with Upton having a lions share of the late chances. Once again the lads had produced a great battling performance. James Smith was Man of Match
The Under 9’s had a 2-0 win over NBS Rangers in a game that was a potential banana skin for Upton but they need not have worried as the performance that the team displayed was quite remarkable. From the start Upton were busy putting out little fires that a physical Rangers side were causing. Upton do not play a physical game and were well outside their comfort zone today so standing toe to toe and getting stuck in does not come naturally to the guys. However, that’s what was required and that’s what was given and Reece Pirie and Lewis Heath, only 50% fit, were putting in granite performances to win the ball setting up counter attacks from Connor Jones and Reece Gannon. Skipper Owen Burns, again taking knock after knock during the game, and Joshua Lynch, solid as a rock again, are quickly developing into a terrific pairing in defence. Reece Gannon was leading the line well against players twice his size and Upton were really dominant for long periods of the first half with Jack Torpey causing all sorts of problems in a game that wasn’t suited to his nimble footwork. Again and again he breached the Rangers defence only for the final pass to be too short or intercepted. However, a corner for Upton was taken by Pirie, beautifully flighted into the area and only half cleared into the air. The ball fell to man of the match Connor Jones, who was quite outstanding today in every area, who volleyed the ball first time causing it to loop over the flailing Rangers keeper. 1-0 to Upton and it was thoroughly deserved!! The first half continued in this vane until shortly before half-time when a half chance for Rangers was nearly converted. The ball was played between Burns and Lynch and the Rangers striker was through. The pair lunged into the Rangers player just as he unleashed a fierce shot. The advancing keeper, Zak Hemsworth, made what could only be described as a world class stop. The ball, going over his head at speed, was padded away by the keeper who had no business ever getting to it. Unbelievable! 1-0 half-time. The second half continued with Upton pushing for a second. Lewis Heath was feeling the effects of a cold and was given little rests to get his breath back creating a few little cameo appearances for ‘super sub’ Mark Lewis. Lewis had a few chances in the box and came close twice only for the ball to go agonisingly wide. The big lad was annoying the opposition keeper at set pieces with his presence around the area. Heath came back on and found himself in space six yards out only for the keeper to save. Five minutes later he was in the same position after a goalmouth scramble. The ball at his feet, it was smashed home. 2-0! Connor Jones continued to work tirelessly and helped preserve the score with his runs out of defence. Burns and Lynch still solid and Pirie had his best game in an Upton shirtAnd that’s how it stayed. Full-time. All in all, a tremendous performance against a spoiling, physical side who play good football themselves. This is a good scalp for Upton who have been dominated by NBS teams in previous encounters. A great display.
The Under 10′s – No Details
Girls
Under 10s kept up the good form they showed last week in running high flying Rakers so close in the cup, by winning 5-0 away to Liscard Ladies with a hat trick for Player of the Match Anna Cull and further strikes from Ellen Mcgowan and Taylor Mayes
Under 12s got back into action after a bye in the cup last week, winning a physical encounter against Beechwood 3 – 1. Great runs and crosses from Olivia Radford on the right wing set up two easy goals for Elizabeth Sullivan in the first half. A good strike from Rebecca Prichard-Howarth made it 3 – 0 in the second half before Beechwood scored a consolation breakaway goal as Upton pressed for the fourth. Shannon Navarro was player of the match.
Under 14 Rangers had drawn 7 – 7 away to Irby earlier in the season, coming back from 2 down late on. In a similarly close end to end encounter, the return fixture was a 4-4 draw. Irby took an early 2-0 lead as Upton were a little slow to deal with the Irby captain and playmaker. However, in an excellent personal performance, Jodie Williams scored two superb strikes with her left foot to draw the teams level, before an unfortunate slip in the area allowed Irby to take the lead again, Leah McNay hit another long distance left footer into the top corner to even it up at half time. Isabel Nolan scored to give Upton the lead early in the second half, and both sides had further chances (Jodie hitting the bar) before Irby snatched an equaliser. Overall a fair result and a great game for all those watching, with both keepers taking a lot of credit for a number of excellent saves. Poppy Buckley was named player of the match by Irby.
Under 14s were up against Wirral Hawks Ladies, who are first or second in the league. Hawks took a 2-0 lead in to half time purely on the brilliance of two strikes from the impressive Hannah Robertson, but Upton had played their part and the game did not look out of reach. Unfortunately, the second half saw Hawks score another 7 without reply, which certainly didn’t reflect the game overall, and some excellent performances by our defenders. Georgia McGeough was voted player of the match by Hawks.
Under 16s did not have a game this week
Boys
The Under 11′s are now in 2nd place after a 3-1 win over FC Blades with 2 goals from Aaron Finlay and a strike from Joshua Smith with Michael Pearsall Man of Match
The Under 12′s put up another fine display and once again deserved more than a 4-1 defeat to title favourites Beechwood, Guy Stratton scored with alex Highton Man of Match
The Under 13′s had a tough day losing 4-0 to unbeaten Wallasey Wanderers though they had plenty of chances to get something from the game. Christian Rule was Man of Match
The Under 14′s lost for the first time since the opening day against reigning champions Manor losing 3-1 in a very tight game decided in the last 15 minutes. Joe Murray scored the goal with Ben Stobbart Man of Match.
After yet another break from action Upton U15s took a while to find their rythmn against a determined Ashville side. Unfortunately Ashville started the match without the full 11 which only served to disrupt Upton further as they coped with the unusual formation. On a boggy pitch though both sides played some good football and the match was played in an excellent spirit between two teams who know each other quite well. With the introduction of Scott after 15 minutes Upton began to create the chances their possession deserved, as a more measured build up started to create holes in the overworked Ashville defence. Owens tapped in after a powerful Scott run and drive, whilst Scott was also lethal from two yards as he connected with a swinging Walker corner. At 2 nil and starting to open up the Ashville defence at will it looked like Upton would go on to dominate but a couple of defence lapses lead first to a great one-handed tip over from captain Askew in goal and then Ashville getting back both a goal and their hope. The score was only 2-1 at half time. With the introduction of Perryman to the back line Walker moved from centre back to centre forward and scored another quick fire hat-trick, the last a pile driver from 20 yards. Owens was now creating chances freely from right wing whilst new signing Mjkosi and the returning Crawford were showing flashes of real skill as they tried to walk the ball into the net. However the best was saved for last when Hoijord-Beard lashed in a half-volley on the turn from 25 yards to score against his dad’s team and secure a 6-2 victory. Man of the match was Owens, but excellent performance again from Scott and Evans, with Walker showing how lethal he can be with good service
Results Jan 15th & 16th
Mini Soccer
The Under 7′s had a 1-1 draw with Manor Coyotes with Luke o Keefe the Man Of Match and Paul New getting the goal
The Under 8’s winning run unfortunately came to an end on Saturday when they faced a very impressive Grrenleas team. Having gone 1 – 0 down early on, the lads battled well to level the scores well a well worked goal finished off by Alex Clark who placed the ball in the corner of the net. The lads held their own for the majority of the first half, but lost their concentration as the whistle approached, which enabled Greenleas to capitalise and score a quick 3 goals, two of them being unfortunate own goals. Upton had fashioned a couple of chances of their own, but could not find the vital finish that was needed. The second half went much the same as the first with Greenleas playing the ball around well, while also enjoying the lions share of the decisions. However the lads battled and tackled well to keep the opposition out with some resolute defending. Once again we squandered a couple of opportunities on the break, but concede another two goals to leave the final score 6 – 1 to Greenleas. However, with a couple of own goals against us, and a few missed chances, the lads had still played very weel against a team that very rarely loses a match. Phillip Mcgowan was Man of Match.
Under 9′s – No Report
Under 10′s – No Report
Girls
First round of the cup for the girls teams, with mixed results
Under 10s lost 2-0 at home to The Rakers but put in an excellent display, improving on a 5-0 defeat earlier in the season. The girls really took the game to their more experienced opposition and only conceded the second goal in chasing the game. Taylor Mayes was player of the match. Hopefully there will be a Challenge Cup at this age level, in which Upton must be strong contenders to reach the final.
Under 12s had a bye in the first round.
Under 14s ran into Manor again, and found this strong well organised side too much again, losing 8 – 1. Georgia McGeough scored our only goal and was player of the match.
Under 14 Rangers played Greenleas for the second week in a row, and again ran out winners, this time 5 – 0. Isabel Nolan and Jodie Williams scored a quick brace to settle the team before a Brittany White header, and an excellent long distance strike from Leah McNay, made it 4 – 0 at half time. Poppy Buckley added a fifth in the second half, finishing well after outpacing the defence. Isabel Nolan was player of the match for another excellent performance up front.
Under 16s beat Waverton 5 – 0 as well, with goals from Katie Rutter (2), Abbie Bateman, Vicky Robinson and Louise O’Brien. Louise was player of the match. After Wallasey Wanderers White lost their first round tie, their first defeat in a long time in the WJFL, all 4 semi finalists will fancy their chances of silverware in this competition.
Boys
The Under 11′s continued their good form with a 6-1 win over Wirral Rangers, Aidan Keogh acored 4 and took the Man of Match with Michael Pearsall & Joshua Smith also netting.
The Under 12′s put up another good performance and deserved much more than a 3-1 defeat to top of the league Wirral Scorpions, Dan Cardus got the goal with Alex Highton Man of Match
The Under 13′s lost out 3-2 to New Brighton Saints in a hard fought game with goals from Joe Abraham & Christian Rule with Tyler Smith Man of Match
The Under 14′s & 15′s had no game
Results Jan 8th & 9th
After 7 weeks without games we finally returned to action
Mini Soccer
The Under 7′s had a tough return losing to Greenleas with Luke O’Keefe scoring and voted Man of Match
Upton Under 8’s started off very slow on Saturday, and took their time to get back into their stride after the prolonged break. On a very muddy pitch they seemed to want to pass the ball through the middle, where all the mud was. Therefore it came as no surprise when they went 1 – 0 down after a goal mouth scramble. Nobody seemed to be gatting any tackles in. However, they picked up their game towards half time, and had a few chances to level the score, but the shots just went wide of the posts. After a half time talk about getting the ball wide, they started brightly. A couple of timely substitutions worked well, and the boys started playing the ball to the wings. They levelled the score early on with a goal mouth scramble that saw Philip Smith poke the ball home from close range. The boys were now playing well, in what was a pretty even game. They had a few chances to break, but just couldn’t find that telling pass. The, just before the final whistle, Luke Pitt won the ball on the halfway line, and poked a pass through to James Smith, who raced half the pitch before composing himself to smash the winner in the top corner. The line and coaches went crazy. It literally was the last kick of the game as the ref blew his whistle before Glenavon could restart. Another great win with a battling performance despite what the opposition felt about the result, Alex Clark was Man of Match.
Upton Under 9′s came back from the enforced winter break at full speed with a magnificent win over Delta Rangers in the first round of the Challenge Cup. Upton fought from the start on a freezing cold day and put Delta’s keeper firmly under pressure from the start. It could have been a cricket score but for some tremendous shot stopping that from the Delta ‘keeper that only served to frustrate but not hinder Upton’s enthusiasm and it wasn’t too long before a cross from Jack Torpey was toe poked over the line by Lewis Heath. The deadlock broken it looked like the floodgates would open but some stubborn resistance kept the score at 1-0 at half-time. The second half opened as strongly as the first for Upton and it wasn’t long before some great running by Jack Torpey produced a cross and some lovely football by Reece Pirie saw Reece Gannon slot the ball past the Delta ‘keeper. At 2-0 Upton looked secure for the win and the third wasn’t long in following. Man of the match Torpey went on a mazy run, fed the ball through to Connor Jones who unleashed a venomous shot straight passed the hapless Delta keeper. It was now a rout. Another solo effort from Torpey saw him find his own space to shoot and what a shot it was. The keeper had no chance. 4-0. Lewis Heath joined in the act after a tireless performance, claiming his second with a great curled effort from halfway inside the box to make it 5-0 and Reece Pirie scored a trademark goal with a powerful strike that left the goalkeeper rooted to the spot. 6-0. All in all every player deserved the MOM performance today. Skipper Owen Burns and his defensive partner Joshua Lynch were tremendous stoppers today, ‘keeper Zack Hemsworth was amazing when called upon a few times, the providers Lewis Heath, Connor Jones, Reece Pirie and worked tirelessly as did Jack TorpeyReece Gannon who, himself, turned provider many times from his strikers role. The work ethic of this team is second to none and a pleasure to coach.
Under 10′s – No Report Yet
Girls
Under 10s only had the bare 7 available and on a large pitch, ended up losing 2-0 to Irby. Ellie Johns was player of the match
The Under12’s v Manor, A really close game and your classic game of two halves. In the 1st Upton were the dominant team, and were deservedly rewarded with a goal which involved great control and coolness under pressure from Libby Boulger who fed the ball to Elizabeth Sullivan, showing great determination, she hit the net at the second attempt after the goalkeeper did well from the initial shot.
In the second half Elizabeth went close with a snap shot just inside the box. This was the best of a handful of chances for Upton to go 2-0 up however we didn’t convert them, and spent most of the 2nd half defending. Eventually we conceded from a really well struck shot 5 minutes from the end but held on for a draw which seems a fair result from these well matched teams. Rebecca Pritchard-Howarth was player of the match for an excellent all round performance.
The under 14 Rangers won 4 – 0 against Greenleas, for whom Rachel Hall provided a tough goalkeeper to beat. Leah McNay broke the deadlock late in the first half. Sarah Buckley tipped a shot onto the bar and over to keep the lead before two trademark quality strikes from jodie Williams either side of half time settled the game. Nifa Dutton, on her debut for the team, stole in at the back from a corner to finish well. Ceri Duff was deservedly awarded player of the match by the opposition combining strong defence with several surging runs forward.
The under14s won 8 – 1 against Wirral Hawks Girls. Taking the lead in the first couple of minutes, the result never looked in doubt despite spirited opposition. Ellen Harding and Aira Temoporal scored 3 each, Molly Johns and Emily Sullivan one each, and Emily Sullivan was player of the match.
Under 16s lost 7-6 in a close match against Wallasey Wanderers Red at the Delph. Some early errors, and several fine saves from the Reds’ keeper meant that Upton were unable to take anything from the game despite a good second half performance. Abbie Bateman scored 4, and Lucy McKeown 2. Jess Taylor was awarded player of the match
Boys
The Under 11′s beat Wallasey Wanderers 12-1 with EWan Nolan 4, Ryhs Jones 2, Aidan Keogh 2, Lewis Harrisson, Joshua Smith, Michael Lynch 2 and Man of Match the scorers.
The Under 12′s played league leader Wirral Rangers and despite leading 2-1 at half time eventually lost out 6-2 with goals from Alex Highton and Greg Saville with Thomas Wilson Man of Match.
The Under 13′s had a comfortable return to action with an 8-0 over Young Lions with hat tricks for Jordan Taylor & Connor Davies and other strikes from Adam Sunners and Ben Casey with Liam Siddorn Man of Match.
The Under 14′s had a very hard fought 2-0 win over Hoylake with second half goals from Callum Mernock & Joe Murray with Ben Stobbart Man Of Match.
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