WEEKEND PREVIEW: CUP FOOTBALL TAKES CENTRE STAGE

After an eventful opening weekend in Cheshire Football League Two, attention turns towards cup football this Saturday with Mersey Valley making the short journey to face Dukinfield Town in the first round of the Cheshire Amateur Cup.

The opening weekend certainly wasn’t short of goals, with 19 scored across the five League Two fixtures as the first points of the new season were won and lost.

For Mersey Valley, however, it was a frustrating afternoon at Warrington Rylands Development. A 3-0 defeat doesn’t tell the whole story of a game in which Valley created opportunities but were punished for mistakes at the other end.

This weekend provides an immediate opportunity to respond.

Opening Weekend Produces Plenty of Goals

Upton were the biggest winners on the opening day as they began their campaign with an impressive 6-2 home victory over Moore United.

Haydock were also involved in an eight-goal afternoon, eventually coming away from Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves with a 6-4 victory.

Elsewhere, Barnton Reserves edged past Congleton Town Reserves 2-1, while Wythenshawe also started with three points following a 2-1 victory away at Pilkington.

Warrington Rylands Development completed the opening weekend winners with their 3-0 victory over Mersey Valley. Those results leave Upton sitting at the top of the very early League Two table on goal difference, ahead of Warrington Rylands, Haydock, Barnton and Wythenshawe.

There is, of course, a very long way to go.

A Different Looking Weekend

League Two takes something of a back seat this Saturday with several clubs involved in county cup competitions.
Mersey Valley travel to Dukinfield Town in the first round of the Cheshire Amateur Cup, while Barnton Reserves and Congleton Town Reserves are also in cup action.

Pilkington, Haydock and Warrington Rylands Development all begin their Liverpool County FA Saturday Junior Cup campaigns.
That leaves just two League Two fixtures currently scheduled for Saturday, with Moore United hosting Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves and opening-day leaders Upton welcoming Maine Road Reserves, who are yet to begin their league campaign after being involved in Manchester FA Saturday

Challenge Trophy action last weekend.

Valley Looking For A Response

Mersey Valley’s season started with disappointment at Warrington Rylands last Saturday, but there were positives within the performance despite the final scoreline.

Valley started the game brightly and created two good early opportunities before finding themselves behind after 20 minutes.
A second defensive mistake was punished shortly afterwards and, despite continuing to create chances, Valley were unable to find the goal that might have changed the momentum of the afternoon.

Rylands eventually added a third to complete a 3-0 victory. The challenge now is the response.

Saturday’s cup tie gives Jon Hudson’s side an immediate opportunity to put the opening-day disappointment behind them before attention returns to League Two and the first home game of the season against Upton on 19 September. Ahead of this weekend’s cup game we caught up with manager Jon Hudson.

A disappointing result last weekend, but having had time to reflect on it, how do you assess the performance now?

The result was obviously disappointing because nobody wants to start a season losing 3-0, but I think you have to separate the result from the performance a little bit.

We’ve fully analysed the game and there was plenty that I was pleased with. We started really well, created chances and on another day we could quite easily have been ahead before they scored.

What frustrated me was that we contributed massively to our own downfall. You can’t give teams goals at this level and expect to keep getting away with it. There were positives, but ultimately we lost the game and that’s the bit that matters.

Was the scoreline particularly frustrating because of the chances you created?

Definitely. At 0-0 we had opportunities and throughout the game there were moments where we could have got ourselves back into it.
But that’s football. You don’t get anything for creating chances if you don’t take them.At the other end we made mistakes and they punished us. That’s the difference. We have to learn from that very quickly.

How has the reaction been at training this week?

Really good. The worst thing we could have done was feel sorry for ourselves because we lost the first game. It’s one game out of a long season.
We talked about what went wrong, we worked on things during the week and then you move forward. That’s what good teams have to do. I don’t want us getting carried away when we win and I certainly don’t want us disappearing into ourselves when we lose.

Does a cup game come at a good time after an opening-day defeat?

I think any game comes at a good time because you want the opportunity to respond.
It’s a different competition and a different challenge, but we’re going there wanting to win the game. Cup football is simple. You perform and you stay in the competition. If you don’t, you’re out.

We want to be playing as many competitive games as possible this season, so we’d obviously like a cup run, it’s something we haven’t got right yet in my three seasons.

What are you expecting from Dukinfield?

A difficult game. We couldn’t have got a tougher game, they are Manchester Premier League Champions and a side that is used to winning games, they have a really strong squad and we know this will be a really tough challenge for us.

The biggest thing for me is concentrating on ourselves and making sure the standards we expect are there from the first minute.

How important would a positive result be going into the first home league game next weekend?

The only game I am thinking about is Dukinfield. We need to make sure we’re better than we were last Saturday, learn from the things that cost us and give ourselves the best possible chance of being in the next round. That’s the only focus.

This Weekend

Saturday 12 September 2026

Cheshire Amateur Cup – First Round
Dukinfield Town v Mersey Valley | 2:00pm

Cheshire Football League Two
Moore United v Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves | 2:00pm
Upton v Maine Road Reserves | 2:00pm

A number of other League Two clubs are also involved in county cup action across the weekend.
For Mersey Valley, it’s another afternoon on the road and another opportunity to take a step forward.

Dukinfield Town v Mersey Valley
Saturday 12 September | 2:00pm
Astley Sports Village, Yew Tree Lane, Dukinfield, SK16 5BL

The league campaign can wait for another week.

This Saturday, it’s all about the cup.

#AmberArmy