Skelmersdale Youth Fall To 4-2 Defeat Against JN Southport FC

Skelmersdale Youth hosted JN Southport FC at White Moss Road, Skelmersdale on the morning of 13 October 2025, with kick-off at 10:30am. In a 9-a-side league encounter lasting 60 minutes plus added time, the home side were edged out 4-2 in a competitive fixture.

Skelmersdale Youth lined up in a 2-3-3 formation, deploying two central defenders, three midfielders across the left, centre and right, and a three-pronged forward line. Joseph Edwards started in goal, protected by central defenders Joe Dunn and Olly Spencer. The midfield trio consisted of Paulie O’Kane on the left, Dean Taylor centrally, and Jacob Rimmer on the right. Up front, the attacking line featured Gary Taylor on the left forward, Georgie Windsor as the central striker, and Archie Bird on the right. The formation was designed to balance defensive solidity with attacking width and central penetration, expecting the midfield to link play and the forwards to press high and create scoring opportunities. The substitutes available were Hayden Mathers, Hudson Barnes, Noah Wooding, and Luca Stockton.

The match began with early action in goal as Joseph Edwards was called into action, making a sharp dive at the feet of an opponent in the 4th minute to deny an early chance. Two minutes later, Edwards produced a point-blank reaction save, keeping Skelmersdale in the contest during a frantic opening spell. However, the home side’s attacking threat was soon hampered when Archie Bird was forced off injured in the 11th minute, replaced by Hayden Mathers. Edwards remained busy, parrying another effort moments later, but his afternoon was cut short due to injury, with Hudson Barnes coming on between the sticks in the 14th minute.

Georgie Windsor tested the opposition goal with a wide attempt in the 16th minute, but Barnes was immediately alert, pulling off a point-blank reaction save a minute later to keep the scoreline level. The midfield suffered another blow when Dean Taylor was substituted for Noah Wooding due to injury in the 18th minute. Barnes continued to impress, comfortably catching a shot in the 26th minute as the half wore on.

At the half-time whistle, the score remained goalless, but the game was far from settled. Skelmersdale made a tactical change at the break, with Luca Stockton replacing Joe Dunn in central defence to inject fresh energy. The deadlock was broken in the 35th minute when JN Southport FC capitalised on a close-range tap-in, taking the lead. Barnes responded heroically by saving a penalty immediately after, denying the visitors a chance to double their advantage.

Skelmersdale struck back swiftly through Georgie Windsor, who finished a neat team move with a close-range right-footed strike, assisted by Jacob Rimmer’s short pass in the 38th minute. The visitors regained the lead just three minutes later with a well-taken effort from outside the box, curling a right-footed shot beyond Barnes.

Windsor continued to shine with a superb solo goal from outside the area in the 50th minute, firing home with his right foot to level the scores once more. Skelmersdale made further substitutions to refresh the side, bringing Dean Taylor back on for Paulie O’Kane and introducing Gary Taylor for Olly Spencer in defence. Shortly after, Gary Taylor replaced Joe Dunn, signalling a tactical reshuffle as the home side sought to regain control.

The visitors capitalised on defensive errors late in the match, scoring twice in quick succession. The first came in the 56th minute following a defensive mistake, and the second followed three minutes later, again exploiting lapses at the back. Skelmersdale responded by bringing Archie Bird back on for Hayden Mathers in the 56th minute, but the damage had been done.

Despite spirited efforts and two goals from Georgie Windsor, Skelmersdale Youth were unable to overturn the deficit as JN Southport FC secured a 4-2 victory. The match was marked by a series of injuries and tactical changes, with both sides showing attacking intent, but ultimately the visitors proved more clinical in front of goal.