| Date | Report |
| September 24th |
Upminster 5’s opened their campaign against Wapping 7’s on a dreadful pitch at the George Orwell stadium. Notwithstanding, both sides contrived to play some decent hockey throughout the match with Wapping’s passing game winning out overall in a 3-0 win for the home team.The game started with Wapping dominating possession but with Upminster defending resolutely from their midfield back to their goalie. Indeed it was Upminster who went closest to scoring first when Joe Balfe was only inches away from connecting to a drilled ball that fizzed across the Wapping D. Defender of the match was the keeper John Daltrey who made several important stops including one from his own defender when an attempted block flew up into the air towards goal. However, as the half drew to a close lady luck deserted Upminster when a poor defensive pass out was intercepted and returned resulting in a goal that just happened to be the very last action of that half. Upminster started to make a few forays into their opponents D in the second half and man of the match Will Bonner gave Wapping’s defenders something to think about on several occasions but a second goal from a short corner put Wapping into a 2-0 lead which soon became 3 a little later. The positives to take from this game was the way each and every player kept going right to the end and no heads dropped despite the scoreline. It was a shame that such an enjoyable game in which both sides played their part could not reward Upminster with the goal that their endeavor demanded but it was not to be. |
| October 1st | No Report |
| October 8th | No Report |
| October 15th |
Clacton 2's 2-0 UPM5. MOM: Jacob Spindler DOM: Paul
Cummings The weather was ideal for a trip to the seaside, ideal that is for the spectators but just a tad too warm for playing hockey. No matter, UPM5 took on a Clacton 2 side that looked very formidable right from the start. Probably over reliant on shelling the ball in from all areas of the pitch it was Clacton who began the match as the dominant team and UPM5 never really looked like they could change that. It was to the credit of the away team that half-time was reached with the score still at 0-0. Sterling defensive performances from all concerned kept UP5 in the hunt as they turned around for the start of the second half. However, shortly into the second period Clacton finally scored from one of their many short corners with a belter of a shot that found the back of the UP5 goal. This spurred Clacton on still further and they laid siege to the UPM5 goal with shots and short corners coming thick and fast. A second goal soon followed and a third was only stopped by a great block on the line from Paul Cummings from another shelled short corner. Several crucial saves by man of the match Jacob Spindler kept the scoreline respectable. Will Bonner caught a ball high on the back of his leg midway through the second half that limited his ability to move freely and he eventually had to leave the field towards the end of the game. Credit must go to the away side for competing right to the end but UPM5 were well beaten by the better team and came away reasonably satisfied with only a 2-0 defeat. |
| October 22nd |
UP5 0-1 Old Loughtonians 5 MOM/DOM: John Daltrey The early league leaders turned up looking anything but for the first 5 minutes when UP5 took the game to them and almost took an early lead from the dangerous Jade Pierce. Unfortunately it was only this first five minutes that UP5 looked the dominant side. The remaining 30 of the first half belonged to Old Loughts who grew ever more in confidence as the half progressed. Frequently one of their players would pick up the ball from the edge of their D and dribble almost to the home sides D before any sort of challenge would come from an UP5 player. It was therefore inevitable when one of these bursts from their own half was rewarded when Upminster's defenders were all drawn out of position allowing for a pass into an Old Loughts.forward standing completely unmarked by the far post for a simple tap in and a one nil lead. Half time followed shortly afterwards with the score still only 1-0 but the home side needing to reflect on a poor personal and team performance. The second half opened with much better commitment from UP5 generally but with Old Loughts still troubling the home side more than the home side troubled them. Notwithstanding, another great effort from Jade Pierce was met with a great save from the Old Loughts keeper mid-way through the half. This ensured that the away side needed to keep alert for their 1-0 lead was anything but guaranteed. Tom Trusler had a sound game at left-back for UP5 and John Daltrey scooped both the defender and man of the match accolades with a string of good saves throughout the match. UP5 held firm for the rest of the match that ensured Old Loughts did not add to their first half scoreline. Whilst the second half performance was a huge improvement on that of the first the team needs to step up a couple of gears if they want to avoid being stuck in a relegation battle this season. |
| October 29th | No Report |
| November 5th |
Upminster 5's 1-3 Rochford Casuals. MOM: John Dunnett
DOM: Tom Trusler Saturday's game was an intense battle between two sides who have not had much luck in the league so far this season. By the end of the game it was Rochford who came away with the points but the score of 3-1 did not reflect the way that the match went as Upminster were at least the equal of their opponents and did not deserve to take nothing from this game. Indeed the first half performance from the home side was their best of the season so far with the midfield battle being dominated and a plethora of chances being created that were just not put away. The ball travelled across the Rochford goal line on 4 occasions in this half when all it needed was a simple tap in to score but nobody was on hand to deliver. Then mid-way through the half Upminster conceded a goal in a rare foray from Rochford that ended with the concession of a short that was ultimately swept into the net following two or three unsuccessful efforts to clear. This injustice seemed to spur Upminster on and their reward came with an equaliser just minutes later that restored the status quo. The second half began with Upminster being forced into a team shuffle caused by the loss of one of their midfielders. This seemed to take some of the solidity out of the middle and Rochford began to get into the game a lot more. A second goal scored from a great strike from a short that put Rochford back into the lead. Upminster continued to plough away creating chances but did not have that final ball to bring things back to level. Another goal was conceded towards the end of the game that made matters safe for Rochford and knocked some of the stuffing out of the home side who felt that lady luck was just not on their side this week. |
| November 12th |
Old Southendians 4's 6-1 Upminster 5's
MOM/DOM: Ian Loman If you want to see lots of goals and plenty of goalmouth action then the Upminster 5th and 6th teams are the games to attend. Unfortunately for Upminster this season, most of the goals and action seem to be at the wrong end of the pitch ! The men's 5th team followed a decent performance from last week with a dire one this. Every player seemed to struggle to find a team mate with their passing and it was small wonder that the home team got stronger and stronger as the game progressed and their confidence increased. However, it took until mid-way through the half until the scoring opened when a part cleared short corner was whistled back in and entered the Upminster net off the thigh of defender Cummings. Another short corner produced a second Southend goal shortly afterwards and the game seemed to be heading in one obvious direction. However, just before the interval John Dunnett hit a speculative shot towards goal with the intent to set up a finish. A bad call from the home skipper to "leave it" ensured that the ball entered the net undefended to give Upminster a goal and a foothold back in the game. The second half progressed much the same way as the first with some woeful play from Upminster gifting the home side with four more goals before the final whistle. Ironically, Ian Loman grabbed both the man and defender of the match awards that really summed up the fact that matters could have been far worse on the scoring front. Upminster were grateful to hear that final whistle and one must hope that next weeks performance echoes more from the game played at the start of the month rather than the one just gone. |
| November 19th |
Upminster 5's 0- 6 East London 4's MOM: John Daltrey Due to player unavailability throughout the club this weekend Upminster 5’s were left with a shadow team and had to rely on a number of players doubling up which did not make for a good start. Couple that with the fact that East London 4’s arrived with a very strong side that would not have been embarrassed two divisions higher and the result was always going to be a foregone conclusion. UP5 competed very well throughout the game and were only beaten by a better side that were more clinical in their finishing. The game was played at a good pace and both sides passed the ball around very well. EL4 swept into the lead half-way into the first half with a good finish following some heavy pressure. This lead was increased twice more before the break but despite this the home side did not let their heads go down. A further three second half goals added to the EL4 goals tally but some great stops from John Daltrey in the home goal kept the score line from looking much worse than it ended up and he deservedly took the man of the match award. There were a couple of close misses that should have been rewarded with home goals had a little more composure been shown in front of goal. Had either of these been converted it would have put a better complexion on the final result and given UP5 some reward for their consistent battling against the odds. |
| November 26th |
The men’s 5’s continued there poor run with a 3-1 defeat at local rivals Havering, however the match was a more close encounter then previous weeks. The first half saw limited attempts on goal from either team who together spend the majority of the first 35 minutes battling out possession in the midfield. Havering’s first attempt on the Upminster goal was a fiercely hit shot which flew into the net from distance despite the best efforts of Upminster’s keeper John Daltrey who did manage to get a stick to it but only managed to deflect the ball onto the underside of the bar and into the net. Upminster equalised following some neat play down the right hand side which saw a low cross driven into the Havering box which was pounced upon by Sam Green to deliver the killer finish. An isolated occasion of poor defending by Upminster shortly before half time enabled two Havering players to get free at the top of their area to easily drill home a well placed pass which cut through all of Upminster’s defence who had all been dragged to the other side of the pitch. The second half continued to be a very close encounter with Upminster missing several good chances to equalise and Havering having limited opportunities to increase their lead. With about 15 minutes remaining Upminster, who were without any substitutes, were reduced to 10 men following an ankle injury to their right back Tom Trusler. Man of the match for Upminster was Ian Loman who provided a constant outlet for the away team and was always looking to attack from the back. Despite being down to 10 Ian continued the encouragement and push for the equaliser which inventively lead to a Havering breakway resulting in a short corner with 5 minutes remaining. Havering converted this opportunity with a well struck short which deflected of Ian Turner’s, defender of the match for Upminster, stick and looped up and over the remaining Upminster players dropping into the open net. This goal killed off any chance of Upminster coming back in the game which had been a very evenly contested match played in good spirits. |
| December 3rd |
Upminster 5's 0-4 Romford 2's MOM: Kevin Fernandes DOM: Tom Dance This was one of those games where the scoreline certainly did not reflect what happened in the game. From the off Upminster took the game by the scruff of the neck and dominated possession albeit without creating too many goal scoring opportunities. However, mid-way through the half a rare sortie into the home sides D resulted in a Romford goal and a 1-0 lead. Given the way the home sides results have gone this season this set back rattled Upminster and things looked much more even for the next ten minutes of the game but then Upminster again stepped up to the plate and bossed the match. A great save by the Romford keeper from an Ed Green shot kept the scoreline unchanged. So dominant were Upminster in possession that the home sides central defenders were playing closer to their opponents D than their own. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens when you most of your team are camped in your opponents half, a break out just before half-time caught out the Upminster defence and another goal ensured that Romford started the second half two goals to the good. Undeterred the second half continued in much the same vein as the first with Upminster dominating play and MOM Kevin Fernandes in particular having a major say in everything that Upminster created. Chances came and were spurned but to be honest there were not enough genuine chances being presented to the home forwards to reflect the dominance in play. The second half was a mirror of the first in that Romford scored a further two goals, well against the run of play, and the last of which owed a great deal of fortune to a Romford player capitalizing on a missed interception and then being rewarded when his shot took a deflection off a defender to lift it over the home keeper. Tom Dance at right back had a storming game and earned his defender of the match accolade as much for his forays going forward as anything he needed to do in defence. Upminster will play less well in future games and get something out of them result wise but rarely will they play as well as they did in this game and end up losing. |
| December 10th |
Upminster 5's 3-1 Wapping 7's MOM: Tom Dance DOM: Will Dunnett An Upminster side that were strengthened by the return of two players from University "duties" picked up a well deserved three points in a thoroughly entertaining game against Wapping. The last few weeks has shown a much improved performance from Upminster without any reward but this week was different. Right from the whistle Upminster took the game to the opposition and pushed forwards at every opportunity. The home team were equally dangerous whether it was down the right, the left or through the middle. It was no surprise when John Constable opened the scoring ten minutes in with a great angled finish after a good build up involving half a dozen passes. Continued pressure throughout the half was rewarded by a further Constable goal which was another great finish drilled into the opposite corner again after great build up play by the home side. A third goal, again from Constable, came when an unselfish pass from Sam Green left him with a simple finish to take the score to 3-0 by half time and the game looking to be in the bag. The inevitable "foot of the gas" syndrome kicked in at the start of the second half and it took some timely interventions from Will Dunnett as defender of the match to stop the away side from scoring. Upminster picked up again as the half wore on and continued to exert their authority on the game albeit without creating as many chances as they did in the first half. Wapping certainly contributed to the match with some good play of their own and this was one of those games that the spectators were enjoying watching. The away side got something out of the game with a goal late on in the match but the final result of 3-1 ensured the points went to Upminster. Each and every home player had excellent games and it is difficult to pick any one for the man of the match award. It ultimately went to Tom Dance given that he started in an unfamiliar role on the right side of the midfield and certainly did not look out of place with a cracking contribution. |
| January 14th | Match postponed due to frozen pitch |
| January 21st |
Upminster 5 1-3 Saffron Walden 5 MOM: Kevin Fernandes DOM:
Oscar Ford The home side opened this game with gusto and proceeded to dominate play creating chance after chance but whilst the ball zipped across their opponents D on numerous occasions there was no one there at the right moment to finish the moves. However, Upminster did get the ball in the net midway through the half when Dave Pennell finished well following a melee inside the D when the visitors failed to clear their lines. Upminster continued to press but could not add to their lead. Saffron Walden were then presented with a gift of an equalizer when a speculative clearance down field found their striker totally unmarked in the D and a cool finish ensured that the half ended all square at 1-1. The second half was much more even with both sides playing good hockey and creating chances that came and went. Saffron went into the lead courtesy of some more sloppy marking and a good finish from the visiting striker. As the game continued to swing from one end to the other Kevin Fernandes stood out in the midfield battle for the home side whilst Oscar Ford made some telling defensive clearances to halt many of Saffron's attacks. Another good finish from a Saffron striker towards the end of play put a rather generous score line on a game that did not reflect the overall contribution that Upminster brought to the match. The home team must be heartened by their overall performance and if they continue to play like this - and lady luck smiles a little more kindly - then more positive results will inevitably come their way during this season. |
| January 28th |
Upminster 5 2-1 Clacton 2 MOM: Martin Nutt DOM: Tom Dance A great game fought out between two very competitive sides in good spirit that was officiated by two excellent umpires. There was a contrast in styles between the sides with Upminster playing the pass and go game and Clacton relying on shelling and running. It required all 22 players to be on their mettle for the full 70 minutes because this was one of those games were mistakes were going to be punished. Indeed within the first few minutes a bad miss from a home defender allowed a Clacton forward a clear run on goal and he finished with aplomb to put the visitors 1-0 up. Upminster did not let this deter them and each and every player put in a shift to try and claw back the equaliser. Upminster were rewarded when a goal was put away by Ian Loman following some great link up play between the midfiled and attack. Upminster had the ball in the back of the goal again from a short but this was correctly disallowed for an infringement so the score remained 1-1 right up to the interval. The second half ensued at the same pace of the first but there was a sense that Upminster's style of play was starting to look far more effective than Clacton's. Some great hounding and chasing of the Clacton players by the home sides midfield and attack limited Clacton's chances to shell the ball as freely as they would have liked. Martin Nutt just about shaded the man of the match award for his tireless energy in leading the line up front and also bolstering the midfield area where needed. Tom Dance was defender of the match in keeping the right hand side clear of danger whilst also being creative in pushing forward on many occasions to help set up the home attacks. Upminster had the ball in the net midway through the second half only to be frustrated as the whistle had gone for a short only seconds beforehand. However, just seven minutes from the end another short produced several shots onto the goal with Sam Green finally blasting it in off the hand of a home defender whose valiant efforts to keep the ball out were all in vain. Upminster played out the final minutes to record their third victory of the season with, more importantly, yet another great team performance. |
| 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 |