Mens 3s League Match Reports - Season 2011-12

Date Report
September 10th No Report
September 17th No Report
September 24th Upminster 3rd XI V Old Southendians 3rd XI; Half Time 3 - 1; Full Time 3 - 1; M.O.M: Fynn Mumford; D.O.M: Lloyd Sutton 
Upminster 3's opened their league campaign with a well deserved 3-1 victory. Early missed chances and a defensive error gifted the visitors a simple tap in. Kevin Denman's deflected ball off the post fell to the stick of the opposing striker who tapped in from five yards. The U's continued to press the game and netted an equaliser with a reverse stick strike from Olly Peck. Five minutes later a goal bound Mark Travell strike was stopped by a defenders foot, the resulting penalty flick was coolly slotted home giving Peck his brace. Upminster continued to apply the pressure, with Kevin Fernandes orchestrating the midfield and Steve Woods, Lloyd Sutton, William Dunnett and Denman holding a strong defensive line. Dave Young worked tirelessly thorough out the game and his efforts were rewarded just before half time as he netted Upminsters third goal from 5 yards.
The second half brought no further goals but missed chances from Dave Smith and George Chiverton, should have put the game to bed. Instead the U's defence had to weather a string of attacks. Tony Dance was called upon to produce a top drawer close reaction save to keep the U's two goal advantage. The final whistle came giving Upminster 3's a well deserved winning start to the 2011/12 campaign. Finn Mumford had a great debut on the right wing and was justly awarded Man of the Match and Lloyd Sutton's solid defensive performance at left back earned him Defender of the Match. 
October 1st Division 5SE: East London 3rd XI V Upminster 3rd XI; Half Time 0 - 3; Full Time 1 - 5
Upminster 3's came away second best in a sweltering away fixture to East London 3's. The hosts dominated in the midfield and created several chances in the opening early exchanges. Stoic defending from Neil Sutton and Kevin Denman kept East London at bay until the 15 minute mark. Two further goals in quick succession added to Upminsters' woes. Ollie Peck, Dave Young and Mark Travell all had goal bound strikes saved by the impressive East Londons keeper. Peck was sin binned towards the end of the first half for dissent and the half time whistle was a welcome relief from the stifling heat.
The U's started the brighter in the second period and opened their account with a crisp Ollie Peck strike from 10 yards. Any ideas that a comeback was on the cards though were soon quashed when the hosts netted another two goals to seal a comprehensive victory. Scott Squibb (East London) was shown a yellow card for violent conduct, but the game had already been won. Steve Woods had a chance at the death to make the score-line more acceptable, a Dave Smith pass found Woods with only the keeper to beat, and unfortunately Woods came off second best.
The 3's host Chelmsford 4's on Saturday and hopefully the weather and performance will be much more improved.
October 8th

Division 5SE: Upminster 3rd XI V Chelmsford 4th XI ; Match conceded by Chelmsford as they were unable to field a legitimate team. Game was therefore played as a friendly and Upminster were awarded the game as a 3 – 0 win. Half Time 0 – 1, Full Time 4 – 1
Upminster 3’s received an email on the eve of their home fixture to Chelmsford giving notification that they were unable to field a legal team and were therefore conceding the match. The game did go ahead but was played as a friendly. Jared Ford stepped as goalkeeper for Chelmsford and had it not been for his first half heroics Upminster would have gone into the break with half a dozen goals to their name. Upminster dominated in all areas of the pitch with Finn Mumford and Rob Fordham combining well in midfield. Dave Smith taking up a forward role was busy and creative setting up numerous chances for his strike partner Ollie Peck. The barrage on the Chelmsfords goal was met by the superb keeping of Jared Ford. As the U’s pushed the game a rare Chelmsford attack netted the opening goal of the game. Slack defending and a rebound off of Tony Dance’s pads saw the hosts go into the break a goal down.
Skipper Dance demanded goals from his side during the half time chat and when the second half started those demands were soon met. Peck struck first with a deflected short corner strike, then Smith managed to deflect a wayward ball into the roof of the net giving the U’s a well deserved lead. Two further goals netting Peck his hat-trick finished off a much better second half performance. Peck’s second was a crisp strike from 5 yards and his third was a beautifully struck ball into the bottom right hand corner from a tight angle. Lloyd Sutton when called upon produced a defender of the match performance and Ollie Pecks three goals rightly earned him the man of the match award.
Upminster are away to Colchester in their next league game who are one place above them on goal difference.

October 15th Colchester 3rd XI V Upminster 3rd XI; Half Time 0 – 3, Full Time 0– 4. Man of the Match : Dave Smith; Defender of the Match : Steve Woods
Upminster 3’s chalked up their first away victory of the season and produced a team performance to make skipper Tony Dance proud. Super Dave Smith put in a man of the match performance and netted all of the four goals.  The key to the game was going to be the midfield battle and with the welcome return of Dave Young, the U’s quickly established themselves as the stronger of the two sides. Finn Mumford put in another excellent performance and it was his telling pass which saw Smith bundle the ball over the line from close range for the opener. Good work down both flanks from William Dunnett and Lloyd Sutton provided additional support to Smith and his strike partner Chris Eggleton. Chances fell thick and fast and two quick goals in succession provided Smith with his hat-trick, the 2nd was a well driven strike and the 3rd another effort from close range.  Kevin Denman left the pitch with a torn muscle shortly before the halftime whistle and Steve Woods stepped in to fill the role with great deplume. So much so that he was justly awarded with the defender of the match. 
The second half started in the same manner with Upminster dictating in most areas of the field, the match was finally put to bed when Smith latched on to a poor defensive clearance netting his fourth from close range and rounding off a sparkling virtuoso performance.  Dance was called upon to make a couple of close range saves in the closing stages, but by then the game was well and truly out of Colchesters reach.
This Saturday Upminster host Wapping at Coopers.
October 22nd Upminster 3rd XI V Wapping 6th XI, Half Time 2 – 0, Full Time 3 – 0; Man of the Match : Dave Young, Defender of the Match : Steve Woods
Upminster 3’s chalked up another impressive win moving them up to third in the table and they kept a second successive clean sheet. Steve Woods covering for the injured Kevin Denman took charge of the defensive line and put in another defender of the match performance. Dave Young put in an awesome performance in midfield, chasing and winning most balls and harrying Wapping into simple mistakes. With the majority of possession the U’s began to dominate and it wasn’t long before Lester Farrant, making his debut for the 3’s, latched on to a Will Dunnett pass to net the opener. A string of short corners should have extended Upminster’s lead but wayward strikes from Farrant failed to capitalise on their slender lead. Dance instructed Farrant to slip the ball at the next short corner, a decisive change in play saw Rob Fordham receive the ball inside the D and slotted home into the bottom left corner.
The second period continued where the first had ended, Upminster enjoyed lots of the ball and were allowed to play free flowing hockey. Farrants’ second goal and the last of the match was a clinical strike, which came about after good play from Finn Mumford and Mark Travell. Dave Young continued to work tirelessly and was awarded man of the match for his energetic performance.
Upminster 3’s face an away fixture Maldon and Little Baddow in their next game. 
October 29th Maldon & Little Baddow 2nd XI V Upminster 3rd XI
Half Time 0 – 7; Full Time 0 – 8
M.O.M: Ollie Peck; D.O.M: Steve Woods 
Another excellent all round team performance takes Upminster 3’s to second in the table and in the process netting eight goals against a very valiant Maldon & Little Baddow side. The host started the brighter of the two teams with nice interlinking passing moves, but their failure to defend at the back allowed Ollie Peck and Lester Farrant to the freedom and time to shoot at will. Peck opened the scoring and Farrant soon followed, both with top drawer strikes from the top of the D. Matt Tilbury new to the third eleven was not to be outshone as his reverse strike smashed into the bottom left-hand corner. Jade Pierce and Dave Young controlled the midfield and Steve Woods masterly took charge of the back line. As the game moved on it was only a matter time before the U’s notched their 4th, Pierce this time found the back of the net as he coolly pulled the ball back and lifted it past the sprawling keeper. Peck added another two to his tally completing a first half hat trick and Farrant netted his second before the half time whistle as he clinically slotted home at pace. It was clear that Maldon and Little Baddows half time team talk was to close up shop, and despite the high percentage of play Upminster could only manage one further goal in the game. Farrants continued work rate was justly rewarded with the second hat trick of the match, this time poaching on a loose pass and netting from close range. The game eventually fizzled out and the U’s triumphantly came away eight goals to the good. Ollie Peck received the unanimous Man of the Match award and Steve Woods again justifiably walked away with the Defender of the Match. This Saturday Upminster face a tough home fixture against Saffron Walden 3’s.
November 5th Division 5SE: Upminster 3rd XI V Saffron Walden 3rd XI; Half Time 1 - 0; Full Time 2 - 2
M.O.M: Mike Scrivener; D.O.M: Kevin Denman 
Upminster 3's came up against a very dogged Saffron Walden side who were creative coming forward and solid in defence. The game ebbed and flowed in the early stages, but as both sides settled the U's began to gain the upper hand. Mike Scrivener opened the scoring with a fine strike into the bottom left hand corner from a tight angle. Further chances fell to Lester Farrant and Elliott Bussey who failed to capitalise in front of the goal. Kevin Denman returning to the side after a muscle tear held the back line well and Dave Young again worked tirelessly in midfield. 
It looked as if Upmisters missed chances were going to cost them all three points when the visitors netted two quick goals in succession. However, a penalty corner strike from Scrivener bounced over the diving keeper and into the goal bringing the scores level. Upminster then pushed on for the winner and almost came up trumps, but strikes from Scrivener and Bussey sadly missed the target. 
The draw sees the U's drop to third in the league, but they hope to get back to winning ways as the travel to Brentwood on Saturday.
November 12th Brentwood 4th XI  V  Upminster 3rd XI ; Half Time 1 – 0, Full Time  1 – 3; M.O.M: Ollie Peck, D.O.M: Nick O’Dell
An 11.00 am start away to Brentwood saw the hosts take control in the early stages, playing a very attractive and high standard of hockey. Kevin Denman’s late arrival forced Dance into putting together a makeshift back line and who held out resiliently, until a telling pass found a lone striker who clinically finished from the top of the D. Denman’s eventual arrival brought a return of normality to the back line and as Brentwood began to run out of steam Upminster established a foot hold in the game. Chances fell to John Foreman and Mark Travell who both struck the post and Ollie Peck who’s crisp strikes were just wide of the target. Upminster looked to have levelled the match when a Lester Farrant goal bound penalty corner strike rebounded off of a defenders foot. Farrant stepped up to take the resulting penalty flick, and despite making good contact the keeper produced a fine save. The U’s huffed and puffed and despite their possession and attempts on goal, went into the break without troubling the score sheet.
Skipper Dance called for patience in the second period and it wasn’t long before the scores were levelled, Peck driving the ball home from a penalty corner. Upminster continued to dominate and the Brentwood goalkeeper produced some fine saves to keep his team in the match. More pressure brought another penalty corner and Peck delivered once again, powering a torpedo into the bottom right hand corner. Brentwood pushed players forward to chase an equaliser and this allowed Upminster to break on the counter attack. One such attack found Dave Young receiving a fine pass from Dave Smith, and at the second attempt, Young squeezed the ball into the goal and in doing so secured all three points for another polished Upminster performance. This Saturday Upminster face a tough home fixture against Southend 2’s.
November 19th

Div 5SE: Upminster Mens 3rd XI v Southend Mens 2nd XI; Half Time 0 – 2, Full Time  2 - 2 . Man of the Match: Finn Mumford, Defender of the Match: Kevin Denman 
Upminster 3rd's took on Southend in a tough game. Upminster knew this would be a close battle as Southend sat just one point behind in the league and if Upminster wanted to stay on the top three an early goal would prove very important. After 10 minutes of pressure in the Southend half Upminster came close with a shot hitting the post. Southend we able to apply plenty of pressure for the remainder of the half and scored twice before the half time whistle.
Following a tough half time talk by several of the players, Upminster started the second half with guns blazing knowing they needed to get an early goal to stay in the game. After some heavy pressure Upminster were awarded a penalty Flick following a defensive stop on the line by Southend leg. Unfortunately for the second week running the U’s were unable to convert their chance as Matthew Tilbury’s shot was saved by the keeper. The remaining 20 minutes proved crucial for Upminster as they dug deep and as managed to convert a short corner. Matt Tilbury deflected a shot from a Lester Farrant attempt at goal. This was shortly followed by another goal by Matt Tilbury to leave the final 10 minutes up for grabs. Both teams pushed hard but the score remained at 2-2 which appeared a fair result for both teams in a tough battle. Defender of the Match was kevin Denman for his cool and calm presence in the heart of the Upminster defense and Man of the Match went to Finn Mumford for his hard efforts in the centre of midfield.

November 26th

Div 5SE: Pheonix 2nd XI V Upminster 3rd XI - Half Time 1 – 1; Full Time  2 - 2 . Man of the Match: Dave Young; Defender of the Match: John Appleton
Upminster 3rd's picked up a useful draw on their travels to second placed Pheonix and with only a bare eleven for the U’s the draw was both a good and fair result to either team. Upminster started the brighter of the two sides and dominated early passages of play in the middle of the pitch. Dave Young and Finn Mumford combined well as central midfielders, who brought debutant Ross Milroy on the right wing and Dave Travell on the left into the attacking fray. Upminster opened the scoring with a well worked moved down the left hand side, Travell supplying Lloyd Sutton (left back) with a simple tap in from 5 yards. Upminster continued to press and William Dunnett almost doubled the lead with a crisp penalty corner strike, which was superbly saved by the Phoenix keeper. Controversy surrounded the host’s equaliser, as a push out from a penalty corner struck their own attackers foot and although their umpire saw the infringement, he allowed play to continue stating that there was no advantage to the attacking team. The continuation of play saw a deflected strike sail across the goal line. Despite protests from all of the Upminster players, the goal was allowed to stand The first half came to a close and skipper Dance did his best to rally his troops during his halftime team talk.
As the second half got underway, it was the hosts however who seized on their good fortune and spent the majority of the match attacking in the Upminster half. John Appleton was solid at the back and was justly awarded defender of the match, but even his heroics couldn’t prevent a penalty corner strike fizz into the bottom left hand corner.  The U’s goal continued to be peppered but Pheonix but they were either thwarted by Dance or just off target with their efforts. A younger than usual Upminster side began to work their way back into the game in the latter stages, Will Bonner on the right wing posed a tough challenge to the hosts left back. A telling pass from Bonner found the ever tireless man of the match Dave Young on the P spot who coolly slotted a reverse stick strike into the bottom left hand corner, his goal netting an unexpected equaliser. As the game came to a close Upminster almost nabbed all three points as an errant pass found Milroy on the top of the D with only the goal keeper to beat. His crisp strike into the top right hand corner however was denied by the very impressive Pheonix keeper. The final whistle blew and both sides shared the spoils. Upminster are at home to Thurrock 2’s this Saturday.   
December 3rd Division 5SE: Upminster 3rd XI V Thurrock 2nd XI; Half Time 1 – 1; Full Time 2 – 2. Man of the Match : Finn Mumford; Defender of the Match : William Dunnett
Upminster 3’s chalked up their 3rd successive 2-2 draw at home to a very dogged Thurrock 2nd eleven and dropped to fifth in the table. Honours were even in the opening exchanges, but as the first half moved on Upminster began to gain the initiative. Good interlinking between Nick O’Dell and Finn Mumford in midfield opened up chances to the attacking line up of Ollie Peck, Matt Tilbury and debutant John Constable. Peck went close with several short corner strikes, but what he gained in power he unfortunately lacked in direction. The stalemate was eventually broken when a rebound off of the visiting keeper fell to the stick of Mumford, who calmly lifted the ball over the sprawling keeper into the back of the net. Upminsters’ lead was short lived however as Thurrock mounted an instant attack of their own. Unable to clear their lines an enforced tackle brought about a penalty corner, which Thurrock duly despatched with pace and precision.  The first half came to a close with the score line level, but as the second period began Upminster soon found themselves a goal down within the first five minutes. Continued pressure netted Thurrock their second of the match, the goal coming from another penalty corner. Thurrock continued to push on and should have scored a few more goals had it not been for the stoic defending of Dance, Kevin Denman, Lloyd Sutton and Defender of the Match: William Dunnett. The match turned again with 10 minutes remaining as Thurrock tried to slow the game down and sit on their lead. Upminster dug in and pushed Johnny Appleton up front in search of an equaliser, and it was his telling pass that found the stick of Tilbury who flicked the ball into the top left hand corner bringing the scores level once again. Peck then had two golden chances to secure all three points for the U’s, his first effort was superbly cleared off the line by the last defender and his second, from a penalty corner, was lifted inches past the right hand post. Upminster continued to battle until the final whistle, but when the game was finally brought to an end, a draw seemed a fair result for both teams. Finn Mumford’s man of the match performance must get a mention, a call up to the 2nd eleven cannot be too far away. 
December 10th Division 5SE: Old Southendians 3rd XI V Upminster 3rd XI. Half Time 0 – 2; Full Time 0 – 2. M.O.M: Dave Young; D.O.M: Michael Jones 
Upminster 3’s finish the first half of their 11/12 league campaign with a comfortable win away to Old Southendians. The hosts began the brighter of the two sides but squandered their early chances. Dave Young (man of the match) started to assert him-self in midfield and his continued pressing and harrying turned the game to the U’s advantage. Ollie Peck opened the scoring with a lovely crisp reverse stick strike into the bottom right hand corner as Upminster continued to dominate with Peck, Jamie O’Dell and Dominic Boyle enjoying lots of possession.  Mark Travell on the left wing and Chris Eggleton out on the right were also decisive with their tackling and creative with their use of the ball, but despite Upminsters dominance no further goals were added during the first half.
At half time skipper Dance tweaked the positioning of a few players bolstering the midfield and shoring up the defence. Nicky O’Dell now playing higher up the pitch in the second half began to run the game. A telling pass from Nicky to brother Jamie at the top of the D resulted in a second goal for the visitors. Jamie drilled a bullet of a strike pass the sprawling keeper, again, into the bottom right hand corner. Old Southendians now chasing the game pushed players forward to try and get something out of the match. And whilst the U’s backline was tested, Dance, Lloyd Sutton, Matt Tilbury and defender of the match Michael Jones, all held firm.  Gaps appeared in the hosts’ defensive half and Nicky O’Dell delivered two pin point passes to Peck, who, with only the keeper to beat failed on both occasions to increase his tally. The first was struck just wide of the left hand upright and the second was lifted over the outstretched keeper and bounce agonisingly wide of the target. The game came to a close and with only one defeat tasted so far the 3’s sit third in the league, poised to push on in the New Year.
January 14th Upminster 3rd XI V East London 3rd XI - Half Time 0 – 1, Full Time 3 – 3. Man of the Match : George Chiverton; Defender of the Match : Kevin Denman
Upminster 3’s began the New Year with a well earned draw at home against top of the table East London. The opening exchanges were shared equally as both sides moved the ball around with pace and precision. The visitors were denied the opener as Dance saved neatly from a short corner strike and the U’s also went close on two occasions, the first saw a Chris Eggleton strike hit just wide of the target and John Foreman was denied by a fine save as he found himself one on one with the keeper. The deadlock was broken twenty five minutes in, when an East London through-ball split open the U’s midfield leaving a three on one situation. The visitors were clinical with their finish as they fired home from 5 yards. Apart from the opening goal the game was still finely balanced as each side created scoring opportunities, but it was Upminster who went into the break trailing by a one goal deficit.  Skipper Dance asked his team to build on their first half performance and to go out and give the league leaders a game to remember, and as the half started his words soon came to fruition. Chris Eggleton netted the equaliser from close range after good work from Mark Travell out on the left. The game then turned in East Londons’ favour as a disputed penalty corner was awarded to the visitors, to which a Scott Squibb strike from ten yards scored from. East London seized on their good fortune and netted a quick third, the goal coming from a poor defensive clearance. With barely ten minutes on the clock the U’s fight back began, skipper Dance pushed Defender of the Match Kevin Denman into the midfield and his presence had an immediate impact. The visitors were now beginning to soak up a lot of U’s pressure and the onslaught was swiftly rewarded with a penalty flick as a goal bound strike illegally struck a defenders foot. Eggleton stepped up and fired his flick into the roof of the net. Game on. The visitors were clearly rattled and Upminster seized on their defensive frailties. With only minutes left George Chiverton (man of the match) produced the goal of his career. From the tightest of angles he fired home an incredible reverse stick strike into the top left hand corner to bring the scores level. Both teams continued to push for the winner, but as the final whistle blew, on reflection, a draw was a fair result for both teams.
January 21st Chelmsford 4th XI V Upminster 3rd XI. Half Time 1 – 0, Full Time 1 – 3. Man of the Match : Finn Mumford. Defender of the Match : William Dunnett
Upminster 3’s put out an under strength team away to Chelmsford 4’s and had to work hard to take all three points. Ollie Peck returning from honeymoon was the only bright spark in what was a dismal first half team performance. Pecks three penalty corner goal bound strikes were thwarted by the impressive reactions of the home keeper. Upminster struggled to string any significant passing moves together and their erratic play allowed Chelmsford a good foothold in the match. The hosts scored with twenty minutes on the clock, seizing on a loose ball following a Dance save. Chelmsford were then unlucky not to go into the half time break three goals to the good. Dance again produced a smart save from a short corner and their other notable effort was a deflected shot off of the post which fortunately sailed out of play. Chasing the game Dance made a number of changes during the halftime break, reverting to a back three and pushing Matt Tilbury into the attack. The changes had the desired effect and Upminster soon started to dominate in all areas of the field. John Appleton, Will Dunnett and Lloyd Sutton were relatively untroubled defensively in the second period and Finn Mumford and Chris Eggleton now had the freedom in midfield to open up the Chelmsford backline. Peck netted the equaliser from a short corner strike and soon doubled his tally as he latched on to an Eggleton pass and then drove his crisp shot into the top left hand corner. Chelmsford were rattled and had no answer to the U’s dominance and the game was eventually put to bed when Eggleton sealed the victory with a decisive finish from close range. Upminster host Colchester on Saturday where a much improved performance is required if they are to push on for a promotional spot.
January 28th Upminster 3rd XI V Colchester 3rd XI. Half Time 0 – 1, Full Time 1 – 3. Man of the Match: Finn Mumford, Defender of the Match: William Dunnett
Upminster 3’s conceded their second defeat of the season at home to a very dogged Colchester team.
The opening exchanges were very dominated by the visitors as Upminster defended doggedly to keep the game goalless. John Appleton, Kevin Denman, Lloyd Sutton and William Dunnett held their own in a fiercely contended battle between attack and defence. 
The U’s excellent defensive work allowed Upminster the chance to work their way back into the match, with Mark Travell, Kevin Fernandes and Finn Mumford orchestrating play in the middle of the field. Will Bonner made some telling runs on the right wing, whilst debutant centre forward Nick Haunton looked threatening up front. With the game now finally balanced, a contested short corner opened the scoring for the visitors, keeper Tony Dance was at fault after he failed to clear a goal bound rising ball minutes before the half time whistle.
The U’s began the 2nd half pushing for an equaliser, Denman moved up into midfield and the change of formation put Colchester on the back foot. Upminster were relentless as they produced a string of attacks. This gung-ho approach however made the U’s susceptible to the counter attack and Colchester decisively took their opportunity to double their lead with another well taken short corner. The match was taken out of Upminsters reach when the visitors netted their 3rd of the game, this time a well worked move from open play rounded off with a simple tap in. The U’s did grab a conciliation goal at the death when William Dunnett fired home from a penalty corner. 
The U’s face an away trip to Wapping 6’s on Saturday, but they will be without the impressive Finn Mumford, who had justly been called up to the men’s 1st XI.
February 4th No Report
February 11th No Report
February 18th No Report
February 25th No Report
March 3rd No Report
March 10th No Report
March 17th No Report
March 24th No Report