Urmston Women’s 1s faced a tough test this week against a very fast and highly organised Liverpool Uni side. As a new squad still learning to play together, Urmston found themselves under heavy pressure early on, heading into half time 6–0 down.

Taking the coach's advice on board, the team came out for the second half with a fantastic positive attitude. They applied much stronger marking to successfully shut down Liverpool’s attacks for the majority of the half. It was only in the final five minutes, as tired legs set in, that the opposition managed to capitalise and slip three more past the defence. Despite the scoreline, there was plenty to learn and take forward. Georgia took on the challenge of a new position brilliantly, while Ciara worked non-stop up front with great support from Laura.

Players’ Player was split between Izzy and Rachael for their phenomenal work rate and crunching tackles throughout the game.
Wally of the Week went to Gemma for an unfortunate own goal in the dying minutes of the match.

Urmston Men’s 2s vs Timperley 7s
9-0

Urmston Men’s 2s put on a masterclass, securing a dominant 9–0 victory despite fielding a bare eleven players. Every single player put in a massive shift with a phenomenal work rate. By half time, Urmston had already raced into a 5–0 lead.

The defensive unit was just as impressive as the attack, shutting down Timperley’s short corners while goalkeeper Ian made some fantastic saves to preserve the clean sheet. Up front, it was a goal-fest: Andy Power led the charge with an incredible five goals, Ollie bagged a superb hat-trick, and Sean added one more to complete the rout.

Players’ Player went to James for his relentless, non-stop running and work rate in the midfield.
Wally of the Week went to top-scorer Andy Power for somehow missing a tap-in on the back post.

Urmston Men’s 1s vs Bebington 1s
4-5

Urmston Men’s 1s played out a nine-goal thriller against Bebington, ultimately falling just short in a 5–4 defeat. Sadri put in a wonder performance, proving to be an absolute goal-scoring machine on the day.

The match featured some spectacular highlight-reel hockey from Urmston. The first was an incredible aerial from Nasty over the top of the defence to find Toby, who slotted it home with an upright reverse into the back of the net. Shortly after, an unreal passage of play saw Bilal link up with Nasty in the middle, who then slipped a reverse pass into the D for Sadri to boom past the keeper.

Heading into the second half full of confidence, the game opened up with short corners at both ends. Unfortunately, Urmston developed a habit of stopping the ball with their feet in their own D, handing Bebington a dangerous number of chances. The drama went right down to the wire, with Urmston winning a penalty flick in the final minute. Heartbreakingly, captain Timmy stepped up only to drag his flick onto the post.

Wally of the Week went to Tim for the last-minute flick off the woodwork.

Urmston Development Team vs Horwich Development
0-3

The newly formed Urmston Development Team played their first game of the season against a well-organised and experienced Horwich side. With several brand-new players in the squad, Urmston showed flashes of great play in the first half but went into the break trailing.

Following a half-time reset, Urmston came out for the second half much more switched on. Improved communication and tighter marking worked wonders, completely shutting out Horwich and preventing them from scoring a single goal in the second half. Urmston carved out some amazing chances of their own but just couldn’t find the final touch to beat Horwich’s impressive first-team goalkeeper.

There were huge positives across the pitch. New goalkeeper Charlotte Smith was brilliant on her debut, pulling off some fantastic saves. Fellow debutant Francesca Payton was a constant threat on the right wing, finding space and driving into the D to create chances. Deb/Dave showed major improvements in ball control and creativity (managing only one tumble!), while Ella, Brooke, and Holly ran tirelessly all game, constantly getting into great positions to keep the pressure on.

A brilliant first outing with so much promise for the season ahead.

Upcoming Matches