Results March 26th & 27th
Mini Soccer
Under 7′s – No Result
Under 8′s – No Result
Under 9′s suffered a disappointing loss at the hands of Spartans Gold in the quarter-final of the Presidents Cup at Leasowe. It was difficult to fathom out how Upton actually lost this encounter as from the start they were the far better team. Upton pressured the Spartans goal from the start with some strong running from striker Connor Jones. To say he gave a marauding display on Saturday would be an understatement. Lewis Heath and Jack Torpey were forced to play a little differently as Upton’s usual wide game was being continually narrowed by the opposition who were playing on the counter quite effectively but in no way dangerously. Reece Gannon had an amazing performance in the centre of midfield, playing some lovely football to carve out space for the wide men and Jones. He seemed to be thriving in the thick of the action. Another Upton attack came to an end and the ball was “hoofed” forward by Spartans giant of a defender, because of the attacking move that came seconds before Upton’s two defenders were unfortunately squeezed apart and Spartans central midfielder was able to run at the Upton goal, look up, play a pass into the box and find his striker who, it has to be said, took the goal very well. 1-0 to Spartans against the run of play. Upton’s skipper Owen Burns was having a stormer of a game at the back. Pace, precision and dogged determination to not let anybody get past him meant that this was the only real chance that Spartans had all game. Everything that came into the Upton box was either cleared away or mopped up be Zack Hemsworth who was, really, a bystander for most of the game. Half time.
Under 10s played second in the league Rakers, who themselves had won against the previously unbeaten Manor the previous week. The girls put in another excellent performance, with two great goals from Anna Cull. Unfortunately, they could not keep it up and went down 5 – 2. Sophie Wilson was player of the match.
Under 12s took another step closer to finishing 2nd in the league by overcoming a resurgent Irby at Overchurch. Upton started the brightest with some lovely interplay between the cool headed Rebecca Pritchard Howarth, Emma Johnson and Charlotte Carroll.
Irby looked confident and defended well, but Upton were pressing for an early advantage and weren’t disappointed when Elizabeth Sullivan struck a hard low shot to record her 6th goal of the season, as the ball squeezed between the keeper and the post to put Upton ahead.
A string of opportunities followed with shots being well saved by the strong Irby keeper, Irby broke out with a trademark counter attack which Upton defended well with Katie Murray doing a great job at left back. However, the resulting goal kick was intercepted and Irby took their chance well, firing across the keeper to level the score 1-1
Captain for the day, Olivia Radford came out of goal and started to shake things up by hassling the opposition and carrying the ball on some strong runs. Libby Boulger took over in defence and Charlotte McNay on the right mid, giving Upton options to stretch the Irby defence. Shots came in from Shannon Navarro and a good opportunity for Elizabeth was well saved. The team effort and runs off the ball created gaps allowing Emma Johnson to carry the ball from midfield and finish with a well struck left footed drive, restoring the Upton lead 2-1. Soon after, Emma nearly doubled her tally after she hit the post from a 30 yard pile driver.
The 2nd half saw a more cautious approach with Upton defending the lead. We soon realised that we were putting ourselves under pressure and defending too deep. Morgan Mayes took a more familiar role on the left wing, again giving width to the team and linking with Charlotte McNay and Libby Boulger, allowing Elizabeth to run the ball down the line away from our goal.
Charlotte Carroll, who had put in a fantastic mid field performance, swapped places with Rebecca in defence and we finished strongly in a very well balanced and entertaining game. Well done to all the girls, from both teams. Emma Johnson was named Player of the Match.
Under 16s played Delta Colts for the third time this season, having won the previous two fixtures. This was a preview of the cup semi final, and this time Delta took the honours, scoring the winner in the last minute – the final score was 8 – 7. Abbie Bateman and Lucy McKeown scored 3 each, and Freya Mumford the other goal. Jess Davies was player of the match. Many thanks to Peter McNay for coming in to manage the team.
Boys
Under 11′s & 12′s had no game this week.
Under 13′s lost a very tight game 1-0 to Glenavon and will hope to reverse the score in this weekends Knockout Cup Semi Final against the same team.
Under 14′s had a hard fought 1-1 draw with Glenavon with Alex Pitt scoring and Mathew Doogan Man of Match. They to are in Knockout Cup Semi Final action this week.
Under 15′s took to the pitch on a beautiful sunny afternoon to play their first match of the season against a Beechwood team that has reached the final of the Cheshire Cup. Despite the obvious quality of their opponents it was Upton that started the better, with Walker and Crawford creating chances up front and the defensive line well marshalled by Perryman. The first half was an even affair, with Beechwood having more possession around the half way line but creating few opportunities and the Upton defence, with Smith having a strong game on his return at right back, limited them to 2 long range efforts. The teams went in 0-0 at half time. The start of the second half saw a change in formation from Beechwood as they moved to a 3-4-3 and as Upton adjusted to this Beechwood started to create more chances. However with Upton changing to a 4-4-1-1 in response the game started to even out again. Owens and Hoijord-Beard were now starting to work well up front, chasing down everything and beginning to keep the ball in the Beechwood half. As the game entered the last 10 minutes it was clear that one goal would win it and it was Beechwood who nicked it with a powerful header from a corner. Upton had a chance to equalise just before the end but Aspinall’s free kick was well saved by the Beechwood keeper. Oustanding team performance, with Aspinall selected by Beechwood as MoM
The Youth Team played their part in an amazing game as they took on Wallasey Sunday League Champions elect Oyster Catcher in the Cup and went in leading at half time before eventually bowing out 9-7 a tremendous performance from the lads.
Ability Counts Tournament
Last week saw Uptons ability counts team visit Northwich for only the second time to take part in the ability counts festival, and what a great day it turned out to be for the team.
The team gave a great account of themselves with the highlight of the day being a three nil victory over Tranmere Rovers in the first game we then went on to draw one game and narrowly lose our last game, but the improvement in the team was there for all to see.
And once again the players, parents and coaching staff had a great day.
The players were presented with medals by the club for there great achievement.
Well done to all the team.
Paul and Bernie
Results March 19th & 20th
Mini Soccer
Under 7′s lost 3-0 with Luke O Keefe Man of Match.
Under 8′s returned from a break to produce a glorious win. This was a hard game with the two sides very evenly matched. Everyone had to be at their best to gain the victiry. The first half produced some good footbal from both sides, and our lads had to be strong at the back to stop Blades from scoring. After starting slugishly they soon found their stride, and produced some good chances. Unfortunately the ball would not go in, and therefore left the score level at half time, with neither side breaking the deadlock. In the second half the lads started well, with some good passing moves, while the defence stayed solid. Alfie and Philip were stopping anything that came through. They took the lead through a speculative shot from Alex, which creeped through the keepers hands and into the net. Not long after , the lead was doubled, when a good through ball was picked up by Alex, who rounded the keeper to tap home. Some excellent corners by James were producing problems for the Blades defence, and one of these corners was met brilliantly by Reon, whose header flew into the net. However, the goal was chalked off, as Blades were making a substitution while the corner was being taken. The third goal however, did not take long to arrive, and was anexcellently taken goal by James, who prduced a great solo run through the Blades defence before giving the keeper no chance with his shot. More chances were produced by both teams before the end, but no goals were added to the scoreline. The lads once again had produced a good victory. Alex claimes the Man of Match award for his 2 goal show.
Under 12s played at home in a reverse fixture as Wirral Rangers’ Acre Lane pitch is still recovering. Our girls seem really comfortable at home and showed good composure on the ball, some good passing moves, and kept possession well. Today’s captain was Morgan Mayes who did her job really well, with lots of encouragement for her team mates . She must have ran a half marathon by helping out defending and adding options for the attack.
Rangers’ defence was well organised and despite lots of possession we took 10 minutes getting the first goal, which was converted by the ‘in form’ Jess Farrell – always seems to be in the right place to connect with loose balls. Soon after she also hammered home a well placed cross from Emma to make it 4 goals in 4 appearances. Emma and Jess then played a lovely one-two on the left, and when the ball returned to the edge of the box, Emma placed a low shot into the bottom right of the goal to make it 3-0 Upton.
Jasmine Pugh had one of her best performances of the season with some great runs into the box, and she came close to scoring herself when she hit a terrific shot, only to to see it rebound off the upright.
In the second half Becs came out of goal and was replaced by Jess Farrell, who pulled off a fantastic one handed diving save to deny Rangers a consolation goal, showing her all round ability and justifying her second player of the match award.. Becs went on a trademark run down the right wing and fired in a cross/shot, Charlotte McNay had intelligently tracked the run and was well positioned to finish for her 2nd goal of the season as the ball was spinning beyond the reach of the Rangers keeper, 4-0 Upton.
The goals can only come from the support play provided by the mid field. Shannon Navarro and Libby Boulger put in a tireless shift today to support the attack. Today’s wingers providing the ammunition were Elizabeth Sullivan and Olivia Radford.
Due to other commitments, the under 14s were unable to field enough players to fulfil their fixture this weekend.
Under 14 Rangers took on Birkenhead Youth, who had won the reverse fixture 6-4 at the Delph early in the season. In another very close encounter, both teams had their chances in the first half, but defences were generally on top. However, a high dipping shot just beat Sarah to give Birkenhead a 1 – 0 lead at half time. Parity was restored early in the second half when Jodie headed home from another Brittany corner. Now we have learned how easy it is to score headed goals at corners this is becoming a useful weapon. The game then became end to end, and Birkenhead piled on the pressure. In truth, it seemed that they may get the winner, but a great block by Sarah denied their best shot in a sustained period of pressure and the defence held out. Then Jodie crashed a shot against the bar and, as the ball bounced away to the left of the goal, Brittany crashed it back into the net from a difficult angle. The boost to the team was evident, and quick goals form Leah, Isabel and Jodie put the game beyond doubt, and certainly gave a result that did not reflect the equal nature of the contest for most of the game. All 9 players were player of the match today.
Under 16s played Wallasey Wanderers Red, who were only able to field 6 players because other players were involved in a handball tournament. However, they were disciplined and worked tirelessly, and Upton never quite managed to make the extra player count. There was plenty of effort on the Upton side, and Jess D and Vicky put in great shifts at the back. Jess T made some brave stops despite injuring a finger in the warm up, and Abbie, Freya, Lucy, Holly and Louise worked hard throughout. Wanderers showed clinical finishing to go 4-0 up before Katie got a late consolation goal for 4-1. Player of the match was Vicky Robinson.
Boys
Under 11′s – No Game
Under 12′s went down 6-4 to Peninsula Stars in an entertaining game with goals from Guy Stratton, Joe Gilbert, Peter Doogan and Man of Match Michael Cooper.
Under 13′s continued their good form with a 7-1 win over Peninsula Stars with Man of Match Tyler Smith scoring 4 and other goals from Christian Rule, Harry Ashcroft, Joe Abraham
Under 14′s came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Wallasey Wanderers with goals from Alex Pitt & Man of Match Joe Murray
Upton U15 made a strong start against Manor taking a well deserved lead after having the better of the opening exchanges. Playing with an unfamiliar 4-5-1 formation Upton contained a fluent Manor side on a pitch that allowed both sides to play attractive football. With the formation giving Apsinall more freedom to pull the strings and Hoijord-Beard working hard in the lone striker role to hold the ball up Upton took the lead through Casey and looked comfortable as they found their passing rhythm. However after failing to be awarded a free kick Upton lost their concentration at the back and Manor scored to bring the sides level shortly before half-time. Both sides had chances at the start of the second half, with Walker putting in some excellent corners, but it was Manor who were more clinical in front of goal and they grabbed two quick goals. Upton pushed forward to try and get the goals they deserved and moved to 4-4-2, which led them to produce some slick passing moves but Manor were able to get another breakaway goal and ran out winners with a flattering 4-1 scoreline. Aspinall was outstanding in midfield, showing energy and drive to win whilst Casey showed great composure down the left flank. Perryman was voted MoM by the opposition
Results Mar 12th & 13th
Mini Soccer
No Results – Under 7,8,10
Upton Under 9′s took to the field for an early start at Leasowe and it seemed apparent that they had not taken off their “bed legs”.It was a poor display all round by a side that know they can perform much, much better than this. The scoreline suggested a one sided game and it would be nice to say that this wasn’t the case. However, from the start Rangers were the better side and looked like a team that were starting to rise to the summit of the league. Being an NBS team this usually sparked Upton into showing a little of what little feisty nature they have but Rangers quashed everything by being hungry in the challenge and, basically, first to everything. Upton’s spark was not apparent and, apart from some great defensive work by skipper Owen Burns and man of the match Lewis Heath’s pounding runs down the left, the team were inept at best.
Two of the Rangers goals were due to “standing off” the opposition, giving them too much space to create openings and this was duly punished. The other goal was, in my opinion, a cross that fooled Zak Hemsworth in the Upton goal. All he could do was help it into the upper most part of the net. It just wasn’t to be for Upton and sometimes all the old football clichés have to be used.
It just wasn’t our day today and, after that, we’re just looking forward to moving onto the next game. 3-0 Rangers
Girls
Thanks to Neil Mcnay who spent a lot of time marking the pitches out at Overchurch so the girls could finally see the lines.
Under 10s had 3 missing through injury and illness, and faced a full strength New Brighton Saints squad with only 6 players. The girls were dominant throughout the game and played brilliantly to keep chances for Saints at a minimum. However, despite continual pressure, they were unable to find the winner and had to settle for a 0 – 0 draw. Ellen McGowan was player of the match.
Under 12s faced Waverton with Colin Fox taking charge in Steve’s absence. Waverton have improved noticeably since the start of the year, and had the benefit of goalkeepers who were able to kick well into our half. Upton got back to winning ways with another display of all round team effort and spirit, typified by the tireless efforts of captain for the day, Libby Boulger. This was an excellent game to watch, with both teams playing good football. Upton took a narrow lead into half time after Emma Johnson’s shot was misjudged by the otherwise excellent first half keeper for Waverton. A chance to double up came after a penalty was awarded – for some reason a defender picked the bal up and gave it to the keeper, but Morgan Mayes’ penalty missed the mark. A goal mouth scramble in the second half ended with Charlotte Carroll squeezing the ball home, before good approach play by player of the match Elizabeth Sullivan set up Jess Farrell, who finished well from just inside the box. Libby herself was unlucky not to score when her shot was well held by the Waverton keeper. All the players played a full part in a good win – so Rebecca, Jasmine, Katie, Charlotte McNay and Shannon deserve a mention as well – and the opposition manager said after the match that Upton were the best team they had met in the season.
Under 14s Rangers played Waverton as well. Led by the ever impressive Keira Berry, Waverton often do not get the results their positive approach to passing football deserves, and we were well aware of how dangerous they can be after a 7 -7 draw with our other under 14 team earlier in the season. However, today was Upton’s day. With Isabel Nolan putting in another strong performance up front, which gained her the player of the match award, Upton clicked into gear after a slow start, and showed clinical finishing to take a 6 -0 lead into half time. A couple of Waverton chances were well saved by Sarah in goal, and our defence of Nifa, Ceri and Brittany held firm. Poppy and Leah showed plenty of strength and skill supporting Jodie in midfield. Another 3 goals in the second half gave Upton a 9 -0 win, with the final goal, a far post header by Jodie after a short corner between Sarah (allowed out of goal for a spell) and Isabel, applauded by the supporters of both teams. Jodie scored 5 excellent goals, including 3 headers and an unstoppable penalty, Isabel 3 and Ceri 1.
Under 14s went to Greenleas and came away with either a 5 -1 or 6 -1 win. Officially recorded today as a 5 – 1 win to Greenleas on the league website, our records show Georgia McGeough scored 4, Aira Temporal and Emily Sullivan one each! Emily Sullivan was player of the match.
Under 16s did not have a game this week, but return to action with a game against Wallasey Wanderers Reds next week
Boys
Under 11′s lost a tight game 4-2 to league leaders FC Spartans with goals from Dominic Lund & Aaron Finlay with John Adediran Man of Match.
Under 12′s recent good run came to an end as players short they lost 5-2 to Manor Madrid with Guy Stratton & Michael Cooper scoring. Thomas Wilson was Man of Match
Under 13′s – No Game
Under 14′s won 6-0 at Delta to move a point behind the leaders with a hat trick from Callum Mernock, Joe Murray 2 & Scott Billington getting the goals with Alex Pitt Man of Match
Under 15′s won 3-0 against Wallasey Wanderers On a lovely sunny afternoon in central park they took to a bumpy pitch with lines that looked like they had been done by someone who had just finished a long stag weekend. The bumpy and narrow pitch didn’t help the football and after yet another enforced break the previous week the team took a while to settle. Against 10-men Hoijord-Beard scored a lovely back post header following yet another foul on Walker as Upton went in ahead at the break. The second half followed a similar pattern with Upton failing to learn how to play the effective Wallasey offside trap until Crawford started to show some composure in the last 15 minutes, linking well with new signing Chris, and after Walker poked the ball to Hoijord-Beard he floated a lovely second from the edge of the box. Crawford grabbed a third late on. Outstanding goalkeeping from Askew kept Wallasey at bay and MoM was Walker, mainly for a composed first half display at centre back
The Youth Team won 6-3 against Heswall to go joint top of the league and continue their fine season
The Open Age Team lost 3-1 to Townfield.
Results March 5th & 6th
Mini Soccer
The Under 7′s won 2-0 on their return to action against Beechwood with goals from Aaron Clausen & Luke O Keefe with William Parry Man of Match.
Under 8′s – No Report
Upton Under 9’s resumed their League campaign after the enforced winter break with a tremendous 3-0 win over a tidy Olympic FC set up.Upton were first to the the ball from the start and worked unbelievably hard to progress into the Olympic box on numerous occasions but, perhaps, tried one touch too many and ended up with nothing to show for this. Upton were a team hungry to put behind them their loss to Spartans Claret four weeks ago and man of the match Jack Torpey was again tormenting the Olympic defence with some great solo runs, making chances for Connor Jones and Reece Gannon only for them to be spurned agonisingly. Lewis Heath had, in my opinion, his best performance in an Upton shirt today and was tearing up the left whenever possible making it very difficult for Olympic to put any real pressure on the Upton defence, who in Joshua Lynch and skipper Owen Burns were once again solid to the core in front of keeper Zak Hemsworth. Upton made a change at half time, bringing on Reece Pirie for Reece Gannon who had been ill for the best part of a week but, nevertheless, put in a remarkable performance in spite of this. Connor Jones moved to striker and Pirie slotted into the position Jones had just vacated in the centre and this created some lovely football. Pirie worked hard in the middle feeding both wingers and also Jones as well as trying a few efforts himself. It was becoming a little frustrating for Upton who, apart from some good strong ventures from the line by Hemsworth, were dominating possession and territory. It could be said that Olympic had set themselves up for a long day defending but were just about coping with the pressure. With this, Mark Lewis replaced the hard working Lewis Heath and Joseph Farrell came on for the indomitable Joshua Lynch, both “like for like”. With immediate effect the whole Olympic FC ethos changed, with too much emphasis placed upon the substitution of Mark Lewis. Using his size and strength this took two players out to the left leaving a gaping hole in the middle for the powerful Jones to run through into the Olympic box and thank goodness the net was intact afterwards as the strike was one of the most powerful I have seen at this level. Great goal and, finally, the deadlock was broken. 1-0. Olympic pressed from the kick off and force new recruit Joseph Farrell into defensive action and it was clear that Olympic were now going to have to step up and attack from now on. Within minutes Jack Torpey was hammering another ball into the box and, again, using his size in front of the opposing keeper, Mark Lewis forced a fumble and tapped into an empty net to make it 2-0. Another onslaught came from Upton who were now rampant against an Olympic side that, it must be said, never gave up working. Again, another mazy run from Torpey forced the ball across the keeper only for an Olympic defender to stick out a leg and guide it into his own net. Tears followed from the lad who, really, had done nothing wrong bless him. 3-0 and the game was over soon after.This was an amazing game of football that showed Upton maturing into a patient, clinical side. It really does only take one error from the opposition for this side to pounce on. Another great display and worthy of the result.
Under 10′s – No Report
Girls
Under 10s came up against The Rakers again and lost 8 – 0. Taylor Mayes was player of the match. Hopefully this won’t dent the team’s confidence too much and they can bounce back next Sauturday
Under 12s also played The Rakers after their recent cup victory, but despite working hard, ended up losing 4 – 0 against a fit and well organised Rakers team. Rebecca in goal was fantastic and made a bagful of strong saves against a team who kept coming and fired in shot after shot. Just before half time we conceded from a goalmouth scramble that we failed to clear and went in at half time 1-0 down.
Our girls were confident at half time and believed we could get something from this game. However we didn’t convert an opportunity just after the restart when Elizabeth was through on goal, her shot narrowly missing the target! They say goals change games; I felt that was our moment. Rakers struck back soon after making it 2-0. From then on we were chasing the game. Jess Farrell (today’s Captain) worked tirelessly in midfield where she was joined by Charlotte Carroll but couldn’t break through, then we conceded again 3-0. Katie Murray also ‘put in a shift’ today playing right wing, mid field and defence.We gave Rebecca a run out of goal - Shannon Navarro stepped up to fill in between the sticks, but was unable to stop the last shot of the game making it 4-0. A really good effort from the girls and only our second defeat in all competitions this season, today’s Player of the Match was Elizabeth Sullivan
Under 14s and Under 14 Rangers played their reverse fixture. A couple of un-notified absences meant Upton were below strength, and Rangers took full advantage to win 5 – 1. Leah McNay (2), Jodie Williams, Isable Nolan and Poppy Buckley scored for Rangers, Emily Sullivan scored for Upton. Isabel Nolan (Rangers) and Hannah Smith (Upton) were Palyers of the Match.
Under 16s were involved in a very tight and entertaining game against Irby, losing 2 – 1.Abbie Bateman scored, and Jess Taylor was player of the match
Boys
Under 11′s & 15′s – No Game
Under 12′s recorded 2 wins on the run with a 3-0 win over Manor Milan with goals from Michael Cooper, Luke Atkinson & Dan Cardus with Dan Hale Man of Match.
Under 13′s had a fantastic victory in the Knock out Cup Q/F beating unbeaten league leaders Wallasey Wanderers 4-1 with 2 goals from Harry Ashcroft earning him Man of Match with further strikes from Joe Abrahams & Charlie Brereton-Weir.
Under 14′s were also in Cup Q/F action and earned a hard fought 2-1 victory over Glenavon with goals from Tom Murphy & George Thomson with Mitchell Duggan Man of Match.
Youth Team
Youth team had a fantastic 3-0 win over top of the league Northwood putting themselves in with a real shot at the title now
Disability Football News
Upton FC offers Disability Football Training on Saturday mornings. The club works in partnership with Everton FC using qualified Everton coaches for the sessions We currently have around 8 players involved in the sessions and have recently taken part in a tournament in Northwhich. The sessions are fantastic and players of all abilities are welcome.
If you are interested in coming along contact the coaches Paul Ward 07890442861 or Bernie Smith 07877013351 for more information
Results Feb 26th & 27th
The recurring theme of weather affecting the programme again this weekend
There were no mini soccer games
Girls
The Under 10′s won 2-1 away to Heygarth with goals from Anna Cull & Yasmine Deplidge with Sophie Wilson Player of Match
Boys
The Under 12′s had a great 1-0 away win at Manor Madrid with Michael Cooper grabbing the goal and Joe Gilbert Man of Match in a good team performance.
The Under 13′s went down 3-2 to Glenavon with 2 goals from Joe Abrahams not enough to get something from the game. Ciaran O Loughlin was Man of Match
The Under 14′s got a walkover
The Under 15′s took to the field against a Glenavon team that had had put 7 past them a week earlier it might have been expected that Upton would be played off the park from the start. However the lads showed tremendous spirit and resolve on a poor pitch to play very attractive controlled football and Upton deservedly took the lead through Crawford. With Aspinall pulling the strings from midfield and Casey providing strong support from the left Upton were the dominant team in the opening 20 minutes and when Walker ran through to slot home it would have been a deserved 2-0 lead but the refereee controversially ruled the goal out for an alleged offside. This seemed to galvanise Glenavon and they scored two quick goals to go into half time 2-1 in front. Upton again started the second half brightly but and could have drawn level but Glenavon proved more clinical in front of goal and with the heavy pitch and some heavy tackles tacking their toll Glenavon achieved a flattering scoreline. Man of the Match for Upton was Parry, with Hoijord-Beard, Casey and Aspinall all outstanding
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