Yes, "he turned upon the ball" does get rid of the 7th syllable. Was it the same three clubs in a row a season or two ago? It does ring a bell. And they all start with an S, for added synchronicity.
Upon sounds a bit clever for chanty football moron types, I think "turned his back on the ball" works ok
'Seems that I was busy doing something close to nothing
But different than the day before'
'Met a dwarf that was no good, dressed like Little Red Riding Hood'
'Now you're unemployed, all non-void
Walkin' round like you're Pretty Boy Floyd'