Mersey Valley return to Banky Lane this Saturday determined to turn their attacking promise into three points as Wythenshawe provide the latest Cheshire Football League Two challenge.

It has certainly been an eventful opening to the season for Jon Hudson’s side, with 19 goals scored across their last three league fixtures, including an extraordinary eleven-goal encounter at Pilkington last weekend.

Despite eventually losing 6-5, Valley produced some outstanding attacking football and once again demonstrated the character and determination within this new-look squad.

Now, back on home soil, the Amber Army will be hoping for a repeat of the performance that saw Valley defeat Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves 4-0 in their previous game at Banky Lane.

Eleven Goals, But No Points At Pilkington

Last Saturday’s visit to Pilkington was certainly not an afternoon for the faint-hearted.

Valley made an excellent start, with James Matthews opening the scoring after just eight minutes, but what followed was an extraordinary first half in which both teams traded goals almost at will.

Matthews completed a remarkable first-half hat-trick, while Alfie Howarth also found the net, yet Valley somehow went into the interval trailing 5-4.

The second half brought further opportunities, but Pilkington extended their advantage before Sam Deering saw a penalty saved.

Deering eventually reduced the deficit to 6-5 in the final minute, but there was no time for another comeback. The statistics demonstrated just how much Valley created during the afternoon.

Twenty shots, seven big chances, 29 touches inside the opposition penalty area and nine corners all pointed towards an attacking performance that deserved a better outcome.

However, defensive mistakes proved costly and Valley were left reflecting on another game in which their attacking quality was not reflected in the final result. There were positives, particularly going forward, but the challenge now is to produce that quality at both ends of the pitch.

Matthews Continues His Remarkable Run

One of the standout stories of Mersey Valley’s season has undoubtedly been the form of James Matthews.

His first-half hat-trick at Pilkington took his competitive tally to eight goals in five matches this season, with the striker finding the net in each of Valley’s last four games.

Having scored against Dukinfield Town, twice against Upton, twice against Cheadle Heath Nomads and three times at Pilkington, Matthews has become one of the early success stories of the campaign.

His performances have provided a significant attacking threat, while his work rate and commitment have been equally impressive.

With another home fixture approaching, Valley will be hoping their in-form forward can continue his outstanding start.

Around League Two

The opening weeks of the Cheshire Football League Two season have already produced some remarkable scorelines, with attacking football and high-scoring encounters becoming a familiar theme.

Last Saturday’s eleven-goal thriller between Pilkington and Mersey Valley was the most dramatic of the weekend, while Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves recorded an impressive 4-2 away victory against Warrington Rylands Development.

The result was a welcome boost for Nomads following their difficult opening to the campaign and another reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in this division.

For Valley, Saturday’s opponents Wythenshawe have made an encouraging start, including victories over Pilkington and Warrington Rylands Development.

With clubs having played different numbers of fixtures and county cup competitions continuing throughout October, there is still plenty of football to be played before the league table begins to settle.

Wythenshawe Reserves Visit Banky Lane

Saturday’s visitors have already demonstrated their ability to compete in League Two this season.

Their 2-1 opening-day victory away at Pilkington was followed by an impressive 2-0 success against Warrington Rylands Development.

For Mersey Valley, the challenge is to build on the attacking quality displayed over recent weeks while producing another strong home performance.

The last time Valley played at Banky Lane, they delivered arguably their most complete performance of the season, defeating Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves 4-0.

With Matthews in excellent goalscoring form and several players beginning to make significant contributions, there is plenty of encouragement heading into another important afternoon.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, we caught up with manager Jon Hudson.

Another extraordinary game last weekend, scoring five goals away from home but coming away with nothing. How do you reflect on it?

It’s difficult because there were some absolutely brilliant things in our performance, but ultimately we lost the game. I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in many games quite like that one.

We scored five goals away from home, James scored a fantastic hat-trick, Alfie got his goal and we created enough chances to have scored several more. But we conceded six, and you can’t ignore that. I’ve said all along that I believe in this group of players, and nothing that happened on Saturday changes that.

We’re going to have difficult moments. That’s football. But I know what these lads are capable of and I’m absolutely determined that we’re going to get things right.

Despite the results, there must be real encouragement from the attacking performances?

Massively. Look at the quality we’ve got in this squad. We’ve got players who can score goals, create opportunities and cause problems for any team in this division.

James is obviously getting the headlines, and rightly so, but we’ve got Sam, Joel, Mike, Aaron and others who can all contribute. We’ve scored nine goals in two games. That’s not something you can just dismiss.

The important thing now is making sure all that good work counts for something. I genuinely believe we’re much closer than the results suggest.

James Matthews has been outstanding. How pleased are you with his contribution?

I’m absolutely delighted for James. He’s a fantastic lad, works incredibly hard and deserves every bit of recognition he’s getting.

Eight goals in five games is an outstanding return, but it’s not just his goals. It’s his attitude, his commitment and what he gives to the team. He’s scored in four consecutive games now, which is a fantastic achievement.

But knowing James, he’ll be far more interested in helping us win on Saturday than anything he’s achieved individually. That’s exactly the attitude I want from my players.

There have been some difficult results, but you remain very positive about this squad. Why?

Because I see these lads every week. I see how hard they work, how much they care and how determined they are to make this season successful.

Of course I’m frustrated. Nobody is more frustrated than me when we lose football matches. But I’m not going to start questioning everything we’ve worked towards because we’ve had a difficult start. We’ve completely rebuilt this squad. We’ve brought some really talented players together and we’re still developing those relationships and understanding.

I take full responsibility for the results. That’s my job as manager. I had a moan last week after the game but emotion is always high and I will always wear my heart on my sleeve.

I believe in these players and I’ll keep backing them.

Back at Banky Lane this weekend, where the last home game brought that excellent 4-0 victory. How important is home advantage?

It’s massive. I love playing at Banky Lane and I want the lads to feel exactly the same. Our last home game was a brilliant afternoon. We played some excellent football, scored four goals, kept a clean sheet and everybody left feeling positive.

That’s what we want to create more regularly.

We’ve got a good group of lads, a football club full of good people and supporters who want to see us do well. I want us to give them something to get excited about.

Wythenshawe have started the season well. What are you expecting?

Another really difficult game.

They’ve had some good results and deserve plenty of credit for the way they’ve started the season. But we’re at home and I want us to approach the game with confidence.

We’ve shown what we can do against some good sides already this season. Now we need to put together the performance and result that we know we’re capable of. We’re looking forward to it.

Finally, what is your message to the players and supporters ahead of Saturday?

Keep believing. That’s probably the simplest way I can put it.

Football can be incredibly frustrating sometimes. You can work hard all week, prepare properly, create chances, score goals and still end up on the wrong side of the result.

But you can’t allow disappointment to take away your belief. I believe in this football club, I believe in this squad and I believe we’re going to have a really positive season. We have to keep working, keep improving and, most importantly, keep sticking together.

I want the lads to enjoy their football, play with confidence and show everybody what they’re capable of. We’ve had some difficult afternoons, but there’s a long season ahead of us.

And I can promise you one thing – nobody at this football club is giving up on what we’re trying to achieve.

I’m excited about Saturday. I’m excited about what this group can become. Now let’s go and show it.

This Weekend

Saturday 10 October 2026

WEEKEND PREVIEW: VALLEY READY TO FIGHT BACK AT BANKY LANE

Mersey Valley return to Banky Lane this Saturday determined to turn their attacking promise into three points as Wythenshawe provide the latest Cheshire Football League Two challenge.

It has certainly been an eventful opening to the season for Jon Hudson’s side, with 19 goals scored across their last three league fixtures, including an extraordinary eleven-goal encounter at Pilkington last weekend.

Despite eventually losing 6-5, Valley produced some outstanding attacking football and once again demonstrated the character and determination within this new-look squad.

Now, back on home soil, the Amber Army will be hoping for a repeat of the performance that saw Valley defeat Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves 4-0 in their previous game at Banky Lane.

Eleven Goals, But No Points At Pilkington

Last Saturday’s visit to Pilkington was certainly not an afternoon for the faint-hearted.

Valley made an excellent start, with James Matthews opening the scoring after just eight minutes, but what followed was an extraordinary first half in which both teams traded goals almost at will.

Matthews completed a remarkable first-half hat-trick, while Alfie Howarth also found the net, yet Valley somehow went into the interval trailing 5-4.

The second half brought further opportunities, but Pilkington extended their advantage before Sam Deering saw a penalty saved.

Deering eventually reduced the deficit to 6-5 in the final minute, but there was no time for another comeback.

The statistics demonstrated just how much Valley created during the afternoon.

Twenty shots, seven big chances, 29 touches inside the opposition penalty area and nine corners all pointed towards an attacking performance that deserved a better outcome.

However, defensive mistakes proved costly and Valley were left reflecting on another game in which their attacking quality was not reflected in the final result.

There were positives, particularly going forward, but the challenge now is to produce that quality at both ends of the pitch.

Matthews Continues His Remarkable Run

One of the standout stories of Mersey Valley’s season has undoubtedly been the form of James Matthews.

His first-half hat-trick at Pilkington took his competitive tally to eight goals in five matches this season, with the striker finding the net in each of Valley’s last four games.

Having scored against Dukinfield Town, twice against Upton, twice against Cheadle Heath Nomads and three times at Pilkington, Matthews has become one of the early success stories of the campaign.

His performances have provided a significant attacking threat, while his work rate and commitment have been equally impressive.

With another home fixture approaching, Valley will be hoping their in-form forward can continue his outstanding start.

Around League Two

The opening weeks of the Cheshire Football League Two season have already produced some remarkable scorelines, with attacking football and high-scoring encounters becoming a familiar theme.

Last Saturday’s eleven-goal thriller between Pilkington and Mersey Valley was the most dramatic of the weekend, while Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves recorded an impressive 4-2 away victory against Warrington Rylands Development.

The result was a welcome boost for Nomads following their difficult opening to the campaign and another reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in this division.

For Valley, Saturday’s opponents Wythenshawe have made an encouraging start, including victories over Pilkington and Warrington Rylands Development.

With clubs having played different numbers of fixtures and county cup competitions continuing throughout October, there is still plenty of football to be played before the league table begins to settle.

Wythenshawe Visit Banky Lane

Saturday’s visitors have already demonstrated their ability to compete in League Two this season.

Their 2-1 opening-day victory away at Pilkington was followed by an impressive 2-0 success against Warrington Rylands Development.

For Mersey Valley, the challenge is to build on the attacking quality displayed over recent weeks while producing another strong home performance.

The last time Valley played at Banky Lane, they delivered arguably their most complete performance of the season, defeating Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves 4-0.

With Matthews in excellent goalscoring form and several players beginning to make significant contributions, there is plenty of encouragement heading into another important afternoon.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, we caught up with manager Jon Hudson.

THE GAFFER: JON HUDSON

Another extraordinary game last weekend, scoring five goals away from home but coming away with nothing. How do you reflect on it?

It’s difficult because there were some absolutely brilliant things in our performance, but ultimately we lost the game.

I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in many games quite like that one.

We scored five goals away from home, James scored a fantastic hat-trick, Alfie got his goal and we created enough chances to have scored several more.

But we conceded six, and you can’t ignore that.

I’ve said all along that I believe in this group of players, and nothing that happened on Saturday changes that.

We’re going to have difficult moments. That’s football. But I know what these lads are capable of and I’m absolutely determined that we’re going to get things right.

Despite the results, there must be real encouragement from the attacking performances?

Massively.

Look at the quality we’ve got in this squad. We’ve got players who can score goals, create opportunities and cause problems for any team in this division.

James is obviously getting the headlines, and rightly so, but we’ve got Sam, Joel, Mike, Aaron and others who can all contribute.

We’ve scored nine goals in two games. That’s not something you can just dismiss.

The important thing now is making sure all that good work counts for something.

I genuinely believe we’re much closer than the results suggest.

James Matthews has been outstanding. How pleased are you with his contribution?

I’m absolutely delighted for James.

He’s a fantastic lad, works incredibly hard and deserves every bit of recognition he’s getting.

Eight goals in five games is an outstanding return, but it’s not just his goals. It’s his attitude, his commitment and what he gives to the team.

He’s scored in four consecutive games now, which is a fantastic achievement.

But knowing James, he’ll be far more interested in helping us win on Saturday than anything he’s achieved individually.

That’s exactly the attitude I want from my players.

There have been some difficult results, but you remain very positive about this squad. Why?

Because I see these lads every week.

I see how hard they work, how much they care and how determined they are to make this season successful.

Of course I’m frustrated. Nobody is more frustrated than me when we lose football matches.

But I’m not going to start questioning everything we’ve worked towards because we’ve had a difficult start.

We’ve completely rebuilt this squad. We’ve brought some really talented players together and we’re still developing those relationships and understanding.

I take full responsibility for the results. That’s my job as manager.

But I’ll also take responsibility for making sure we come through this period stronger.

I believe in these players and I’ll keep backing them.

Back at Banky Lane this weekend, where the last home game brought that excellent 4-0 victory. How important is home advantage?

It’s massive.

I love playing at Banky Lane and I want the lads to feel exactly the same.

Our last home game was a brilliant afternoon. We played some excellent football, scored four goals, kept a clean sheet and everybody left feeling positive.

That’s what we want to create more regularly.

We’ve got a good group of lads, a football club full of good people and supporters who want to see us do well.

I want us to give them something to get excited about.

Wythenshawe have started the season well. What are you expecting?

Another really difficult game.

They’ve had some good results and deserve plenty of credit for the way they’ve started the season.

But we’re at home and I want us to approach the game with confidence.

We’ve shown what we can do against some good sides already this season. Now we need to put together the performance and result that we know we’re capable of.

We’re looking forward to it.

Finally, what is your message to the players and supporters ahead of Saturday?

Keep believing.

That’s probably the simplest way I can put it.

Football can be incredibly frustrating sometimes. You can work hard all week, prepare properly, create chances, score goals and still end up on the wrong side of the result.

But you can’t allow disappointment to take away your belief.

I believe in this football club, I believe in this squad and I believe we’re going to have a really positive season.

We have to keep working, keep improving and, most importantly, keep sticking together.

I want the lads to enjoy their football, play with confidence and show everybody what they’re capable of.

We’ve had some difficult afternoons, but there’s a long season ahead of us.

And I can promise you one thing – nobody at this football club is giving up on what we’re trying to achieve.

I’m excited about Saturday. I’m excited about what this group can become.

Now let’s go and show it.

This Weekend

Saturday 10 October 2026

Cheshire Football League Two
Barnton Reserves v Maine Road Reserves
Mersey Valley v Wythenshawe Reserves

Cheshire Amateur Cup
Cheadle Heath Nomads Reserves v Christleton
Congleton Town Reserves v Stockport Georgians Reserves
Upton v Dukinfield Town

For Mersey Valley, it’s another opportunity to turn promise into points.

The goals are coming. The quality is there. The belief remains. Now it’s time to bring everything together.