Match Reports 24 & 25 Jan 2026
- Peter Latimer
- 33 minutes ago
- 10 min read
34 goals and 5 impressive wins from the 7 games over the weekend
Fylde 2 4-1 Preston 1
Fylde Ladies 2s secured a convincing 4–1 victory over Preston 1s in a must-win match as they looked to build momentum going into the second half of the season.
With a clear and simple message from Adrian Metcalf, alongside a slightly altered line-up to strengthen the middle, Fylde went into Saturday’s fixture feeling confident — and that confidence showed from the first whistle.
Fylde started strongly, finding great success down both sides of Preston’s defence. After just eight minutes, sustained pressure paid off when Sally Livesey reacted quickest in a goalmouth scramble to poke the ball past the Preston keeper and give Fylde an early 1–0 lead.
Preston began to settle and put together some neat passing, creating a few promising entries into the Fylde D. However, keeper Sophie Slawson, supported superbly by her defence, dealt with the attacks comfortably. Fylde continued to control possession, moving the ball patiently and purposefully between defence and midfield.
A free hit in a dangerous position gave Fylde their second. Lydia Hayhurst stepped up with a beautifully executed aerial into the circle, perfectly controlled by Chelsea Atkinson, who calmly beat the keeper to make it 2–0 — a well-deserved goal after a tireless shift off the ball.
Fylde added a third just before half time. A great move down the right saw Megan Wildish make a determined run into the circle, setting up Izzy Mahon to finish confidently past the keeper.
The half-time message was positive: more of the same, but with awareness that Preston had the quality to fight back. Fylde set out to extend their lead, and their fourth goal arrived in the 38th minute. Lovely link-up play down the right between Dawn Child and Sara Jane Tomlinson ended with Sara driving into the D and sneaking the ball past the keeper at the near post.
The final 15 minutes saw Fylde under increased pressure, struggling at times to clear their lines and conceding several short corners. However, Fylde’s short corner defence stood firm throughout. Unfortunately, a clean sheet wasn’t to be, as Preston broke down their left in the 67th minute and found a through ball into the D to score.
Despite that late setback, it was a performance to be proud of. Captain EJ Dunkerley praised the team for pulling together and following Adrian’s instructions to the letter. There’s still work to be done, but Fylde leave the match feeling rejuvenated, confident, and ready to push on for more wins. 👊🏻🏑
Fylde 3 6-0 Ulverston South Lakes 1
This week Fylde 3s were back in front of the home crowd, eager to get another win under their belts to keep their spot at the top of the league.
Fylde had first push back, straight away they put together clean passes from stick to stick to work around Ulverston and create early pressure. 5 minutes in, Fylde were rewarded for their efforts with an attacking short corner where Sophia Melling stepped up to take her first strike. She calmly hit the ball into the back of the net. 1-0.
Ulverston gained possession of the ball in their 23, taking a side line. Fylde set up their press which they thoroughly worked on in training which paid off as they forced Ulverston into a mistake by putting them under pressure, Natalie Smith intercepted the ball and chased the ball to the baseline, striking the ball across the D for Issy Gut to tap the ball into the back of the net in mid air. 2-0.
They continued this excellent style of play for the rest of the first half and were not short of more scoring opportunities. At half time the team went into with a 2-0 lead and with not much to change other than tactics working out from a 16, the 3s went back into the pitch itching for more goals.
5 minutes into the second half, Fylde were awarded another short corner, this time the ball was injected to the top of the D and pushed out left to Natalie Smith, who had a shot on goal which was going wide however, she was saved by Abbie Warburton who deflected the shot past the Ulverston Keeper and into the goal. 3-0.
46 minutes in, Liv John-Haslam wins back possession in our attacking 23, she passes the ball into the D to Sophia Melling who taps it into the line of Emily Finney, who turned and carried out a beautiful reverse, hitting the backboard. 4-0.
5 minutes later, Fylde found themselves defending their own D, Jessica Jennings intercepts the ball, dribbles past one of their players and passes the ball of the Liv John-Haslam who found a perfect ball across the pitch to Talia Armstead, she then drives through the midfield and Issy gut makes an excellent run into the D alongside her, Issy then slaps the ball to the far post where Emily Finney was waiting once again to deflect the ball into the goal on her reverse. 5-0.
Despite being 5-0 up, the 3s didn’t let their guard down for one minute, they continued to play some incredible hockey, working as a team and for each other to gain the best outcome possible. This was shown one last time when Emily Finney found herself with the ball at the top of the D, she takes a shot which was unfortunately saved by the Ulverston keeper, Abbie Warburton then drives the ball down the baseline and send it across goal for another back post tap in by Talia Armstead. 6-0.
This was a flawless performance, the result puts the 3s 5 points clear yet again at the top of the league.
This week Man of the match went to Natalie Smith for owning the middle, dribbling past multiple players to create dangerous attacking opportunities and some great assists!
DoD went to Sophia Melling for; sliding into the fence in front of the spectators, and then going down dramatically at the end of the game with cramp.
Clitheroe Blackburn Northern 2 1-5 Fylde 4
Fylde were looking forward to their 3rd meet of the season with Clitheroe Blackburn Northern 2s where the aggregate was a draw.
Fylde started with first pushback and were determined to start strong. With passes around the back through Evie Dunne, Zoe Kirkham and Evie Bromley, Fylde propelled up the pitch landing their first short corner within a couple of minutes. Liv Hartley-Smith sent a precise ball to the far post which Sophia Taylor was able to deflect neatly into the back of the goal.
This start gave Fylde confidence but also rallied CBN to push harder. They won several short corners which were excellently thwarted by Keeper Laura Troth and the defensive team time and time again.
Good movement from Izzy Thompson, Leah Richmond and Isla Carter gave more opportunities to the forwards. A pass into the circle saw Hollie Twose deflect past the keeper to increase Fylde’s lead.
CBN were strong down the wings and put Fylde under continued pressure. A Fylde 16 free hit didn’t quite go as planned when CBN intercepted and had a one on one with keeper Laura and managed to find the net.
The restart after half time saw the sun go down and it begin to feel very chilly, probably nudging Fylde to want to keep working hard. Hollie Guthrie impressed on the wings, defending well and driving the ball into the circle onto the foot of the opposition. Fylde set up for another short corner and super duo Liv and Sophia landed another goal.
A couple of minutes later, another was awarded with Ellie Hope sending a well-timed slip to Liv who slapped the ball inside the near post.
CBN didn’t back down and subs were welcomed as the mids began to tire with the end to end play. CBN were awarded several short corners in the second half but as with the first, didn’t manage to convert.
Fylde pushed high towards the end of the half, having to quickly track back on the couple of occasions where CBN broke through. Eleanor Bullough consistently picked up the ball on the right and headed for the baseline resulting in an excellent strike which landed Fylde their final goal of the game.
A strong performance from Fylde 4s who continue to grow in confidence and display excellent team work.
Leyland & Chorley 2 2-5 Fylde 5
Fylde took 14 players to Runshaw Village on Saturday in their clash with Division leaders Leyland & Chorley 2. Coach Sharon set the team up with three key players missing at the start.
Leyland scored first and then, upon arrival from their school match, Alyssa Woodman quickly levelled the game and it was 2-2 at half time.
Fylde turned it up a notch in the second half with Alyssa completing her hat-trick and further goals from Matilda Thompson and Captain Evie Green.
That win took the Ladies 5’s to the top of the table for the first time this season and with the confidence to continue their bid for promotion!
Garstang Development 8-2 Fylde 6 Development
On a cold sunny Saturday morning Fylde fielded a true Development side of four adults, seven u13’s and a few teenagers against a predominantly adult Garstang team.
Garstang were well drilled and scored six of their goals in the first half before coach Fran could improve things from half time.
Marking, positioning and structure then improved and the enthusiastic squad drew the second half 2-2 with skilful goals from Esme Bradley and Imi Todd.
Cora Sweeney had a very busy game in goal and Bella provided a comical moment throwing her face mask backwards into goal after a penalty corner!
After an energetic match everyone enjoyed the challenge of playing a stronger team on the day.
Garstang Development 0-10 Fylde 1
Fylde Men visited Garstang with a perfect balanced 14-man squad, a mix of youth and experience (and actually the youngest average age all season, due to a couple of missing older players more than anything else). It also marked the welcome return of Luke Hitchen to the team.
Fylde dominated possession from the start and had several early attacks and shots from Luke Hitchen and Charlie Oliver. However Garstang pressed and had their own attacks and even managed to win a short corner although couldn’t get past Craig Nutter in goal.
Will van Rijn picked up an injury midway through the half and had to limp off the field, although he did return in the second half.
The deadlock was finally broken by Joseph Shepherd being in the right place in front of goal and tapping in after an initial shot was only partially saved, for his debut goal for Fylde.
Not long after Oli van Rijn scored, and then Simon Holt made it 3-0 with a forceful shot from a tight angle on the bye-line.
After half-time it was complete Fylde domination, with some great passing and moving through midfield and up top, together with snuffing out any Garstang attacks and keeping them pinned down in their own half.
The goals came regularly, Luke Hitchen scored with a deflection from a cross from Rich Clarke and then minutes later with an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net.
Rich Clarke scored his first at a short corner after Charlie Oliver slipped the ball to him at the left post. He then scored his second with a tap-in from Charlie Oliver’s assist.
Luke Hitchen completed his hat-trick at a short corner where the ball was slipped to him on the right and he fired off a reverse strike.
Rich Clarke then completed his own hat-trick (his first since the one for the 4th team 5 years ago), although in less dramatic fashion, as another tap-in from a Jack Jones cross, but they all count.
He returned the favour a few minutes later with a solid cross from the left hand side, which couldn’t be intercepted by the goalkeeper or central defender who seem to collide, leaving Jack Jones free in front of goal for the easiest goal he’ll ever score.
10-0 the final score with the whole Fylde team contributing. No league points were up for grabs, but good preparation for the trip next week to league leaders Leyland & Chorley.
Many nominees for Man of the Match but Simon Holt just took it.
Clitheroe Blackburn N. Mixed 8-2 Fylde Mixed (Sunday)
After the win against Keswick at the start of December in the 1st round of the national Mixed Trophy competition (for losers in the Cup 1st round), Fylde's Mixed team were paired against Clitheroe Blackburn Northern in the 2nd round. Having lost 6-0 to the same side 2 years previously, and CBN's Men playing in NW Div 1, Fylde knew they were in for a tough match at Westholme School late on Sunday afternoon.
The first half was closely fought with both sides attacking and goals scored at both ends.
Blackburn scored first with a forward eluding two defenders on the right and getting a pass across goal to a striker to poach. Fylde quickly responded with Rich Clarke attacking down the left wing and firing off a hard slap into the net for the equaliser.
With attacks and counter attacks, play was open, with a lot of skilful dribbling and passing from both sides, however it was Blackburn who managed to score the next two goals.
Fylde remained positive, and after one Blackburn attack was stopped by Tim Woodman tackling just in front of the D in his own half, he took possession and ran the length of the pitch, past defenders and with an advancing goalkeeper he gave a square pass to Simon Holt, who had also run in support, and he had a relatively simple strike for goal.
Blackburn scored again before the break to make it 4-2 at half-time. But Fylde kept on playing expansively during the second half and making full use of their 4 subs with regular rotations.
The play was even more open in the second half with end to end attacks, but it was Blackburn who were more clinical in front of goal, scoring another 4, including a goal of the season contender with a smashed ball into the D, deflected off the ground at pace by a female striker, leaving Laura Troth in goal no chance to react.
An enjoyable game played in the right spirit with good umpiring, and many of the players from both teams headed to The Clog & Billycock for beers afterwards.
That loss ends Fylde's run in the EH Cup/Trophy/Vase competitions for this season.
Sunday's Team:
Heather Appleyard, Lauren Appleyard, Alice Bishop, Richard Clarke, EJ Dunkerley, Luke Hitchen, Simon Holt, Jack Jones, Pete Latimer, Jade Mottley, Nikki Richmond, Leah Richmond, Abbie Southern, Laura Troth, Tim Woodman
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