15/08/2026
๐ค๐ Springwood United U11s vs New Tupton Ivanhoes Gold โฝ๏ธ
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! ๐
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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! โฝ๏ธโฝ๏ธโฝ๏ธ
Some handful this lad is proving to be! ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐ค๐
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! ๐
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! ๐
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! ๐๐ค๐
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! ๐งค๐
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. ๐โฝ๏ธ
๐ Player of the Match
Today's Player of the Match was a fitting one.
I'll be honest, I bottled it! ๐
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! ๐๐
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The elusive goal didn't come today, unfortunately, so he'll have to wait a little longer for that 400th Tupton goal! ๐
Congratulations mate! What a player and what a teammate. ๐ค๐๐
A special mention also has to go to Kaiden, who could very easily have won this award himself after another top-class performance.
โฝ Goals & Assists
Henry โฝ๏ธโฝ๏ธโฝ๏ธโฝ๏ธ
Charlie ๐
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Kaiden ๐
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Eric ๐
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Next Up... ๐ฌ๐ง
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! ๐ดโฝ๏ธ
Another brilliant experience awaits! ๐ค๐
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