Willand Rovers FC
The Toolstation League
WILLAND ROVERS FOOTBALL CLUB
Members of the Toolstation League http://www.toolstation.com
"very much a family club"
WEBSITE KINDLY SPONSORED BY WILLAND ROVERS YOUTH
The latest from Silver Street.....
Rovers Youth Tournament now taking bookings for it's Sunday, July 15 festival day / Reserves end season with victory / Robbie Norrish, Simon Hill and Khaled Badavi land major player awards at 2011/12 season Dinner / Dan Kenyon wins Reserv team Player of Year award / Special awards made to Celia and Caroline / Help Tony Baker complete the Rovers scorer records /
see the pictures BOTH from the 2012 GROUNDWORKS OPERATION and the Player Of the Year awards evening at https://picasaweb.google.com/madmitch01/2012_05_12#5741785633039516434 see the action pictures from the LES PHILLIPS CUP FINAL at https://picasaweb.google.com/madmitch01/2012_05_06LPCFINALBMF2v1WILLANDAET?feat=email#5739539989147269026 THE ROVERS Youth Section have announced plans for a one-day one age group FESTIVAL OF FOOTBAL for Sunday, July 15th at Silver Street. It is anticipated that a dozen teams will take part in a 7-a-side competion playing on two larger than usual pitches on the Silver Strete turf with the two groups producing 1st and 2nd to contest two semi-finals followed by a final. John Biss is the co-ordinating officer in terms of entries. Teams wishing to enter can either call him or send us an e-mail here to the Rovers webiste via the contact us section to declare an interest. their 2011/12 Fresha Devon and Exeter League season with a 4-2 win at Beer Albion Reserves. Reserves boss Rob Buxton said: “It’s been a long season and I am delighted that we have been able to finish on a high. The game at Beer produced a satisfactory performance. It was a superb effort from us and credit to all the lads who made themselves available with the midweek games at 6-30 being hard to get to due to work commitments, but we managed to put in a performance and could have scored more than the four goals as we hit the frame of the goal three times. I would like to like to thank all the lads for their efforts and a special thank you also to Duffy (Rovers President Peter Ward) for all his help and support this season. Now its a case of having a deserved rest over the summer and coming back next season to try and better this terms seventh place finish which is two lower than I had targeted , but in terms of points with finished with just ONE fewer than I wanted! This term has seen us make a step in the right direction after finishing second bottom last year. I have decided to carry on next season and that is simply down to how this set of players have done individually and collectively since the turn of the year. I do feel there’s bags of potential amongst them and certainly room for even more. I am very excited and indeed optimistic for next season already, and with a few additions (who I shall begin working on now to get on board for next season), I am sure that come August we will be getting ready for another productive season.” Rovers as a Club would like to issue a very loud THANK YOU SO MUCH to ALAN PITTS and his grandson for their assistance and support with the drainage work that was carried out on the Silver Street pitch on May 12. Another big THANK YOU is most certainly due to TIVVY SKIPS (01884 242379) (see their advert below) for the use of their dump truck and also a big thanks to DAVE WADE who was the officer in charge of catering and ensured that the work force was fed and watered throughout the drainage operation. Thanks also to the 'army' of ground staff who weighed in with help. The 2011/12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR awards evening and presentations were held at a packed Silver Street clubhouse on Saturday night. The major winners on the night were. Long serving ‘never say die – or give less then his every ounce’ SIMON HILL picked up the award for the SUPPORTERS PLAYER OF THE YEAR whilst accolade for PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR was won by the inspirational Rovers skipper ROB NORRISH. The Young Player Of the Year award went to the popular (and pacey) KHALED BADAVI. The award to the CLUB PERSONS OF THE YEAR went to the hard working (and very much appreciated) CELIA FORCE who is the lady behind the scenes who does the match day hospitality to such a high standard whilst she is also the laundry technician responsible for ensuring that the Rovers team kit is as white as those TV adverts! Unfortunately the ROVERS RESERVES PLAYER OF THE YEAR, DAN KENYON, was unable to collect his award, none the less it is well deserved for a fine season and on the night there was also a bouquet of flowers presented to the very efficient and highly good at what she does CAROLINE DUMMETT for her fund raising work on behalf of the club in both Senior and Junior sections. CAN YOU HELP Rovers Football Secretary Tony baker in his quest to complete a fabulous record of Rovers goal-scorers? Check out our NEW DEDICATED PAGE - Help Tony Baker - for more details. Rovers glovesman Brian Cann proved hismelf to be no slouch with the cricket ball on the opening day of the Francis Clark Devon Cricket League season as he bagegd what is known in the cricket game as a FIVEFER (that means henailed five wickets - what's more Canny did so for the princely sum of just 15 runs from 11 overs as Feniton defeated Plymouth Civl, Service and Roborough at Acland Park - read all about the glovesman's star turn at www.midweekherald.co.uk THERE IS Rovers action this coming Saturday (May 12 with the Reserves travelling to CLYST VALLEY for a Fresha League game, after that they will just have the re-arranged trip to Beer which is now confiormed for next WEDNESDAY (May 16) kick-off 6.30pm to negotiate to complete their season. The Rovers Reserves had a unique reason for their PEN-ULTIMATEl Fresha League match of the season being called off on Wednesday night (May 9) - FOG! The Beer Albion Furzebrake pitch was shrouded in FOG and so the game with the Fishermen was postponed and will now have to be found a new date! The 2011/12 Toolstation league season formally ENDED on Tuesday night with the playing of then very last game – which saw champions MERTHYR TOWN end their brief association with the League with a 1-1 draw at WELLS CITY. (view the final league table now on our Western League pages and see how EVERY one of the top flight clubs did in their entire seasons on our Club-by-Club page) Re-live the 2011/12 season game by game: The Rovers 2011/12 season was one that lasted for 46 matches. It ended with a fifth placed finish in the Toolstation league Premier Division whilst in the other competitions, Rovers were beaten at the very first time of asking in the FA Cup (going out at home to Barnstaple Town 1-0 on the second Saturday of the new season) and were knocked out of the FA Vase in the 3rd Round having entered just two rounds before after the previous season’s magnificent exploits in the National competition. The Devon Bowl campaign ended with a penalty shoot-out defeat to Torquay United in then last eight. In the Les Phillips Cup the side ended as runners-up, beaten 2-1 by Bristol Manor Farm at Bitton in early May. The League campaign began badly as Longwell Green won on the opening Saturday 1-0 at Silver Street. A midweek trip to Barnstaple Town saw Rovers win 2-1 at Barnstaple Town with Dean Stamp netting both, though he also missed a penalty. Four days after that win at Mill Road the same opposition faced Rovers at Silver Street in the FA Cup and scored an 88th minute winner to bag the money prize and the place in the next round! There was time for three more league games before August was done with home games against Street and Ilfracombe either side of a trip to Bishop Sutton and all three were won, the two Silver Street games 2-1 and away game ended 2-0 in game that saw 16-year-old glovesman Zach Lee make his Rovers debut – and he saved penalty. September began with a Danny Jee goal bring a win over visiting Corsham in a game that saw another missed spot-kick! Bitton pitched up at Silver Street next and Rovers let a 3-1 advantage slip late in the game as it ended 3-3. A trip to Bristol Manor Farm ended 1-1 and then a home Devon Bowl game with Ilfracombe was won 3-2 with an 89th minute winner from Stamp. A swift return with Bitton followed, the game at Bitton ending 1-1. October began with an amazing finish to the home game with Odd Down. Rovers led 2-1 but the visitors levelled in the 90th minute only for Rovers to go straight up the other end (in this case the clubhouse end of the ground) and notch a 91st minute winner from Dean Stamp! A home game with Barnstaple Town then ended 1-1 – this with Barum netting an 94th minute leveller before a 2-1 home win over Larkhall which was followed swiftly by a first defeat in ELEVEBN games, edged out 1-0 at Ilfracombe Town. The response was excellent as the month ended with three straight success’s. Khaled Badavi scored his first Western League goal to see Rovers to a 1-0 win at Brislington, a Dean Stamp hat-trick saw Rovers win 3-0 at Street and then Danny Baily, Badavi and Stamp all netted in a 3-0 home win over Hallen to end the month. November began with a whopping 8-0 thumping of Sherborne with Carl Cliff-Brown hitting a treble and Badavi bagging a brace. A Les Phillips Cup tie at home to Devizes Town was then won 2-0 before a couple of FA Vase ties with Hellenic League Highworth Town who held us at Silver Street 1-1 only for Rovers to win the midweek replay up near Swindon 1-0 thanks to a goal from Perry Carpenter. The final game of November was a home league meting with Bristol Manor Farm that saw Rovers win 2-0 with goals from Danny Jee and Badavi. Just two games were played in a weather hit December. Falmouth Town were beaten 2-1 at Silver Street in the FA Vase before what proved to be then final game of 2011, a 1-0 home defeat to Merthyr Town on the Saturday before Christmas. The first game of the New Year saw Rovers defeat Bridport 4-0 at Silver Street with skipper Rob Norrish scoring a peach of a goal! January 10th saw Rovers draw 2-2 with Torquay United after extra-time in a Devon Bowl, tie with the Gull’s going through after a penalty shoot-out that went the full distance, the League two side winning 7-6! A visit to Longwell Green then ended 1-1 before a disappointing 3-1m home defeat to Staveley Miners Welfare to end the FA Vase dream for another season. Then final game of January saw Rovers lose 2-1 at home to Brislington. February began with a 2-1 home loss to Wells City and then a hastily arranged friendly with Tiverton Town on a Saturday afternoon when both sides were without a game, ended 0-0. A sixth game without a win followed as Rovers were surprised 2-1 at struggling Sherborne Town. The final game of February saw the run without victory ended as host Corsham Town were beaten 3-0. March began with a 2-1 defeat at Hallen but three days later Larkhall were beaten at Silver Street 4-2 in a Les Phillips Cup tie. Radstock were then beaten 3-0 at home before a third straight win, a 1-0 midweek Les Phillips Cup success over Bitton with Jake Wannell netting then extra-time winner. Sadly that was to be the last win for four games as a home 1-1 draw with Bishop Sutton was followed by a 4-0 defeat at Wells City and March ended with a 1-1 draw art Odd Down followed swiftly by a 6-1 thumping at Merthyr Town. Easter Monday launched the April games with Bridport beaten 2-0 in Dorset. Next up a Les Phillips Cup semi-final at Division One high-fliers Calne Town that Rovers won 3-2 thanks to a late brace from Danny Baily. Radstock were then beaten 3-1 on their own patch before the final league outing produced a superb 2-0 win at Larkhall with a pair of majestic goals from skipper Rob Norrish and central midfield partner Danny Jee. The 46th and final game of a long season came on Sunday, May 6th when, despite leading early on through James Ansell and going on to boss the first half, Rovers went down 2-1 after extra-time to Bristol Manor Farm in the final of the Les Phillips Cup. The Rovers 2011/12 season by numbers:
46 matches were played
83 goals were scored by the team
53 goals were conceded
6 times the team FAILED to score
16 times the Rovers goal was un-breached! (clean-sheets!)
11 games unbeaten was the longest run without a defeat. That stretched following a 1-0 home loss to Barnstaple Town in the FA Cup on Saturday August 20th, through then next ELEVEN games until a Tuesday night 1-0 defeat at Ilfracombe on October 18th.
7 games was the longest run WITHOUT A WIN, that was the period following a 4-0 home win over Bridport on January 2nd after which a game was not won until a February 25th 3-0 triumph at Corsham Town.
13 different players scored goals in the season for Rovers led by Dean Stamp (22). The second highest scorer was Danny Jee with 11 followed by Khaled Badavi (8), James Ansell and Carl Cliff-Brown (7), Perry Carpenter (6), Jake Wannell and Danny Baily (5), Rob Norrish (3), Ian Patchett (2), Aiden Way, Danny Barnard and Steve Avery (1)
During the season we met BRIDPORT fort the FIRST time and they became the 46th different team that Rovers have played in the Western League.
Other interesting facts to emerge from the season:
When 16-year-old ZACH LEE made his Rovers debut on Saturday, August 27th he was the third different goalkeeper to keep goal for Rovers in three games – and he saved a penalty on his debut!
There was one stage in the season when Rovers MISSED three successive penalties – the culprits being Dean Stamp, George Rogers and then Perry Carpenter.
Khaled Badavi scored his first ever Western League goal in October 2nd in the home game with Odd Down.
When Rovers lost 1-0 at Ilfracombe on Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 it was only the SECOND time in twenty six months that Rovers had failed to find the net in an away game!
When Rovers went into the November 12th Les Phillips Cup tie at home to Devizes they did so having gone almost FIVE HOURS since conceding a single goal!
The goal conceded in the November 19th home FA Vase tie with Highworth was the ONLY goal conceded in a run of EIGHT matches.
This coming SATURDAY (May 12) is the start of the close-season PITCH MAINETNACE programme. The main part of that work is to place a drainage pipe the width of the Silver Street turf and the club have been given the very generous help of ALAN PITTS PLANT HIRE. There’s a work party set up for the day and MORE VOLUNTEERS would be made very welcome! Work is set to commence at 8am and go through until a 4.30pm finish. The reason for the early stop is so that people can get home to prepare for the big event later on Saturday night which is the 2011-12 season ROVERS PLAYERS AWARDS NIGHT being held at the club. If the work cannot be completed on day one then the work party will be asked to return the following day – BUT – if enough labour is available then job could well be done in the one shift. Anyone who would like to help put either in the digging process or simply helping to make bacon butties and urns of tea – PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO (labourers are asked to turn up with a suitably sized shovel!)
We have received an e-mail to the Rovers website from regular ex-pat follower Keith. He says: “Just looked at the site to find out the result of the LPC final. I read that we were beaten, but cannot actually find out what the score was , the results section seems to have died a death earlier in the year. What happened to Carl Cliff-Brown ?" Keith in Marbella, Spain. Webmaster says: “Sorry about that Keith, consider score now posted, as for the results section, yes, have got lazy on that one – possible depressed with the way then league season fell away (making excuses!). Will get that sorted out in close season. Sadly I don’t yet know the circumstances re CCB – gutted he couldn’t be at the match as I am SURE he would have made an impact – a biog one too.” The Rovers faithful turned out in big numbers, but were left with a down-beat journey home after the team failed to build on an early goal, spurned a couple of opportunities to take a healthier lead into half time than the 1-0 they did go in with, and then saw Bristol Manor Farm level with a well struck free-kick with 20 minutes of normal time to play and then notch what proved to the winner in then second period of extra-time. In truth the final result was probably typical of the season that Rovers had – certainly post December for despite what looked another magnificent performance from the back four, it was the lack of a sharpened tooth in the forward line that ultimately led to the team’s demise in the biggest game of the campaign. It had all begun so well with James Ansell cutting inside in the inside-left channel to thump the ball home in the opening stages and that goal was no more than Rovers deserved as they bossed the entire first-half playing with the breeze and the benefit of the big slope at the Bitton AFC ground (what a FANTASTIC SET-UP THE BITTON COMPLEX IS!!- surely the ULTIMATE in Sports Club operations with a central clubhouse feeding football and cricket – and there’s a hard surface floodlit training area to boot as well! After going ahead Rovers were in charge and created two more excellent chances. The first fell to teenager Danny Barnard who had stepped into fill the boost of then no-show Carl Cliff-Brown. The teenager (who did very well given his lack of years and experience) got clear of his man but fired over with the keeper to beat. That was a bad miss but an even more glaring miss came later when Dean Stamp, on his favoured left foot, from the inside-left channel, rolled his shot wide with only the keeper to beat. At the other end, behind the imperious Ben Mammola and Simon Hill and with full-backs Dave Hambly and Jake Wannell playing their part in a wonderfully solid looking back line, veteran keeper Brian Cann was a virtual spectator for much of then first 45 minutes. After the break Bristol Manor Farm began to use the slope to their advantage and began to press, but were still being kept at a comfortable arms distance. Indeed such weas the play that still Cann was left with only scraps to come out and clear and the odd corner to clutch out of the sky! With 25 minutes to go a free-kick was concede some 25 yards out, just right of centre. The wall was set up and Brian Cann took a middle of his goal starting point and the free-kick was thumped into his midriff. Eight minutes later a near identical set-piece was conceded from similar range. The same wall and the same keeper staring point, but this tie the taker lifted it around the all to nestle in the corner of then net and it was 1-1. The changes were rung, an ineffective Danny Baily was replaced by Ian Patchett and young Barnard made way for Khaled Badavi. Rovers were still ‘in the game’ and both sides created half-chances to win it in no9rmal time without taking them. So into the extra-half hour and in the first period Badavi got away from his man down the right but his cross was too heavily weighted and the supporting striker was not available to tuck it away. At the other end Cann continued to pick up what was needed as very little got beyond that still outstandingly slid back line. A tiring Danny Jee was replaced by Perry carpenter for the third and final Rovers change. The new man had a chance with a header at the far post whilst at the other end, the one time that the very lively number 10 (the player who struck the equaliser) got away and when his shot struck the post it bounced back to the feet of a supporting player who gleefully tucked it away to seal a narrow 2-1 victory for Bristol Manor Farm.
At the end of the game Simon Hill (who had given so much) seemed not to have the energy to get up and collect his losers medal, and that said much for his commitment to the cause on the day. As Rovers boss Clive Jones said post-match: “The result sums up our season. All the campaign long we have been strong, resolute, magnificent even at the back, busy, combative and industrious in the middle third, but relatively toothless up top – and that was what happened in this final. Too many times in the campaign we were left in situations where we were going into matches feeling we’d be good for a share of the spoils, but did we have the guile and sharpness to bag a goal at a stage in a game when, with one in the bag, a second would see us through, it didn’t come at various times in the season, and it didn’t come in the final of the Les Phillips Cup.”
Supporters travelling to the Les Phillips Cup Final were disappointed to find that striker Carl Cliff-brown was not amongst the players on the team bus. Manager Clive Jones was clearly trying to get hold of the hit-man on his mobile still moments before departure from Silver Street but could not find out the situation. It meant teenager Danny Barnard stepping into he breach to play up front alongside leading scorer Dean Stamp and the youngster did very well, creating himself a wonderful chance and proving a hand-full to a well organised Bristol Manor Farm central defensive duo.
Post match at Bitton AFC the talk was of the future of Rovers boss Clive Jones with a real divide in opinion as to whether the final game with the boss in the dug-out had just been witnessed. The consensus was most certainly that it WAS NOT – but then those people voicing that view are not the great chap himself who has given the last 14 years – probably almost every minute of it – to the Rovers cause! What does seem clear is that this Rovers team is clearly a good one – but it certainly needs new blood to take it to the next level that everybody feels it could, indeed, CAN reach. (Webmaster writes - :"speaking on a personal level I hope Clive is still in charge come early July when pre-season kicks-in. He may well feel that after 14 years enough is enough and, he could walk with his head held very high, the finest statistic is that, in seven or eight years of running the team in the top flight of Western league football he has NOT ONCE finished outside the top six. But then given the competitive nature of the guy, you’d think he’d fancy a crack at finally going that step further and landing the top honour,. He and Rovers have been close before, mighty close with a second and a couple of third finishes, but the big one is the title and, with a couple of new faces the Rovers side that trooped off at Bitton vanquished in that final can really come back with a spring in their step to do it all again – so this particular writes says: “Play it again Clive……………..”
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