Upton Town 3, Smiths Athletic III 1.

A MARK Shepherd hat-trick earned Upton Town all three points in this Cheltenham League Division Four clash.

Upton looked shaky at the back early on and Chris Husbands, playing his first game in goal for more than three years, produced two great one on one saves to keep the score goalless.

Richardson and White had Upton’s closest chances in the first-half but both were denied by great saves.

A disappointing start to the second-half saw Upton go 1-0 down.

Smiths took advantage of some poor marking from a corner.

Upton then made changes and Shepherd was moved from sweeper to forward and almost made an immediate impact when he hit the bar from 20 yards.

Mark Watkins was unable to find the target from the rebound.

Upton finally did get back on level terms when Shepherd headed in from close-range.

Shepherd then grabbed two more goals in quick succession. The first was a delightful lob from 30 yards, followed by a first-time volley from 18 yards out.

Upton are hosting a race night at the Star Inn Hotel high Street to raise club funds on November 14 7pm. Everyone is welcome.