Match 1
EASTHAM LEAGUE UNDER 14S 1ST DIVISION
Neston Nomads Vs AC Hoylake
The first half was dominated by Neston and Hoylake struggled to cope with a very imposing center forward. He was being supplied by their center back who was bypassing the midfield with long balls over the top. It certainly paid dividends for them as they quickly took a 2-0 lead and, just before the half they then scored a third. Having to play outfield players in goal is always going to weaken a side and a couple of the goals conceded were probably goalie errors. Both Kyle Fulton in the first half and Lee Evans in the second have to be commended, however, for sacrificing themselves to do a very difficult job for the team.
Following a tricky halftime teamtalk the lads knew what needed to be done to get back in the game. Ryan Tiffin had the task of keeping their center half busy. Our back four of Kyle Fulton at right back, Jack Callander (on for Dan Goldston) at left back, Mathew Thompson and Sam Collingwood all knew they had to get tighter to the Neston strikers. The match became even more desperate when they snatched another goal early in the second period. 4-0 down and it looked very bleak.
What was needed was a bit of brilliance to spark us into life and it came from Reece Magee 20 minutes from time. His solo run down the left wing, beating two players and smashing the ball into the roof of the net was greeted with polite applause. At this stage it was seen as little more than a consolation goal. One thing that is abundantly clear from this Hoylake side is that they work hard as a team and battle hard together. The score was made even more respectable when a free kick from about 20 yards out was thumped by Jack Callander. The Neston goalie struggled to hold the fierce shot and Tiffin quickly pounced on the loose ball and slotted it home. 4-2 and all to play for now. The crowd were becoming a little more animated now and the excitement was building. Slowly AC were taking control of this match and it was showing in the home teams play. They were losing a lot of their composure and a lot of this was down to the hard work of our midfield. Jay Drayton on the right wing was showing real quality with his superb runs and crosses. Felix Jackson and Aaron Draco snapped at the heels of Neston forcing errors and it paid off again with five minutes to go. From a corner by Drayton the ball flew through the middle of everyone and waiting was Callander at the back of the box. His pinpoint shot was hard and low... Goaallllllllll! 4-3 with just a few minutes left to play! Could we possibly pull off an amazing comeback? That question was answered emphatically with the last kick of the game. From another corner, this time taken by Adam Ledgerton, we achieved the great escape! Exactly like before, the ball came through the melee of players to the waiting Jack Callander. He again shot hard and low to give us a wonderful result and the Hoylake crowd went mad! 4-4 and Jacks mum jumped over the respect barrier to plant a big kiss on the man-of-the-match! Wonderful second half lads. Well done.
match 2
EASTHAM LEAGUE UNDER 14'S 1ST DIVISION
From the very first whistle we knew that the weather was going to play a factor. Hoylake were playing with the wind behind them in the first half and it was difficult to not let the ball run too far. In the midfield we had Felix Jackson and Aaron Draco who both competed brilliantly with Colts and challenged for every 50/50 ball. On the wings were Reece Magee on the left and Jay Drayton on the right who both had excellent games playing attacking football. Our breakthrough goal came midway through the half and both players were instrumental. Magee made a strong run and, reaching the byline, he crossed a high ball that Drayton converted with a powerful header. 1-0 and it was well deserved. At times the football was scrappy but we continued to work extremely hard with Adam Ledgerton and Ryan Tiffin keeping the Colts defense busy. Half time 1-0.
We knew that the second period was going to be extra hard and keeping Victoria out was going to take a special effort from our lads. For the majority of the game that was the case and our defensive quartet of Jack Callander, Mathew Thompson, Sam Collingwood and man-of-the-match Lee Evans were superb and repelled every attack. In goal David Ashton was making the job look easy in such bad conditions. He commanded the goal and it is so refreshing for the coaches to have such a good keeper to rely on. Hoylake were so unlucky to concede two goals and end the match 1-2 which was acknowledged by the opposition manager. There are definite positives to take from this game despite the result.
Final Score: AC Hoylake 1-2 Victoria Colts
match 3
EASTHAM LEAGUE UNDER 14'S 1ST DIVISION
Our starting line up had a familiar feel to it and we were lining up with a 4-4-2 formation to counteract the usual use of wingers by Stork. With David Ashton in goal there was a real feeling of security at the back. The back four of Jack Callister, Mathew Thompson, Sam Collingwood and Lee Evans are continuing to gain in confidence as the season progresses and we knew that Stork would need to work hard to glean anything from the match. Ashton had very little to deal with in the early skirmishes, but it was evident that Hoylake seemed to be out of sorts and our football wasn't flowing. In the middle of the park we were struggling to contain Storks two tall midfielders. To compete with this Reece Magee was shifted from the wing to the middle with Kyle Fulton being utilized on the wing. Despite changes we lost our composure and an uncharacteristic defensive error led to a scrambled goal for Stork. 0-1 and that was how it stayed until the second half.
Injury to Adam Ledgerton forced changes in the opening quarter of the second period and Lee Evans was pushed into the midfield with Dan Goldston slotting into left back. Felix Jackson came onto the left wing and Jay Drayton was pushed up front with Ryan Tiffin. This seemed to spark the lads into life. We were pressing Stork well and our football was gradually improving with us controlling the play much more. At last the pressure payed off, and a goalmouth scramble led to the ball falling to the feet of Evans. He made no mistake and scored what was certainly a deserved equalizer. 1-1 with enough time left to get the winner! At this stage Hoylake looked the most likely to get another and it came through the hardworking efforts of Ryan Tiffin. A throw in from just short of the half way line was thumped high by a Stork player and fell for Tiffin to battle with defenders to gain control. Not only did he beat those defenders, but his thunderous volley from a full 20 yards from goal flew into the net. Gooooaaaaaalll! A wonder strike that you are not likely to see much better at any level! 2-1 to the lads and they fought hard in the last five minutes to secure a vital win . Another battling team performance boys. Well done.
Summary: Hoylake happy as Stork stutter
Man-of-the-match: Evans
match 4
WIRRAL MINOR CUP UNDER 14S 1ST ROUND
Hoylake have had a habit of starting games very slowly and being a couple of goals down before we start competing. That is certainly not something they could be accused of today! Within approximately 30 seconds we had the lead! Kyle Futon received the ball on the right wing and, playing a super ball down the line, he released Ryan Tiffin to make a strong run. His pinpoint low cross was met by man-of-the-match Jacob Drayton who slotted the ball home brilliantly to give us a dream start. Our all-round play in the first 20 minutes was just too good for the Stars and a lot of it was down to our superior commitment. In midfield Felix Jackson and Aaron Draco were tenacious in the tackle and on the wings Kyle Fulton and Adam Ledgerton were causing a lot of trouble with their dribbling and quality wing play. The second goal was not long off and following a strong shot from Jack Callinder, Ryan Tiffin was the first to capitalize. He closed down the goalkeeper and rebounded a clearance into the open net to give us a well deserved 2-0 lead. Other chances came for Hoylake including an audacious effort from the halfway line from Ledgerton. However it was the visitors who finished the half stronger and for the last 10 minutes we were holding on.
Peninsular started the second period like they finished the first and came out with all guns blazing. A C had a real wake up call when a penalty was awarded for a foul on their best player by our new number 1, David Ashton. Fortunately for us the spot kick was missed and this seemed to spur our lads into life. The third goal came from a quality move. Captain Mathew Thompson played a great ball for Ledgerton who headed the ball on to Tiffin. His strong run and blasted shot into the roof of the net left the Stars goalie well beaten. 3-0 and the confidence was building again. Number 4 came from another excellent team move. Jack Callinder burst down the right wing and crossed. Jackson pounced on the ball and his shot was spilled by the keeper only for Ledgerton to finish from 6 yards. 4-0 and the contest was over. There was still time for a showpiece finale from Drayton. Tiffin was again involved and his wonderful through ball was gratefully accepted by Jay who didn't squander the opportunity to give his old team one final kick in the teeth! 5-0 and a very convincing win in the end. On to the next round boys! Well done
match 5
EASTHAM LEAGUE UNDER 14S 1ST DIVISION
VICTORIA COLTS VS A.C.HOYLAKE
SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 2011
VENUE: LEVERHULME
Hoylake had never had a win against Colts and today the odds were certainly stacked against us. Sitting bottom of the league we desperately needed to get some valuable points on the board. Victoria were joint top and had the best defensive record with only eight goals against them all season. We have signed no fewer than seven new players this year but the indications were there that we were beginning to gel as a team. West Kirby had been lucky to come away with a point the previous week so we knew we could play well. Unfortunately we would be without the influential midfielder Jack Fairclough.
The coaching staff had good feelings about this game within the first few minutes as our boys started strongly and had a lot of the early play. In the centre of the park both Felix Jackson and Aaron Draco had points to prove and were playing like demons! No loose ball went unchallenged and invariably our lads came away with it to give intelligent passes that led to attack after attack. On the wings we had Reece Magee on the left and Jay Drayton on the right. Reece had some early half chances to give us the lead from crosses that he managed to win superbly but couldn't direct. Jay would make more of an impression in the second period as his quality would make Colts look a very average side. Up front we had Adam Ledgerton playing alongside the newest acquisition Jack Mcgrotty and their link up play was causing all kinds of havoc in the Colts ranks. Mcgrottys pace was causing particular problems and he was well deserving of his man-of-the-match status by the end of play. Despite all our possession and superior play we did not capitalise in the first thirty-five and went in goal-less.
In the last few matches our defence has been superb and it really was taking something special to score against us. With a back four of Thompson, Evans, Collingwood and Callander we have what the coaches believe will be one of the meanest defences in the latter stage of the campaign. Chris Baird is another recent signing who came on for Collingwood in the second half and has proven to be a quality defender. Despite our domination we could have easily gone 1 down. A dubious penalty was awarded to Victoria. The Colt forward blasted a powerful shot and David Ashton saved brilliantly to deny what would have been a totally unjustified lead for the hosts. This seemed to spur A.C. into action and we took the lead not long after. Striker Tiffin was the first to latch on to the loose ball after a goalmouth scramble goooaaallllll! 0-1 to the visitors with more to come! Our second came through the tenacious Jackson whose surging run and shot from a quality cross flew into the net goaalllllll! All of the watching Hoylake faithful could not believe it! 2 up and playing some wonderful football. Could we possibly have more?.......yes we could and who else was more deserving of a goal than man-of-the-match Jack Mcgrotty. Another fantastic cross from winger Drayton was beautifully converted by Jack to confirm what would prove to be one of Colts worst ever defeats! But we were not finished there! The final nail in the Vic Colts coffin came minutes from time. Again Ryan Tiffin powered his way through the Colts defense and despite losing his balance, he was able to convert a super strike giving the keeper no chance goaallllllll! 0-4! and it could have been more but for some quality saves from the Victoria goalie. Ledgerton went close with a powerful effort just before time. What a result! Hoylake boys should be proud and congratulate themselves for such an amazing performance.
Summary: Victoria falls as Hoylake hit fantastic four!
Final Score: Victoria Colts 0-4 A. C. Hoylake
Man-of-the-match: Mcgrotty
Goals: Tiffin 2, Jackson 1, Mcgrotty 1
Team: Ashton, Thompson, Collingwood, Callander, Evans, Drayton, Magee, Jackson, Draco, Ledgerton, Mcgrotty, subs used in second half: Baird, Tiffin.
Regards
Graham Ledgerton
match 6
EASTHAM LEAGUE UNDER 13S 1ST DIVISION
Ashville Vs A.C. Hoylake
27/11/11
Venue: Valley Road
Hoylake were smarting a little after narrowly being defeated earlier in the season against today's hosts. Ashville are no shrinking violets and you know you are going to be in a real battle when you play them. They make up for lack of craft with endeavor and today would prove to be no exception. Valley road was windy and the pitch was a little overgrown. A good crowd had turned out despite the conditions. Our only absentees were Kyle Fulton with a groin strain and Reece Magee with Flu.
We made our intentions known in the first few minutes as we got stuck in to every challenge. What a defence we have! Consistency is the key to a really good team and our five defenders have that in abundance! Mathew Thompson, Sam Collingwood, Lee Evans, Jack Callander and Chris Baird have been awesome in the last month and today that trend would continue. With David Ashton getting better and better in goal it really does take something special to beat them at the moment! We played into a strong wind in the first thirty-five so the balance of play was difficult to judge. The coaches would have been happy to go in 0-0. However Hoylake were the better team and some of our play was excellent. Jack Fairclough and Felix Jackson worked tirelessly in the middle of the park giving Ashville no time to develop their play. On the wings we had Jay Drayton and Jack Mcgrotty alternating to keep both their full backs busy. Chances were scarce and we finished the first period 0-0.
I can only describe the second half as being a thoroughly professional performance by our lads. Ashville were becoming a little desperate with their challenges but Hoylake kept their composure throughout. Our total domination was rewarded in the first three minutes. Jay Drayton smashed home a great finish into the roof of the net following a goalmouth scramble goooaalllllllll! 0-1 and lots to come. After this Ashville had their best effort of the whole game. The ball fell to their right winger who produced a great shot that was heading for the top left hand corner of the goal. Dave Ashton was somehow able to get his fingers to the shot and tipped it round the post. What a save! After that it was the Hoylake show. Our second was from half time substitute Aaron Draco (Agsy). Advancing on goal he produced a deft shot using the outside of his right boot that lofted over the despairing goalie goooaaaallllll! 0-2 and there was no denying our superiority. Up front Ryan Tiffin and Adam Ledgerton peppered the opposition goal with shot after shot. Rotating positions was also causing the home team no end of problems and when Jack Mcgrotty moved up front he made the most of his chance. A super cross from Ledgerton was met by Jack and his header flew into the top right hand roof of the net goooaaallll! 0-3 and we were now cruising. This performance was no mean feat. Ashville had beaten some good teams already and were sitting fifth in the league. They did have one player who stood out and all their best play came through him on the left wing. Had it not been for man-of-the-match Mathew Thompson playing outstanding defensive football they might have had more success. Three nil was the final score but it could easily have been more. An brilliant shot from Mcgrotty was only stopped by the woodwork before the final whistle but that would not dampen our celebrations! Well done the boys in maroon!
Summary: A.C smolder and fire a hatrick at Ashville!
Final Score: Ashville 0-3 A.C. Hoylake
man-of-the-match: Thompson
Goals: Drayton, Draco, Mcgrotty
Team: Ashton, Thompson, Evans, Collingwood, Baird, Callander, Drayton, Jackson, Fairclough, Draco, Mcgrotty, Ledgerton, Tiffin
match 7
EASTHAM LEAGUE UNDER 14S 1ST DIVISION
The game plan for Neston is fairly predictable as they have a quality center half who likes to play the ball out of defence. They also have a decent center forward who is their main point of attack with long balls. Hoylake knew these tactics would be employed but it is another thing trying to stop it! The first 10 minutes of the match were dominated by Neston as we struggled to get to grips with their movement through the midfield. Thankfully none of the attacks came to fruition and we slowly increased our hold on the game. Standing out in the first half was Jay Drayton playing on the left wing. Normally he is a slow starter in a game and saves all his best work for the second period but today he was first out of the blocks. Each time he got the ball we looked threatening and the breakthrough came from Jay. Picking up the ball on the wing he made a surging run into the box and showing great footwork he beat the defender who fouled him giving us a deserved penalty. Up stepped Mathew Thompson to strike home an unstoppable kick Goooaaalllllll! 1-0 to A.C. and more chances would follow. Drayton would be called on again as Neston pushed for the equalizer. A fierce shot from the left wing was heading for a certain goal if it wasn't for the heroics of Jay as his header cleared the danger. David Ashton in goal also had to save from point blank range to deny Neston s danger man and the score remained 1-0 to the hosts at half time.
Again in the second period the visitors started strong and applied all the pressure. They had switched their center forward and center back to try and break our defensive quartet of Thompson, Collingwood, Evans and Baird at left back. Chris Baird is proving to be a versatile player and looks as though he could be employed in any defensive position which is such a quality asset to have in any team. I have said previously that it would take something special to beat our defence at the moment and that was to happen twice in quick succession. The Neston danger man broke free at lightening pace and produced thunderous shots to give Ashton no chance in goal. From a comfortable position Hoylake found themselves a goal down with a lot of work to do. Reece Magee had been introduced to the match in the second thirty-five and after a few misplaced challenges he was slowly getting into the pace of the game. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time as he pounced on a right wing cross to slot home from close quarters in a packed box for the equalizer.. gooaaalllll 2-2 and time left to try and get the winner. Chances had come and gone though as the deceptively agile Neston goalkeeper stopped chance after chance. Shots from Jack Mcgrotty, Felix Jackson and Ryan Tiffin were saved superbly and it looked as though we were destined to draw again. With just minutes left on the clock the ball was cleared out of our defence to the left wing. Magee controlled the ball and, looking up, he saw the run of Tiffin. With wonderful precision he played a super pass that split the Neston back line and Ryan was left with just the keeper to beat. Would he keep his composure or would the pressure get to him? He answered that question emphatically as he coolly slotted the ball under the advancing goalie....goooaaaalllll! 3-2 to Hoylake. We had won and shown such great character today. Every player has to once again be congratulated on such a tremendous team performance.
Final Score: A.C. Hoylake 3-2 Neston Nomads
match 8
match 9
match 10
match 11
match 12
match 13
