AFC Waverton Wasps 8 v 0 AFC Waverton Bees

Chester & District Cup (12 December 2010)

Waverton Scorers (seaon's total in brackets)

Aaron Hassall  -  4 (10)

Tom McAndrew  - 2 (3)

Sam Jones  -  1 (14)

Alex Abraham  -  1 (1)

Report

For the second match running Waverton Wasps had a comfortable Cup victory, this time running out easy 8-0 winners against the club's Bees, and as a result moved into another cup Quarter Final, keeping their treble hopes alive.

The Bees started as they clearly meant to go on, defending in large numbers and making it very difficult for the Wasps to play their usual passing football, particularly in the final third. Although the Wasps had virtually all the early possession it actually took them a quarter of an hour to open the scoring, with Alex Abraham slotting home a through ball from Aaron Hassall. Even then the Bees continued to defend with organisation and determination, and frustrated the Wasps for the majority of the first half. In the end though the constant pressure had to tell, and further goals late in the half, from Sam Jones and Tom McAndrew, gave the Wasps a deserved 3-0 half time lead.

The second half continued in much the same vein, with the Wasps enjoying the vast majority of the ball but the Bees continuing to defend vigorously all over the pitch, and to their credit never letting their heads drop. During this second period however the goals were scored much more evenly, with a second strike from Tom McAndrew and four goals from Aaron Hassall, a well deserved return for him from another commanding midfield performance. The Bees threatened only rarely, and even when they did break away the Wasps defence dealt with it very professionally, with Jordan Coxall playing in a deeper sweeping role tidying up anything that did get past his team mates. The scoreline even allowed Ollie Tyler his first chance to play out on field this season, for the final 15 minutes, which he capitalised on by charging down a clearance which led to one of Aaron's goals, earning him his first assist of the season!

So, it's back to league action again next week (weather permitting) with a game against Vicars Cross giving the Wasps a chance to get back to winning league ways to add to their recent cup victories.

Coach's MoM: Aaron Hassall

Supporters' MoM: Tom McAndrew 

AFC Waverton Wasps 14 v 0 Newton Athletic

Presidents Cup (21 November 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Sheen  -  4 (21)

Robbie Foster  -  3 (5)

Aaron Hassall  -  2 (6)

Sam Jones  -  1 (13)

Will Doerr  -  1 (1)

Cameron Faulkner  -  1 (3)

Tom McAndrew  -  1 (1)

Own Goal  -  1

Report (guest reporter Mark Wilkinson!)

A solid performance to get up back up and running after last week's disappointment! and a good chance for all the squad to get some decent match time.

We took the lead after 5 minutes following a prolonged period of pressure but thanks only to an unfortunate own goal!. Both Keepers were then called into action and made fine stops at each end before the flood gates finally opened and Waverton eased into a 7-0 lead by half time.(Important to note that coach didn't make any changes until past the 4-0 "psychological barrier"!)

Newton to their credit never gave up and battled gamely throughout the second half and had decent chances to get on the score sheet but Ollie again thwarted them.

To give the score a degree of symmetry,we scored a further 7 in the second half and in fairness it could have been more, but not surprisingly we lost a bit of shape as the coach continued to rotate the line up. Next up it's Tarvin in the QFs of this Cup.

Manager's MoM: Charlie Nicholson & Robbie Foster

Supporters' MoM: Tom McAndrew

 

AFC Waverton Wasps 4 v 5 Chester Nomads

Chester & District League (14 November 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Aaron Hassall  -  2 (4)

Matt Sheen  -  1 (17)

Sam Jones  -  1 (12)

Report

Having dominated the early play, and taken a comfortable lead as a result, Waverton somehow managed to lose a game they should have wrapped up comfortably. This was a reminder, if needed, that a second league title is not a formality and will hopefully spur the team on to push forward again for the remainder of the season.

The game was barely a minute old when Sam Jones headed in a great Alex Wilkinson cross to give Waverton the lead. At this point the team were playing some lovely passing football (carrying on from last week) and it was no surprise when they doubled their lead as Aaron Hassall fired home a Cameron Faulkener through ball. After fifteen minutes they added a third, Aaron again from close range, and five minutes later took a well deserved four goal lead after a good Matt Sheen finish.

At this point it looked inevitable that Waverton would continue in this vein and win the game comfortably. Whether that caused the players to be complacent, or whether some substitutions unbalanced the team is unclear, but it was at this point that the game changed dramatically. After an unlucky own goal made it 4-1, a poor clearance allowed Nomads a second, and suddenly the visitors heads were up and a game that had looked over became a close contest. When they added a third, with a fantastic strike just before half time, suddenly Waverton were heading in to the break with just a 4-3 lead.

The team came out for the second period looking brighter, and at least started to put together some better passing football again. Somehow though the shock of the Nomads comeback seemed to have had a lasting effect, and through both some bad luck and some outstanding work by the Nomads goalkeeper Waverton simply couldn't get the fifth goal that a lot of their approach play deserved. Meanwhile, at the other end, the Nomads team could clearly sense an upset and with the blistering pace of their two forwards they always presented a danger. Mid way through the half they scored again to make if 4-4.

Both sides continued to push for a winner, and with Waverton committing so many players to attack (to maintain their winning run) the perhaps inevitable happened as they left themselves exposed to a seven man breakaway by Nomads, which gave them a very unlikely 5-4 lead. The Wasps didn't give up and pushed hard for an equaliser in the final five minutes, but a combination of woodwork, bad luck and further goalkeeping heroics just underlined it was going to be "one of those days" (see Malpas last season!).

Disappointing as the result is, Waverton need to pick themselves up, regard this as a wake up call, and then push on again for the remainder of the season. It's still a campaign where, if they play to their best, a treble is still perfectly achievable.  

Groves Athletic 0 v 9 AFC Waverton Wasps

Chester & District League (7 November 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Sheen  -  4 (16)

Sam Jones  -  2 (11)

Aaron Hassall  -  2 (2)

Cameron Faulkener  - 1 (2)

Report

Waverton's best team display of the season saw them cruise to a very comfortable 9-0 victory over Groves Athletic, maintaining their clear lead at the top of the table.

As the game kicked off it looked like it might be the soft conditions which could cause the Wasps some difficulty, along with the absence of regular keeper Ollie Tyler. Quickly though they made light of both, taking a very early lead as Matt Sheen chased down a goalkeeper's clearance, with the rebound going back into the Groves goal. Having settled early, Waverton then played their best passing football of the season for the remainder of the half, with a a second goal from Matt Sheen and further strikes from Cameron Faulkener and Aaron Hassall (his debut goal for the club) giving them a clear 4-0 advantage at the break.

Despite fielding two stand in keepers (one in each half) the Wasps' dominance was so complete, from defence right through to attack, that they never looked like conceding a goal and actually kept their first clean sheet of the season. Having gone through a quieter spell at the start of the second period, adding just one more goal from Sam Jones, Waverton then finished very strongly with a flurry of goals in the last ten minutes. Two confident finishes from Matt Sheen (making four in total) and second strikes from both Aaaron Hassall and Sam Jones made the final scoreline 9-0, which was by no means flattering given the Wasps complete superiority throughout.

That makes the team's league record so far this season;

Played 7, Won 7, For 41, Against 9.

Giving a clear message that the team simply need to maintain this type of form to retain their title.

Manager's MoM: Jorge Percival

Supporters' MoM: Tom McAndrew & Aaron Hassall  

Chester Nomads Colts 1 v 3 AFC Waverton Wasps

Chester & District League (17 October 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Sam Jones  -  3 (9)

Report

In a match which was much more comfortable than the scoreline suggests Waverton cruised to their sixth straight league victory of the season, maintaining a six point advantage at the top of the table.

The team lined up with another new formation (with the manager clearly having too much time on his hands!), with Robbie Foster asked to take a "holding" role in front of the back four, and from the first whistle it appeared to work well with Waverton dominant from the start. The Colts were clearly keen to avoid the margin of victory they'd suffered earlier in the season and were set up much more defensively than usual themselves. As a result it took the Wasps around 20 minutes to take the lead their play deserved, with Sam Jones running on to an Alex Wilkinson through ball to slot home past the advancing keeper. The away team continued to dominate possession after their breakthrough, but coming up against some dogged defending from the Colts they were unable to add to their lead before half time.

There was no sense of panic from the Wasps about holding such a slender lead though, picking up exactly where they'd left off at the start as the second period got underway, and it paid dividends after just a couple of minutes. Another strong cross from the left from Matt Sheen was headed on by Aaron Hassall and scrambled home by Sam Jones to double the Wasps lead. Half way through the half Matt Sheen won a free kick on the left, and the Wasps dead ball specialist Sam Jones produced another great strike to complete his hat-trick, and to earn himself bragging rights all week at school!

At this point both sides seemed to accept that the contest was effectively over, and although Waverton continued to outplay their opponents there was little further goal threat at either end. Once again the Wasps had defended very solidly throughout the match, with the added protection of Robbie in front of them, and looked well set for their first clean sheet of the season until a mix up in a reorganised back line let the Colts in for a late consolation goal with just a couple of minutes to go. The game ended without further incident though, leaving Waverton with the following excellent record from the first half of their league campaign;

Played 6, Won 6, Goals For 32, Goals Against 9

Scorers; Matt Sheen 12, Sam Jones 9, Alex Wilkinson 6, Robbie Foster 2, Cameron Faulkner 1, Charlie Nicholson 1, Jordan Coxall 1

Manager's MoM: Aaron Hassall

Supporters' MoM: Robbie Foster   

 

Vicars Cross Dynamos 2 v 5 AFC Waverton Wasps

Chester & District League (10 October 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Sheen  -  3 (12)

Charlie Nicholson  -  1 (1)

Jordan Coxall  -  1 (1)

Report

Despite making this much harder than they needed to, Waverton eventually ran out winners by a comfortable scoreline of 5-2, and as a result they retain their 100% record for the season and maintain their lead at the top of the table.

The Wasps lined up in an unfamiliar 4-3-3 formation at kick off, giving a start to a number of the squad players. This didn't impact on their dominance of possession, but the unfamiliar balance of the side did seem to prevent the team from finishing any of their moves to take a deserved lead. In particular, Matt Sheen was running the right back ragged throughout the first half, but the other strikers just couldn't apply any decisive strikes to the series of good quality crosses that he was delivering. It was only after 25 minutes or so therefore that Waverton eventually broke the deadlock, with Charlie Nicholson latching on to another through ball from Matt to put the team 1-0 up. With Matt Sheen himself adding a second of his own before the break, and the defence having restricted Vicars Cross to a couple of speculative shots, Waverton went in to half time with a 2-0 led that was probably less than their dominance deserved.

Vicars Cross had not really threatened during the first period, so it was a bit of a surprise when they quickly hit back to 2-1 after the restart. Waverton still have a weakness defending set pieces, and with a corner only half cleared one of the Wasps "old boys" Seb Dunn scored in the top corner. As they've done all season though Waverton responded well to the set back and simply pushed forward again, but it seemed to be "one of those days" as a number of chances went begging and the Wasps again failed to take the size of lead their possession and play should clearly be giving them. As a result there was almost an inevitability that they'd get hit by another sucker punch, and when a couple of chances were missed to clear a rare Vicars Cross attack the home team capitalised on it to bring the scores level at 2-2, with just ten minutes remaining.

As they did so many times last season though, Waverton kept calm and simply pushed on even harder to re-establish their advantage. This time it was Vicars Cross who struggled to clear a corner, and when Alex Wilkinson prodded it goalwards Jordan Coxall was on hand to force it in from close range, to put Waverton 3-2 up. With their noses back in front the Wasps calmed down and played some of their best football of the match in the last 5 or 6 minutes, with Matt Sheen calmly converting through balls from Robbie Foster & Alex Wilkinson to complete another hat-trick, and to put himself firmly back on top of the Wasps Dream Team stats.

So a scoreline of 5-2 looks very comfortable in the end, and it's probably less than Waverton's overall dominance deserved, but they do need to be more clinical on occasions, and make sure games like this are won as easily as they should be given the way they've dominated possession. Still it's now five straight league wins, and a six point margin from second place, putting Waverton in the driving seat to retain their title.

Manager's MoM  -  Matt Sheen

Supporters' MoM - Charlie Nicholson & Jordan Coxall

Wasps Dream Team ...

... a quick rules clarification.

This season's scoring is very similar to last year's (as laid out to the right) but with a couple of minor changes to the "Assists" rules. This is now staggered (as laid out in the 5 Sept blog below) and it kicked in right from the start of the season (the October date shown on the right refers to last season). Assists are now 1 point for attackers, 3 for midfielders and 5 for defenders. It would clearly be easier if I changed the rules text to relect this, but unfortunately this is embedded on the site and I don't have the technical capacity to change it!!

Despite this rule change our front players continue to dominate, with a really close contest at the top (after four competitive games): Sam Jones (64) holds a slender lead from Matt Sheen (63), with Alex Wilkinson's improved goal tally this season putting him in third (56).

JFC Boughton 3 v 4 AFC Waverton Wasps

Chester & District League (26 September 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Sam Jones  -  2 (6)

Matt Sheen  -  1 (9)

Robbie Foster  -  1 (2)

Report

As expected JFC Boughton provided Waverton with their stiffest challenge so far this season, but the Wasps managed to hold on to a one goal lead for the final 10 minutes to take the three points, and they now hold a clear lead at the top of the Chester & District league table.

For once Waverton started the brighter of the two teams, and the frontline of Matt Sheen and Sam Jones immediately started to cause the Boughton defence problems, just as they'd done in last season's cup final. This early pressure resulted in a couple of early corners, both delivered well by Sam, and Robbie Foster got on the end of the second one with a firm header which the Boughton keeper couldn't keep out, giving Waverton a deserved lead.

Instead of pushing on from this goal though Waverton almost seemed to relax, allowing Boughton to get back into the game, especially in midfield where they started to win the majority of the balls. It wasn't that surprising therefore when, after a number of half chances, Boughton finally forced home an equaliser from close range after about 20 minutes. The Wasps reacted well to this setback though and pushed forward again immediately from the restart, and just a couple of minutes later they won a free-kick about 30 yards out, on the right. It was clear Sam Jones would take a shot from this range, and he struck the ball beautifully into the top corner giving the Boughton goalie no chance, putting Waverton back in front.

After this Waverton started to play some better passing football, resulting in a well worked third goal as Matt Sheen calmly slotted home from a Cameron Faulkner cross. Although they'd been pushed harder than during any game so far this season, Waverton, having weathered a storm in the middle of the half, probably deserved to go into the break 3-1 up. The Wasps continued to take this better play into the early exchanges in the second half, and started to look for a fourth goal. When they were awarded another free kick, ten minutes into the second period, "deadshot" Jones again lined it up for another "bullet", and despite the efforts of a Boughton defender to head it off the line it went in to give the Wasps a 4-1 lead.

At this point, with around 20/25 minutes to go, it might have been expected that the Boughton players heads would start to go down and Waverton would add to their lead. To give Boughton great credit though they never gave up and actually played some of their best football over the last quarter of the match, pushing forward strongly to get themselves back into the game. When Ollie parried out a Boughton free-kick their strikers got to it first to force home a second goal with 15 minutes remaining, and five minutes later another scrappy goal made the scoreline a much closer 4-3 to Waverton, with ten "long" minutes still remaining!

The Wasps have added some real steel to their play in the last season and a half though, and where they might have crumbled under such pressure in the past they held firm, with some last ditch tackles, a goal line clearance and overall defending very solidly as team to keep Boughton at bay. On the total balance of play Waverton probably just edged the match, making 4-3 a fair scoreline, but it remains clear the destination of the league title will still, almost certainly, rest on the result of the return match between these two very strong U14s teams.

Manager's MoM:  George Gresty

Supporters' MoM:  Sam Jones 

 

 

AFC Waverton Wasps 7 v 1 Chester Nomads Colts

Chester & District League (19 September 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Sheen  -  3 (8)

Alex Wilkinson  -  2 (6)

Sam Jones  -  1 (4)

Cameron Faulkener  -  1 (1)

Report

A real game of two halves. With both sides struggling to come to terms with a heavy pitch a disappointing first half ended 1-1, but in the second half Waverton recaptured their form, outmuscled and outplayed the Colts and eventually ran out very comfortable 7-1 winners.

On a heavy Waverton pitch, with two games played on it earlier in the day, both sides struggled to put together any good passing football in the first half. Waverton were well on top in terms of possession, but failed to convert any of their chances, and then fell behind after half an hour as Jack Powell fired home a trademark bullet shot from wide out, albeit from a slightly dubious free kick award. The Wasps though didn't panic at falling behind, and just before the break they got a well deserved equaliser as Cameron Faulkener latched on to a defensive error to slot home from close in.

Waverton built on this as the second half started, and they were immediately back on top. When Alex Wilkinson was fouled in the box, Sam Jones scored from the resultant penalty, keeping up his usual habit of scoring against his Kings schoolmates. Soon afterwards Matt Sheen scored his first of the afternoon for the Wasps to take a 3-1 lead, and with Waverton now looking by far the stronger team on the difficult pitch it was largely one way traffic from there on in.

The home team scored at regular intervals therafter, with Matt Sheen completing yet another hat-trick and Alex Wilkinson continuing his good early season goal scoring form with another double. So, despite being level at the break, Waverton's usual strong second period saw a complete turnaround and they eventually registered another very convincing victory by a margin of 7-1. That's now three wins out of three in the league, and a very encouraging record of 20 goals scored and just 3 conceded by an increasingly strong looking defence.

Next up it's the "old enemy" Boughton, and if Waverton can continue their winning ways in that game it should set them up well to retain their league title.

Manager's MoM  -  Cameron Faulkner

Supporter's MoM - again given as a joint team award for a strong fighting display from the whole squad

P.S. The Dream Team will be updated as soon as we (or Andrew Thompson!) can overcome some current "technical issues" on the website   

Chester Nomads 1 v 5 AFC Waverton Wasps

Chester & District League (12 September 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets) 

Alex Wilkinson  -  2 (4)

Sam Jones  -  2 (3)

Matt Sheen  -  1 (5)

Report

As usual a strong Nomads team presented Waverton with a stiff test, especially during an even first half, but the Wasps proved to be the better team in the end, running out comfortable 5-1 winners and maintaining their early lead in the league table.

The early exchanges were very even, but without any clear chances at either end. After 15 minutes however Matt Sheen raced on to a long ball over the top from Robbie Foster and slotted home for Waverton to take a 1-0 lead. Nomads were not deterred by this setback though, and they continued to push forward strongly, taking control of the central midfield, and it was no real surprise when they equalised 10 minutes before half time. In the lead up to the break they remained the more attacking team, but the Waverton defence held firm, including one goal line clearance from George Gresty.

Waverton made some tactical changes at half time to address the midfield imbalance, to good effect, with Aaron Hassall proving very effective in the "holding" role and Sam Jones adding more "bite" to the Wasps attack. As a result the whole team looked much stronger in the second period, and began to dominate the game. Matt Sheen turned provider with two excellent crosses from the left which were turned in by Alex Wilkinson and Sam Jones respectively, to give the Wasps a deserved 3-1 lead.

With another strong back four performance preventing the dangerous Nomads attackers from creating any real goal scoring opportunities there was only likely to be further goals at one end, and with Waverton now dominating the game it was no surprise when Alex W and Sam J added a second goal each (both from good long range strikes) to make the final margin 5-1 to the Wasps.

Looking at it from the perspective of 1-1 at half time this might look like a flattering score for Waverton, but the all round improvement in their team play in the second period meant they probably deserved this comfortable victory in the end, and it should put the team in confident mood to take on Nomads Colts and Boughton over the next two weeks.

Manager's MoM Awards - Cameron Faulkener & Matt Sheen

Supporters' MoM Awards - Aaron Hassall & Sam Jones 

Wasps Dream Team ...

... is back up and running again this season, with the first scores (after the Castrol game) already showing on the site.

Scoring is largely the same as last season with one small change, to even things up a bit the "assist" points are now staggered, with 1 point for strikers, 3 points for midfielders and 5 points for defenders. Despite which Mr Sheen has again taken an early lead!

AFC Waverton Wasps 8 v 1 Castrol Athletic

Chester & District League (5 September 2010)

Waverton Scorers

Matt Sheen   4

Alex Wilkinson   2

Sam Jones   1

Robbie Foster   1

Report

Waverton had a rather strange beginning to the season with both teams having to get back in their cars and travel up the motorway to switch venues with Castol. Once the match got underway though it was soon "business as usual" from last season, and the Wasps ran out comfortable 8-1 winners to get their title defence off to a solid start.

Castrol were "competitive" throughout, probably giving Waverton a taste of what to expect this season as every team attempts to upset the reigning champions. As a result it took 10/15 minutes before the Wasps managed to break down their opponents, but after Alex Wilkinson was felled in the box, Matt Sheen (despite needing a rebound) scored from the resultant penalty to open up his, and the teams, account for the season. Once Alex Wilkinson had added a second, shortly afterwards, it steadily became a more one sided affair, and when Robbie Foster scored from close range just before the break Waverton reached half time with a well deserved 3-0 advantage.

Having established their dominance the Wasps continued to add to their lead at regular intervals in the second half, with Matt Sheen scoring another three, the captain scoring his second and Sam Jones scoring the goal his all round play deserved (winning him the Manager's MoM award). Probably the unluckiest player on the field was Waverton's only debutant this season, Aaron Hassall, who went close with a number of chances (including striking the woodwork twice) during a very assured first performance in yellow.

Probably the only challenge left to Waverton was to make sure they "kept their cool" as the tackles continued to fly in, and it was great to see the boys do so, but without ever shirking from the physical challenge. The back four in particular looked strong all afternoon, with a calm performance from Ollie behind them, and they will have been disappointed to just miss out on a clean sheet after conceding a goal late on as the result of a tactical mix-up in defending a Castrol free kick.

So, after a comfortable victory in the end, the first three points are in the bag following a good, if slightly rusty, team performance. Next up though it's Chester Nomads who are bound to provide a stiffer challenge, but one the Wasps will be confident of overcoming.  

Princes Villa 1 v 6 AFC Waverton Wasps

Chester & District League (2 May 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Sheen  2 (43)

Will Doerr  2 (3)

Sam Jones  1 (16)

Robbie Foster  1 (11)

Report

After all the drama and the heartache that's come before it was almost inevitable that Waverton would end up securing their first league title in one of their most uneventful games of the season! This was a very comfortable 6-1 victory over Princes Villa, but importantly it puts them beyond Boughton's reach, and thus marks the first Wasps victory in the Chester & District league.

The first fifteen minutes was some of the best passing football the team have produced at any point in this successful season, and it was simply too good for Princes Villa to cope with, resulting in simple tap in goals for Will Doerr, Robbie Simpson and Matt Sheen, two of them after some great interplay down the right between Sam Jones and Matty Harland-Jones.

After coasting through the remainder of the first half, with Princes Villa rarely threatening the solid Waverton defence, the team went into the break with a 3-0 lead, looking a long odds on chance to secure the title. The pattern was little changed in the second half, with further Waverton goals from Will Doerr, Matt Sheen and Robbie Foster. Defensively the Wasps deserved a clean sheet, but just missed out after Princes Villa's continued efforts were rewarded with one consolation strike mid way through the half.

So it was a comfortable 6-1 at the end, and the title was secured. It may not have been as exciting as some of what had passed before (but very good for the nerves!), but the team's consistency, team spirit and fighting qualities throughout the season have made them deserved CHAMPIONS!!! Now it's time to concentrate on the Cup Final and the chance for a memorable double.

Time for a bit of a season to date stats update;

Played 22, Won 19, Drawn 1, Lost 2.

Goals For 106, Goals Against 44 (in the second half it's F64 A18!)

Scorers

43  -  Matt Sheen

16  -  Sam Jones

11  -  Robbie Foster

7   -  Matt Simpson & Alex Wilkinson

4   -  Luke White

3   -  Cameron Faulkner, Jorge Percival & Will Doerr

2   -  Jordan Coxall, Matt Bannaghan & Scott Evans

1   -  Alex Abraham, George Gresty & Own Goal 

Appearances

22  -  Alex Wilkinson, Robbie Foster, Matt Sheen & George Gresty

21  -  Jorge Percival, Jordan Coxall, Cameron Faulkner & Ollie Tyler

20  -  Will Doerr

19  -  Sam Jones & Alex Abraham

11  -  Matt Bannaghan

10  -  Matt Simpson & Sam Gilliland

8   -  Luke White

2   -  Scott Evans

1   -  Matt Harland-Jones 

MoM Awards

6  -  Matt Sheen

3  -  Alex Wilkinson, Jordan Coxall, Matt Simpson, Will Doerr, Robbie Foster, Cameron Faulkner & Ollie Tyler

2  -  Sam Jones, Jorge Percival, George Gresty & Matt Bannaghan

1  -  Scott Evans 

AFC Waverton Wasps 6 v 2 Castrol Athletic

Chester & District League (25 April 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Simpson  3 (7)

Matt Sheen  2 (41)

Robbie Foster  1 (10)

Coach's MoM  -  Matt Simpson

Supporters' MoM  -  Matt Bannaghan

Report

After last week's Semi-Final victory (making it much harder than it needed to be!) it was back to league action for the Wasps, with the small matter of a first League Title to win! In order to take an unassailable lead at the top, Waverton needed to win two of their final three league games, and despite another small scare at the start they chalked up the first of these victories fairly easily against a Castrol side who will be going down to League Two next season.

The Wasps started brightly, but once again squandered a whole host of early chances, as a result of which the Castrol team started to play with a bit more confidence. It was still against the run of play however when Castrol took the lead, with an excellent strike from the edge of the box, after Waverton had only half cleared a corner. Despite this setback though the Wasps continued to play good approach football, but somehow managed to keep failing to finish off their numerous good moves. At one point, after about 15 minutes, the Sky statistics would probably have read "Castrol 1 shot, Waverton 12 shots" but amazingly the away side still held a one goal lead.

It still seemed inevitable however that the floodgates would open, and after Matt Simpson eventually slotted home the equaliser after 20 minutes it was one way traffic for the remainder of the half and unsurprising that Matt Sheen and Robbie Foster added two further goals to take Waverton into the half time break with a 3-1 lead, an advantage their overall dominance had more than deserved.

With a comfortable lead the second half was much less eventful, and far less stressful for the long suffering Waverton management & supporters. The two striking Matts had both added a second to their tallies mid way through the second half, making it 5-1, before Castrol pulled back a second consolation goal after the only real lapse all game from the Waverton defence (who'd all performed much better and more calmly than in last week's SF). The final few minutes saw the Wasps largely sitting on their comfortable lead, and the only real event of note was Matt Simpson scoring his hat-trick goal to make it 6-2 at the final whistle.

So, just two league games to go (Princes Villa & Newton) and Waverton need just one more victory from these to ensure they beat Boughton into second place and secure the league title. The Princes Villa game next weekend could see them over the finishing line.  

Chester Nomads Colts 3 v 5 AFC Waverton Wasps

Duke of Westminster Cup Semi Final (18 April 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Sheen  5 (39)

Coach & Supporters MoM - Matt Sheen

Report

After two straight defeats (their first of the season), followed by a three week break, it was important for Waverton to get back to winning ways. Oh, and there was the small matter of a Cup Final to get through to as well! Having first made it difficult for themselves (in what's now their traditional style) the Wasps did indeed taste victory again, beating the Colts 5-3 and will, once again, face the "old enemy" Boughton in the Westminster Cup Final.

Waverton started strongly and took a very early lead, just a couple of minutes in, when the Colts keeper missed his clearance from a back pass allowing Matt Sheen to slot the ball into an empty net. With confidence high from the early goal the Wasps then dominated the next twenty minutes, playing some good fast passing football, and deservedly took a two goal lead from another Matt Sheen strike.

At this stage Waverton were also performing well in defence, and the Colts had not had a serious strike on goal. Just in case they made it to easy for themselves however (and too calm for the supporters!) they then made a big mistake, with a defender & goalkeeper pass-back mix up allowing a Colts attacker to simply tap the ball into another empty net to bring the score back to 2-1. Rocked onto their heels by this set back the Wasps previous dominance suddenly seemed to evaporate at this point, and the Colts pushed forward with new found confidence. It was therefore Waverton who were happiest to get to the break with no further score.

Having regrouped at half time Waverton started the second half better again. In general possession and play they were always the better team throughout, so it was no surprise when they regained their two goal advantage 5 minutes into the second period, and even less surprise that it was Matt Sheen's hat-trick goal that got them there.

Realising that it was "now or never" Colts started to push more players forward, and with a two goal lead restored Waverton started to sit back too much rather than continuing to push for another goal. The result was a period of Colts pressure, which Waverton withstood well for a while, but then made another couple of defensive errors, both of which were punished by good finishes, and suddenly it was 3-3 with about twenty minutes of the game still remaining.

All season though Waverton have shown great character when their "backs are against the wall". Having found themselves only level in a game they'd dominated for long periods they could have panicked, but instead they simply regrouped and, once again, started to play the better football. Having created a number of openings they retook the lead 4-3 (Matt's fourth) with about ten minutes remaining. With Colts throwing even more men forward the defence didn't make any more errors, and the minutes started to tick away (slowly!). In an attempt to equalise Nomads then committed everybody forward allowing Sam Jones to latch on to a long through ball and get in one on one with the keeper, and although his shot was parried "you know who" had managed to get up in support to knock in his fifth goal of the game (winning him both MoM awards) and put the wasps 5-3 up.

Having played out the last couple of minutes, with no further incident, Waverton eventually won a game that really should have been considerably easier, and would have been had it not been livened up by pressing the "self destruct button" on a couple of occasions! So, with a cup final place assured in May, it's now back to league action next week (against Castrol) with the Double still a very firm possibility (if the team can just stay calm!).     

AFC Waverton Wasps 0 v 2 Vauxhall Motors

Cheshire FA Minor Cup Final (21 March 2010, at FC Heswall)

Coach's MoM - Ollie Tyler

Report

After a fantastic run, in their first ever Cheshire County Cup campaign, Waverton were pitched against a very strong Vauxhalls team in the final, with over 90 other teams having already been eliminated.

The Wasps made a very strong start, attacking down the hill, and for the first 15/20 minutes they played some of their best passing football of the season. Throughout this period Waverton totally dominated the game, and the Vauxhall team looked a bit shellshocked and surprised that they were getting outplayed all over the pitch. However Waverton didn't make the most of this advantage. They created five or six really good openings, but in each case the final shot was either off the mark or underhit, and as a result the Wasps didn't take the lead their play deserved and for all their dominance they never seriously troubled the Vauxhall keeper.

The final fifteen minutes of the first half were more even, but with both defences remaining dominant, and it was unsurprising to see the game reach the half time interval goal-less. At the break though it was definitely Waverton who had the most to regret about only being on level terms.

Vauxhall changed their formation at half time, strengthening their midfield, and in addition they were now kicking down the slope for the second period. This saw a real change around in the game's fortunes and Waverton started to struggle to create any real danger. It remained a cagey game however, and when the breakthrough eventually came, after about 50 minutes, it was a rather scrappy goal (from a mix up in the Waverton defence) rather than any great attacking move which allowed Vauxhall to take the lead.

Although Waverton pushed forward for an equaliser they never really seemed to be able to regain the momentum they'd achieved in the first half, or create any significant openings. After Vauxhall doubled their lead from a corner with 10/15 minutes left they sat back on their lead, and Waverton never really looked like pulling things back. In fact the more likely scorers throughout the second half were Vauxhall, and it was only through some great saves by Ollie Tyler that the Wasps were able to prevent any further additions to the scoreline.

Genuinely a game of two halves. Had Waverton gone one or two goals ahead in the first half, as their dominance desrved, then they'd probably have gone on to win the game. With the Wasps having missed their chance though, Vauxhall then dominated the second half and on the evidence of that period probably deserved their victory. While it's hard not to be disappointed at finishing runners-up, and not collecting the trophy, Waverton should be very proud of beating some very good teams along the way, and deservedly finished second in the whole County!

Malpas & District 6 v 4 AFC Waverton Wasps

Chester & District League (14 March 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Sheen  2 (34)

Luke White  2 (4)

Coach's MoM  -  Cameron Faulkner

Report

After a run of 17 unbeaten competitive games the Wasps finally lost that record with a very lacklustre performance against Malpas at Carden Park.

Kicking off downhill in the first half Waverton got off to a reasonable start (although Malpas were already showing signs of being much more competitive than they had in the first meeting of the two teams back in January), and took a one goal lead after a good finish from top scorer Matt Sheen.

Instead of building on this lead however the whole team seemed to tackle the remainder of the half quite complacently, and Malpas quickly gained in confidence. After a couple of defensive slip ups from Waverton, and one excellent strike from Malpas, the home side took a surprising (but not undeserved) 3-1 lead into the break.

Now Waverton had been behind at HT a number of times earlier in the season, only to fight back strongly in the second period, and when Matt Sheen scored a second to make it 3-2 just after half-time it looked for a moment like it might happen again. However a quick reply from Malpas, and a very undeserved penalty (for handball) allowed the home team to move back ahead 5-2, after which the Waverton team's heads dropped (for the first time this season) and despite a late flurry they never really got back into the game and ended up 6-4 losers.

Although it was a well below par performance from the Wasps, credit must also be given to a Malpas side who'd improved remarkably over their earlier season form and, on the day, thoroughly deserved the victory. Waverton now need to win two of their remaining three league games to win their first League title, so it's still well within grasp although they'll need to play better than this!  

AFC Waverton 4 v 2 JFC Boughton

Chester & District League (7 March 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Robbie Foster  1 (9)

Alex Wilkinson  1 (7)

Cameron Faulkner  1 (3)

Jorge Percival  1  (3)

MoM Awards

Both the Coach and the Supporters gave a team award for this game, after everbody contributed to an "against the odds" victory.

Report

For such a crucial game, against the "old enemy" in what was virtually a title decider, the Wasps starting line-up was significantly understrength, with one key player unavailable, a second not due to arrive until half time and a third arriving at the game having sustained an injury that morning. That the team available was able to beat Boughton 4-2, and deservedly so (in the end!), shows how much the whole squad has progressed this season. 

Mindful of their weakened line-up the Wasps started the game very nervously, and it was Boughton who dominated the game for long spells during the first half. Waverton were struggling to create any chances, or even to hold the ball upfield for any length of time, putting the defence under almost constant pressure. As always though the back four remained solid, with Ollie helping them by coming out to claim a lot of through balls, and as a result they only conceded one goal (from a goalmouth scramble) in the half. When Matt Sheen beat his man and crossed for Alex Wilkinson to score, with five minutes to go before half-time, the resultant 1-1 HT score was probably more than Waverton deserved at that stage.

Having been reminded of their great "second half" record though, and boosted by Sam Jones' arrival, the Wasps started the second half with much more confidence and started to look the beter team. After ten minutes of the second period therefore it wasn't a surprise when they took the lead, with Jorge Percival hitting a solid thirty yard effort which the Boughton keeper couldn't prevent crossing the line.

With Boughton really needing to win the game, to gain advantage back in the league, this second Waverton goal was clearly a big blow to them and their heads seemed to drop a little at this point. The Wasps continued to press forward, and play some better passing football, and got the results this deserved, with Cameron Faulkner and Robbie Foster both firing in from close range after the Boughton defence had failed to clear, to make the score 4-1.

From this point on the victory was fairly comfortable. The Wasps defence had put up their usual strong performance in the second half, and although they did let in one slightly sloppy goal with five minutes to go, it never looked like Boughton were going to get back into the game, with Waverton completing a league double over them for the first time. This result puts Waverton's first ever league title very firmly in their own hands, barring a couple of slip ups (against teams they should really beat) the team should be able to stay uncatchable at the top of the division, and then hope to build on this in the two Cups they can still win.    

Chester Nomads Colts 2 v 3 Waverton Wasps

Chester & District League (28th February 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Sheen  1 (32)

Sam Jones  1 (15)

Scott Evans  1 (2)

MoM Awards

Coach's  -  Scott Evans

Supporters'  -  Ollie Tyler

Report

For the first time this season the Wasps "lost" the second half of a game, which resulted in a very nervous final few minutes, but they eventually held on to secure a 3-2 victory and maintain their title challenge.

Waverton started the first half with a strong wind behind them, and used it to their advantage to completely dominate the early exchanges. Despite playing some lovely passing football though it took Waverton quite a long time to get the goal their play deserved, with several chances going begging and some desperate "last ditch" defending from the Colts. Eventually a goal was inevitable, and after about 20 minutes the Wasps finally broke the deadlock, with Sam Jones converting a penalty after Scott Evans was fouled when through on goal.

On the balance of chances during the first half the Wasps should have gone into the break 5 or 6 ahead, but the goals just wouldn't come, with one shot hitting a post and several others saved on the line, or flashing just past the post. When Matt Sheen added a second just before the whistle (his 32nd of the season) the 2-0 HT lead was the very least the team deserved from what was (finishing apart) probably the best half of football they'd played all season.

Five minutes into the second period, Scott Evans met a Robbie Foster corner and headed the Wasps into a 3-0 lead and, at that stage, the game looked all over. Despite now playing into the wind it was still Waverton who looked most like scoring for the next quarter of an hour, but again they were guilty of not making this dominance count with more goals.

Then the inevitable happened and the Colts, who'd threatened little against the strong Waverton defence, pulled a goal back with an excellent long distance strike. This gave the Colts some belief back, and for a while the Wasps started to wobble in defending against an ever stronger wind which meant they were struggling to get the ball clear. From the third Colts corner in quick succession the ball was cleared off the line, but rebounded back into the Waverton net, making the score an unlikely 3-2, with ten minutes still to go.

Once again though Waverton showed the same fighting spirit they've exhibited all season, although this time it was needed to hold on to a slim advantage rather than staging a comeback. All eleven players combined to hold out against a Colts side which was now playing much better, only allowing them one clear chance, from which Ollie Tyler made the "save of the season", to ensure Waverton recorded their 14th consecutive victory and remained clear at the top of the league.    

AFC Waverton 2 v 1 Stockport Junior Blues

Cheshire County Cup, Semi Final (14 February, 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Sheen   2 (31)

MoM Awards

Coach's  - Alex Wilkinson/Matt Sheen

Supporters'  -  Matt Sheen

Report

If there can be such a thing as a comfortable 2-1 victory then this was it. As a result, the Wasps have now progressed through to the final in the Cheshire County Cup, the biggest trophy they can compete for at this age, a competition in which 97 sides were initially entered.

Things looked before the game like they might be difficult, with six of the Stockport side bigger than Matt Sheen (and therefore considerably bigger than most of our players!). After the whistle though it soon looked different and Waverton dominated the early proceedings, playing good passing football and competing very well against the bigger team. Having missed  a couple of earlier half chances it was no more than the Wasps deserved when they took the lead after 15 minutes, with Matt Sheen running on to a through ball from Alex Wilkinson and finishing the move with one of his trademark, clinical left foot finishes.

Waverton could have added to the lead soon after, but having weathered the storm the Stockport team did come back into the game and had their best spell for the final ten minutes of the first half. Waverton found it particularly difficult defending corners against their taller opponents, but defended doggedly. Having first hit the bar though, Stockport did equalise with five minutes to go before the break after a strong run and good finish from their main striker.

With the Wasps great record in second halves though it was not a disaster to go into half time level, and after the team talk they again came out strong in the second half and reasserted their earlier dominance. The introduction of Luke White down the left had given Stockport something new to worry about, and after ten minutes he fed another ball to Matt Sheen, who appeared to hit the ball too early, but the quality of the shot was good enough to beat the Stockport keeper and put the Wasps back in front 2-1.

That still left twenty minutes or more to go, but the Wasps continued to run the game and the Stockport heads started to drop. There were excellent performances all over the pitch, with the strikers unlucky not to add to the lead, the midfield fighting for every loose ball, and Ollie and the defence giving a superb second half performance, with a Stockport attack, that had initially looked dangerous, not landing a single shot on target in the second period.

So, deservedly, the Wasps take their place in the County Cup Final, where their opponents will be a very strong Vauxhall team but, given their performances to date, Waverton need to fear nobody. The game is scheduled for 21 March (venue to be confirmed). 

 

AFC Waverton 5 v 1 Princes Villa

Chester & District League (7th February 2010)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Sheen  2 (29)

Robbie Foster  1 (8)

Matty Bannaghan  1 (2)

Scott Evans  1 (1)

MoM Awards

Coach's  -  Robbie Foster

Supporters'  -  Cameron Faulkener

Report

Not one of their strongest performances of the season, but in the end Waverton proved too strong for a spirited Princes Villa team, and this win took them back to the top of the league. The four goal margin was probably a bit harsh on Princes Villa, but for once the Wasps finishing was more clinical and they made the most of their chances.

The early exchanges were fairly even, with Princes Villa showing they were no pushovers with lots of strength and pace in midfield and up front. After about a quarter of an hour however Waverton took a two goal lead, with well taken goals from both strikers Matt Sheen & Scott Evans. Princes Villa continued to push to get back into the game, but after an initial shaky period the Waverton defence were starting to deal much better with their pacy strikers and it was instead the Wasps who struck again, to take a three goal lead with a second goal from Matt Sheen. Princes Villa's heads didn't drop though, and when they pulled a goal back just before half time, after a rare slip in the Waverton defence, it was probably the least they deserved from a good first half performance.

After the break the next goal was always going to be crucial. If it had gone to Princes Villa it would have been very much game on, but instead it was Robbie Foster who scored the fourth for Waverton, a goal he richly deserved to cap another commanding performance in midfield. Finally the visiting team's heads started to drop, finding themselves 4-1 down in a game where they'd probably shared the possession 50/50 (to that point), and the remaining 15/20 minutes were a bit of a stroll for Waverton, marked only by a longe range goal from Matty Bannaghan on the left, which flew over the keeper and into the side netting.

Onwards & upwards for the Wasps then, with most minds turning quickly to the Cheshire Cup semi-final game next weekend.  

AFC Waverton 9 v 0 Malpas & District JFC

Chester & District League (24th January 2010)

Waverton scorers (season's total in brackets)

Robbie Foster - 3 (7)
Jorge Percival - 2 (2)
Matt Sheen - 1 (27)
Jordan Coxall - 1 (2)
Matt Bannaghan - 1 (1)
Own Goal - 1 (1)

MoM Awards

Coach's - Will Doerr/Robbie Foster
Supporters - Matt Bannaghan

Report

At last, what the Waverton team (and more importantly the coach & supporters!) had been looking for for a long time, a regulation victory. Despite some difficult conditions the Wasps, fresh from their Cup QF victory, simply proved too strong for Malpas. As usual the start was a little slow, with some good chances going begging, but from the moment Robbie Foster put them ahead after 15 minutes, with his first goal of a hat-trick, the final result was never in doubt.

After securing a 3-0 lead at the interval Waverton were (as is now traditional - see below) stronger in the second half, and trebled their advantage in the second period. The game was probably most notable for a couple of players making their first entry on to this seasons scoresheet; firstly Jorge Percival, newly converted to a midfielder after a period of substitution, popped up in the box with two very good finishes, and secondly Matt Bannaghan showed his strength as a squad player with a consistent performance rounded off with his debut goal for the club. Every outfield player has now scored at least one goal this season, further evidence of the team's all round strength.

If the Wasps can repeat this type of performance against some of the other weaker teams in the league it will keep the pressure on Boughton, and bring them closer to that elusive first league title. With less to report this week it's my chance to play "statto"!

Firstly, this seasons full record (in competitive games) now reads; P13 W12 D1 L0 Goals For 71 Goals Against 24 (not bad eh!)

Season to date goalscorers;
27 Matt Sheen
14 Sam Jones
7 Robbie Foster
6 Alex Wilkinson
4 Matt Simpson
2 Cameron Faulner, Jordan Coxall, Luke White & Jorge Percival
1 Alex Abraham, Will Doerr, George Gresty, Matt Bannaghan & Own Goal

And finally, and unsurprisingly to the long suffering supporters, there is a remarkable difference between the first and second half performances;
In the first halves the Wasps have scored 26 goals, conceded 18, and only been in front 5 times in 13 games!
In the second halves however they have scored 45 goals and conceded only 6!

AFC Waverton 5 v 3 Inter Union JFC (aet)

Cheshire FA Minor Cup, Quarter Final (17th January 2010)

Waverton scorers (season's total in brackets)

Matt Simpson  -  2 (4)

Matt Sheen  - 1 (26)

Sam Jones  -  1 (14)

Alex Wilkinson  -  1 (6)

MoM Awards

Coach's  -  Matt Simpson

Supporters  -  Jordan Coxall

Report

"They don't know when they're beaten" is a phrase that could have been written for the Waverton team this season. Having looked down and out in this cup tie at one point, the Wasps fought their way back, yet again, to win this Cheshire FA Minor Cup game in extra time and march on to the Semi Finals. It was a very good game, between two impressive teams who had both previously remained unbeaten all year.

For once Waverton started the game the brighter team, and took a deserved lead after ten minutes, with Matt Sheen slotting the ball over the keeper (for his 26th goal of the season) from a good through ball from Alex Wilkinson. After a couple of half chances to extend their lead however the Wasps started to sit back too much, and a strong Inter Union team began to overwhelm them with some good passing football, particularly in the midfield. It was no real surprise therefore when Inter Union equalised from a (slightly dubious) penalty five minutes before half time. The visitors then had a couple of chances to go in front before the break, before Waverton broke away in the final seconds of the half and should probably have gone into half time back in the lead, but Robbie Foster somehow hit the bar from about ten yards.

One all at the break was a fair scoreline, with everything to play for in the second period. It was though the visitors who continued to dominate the game during the early part of the second half, with Waverton seemingly starting to tire in the sticky conditions and after a long lay off from football. As a result Inter Union built up a two goal lead, which was probably deserved on the balance of play, and with ten minutes to go, and 3-1 down, it looked like the Wasps' FA Cup adventures were finished for the season. Having witnessed so many come backs this season though the supporters (and the coach!) never gave up hope completely. More importantly the team didn't give up either, and encouraged by their previous record of chasing down lost causes they began to dominate the closing minutes as the Inter Union team started to look increasingly nervous.

As a result of this pressure Waverton themselves were awarded a penalty, with eight minutes to go, after a foul on Sam Jones which was almost a replica of the one Inter Union had got earlier. Sam got up to take the penalty, showing his usual composure to slot the ball home, keeping up his 100% dead ball success rate for the season. As the minutes ticked away it was all out attack from Waverton, in search of an equaliser. This led to numerous Inter Union break aways against a much depleted Wasps defence, all of which were repelled by some fantastic last ditch tackling and one goal line clearance from Jordan Coxall. With a minute to go it looked like Waverton's great efforts would remain in vain, but then in a final goalmouth melee Alex Wilkinson managed to get a foot in just before the advancing keeper and the ball rolled slowly into the Inter Union net for a last gasp equaliser.

Having been so close to the winning post in normal time Inter Union never really recovered in extra time. Having previously used his pace to great effect in defence, a tactical switch saw Matt Simpson move back up front, where he continued to have a big impact on the game. He scored one from a tight angle in the first period of extra time, and then another from one of his trademark breakaways in the second. With their resistance finally broken down, Inter Union never really challenged in the remaining ten minutes, with Waverton eventually coasting to a victory which had earlier seemed beyond them. Over the full game there was really little to choose between two very strong U13s teams, but in the end it was, once again, the character of the Waverton team which won the day.

So, the Wasps have reached the final four of this Cheshire wide competition and are now looking forward to the Semi Finals, with the ever increasing likelihood of meeting Boughton at some point in the competition. It doesn't seem they should be worried who they play though, or indeed who they're two goals down to with just minutes remaining!!