Saturday 06/03/2010 

grappenhall sports 2 whitchurch alport 0

 

after 2 excellent performances away at maine rd and home to daten the team again went into to jekyll and hyde ! with the worst first half performance of the season! alport never got into the game first half with grappenhall scoring on 30 mins and then getting a penalty for a foul by centre half dave suddaby to make it 2-0 at half time it could of been worse but alport keeper wes newton pulled off two excellent saves to keep us in the game.

after a few choice words in the changing room at half time ,alport came out as a different team in the second half and dominated the half with a much better performance but could not find a breakthrough from a series off corners and also a clear handball on the line by a grappenhall defender from a rob brasssington header.

 

we could not find that goal second half to pull us back into the game .it was a poor performance first half and the players knew it ,but they showed a lot of character second half and played like they can do.no team in the league seems to put a run together the top 3 dropped points again any team can beat any team on the day as results are showing in the league this season

 

Sat Feb 20th 2010 

whitchurch alport 3 daten fc 2

 

whitchurch alport fc were without striker rhys nevett holiday ,gavin brocklehurst (dead leg) and jack oakden (ankle) injured .john farrel returned to the squad after being away last week.

 

alport started where they left off last week at maine rd creating chances and playing good football on 15 mins alport got the breakthrough when a through ball found striker scott thomas who beat the offside trap ,jinked passed the on coming daten keeper kellett and slotted the ball into the net to score .alport then went 2-0 up on 23 mins when midfielder chris suddaby struck a pin point cross from the left flank for fellow midfielder peter eley to rise and put a bullet header into the roof of the net giving kellett no chance ,on 30 mins alport went into a 3-0 lead when left back and skipper derryl thornton crossed for striker matt baldwin to head goalwards kellett saved onto the bar only to see baldwin again in the right place to head in and score half time 3-0.

 

daten pulled a goal back after half time when a 20 yard free kick after alport keeper newton had fouled and was lucky to stay on the pitch just getting a booking ,newton saved onto the post but daten followed up with alex hope netting 3-1 ,with 15 mins remaining daten made it 3-2 when craig brighton scored with a header at the near post.alport saw the game out and picked up the 3 points.

 

we were excellent first half and the second half turned into a battle as the pitch got worse in the heavy conditions .a tremendous effort from the team again .

 

alport travel to denton town fc this Saturday with a 2-15pm kick off .team news :ryan willis and jordy kennedy are away on holiday .gavin brocklehurst ,jack oakden and rhys nevett should return to the squadfor what will be another tough game

 

Saturday 13th February 2010

maine rd 0 whitchurch alport 0

 

alport went into the game with phil denson and john farrell missing through work and midfielder gavin brocklehurst failing a late fitness test with a dead leg which he got from last weeks game ,striker rhys nevett and midfielder chris suddaby returned and peter eley was called up from the reserves to fill the role of gavin brocklehurst ,jordy kennedy u18/reserves forward was again kept in the squad from the previous week.

 

nevett ,eley ,chris suddaby and oakden came into the starting 11 as alport travelled to league leaders maine rd ,maine rd had a couple of earlier chances but fired wide as they hit alport on the break ,but after the first 10 mins alport started to get a foot hold on the game as both teams started creating chances ,but alport were growing in confidence and created the better and more chances ,scott thomas flashed a cross across goal which only needed a tap in ,midfielder tom price made another one a his great runs from midfield only to be beaten by the keeper as he was stretchin to score ,jack oakden struck a decent shot from 20 yards only to see a maine defender block it ,rhys nevett had a couple of chances his best effort a header at the far post which went straight into the keepers hands either side of him and it would of been a goal .there was also a couple of goal mouth scrambles which on another day would of fallen for us.

 

the second half saw much the same pattern to the game with both teams creating chances but alport creating the better ones ,jordy kennedy replaced derryl thornton on 50 mins ,nevett again came close with a couple of efforts ,oakden was nearly through on goal ,thomas struck a shot which took a defelction as it looked as if it was going in ,stephens then replaced oakden and baldwin replaced nevett,alport in the last 15 mins were pushing for the winner with jordy kennedy having a couple of efforts but it was not to be.

 

the performance ,attitude ,commitment and work rate was the best this season ,we created enough chances to win 3 games! .to come to the league leaders and perform like that is a great effort ,on another day we would have scored at least 5 from that many chances.i would of took a point before the game ,but to see the team perform and work so hard we were disappointed not to come away with all 3 .

 

sat feb 20th 10

 

whitchurch alport home v daten fc k/o 2-15pm

 

sat feb 6th 10

whitchurch alport 0 denton town 2

 

a big strong physical side came to alport and grabbed the 3 points ,in a tight first half denton were through on goal twice only to see alports keeper wes newton save .alport midfielder gavin brocklehurst had 2 good shots on goal only to see one go wide of the post and a 20 yarder fire over the bar h/t 0-0 .the second half saw denton take the lead early into the half ,alport then had to make a change with full back rob pearce coming off with a hamstring injury ,tom price had to be moved from midfield to right back with jack oakden coming on and into midfield ,on the hour dan farrell replaced matt baldwin and u/18 forward jordy kennedy coming on for lee stephens ,denton then went 2-0 up when a cross come shot beat wes newton at the far post.jordy kennedy had the best chance to pull a goal back with his first touch on his debut lifting the ball over the denton keeper only to see it headed off the line f/t 0-2

 

denton were a strong team , we played the better football first half ,the injury to rob pearce didn't help cause we had to alter the team,we could not get going second half ,young u18 jordy kennedy did well when he came on but when you come up against strong physical teams you need youre strongest team to match them and we were without phil denson,rhys nevett and chris suddaby today all through work and im sure them 3 players would of made a difference

 

alport travel to league leaders maine rd this sat k/o 2-15pm which is going to be another tough game

23/01/2010

shropshire fa county cup Q/F

 

whitchurch alport 0 ellesmere rangers 1

 

alport started the game without centre half phil denson through work,but had rhys nevett and jack oakden return to the squad

alport started the game well and the first chance was a 20 yard effort from alports matt baldwin which flashed just wide of the post with the ellesmere keeper beaten,both teams tried to create chances but found both defences in good form and on top with alports keeper wes newton making two fine saves.alports scott thomas was through on goal just before half time only to see an ellesmere defender but a tackle in after the keeper was beaten. h/t 0-0

 

on 50 mins alport forward matt baldwin had to come off with a groin injury ,rhys nevett was going to come on only he had injured a hamstring in the warm up at half time so dan farrell replaced baldwin ,farrell was then through on goal only to see the ellesmere keeper save,mins later scott thomas was through but again alport saw the shot saved ,farrell through again as he got to the 18 yard box to shoot he was brought down just outside the area and with everyone expecting a red card the ref gave the ellesmere defender a yellow did he change his mind ! no !,on 75 mins alport midfielder tom price made a great run from midfield and was brought down by the ellesmere keeper in the area the ref m myatt pointed to the spot for a pen ,ellesmere then protested and the ref went to the linesman and then changed his mind even though the linesman had put his flag across his chest a signaled for a pen did he change his mind ! yes !

with 4 mins to go ellesmere forward danny barton got away from the alport defence to slot the winner ,with mins remaining alports tom price saw a header go wide f/t 0-1

 

 

the penalty and the not sending off were the turning points of the game

there was nothing between the two teams and its such a fine line between winning and losing sometimes as it showed today ,both teams played well considering neither have played a competitive game for 5 weeks ,i very proud of my players at the effort and commitment they put in there was some outstanding performances,we need to take this performance into the league every week.

best of luck to matt burton and ellesmere in the s/f

 

sat jan 30th

 

alport travel to new mills for a league game k/o 2-15pm

 

alport fc lucky 7s no winners jackpot this week £450

 

sat jan 2nd 2010

whitchurch alport v crewe fc postponed due to a frozen pitch

 

sat jan 9th 2010

 

shropshire fa cup Q/F

 

whitchurch alport v ellesmere rangers kick off 1-30pm at yockings park whitchurch

 

whitchurch alport have not been in match action since December 12th with that away victory at monk,since then we have had 2 postponed games at home due to frozen pitches and also the xmas break in between,which is not good build up for this weeks shropshire fa cup Q/F game at home to ellesmere ,but saying that most teams in this area have not played either including ellesmere.

With the weather being as it is training has also been difficult with us not being able to use the leisure centre astro turf because of frost and also being closed for xmas,so the players have been trying to keep there fitness up by jogging and going to the gym,we have managed to organise an indoor training session at the leisure centre this coming Wednesday 6-15pm to 8-15pm where the squad will be put through there paces in readiness for saturdays cup game.

Saturdays cup game is against ellesmere rangers who are going to provide tough opposition as they are flying high in the west midland league ,but this isthe cup that we won last season beating wellington amts in the final 1-0 at shrewsbury town fc last April and i know that the squad will be up and ready for it.It is also a local derbyand im sure ellesmere will bring a number of supporters ,i just hope that the public in whitchurch come and support and get behind there team because it does make a difference to the players when they know everyones behind them

we have a full squad to chose from work permitting ! except for injuries to jack oakden and dave johnson.

 

we are hoping that the weather will break towards the end of the week ,so that the frost can come out of the ground and then on Friday we can work on and prepare the pitch for saturdays game.

 

On Saturday if anyone needs to know if the game is on please contact 07885 866738 or go to alport fc website www.whitchurchalportfc.co.uk to be kept updated

 

 

whitchurch alport fc lucky 7s no winners last week .jackpot is now £300 and match cards can be got from the wheatsheaf ,fox & goose ,the white bear ,horseshoes tilstock ,horse & jockey grindley brook ,cadstones tool hire ,egerton hydraulics ,alport fc clubhouse or any alport fc committee member ,remember you've got to be in it to win it !

 

whitchurch alport fc xmas draw the main prize a xmas hamper was won by mr steve price from whitchurch

 

 

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sat dec 12th 09

league game

 

monk fc 4 whitchurch alport 5

 

alport lost 2 strikers on the morning of the game with dan farrell flu and rhys nevett called into work , defender phil denson was also unavailable through work and jack oakden injured having played for the raf team in midweek and getting injured with knee ligaments.

with players pulling out late on the morning of the game gavin brocklehurst moved from centre half to his normal midfield role and ryan willis came back into the starting 11 at centre half and scott thomas moved back up front.

 

it was scott thomas who had alports best chances in the opening 15 mins when he met crosses from the right flashing one over the bar and the other chance against the crossbar .monk then opened the scoring on 30 mins when a cross from the right saw alport centre half ryan willis not deal with the cross for monk to score,but alport were soon on level terms when monk made a mistake in defence the ball fell to striker matt baldwin who cooly slotted the ball into the net h/t 1-1.

 

10mins into the second half monk took the lead although the forward looked at least 3 yards off side but he ran through and scored ,monk then went 3-1 up .alport then made a change with lee stephens coming off and derryl thornton coming on at left back with chris suddaby moving to left hand side of midfield,this was now the turning point with alport getting the ball out wide to john farrell and chris suddaby .midfielder tom price made a great run from midfield and was brought down for alport to get a penalty striker matt baldwin took it only to see the monk keeper save,alport then had 20 mins of attacking football that you had to be there to believe it chris suddaby hooked a shot over the keeper to score and pull a goal back 3-2 ,after a goal mouth scramble alport centre half dave suddaby side footed into the net to put alport level thats daves 3rd goal in the last 3 games not bad from centre half ! 3-3 alport were now attacking all the time with there tails up derryl thornton crossed for tom price to head against the crossbar with the keeper well beaten the ball fell to striker matt baldwin to score put alport in front for the first time in the game and notch his second of the game 3-4 ,another good move down the left saw the cross come over to john farrell to slot home for alports 5th .3-5 with mins remaining monk pulled a goal back to make the final score 4-5 to alport

 

the team showed great character and determination to come back from 3-1 down to win 4-5.the spell of football in the second half was brillant .an outstanding effort from the players

 

sat dec 19th 09

 

alport home v barnton k/o 2pm

 

Ethleston cup Q/F

 

whitchurch alport 1 penley 0

 

whitchurch alport progressed to the semi finals of the ethleston cup to be played next easter 2010 .alport started well playing good attacking football with most of the play coming down the right hand side with full back rob pearce and winger john farrell getting at the penley defence,then on 15 mins a free kick by scott thomas fell to centre half dave suddaby who shot and scored from 12 yards to put alport in front the rest of the half was even and penley had a couple of penalty claims turned down by ref mike griffiths .the second half saw the heavy conditions getting worse with both teams strugglin to get a foot hold on the game,but alport had the best 2 chances of the second half from 2 corners by lee stephens chris suddaby flashing a header wide and alport failing to get on the end of a corner which went straight across the penley goal.

 

this was a battleing performance by alport not pretty to watch second half but sometimes you have to dig in and the team did that and did the job through to the semi finals and a clean sheet

 

sat dec 12th 09

 

league game

 

alport away v monk k/o 2pm

 

Whitchurch Alport 1 New Mills Reserves 1

Both teams shared a point apiece in a keenly fought encounter at Yockings. Whitchurch - beaten 5-0 at home last weekend - came within nine minutes of victory after Dave Suddaby plundered his first goal of the season, but Nathan Brookes struck from close range to peg the hosts back.

It was New Mills who carried the greater attacking threat in the first half, with home goalkeeper Wes Newton pulling off superb saves to deny Josh Ford and Paul Monaghan.

So it was somewhat against the run of play when Alport nudged in front on 36 minutes. James Leslie was penalised for obstructing Rob Pearce on the right hand edge of the penalty area. Lee Stephens floated over the free-kick and there was centre-back Suddaby to head home, with Chris Fiddler in the New Mills goal nowhere near making the claim which had seen him advance of his line.

With half-time just seconds away, Newton somehow kept out a header from his own midfielder Tom Price, after Steve Brackenbridge's corner caused confusion in the Alport defence. And somehow, Andy Allmark's side went into the dressing rooms holding the one-goal advantage.

The second-half was much more evenly contested but 15 minutes from the end man-of-the-match Newton almost blotted his copybook. A poor goal-kick presented another chance for Ford, but the goalkeeper redeemed himself by denying the striker with a smart save around his post.

The visitors weren't to be denied though and once Brookes had levelled, they went in search of a winner which had seemed so unlikely with just ten minutes to play. Enter Newton who once more kept his side in the match with another fine save to deny Leslie with a minute of normal time remaining.

Allmark was happy with a point but was disappointed by the manner in which the equaliser came about.

"We've conceded possession at our own throw-in," he said. "Instead of going up the line, we've played it back towards our own goal. They get a free-kick - which led to the corner, and they've scored from that. To be fair I think the goal was coming. They've put us under a fair bit of pressure there and they deserved a point. They were a lot better than Lostock and they beat us 5-0 here last week. I've got to give credit to the lads for battling back from that."

Alport are at home again on Saturday, when they entertain local rivals Penley in the q/f of the Commander Ethelston Cup. Kick-off is at 1.30pm.

*You can keep up to date with all the happenings at Yockings Park by logging onto the clubs website. Visit www.whitchurchalportfc.co.uk

 

sat nov 21st

whitchurch alport 0 lostock gralem 5

 

alport had to make 2 forced changes before the game with striker rhys nevett pulling out 2 hours before kick off through illness and midfielder tom price getting injured in the warm up .lostock went a goal in front on 2 mins when a cross/shot went straight into the top of the net giving alport keeper wes newton no chance ,alport then recovered well and the next 30 mins alport started to play flowing football as the rain poured down making conditions very difficult.dan farrell was pushed over in the penalty area and alport were awarded a penalty ,lee stephens stepped up a crashed his shot against the cross bar,10 mins later a great move down alports right saw the cross come over low scott thomas stepped over and lee stephens saw his shot hit the crossbar again ,withalport pressing lostock broke away and scored h/t 0-2 .alport continued in the second half to pull a goal back but were dealt a blow when lostock were awarded a penalty for a foul by alports dave suddaby,lostock scored ,lostock then made it 0-4 and shortly after scored there 5th from the penalty spot again after gavin brocklehurst had brought down a lostock player., as they say this was a bad day at the office if our penalty had gone in this would of been a different game .we had a team meeting after the game and will put this behind us and move forward.

 

sat nov 28th 09

 

alport home v new mills k/o 2pm

 

Ethleston cup rd 2  14/11/2009

 

fc hodnet 1 whitchurch alport 4

 

whitchurch alport travelled the short distance to hodnet for this ethleston cup tie with again a number of players unavailable scott thomas away for the weekend ,chris suddaby knee injury ,phil denson work ,jack oakden cup tied because of playing for malpas in the earlier round and gavin brocklehurst whose partner sasha gave birth to a girl on Thursday all the first team would like to congratulate them on there new arrival !.we travelled with a squad of 12 players after u18s player matt vickers failed to turn up and will be dealt with in house .

 

the first half was very even with both teams trying to get to grip with the tricky conditions and also alport with the small pitch which they are not use to.both teams cancelled each other out with neither team creating chances ,alports best effort coming from a shot from dan farrell ,then on the half hour hodnet played the ball through the alport back four for a hodnet forward to latch onto and he slotted the ball into the net to put hodnet in the lead 1-0 although the player was at least 3 yards offside in which later the linesman said he got it wrong ! h-t 1-0

 

half time was just what alport needed to sort a few things out and they did because on 47mins alport striker slotted the ball into the net from 6 yards out ,now alport were getting a grip on the game and getting the ball into wide areas for john farrell and lee stephens .alport took a short corner on 50 mins stephens working it with nevett ,nevett drove into the hodnet pen box and crossed/shot to see it deflect off a hodnet defender into the net to put alport 1-2 up ,with alport now in front they started to relax and play some good football creating a number of chances ,alport forward dan farrell put alport 3-1 up when he struck a shot from 12 yards to give the keeper no chance on 70 mins ,alport then brought on dan owen to replace the hard working tom price in midfield .alport midfielder matt baldwin finished off from close range on 76 mins to put alport 4-1 up and put alport in the next round.

 

we struggled to get to grips with the small pitch and heavy conditiond first half .but second half fair play to the team they turned the game around and ran out deserved and convincing winners in the end

 

sat nov 21st league game

 

whitchurch alport v lostock gralem k/o 2-15pm

 

the draw for the shropshire fa cup q/f takes place at the shropshire fa Monday 16th November pm

 

the q/f draw for the ethleston cup is as follows and will take place on sat dec 5th 09 k/o 1-30pm

brosley jnrs v ellesmere rangers

prees v shifnal town res

morda utd v malpas res

whitchurch alport v penley

shropshire fa county cup rd 2   whitchurch alport 2 telford juniors 0

whitchurch alport started the game with four first teamers unavailable chris suddaby and tom price knee injuries,ryan willis through illness and phil denson work.alport started the game where they left off last week at lostock playing good attacking football and creating again a number of first half chances through good moves the best of them falling to rhys nevett and two efforts from dan farrell who forced the telford juniors keeper into making two fine saves,alport continued to press telford juniors into there own half but could not find that goal to set them on there way .half time 0-0.the second half saw alport continue to attack,but 10 mins into the half telford juniors got a corner and it fell to the telford juniors centre half who struck the ball well only to see alport keeper wes newton finger tip it onto the bar a real scare for alport .alport then got the breakthrough on 60 mins when winger john farrell who was the goalscoring hero in last years final took a short corner and just in side the telford juniors box struck a great shot into the corner of the net ,alport then made 2 subs with jack oakden and alport u 18s midfielder dan owen coming on for rhys nevett and dan farrell .alport then got there second when the ball fell to matt baldwin in the teldfford junior box who calmly slotted the ball home.

 

this was a comfortalble game for alport as in the previous 4 games alport played some great attacking football which was a joy to watch the scoreline should of been at least 4-0 .alport through to the next round and summing up the game job done!mom went to alports scott thomas .also local u 18s player dan owen came on second half and played very well .we now have training Tuesday night at 7pm .and then on Saturday alport travel to fc hodnet in the ethleston cup k/o 1-30pm

 

 

On the 5th sept whitchurch alports league cup game away v crewe fc was postponed due to alport not being able to field a team through injuries ,suspensions etc . officials from whitchurch alport attended the hearing at the cheshire league and the result was the league cup game would still be played at a date to be arranged

 

 

 

31/10/2009 Lostock 2 - 1 WAFC (League)

Whitchurch started very brightly & could have been in front within the first two minutes - Matt Baldwin was put clear of the Lostock defence & fired past the advancing keeper only to see his shot whistle past the far post. This set the tone of the game & Whitchurch created several good chances but all were squandered by Baldwin, Nevett, Thomas, Price, Stephens & J. Farrell; Lostocks only real chance fell to one of their strikers - after being put clean through he fired his shot wide of Newton & the goal. Then in the 17^th minute Lostock - against the run of play - were gifted a goal; after tricky work by their no.7 which resulted in a free kick, a number of Whitchurch errors led to Lostocks no.10 firing in from close range. The Whitchurch players kept there heads up & it looked like a matter of time before they equalised; once again Baldwin ran through onto a high ball & as the keeper advanced he this time lobbed him only to see the shot agonisingly drop the wrong side of the bar.

Half time: 1-0; After such a dominant half Whitchurch must have been disappointed to be going in to a 1-0 deficit, but if they could reproduce another half littered with so many goal scoring opportunities they must have fancied their chances to get something form the game.

Thankfully Whitchurch carried on where they left off & the chances continued to come but none were taken. Then in the 51^st minute Whitchurch broke away & when Stephens went past a Lostock defender he tried to make a last ditch tackle & the referee deemed it a penalty; Stephens dusted himself down to fire the spot kick into the net. From then on there only looked like one team who would go on to win the game as Whitchurch dominated but could not find a way past the Lostock keeper; two more chances fell to Nevett, one well saved by the keeper down to his left & then from four yards out he could not bundle the ball into the net & it ran away to safety. Unfortunately as the game wore on Lostock gained some momentum & in the 83^rd minute a Lostock player ran clear of the Whitchurch defence & calmly slotted the ball past the out rushing Newton, this was the killer blow to the Whitchurch players & there was no way back.

Full time: 2-1; After a great performance which saw the team play some excellent football this was not to be their day & a catalogue of missed chances - not for the first time this season - cost them a result. The squad must take confidence from todays - & the last few weeks - performances as they are now competing with the top teams in the league.

The squad will now train on Tuesday night (03/11/09) in readiness for the start of their Shropshire FA County Challenge Cup defence where they take on Telford Juniors in the second round at home on Saturday (07/11/09 - 1:30pm KO). This will be an extremely tough game as every team will want to take the scalp of the current holders of the trophy.

24/10/2009 WAFC 2 - 2 Tarporley Vic's (League)

In windy conditions Whitchurch had a good amount of possession in the early stages but when any set piece opportunities were presented to them poor delivery let them down. Tarporley always looking dangerous on the counter attack throwing men forward with great pace, then in the 15^th minute their no.7 broke into the box, when challenged by Derryl Thornton the referee deemed the tackle a foul & awarded a penalty; from the following spot kick keeper Wes Newton dived the right way & got a hand to the ball, but it was not enough to stop it entering the net.

For the next ten minutes Tarporley took a hold of the game & Whitchurch struggled to gain any sort of possession, but slowly they worked themselves back into the game & the team grew in confidence, then in the 36^th minute after a fluid move down the right hand side involving Matt Baldwin, John Farrell & Rhys Nevett, Farrell drilled the ball into the box for the sliding Nevett to turn the ball into the net from a central position.

Whitchurch now looked like they believed in themselves & dominated the rest of the half but could not find the vital break through to give themselves a half time lead.

Half time: 1-1; In difficult conditions - but with the wind - Whitchurch were probably disappointed they had not gained an advantage, but must have taken confidence in the way they had pulled themselves back into the game.

Tarporley started the half the stronger of the two teams which saw Whitchurch were pinned in their own half; two early forced changes disrupted their play as the team had to cope with a re-shuffle. In the 57^th minute Tarporley scored from a corner, again, Newton got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out.

Against the wind Whitchurch then showed great character & started to play some very free flowing football, restricting Tarporley to the odd counter attack. As the pressure mounted J. Farrell put Dan Farrell through on goal, after he brought the ball down with his chest he saw his shot crash off the bar & the balled cleared to safety. Then minutes later D. Farrell picked the ball up in an inside left position, his mazy run saw him go past three Tarporley players (nutmegging 2 of them), as he ghosted into the area he saw his shot strike the inside of the near post & again bounce to safety. Tarporley unfortunately saw a player sent off for kicking the ball away when a free kick had been awarded (his second yellow card), when the kick was wasted it looked as if it wasn't going to be Whitchurch's day. Deep into injury time Whitchurch's 'never say die' attitude finally paid off; a deep cross from the right hand side saw J. Farrell jump to win the ball, when the keeper jumped over the player it seemed a certain penalty but the Ref waved play on, the ball broke back into the area & D. Farrell struck a shot goal bound, the ball struck a Tarporley player on the line & the Ref blew for a Penalty, then sent the player off. Lee Stephens stepped up to slot the ball home under immense pressure & earn Alport a point.

Full time: 2-2; This was a great effort, performance & result when the conditions & situations are taken into consideration. Individually & collectively the squad once again gave their all & got something from the game which is what they deserved. On reflection this was a well earned point against a Tarporley team - who are top of the league - that will probably be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

The squad will now train on Tuesday night (27/10/09) in readiness for another huge challenge where they take on Lostock Gralam away on Saturday (31/10/09 - 2:15 KO).

17/10/2009 WAFC 3 - 2 Poynton (League)

Whitchurch were forced into 3 changes due to various reasons with the third coming from the withdrawal of keeper Wes Newton on Saturday lunch time due to illness; all credit must go to the WAFC Reserves (& Ryan Wilkinson) who sacrificed their own considerations by allowing keeper Wilkinson to return to Yockings Park while on-route to the Reserves away game.

Whitchurch started the match with a high tempo & plenty of possession but failed to take advantage of their early superiority; as the half developed Poynton grew in confidence & looked to threaten but WAFC keeper Ryan Wilkinson showed great composure & was very positive with his distribution. Whitchurch's approach play continued to be very positive but lacked the final pass, but the 31^st minute saw the move of the match; John Farrell played the

ball out wide to Lee Stephens who's deep cross was met by Matt Baldwin, he set up Rhys Nevett who finished from six yards.

Before Poynton could re-group Whitchurch were 2-0 up in the 33^rd minute;

Farrell put Nevett through who fired in a low shot past the keeper into the net. On the stroke of half time Farrell cut in from the right & struck a shot low across the Poynton keeper - who got down low to pull off a tremendous save.

Half time: 2-0; Probably Whitchurch's most consistent 1^st half of the season

 with some excellent football played.

Within ten minutes of the re-start the score line was 2-2; after a comedy of errors Poynton pulled one back, scoring in the 48^th minute from 3 yards out. In the 55^th minute Ryan Willis was adjudged to have brought down a Poynton

player in the penalty area; form the resultant spot kick they equalised. At that point the game looked evenly poised, then in the 64^th minute Baldwin was

released into the area; from the following clumsy challenge the referee gave another penalty; Stephens stepped up to make it 3-2. Poynton then upped the pressure & looked for another equliser hitting the woodwork in a frantic finale, but Whitchurch held strong to gain the victory.

Full time: 3-2; This was an excellent result against a well organised Poynton team; it was vital that Whitchurch built on the previous Saturday win.

The squad will now train on Tuesday night (20/10/09) in readiness for a huge challenge where they take on table topping Tarporley Victoria at home on Saturday (24/10/09 - 2:15 KO).

Whitchurch Alport would like to announce the sighning of striker Jack Oakden from Malpas FC after putting a 7 day notice on him.We welcome jack to the club.

Whitchurch Alport FC lucky 7s no jackpot winners last week .This weeks jackpot is £1000 match cards are available from the horseshoes tailstock,the white bear,fox & goose,the wheatsheaf ,horse & jockey grindley brook ,cadstones tool hire ,egerton hydraulics, alport fc clubhouse and any alport fc committee member

10/10/2009 Barnton 1 - 2 WAFC (League)

Once again Whitchurch were forced into team changes due to injuries, work & family commitments, this was compounded by Dave Suddaby pulling out in the warm up due to an ankle injury however, the match did see Phil Denson returning to the starting line-up for the first time this season.

Playing up the bank Whitchurch started with a tempo that had been lacking in recent matches but needed a little more composure when in possession. Barnton with two mobile forwards looked to put the ball in behind the Whitchurch defence at every opportunity but the defence held strong. The first real chance fell to Tom Price who rose above the Barnton defence only to see his header saved by the keeper. Then in the 20^th minute Whitchurch broke away

down the left with Lee Stephens crossing deep into the Barnton box for the on coming John Farrell to volley in from a tight angle. Whitchurch continued to deal with everything Barnton pumped forward until the 43^rd minute; from a

 direct Barnton free kick - which seemed to be over hit - keeper Wes Newton looked to catch the ball on it's first bounce but it never did bounce & span off the turf through his legs. Whitchurch looked to bounce straight back & when Rhys Nevett controlled in the box & found himself one v one with the keeper he saw his outstretched shot well saved.

Half time: 1-1; Whitchurch were probably a bit disappointed to come in level after a very disciplined half.

The second half started in the same manner with Whitchurch playing the better football. Then in the 49^th minute J. Farrell looked to play the ball over the top of the Barnton defence, they didn't deal with it & Matt Baldwin was first to react finding himself through on goal, with the keeper rushing out the forward unleashed an unstoppable shot from 25 yards which dipped over the keeper & into the net. Barnton started to turn up the pressure & dominated large spells of the game with Whitchurch looking to counter attack. After Newton's first half mistake he could have been forgiven for playing the rest of the game with a lack of confidence, but some players rise to the challenge & he certainly did. With Barnton finding shooting opportunities Newton was called into action on several occasions saving twice with his legs, once to his right & twice to his left - all of which were outstanding / match winning saves - the Barnton players must have wondered what they had to do to score, when they did finally beat Newton, Chris Suddaby was on hand to clear off the line. Whitchurch rallied for the last part of the game & managed to hold out for the final whistle.

Full time: 1-2; Barnton will probably look back & be disappointed with not taking something from the game, but when you go away from home & defend with great spirit & try to play football where possible - as Whitchurch did - then sometimes the team soaking up the pressure do actually deserve to get a result. This was a huge result for the team & hard work set the standards for the day; not to single out any players as everyone played their part in the win but Phil Denson looked impressive on his return & Wes Newton was outstanding in the second half.

The squad need to build on this result & work hard in training on Tuesday night & then look forward to a league game at home to Poynton this Saturday (17/10/09) 3pm KO. It will be a great opportunity to get the league back on track & try to over turn the defeat they suffered to Poynton in August, but this will be a very difficult challenge as Poynton continue to impress.

 

03/10/2009 Whitchurch Alport 0 Moore Utd 2

 

19/09/2009  Whitchurch Alport 0 Maine Rd 2

 

    29/08/2009 Poynton 1 - 0 WAFC (League)

Whitchurch started the match with great confidence & began to restrict Poynton to a very direct style of play which the defence dealt with comfortably. Poynton at times struggled to cope with the passing of Whitchurch which lead to Chris Suddaby having a header well saved & 40 yard strike by Gavin Brocklehurst tipped over the bar. At the other end Wes Newton saved well down to his right hand side from a shot at the edge of the penalty area. With the change in formation for this game Whitchurch continued to play good football but just lacked the killer pass in the final third.

Half time: 0-0; good value for the first half result but probably disappointed not to hold at lead at this point.

The second half saw both teams working extremely hard but at times cancelling each other out & chances were few & far between, then on a break away Whitchurch midfielder John Farrell played a ball into the box which saw a Poynton defender slice his clearance goal bound, just as it looked as though the deadlock would be broken the ball took an awkward bobble which diverted it past the post. As the game headed for a draw Poynton delivered the ball into the Whitchurch penalty area from a free kick, Keeper Wes Newton hesitated & a Poynton forward jumped to send his header into the net. As Whitchurch pushed to find an equaliser Poynton broke away only to see a well struck shot superbly saved by Newton & this was the last real action of the match.

Full time: 1-0; Poynton worked very hard in the second half & a draw would have been a fair result, but it wasn't to be for Whitchurch. After a poor performance in mid-week the team showed great character & were gutted to have not got a result. If they keep working this hard & playing in the right way it will not be long before their luck changes.

The squad now have their first training session of the new season on the 01/09/09 which hopefully will help to re-focus everyone in readiness for the league cup match away to Crewe F.C. on Saturday (05/09/09 - 3pm KO). Although several squad members will be missing this will be an opportunity to go & enjoy themselves away from the pressures of the league.

 

26/08/2009 WAFC 0 - 1 Malpas (League)

Whitchurch enjoyed periods of possession without really hurting Malpas but this was partly due to the way Malpas defended & a lack of tempo when they played. The best two chances of the half fell to the two Whitchurch forwards - Scott Thomas & Dan Farrell - but they both shot at the keepers legs in similar fashion when clean through on goal; Malpas seemed to grow in confidence from these let-offs but lacked quality in possession. In the 28^th minute Whitchurch were forced into a change due to injury to Tom Price which saw the introduction of 'Reg' Smart. Whitchurch continued to move the ball with good quality but the spoiling tactics of Malpas were not dealt with by the referee.

Half time: 0-0; Whitchurch lacked the cutting edge in front of goal & this proved to be costly.

The second half started in the same manor but in the 60^th minute a Malpas forward broke free to lob the ball over the advancing Whitchurch keeper (Wes Newton) & into the empty net to give Malpas the lead; the goal gave Malpas a huge boost & at times they sat with eleven men behind the ball. Whitchurch tried in vain to equalise & had another one on one saved by the Malpas keeper, then, when Rhys Nevett hit the bar in the 85^th minute with a header, the writing was on the wall & Malpas closed out the game to win 1-0.

Full time: 0-1; once Malpas took the lead they showed great character & defended as if their lives depended on it. A very disappointing result for Whitchurch & the performance was not up to the high standards that the squad had set over the last 3 games.

The squad now travel to Poynton on Saturday (29/08/09 - 3pm KO) & need to try to bounce back from a disappointing defeat, but they will have a difficult job on their hands as Poynton have made a good start to the season & are currently undefeated.

 

  22/08/2009 Congleton Town Res. 1 - 2 WAFC (League)

In glorious summer conditions the game started at a high tempo with Whitchurch exploiting the excellent surface & pitch size with early spells of possession, but neither team really threatened & there were only a couple of half chances worth mentioning. Then in the 26^th minute a pass in behind the Congleton defence saw Dan Farrell needlessly pushed to the ground, from the awarded penalty Lee Stephens coolly fired the ball into the net to give Whitchurch a 1-0 lead. In the 41^st minute Rhys Nevett found himself down the right hand side & delivered an excellent cross into the penalty area which saw a Congleton defender score an OG from his hurried clearance - 0-2.

Half time: 0-2; a very professional performance playing up the slope of the pitch.

During the early stages Whitchurch created a couple of good chances to finish the game off & the best one fell to Scott Thomas, he was put through one on one with the keeper but his low shot was superbly saved by the Congleton number 1. Congleton started to grow in confidence & put Whitchurch on the back foot, their number 10 had a couple of half chances but scuffed his shots, then with ten minutes to go he looked like he would put his team back in the match, but when faced with the keeper - Wes Newton - in a one on one situation he pulled his shot wide. In the last minute of normal time 10 again received the ball on the edge of the box only this time his turn & shot went over the outstretched hand of Newton into the net - 1-2. Whitchurch played out the remaining injury time without any other scares.

Full time: 1-2; although Congleton were allowed back into the game by some complacency overall it was a job well done.

The Squad now look forward to a home match with local rivals Malpas for the second time in a week on 26/08/09 - 6:30 KO - this will no doubt be another tough test & all the squad need to be up for game.

Followed by this Saturday away v poynton 3pm

After the midweek game this week training now starts again on Tuesday sept 1^st 09 7pm at whitchurch leisure centre on the astro turf with alport u18s on one half 7pm to 8pm .and alport first team & reserves on the other half 7pm to 9pm

Whitchurch alport fc lucky 7s no winners this week .this weeks jackpot is £600 and match cards are available from the white bear,wheatsheaf hotel,fox & goose,horseshoes and alport clubhouse you have to be init to win it !

 

19/08/2009 Malpas 0 - 2 WAFC (League)

Malpas started the brighter of the two teams & created the first opening with a chance at the back post but keeper Wes Newton was on hand to collect the shot. Chances were then few & far between with Whitchurch struggling to get into any sort of rhythm due to the pressing game of Malpas, they did however defend extremely well against Malpas's direct style.

Half time: 0-0; an excellent half time result after playing up the slope.

The second half started in the same manner but as the game progressed it started to open up; Whitchurch finally had some reasonable possession & Tom Price put Rhys Nevett through one on one with the keeper, but his shot was well saved by the keeper's feet. Not long after Gav Brocklehurst was called into action when the Malpas left winger was clean through on goal, as he set to shoot the Whitchurch player made a last gasp challenge to clear the ball. On the 70^th minute Price made a driving run into the final third & was brought down 25 yards from the Malpas goal; keeper Newton stepped up to take the resulting free kick & drove the ball low into the net. 6 mins later Scott Thomas fired a searching cross into the penalty area with Chris Suddaby striking the ball into the net to give Alport a 2-0 lead.

Full time: 0-2; the match was extremely competitive but on the second half performance Whitchurch were worthy of the victory against a strong & dogged Malpas team.

The squad now travel to Congleton Town Reserves on Saturday (22/08/09 - 3pm KO) which will be another tough test, after such a promising start they must go & play with confidence & look to get a result.

 

 15/08/2009 Warrington Town Reserves - League - Home

After a tough pre-season against Winsford Utd, Ellesmere Rangers, Gresford Athletic,

Nantwich Wanderers, Brickfield Rangers & Shrewsbury Town - which resulted in 2 wins & 4 defeats - the first league game against Warrington was always going to be a difficult challenge. Before the match had started Whitchurch lost Scott Thomas (inj.), Matt Vickers (inj.), Rhys Nevett (work) & Dave Johnson (long term inj.), but with new signings during pre-season the squad was extremely strong with a lot of competition for all places.

In difficult conditions Whitchurch started very brightly playing some very fluid football, after Richard 'Reg' Smart hit the bar with a header at the back post from a Martin Chesters cross, it just looked a matter of time before they scored. However, Warrington began to take a hold on the game with players 6, 11 & 10 starting to influence the game & the Whitchurch midfield found it hard to get to grips with Warrington's formation. After a couple of half chances for Warrington - created by the pace of number 10 - it was an uncharacteristic mistake by Gavin brocklehurst which led to Warrington taking the lead, Brocklehurst played a back pass to keeper Wes Newton, 10 latched onto the ball & fired a shot passed Newton to score (26^th min). Whitchurch looked stunned for the next few minutes & struggled to get a foot hold in the match, but from a corner in the 33^rd minute taken by Chris Suddaby, Dan Farrell (new signing) rose above the Warrington defence to head the ball goal wards & Matt Baldwin was on hand to fire the loose ball home from close range.

Half time: 1-1; playing against the wind, coming in level was a very satisfactory result.

As the second half progressed the game started to get stretched; Whitchurch looked tighter through the midfield areas & dangerous on the counter attack with both teams still trying to play good football. Derryl Thornton & Dave Suddaby (new signing) were introduced which saw a tactical change of Smart being pushed into a central forward position to exploit his aerial presence. From another C. Suddaby corner in the 79^th minute the Warrington keeper didn't deal with the ball & once again Matt Baldwin was in the right position to force the ball into the net at the near post - after Warrington protests for a foul on the keeper - the referee gave the goal. With the game flowing end to end Smart & C. Suddaby could have finished off the game from a Thornton free kick; Baldwin rose to head goal wards - the keeper parried - Smart was first to the ball & his first time shot hit the bar, Suddaby followed in but his shot was cleared off the line, this was probably the last clear cut chance of the match.

Full time: 2-1; the match was played in good spirit & in the right way; on chances created Whitchurch probably just edged it - well done to Warrington for contributing to a very good game.

This result was the perfect start to the season & the squad must now look forward to a local derby with Malpas (away) on Wednesday night (19/08/09 6.30 KO), this will be another stiff test but everyone must look to build on today's excellent result.