Uplyme Reserves 12,

Chard Rangers Reserves 0

A very wet morning led to a great day for some football. With Alex Jones taking on management duties for this week, the Uplyme second string carried over their great form from recent weeks starting strong, applying lots of pressure as a team, and working it from back to front.

Chard Rangers started well but their strike force was no match for the centre-back debutants Alex Hill and Alex Shute, who played incredibly with strong challenges both in the air and on the ground, communicating well with each other and their new team mates.

It took 20 minutes to break down Chard Rangers where Rhys Hulbert placed a quick goal kick to Ollie Alner who thumped it upfield, Connor Tate bringing it down and playing a 1-2 with Dan Huggins, finishing off the move with a great strike from 25 yards out. Guy Bryant, who was running his socks off on the right-hand side, worked the ball to Tate who feigned right and went onto his left with a composed finish into the bottom corner.

On the half-hour mark, Bryant made way for Ethan Matthews due to a knock on the head. Mattthews was straight into the action by winning a penalty for Tate to smash home to complete a 10-minute hat-trick.

Two minutes later the goalscorer became the provider as Tate set one up for Huggins who found the bottom corner. Three minutes after that, a bouncing ball in the box from a corner was tucked home by Matthews. At this point the team were playing some incredible possession-based football working it from right to left.

In the last minutes of the half, Huggins played a curling through ball through to Ollie Alner on the left hand side who was taken out by the Chard Rangers keeper, who was then sent off for his reaction and language towards the referee.

After winning it, Alner took it, only to have to retake it after players encroached the box after he slotted it the first time around. The second penalty copied the first and was smashed into the roof of the net to make it 6-0 at half-time.

Uplyme dominated the first half producing some great attacking play, but also impressive work from all of the back four, especially both debutants Alex Hill and Alex Shute, who won everything in the air and played from out the back as calm as you like. Alex Pennington and James Beddows made a brilliant partnership as they won the ball back well and both making some excellent passes. The half-time team talk was to carry on doing the same and to not take their foot off the gas.

Uplyme started the second half off with high tempo. Rhys Hulbert made a great save at the other end only to top it by a magnificent save down to his left, then pouncing on the ball afterwards to claim it. Yet another perfect through ball from Alex Pennington in-between the defenders for Huggins to slot under the keeper for his second of the day. Will Mitchell came on in the 60th minute to make his debut and Jack Heath also made way for Kieran Day.

Huggins completed his hat-trick after his first attempt was saved but made no mistake the second time of asking to make it 8-0. A wonderful passage of passing play between Matthews and Huggins then found Tate who tucked away his fourth of the day.

It was the skipper for the day Alner whose hard work paid off when he found Matthews who calmly found the bottom corner. The skipper then showed great desire to prevent a Will Mitchell cross from going out of play, whipping it in where their replacement keeper dropped it as Matthews pounced to complete his hat-trick. Alex Pennington with another inch perfect through ball for Alner, who found the right-hand stanchion in great fashion to make it 12.

Stand-in manager Alex Jones commented afterwards: "It was a fantastic game from everyone. Picking a man-of-the match was incredibly tough but the one who stood out most was Connor Tate with four goals and an assist. Overall, it was a fantastic game to watch."