WESTLAND SPORTS F.C.

CLUB ARCHIVE

CLUB NEWS SEASON 2016-17

REVIEW OF SEASON 2016-17 (First Team)

August

The season began on Saturday 13th August with the league setting a gruelling fixture list of six games in 18 days, a ridiculous programme really for amateur players considering it is still the summer holiday season.

Sports were under new manager Harry Gibbs this season and we were hoping his influence, plus a few additions to the squad, would see us improve on last year’s 11th place finish.

We had a trip to Weymouth on the opening Saturday to play Balti Sports, who were being tipped as one of the favourites for the title and the 5-1 victory for Westlands caused a stir throughout the league. Sports pace in attack had Balti all at sea, and with Leo Hayward and Dwayne Forshaw bagging 2 apiece and new signing Scott Smith heading one in, Westlands were too hot for Balti to handle.

Unfortunately, this win was followed by a 3-1 loss to league new boys Gillingham Town Reserves the following Tuesday when Sports failed to live up to the promise of our opening game. Nevertheless, we bounced back the following Saturday with an excellent 3-1 away win at Swanage Town. Again Sports pace in attack was the winning formula in a good win with Leo Hayward. Louis Irwin and Jamie Irwin all getting on the scoresheet.

This time we kept the momentum going with a 6-0 demolition of Mere Town on the Tuesday (with Phil Wells scoring his annual goal !) but slipped up again the following Saturday, going down 3-1 to the other league newcomers Dorchester Sports.

The topsy-turvy start to the season continued with a with a 5-1 home win over Sturminster Newton with a Louis Irwin hat-trick being the highlight. This win meant we finished the month with 4 wins and 2 defeats so a promising start for the new manager and his team.

September

Another 5-1 win against Hamworthy Utd got September off to a good start on a day of lashing rain at Alvington and this was followed by the most bizarre result of the season when we beat Cranborne 20-0 at home, which is a DPL record. Cranborne played with 10 men throughout and were put to the sword with Josh Payne being the tormentor in chief with seven goals to his credit !

An unlucky 1-0 defeat at Merley Cobham followed in a match we totally dominated but just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net, hitting the woodwork 3 or 4 times !

We finished the month with a 4-1 win at Blandford and with 3 wins and one defeat the signs were good that we were heading in the right direction.

October

The month began with a 1-0 defeat at Hamworthy Recreation in a closely fought game  but , once again, we proved we could compete with the best sides on our day.

Unfortunately, with some injuries and unavailability, we were a bit understrength for the visit of Merley Cobham to Alvington in the League Cup and they thumped us 5-1 which was a bit of a body blow.

Nevertheless we got back to winning ways the following Saturday when an 88th minute winner from Steve Flynn gave us a 3-2 win away to Wareham Rangers and we finished the month on a high note with a 3-0 victory over Bridport Reserves at Alvington which saw central defenders Scott Smith and Matt Watson both get on the scoresheet with headers.

November

November started with home tie against Clutton in the third round of the Somerset Senior Cup. We had been given a bye in the first round and our second round opponents, Combe St Nicholas, had withdrawn giving us a walkover. Again we were understrength for a cup tie and our opponents took full advantage, beating us 3-0. Clutton were a good side and subsequently went all the way to the final. Still, it was disappointing we had gone out of both cups at the first hurdle as a cup run adds a bit of spice to the season.

The following week we were disappointing and were thumped 5-2 at Parley and this poor result was followed by a dire 0-0 draw at lowly Sherborne Town Reserves.

We then had the visit of league leaders Balti Sports to Alvington and we managed to raise our game a bit to battle out a 1-1 draw thanks to a header from Henry Lawrence-Napier and a man-of-the-match performance from Jamie Green at centre-half.

December

Four games without a win had dampened our early season optimism a little so our subsequent 3-1 win at Sturminster Newton was a welcome return to form and set us up for the visit of high flying Holt Utd to Alvington. Stu Smith came in for his first game of the season and marshalled the Sports defence to secure a 2-2 draw.

Hamworthy Recreation were next up at Alvington and although we took an early lead through Leo Hayward the visitors hit back to win 2-1 and complete a league double over us.

January

With the weather turning a bit wet we only managed two games in the opening month of 2017.

Both these games were won so a good six points but they were matches where we ground out a result without showing a lot of good football.

Firstly, a Henry Lawrence-Napier goal gave us a 1-0 victory at Mere Town and then a youthful looking team had a routine 3-1 win at basement boys Cranborne.

February

But it was a false dawn and our next match, away to Dorchester Sports, saw us well beaten 4-1 in what was one of our worst performances of the season so far.

We needed some inspiration and hoped the signing of Elliot Mann from Bridport would give us a bit of a boost. His home debut in the match against Swanage Town at Alvington certainly proved decisive as he scored Sports only goal in a 1-1 draw.

Things looked to be improving now with Josh Payne now free of work commitments and Louis Irwin making himself available more often. In addition Jamie Irwin was now settling back into the team and with Dwayne Forshaw available our striking options looked powerful along with Leo Hayward and Elliot Mann.

The final match of the month saw Merley Cobham visit Alvington and they were blown away with Sports going 3-0 up in the first 30 minutes.  Jamie Irwin, Josh Payne and Leo Hayward did the damage as Sports won 3-1 in the end. Ben Cochrane had also signed from Gillingham Town in a player/coach role assisting manager Harry Gibbs, and he came on in the second half to help close out the result.

March

That victory against Merley Cobham, and more importantly, the display of fast, attacking football had definitely put a spring in Sports step and the next visitors to Alvington were Sherborne Town Reserves and although local derbies can sometimes be awkward, Westlands were worthy 3-1 winners with a two goal second half salvo from Josh Payne sealing the points.

The following week we travelled to the County Ground to play Hamworthy Utd Reserves in our first ever competitive match on a 3G pitch. Westlands excelled on the fast surface and ran out 4-0 winners with Leo Hayward notching a fine hat-trick including a second half volley that was voted ‘goal-of-the-season’.

Westlands were buzzing now and goals from Josh Payne and Jamie Irwin were enough to see off a strong Parley side 2-1 at Alvington.

With no game on the final Saturday of the month due to Sam Gibbs wedding we could reflect on a good month that saw the team beginning to find top form with 3 wins from 3 games.

April

On Saturday 1st April Westlands kicked off April with a fine 4-1win over Blandford Utd at Alvington with a rare Matt Watson goal opening the scoring.

Our 4th win on the trot seemed to kick in a bit of over confidence for the visit to Bridport the following week.  Our opponents took advantage and we were shocked to be 3-0 down at half-time to a young Bridport team. We managed to salvage a 3-3 draw thanks to a brilliant solo effort from Dwayne Forshaw in the dying minutes but hopefully this was a lesson learnt.

The next game was away to Gillingham Town Reserves at Harding’s Lane and a devastating opening half hour by Westlands kicking down the hill saw us race into a 5-0 lead ! Gillingham pulled a couple back to make the final score 5-2 but it had been a blistering spell by Westlands and the afternoon was capped by an outstanding performance from our regular goalkeeper Sam Watts at centre-half ! Sam also managed to get on the scoresheet as well to complete a memorable afternoon.

The following week we had to visit newly –crowned  league champions Holt Utd and we shocked the the home crowd by beating them 6-4, despite having played 50 minutes with 10 men ! Clinical finishing was the key for Sports with Leo Hayward, Josh Payne and Dwayne Forshaw scoring two each with fast attacks that the home defence just couldn’t cope with.

The final game of the season saw Westlands finish on a high with a 3-1 defeat of Wareham Rangers at Alvington. A brilliant solo effort from Leo Hayward was the highlight of the afternoon and was undoubtedly one of the best goals seen at Alvington all season.

This fine result completed a run of ten games undefeated which was a great end to the season. We finished in fifth place in the league which was an excellent achievement and although we were inconsistent with a bit of a mid-season slump, the final couple of months has given everyone at the club great optimism for next season.

PRESENTATION NIGHT 12th May 2017

Our annual end of season 'do' took place at Yeovil Town FC and a good turnout enjoyed some food and drinks and the awards for the season. Our own Pete Smith who has been a great servant to the club for many years as player, coach, physio and manager presented the trophies as follows:-

The Callum Denman Trophy was awarded to Jacob Tailby, who set what we think is a record by representing all four teams in one season, U16s, U18s, Reserves and First Team.

The Nigel Extance Trophy for Young Player of the Year went to 16 year old Jamie Irwin who, as well as playing in the U18s, held down a first team place for most of the season scoring 9 goals.

Under 16s: Managers PoY - Jack Hirst. Players Poy - Stanley Waldron, Supporters Poy - Stanley Waldron, Most Man of Match Awards - Lewis Lightfoot.

Under 18s: Managers PoY - Ryan McGuinn, Players Poy - Tom Budden, Most Man of Match Awards - Ryan McGuinn.

Reserves: Managers PoY - Tom Budden, Players Poy - Liam Stobbs, Most Man of Match Awards - Jamie Burt.

First Team: Managers PoY - Sam Watts, Players Poy - Henry Lawrence-Napier, Most Man of Match Awards - Henry Lawrence-Napier, Goal of the Season - Leo Hayward (for his volley against Hamworthy Utd at the County Ground), Most consistent Player - shared between Sam Plumley and Phil Wells, Moaner of the Season - Sam Plumley, Most Improved Player - Will Ireland.

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SOME STATS FROM SEASON 2016-17

1st TEAM GOALSCORERS

JOSH PAYNE 19,                              LEO HAYWARD 19,                    LOUIS IRWIN 11,                  JAMIE IRWIN 9,

HENRY LAWRENCE-NAPIER 8,      DWAYNE FORSHAW 8,             JAMIE GREEN 4,                   SCOTT SMITH 4,

MATT WATSON 4,                            STEVE FLYNN 3,                        RYAN McGUINN 2,                SAM PLUMLEY 2,

ELLIOT MANN 2,                               PHIL WELLS 1,                           MATT PHILLIPS 1,                 SAM WATTS 1,

OG 1.

1st TEAM APPEARANCES

SAM PLUMLEY   35,                        PHIL WELLS   35,                   MATT WATSON   34,           HENRY L-NAPIER  33,

WILL IRELAND  32,                         LEO HAYWARD  31,               SAM WATTS  31,                  SCOTT SMITH 26,

DWAYNE FORSHAW  26,               MATT PHILLIPS  26,               STEVE FLYNN  22,               JAMIE IRWIN   20,

JAMIE GREEN  16,                          JOSH PAYNE 15,                    LOUIS IRWIN   14,                ELLIOT MANN  10,

RYAN McGUINN  10,                       SAM GIBBS   8,                       BENJOHNSON  6,                JAMIE PLAIN  6,

MATT MULLINGS   6,                      LUKE SILCOX  5,                    BEN COCHRANE  4,             MAX ROWSWELL  2,

LEWIS HOWCHIN  2,                      TOM BUDDEN   1,                   NAT CARNEY   1,                  JOE JARVIS   1,

MAC MATTRAVERS  1,                   STU SMITH   1,                       JAKE TAILBY   1,                   LOUIS MARTIN  1.

RESERVE TEAM GOALSCORERS

LIAM STOBBS 11,                            HENRY L-NAPIER 4,                JOSH PAYNE 3,              MAX ROWSWELL 2,

JAMES BUDDEN 2,                          RYAN McGUINN 2,                   JAMIE BURT 2,               MAC MATTRAVERS 2,

SAM GIBBS 2,                                  ASHLEY GUPPY 1,                   ARON WALLIS 1,            MATT PHILLIPS 1,

JOE JARVIS 1,                                 STEVE FLYNN 1,                      MATT LIGHTFOOT 1,      LEWIS HOWCHIN 1.

RESERVE TEAM APPEARANCES

LIAM STOBBS   26,                        JAMIE BURT   25,                     CHRIS WELLS   22,           BRANDON SCOTT 18,

STU SMITH   17,                             TOM BUDDEN  17,                   LOUIS MARTINN   17,       MAX ROWSWELL  17, SAM GIBBS   16,                             LEWIS HOWCHIN 13,             JAKE POWELL   11,          RYAN McGUINN   10,

JAMES BUDDEN   10,                     NICK WILTON   9,                    NAT CARNEY   8,             JACOB HEWITT  7,

CONNOR COATES   6,                   HENRY L-NAPIER  6,               JOE JARVIS  6,                 BEN JOHNSON  6,

TOM FLYNN   5,                              MATT LIGHTFOOT  5,              JOSH PAYNE    5,           CRAIG STOBBS   5,

MARC WHITE   5,                            DUNCAN MACKENZIE  4,        MAC MATTRAVERS 4,    JAKE MORGAN  4,

JACOB TAILBY   4,                         SCOTT MORGAN  4,                 KARL DAVIS   3,               WES GULLIN   3,

SAM PLUMLEY  3,                          JOEL ROWSWELL  3,               WAYNE SCOTT  3,           JAKE COOMBES  3,

JACK DICKER  2,                            MICHAEL DURRANT  2,            STEVE FLYNN  2,            SAM WATTS  2,

BROOKE WHITE  2,                        LEO HAYWARD  1,                    MALIK KAMAL  1,             MATT MULLINGS  1,

MATT PHILLIPS  1,                          SCOTT SMITH  1,                     ARON WALLIS  1,             MATT WATSON  1,

PHIL WELLS  1,                               AARON GUPPY  1.

UNDER 18s GOALSCORERS

CHARLIE BERRINGTON 8,              JAMIE THOMPSON 6,             ANDRE ANJOS 5,           JACOB TAILBY 4,

ISAAC ATHERLEY 3,                        RYAN McGUINN 3,                 CONNOR LIDDIATT 3,    TOMMY FRAMPTON 3,

LEIGHTON THOMAS 2,                    MALIK KAMAL 2,                     OG 2,                               JAMIE IRWIN 1,

BILLY COX 1,                                    TOM BUDDEN 1.

UNDER 18s APPEARANCES

RYAN McGUINN   13,                   JAMIE IRWIN   11,                 CHAS BERRINGTON  9,      TOM BUDDEN   9,

MIKE CALVERLEY  9,                  TOM FRAMPTON 9,               JAMIE THOMPSON  9,        CONNOR LIDDIARD  8,

KARL DAVIS  7,                            CHARLIE VINE   7,                 JACOB HEWITT  6,              MATT McGOWAN  6,

ANDRE ANJOS  5,                       TOM SULLIVAN  5,                 ISAAC ATHERLEY  4,         OWEN MALE  4,

JACOB ROBERTS  4,                  JOSH RYAN  4,                       KAM ANDREWS  3,             BILLY COX  3,

JACK DICKER  3,                         MALIK KAMAL  3,                   LOUIS MARTIN  3,               JACOB TAILBY  3,

LEIGHTON THOMAS  3,              HARRY PANAYIDES  2,         JACK SMEETON  2,            DAN EWENS  1,

DANIEL HUNT  1,                        JAI MYALL   1,                         CALLUM STEPHENS 1,      STAN WALDRON  1,

BAILEY WALTERS  1.

U16s YOUTH TEAM GOALSCORERS

SIMON FULLER 29,                      LLOYD BEARD 20,                MALIK KAMAL 20,               LEWIS LIGHTFOOT 17,

JACOB TAILBY 16,                       DAN EWENS 8,                     STANLEY WALDRON 6,      BILLY WINTERSGILL 5,

COBY SALTER 5,                         TODD MORGAN 4,                PAUL JOHNSON 2,             BEN GILLETT   3,            WILLIAM BOUCHER 2,                GEORGE WESTON 1,            ED JONES 1,                       OG 1.

U16s YOUTH TEAM APPEARANCES

HAMISH AMOR   24,                     TODD MORGAN   21,            DAN EWENS   21,                JACOB TAILBY   21,

SAM FULLER   21,                        MALIK KAMAL     21,             JACK HIRST   20,                  STAN WALDRON   20,

ED JONES   19,                             PAUL JOHNSON  19,            COBY SALTER  19,               LLOYD BEARD  19,

LEWIS LIGHTFOOT  19,               GEORGE WESTON  18,        BILLY WINTERSGILL 18,      BEN GILLETT   17,

WILL BOUCHER  14.

GOALKEEPERS CLEAN SHEETS

HAMISH AMOR 9,                        LOUIS MARTIN 4,                    SAM WATTS 3,                      MATT McGOWAN 1,

LUKE SILCOX 1.

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A WINTER WONDERLAND

December 2016.........As the year draws to a close and the sun sets over Alvington, the winter gloom descends as the teams trek off the pitch after the final match of the year. Through the darkening twilight some shadowy figures can be seen approaching carrying strange bundles in their arms.

Could this be Santa and his helpers with gifts for all ? ...........................................

Alas, ‘twas only Richie Horton with a bag of balls he has fetched from the hedge, followed by big Al with the corner flags and Yogi with the goal nets !  Ah well, another dream shattered !

All has now gone quiet with the players having retired to the delights of the Airfield Tavern, and the only sounds to be heard are Lynda and Pete pulling down the tea bar shutters and the soft thud as Harry the manager bangs his head off the changing room wall !  Some things never change and so another year departs in the never ending saga of the Westland wonderland !

JAMIE MOVES ON

Friday 14th October............our congratulations go to Jamie Irwin  who last night signed for Weston-Super-Mare who play in the Vanarama Conference League South. Its a step up for Jamie as he moves into the semi-professional ranks  and everyone at Westland Sports wishes him all the best on his football journey.

SPORTS DRAW FIRST FRIENDLY

Wednesday 20th July.............Westlands first team travelled to Moor Lane to  play Wincanton Town last night and came away with a creditable 2-2 draw. On a hot night both teams worked hard and gave a decent crowd a good entertaining game. The home side had the majority of possession as you would expect but Sports were always dangerous on the break and took the lead  after 40 minutes when CALLUM THOMPSON  outpaced the Wincanton defence and slipped the ball past the advancing keeper. Half-time, 1-0 Westlands.

It took the home side only 2 minutes of the second half to equalise after a bit of a mix-up in the Sports defence and the home team went ahead in the 75th minute when a long throw put their winger away and he cut in to score. Westlands pressed  for an equaliser and were rewarded with  5 minutes left when a  ball over the top caused a home defender to head past his own keeper for an OG !  So it finished 2-2 and credit to both teams for such a competitive match on a hot night. From a Westlands viewpoint it was a  much needed run-out and manager Harry Gibbs was pleased with the gutsy performance  of his team . Obviously at this time of year there are players missing but one or two  of last nights team took the opportunity to  catch the manager's eye and perhaps move up the pecking order as the team begins to take shape for the  league compaign. Click on the link for match highlights provided by the "Black and Yellow" website

http://www.wincantontownfc.net/#!MATCH-REPORT-WTFC-VS-WESTLAND-SPORTS/ccrb/578f38a60cf2a8522f91f7d0

WESTLAND WINNERS

Monday 11th July...............first success of the season goes to our young team who won the Wincanton 6-a-side tournament yesterday. All 16 teams in the tournament were representing the last 16 teams in the euros and  Westlands  were Germany  . It was a youth team that we put out  under the management of our U18s youth team boss Frank Irwin and they   beat some strong adult teams to win the  medals so congratulations  to all the lads and the management team.