Category: Club events

Willand vs Bristol Manor Farm.

On Saturday the lads travelled to a cold Bristol to face one of the 3 Bristol teams in the league. The reverse fixture was a 2-2 draw against Farm earlier in the season and Willand looked to continue their good run of form lately at The Creek.

The game started with a few big tackles which led to Ashton Hewitt on the floor early in the game with the pitch-ripping up easily the lads would have to play balls in the air instead of along the floor.

A first shot on target of the game would go to Farm as ex-Willand man Owen Howe forces a brilliant save out of George Burton. Another chance and another save from Burton as Manor Farms number Nine has a shot as Jamie Richards loses his footing. Rovers were heavily tested with going nearly 1-0 down as a cross comes towards the goal but is cleared off the line by Ross Edwards.

Burton would prove to be an important part of this game with another brilliant save as a long shot from the number nine is powered towards goal and the keeper tips it over the bar.

Bristol Manor would find the lead in the 22nd minute as their big man striker Louis Britton has a perfect cross straight into his head and guides it into the opposite side of Burton’s net.

Willand was fighting for a response as Bailey Kempster tried to slot the ball into the far corner which was saved by the keeper and the follow-up from Harvey Dorothy was headed off the line.

Half time and 1-0 to the hosts after a lot of areal play from them. A big second half was needed to fight back and bring something back to Devon

A few minutes into the second half, a lifeline was produced with a red card for Jacob Spence after a second bookable offence. Farm had to step their game up with Willand knocking at the door with Locke keeping out Douglas Camilo as he used his mazy feet to find space for the shot but it’s tipped wide for a corner. Another attack from Willand was well dealt with by Farm as an in-box scramble caused a good clearance from Bristol.

It could have been a second towards the midpoint of the half for Manor Farm after a clearance off the line from Ross Edwards after a brilliant save from Burton. Looked like Willand would get one more chance late in the game as a game of head tennis happened in the near corner and a cross was claimed easily.

Going into added time, rovers looked to try and scramble an opportunity into the goal. From a corner for Willand, the ball was whipped in and the ball was on the line and cleared for a throw-in.

However, that wouldn’t be the last opportunity as the hosts would net again in the last minute of added which had stretched into 12 added minutes by this point. Louis Britton stepped up and nestled calmly into the corner to secure all three for Farm

Full Time at The Creek, Bristol Manor Farm 2-0 Willand Rovers. Louis Britton’s thunderous feet working overtime again as he takes his tally for the season up to 18. The next game for Rovers is a home clash to Evesham United at the Stan Robinson Stadium on the 1st February 2025.

Magic Numbers for 25.1.25 were 2, 4, 11 & 17. One very lucky winner receives £3850 🍾. Next week’s jackpot will be £300.

 

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Willand vs Melksham

While growing up on the mean streets of South Warwickshire, I saw many changes to my hometown—not all of them good.

In the early 1980s, the area that used to be home to the town’s railway station began an epidemic of house building that not only covered open spaces with 4-bedroom offerings that locals couldn’t afford but also took away opportunities for young imaginations.

In 1995 the A46 extension was opened to a celebration of melancholy. The old road never really impeded on the town itself, so the grandiose title of bypass was somewhat of a misnomer, the only nominal benefit being that we were now slightly closer to wherever it was we happened to be going. Not that we ever really wanted to leave.

In 2004, the infant school that I attended in much earlier decades finally shut its wrought-iron gate, and, much to the shame of the council, it still sits idle as time passes by.

There were other, more subtle changes along the way, of course; the only Italian restaurant in town had become just another Indian; the focal point of the town, a hall that saw activities from pantomimes and parties all the way to the infamous Porky’s disco finally crumbled under the lack of investment required to address the actual crumbling, and the golf driving range and adjacent pitch and putt course was swallowed up to become home to the local football club.

But one thing that didn’t change, from my days of scuttling down bowling alleys in the 1970s to when I finally left to head south several decades later, was the number of pubs in the town. We were famous for the number of pubs we had, specifically for the size of the population. If I were to walk down the High Street during that time (and the High Street was no longer than Cullompton or Tiverton), I would pass a dozen or so pubs, depending on my chosen destination (which was usually to one of the pubs). If you were to add establishments that could still be reached using nothing more than whisky for fuel, this would swell to somewhere around 20. The most surprising aspect was that on any given Friday or Saturday night, any pub you went into was packed; not ‘it takes a few minutes to get to the bar’ busy, but more ‘buy two pints while you’re there’ busy. Unbeknownst to us at the time, these days appear to have marked the pinnacle of British pub culture, or at the very least, its final flourishing.

Recently I was back on the mean streets, and on the premise that we needed to walk to counteract all the Christmas pudding, I took my son on a nostalgic walk past the same pubs that I’d frequented not so long ago. Only it turned into a tour of an out-of-place house conversion, derelict memories, and a public house that had been standing since the 17th century left a carcass bereft of its roof along with its dignity. In all, I counted more pubs in the past tense than the present, and it made me thankful that at least the pubs that I’d migrated to in Devon seemed to still be welcoming customers.

Of course my optimism fell at the first hurdle as I retired to the village to find that both the Hickory Inn and the Weary Traveller would be closing their doors in the near future.

So what has happened to pubs?

The decline of pubs over the last decade is as stark as it is disheartening. Once the beating heart of communities, their disappearance has been driven by a perfect storm of economic, cultural, and societal changes.

The cost-of-living crisis has dealt a severe blow to the traditional pub. Rising energy prices, soaring rent costs, and inflated supplier expenses have pushed landlords to breaking point. For customers, the reality of paying £5 or more for a pint is a far cry from the affordable evenings of the past. Many now opt for supermarket deals, where the cost of a crate rivals a single round at the local.

This shift isn’t just about economics—it’s cultural, too. The rise of home entertainment has revolutionised how we spend our free time. Streaming services, social media, and online gaming offer instant and often cheaper alternatives to venturing out. Coupled with a growing preference for “staying in” rather than “going out,” the traditional appeal of the pub as a social hub has diminished.

Changing drinking habits have also played their part. Health-conscious trends and lower alcohol consumption have seen fewer people view the pub as their default leisure destination. Younger generations, in particular, often gravitate towards coffee shops, cocktail bars, or other venues that cater to evolving tastes and lifestyles.

Finally, the very fabric of communities has shifted. As small towns and villages expand, local pubs are often casualties of development. Once considered landmarks, their conversion into houses or convenience stores further erodes the sense of place they once offered.

The halcyon days of bustling high streets lined with pubs may be behind us, replaced by a quieter, more solitary age. What remains is a sobering reminder of what we’ve lost—a space where stories were shared, friendships forged, and communities brought together over the clink of a glass.

Fortunately for the residents of Mid-Devon, Silver Street is still a beacon for the local community, and a hardy crowd braved the near-freezing conditions for a game against Melksham Town on the kind of night where coffee and tea may well have out-sold anything sold in the bar.

David Steele kept faith with the same 11 that finished the game against Exmouth while the visitors attempted to improve their fortunes with the signing of experienced striker Dawid Regula from Hungerford.

It was the visitors who started on the front foot and, in truth, dominated possession for long spells of the half, forging a number of corners and opportunities without ever troubling Burton. While the home team played with their usual high energy, they rarely troubled the well-drilled Melksham defence, who fluidly moved between a back three and a back five, with the Willand forward line frequently isolated and outnumbered.

Regula had a number of opportunities where he should have hit the target, and Burton did well to block a number of shots from close range as the half came to a close while Willand left their best effort of the half until the end, Kelsey in the Melksham goal pulling off an excellent double save to deny Dorothy following good work from Kempster on the Willand right.

Half Time – Willand 0 – Melksham 0

The second half started much as the first, with Melksham on the ascendency, encamped in the Willand half, but with perhaps a drop in the tempo. Burton was called into action in the 67th minute, stinging his glove on a well-hit shot from Lynden to deflect the ball over the bar for another Melksham corner.

As the game neared its final 20 minutes, it transformed into a more even and scrappy match, with the majority of the action centred in the midfield. The breakthrough for Willand came in the 88th minute, substitute Josh Baker scoring with some acrobatics to send the bench and the majority of the crowd into raptures.

Melksham continued to battle past the 90th minute, and only a superb save from a James header prevented the visitors from finding a late, late equaliser, and celebration mixed freely with relief at the sound of the final whistle.

In the end, Willand took three points from a game where a draw might have been a fairer result, but that, as they say, is the nature of football. David Steele and his team will be delighted to have finished the week with 4 points from two games against good teams.

Finally, a word for goal scorer Josh Baker. A lesser writer might not have mentioned that they predicted much of the events of the game, but thankfully I’m not a lesser writer, and as soon as he came on to the pitch, I predicted a goal—he’s just one of those players who knows where the goal is.

And I’ll always drink to players like that.

Full time – Willand 1 – Melksham 0

Match Preview
Bristol Manor Farm v Willand Rovers

The action continues again this weekend where it’s not too far for David Steele’s men to travel as a breeze up the M5 to see us go on a trip to the Farm to take on Bristol Manor in the Pitching In Southern Football League Division One South with a 3 pm KO.

Willand had a successful midweek runout with Melksham Town making the trip down to The Stan Robinson Stadium. On the night it took its time to fully ramp up but the difference was made by Josh Baker who in the 89th minute went for an acrobatic chance and blazed it in the back of the net to assure Rovers of a key three points on a bitter night.

Meanwhile, our visitors also had a midweek trip down to Tavistock but their memory might’ve been a bit foggy with the game getting underway and staying on for around 10 minutes but in West Devon, the conditions weren’t ideal and the game was abandoned.

Back to the game at hand, it is the last game of January. A month in which a ball did not roll for the All Whites in 17 days but now the worst of the weather seems to of dissipated, the games keep coming in as we work through the fixture list.

Lee Lashenko’s Farmy Army have some solid names within the ranks as the league’s top scorer is currently plying his trade at The Creek, Louis Britton has scored 16 goals so far in the 24/25 campaign and has previously played for Bristol City, Torquay United, Cork City and Yeovil Town to name a few sides.

The previous fixture between both sides was a fairly cold night at Silver Street as both sides battled it out on another famous Willand Wednesday where it finished all square with a 2-2 draw on the night.

Both sides on Saturday will be looking to harvest a solid performance as the Southern League once again throws its thrills and spills. An udderly amazing fixture so comes join us this weekend on the fun bus if you can with it departing from Silver Street at half-12, hopefully, it’ll be a maize-ing day on the farm!

#WeAreRovers

Match Preview
Willand Rovers v Melksham Town

We are under the floodlights this Wednesday as our rescheduled fixture with Melksham Town takes place in the Pitching In Southern Football League Division One South with a half 7 kick off at The Stan Robinson Stadium

The action finally returned last weekend and certainly with quite the fixture as Exmouth Town came to Silver Street for a Devon Derby after a 17-day hiatus. Both sides looking to bring the bragging rights for the county with a solid attendance down at the Street from both sides.

The first half was a goalless affair with opportunities at both sides but the visitors would break the deadlock quickly into the second half with Tom Bath firing the Town ahead. However, it would be the returning hero of Bailey Kempster who would help Willand to a point on the afternoon with his effort being the last in the back of the net in this contest.

On Wednesday we welcome Melksham Town who are managed by Mark Collier and are from the county of Wiltshire. A staple of the Southern League, the Yellow and Black Army are battling once again in the eighth tier and will bring a good game to the SRS.

Last time out for the visitors was a defeat at home to Malvern Town who ran out 3-0 winners at Oakfield. One to look out for Melksham would have to be former Torquay man Jake Andrews who was a pivotal player in their National League South title win back in the 2018/19 season during his loan from Bristol City

The last time out between both sides was a 0-0 draw at Oakfield Stadium back in late February of this year, hopefully, there are goals to be had this time at Silver Street on Wednesday evening.

As the weather seems to be less intense, the schedule returns to normal with a regular flow of football to be had. City are away on Tuesday night and with one of the only fixtures in Devon on Wednesday, there’s only one place to be to grab your football fix. Support non-league and help your local football team.

#WeAreRovers