Post by Dave on Nov 6, 2021 9:30:28 GMT
Match Referee Stephen Tuvey
Final Score Upton Athletic 1 Waldon Athletic 4
Match Preview
Many of the people, who read my match reports, will know I had to give up covering local football matches for over three years, due to a job change. That became over four years due to last season being lost due to covid.
But before that one of my favourite fixtures to cover where the battles between Upton Athletic and Waldon Athletic and believe me they are often were real battles.
Upton, Waldon, Dartmouth, Watcombe and Buckland Athletic 2nds were the big boys in the South Devon League at the time, but the biggest rivalry in the league was always between Upton and Waldon.
I remember Phil Lloyd telling while I was covering one of Upton’s home games that the club were hoping to move to Armada Park and get that ground up to Peninsula league standard with a view of trying to win promotion to that league. The cricketfield road ground had always held Upton back due to being completely unsuitable due to the big sloop at one end of the pitch.
Working every Saturday and no longer covering local football matches I lost touch with all that was going on in the local football scene, but I did know just how much I missed my Saturday afternoons covering a game.
During my break the Devon league was formed with a number of the South Devon league sides leaving to join it. Waldon surprised everyone with their move up into the Peninsula league, mainly because big questions were being asked how a pitch on a local park could ever be considered good enough to reach the standards required for the Peninsula league.
But what has happened since to these former big boys of the South Devon League? I was very surprised to see they are both now playing in Division One, how did that happen?
Even more surprising for me is the fact that Upton sits in last place in the league table and has not earned one single point so far this season. They have lost all six of the games they have played and have only managed to score just four goals. They have conceded twenty nines goals and currently have a minus twenty five goal difference. Certainly not the Upton Athletic I know.
Waldon have made a much better start this season, they currently sit in second place in the table on fifteen points after playing seven games, winning five of them and suffering two defeats. They have scored a total of twenty goals, conceded nine giving them a plus eleven goal difference.
Last Saturday Waldon lost by two goals to one away to Paignton Saints 2nd, Upton lost at home to Harbertonford by the same score line. On paper this is the sort of game I often fear due to the number of goals that might be scored. Trying to take match photos and also notes for my reports are not an easy task to manage.
At least today’s match has a proper league referee in the middle and I am hoping due to the history between these two clubs, Upton will be able to raise their game today and give Waldon a good one. May the best team win.
Match report
A very interesting game with a twist at halftime, Waldon were well deserved winners, but the Upton players made a real game of it. Waldon are a very young side with a number of players that caught the eye. Upton had a good number of older players who did their best to bridge the age gap with plenty of strong tackles, some often a bit to strong and late.
The match referee blew up for the start of the match and for a while it was all pretty even but as the game wore on Waldon were passing the ball that bit better.
It did not take Waldon too long to take a very early lead in the match. They won two corners on the trot. The second one from the left hand side was taken short. The ball was then played to Lewis Eaton standing on the edge of the Upton box. He looked up and fired an unstoppable shot into the far right hand corner of the goal.
Waldon’s second goal of the match was not that far behind. The Upton defenders were guilty of trying to play the ball out of their own box with a number of short passes. The last one only just cleared the edge of the box straight to Josh Clarke who hit the ball first time into the left hand corner of the goal.
Upton had made the game even harder for themselves giving a way such a soft goal, but had a chance to pull one back when they won a free kick just outside the Waldon box. Charlie Cuss took the free kick, but blasted the ball high over the crossbar.
Upton’s Jamie Lane fancied his chances from wide out on the left hand side, but his effort also flew over the bar. Upton were guilty of committing a number of fouls and were lucky to get away with them. One or two I felt were worth a booking, or at least a strong word from the match referee.
Waldon were passing the ball well again and trying to use the extra pace their younger players clearly had. Upton to their credit were still battling away and Lewis Jones did well to hold up a ball he received on the edge of the Waldon box. He turned well and got a good shot away that only just went wide of the right hand post.
Upton finally committed one foul to many for the referee’s liking and Gary Doyle found his name going into the referee’s note book. From the resulting free kick the ball found its way to the edge of the Upton box, Harrison Arnold hit it well, but wide of the left hand post.
The match referee blew up for halftime, Waldon were worthy of their two nil lead, but what was the ref doing? He put his coat on and someone close to me said he was going home. He did stop before he got off the pitch and for a while there was a moment of confusion. Players gathered in groups and nobody knew what was going on.
It turned out that Stephen Tuvey who is a recent addition to the referee pool had pulled a muscle in his leg. Paul Feasby offered to take over in the middle with the match referee over seeing things from the sideline. Paul did a very fine job.
The second half got underway and for a good while there was very little goal mouth action. Upton’s Gary Doyle had to be helped off the pitch with a painful looking knee injury.
Waldon made it three goals to nil when a low angled ball was played into the Upton box, a diving header from Jacob Knapman flew past Jordan Bastow in goal for Upton into the back of the net.
Jacob came close to scoring again close in on the left hand post, but Jordan was able to block the goal bound shot with his legs.
Hungry for more goals Waldon kept the pressure on the Upton goal and got their forth goal from the penalty box. A player was chopped down as he burst into the box and the referee instantly pointed to the spot. Lewis Eaton took the spot kick and picked his spot.
Upton got a well deserved goal back for all their hard work in the game, Bart Karkan found himself all alone of the edge of the Waldon box and hit a clean shot inside the left hand post.
Right at the death Bart found himself once again with only the keeper to beat, but this time he did not hit the ball so cleanly and his effort went harmlessly wide of the goal.
A very enjoyable game to watch, Upton have been struggling in the goal keeper department which explains why they have let so many goals in this season. Jordon Bastow had to step in today to fill that vacant spot and can be proud of his performance.
As I said Waldon are a very young side that will only get better. Many thanks to both managers for filling out the team sheets with the correct player’s numbers.
