Aspire Top Of The Tree At Christmas

Aspire came out of gameweek two of the Slater & Gordon Premiership with their unbeaten record still intact.

Aspire 3-0 Sevenoaks

Aspire began the weekend with a game against Sevenoaks. The game was preceded by a minute of applause in recognition of 'Oaks player Myles Miller, who sadly passed away just weeks prior.

The Powerchair Football community came together in his memory, in a moment of strength amidst trying circumstances.

On the court, it was a fascinating affair. Aspire got their noses ahead quickly after a superb sweeping move, culminating in John Dickson tucking into the bottom corner.

Aspire set about extending their leads, but were consistently thwarted by an impressively resolute 'Oaks defence.

Eventually, in the second half, Aspire did find the cushioning goal in the game, Dan Mclellan with a deft finish into the far corner from the right-hand side.

Aspire added some gloss to the score-line late on, when captain Jon Bolding struck excellently from range, securing all three points.

Aspire 1-0 Newcastle

Next up was a clash with Newcastle, who going into the weekend were in second place, joint on points with Aspire.

Although they dominated the early exchanges, Aspire could not find their way through the Newcastle defence in the first half. Oli Crawshaw was sublime in the middle for Newcastle, a constant thorn in Aspire's side.

They continued the second half on the front foot, but failed to convert their opportunities, leading some to think it just wasn't their day.

However, on 34 minutes, Aspire got the breakthrough that they ultimately deserved. Dan Mclellan was fouled in the penalty area, and he stepped up himself to slot the penalty away and put Aspire ahead.

They saw out the game professionally, and got another win on the board.

Aspire 1-0 Villa Rockets

Despite meeting twice already in the West Midlands Regional League, Aspire had their first Premiership meeting with Villa Rockets of the season.

Villa are a brilliantly-organised defensive unit, and so Aspire knew they would have to be bang on it for this early Sunday morning kick-off.

Aspire again flew out of the traps, creating some great openings in the first ten minutes of the game.

Unfortunately, they couldn't break through an incredible Villa rear-guard. Humzah Mudhir in the Villa goal was on top form, making a few sensational reaction saves.

Aspire again went in level at the break, but came out and remained composed for the second half.

Eventually, they got the reward for their patient probing. A well-worked set piece routine found Dan Mclellan at the back post, and he cheekily finished past the Villa defence and into the corner.

Aspire again saw out the result confidently, and got another big win on the board.

Aspire 1-1 Greenbank

The final game of the weekend was a clash with Greenbank. A side challenging right at the top of the table.

Greenbank are renowned for their defensive strength, and excellent game management. Aspire needed a fast start to really take control of the game.

Unfortunately, the game did not start ideally for Aspire, with a defensive error leading to Greenbank opening the scoring through Danish international Krarup in the first half.

England’s Marcus Harrison then set about controlling the game from a Greenbank perspective, holding the ball in the corner, and trying to kill time wherever possible.

Aspire had to work hard to get back into the game, their attacks being relentless thwarted, leaving their unbeaten league record severely under threat.

However, Aspire stuck at it and got their reward through a late Dan Mclellan equaliser from a corner in the 37th minute.

Aspire dominated the last few minutes of the match, but couldn't find a winner after a performance full of guts and character.