Match Reports 2007-2008

OWE 0-1 Waddecar (League)

A good performance that deserved at least a point. Waddecar took the lead against the run of play. We had some good chances with Mikey Rogers striking the bar with a fine header. In the second half we managed to score but the referee disallowed it claiming that (a) he didn’t think it crossed the line and (b) our lads didn’t appeal very loudly therefore it probably wasn’t a goal. There’s a lesson to be learned there. For the record, eye witness accounts state that the ball WAS over the line.

Good performances by Doddsy, Jay and Rob with the referees Man of the Match going to Rob Scott.

Man of the Match: Rob Scott

OWE 3-4 Polo (League)

Another close and well fought game and one that we should have won with relative ease. However, it was not to be. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory springs to mind. The first half saw West End dominate, four times in total but having two of them ruled out by the referee. The ones that counted though were put away by Ryan Perrin who looked sharp up front with Aaron Corrigan, causing the Polo defence all sorts of problems.

In the second half and playing uphill, Polo started to assert themselves more and grabbed a goal back. But we continued to be the more threatening and scored a third through a fine strike by Rob Scott who had an outstanding game. 3-1. But that’s as good as it got and a combination of Polo’s never say die attitude and West Ends lack of fitness, allowed the opposition back in. They pulled a goal back before equalising to make the scores 3-3. Then with 10 minutes to go a speculative corner saw the Polo forward rise above Mark to head the winner. Very disappointing considering we scored three good goals, but at least the lads showed plenty of spirit.

Goalscorers: Ryan Perrin (2); Rob Scott (1)

Man of the Match: Mark Reid

Skem Rangers 7-0 OWE (League)

Not a good day with West End only able to muster 12 players due to injury and non-availability. That, however, was no excuse for a capitulation that saw the opposition score seven times. Half time was almost respectable with the score at 2-0 but heads soon went down when more goals were conceded. Not enough grit, skill or team work was being shown and without that there will be more of the same.

However lets put things into perspective - we had players missing; they had three chances kicked off the line! Yep, 7-0 was a fair result.

Man of the Match: Daniel Dodds

Arriva Youth 7-1 OWE (League)

This was another result that did not reflect the effort that the lads put in. West End started the stronger with Gorsey having a fine shot tipped over the bar by the Arriva keeper in the first minute. For the first quarter of the game we competed well until they scored their first in the 20th minute. Two more followed to make it 2-0 at half tme.

The second half started with West End defending well and creating chances. Jay Beckett had a certain goal saved by the keeper and a number of other chances went begging as West End threatened a comeback. A stonewall penalty claim was also turned down by referee Clattenburg when an Arriva player clearly handled inside the area, so diverting the ball away from a threatening West End attack!

With legs tiring and the lack of substitutes starting to tell as players suffered numerous injuries, Arriva scored their fourth goal in the 68th minute. A momentary glimmer of hope appeared as Rob Scott scored with a superb shot from outside the box, but the celebrations were short lived. Arriva re-asserted themselves and scored three more before the final whistle.

Goalscorer: Rob Scott (1)

Man of the Match: Mark Reid

OWE 2-3 Nou Camp (League)

Fantastic performance from the lads but yet again no points to show for all their efforts. Once again for much of the game West End were equal to their opponents and it was only in the latter stages when tiredness began to show that Nou Camp really dominated proceedings.

Aaron Corrigan had West Ends first chance of the game with a shot that went just over the bar. A foot lower and it would have been over the keepers head. Nou Camp took the lead after 15 minutes with a speculative cross that someone managed to find its way into the top corner. Just before half time though West Ends determination paid dividends when Jay Beckett latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the box and fired home. Half time 1-1.

Nou Camp started strongly in the second half and applied immediate pressure having shot after shot, but the West End defence kept it’s shape and forced most of these shots to be made from outside the box. Phil Carse and Matty Wright had fantastic games at the heart of the defence and were rewarded with a joint Man Of The Match award. The pressure finally told and Nou Camp scored twice, one from a header and the second an own goal from a sliced clearance.

Credit to the lads though as they didn’t give up and as they chased an unlikely come back, Ryan Perrin chased a long clearance muscling his way past the defenders and driving the ball past the keeper. Great goal. Full time 3-2 and although defeated, West End should take encouragement from this display.

Goalscorers: Jay Beckett (1); Ryan Perrin (1)

Man of the Match: Phil Carse and Matty Wright

Burscough 4-2 OWE (League)

What a tremendous advert for Under 15’s football this game was. Both sides going for it from the start with some local scores to settle and plenty of crunching tackles. Played on a bright sunny day and on a great pitch it had all the ingredients for an enthralling encounter. The first half was very even with Burscough dominating in attack but West End matching them in their defensive quarter. Burscough had plenty of shots but nothing to trouble Mark Reid who was solid between the sticks. But then two minutes from the break a defensive mix up presented Burscough with a goal that trickled over the line. This was followed by the retirement from the game of not only Matty Wright and Matty Ward for medical reasons - but for the second week running the referee!! He couldn’t carry on as he was too tired so Steve Carse volunteered to pick up the whistle for the second half.

The second half began with West End dominating and this quickly produced the equaliser scored by Jay Beckett. He latched on to a fine through ball by Ryan Perrin and despatched over the head of the oncoming goalie . 1-1. This appeared to give Burscough renewed strength however and they rallied to produce a second goal and then a third. Without the strength of the two Matty’s West End were unable to subdue Burscough as they did in the first half and Burscough ran in a fourth goal, before Jay Beckett ran onto another through ball and made it 4-2 with a fine strike into the bottom corner. Final score 4-2 and no dishonour for West End who again showed much grit and determination. The Man of the Match award went to Phil Carse for the second time this season for a fantastic display at centre half, but all of the team deserve praise for the way that they worked for each other.

Goalscorer: Jay Beckett (2)
Man of the Match: Phil Carse

OWE 2-4 Sacred Heart (League)

Yet another close game and one which we were again unlucky to lose, having had a number of great chances in the second half to make the scores more even. New keeper Stefan Edwards had a good debut and looked comfortable for most of the game. But yet again we were our own worst enemies by gifting the opposition goals after matching them stride for stride with some enterprising football. Sacred Heart scored after 11 minutes and then again eight minutes later. This score line flattered them. Ten minutes later Jay Beckett took the ball into the box following a great exchange of passes between Callum and Matt Baker and was brought down - penalty. He stepped up and with no hesitation beat their keeper. Half time 2-1.

In the second half they scored two quick goals and for a five minute spell the West End defence and midfield went AWOL. They picked themselves up though and kept on going to the end. Callum Sealey scored our second after 71 minutes when his corner was helped into the net by the keeper whilst being challenged by Jay, to make it 4-2 with nine minutes to go. Prior to this both Callum and Jay had decent efforts to score and on a different day we would have got something from the game - but today it was not to be. Rob Scott had an excellent game at the centre of midfield controlling the game and winning everything and deservedly received the Man of the Match award.

Goalscorers: Jay Beckett (1); Callum Sealey (1)

Man of the Match: Rob Scott

Maru 6-1 OWE (League)

Another bad day at the office. Plenty of effort but too quiet - not enough communication between the lads or encouragement to make things better. Some good interchanges of passes with at least four excellent scoring opportunities which were wasted. Then all of the good work was thrown away by yet more mistakes and inability to stop the opposition from walking right through us. Very disappointing and frustrating for management and parents alike. You cannot win a game by giving the opposition three goals start which is what we tend to do. We don’t make them work hard enough for their goals.

On a more positive note there were some good passages of play, marshalled once again by the excellent Rob Scott in the centre of midfield. Winning the ball, taking it forward and distributing it well to the forwards. Up front today was Ryan Perrin who opened up the Maru defence on a number of occasions but who couldn’t quite find the back of the net, supported by Stuart Nicol.

Maru scored after only two minutes and then added to their total on 8, 17 and 26 minutes. Half time 4-0. The second half was better even though we were playing up the hill. They rarely threatened but when they did, Stefan Edwards in goal made some good saves. Then with thirteen minutes left Macca went off injured and in the reshuffle Maru managed to lose their markers and score a fifth. With four minutes to go the ball broke loose on the edge of the Maru box and Jonny Kirby struck a fine shot which went over the keepers head and into the back of the net. This was the least we deserved but we should have scored more. From the restart they scored a sixth and that was how it finished.

Goalscorer: Jonny Kirby (1)

Man of the Match: Rob Scott

Arriva 3-1 OWE (League)

This was not a result to be ashamed about - far from it in fact. West End competed throughout with top of the table Arriva and deserved at least a point. Arriva opened the scoring with 7 minutes on the clock, but West End re-grouped and began to put some good football together. Ten minutes after going behind West End equalised when Macca ran onto a through ball and beat two defenders before rounding the keeper and lifting the ball over him. The second half saw Arriva playing down the hill and exerting early pressure but without gaining any further advantage. Then with 55 minutes gone Arriva won a penalty when a mistimed tackle saw there forward brought down just inside the box. The penalty kick was dispatched with ease: 2-1. Jay Beckett was forced to leave the field with 10 minutes to go following a nasty challenge but even with a quick reorganisation West End still seemed likely to score. With a minute to go however Stefan in goals was deceived by an unfortunate bounce when the ball kicked up off the surface. He could only deflect it into the path of the forward who tapped it home for a flattering 3-1 final score. Man of the Match was Rob Scott for a tireless display again in midfield.

Goalscorer: Connor McCulloch (1)

Man of the Match: Rob Scott

OWE 8-3 Burscough U14’s (Friendly)

With yet another match cancelled, the opportunity was taken to play a friendly against Burscough FC. Although the opposition were a year younger, they played with twelve men and we played against the wind throughout. West End put some neat football together and raced into a two goal lead courtesy of strikes from Jay having been put through by Chris Jarvis. Matt Campbell playing in goals for the first time, made a couple of good saves as Burscough put the pressure on. This pressure began to tell and within two minutes the scores were level. Five minutes later they scored a third and things started to look bleak. However the lads rallied and got their game back together with strength and skill starting to tell in the end. Macca scored our third followed by Jonny to make it 4-3. Jay then scored a fifth for his hat trick followed by three more for his first double hat trick. Not sure whether his dad will be giving him his usual reward for goal scoring, although I suppose if it makes the internet, it must be a proper game!!!

Goalscorers: Jay Beckett (6); Connor McCulloch (1); Jonny Kirby (1)

OWE 1-5 Burscough (League)

If ever a game was ruined by the referee it was this one. Time after time seriously bad challenges were missed together with countless minor infringements which he let go - against both sides. This resulted in our players getting wound up and frustrated at the lack of protection afforded to them. We conceded three first half goals - all shots from long range which should have been closed down but weren’t. As the tackles started to fly in with both Ryan Perrin and Rob Scott taking the brunt of them, tempers started to flare. As Ryan latched onto a through ball the Burscough defender almost, but did not quite, manage to take his legs from under him. He lifted the ball over the onrushing keeper for a well deserved goal. The game remained at this score line for quite some time and we were still in with a shout, until the referee intervened. Callum chased down a Burscough forward and managed to dispossess him by sheer determination. The referee pointed to the spot and awarded a penalty. Not sure what planet he was on but it certainly wasn’t ours. It was a truly awful decision as not only had the ball been won fair and square, but the resulting goal spelt the end of the game. Such was the level of disbelief amongst the players it led to Rob receiving a yellow card, to match an earlier one for Ryan when he pointed out once too often to the referee what he thought of his decisions. Final score 5-1 but the score line didn’t reflect the effort the lads put in and it certainly flattered the opposition.

Goalscorer: Ryan Perrin (1)

Man of the Match: Matt Baker

OWE 4-3 Seldons (League)

At last....our first win of the season and what a well fought one it was. Played with a strong wind blowing down the pitch West End’s Matt Baker won the toss and opted to play with the wind in the first half. It was essential to go in at half time with an advantage as the second half against the wind threatened to be difficult. Ten minutes into the game a speculative Seldons shot proved too difficult for Stefan to hold and it slipped through his fingers. The worst possible start. The lads didn’t let their heads drop though and on nineteen minutes following a neat interchange of passes, Rob Scott played a through ball to Gorsey who took one touch before letting fly from 25 yards with a shot that went over the keepers head. What a great goal. Then six minutes later and with West End on top and taking advantage of the wind to play some good football, Rob Scott struck another fine shot that was angled across the goal. Such was its pace the keeper didn’t even see it and so it was 2-1 to West End.

Half time 2-1. In the second half and playing against the wind, Stefan went off and was replaced by Matty Campbell making his debut in goal. Five minutes in and West End stretched their lead when Ryan Perrin directed a cross neatly into the far corner. This stunned Seldons into action and three minutes later they pulled a goal back when possession was lost cheaply, allowing their forward to lob Matty from just inside the area. A number of chances came and went for West End with Ryan going close on a couple of occasions, but West End couldn’t find the goal to kill off the game. Then with fifteen minutes to go Seldons equalised following another mistake in the West End defence which allowed the opposition a number of shots on goal, the final one of which went in. 3-3. At this point and with the wind behind them it seemed inevitable that Seldons would go on and win. But credit must go to the West End lads who, with no league wins this season, knew that a win today would take them off the bottom of the league. With this in mind and with the screams of encouragement from the touchline ringing in their ears, they continued to press forward, with many attacks originating on the left with Callum Sealey who had a great game. One more of these attacks led to a corner in the 68th minute. The ball came across and when the keeper missed it, Jack Hankin was on hand to fire a half volley into the roof of the net. There’s nothing more to say. We held on. We fought brilliantly. We thoroughly deserved it. WE WON.

Final score 4-3. Man of the Match to Matt Baker for the second week running giving a great Captains performance encouraging the others and being strong.

Goalscorers: Stuart Nicol (1); Rob Scott (1); Ryan Perrin (1); Jack Hankin (1).

Man of the Match: Matt Baker

Waddicar 5-2 OWE (League)

After last weeks victory it was too much to expect a repeat, however West End came much closer than the scoreline suggests. On a glorious day and a decent playing surface some good football was played by both teams. Stefan looked more confident in goal and generally handled well. Rob Scott was magnificent in midfield holding things together and chasing everything and deservedly being awarded the Man of the Match. Waddicar scored twice in the first half though and a third early in the second half. But West End had had enough chances in the first period to have at least been level and this suggested that more chances might come our way. Eventually they did with first Phil Carse striking a fierce drive from the edge of the box that beat everyone, and then two minutes later Ryan received the ball from a corner and drove it home first time. At this point West End looked like we’d go on and win, but Waddicar managed to score two further goals - one from a disputed free kick on the edge of the box (see the latest pictures in the Action Photos section of ‘Photo Gallery’ on the website).

Goalscorers: Phil Carse (1); Ryan Perrin (1)

Man of the Match: Rob Scott

OWE 1-1 Polo (League)

Wow! How fantastic was that. A real team performance from the twelve lads who were there. They all deserve a mention so here goes Stefan, Callum, Jack, Phil, Matt, Mikey, Chris,Rob, Stuart, Connor,Ryan and Matty.All these lads deserve huge credit for a fantastic team performance. It was a shame that Mike and Gary missed this as this is down to all the tireless hard work they put in on the training pitch. On a pitch that was more of a ploughed field and with a strong wind blowing diagonally across the lads started brightly. They more than held their own. Every attack from Polo was met with some fine defending. Phil and Jack at the heart of the defence were outstanding. Callum at right back had a superb game never missing a tackle. Stefan was solid in goal, never missing a catch in difficult conditions.The only real chance came when a smart turn and shot from the Polo centre forward smashed against the bar and went high into the air. We held our breath but Stefan dealt well as the ball dropped down under his cross bar. We looked threatening on the break with Ryan and the impressive Macca causing their defence problems.

Half time came and the scores were level. Gorsey went back on after some magic spray miraculously cured his bad back. Just two minutes in and he skipped down the right wing beating about a million defenders he went on into the box and was felled by the last defender. Stonewall penalty. After some debate Gorsey got up, took the responsibility and slotted it to the keepers right.

Fantastic and for the most part we looked comfortable. The defending was excellent. We were never in trouble from some great corners.As every one came in it was met by a West End head, usually Jack or Phils.We kept the shooting to distance and Stefan handled everything that came his way. Polo were becoming more and more desperate. Rob and Chris were working double time in the middle of the park. Polo were getting closer and after hitting the bar Stefan pulled out a great one handed save down to his right. The pressure told and the one time we gave them room in the box we were punished with a shot and turn into the bottom corner. With 15 minutes left we could have folded but these guys showed some real bottle and held out comfortably and the last 5 minutes saw us pressing for the winner.

Well played lads a fine team performance.

Goalscorer: Stuart Nicol (1)

Man of the Match: Matt Baker

Nou Camp 1-1 OWE (League)

This was another fantastic team effort from all the lads in an exhilarating match against Nou Camp, a team we’ve never beaten. We won’t come much closer than this. The game began very evenly until Nou Camp opened the scoring after 9 minutes when their striker was given a bit too much space in the box. But heads didn’t drop and we got straight back into the game. Six minutes later and it was Stuart Nicol for the second week running who grabbed the glory with a brilliant long range effort that gave the keeper no chance. In fact for the entire 1st half he terrorised the opposition down the right with some great runs. Half time 1-1.

If the first half was Gorsey’s, the second was most definitely Stefan’s who gave another outstanding goalkeeping display. Time after time he came to West End’s rescue pulling off a string of great saves and pushing a number of shots over the bar. Other heroes include Mark Reid who put in a match saving challenge to deflect a shot just over the bar, Jack Hankin who showed great strength and dominance in the air and Rob Scott who tackled everything that moved. But the entire team played well and are clearly improving as a unit. But it wasn’t all one way traffic. Matt Baker struck a terrific free kick from 30 yards only to see it hit the underside of the bar. On a good day it would have bounced in but today it went the other way. Then in the final minute West End had good claims for a penalty turned down when Macca was fouled in the area. Stand in ref Steve Carse who bravely agreed to referee and did a good job, decided that he’d received the ball in an offside position and the free kick went the other way. Excitement all the way though and another richly deserved point.

Goalscorer: Stuart Nicol (1)

Man of the Match: Stefan Edwards

Sacred Heart 3-2 OWE (League)

West End went into this game on a high and full of confidence following a number of good results. When the opposition turn up with only nine men you sort of get the feeling it may be your day. Oh dear, how wrong we all were. Fielding a strong team West End dominated from the off with Jonny Kirby almost scoring in the first minute. It was just a matter of when and how many we scored rather than if. Sacred Heart were putting in some pretty dirty challenges and after 16 minutes, following a shot from Jonny Kirby that was well saved by their keeper, Rob Scott got the ball in the area and was immediately scythed by the defender. Stonewall penalty and a yellow card for a terrible challenge that could so easily have caused a serious injury. Up stepped Stuart Nicol following his successful penalty the other week, but he must have been watching too much of Everton recently as his penalty was too close to the keeper, who saved well. Not to worry...we’d soon score! Unfortunately it was Sacred Heart who opened the scoring after 28 minutes. West End seemed to lose confidence following the missed penalty and allowed the opposition back in who, with nine men, started to cause us problems. From a corner their player executed a spectacular volley which gave Stefan no chance. HT 1-0.

Second half and things started to slip away. They scored in the 52nd minute and then again seven minutes later. Unbelieveable!! Nine men leading 3-0. Whatever we did we just couldn’t score. Ryan had a number of chances, so too did Macca. In fact playing 4-3-3 seemed to lead to too many players up front getting in each others way. After 60 minutes the break through came at last when Callum scored a great goal, seizing the ball on the left wing and cutting inside the box before driving the ball past their keeper. With renewed confidence West End looked to reduce the deficit further. Eight minutes later another attack led to pandemonium in the Sacred Heart penalty area. Macca drove the ball past the keeper only for the defender to dive across and save spectacularly on the line. Penalty! There was only one decision the ref could give and he correctly sent off the defender reducing Sacred Heart to 8. Macca took the penalty and scored with ease driving the ball into the corner. Great goal. You would expect us to score at least one more against eight players, but we successfully managed to mess up every chance we made in the dying minutes. There was to be no miraculous come back and with Sacred Heart understandably using every delaying tactic possible to waste time, time eventually ran out. What a chance thrown away to get a much needed win.

Goalscorers: Callum Sealey (1); Connor McCulloch (1)

Man of the Match: Rob Scott