Category: Matchday

The stage is set for another weekend of Southern League action. Willand on the road as they take the short trip down to Tavistock AFC. Momentum was flowing after Wednesday’s valiant effort against Exmouth, which also saw the return of Ross Edwards.

Ross Edwards slots himself back into the starting line-up alongside the ever-present skipper Jamie Richards. Tavistock go into this game with a less than desirable start, with Willand chasing their first win.

The game started out equal; both teams had chances, but no-one could convert. It was set out to be a dull 0-0, as no-one found the back of the net come half-time. In the second half Willand came out firing as they took control of the game.

Their hard work would be rewarded in the 47th minute with Rikki Shepard finding the back of the net. Their second came just 6 minutes later with Finn Herbert finding the back of the net. Tavistock grew into the game and got a goal back, but Willand held out for the win.

This is Willand’s first win of the season when they needed it most, and it builds momentum when the Rovers are home next when they face Frome Town in a bid to build on the result and start to climb up the table.

Get behind the lads at Silver Street as they build off the success against Tavistock to propel themselves up the table after a shaky start sees the whites battling relegation. Get behind the lads at home to Frome Town, as they could do with your support.

𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

After a 27 year association with Willand Rovers, David Steele has decided to call time on his Rovers career after a difficult start to the season. Following defeat this afternoon he tendered his resignation, which was reluctantly and sadly accepted by the club.

Eloquent and articulate both as a player and manager Steely has resigned from his position as manager with immediate effect.

Steely can be considered a true Willand legend. He is the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, after a long playing career, and was assistant manager when the club won promotion to the Southern Football League six years ago before becoming manager in 2022.

On behalf of everyone at Willand we would like to thank David for his hard work, commitment and dedication to the club throughout his time with us and for everything that he has helped Willand Rovers achieve. He will be missed by everyone and we all would like to wish him every success in the future. 

As a club we can’t let time stand still, and now for the first time in many years we are advertising the position of manager.

If you have Step 5 or higher experience, have a desire and passion to move our team forward and are interested in managing a team which is very much at the heart of our community please send your CV and statement of your goals and ambitions to the Willand Rovers chairman Mike Hawkins at mjh@mjhps.co.uk

The deadline for receipt of applications is 6:00pm on Friday 19 September.
We will invite short-listed applicants to interview early in the following week and aim to have someone in-post before our league match on 27 September.

Willand Rovers vs Bishops Cleeve

56 x 36 x 23.

Important Measurements. We’ll come back to these.

I’ve been travelling recently. In fact, I was gone for most of August, and so a review of the month might be a little sterile.

How were the first two home games of the season? I’ve no idea, but it was 43°C in Las Vegas.

How about the first away game? I was in Auckland, so it was 2am, and I missed most of the Twitter commentary.

And the last game of the month? I was in the middle of 23 hours of flying and think I got the better end of the deal than the fans that travelled.

But as the Proclaimers once proclaimed, that’s over and done with. We’re now in September, and I’m back on duty (or at least filling in for a week).

Travelling is an oddity for me; I love the destination but hate the journey. It doesn’t help that I’m not a great flyer – there are only so many films you can watch on a 15 hour flight, especially on a screen no bigger than a teenager’s phone. Sleep passed me by as well, due to a combination of an aisle seat, wide shoulders and meal trolleys being haphazardly driven along the aisles and the food was indescribable. Which ended that sentence dramatically.

But it’s people that make the flights almost unbearable.

I have somehow acquired the gift of always having someone in front of me recline their seat at the first opportunity. Even children stretched across their parents’ laps feel the need to slam theirs back like it was part of their contract with British Airways. I once even had an empty seat in front of me reclined. I still think about that sometimes.

And when the food service comes around, does anyone think to shift their seat forward so I’m not trying to eat dinner with the tray halfway across my chest? Not a chance.

Then there are the shoeless. Almost always American. Passengers who decide that 35,000 feet in the air is the right moment to air out their socks — or worse, bare feet The lady opposite me on one flight had her naked feet on the headrest of the chair in front of her. She may well have been heading to a contortionists’ convention, but we really didn’t need a sneak preview mid-Atlantic.

And what is it about landing that makes people leap up the second the wheels touch down? Unless you’ve paid for the kind of seat that lets you get off first (and let’s be honest, if you’re sitting near me, you haven’t), standing hunched under the lockers like a coiled spring doesn’t actually get you out quicker. It just blocks the aisle for everyone else.

Some don’t even wait for the landing. They’re up and loitering in the aisle mid-flight, stretching, chatting, and ignoring the glowing seatbelt sign as though it’s just festive decoration. The crew, naturally, say nothing.

And then comes the finale: the applause. Divisive, apparently. Some find it charming, but I’m firmly in the camp that thinks it’s more cringe than commendable. The pilot hasn’t reinvented flight—he’s just done his job. Nobody claps when your bus pulls into Taunton.

But my biggest gripe is 56 x 36 x 23.

That’s the maximum size baggage that you’re allowed in the cabin. It’s not a suggestion or a request – it’s the rules. Unfortunately it’s the airline equivalent of the 6-second rule – everyone knows it exists, but it’s still ritualistically ignored. Not only ignored but systematically abused. I saw one couple with 6 bags, 4 of which were larger than the maximum allowed – I’m pretty sure they knew they were too big – they were standing next to the redundant cage that airlines provide that allows you to check such things. In the end, though, they sloped onto the plane unabated and took up the overhead space designated for up to six people. They probably immediately took their shoes off, reclined their seats and started clapping like sea lions.

It seems that the only way to counter these flying philistines is to follow the example of Ryanair and implement penalties.

There are never enough penalties.

—

After the events of the previous month there was some respite from the league for David Steele and his team as Willand entertained Bishops Cleeve in FA Trophy.

The visitors came into the game in good form, having started the league season with four wins from four, the only defeat coming at the hands of Premier League opposition Wimborne in the FA Cup.

For Willand there were a number of changes to the team that was comprehensively beaten by Hartbury, including the recently re-signed Ryan Keates, who took up his place in the midfield.

In truth any neutral fans wouldn’t have been confused as to which was the form team after the opening gambits. The Mitres started the game on top, with the home team still looking shell-shocked, and the first chance fell in the 10th minute, with Langworthy beating at least one defender in white before flashing his shot past the upright with Sowden-Bird well beaten.

It didn’t take long for Bishops Cleeve to take advantage of their dominance, albeit with a touch of luck involved. A minute later a deflected ball from the left box hung in the air just long enough for Langworthy to loop it past Sowden-Bird to open the scoring.

That set the pattern for the early stages – Cleeve pressing, Willand still trying to find their collective feet – and Malshanskyj soon forced a good save out of the Willand keeper to keep the deficit at one.

It was Willand who struck next though; a shot from Camilo saw Clayton beaten, and as the ball smashed against the post, Cunninghamm was quickest to react, making no mistake to equalise on 24 minutes.

Willand might even have gone ahead not long after, with a teasing ball to the back post, but the first controversy of the afternoon was soon to follow.

After a free kick for the visitors, Langworthy found the back of the Willand net, only for the flag to go up before he’d even finished celebrating. The linesman was unmoved, despite the protests that the Cleeve captain had been behind the man who played the ball.

Half Time – Willand 1 – Bishops Cleeve 1

What we got after the restart was, in truth, not much. Willand found themselves in the ascendancy, and Clayton kept out a strike from a distance on the hour, before he saw a Willand free kick thumped squarely into the wall, but for long stretches the game was played in the midfield, with few chances created.

The final quarter, though, sparked back into life. Willand carved out two golden chances, both for Shepperd, both met by Clayton saves.

Cleeve rallied late, with Holland forcing a save from the Willand number one, but then came the day’s second moment of controversy.

A melee broke out by the dugouts, with both players and officials involved (most trying to calm the situation, it should be said). After a brief consultation with his assistant, the referee brandished a red card for both Watts and Guppy, leaving both teams to play out the last few minutes with 10 men.

With no other action to speak of, the game limped to penalties. Willand blinked first with their third, while Cleeve tucked away all five without fuss — the footballing equivalent of breezing through security while everyone else fumbles with belts and liquids in plastic bags.

Defeat on penalties will sting, but there were positives to take. After the chaos of August, this felt closer to order. Willand may have been outdone by the more efficient travellers, but at least they’re back on the plane — bags (just about) within the limits.

Full Time – Willand 1 – Bishops Cleeve 1 (Cleeve win on Penalties)

Match Preview: Willand Rovers vs Bashley

Willand Rovers welcome Bashley to Silver Street this Saturday in a crucial Southern League Division One South fixture. Both sides currently sit towards the foot of the table, and with the early stages of the season still finely balanced, the contest offers an important opportunity for Rovers to build momentum.

Rovers head into the weekend in 21st place, having collected two points from their opening five fixtures. Bashley sit just below them in 22nd place, with a single point from their first three outings but a slightly healthier goal difference of –4 compared to Willand’s –13. Both clubs will be eager to secure their first league win of the campaign, making Saturday’s game a significant one for the standings.

Steeley Determination

Confidence in the Willand camp has grown following last weekend’s FA Trophy performance against Bishops Cleeve. Speaking after the match, manager David Steele was keen to highlight the progress made:

“We were the better team on Saturday. We stopped them having possession and getting shots away, and I thoroughly believe we deserved more from the game.”

Steele also praised the impact of changes made in recent weeks, particularly the introduction of Finn Herbert in a wide role following the departure of Jordan Copp:

“We made the changes we needed to make from our performance against Hartpury. Finn once again impressed me in that left-wing type position, and there are some really positive signs from the boys.”

Looking ahead to this weekend, Steele underlined the hard work being done behind the scenes to prepare the squad:

“We put in a really hard session in the week and the boys are as ready as they can be for this game. Liam and I have put in the work we feel is necessary for the team to improve — it is now up to the players to reciprocate that and deliver another positive performance against Bashley.”

The Opposition

Bashley have endured a difficult start to the season, taking just one point from three games. While their results suggest they have been competitive in matches, they will travel to Silver Street looking to find an attacking spark and register their first victory.

The opposition might be arriving in Devon still searching for their first league win of the season, but they possess quality in their ranks. One player to watch is Luke Holmes, the experienced winger who previously turned out for A.F.C. Bournemouth, Wimborne, Poole, and Shaftesbury.

Holmes is well regarded for his goalscoring ability and technical style of play, bringing both creativity and a cutting edge in the final third. His experience at higher levels of the non-league pyramid makes him a key figure in Bashley’s attack, and a player Rovers will need to keep a close eye on throughout Saturday’s encounter.

Ticket Information

• Adults: £12.00
• Concessions: £8.00

(Over 65s, Students with valid NUS ID, Armed Forces personnel with valid ID)

• Young Persons (16–18): £5.00

(Valid ID showing age/date of birth required)

• Under 16s: £2.00

Match Coverage

Supporters unable to make the trip to Silver Street on Saturday can still stay close to the action.

Full match coverage will be available across our official social media channels, with live updates, key moments, and post-match reaction posted on both Twitter and Facebook throughout the afternoon.

*Match Preview: Willand Rovers vs Bishops Cleeve – FA Trophy Clash*

*The Tie in Focus*

The FA Trophy brings knockout drama to Silver Street this weekend as Willand Rovers prepare to face Bishops Cleeve. Both sides see the competition as a chance to test themselves beyond league football, and progression could provide a vital lift as the season develops.

For Willand, it is an opportunity to spark a turnaround after a tough start, while Bishops Cleeve arrive unbeaten in all competitions and brimming with confidence. With the pressure of knockout football, this tie has all the ingredients of an intriguing contest.

*Rovers Seeking Redemption After Tough Start*

It has been a challenging opening to the season for Willand Rovers. Under manager David Steele, the side have managed just one draw, with the rest of their fixtures ending in defeat. Most recently, Rovers suffered a bruising 8–0 loss to Hartpury University, a result that left Steele demanding a strong response.

The FA Trophy, however, could be the perfect reset button. Steele will be calling on his players to tighten up defensively, show greater resilience, and use the home crowd to their advantage. For Rovers, this fixture is not just about progression in the competition — it’s about pride, belief, and proving they are capable of much better.

*Bishops Cleeve and the Langworthy Factor*

In contrast, Bishops Cleeve head into the clash on a fine run of form. The Mitres are unbeaten in all competitions so far this campaign, a record that underlines both their consistency and confidence.

Key to their success has been the form of midfielder Ross Langworthy, who continues to shine as the club’s “Star Man.” Langworthy’s ability to score goals from deep positions, combined with his leadership in midfield, makes him a constant threat. His influence has already swung games in Bishops Cleeve’s favour this season, and he is likely to be central once more at Silver Street.

Willand will need to find a way to contain him if they are to have any chance of progressing.

*Time to Rally*

This FA Trophy tie is about more than just advancing to the next round for Willand Rovers — it is about showing character. After a difficult run of results, David Steele’s side now have the chance to reset, rally, and prove that they can compete.

For the players, it’s an opportunity to channel the frustration of recent weeks into a spirited performance. For the fans, it’s the moment to get behind the team, lift the atmosphere, and play their part in driving Rovers forward.

Silver Street has always been a place where the club’s spirit shines brightest. If Rovers can combine determination on the pitch with passionate support off it, this could be the night their season finally sparks into life.