Post by Dave on Nov 19, 2022 8:44:42 GMT
Division One
Match Referee Terry Rogers
Final Score Upton Athletic 5 Plympton Athletic 0
Match preview
Upton Athletic began life as a youth side in the 1930s and went on to become record breakers and history makers in their own right. A record never achieved before and will never ever be matched.
In 1977 Upton won the Herald Cup, Belli Cup, Challenge Shield, League Championship and Devon Premier Cup all in the same season. No fewer than seven members of the Bastow family were in the line-up for the club that season. Must have been a nightmare for any match referee.
The 1977 Record Breakers
July this year marked the 30th anniversary of the death of one of South Devon football’s most unforgettable figures, Ivor ‘Mr Upton Athletic’ Bastow.
Ivor was father to Brian, Alan, Terry, Micky, Peter and Richard, who made Upton a dominant force in the South Devon League. After the death of his wife, Ivor and his sister, known to all as ‘Auntie, tackled every job that needed doing around Cricketfield Road. He was groundsman, kitman, masseur and assistant manager.
Looking at the Upton registered players for this season; there is only one player with the Bastow name. At least there is still one as many of us when thinking about Upton always think about the Bastow family and the huge part they have played in the club over the years.
Over the last few seasons Upton has not been the force they once were,( it should be remembered the club folded their first team) last season they ended up finishing one place above the bottom spot. They have made an improved start this season, but are still looking for their first league win.
While they have only lost two of their seven league games played so far, they have drawn five games and dropped points. The two sides met on the 22nd October a home tie for Plympton, Upton were two one up at halftime but Plympton scored again in the second half with the game ending in a two all draw.
Upton was in cup action last week and beat Totnes & Dartington by three goals to two. Their three previous league games were all draws, but a great improvement on results before that. They had been beaten five goals to one by Beesands Rovers, five nil by Paignton Villa at home and six nil away to Paignton Villa.
I have not been able to find out when Plympton Athletic were formed. To clear up any confusion this is the Plympton first team that played in the Devon league last season. Their second team played in the Plymouth & District League but was folded before the start of this season.
Plympton have made a good start to their fist season in the SDFL. They are in forth place on eleven points from the five games they have played so far. Winning three and drawing the other two.
On the 4th November that faced Bovey Tracey 2nd away in the Herald Cup and lost the game by two goals to nil. They have enjoyed better results in the Robert Williams Estate Agents Senior Cup. Beating Beer Albion by three goals to nil, Brixham Town 1st by five goals to nil and Exeter United 1st by eight goals to two.
In the league they have beaten Paignton Villa 1st away by six goals to three and did well to draw at home 3-3 against Ilsington Villa. Plympton are clearly a side that has plenty of goals in it, so the Upton defence will need to be at its very best.
The Latin phrase on the Plympton badge means “either to conquer or to die” scary
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Match Report
I was not the only one shocked by today’s result, Upton the Plympton manager and his players were as well. It’s rained most days here in the Bay this week and as a result I do not think the grass was able to be cut. It was very long and with the ground wet underneath, playing neat passing football was always going to be a big challenge.
Upton choose to play a direct game and it worked for them, their forwards had the better of the Plym defence all game and they could have won by an even bigger margin. Yet Plympton were not outplayed, simply Upton adapted to the conditions the better of the two teams.
The match referee got the game underway and for the first five minutes or so there was nothing to choose between the two teams. Then Upton took a very early lead in the match. A long ball was played down the left hand side of the pitch to Rui De grace. He looked up and played a neat ball over the top of the Plym defence into the path of Alex Stevens. With just the keeper to beat Alex picked his spot and hit a low shot into the back of the net.
Alex Stevens then had another chance to add to his sides lead when he got his head onto the ball close into the goal, but his effort went over the crossbar.
Up the other end Plym’s Grant Craven turned neatly on the edge of the Upton box and got a good shot away that ended up going wide of the right hand post.
Alex Stevens took a shot from the edge of the Plym box that flew over the crossbar, but Upton did not have to wait to long for goal number two.
A shot was fired close in at the Plym goal, Harrison Jones in goal for Plympton did well to make a save, but was only able to push the ball away and it fell close to the right hand post where Ken Nixon was able to tap it over the goal line.
Harrison Jones then really should have made it three nil to Upton. He was played clear in on goal with only the keeper to beat. But unable to make up his mind which side of the goal to shoot at, he turned one way and then the other and ended up hitting a very tame shot past the left hand post.
Plym’s Grant Clarke was the first player to end up having his name taken by the match referee, one of only two bookings I believe for the whole game.
Upton then went further in front after they had won a corner. The ball was fired high into the Plym box and Alex Stevens rose the highest and headed to ball home. That was it for the first half; Upton simply created more chances and took them.
The Upton lads made the long walk back to the changing rooms while the Plympton players stayed out on the pitch. I listened to their mangers team talk and had to agree with all the points he made to his players.
The second half got underway and the first effort on goal came from Plym’s Spike Nicholls, he hit a good low powerful shot from the edge of the Upton box that just went wide of the right hand post.
Upton’s Rui De Garces had an inch perfect ball played him to him from the left hand side of the box, he looked certain to score but completely miss kicked the ball and it flew wide of the right hand post.
Plympton were working hard and playing some good football at times, but they fell further behind. Another long ball was played over the top of the Plym defence. I thought Alex Stevens looked offside, but the flag stayed down. He took the ball into the Plym box and lobbed it over the top of the keeper into the back of the net.
Upton then made it five nil with another long ball over the top on the right hand side of the pitch. Alex Stevens got on the end of it and rode of a strong challenge in the Plym box. He looked up and rolled the ball towards the penalty spot to Rui De Garces who fired the ball home.
Upton then had their best passing move with at least five good passes in it, the ball was finally paid to Shaun Johannesen who ended up putting his effort wide of the left hand post.
Plympton were now having more of the play but the Upton defence were determined to keep them out. James Baker did hit a good shot from twenty yards out that only just cleared the Upton crossbar.
Upton’s Alex Stevens played a very neat one two with Rui De Garces inside the Plym box, but Rui was unable to keep his shot down and it went over the bar.
Plym’s Ryan Griffiths made a fine run down the left hand side but was hacked down just out side the box by Sam O’Mara, who rightly had his name taken. The resulting free kick came to nothing.
Still Plympton pressed looking for a consolation goal at least, but it was not to be. From the edge of the Upton box Paul Mcadam got a shot away that flew over the bar.
On a break away Upton once again put together a number of good passes, the ball finally reaching Rui De Garces, but he also hit his shot over the bar.
That was it, Plympton suffered their first defeat of the season and the win moved Upton into eighth place in the league table. It was good to see all the Plymouth lads joining Upton in the pub after the game.
Many thanks to Woody from Upton and Gemma from Plympton for all your help with the team sheet today.
