New Tupton Ivanhoe Gold U10s

🖤💛 NEW TUPTON IVANHOES GOLD VS KEYWORTH ⚽️

After what has been a brilliant summer for the boys, we were finally back at Clay Cross for our final pre-season friendly before the season begins!

Today we welcomed Keyworth, a side who are starting life in Division 3, but it’s safe to say that with the quality they possess, we expect them to move up the leagues quickly.

The boys trained with some serious intensity last night, so the challenge today was to bring that same attitude into the game.

We gave the boys three key things to focus on:

🗣️ Communication
👀 Scanning
🏃‍♂️ Movement out of possession

And they certainly delivered!

⚽️ FIRST HALF

We started well and, to be fair, both teams were putting the ball down and playing some really good football in the opening stages.

With Charlie our only recognised winger today, Finley stepped in on the left and this is where our opening goal came from.

Fin won a kick-in on the left and played a brilliant ball across to Charlie, who calmly took a touch and slotted it past the keeper. ⚽️

The movement off the ball was really good to see, and these two have developed a brilliant understanding down the left but even though they were on opposite wings this was still clear to see for this goal.

Keyworth were playing a 1-3-2, which allowed us to defend man-for-man, although we had to be wary of their midfield player pushing forward to create a three-man attack when they had possession.

Defensively, we dealt with this really well.

Harry, Jack and Lochran worked brilliantly together regardless of the combination we played, while Harlyn kept everything connected in front of them.

Tupton continued to calmly build our attacks and looked very composed in possession. Our attacking play was really slick, with some lovely one- and two-touch triangles as we looked to get the ball wide.

At the back we looked comfortable, with Jaxon looking solid between the sticks and the boys constantly backing each other up, giving Keyworth very few sights on goal.

The game was balanced, but eventually our patience paid off.

Our next goal came from our desire to regain possession.

Harlyn won the ball back inside our own box, got his head up and immediately spotted Henry in space.

Keyworth were playing a high line and when you get your head up and play a pass with that quality, you can get in behind.

Henry still had plenty to do, though.

The Keyworth goalkeeper came quickly off his line, but Henry took the ball around him and calmly knocked it into the net. ⚽️

Both teams continued to show good attacking play and Keyworth did get themselves a goal back after we gifted them possession.

But we're teaching the boys that mistakes happen. What matters is how you react, learn from them and move on.

And that's exactly what they did.

A really enjoyable first half with some excellent football from both teams.

🔄 A CHANGE OF SYSTEM

For the second half, we decided to try something completely different.

For the first eight minutes, we dropped our striker and played four across the middle.

This is something we want to develop so that we can adapt and react to different situations during games in the future.

It definitely took a few minutes to adjust, but once the boys realised we had more options to build from the back, we started playing some really nice football.

It’s definitely something we will continue to develop moving forward.

A special mention to Finley and Harlyn, because it was a big ask to play a new system, and both were pivotal in making it work. 👏

After eight minutes we reverted back to what we know.

Charlie stepped into the centre and within a few minutes picked up the ball from Harry’s pass.

With his back to goal, Charlie quickly turned and scanned to see Henry.

A lovely ball found Henry, whose touch inside took the defender out of the game before he calmly finished past the keeper. ⚽️

Tupton were starting to gain control of the game and eventually Henry returned the favour.

Henry used his strength brilliantly to outmuscle the defender before making a great decision to play Charlie into acres of space.

The Keyworth defender closed the space brilliantly, but Charlie touched the ball around him, taking him out of the game before unleashing a powerful effort that beat the keeper. ⚽️

Tupton still had to maintain our focus and every player was playing their part.

Keyworth were starting to look rattled and Tupton continued to impress going forward.

We were turning over possession quickly, our forwards were looking dangerous and we continued to create opportunities.

Charlie added a couple more goals, including a brilliant finish into the top corner, while Henry added another assist to finish the game in style. 🔥

👏 HUGE CREDIT TO KEYWORTH

At the end, I asked the Keyworth coach if he would mind if I spoke to his players, and I couldn't compliment them enough.

There was quality in every position and their football was really impressive to watch.

I have no doubt we will see them again in the league, and I wouldn't be surprised if they are moved up the leagues quickly.

A big thank you to Keyworth for making the journey over, and we wish them all the very best for the season ahead. 👏⚽️

🖤💛 WHAT A PRE-SEASON

Tupton started this pre-season with a real desire to build on a good end to last season.

And they have certainly finished it in style.

Today showed just how much this group has developed.

As a group, they have developed friendships and, more importantly, brilliant relationships on the pitch.

They encourage each other.

They support each other.

They fight for each other.

The unity within this group is remarkable.

Players have joined from all over, but honestly, you wouldn't realise it.

They have become a proper team.

Today was a good result, but more importantly, it was a very good performance and a proper team performance.

The boys are quality individuals, but when they all play together as a team, they go up another level. 🖤💛

🏆 PLAYER OF THE MATCH AWARDS

🏆 REFEREE'S POTM — JACK

Our newest member of the team has fitted right in, and every week this young lad is becoming more confident.

Today was fitting that the referee picked him for this award.

Jack defends with strength and desire, but he's now starting to show his ability to play out from the back, and his vision is brilliant to see.

This lad really does have a fantastic attitude, and today's performance was well worthy of this award.

Well done, mate! 👏

🏆 OPPOSITION'S POTM — CHARLIE

Our number 9 was a real handful today.

Great decisions, four really good goals, but what the opposition highlighted most was his work rate.

Charlie was tasked with tracking Keyworth's number 7 and he completely nullified their threat through his brilliant tracking and defensive work.

A real threat going forward with some excellent runs in behind, but equally impressive when working back for the team.

A really good all-round performance.

Well done, Charlie! 👏

🏆 COACHES' POTM — THE TEAM

Sometimes this can seem like a bit of a cop-out when you award the whole team… but myself and Ryan genuinely couldn't pick one player today.

Jaxon was brilliant between the sticks.

Harry and Jack were solid at the back, showing composure and quality throughout.

Finley, Lochran and Charlie all played different positions but showed quality wherever they played.

Harlyn was really composed in the centre, showing lots of quality.

Henry was strong, made great decisions and contributed with his goals and assists.

We wanted to see communication, scanning and movement, and every single boy showed those qualities today.

So it was only fitting that we awarded the TEAM this one.

Well done, boys! 🖤💛👏

⚽️ GOALS & ASSISTS

Charlie 🅰️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Henry 🅰️🅰️⚽️⚽️
Finley 🅰️
Harlyn 🅰️

Next up…

🏆 BRIDLINGTON — OUR FINAL TOURNAMENT OF THE SUMMER!

Then it's time to finally kick off the 26/27 season! 😎⚽️🖤💛

🖤💛 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐔𝐏𝐓𝐎𝐍! ⚽️

As we approach the start of the 26/27 season, today brings our final pre-season friendly! 👊

After a brilliant summer of football, we drop back down to our own age group today as we welcome Keyworth to Clay Cross Active.

It's been a fantastic pre-season for the boys, taking on some really strong U11 opposition and showing just how much they have developed. The team are looking sharp, confident and ready for the season ahead, and we're looking forward to another competitive fixture to finish our preparations! 💪⚽️

One final test before the real thing begins! 🔥

⭐️Today's Featured Matchday Player is our number 9, Charlie who is proudly sponsored by PlayerPerformance - j20coaching

🏟️ Clay Cross Active
⏰ Kick-off: 10:00

A huge thank you to all of our incredible sponsors for supporting us throughout the 2026/27 season:

👕💛 Home Kit Sponsor – Wingfield Store
👕🤍 Away Kit Sponsor – Eleven:Eleven
👕🩷 Third Kit Sponsor –

A special thank you also goes to XbotGo for providing the equipment that allows us to record and live stream our fixtures. Your support is hugely appreciated! 🤝

Come on, Gold! 🖤💛⚽️

⚽️ 400 GOALS FOR CHARLIE! 🖤💛

400 GOALS. 214 APPEARANCES. 202 ASSISTS. 🤯🔥

Yesterday at the incredible St George’s Park, Charlie reached a huge milestone, scoring his 400th goal in a Tupton shirt! 🏆⚽️

And what makes this achievement even more impressive is just how unselfish Charlie is as a player.

Across those 214 appearances, he has also registered an incredible 202 assists! 👏

That says everything about the type of player he is. He’s not just looking to score goals himself, he’s constantly looking to create opportunities for his teammates and bring others into the game.

To reach 400 goals for Tupton is a phenomenal achievement, and to do it at St George’s Park, the home of England football, makes it even more special. 🏟️🏴

It’s only right that we stop and applaud this one, because milestones like this don’t happen by accident.

400 goals. 202 assists. 214 appearances.

What a journey so far, mate! 👏🖤💛

Keep doing exactly what you’re doing, keep enjoying your football and keep making those memories.

Next stop… 500! 👀🔥

🖤💛⚽️

ESF All Stars Super Cup 🏆 | St George’s Park

🖤💛 ESF ALL STARS SUPER CUP | ST GEORGE’S PARK 🏆⚽️

Yesterday, the boys got the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of England’s national team at St George’s Park… and what a day it was! 🤩

We had the opportunity to play teams from Scotland, Wales, Northumberland and all the way down to Plymouth, and safe to say the quality on display was some of the best we have seen at a tournament.

But you don’t travel that far just to make up the numbers… you travel to compete! 💪

🇬🇧 GAME 1 | SOF 🇽🇪

Our opening game saw us face SOF from Scotland.

We went behind, but one thing we have built throughout this summer is resilience, and once again the boys showed it.

The equaliser was a brilliant bit of football, going from back to front in no more than four touches before finding the back of the net! Kaiden played the ball out wide to Charlie, who delivered an inch-perfect pass behind the defence for Henry to finish brilliantly. His finesse on the finish was outstanding! 👌

The game was well balanced with both teams creating chances, but SOF regained the lead with some good football.

Once again, though, Tupton showed real fight.

The equaliser came from some brilliant decision-making from the boys. Slick football found Charlie, who took a brilliant touch and confidently went one-on-one with the goalkeeper, knocking the ball straight through his legs and into the net! ⚽️

And with that goal, Charlie scored his 400th goal for Tupton! 🎉

A well-deserved draw against a very good SOF side who pressed quickly and gave us very little time on the ball.

We knew there were plenty of things we could tweak to take our performance up another level, but we were up and running!

🏴 GAME 2 | JT FOOTBALL

Next up we faced JT Football from Northumberland, and this was probably my favourite game of the day because it was a complete performance.

JT were very good and the standard was extremely high, but Tupton showed everything it takes to be a top team.

Outstanding goalkeeping.

Brilliant communication.

Good saves.

Excellent decision-making.

Jaxon looked incredibly composed, which gave the defenders confidence behind him. Finley, Harry and Jack were absolutely solid, battling for everything and keeping JT’s very talented number 7 quiet throughout.

Kaiden protected our backline brilliantly while also helping get our attackers on the front foot.

Going forward, we looked dangerous. Lochran, Charlie, Toby and Henry created opportunities and constantly stretched our opponents.

But the winning goal came from a moment of absolute magic. ✨

Finley found Toby on the left and from distance Toby unleashed an absolute rocket 🚀 that flew into the top corner.

The goalkeeper had absolutely no chance.

What. A. Goal. 👏

Tupton won 1-0, but more importantly, every player showed quality, fight and desire.

That was hugely pleasing to watch. 🖤💛

🏟️ A LITTLE BREAK AT ST GEORGE’S PARK

With an hour between games, we took the boys on a little tour around St George’s Park.

It was brilliant seeing them take in the facilities, spend time with their mates and enjoy the experience.

Safe to say, it’s an impressive place!

Hopefully, it gave the boys a little bit of inspiration too… who knows where football might take them? 👀⚽️

🏴 GAME 3 | HAWARDEN HAWKS

Time to turn our attention back to football and next up were Hawarden Hawks from Wales.

Unfortunately, we started slowly.

From kick-off we played back to our defenders and Hawarden pressed quickly with numbers. We were far too slow and gifted them possession, and they punished us.

Within two minutes we found ourselves 2-0 down against a very good team.

It was disappointing after the levels we had shown in the previous game, and suddenly we had a mountain to climb.

Now it was time to show character.

And the boys did just that.

We started making better decisions, got a foothold in the game and created some really good opportunities, but Hawarden’s defence and goalkeeper stood tall.

Tupton were looking more likely to get back into the game and, with minutes remaining, we pushed numbers forward.

Unfortunately, the gamble didn’t pay off and Hawarden scored again to seal the game.

But what stood out was the character we showed after such a difficult start.

A special mention to Charlie and Jack, who were constantly trying to lift the boys and keep everyone positive. 👏

🏆 SEMI FINAL | SOF

Emotions were running high, but we told the boys there was no time to drop our heads.

We had finished the group stage with one draw, one win and one defeat, and now we had a semi-final to play.

It didn’t take long before the smiles were back.

We have such a good group of boys and parents, and the positivity within the group means the boys can enjoy these experiences without unnecessary pressure.

Now it was time for another SOF team, this time inside the dome.

The question was simple…

How would the boys respond?

The answer?

Brilliantly.

From the start, the boys looked like a completely different team to the one that started the previous game.

Toby had an early chance and we immediately looked dangerous.

Finley and Jack held a high line and constantly looked to get the ball out wide.

Kaiden simplified his game, made really good decisions and, more importantly, won the midfield battle.

Charlie and Toby held the width brilliantly, pulling defenders out and creating space for Henry to cause problems.

And eventually, the breakthrough came.

Henry produced a brilliant finish that was simply too powerful for the goalkeeper to keep hold of. ⚽️

We made a sub at 8 minutes and Lochran came on and I have to say this was his stand out game, great decision making with some really good vision to find Toby and Charlie and we were only prevented from scoring by the oppositions keeper!

We continued to create more opportunities, but at 1-0 the game remained dangerous.

Finley and Jack had to stay alert alongside Jaxon.

Jack had a very tricky young player to deal with whose footwork was excellent, but his recoveries and defensive solidity prevented her from having a major impact on the game.

Finley looked incredibly composed down the left and showed exactly what this lad is capable of. SOF pressed high, but Fin’s footwork constantly got us back on the front foot.

Jaxon was protected brilliantly, but anything that did get through our defenders had to beat our in-form number one, who pulled off an important save in the final few minutes to keep us ahead. 🧤👏

Tupton had reached our FOURTH final of the summer!

What an achievement.

And even more impressive when you look at the quality of opposition we have faced. 🔥

🏆 THE FINAL | YMCA PLYMOUTH

An hour later and we were back out for the final against YMCA from Plymouth.

Tupton dominated the opening five minutes and Charlie squared the ball to Henry, who opened the scoring. ⚽️

We looked a real threat going forward, but after the goal we started to sit off.

Communication dropped and we stopped picking players up, allowing YMCA to build pressure.

Eventually, they found the equaliser.

The boys didn’t lose focus, though, and regained control of the game.

With minutes remaining, Charlie released Henry, who beat his man before being brought down.

A clever foul from YMCA, because if Henry gets through there, chances are he scores the winner!

YMCA put everyone behind the ball to defend the free kick and did exactly that.

So it was time for the dreaded penalties. 😑

Charlie stepped up first.

A perfect penalty into the bottom corner…

…but the goalkeeper produced an incredible save.

YMCA missed again and Henry stepped forward.

Unfortunately, Henry missed and the score remained 0-0.

YMCA scored their next penalty and suddenly the pressure was on Kaiden.

Unfortunately, we missed again and the final belonged to YMCA.

But I have to give huge credit to YMCA.

They didn’t celebrate in front of our boys. Instead, they came over, consoled them and took their celebrations away from the pitch.

That was fantastic sportsmanship and exactly what football should be about. 👏

🖤💛 SO PROUD

We sat the boys down afterwards and, honestly, it was hard to see them upset.

But we told them exactly how proud we were.

We came into this summer with one ambition:

To build a team that plays quality football, creates friendships and makes memories.

We didn’t expect to win every tournament.

We certainly didn’t expect to reach FOUR FINALS.

And we have won one of them! 🏆

When you look at the standard of teams we have played this summer, that is a huge achievement.

But yesterday was about more than winning a trophy.

The experience of playing at St George’s Park, playing teams from across the UK, walking around the home of England football and sharing the experience with their mates…

That is something these boys will remember forever.

Trophies eventually get forgotten.

The memories of playing football with your mates in incredible venues?

Those stay with you. ❤️

We headed into the awards ceremony and, to their credit, the boys put the disappointment behind them.

They collected their medals with smiles on their faces, were back in good spirits and even clapped YMCA when they lifted the trophy. 👏🏆

That made us incredibly proud.

🍻 TEAM TRIP!

Then it was time for a team trip to the pub! 😎🍻

The next few hours were a brilliant opportunity for the parents to enjoy a drink while the boys socialised.

And honestly…

these kids had us in stitches. 😂

They somehow scraped together some very odd items and decided to set up a full-blown car boot sale, attempting to sell what can only be described as absolute tat to passers-by…

All apparently in aid of raising money “for a local hospital.” 😂😂

Even the bar manager couldn’t help but laugh before eventually having to shut down their car boot sale.

Safe to say, that didn’t go down well with the boys! 😂

🖤💛 WHAT A DAY. WHAT A TEAM.

Another incredible experience.

Another set of memories.

Another tournament where these boys have shown how far they have come.

Four finals this summer.

One trophy.

And some of the best opposition we have faced.

We couldn’t be prouder of this group.

What a day. What a team. What a summer. 🖤💛

Now…

BRING ON BRIDLINGTON FOR OUR FINAL TOURNAMENT OF THE SEASON! 🏆😎⚽️

⚽️ GOALS & ASSISTS

Henry — 🅰️ ⚽️⚽️⚽️
Charlie — 🅰️ 🅰️ ⚽️
Finley — 🅰️
Toby — ⚽️

Now we have to mention the kit 🔥 Wow it looks amazing and a huge thank you to Eleven:Eleven for Sponsoring it! Not forgetting a special thanks to Josh Cantrill for providing the group chat with much need cleaning instructions 😂😂
We are extremely grateful for your support sponsoring the boys for the upcoming season 🙏

🖤💛

What an experience ⚽️🏆

🏆🖤💛 ESF ALL STARS SUPER CUP | ST GEORGE’S PARK 💛🖤🏆

Today we continue what has been a brilliant summer for the boys as we head to St George’s Park, the home of English Football, for the ESF All Stars Super Cup! 🏆⚽️

We’re taking 9 boys along for what promises to be another fantastic experience, with the opportunity to test ourselves against teams from right across the UK, including sides from Wales and Scotland 🇬🇧

The boys have already had an incredible summer, with plenty of football, new experiences and opportunities to play against different opposition and today is another chance to make more memories together. 🙌

Playing at a venue as special as St George’s Park is something the boys will hopefully remember for a long time, and we’re excited to see what the day brings!

Go and enjoy it boys, play with a smile, give everything and most importantly… make some memories! 🖤💛

Come on Tupton! 🖤💛⚽️🏆

We had the opportunity to take some of the boys over to watch Nottingham Forest this afternoon, and it’s safe to say the boys, and the parents, had a brilliant time! 🙌

These opportunities are about so much more than football. It’s a chance for the boys to spend time together away from training and matchdays, build friendships and create memories together.

Building those relationships off the pitch is just as important as what we do on it, and days like today are a great reminder of what being part of a team is all about. 🖤💛

A brilliant afternoon with a brilliant group! 👏⚽️

A big thank you to YEL and for providing the free tickets for today's game 🔴⚪️

Pre season trip to Ho***rs 👀😅

🖤💛 Springwood United U11s vs New Tupton Ivanhoes Gold ⚽️

Our final fixture against U11 opposition took us over to Oakwood in Derby to face Springwood United, who play in Division 2, making this a really good way to finish four weeks of playing up a year.

The warm-up from our boys today was one of the best we've seen. The boys looked sharp, focused and ready to go. We welcomed Eric back into the net with Jaxon away, while with four outfield players missing we borrowed Theo to give us a substitute.

As the game kicked off, both teams looked to gain the upper hand and, if we're being honest, Springwood started the better. They looked comfortable in possession, moved the ball well and were asking questions of us early on.

Tupton looked a little flat and after just four minutes Springwood opened the scoring. A sloppy goal from our perspective, with our defence struggling to clear their lines, and it summed up our start.

Thankfully, the boys started to find their rhythm. Kaiden began to dictate the game more from the middle, although he was certainly made to work hard against their central midfielder, who was probably their standout player at that stage.

We started making much better decisions, stringing some lovely passing football together and beginning to look a real threat.

Charlie was looking extremely confident and making some excellent decisions, and our equaliser came from one of his trademark moments of quality. He sold the defender with a dummy before putting a brilliant ball across goal, allowing Henry to get the simplest of touches to finish.

And for Charlie, this was a special one... his 200th assist in a Tupton shirt! 🅰️🎉

Unfortunately, our equaliser lasted less than a minute. Once again we weren't switched on to Springwood's direct play and conceded two sloppy goals in quick succession.

It was frustrating, especially considering how solid our backline has been throughout the summer, but the message to the boys was simple, calm down, communicate better and get back to doing what we know we're capable of.

In fairness to them, although we looked a little uncertain defensively, we looked extremely dangerous going forward. Henry then created his own luck, showing great determination to get on the end of an opportunity and score again to close the gap.

We weren't playing badly at all. Take away the three sloppy goals and we were winning our battles and producing some really good football. The game was well balanced at half-time and Springwood were a very good team, but we were matching them and, in some areas, beating them.

The second half started much better.

Down the left, Charlie was causing all sorts of problems. The player up against him was being given a nightmare, one minute Charlie was taking him on, the next he was playing clever one-twos around him. What impressed us most, though, was his decision making. He wasn't just taking players on for the sake of it, he was constantly making the right decision.

Ahead of him, Henry was involved in a really good physical battle against a strong Springwood defence. But one thing this kid has in abundance is desire, and that was certainly on display today.

A couple of times Henry made excellent decisions to release Charlie on the overlap. On a better pitch, the ball would probably have put Charlie through. Really good play down that left-hand side.

Springwood were excellent with the ball and whenever they gained possession they looked to get on the front foot. They weren't afraid to shoot from distance either, and one of those efforts resulted in another goal.

Tupton were on top for long periods, but Springwood were excellent at pouncing on any lapse in concentration.

One thing we absolutely loved seeing was that, regardless of conceding, we didn't drop our heads.

That was shown perfectly when Eric spotted Henry's run and played a fantastic ball forward. Henry produced a brilliant touch to take it under control and finish for his hat-trick! ⚽️⚽️⚽️

Some handful this lad is proving to be! 👌

Tupton continued to impress and Kaiden was outstanding in the centre. He looked so composed, made excellent decisions and continually helped us control the middle of the pitch.

At the back, Jack, Harry and Finley were always making themselves available, and our message of controlling the ball and not forcing things was clear to see.

Our defenders are absolutely integral to how we play. We may have struggled defensively at times today, but the boys continued to build confidently from the back.

Jack's individual focus was to get his head up and look to see whether the wide ball was available. Time and time again he did exactly that, showing once again what a brilliant attitude this lad has.

Harry deserves huge credit too. He was lacking a little confidence today, but his resilience to keep building, keep making himself available and keep trying was really impressive. His strength and reading of the game were particularly noticeable in the second half.

Tupton continued to make good decisions, move the ball well and look dangerous going forward, with the Springwood goalkeeper making some excellent saves.

We knew the threat Springwood carried. They were happy to sit off, wait for their opportunity and then punish us, and they did exactly that with another goal before an unfortunate own goal sealed the result.

But the boys showed real character.

They found another gear late on and it's only right that we mention Theo, who stepped in on the right side for us today. His movement off the ball was really positive and when he received possession he looked to be positive with it. He also worked extremely hard during the transition.

You could see the lack of cohesion on that side, which is entirely expected considering he hasn't played with the boys regularly, but Theo certainly gave a very good account of himself. 👏

And then, with around 10 minutes remaining, Tupton really started to put Springwood under pressure.

What followed was an absolutely superb team goal.

Honestly, you won't see many better goals from us all season, and even the referee was impressed!

Kaiden, take a bow. 👏

The confidence, composure and decision making were outstanding. The ball was moved brilliantly, with Henry making the perfect run across the front of goal while Charlie was arriving at the back post if needed.

A cracking team goal and a brilliant example of what we're trying to create. 🖤💛

A special mention has to go to Finley, who played in virtually every position today. With the team unbalanced because of holidays, Finley stepped up and showed his quality in different roles. He wasn't far away from getting himself on the scoresheet, looked positive defensively and adapted brilliantly wherever we needed him.

Well done mate! 👏

The game eventually finished with Springwood getting the result, but once again Tupton showed plenty of quality.

We've been extremely solid at the back throughout the summer and, yes, we had a few wobbly moments today, but we'll learn from them. What matters is that the boys continue to show that brilliant attitude week after week.

Look beyond those moments and there were some brilliant pieces of defending, while our attacking play once again started from the back.

Our midfield were certainly put through a physical test, but we played some brilliant football through the middle third, showing quality both on and off the ball.

And our attack... well, it's safe to say they went up another gear today! 😂

Against such a strong physical defence, we still created plenty, and had it not been for some excellent defending and goalkeeping, we could have scored even more. The creativity out wide and the quality of our decision making were particularly pleasing.

Well done lads! 👏🖤💛

Eric also deserves recognition. He's recently started turning his attention more towards playing outfield, but stepped back into goal today and showed his quality.

It was a tough morning if you simply look at the scoreline, but once again he showed exactly why we rate him so highly as a goalkeeper. Some really good saves and a very mature performance. Well done mate! 🧤👏

A massive thank you to Springwood United too.

We received a lovely message from their manager afterwards about how much of a pleasure it was to watch our passing style and how impressed they were with the boys' decision making.

Springwood are a very good, well-organised team. They used their physicality really well, but always in the right way, and they gave us an excellent test.

We wish them all the best for the upcoming season and look forward to hosting them in the future.

Two very good, well-balanced teams and a brilliant game of football to watch. 👏⚽️

🏆 Player of the Match

Today's Player of the Match was a fitting one.

I'll be honest, I bottled it! 😂

Normally throughout pre-season we pick the award ourselves, and my choice was Charlie. However, not wanting to come across as biased, I left the decision to the referee.

He told us it was between two players, Henry, who had an outstanding game and scored four goals, and Charlie.

He eventually selected Charlie for his decision making, flair and confidence, particularly the way he repeatedly took players on before using his vision to make the right decision and play teammates through.

And what a special occasion for Charlie...

200 assists in a Tupton shirt on his 213th appearance.

Some achievement for such a young player! 👏🅰️

The elusive goal didn't come today, unfortunately, so he'll have to wait a little longer for that 400th Tupton goal! 😂

Congratulations mate! What a player and what a teammate. 🖤💛👏

A special mention also has to go to Kaiden, who could very easily have won this award himself after another top-class performance.

⚽ Goals & Assists

Henry ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Charlie 🅰️
Kaiden 🅰️
Eric 🅰️

Next Up... 🇬🇧

Tomorrow we have an opportunity for some team bonding as we head off to watch Nottingham Forest before one of the boys' highlights of the summer...

We're heading to St George's Park, the home of English football, to take part in a tournament featuring teams from across the UK! 🏴⚽️

Another brilliant experience awaits! 🖤💛