Uxbridge Enters SuperCup

A press conference held in Paris today, attended by representatives from six top-tier football clubs, announced the creation of the first SuperCup. This will be an annual international invitational tournament for cup supremacy and the bragging rights that come with that. Joining Uxbridge for this seasons tournament are French clubs Bordeaux Fighting Bovines and Real TK, Spanish sides Futbol Club Oviedo and La Daga Club de Fútbol, and Dallas Cowboys FC in Mexico.

Khaled Luzi, the former French footballing superstar, serves as the chairman of the SuperCup, and is excited for the action to begin. "We have here six amazing clubs that are ready to compete" said Luzi. "We don't get the opportunity to have clubs from around the world play against one another in this way, so I am happy we were able to come to an agreement to get that to happen." When asked about the possibility for expansion, Luzi remained optimistic. "This is the first time we are running this, but it will not be the last" said Luzi. "We are hoping to have more clubs join us in future seasons to make this an even grander event going forward."

Uxbridge Town AFC President Eadburt Clement expressed his admiration for the other clubs as he looked forward to the competition. "We have the opportunity to play host to five excellent teams from around the world" said Clement. "In addition, our team will get the experience that comes with cup competition and playing matches in different environments. It will be difficult, but it is an excellent opportunity for growth for us."

The competition kicks off in a little over a week, as Uxbridge hosts Bordeaux in the tournament opener.

Uxbridge Town Win Debut Match

The first season for Uxbridge Town AFC in the AFPL started very well as the Lions won convincingly 4-1 in their debut match at home against RHB FC. The capacity crowd of 12,500 remained loud throughout the match as their side had control of it from start to finish.

Uxbridge did not have to wait long for its first league goal as Tab Leigh fired a corner-seeking shot from just inside the box in the 3rd minute. Lyle Maigny followed up in the 8th minute with a rocket of a free kick that found the back of the net. Shortly thereafter in the 11th minute, Kobe Otsuka got in on the action, finding some space and putting a quick shot in for a goal. Otsuka would score again in the 30th minute to make the match a 4 to nil rout. A Napier Bullard free kick just before half time made the game 4-1 at the break. Neither team scored in the second half, though RHB forward Rose Porter was sent off in the 88th minute after picking up his second yellow card.

Uxbridge dominated possession throughout the match, and managed 8 shots on goal compared to RHB's 4. Wynward Garnis only had the one blemish today in goal, as he made 3 saves and generally looked comfortable between the posts. The Lions also managed to stay out of the referee's book, while RHB had 3 yellow cards, including the 2 for Porter which earned him a red.

Manager MacCallum Barry was very impressed with his team's effort opener. "I couldn't be happier to be honest" said Barry during a press availability after the match. "Everyone really did their jobs today. The defence was strong, midfielders controlled things, we were well positioned, we got pressure, and we put the ball in the net. Couldn't be prouder of the lads today."

Uxbridge will go on the road to Manchester next week to face Blackley Town, who were 1-0 winners over Hashtag United today.

Uxbridge Town AFC - Season 100 Preview

Uxbridge Town AFC enters its first season of Association Football Premier League as a bit of a wildcard. Club President Eadburt Clement talked in a recent press event about the unique position that the club finds itself in. "There is a buzz around all of Hillingdon and certainly in Uxbridge about this team. Stadium construction is coming along nicely, the pitch is fully ready, and the fans are excited to come out and cheer on these players. Hopefully the energy will carry forward to the pitch on matchday."

Fans around the city can be seen wearing apparel emblazoned with the golden lion in the club's crest. The team has become known around town as "The Lions" with their supporters section known as "The Pride". 

Manager MacCallum Barry is expected to use a traditional 4-4-2 formation, at least to start the year. "It's a balanced formation that players are going to almost certainly have experience with" said Barry at a post-training press availability. "I think early on, our goal is to get these guys comfortable playing in our system and with each other. And I do feel that this approach will be the best way for us to find early success." However, the manager didn't rule out any formation changes in the future. "You never know" said Barry. "If something else seems to work better for us, we are going to go with it. Always good to be able to adapt."

There will be changes to the lineup happening throughout the season, the starting 11 for the opening match is expected to look like this:

In goal young Wynward Garnis will get the start, while Darvin Sol is expected to spell him in net throughout the year.Gaetano Gatti leads the defence, with the youthful trio of Mill, Chalme, and Coda working with him. In the midfield, Tab Leigh and Luke Maigny will be the key figures, while also handling most of the set pieces. Lew Ardall and Warford MacHendrie will act primarily as support in the middle. The duo up front will be the youthful Kobe Otsuka and the division 2 veteran Isham Eggleston.

These 11 show a solid mix of youth and experience and Manager Barry seems to be happy with the composition of his squad. "We have a great squad going into this season" said Barry. "For a first year squad in this league, there is a lot to be excited about. Bringing in guys like Luke [Maigny] and Tab [Leigh] to go along with some impressive youngsters, I think we will be able to surprise at least a few teams right out of the gate."

In a very surprising move, 18 year old centre back Stephen Mill was named the club's first captain. In his introductory press conference as captain, Mill expressed a combination of surprise and dedication to his role. "Finding out they wanted me, it caught me completely off guard" said Mill. "But I've gotta hand it to the boys, everyone was really excited for me. And we have really rallied as a unit. It's going to take some time for me and for all of us to adapt to the rigours of the AFPL, but I have every confidence in this group.

Veteran midfielder Tab Leigh echoed the sentiment of his captain. "I'm excited to come into training everyday" said Leigh after a recent exhibition match. "We all come in fully ready to put in the work, the gaffer knows exactly what we need to do to get us to give it everything for the full 90. There's going to be a lot of pressure, but we can handle ourselves out there." Asked if he was surprised that Stephen Mill was elevated to the captain role so quickly, Leigh was emphatic that he had the defender's support. "It was clear the day we started that Stevie was a leader out there" said Leigh. "He's getting things organized while during set pieces, he has a great understanding of how the game operates and how to turn our pressure defensively into offence. Stevie just has a knack for it. He's earned that armband."

In addition to league matches getting started, Uxbridge find themselves hosting the final of the WG Investments SuperCup, after a pair of wins, a draw, and a loss in the group stage. The Lions will play host to Dutch club Overijssel United FC to decide the cup winner.

Uxbridge Town's first ever AFPL match will take place at home later this week against RHB FC.

Uxbridge Rounds Our Lineup With New Additions

As training camp approaches, Uxbridge Town AFC has made a few additions that will round their team into form. The new players are:

• Bafetibis Chalme, M, FRA, 18 y/o
• Stefano Coda, D, ITA, 18 y/o 
• Lyle Maigny, M, FRA, 32 y/o
  

French midfielder Bafetibis Chalme was a notable contributor for France's national U18 team, showing an impressive versatility and ability to play several positions. He has inked a 5 year deal and is expected to make a permanent move to defender for the coming season at Uxbridge Town.

Stefano Coda joins the defence at Uxbridge as well, signing a 5 year contract after a successful stint as a U18 player. The Italian youngster has quality pace and defensive positioning, and will likely play right back for his new club.

Finally, the biggest name joining the club of this group has to be star French midfielder Lyle Maigny, who joins Uxbridge on transfer for a fee of £300,000. Despite a diminutive 5'7 frame, he excels in the middle because of his impressive pace and elite passing ability. In a 14 year career, all with French League side Allogia Scorpions Football Club, Maigny has scored 99 goals in 470 career matches. He will be joining Uxbridge after signing a 3 year contract with the club.

In addition, Uxbridge announced that they have sold Neil MacNidder and Pierce Edworthy to Spanish League powerhouse Futbol Club Oviedo. Terms of those deals were not disclosed.

Uxbridge Town Makes First Free Agency Signings

Free agency period has opened in the AFPL, and Uxbridge Town AFC has added a number of players to their team. The new players are:

• Wynward Garnis, GK, ENG, 18 y/o
• Kobe Otsuka, F, USA, 18 y/o
  
• Tab Leigh, M, ENG, 26 y/o
• Gaetano Gatti, D, ITA, 23 y/o
• Stephen Mill, D, ENG, 18 y/o
  

The starting goalkeeper for the English National U18 team last season, Wynward Garnis was also a member of Stratford United's academy before the club folded last year. While Garnis, who signed a 5 year contract, will be tested at a very young age as the starting goalkeeper for a top level side, most analysts see him as a big name prospect and a future star in this league.

American forward Kobe Otsuka signs with Uxbridge Town for the next 5 years, choosing to forgo his scholarship to Clemson University. Otsuka was a star striker with the American U18 team last year, showing a keen understanding of attacking football beyond his years.

Tab Leigh returns to the AFPL after spending the last two seasons playing for Spanish powerhouse La Daga Club de Fútbol. The 6'1 English midfielder previously had 21 goals in 152 games over 5 AFPL seasons, most recently with Dulwich AFC. Leigh agreed to a 3 year contract with Uxbridge Town.

Gaetano Gatti will remain in England, signing a 5 year deal with Uxbridge Town after spending the last 5 seasons with Stratford United. The Italian left back has experience under manager MacCallum Barry, spending the first 3 seasons of his career in Stratford with Barry at the helm.

English defender Stephen Mill spent last season as a part of the Blackley Town Academy, but the club was unwilling to pay his reportedly high contract demands. Instead, Mill signed a 5 year contract with Uxbridge with an annual salary expected to be in the £500,000 range. He was a standout as a centre back with the English national U18 team last season, and many pundits say that Stephen Mill will be a future star at the position.

Manager MacCallum Barry spoke about his recent acquisitions at a post-training press availability. "I am happy with the new boys that we have brought in" said Barry. "It's a fair mix of youth and experience, and I feel confident that they are going to be able to fit in well with the group that we already have here. I sincerely hope that all five of our new players are able to be top quality starters here for years to come."

MacCallum Barry Names Key Staff at Uxbridge Town

At a press conference today, MacCallum Barry introduced the key members of his staff at Uxbridge Town AFC. "I am very pleased to have these gentlemen here as a part of our team here at Uxbridge" said Barry. "I think the great amount of football experience and knowledge will serve us well in our short and long terms goals for the club."

The assistant manger was a familiar name, former long time Stratford United player and then assistant under Barry, Denzell Weir. The 48 year old Weir played his entire 26 year professional football career at Stratford United, amassing 708 AFPL matches played and scoring 336 goals in that time as a midfielder. Considered a coach on the field during his playing days, Weir was appointed as Barry's assistant manager immediately after he retired. After one year under Barry, Weir was hired as the manager of Northern London City FC, a job he held for 3 years before being sacked at the end of last season.

Speaking at the press conference, Weir did not take his new role as a demotion. "Working under a manager as respected as MacCallum Barry is a privilege to be certain" said Weir. "My focus is on working with him to ensure that our players and our staff are prepared for each and every match, and I do feel like my previous manager experience will be valuable in that aim. I have had a good working relationship with Coach Barry for many years, and I am excited to work with him again this season."

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the hiring of legendary striker Vito Iniesta as Uxbridge's new first team coach. The 44 year old Iniesta played the first 5 years of his 15 year professional career at Stratford United, scoring 162 goals in 126 games for Stratford and winning the golden boot and golden ball awards in his final season there. His final 10 years were spent at various French League clubs. For the last 10 years, Iniesta has been a key figure in the national team for his native Mexico, serving as a former manager of the national U18 team, and most recently an assistant for the senior team.

At goalkeeping coach, manager Barry chose 40 year old former AFPL goalkeeper Robert MacFetridge. MacFetridge followed a 14 year career as a professional goalkeeper with a few coaching stints around the league. He spent the last four seasons at Dulwich AFC as that club's goalkeeping coach.

MacCallum Barry Named New Manger at Uxbridge Town

Uxbridge Town AFC announced today, at a press conference, that MacCallum Barry would be the team's first manager. The move was a surprise given the 49 year old's big name prestige and previous coaching experience. Barry became only the second manager of Stratford United, after previously serving as an assistant there under the legendary 22-time AFPL champion Sherburne Hughes. As manager, he won 5 league championships in 7 seasons before resigning 3 years ago. For the last two seasons Barry has worked as a football pundit on Sky Sports, and while there has been speculation about his return to managing a club, but no team has convinced him to return until Uxbridge Town today.

Club President Eadburt Clement said the decision to hire Barry was an incredibly easy one. "Obviously when we got in the room, MacCallum Barry was the first name that everyone thought of" said Clement. "Our goal was to instill a championship culture into Uxbridge, and there may be no better person in the world of managing football right now to do that. We had to make the pitch a few times before we were able to come to an agreement, and I am glad we did."

For his part, Barry was excited to be in charge at a football club again, and noted that Wellington Group's investment was a big part of his decision. "I am really happy to be here today, and cannot wait to be back on the sidelines" said Barry. "I have had a handful of offers to come manage clubs, but it was sitting down with Mr. Clement and Mr. Wellington and everyone involved at this club that really convinced me. My bar is very high - I want to win championships. That is my goal and my expectation. And I fully believe that Uxbridge has the resources available and the organizational infrastructure in place to get to that high bar within a few seasons."

While there is early speculation as to who will be on the coaching staff alongide MacCallum Barry, Uxbridge Town is expected to hold another press conference in the near future to make that announcement.

Uxbridge Town AFC Joins AFPL

Uxbridge Town AFC held a press conference today to announce that they were officially going to be a part of the upcoming season of the Association Football Premier League as a member club. Uxbridge becomes the third professional club under the ownership of JR Wellington Sports Management, and the first one in their native England.

Wellington Group CEO Geoffrey Wellington was among those on hand to mark the momentous occasion. "I would be lying if I said this wasn't one of my major goals when we reopened the sports wing of our group" said Wellington. "And today, I can officially say that we will kick off Premier League football in Uxbridge in a few months time. I know that the fans in Hillingdon and all of West London are excited to have a local top-tier football club to call their own. I for one cannot wait to see our excited fans cheering at our stadium every Saturday."

Uxbridge also announced the new man in charge of the club, their first President Eadburt Clement. The 55 year old Clement was once a AFPL defender, playing in 310 matches over a 9 year career. He remains an imposing figure even today, standing at a height of 6'7. After his playing career, Clement spent the last 21 years in various coaching and executive roles in and around football, most recently serving as the President of Stony Brook FC for the last 5 years. "I'm excited to get to work here at Uxbridge Town" said Clement during his address at today's press conference. "We are already looking towards hiring our staff here, and I'm certain that player acquisitions will follow shortly after. There is a lot still to complete before we kick off our first match, but I have every confidence that we will handle those challenges well."

The club will kick off their season at home against RHB United when AFPL league play begins.

Alumni

PLAYERS

• Gary Alverston - F (S100)
• Lew Ardall - M (S100) 
• Byford Beauchamp - D (S100)
  
• Winfrid Bivin - M (S100)
• Wiellaby Boswell - GK (S100)
• Gladwyn Burington - D (S100)
• Shaun Dawne - M (S100)
• Warrick Dericott - F (S100)
• Shaddock Donaghue - D (S100)
• Isham Eggleston - F (S100)
• Fitzhugh Erewaker - D (S100)
• Paxtun Garrah - D (S100)
• Quinton Gibbs - D (S100)
• Ean Lewis - GK (S100)
• Warford MacHendrie - M (S100)
• Alan Pollitt - M (S100)
• Scirloc Sherbourne - F (S100)
• Darvin Sol - GK (S100)
• Taron Alden - F (S101)
• Duff Butler - D (S101)
• Wickley Carew - GK (S101)
• Weard Corby - M (S101)
• Ardolf O'Donnovan - F (S101) 
• Kipp Levenworth - M (S101-102)
  

PERSONNEL

• Eadburt Clement - President (S100)
• Denzell Weir - Assistant Manager (S100-101)