WEEKEND PREVIEW: VALLEY READY TO RETURN AS CUP FOOTBALL TAKES CENTRE STAGE

After a frustrating weekend of postponements across the Cheshire Football League, Mersey Valley will be hoping for a return to action this Saturday when they travel to face Maine Road Reserves.

Last weekend’s scheduled home encounter with Warrington Rylands Development was one of several fixtures lost to the weather, with only one Cheshire Football League Two match surviving.

That solitary encounter saw league leaders Upton continue their extraordinary start to the campaign with an impressive 5-1 victory away at Wythenshawe, extending their perfect record to seven victories from seven league matches.

This weekend brings a change of focus for much of the division, with the Cheshire League’s cup competitions taking centre stage.

For Mersey Valley, however, the attention remains firmly on league football as they look to build on their encouraging recent performances and continue climbing the table.

Weather Wins Across League Two

Last Saturday proved to be a frustrating afternoon for players, managers and supporters across the Cheshire Football League.

Persistent poor weather conditions forced the postponement of four of the five scheduled League Two fixtures, including Valley’s eagerly anticipated return meeting with Warrington Rylands Development at Banky Lane.

It was particularly disappointing for the Amber Army, who had been looking forward to building on two excellent performances against Wythenshawe and Haydock.

The postponement means Valley have not played since their hard-fought 1-1 draw against Haydock on 17 October, a match which followed the emphatic 6-0 victory over Wythenshawe Reserves.

While the enforced break was frustrating, those performances have provided plenty of encouragement as the season begins to develop.

For Valley, the challenge is now to rediscover that momentum when they return to competitive action.

Upton March On With Seventh Straight Victory

While the weather dominated the headlines elsewhere, there was no stopping league leaders Upton.

Travelling to face second-placed Wythenshawe in what promised to be one of the most significant encounters of the early season, Upton produced another outstanding performance to claim a comprehensive 5-1 victory.

The result maintained their remarkable 100% league record and further strengthened their position at the top of the table.

Seven games. Seven victories. Twenty-one points.

With a goal difference of plus 30, Upton have set an extraordinary standard during the opening months of the campaign.

Their latest victory was particularly impressive given the opposition, with Wythenshawe having established themselves amongst the division’s early challengers.

For the chasing pack, the challenge is becoming increasingly clear. Upton have established a commanding advantage, but with plenty of football still to be played, the battle for positions behind the leaders remains wide open.

League Two: Plenty Still To Play For

Although Upton have opened up a significant advantage at the top, the remainder of the Cheshire Football League Two table remains incredibly competitive.

Wythenshawe currently occupy second place with nine points, closely followed by Haydock on eight.

Mersey Valley sit fourth with seven points from six matches, level with Pilkington, Barnton Reserves and Congleton Town Reserves.

With teams having played different numbers of matches, the league table remains difficult to assess fully, but the closeness of the chasing pack highlights just how competitive the division has become.

For Valley, the recent improvement has been particularly encouraging.

After losing their opening three league matches, Hudson’s side have collected seven points from their next three games, recording victories over Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves and Wythenshawe, together with the draw against Haydock.

Those three matches have also seen Valley score 11 goals while conceding just once.

It represents a significant turnaround from the difficult opening weeks of the campaign and provides a platform for the remainder of the season.

Cup Football Takes Centre Stage

With the Cheshire Football League Cup programme getting under way, Saturday offers a different challenge for the majority of League Two clubs.

Several teams face opposition from outside their own division, providing an opportunity to test themselves against unfamiliar opponents.

Warrington Rylands Development travel to Egerton, while Haydock and Pilkington meet in an all-League Two cup encounter.

Moore United welcome Newton-Le-Willows, Barnton Reserves travel to Nantwich Town Reserves and Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves face Northwich Victoria Reserves.

Elsewhere, Wythenshawe visit Sandbach United Reserves, Congleton Town Reserves travel to Styal and league leaders Upton host Hartford.

For many clubs, the cup competitions provide an opportunity to build momentum, give players valuable competitive minutes and potentially enjoy a memorable run.

With league positions temporarily taking a back seat for much of the division, there should be no shortage of interesting encounters across the Cheshire Football League this weekend.

Valley Head To Maine Road

While most of their League Two rivals turn their attention to cup football, Mersey Valley make the relatively short journey to Chorlton to face Maine Road Reserves.

The hosts have experienced a difficult opening to the league campaign, collecting three points from their first five matches.

However, their victory over Barnton Reserves earlier this month demonstrated that they are more than capable of producing a result against established opponents.

For Valley, Saturday provides an opportunity to return to winning ways and continue the encouraging progress shown throughout October.

The Amber Army have already demonstrated their attacking capabilities this season, with memorable victories over Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves and Wythenshawe highlighting the quality within Hudson’s squad.

The task now is to deliver that level of performance consistently.

With the league table so tightly contested behind Upton, another positive result could prove particularly valuable.

The Gaffer: Jon Hudson

Jon, another frustrating weekend with the postponement against Warrington Rylands. How disappointing was it not to play?

It’s always frustrating when a game gets called off, particularly when you’re looking forward to it as much as we were.

We’d had two really encouraging performances against Wythenshawe and Haydock and we wanted to build on those. But that’s football at this time of year. You can’t control the weather and sometimes you just have to accept it and move on.

The important thing now is that we’re ready when we get the opportunity to play again.

Despite not playing last weekend, Valley are fourth in the table. Are you pleased with the progress?

I think we’re making progress, definitely, but I wouldn’t get too carried away with league positions at this stage.

We’ve played six games and we’ve got seven points. That’s not where we wanted to be when the season started, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise.

But if you look at the last three league games, we’ve taken seven points, scored 11 goals and conceded just once. That’s a really positive return.

We’ve shown what we’re capable of. The challenge now is to maintain those standards and keep improving.

Upton have now won seven from seven. What do you make of their start?

It’s an incredible start and they deserve enormous credit. Seven wins from seven matches at any level is an outstanding achievement, particularly in a division as competitive as ours. To go to Wythenshawe, who have had a very good start themselves, and win 5-1 tells you just how well they’re playing.

But there is still a long way to go. Football has a habit of surprising you and there are plenty of good teams in this division.

From our point of view, we just have to concentrate on ourselves and make sure we keep improving.

This weekend it’s Maine Road Reserves. What are you expecting from the game?

A difficult game, absolutely. I think one of the biggest lessons we’ve learned this season is that you can’t take anything for granted in this league.

Maine Road might not have had the start they wanted, but they’ve already shown they’re capable of beating good teams.

We’re going there with respect for our opponents, but also with confidence in our own ability.

We’ve played some really good football recently and I want us to carry that into Saturday.

Finally, with November approaching, what are your ambitions for the coming weeks?

Consistency. That’s the biggest thing for me.

We’ve had some fantastic moments already this season, but we’ve also had some difficult afternoons. I want us to become a team that performs to a high standard every single week.

We’ve got a really good group of lads here and I believe in every one of them. The togetherness has been excellent, the attitude has been excellent and I think we’re beginning to see the benefits of the hard work everyone has put in.

I want us to enjoy our football, keep working hard for each other and give ourselves every opportunity to have a successful season.

There’s a long way to go and plenty to be excited about.

 This Weekend

Saturday 31 October 2026

Cheshire Football League Two

Maine Road Reserves v Mersey Valley | 2:00pm

Cheshire Football League Cup

Egerton v Warrington Rylands Development
Haydock v Pilkington
Moore United v Newton-Le-Willows
Nantwich Town Reserves v Barnton Reserves
Northwich Victoria Reserves v Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves
Sandbach United Reserves v Wythenshawe
Styal v Congleton Town Reserves
Upton v Hartford