Author: Max Fournier

Match Preview: Willand Rovers v Larkhall Athletic

Rovers will be hoping that the rain doesn’t decide Saturday’s result with the bluebirds from Larkhall flocking in for our latest clash in the Southern Football League Division One South with a 3 pm KO!

Last time out for Rovers, it was a visit to Badgers Hill where the pitch was rather muddy but both sides were eager to get a game in as they battled it out in the bog. Only one goal splitter on both sides with Albie Hopkins curling it past Ashby-Hammond to secure all three points for the hosts on a cold, miserable afternoon in Somerset.

This time round though, it’s a crucial game for Rovers as they have once again the opportunity to leap out of the relegation zone whilst our visitors Larkhall can build on their promotion bid as the league tightens up. Though to be honest both sides will be glad to be in action as one again, as the weather warnings threaten the hallowed turf.

John Durbin’s men have been busy this season, cementing themselves in and around the playoffs and looking to really push on from their recent investment and renovation of their home and a general change in luck for the Bath-based side. The last time both sides met was back in Mid October where Bailey Kempster & Finn Herbert had Rovers two in front with only five on the clock. However, the hosts through Bowman & Horrocks made the rovers settle for a point at Plain Ham.

Larkhall’s last game was also at the weekend where they received a visit from Didcot who currently cruise around mid-table. Freddie King scored within the first quarter of an hour for the hosts with Tyger James-Hall levelling it up with five to go, for it to be a point a piece.

One to watch for this weekend’s visitors would have to be Dawid Regula who is well known within the fourth tier as he’s plied his trade at Hungerford Town, Melksham Town & Swindon Supermarine where he’s replicated his form into this season by being the division’s top scorer on 11 for the 25/26 campaign.

For this weekend’s fixture, we are offering our season ticket at a concession rate promotion. Suppose you’re not planning to make the trip to Mansfield with City or the journey to Uxbridge with Tivvy. Even if Torquay & Taunton don’t go ahead, we have you covered. Show your season ticket at the gate and gain concession entry!

The bar will be open from 12:30, when Manchester United take on Tottenham Hotspur on our screens. Grab a pint and watch the undercard before the main event. The official turnstiles open at half 1 with refreshments available as usual from the tea hut.

We look forward to welcoming you this weekend for another enthralling Southern Football League fixture. Plenty at stake, pack the gate, get behind the rovers.

Match Preview: Frome Town v Willand Rovers

After half of Mid Devon had been washed away by storms and flooding, the Rovers squad are still intact and will travel to league leaders Frome Town this weekend in the Southern Football League Division One South with a 3 pm KO!

It’s been a little while since rovers were last in action as the weather has hindered progress temporarily with our last outing being on the 12th January against Melksham Town. Two postponed fixtures against Shaftesbury and Mousehole will now be rearranged in due course.

Back to the game at hand, Willand head to Badgers Hill looking to end the month positively but the hosts on Saturday have ambitions to bounce right back into the Premier Division with the Robins sitting on 70 points after 28 games.

As Frome’s one-year stay in the top (southern) flight came to an end, boss Danny Greaves has ensured that it’ll only be a cameo back in the Division One with some of the best players in the region flocking to the Robins nest.

One of those is Archie Ferris who’s known for his goal-scoring ability in the division in previous seasons and the 25/26 campaign is no different. Only recently he scored a hat trick away from home against fellow automatic promotion battling side Winchester City, an important cog in the Frome machine.

Our last outing against Frome was Ben Watson’s first game in charge at the helm of Rovers, a new era begun with all three points with River Allen’s quick thinking saw it slide into the bottom left and all three points recovered in a rare defeat for the visitors. However, our last visit to Badgers Hill was unique with Westbury United using it as a temporary base whilst their ground was undergoing a few safety checks.

The Fun Bus is in operation for this fixture with the departure time from Silver Street being 11:30 am, and the fare sitting at £15, do let Mike Hawkins or the club’s socials know if you’d like to book a seat on board.

Match Preview: Willand Rovers v Shaftesbury

Rovers will be hoping to take the momentum from last week to this weekend provided the rain doesn’t get there first as we take on Shaftesbury in the Southern Football League Division One South with a 3 pm KO!

Last time out for Rovers, it was a rare Monday outing as we made the trip over to Wiltshire to take on Melksham Town where both sides needed all three on the board to push out of the clutch of the relegation zone and Willand had found the winning formula in the first ten with Charlie Bateson’s brace putting Rovers in touching distance of climbing out the drop.

This time round, it is the Rockies who will be looking to build on their promotion bid, with the side sitting inside the playoff spots, 2 points off Bishops Cleeve. Their last outing was also a trip to Melksham, where the goals were flowing, and it was the visiting side who prevailed in the 9-goal thriller, with Holmes, Burden, Morgan, Hoey & Brown sending it in to secure a vital three on the road.

One to watch for the visitors this weekend would be Harvey Bradbury who had come through the youth ranks at Portsmouth before moving on to Watford where he would have a couple of non-league loan spells before heading over to Oxford United. From the Kassam, he’d head over to the Den before settling down at Oxford City.

Numerous spells at Welling, Gosport, Dorchester, Dartford, Farnborough, Chatham and Havant & Waterlooville lead to today’s side in Shaftesbury where he looks to help the Dorset-based side jump into the Southern Premier League for the first time in their history with his experience as explained proving important in their bid.

Both sides met earlier on in the season with Rovers ahead at the break with a brace from Bailey Kempster but the hosts grouped to cause a reaction with Holmes & Hoey combining their efforts to ultimately keep the points in Dorset that evening.

For City fans not making the trip to Port Vale, Torquay fans not making the trip to Enfield & Tiverton fans not making the journey to Gloucester, show your season ticket on the turnstile and get concession entry for our game against Shaftesbury.

Saturday’s game is subject to a pitch inspection following substantial rain within the Mid Devon area but we do hope to welcome you this weekend and an important weekend it will be for both sides at the contrasting ends of the table.

Match Preview: Falmouth Town v Willand Rovers

Rovers’ first game of 2026 sees a trip down to Bickland Park where we take on the F-Troop from Falmouth Town in the Southern Football League Division One South with a 3 pm KO.

Last time out for Rovers it was our final game of the year as we welcomed our Devon counterparts Brixham to Silver Street where both sides saw a gigantic six-pointer and a bumper crowd formed as Willand found a vital win in their battle to survive the drop from Charlie Bateson who opens his account for the All-Whites.

But the focus now flips onto Falmouth who are another side floating around the bottom half of the table and are having a tough season. Andy Westgarth’s men have been turning around their form recently but at the start of the season, it had looked like Town would have been in for a long campaign.

The F-Troop’s festive fixture was a trip to Trungle Parc where it remained goalless but certainly not without tension as both West Cornwall sides grinded it out to gain a point on the afternoon with it setting up Saturday’s fixture for both sides as a must-win to stabilise.

One to watch for the hosts this weekend would have to be Rubin Wilson who over the last few weeks has found a rich vein in goal scoring for Falmouth and throughout his spell at Bickland Park has proven to be a key part in the cogs with his eye for goal poaching nets all across the South.

The last time both sides met in the Southern League was almost a year to the day. On New Year’s Day of 2025, the fireworks may have gone off at midnight but the goals did not go in as the conditions were challenging and both sides held up to see it out goalless.

The Fun Bus is in operation for this fixture as we make a rare trip southbound to our neighbouring county. We depart from Silver Street at 10:30, with the fare at £15pp. Do contact Mike Hawkins or the club’s socials to book your place.

The festivities are over, and it’s time to go back to work. The Grinch socks have ended. Rovers are back in action as we hope 2026 will be one to remember for all those connected with the club and around it. Let’s start it strong.

Match Preview: Willand Rovers v Brixham AFC

Rovers’ final game of 2025 sees a Devon Derby take place at the Street with Brixham making the trip up from the English Riviera to the fields of Mid Devon in our “boxing day” fixture in the Southern Football League Division One South with a 3 pm KO.

Last time out for Rovers it was a trip to Gloucestershire to take on Bishops Cleeve. Willand started the strongest as Bailey Kempster fired into the bottom right within the first ten minutes but the hosts scrambled it over the line just a couple of minutes later through Jake Lee. The score was settled early in the second half with Curtis Jemmitt-Hudson ensuring the points stayed at base.

But the focus now flips onto Brixham who are in their inaugural Southern League campaign after beating Clevedon Town in the playoffs to step up into the division but it’s not been a dream start for them as they sit second bottom, equal on points to Rovers. However, for the South Devon side, it’s a new adventure and they are relishing every moment at the level.

While this week’s visitors were not in action at the weekend, their last game saw the Fishermen travel to Shaftesbury where the hosts made sure not to let any points jump out of the net on the day with goals from Harvey Bradbury and Toby Holmes providing the sting on Brixham.

One to watch for the blue army would have to be Charlie Johansen who has proven to be very important in decisive games where late winners and points have stemmed from his efforts. But that’s not the only man in the Brixham ranks to watch out for, former Rovers man Finn Herbert also now plays for the Fishermen and will be back to play against us. The bright youngster brought some great attacking threat in games and pace in abundance.

Despite never playing them at southern league level, we do have a previous matchup with Brixham as last season in our FA Cup campaign it was a 1-0 win as Fin Rooke’s 23rd minute strike sealed our place in the Second Qualifying round over this weekend’s visitors.

It is the last chance to catch Rovers in action in 2025 so head on down to Silver Street to witness a Devon Derby this festive season. The bar’s open from 1 so get your glasses filled and get behind the lads!

#WeAreRovers #COYR

The calendar continues to flick through towards the new year as Rovers finish their road trip this festive season with a visit up to the famous Racecourse of Cheltenham to take on Bishops Cleeve in the Southern Football League Division One South with a 3 pm kick off at Kayte Lane.

Last time out for Willand it was a trip to The Creek to take on Bristol Manor Farm where new additions and confidence from the week before merged to create a point on the road as Ryan Guppy’s late header at the back post rolled past Crawford to ensure that for the first time since 2016, rovers would harvest a point on the farm’s soil.

But now the attention turns to Bishops Cleeve who are batting for promotion once again this season with the Mitres currently sitting just outside the playoffs before Saturday. Paul Collicutt’s men have been in the division for several seasons and they’ll be hoping this time round is their ticket out to the Premier Division.

In Cleeve’s previous game on Saturday, it was a goal fest at Plain Ham as the points were shared in a 4-4 draw. Larkhall doubled their lead, but Cleeve clawed back three but it was the hosts who put the nail in the coffin in the 96th minute. Both teams go in with a draw and will be hunting for all three over the weekend.

One to watch for the hosts would have to be Ben McLean who has been a big part of Cleeve’s push up the table this season. The Midfielder has brought goal scoring threat to the Mighty Mitres with his eye for goal being wider than ever during the Christmas period.

The last time both sides met was in the FA Trophy back in September for the second season running. It was Cleeve who progressed in the competition with the scores level at the final whistle but Rovers narrowly lost out on penalties on the afternoon.

The fun bus is once again in operation for this fixture, but it’ll be the festive bus, departing at 11:30 from Silver Street, with a fare of £15. Christmas Jumpers are advised as the bus will be transformed into a willand winter wonderland for the day!

This is the final fixture before Christmas. We will be back in action against Brixham on the 27th December, so this is certainly one you cannot miss. Onwards and upwards!