Post by Dave on Sept 16, 2023 9:04:32 GMT
Match Referee Steve Pearce
Final Score Harbertonford 5 Upton Athletic 3
Match preview
The image many people see in their minds when they think about a village is often thatched roof cottages around the village green. On the green a game of cricket or football taking place with all the players proudly playing for their village team.
Some of our village football clubs that are no more had been formed up to 100 years ago, some even longer. Just for a second stop and think about all the people over those years who gave up their own time to run and keep those clubs alive. Once they are gone that is it, lost forever never to return and I find that very sad.
Harbertonford FC came very close this season to having to pull out of the SDFL due to a lack of players. It is a club associated with the local football legend the late Steve Jane and must never be allowed to die.
Steve Jane as a young man was playing for Stoke Gabriel and when he got married moved to Harbertonford. The football club had already withered away and Steve along with some others reformed the club in 1955. Steve Jane along with the support for his wife Val gave his life to the club and over the years became a legend in his own right.
Steve made over 700 appearances for the first and second team over the years; he last came on as a substitute at the age of sixty eight years old. He was club secretary for well over fifty years, he built the changing rooms on the back of the village hall and the clubhouse he was so proud of. He ran a Monday night bingo at the village pub to raise money for the club to buy the ground.
During his time at the Fords Steve Jane received a string of awards at domestic, county and regional levels.They include the George Burley Memorial Award, the Bill Davey Award, the DCFA Rose Bowl, the Football Workforce Award, the FA's Gold Medal commemorating 50 years to the game, the Linesman of the Year award (three times) and the Devon Sports Award presented for voluntary services to sport. His highest award in terms of profile came in 2003 when Steve won the BBC Spotlight 'Unsung Sports Hero' award which gained him access to the stars at the BBC's national Sports Personality of the Year Award in London.
The days when Harbertonford FC was stocked with local lads who lived, worked and raised their families in the village have long gone, but this is a great club that is only a short distance away from Torbay etc that local players should be proud to play for.
Steve saw John Mills as his right hand man and he is doing a fine job for the Fords, the local football community need to do all they can to support his efforts to keep the club alive in Steve Jane’s name. The club welcomes all new and old players, please get in touch with John. We must not forget all the hard work of the Fords chairman Nigel Holmes who recently spent a lot of time repainting the Steve Jane built clubhouse.
I personally had so many good chats with Steve Jane, he was so proud of his club and he was a very special man. The very last time I saw him he was presenting the trophies at the Ronald Cup Final 13th May 2018.
On Too Today’s Game.
I felt sorry for the Fords on the opening game of the season, Newton Spurs clearly wanted to prove a point that they had been placed in the wrong division on rejoining the SDFL from the Devon league this season. With their first team not having a game they included their Peninsula League prolific marksman Callum Noyce in the side who scored six first half goals for the Spurs 2nd team. Fords eventually lost the game by eleven goals to nil.
Last Saturday in blistering heat and with some key players still not unavailable, they faced Brixham Town 1st that were playing their very first home game at their new J. C. Park ground. The Fords started the game well, but fell behind to a goal scored shortly before half time and then wilted in the heat in a torrid second period to concede five more.
I have written so many things about Upton Athletic in many of the reports I have done on their games, sorry for no mention in this pre match review, but it needed to be about Harbertonford FC fight for survival.
Upton’s opening game was at home against Brixham Town 1st which they lost by four goals to one. They were at home again last weekend and recorded a fine five goals to four win against Buckland Athletic 2nds who have just joined the SDFL from the Devon League.
The Fords will be hoping to get their first points on the board, but it will not be easy against an Upton side that are greatly improved since the last time I covered one of their home games. Good luck to both sides and I am sure its going to be an entertaining match.
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Match report
As far as the match itself is concerned, it was a very entertaining one, end to end action and eight goals to enjoy. Fords had sixteen players to choose from today, so for now at least they seem to have enough players to be able to fulfil their up and coming fixtures.
The Fords side on display today did not look like a side that was beaten by eleven goals to one on the opening game of the season by Newton Abbot Spurs 2nd. When on the half-hour mark in the game they were two goals behind, I feared they might end up getting well beaten again.
But the Ford players did not let their heads drop and staged what was an incredible comeback that earned them their first three points of the season. Their teenage star Seb Looker was the stand out player of the match for me. Four goals and two of them were probably the best goals I have seen scored this season so far. If he plays like that every week then it won’t be long before he is playing at a higher level than Division One of the South Devon Football League.
The match referee Steve Pearce got the game underway and there was nothing to choose between the two teams in the early exchanges. We did not have to wait too long for the first goal of the match which put the Upton side in front.
It was around the fifteen minute mark an Upton shot crashed against the crossbar and remained in play. Upton’s Alex Stevenson rose well and headed the ball downwards, but Scott Staddon the Fords debutant keeper who was playing against his former club, did well to get down and block the ball by the left hand post. The ball ran loose back across the goal and Nathaniel Crook was there to fire the ball home.
The Fords won a free kick just outside the Upton box, Alan Hamlet went directly for goal and his effort only just cleared the crossbar. Fords had another good chance when a great high ball was played into the Upton box from the right hand side. Thomas Comyn got a good head on the ball that looked to be going in. Upton’s keeper Cody Ironside pulled off a wonderful one handed save to protect his sides lead.
The Fords were enjoying a good spell in the match but then fell even further behind. A ball was fired into their box from the right hand side and from twelve yards out Alex Stevenson hit a sweet left foot shot past the keeper and into the back of the net.
Would the Ford side now just crumble, no they went straight back on the attack. Alan Hamlet hit a goal bound shot from the edge of the box that thankfully for Upton was blocked on route to the back of the net.
Just before the halftime break the Fords pulled a goal back. A ball over the top to the fast and pacey Seb Looker saw him played into the Upton box with just the keeper to beat. He hit a very powerful shot past the advancing keeper.
The referee blew up for halftime with Upton still winning the game by two goals to one and at that stage I still fancied Upton to win the match if I am honest.
But we were then treated to the Seb Looker second half show. He went on a very powerful run past everyone only to see the Upton keeper come out to the edge of the box to block his effort. One Ford player then hit a high forty yard effort that looked to be dropping under the crossbar. Cody Ironside jumped up and looked to try and catch the ball but ended up pushing it over the crossbar. From my position it looked like the ball had gone in and not over.
Then came the first of the two wonder goals by Seb Looker, from outside the left hand side of the Upton box he hit a power driver that almost burst through the back of the net. He could not have hit the ball anymore sweetly.
Two all and game on and the Fords were once again enjoying a good part of the play. Upton did have chances to regain the lead; Rily Davis hit a cross come shot just over the bar. Jake James had a great chance from inside the Fords box also just over the bar.
But it was the Fords who looked the most likely to take the lead in the match. Luke colleens saw his twenty yard effort well saved low down by the left hand post. His next effort from the edge of the box flew high over the crossbar.
Upton were still in it, Jake James was making some good runs deep in the left hand side of the Fords half. He got into the box and got a shot away that sadly lacked any real power making the save low down much easier for the keeper.
We were then treated to the second and best wonder goals from Seb Looker, a curling right foot strike from the edge of the box that flew into the far corner of the net. It was one of those goals that had it been videoed, you would have watched it over and over again.
The Fords then went even further in front when Upton failed to deal with a corner. Sebs dad Dan Looker who came on as a second half sub, was able to stab the ball home from three yards out.
Seb Looker broke through again and scored and it looked as if the goal was going to be given. But after a chat with the Upton lineman the goal was ruled out for offside.
Upton gave themselves a glimmer of hope to get something out of the game. The ball was chipped into the Fords box from the right hand side and headed home by Andrew Walker.
That hope was soon dashed when Seb Looker received the ball just inside the Upton box. He looked offside to me but I was not in the best place to judge. He ran at pace towards the Upton box. A lot of players might have taken the shot early, but Seb coolly side stepped the keeper and slotted the ball home.
That was it, the Fords won their first game of the season by five goals to three. Upton played well and looked a decent side, but were not able to tame Seb Looker who was rightly the man of the match.
Special thanks to Woody for all your help today and to Steve Pearce for all his help and support before the start of the game.
