Category: First team

Didcot Town v Willand Rovers

Willand makes the long journey south and across to Oxfordshire for the latest test in the Pitching In Southern Football League Division One South, as we take on Didcot Town with a 7:45 pm KO!

Last time out for Rovers, it was a visit from the club closest to Lands End. Mousehole’s unbeaten run was at a cliff edge, helmed by goals from Brandon Bak and a brace from Fin Rooke, who secured all three points for Rovers on the occasion.

The attention now turns to Tuesday where it’s a 280-mile round trip but 3 points are the exchange rate. The Railwaymen dropped down from the Southern Premier League last season and are looking to get themselves back to where they belong but the fixtures are closing in with the calendar ripping March off to brandish April.

One to look out for Jamie Heapy’s men would have to be Dan Warre who since joining the hosts has been pivotal to their recent run of good form and has an attacking threat to be reckoned with. For Basingstoke, he netted 8 times in 17 earlier in the season.

The last time out between both sides was a point a piece for Rovers and Didcot with Douglas Camilo hitting one in for Rovers which earned a point on home soil for us.

A long way from home but at the business end of the season, another battle in the Division One South to contend. Safe travels to all making the mammoth journey, your support is always appreciated by the lads!

#WeAreRovers

Willand Rovers v Mousehole

The second of our week back at the street sees our opponents travel from “way out west” to Willand for our fourth fixture with the Seagulls in the 24/25 campaign this Saturday at Silver Street in the Pitching In Southern Football League Division One South with a 3 pm KO!

Last time out for Rovers it was a successful Willand Wednesday and a vital one with Shaftesbury winging their way from the Golden Hills to the Mid Devon plains for a night under the lights where both sides needed a result in a crucial fixture for both.

All the goals were in the first half as Rovers found the lead from a corner where Jamie Richards nestled a header from a difficult angle into the back of the net in the Silver end to put us up in front.

The visitors would equalise before the board went up for additional time with Jack Hoey nestling it into the net to unsettle the rover’s back line. However, loanee Bailey Kempster secured the three for Willand as he outran a diverting midfielder on his way to clear it, all he needed was a light ball on it and nestled into the back for a Rovers victory.

This weekend it is Mousehole who travels up and now it is the fourth match-up between both sides in the season. Jake Ash’s Cornish seagulls are striving for success once again this season with them going toe to toe with the favourites.

Their last game was a visit from our visitors from Wednesday with the Rockies losing heavily on the afternoon at Trungle Parc as Mousehole put 5 past the Dorset outfit on the cold Saturday afternoon.

One to look out for in the green and white would have to be Oscar Massey who has managed to bag 15 goals so far this season despite not starting the campaign with Mousehole with him finding his way from Cornish rivals Falmouth Town in the late stages of 2024. A future star, Massey is one on a lot of clubs radars up the pyramid.

The last time out between both sides was a pre-Christmas grinch of a game with Willand falling to defeat at Trungle as the hosts found four past Burton in the afternoon. One to forget for Steele’s men.

There is only a handful of home fixtures left now at The Stan Robinson Stadium with the season drawing to a close, don’t miss your chance to get behind the lads this weekend with your support being more needed than ever. COME ON YOU ROVERS!

#WeAreRovers

Willand Rovers v Shaftesbury

Willand welcomed Shaftesbury to Silver Street for the final midweek game under the lights. Willand had hoped to right the wrongs of last Saturday as they got emphatically beaten by Melksham.

Our opponents in Shaftesbury were hoping to scramble out of the relegation scrap, and a win for them would keep them adrift, more so as the Rockies were bolstered up top for their visit to the Street.

Going into the game, David Steele has skipper Jamie Richards and Ryan Guppy back at his disposal for selection.

The early stages saw both sides battling for possession with a lot at stake in this game. Willand would break the deadlock in the 20th minute from a corner swung in from the left with a bit of a pile-up to let Jamie Richards head in from a strange angle, but a goal is a goal, and the skipper wheeled away in celebration.

The visitors would get one back through the ever-so-skilful Jack Hoey, but on this occasion, it felt more like a scramble to hit it away.

Going into half-time, it looked to be all level, but the gods above gave Rovers a huge lifeline when a mistake at the back from Shaftesbury meant Bailey Kempster had a shot through the keeper’s legs in the first minute of additional time to go back into the lead.

During the second half, Jack Kennell and Harvey Dorothy were brought on to add an attacking presence to the squad, with more chances being created towards the clubhouse end.

The second half started similarly to how the first half did, and Shaftesbury would go forward and press to try and at least find that equalising goal to give Steele’s men a tough evening.

River Allen did have to receive treatment in the second half and was brought off for an initial check and was replaced with Douglas Camilo.

A few chances fell our way in the late stages, and we found ourselves in good positions and forced their keeper into tight spaces, but the second half remained goalless, and Rovers maintained all three points on the night.

This being one of our games in hand means that Helston didn’t play this midweek, so we are now 4 points clear of the drop, and we welcome play-off chasing Mousehole on Saturday, where we are at home again.

#WeAreRovers

Match Preview
Willand Rovers v Shaftesbury FC

It will potentially be the last time the floodlights are flicked on this season at the Stan Robinson Stadium as our rearranged fixture against Shaftesbury takes place on Wednesday 26th March with a 7:30 pm KO in the Pitching In Southern Football League Division One South!

The last time out for Rovers was a trip up to Melksham which would end in the hosts getting all three on the afternoon as in the first half was where all the goals lay with 2 in quick succession just before the break an own goal to make it three.

The second half was a slightly improved performance but the Yellow and Black army prevailed. With a big focus now on the congested fixture list for the next two weeks, the action never stops.

It’s the turn of Shaftesbury to visit Silver Street, the Rockies are in their debut season in the Southern League and continue to learn the ways of the game. The original fixture was due to be in February but a waterlogged pitch put a stop to that.

Manager Pat McManus has been at the driving seat of the start of a new journey and it looks to be another season in the Division One South as a result of that. One to look out for the visitors would have to be Gabby Rogers who needs no introduction to Rovers fans who spent time with the club back in 2023 and has been a staple of South West non-league in the area.

The last time out between both sides was a midweek trip during the late stages of October and the result was left late with experienced striker Brett Pitman scoring for the hosts to narrowly win the game in the dying stages.

It’s a double match week for Rovers at home with Mousehole also making the journey up the country this weekend on Saturday so get behind the lads twice this week as we enter the gauntlet of fixtures known as the end of the season rush!

#WeAreRovers

Willand made the journey through the middle of the Southwest as we filtered up to the Roman town of Melksham, which would set the scene for our latest Southern League clash.

Going into the game, David Steele had to make a few alterations to the starting XI as a result of skipper Jamie Richards still being out with his suspension and Ryan Guppy sidelined with an injury that he had suffered whilst playing in our last match against Bishops Cleeve. This saw Bailey Kempster in the defence with Harvey Dorothy moving into midfield.

Our opponents in Melksham Town have a chance at sneaking into the playoffs, and a win here would put them six points behind Exmouth Town, who currently occupy the last playoff spot.

Rovers started strongly as we kept possession and kept firing shots for the first twenty minutes. Both sides created chances in which the deadlock could have been breached but nothing concrete in the early stages.

Despite our early dominance, it would be the hosts who took the lead first with a goal from Henry Sady in the 20th minute as he nestled it into the bottom right. Just a minute later Melksham would have another; this time it came from Elliot Haffenden, in a similar fashion to the previous one but from the other side of the final third.

On the stroke of half-time Melksham would get a third with a throw-in coming from the left-hand side, a mixup at the back left Ross Edwards vulnerable to heading it past Burton to give the yellow and black army a cushioned lead.

Before the start of the second half, Steele brought his reinforcements directly with a triple substitution where Fin Rooke, Harvey Dorothy and Jack Kennell were subbed off to be replaced by Brandon Bak, Douglas Camilo and Jacob Wellington.

The second half gave a slightly improved performance for rovers with the team in good stead as we piled the pressure on again early on
As in the first half, Melksham found their form again, and they started controlling the game, keeping possession and creating chances.

A few more chances swung our way but the final touches were just missing to get back into the game. Watts-Barciela was the closest to finding the back of the net as he found himself through on goal, but the Melksham defence held firm and they kept a clean sheet as the game ended.

Full time at the Oakfield Stadium in Wiltshire, Melksham Town 3-0 Willand Rovers. A tough one to take but the hosts had their game plan set from Kick Off with all their goals and pressure coming in the first 45.

A draw for Helston means we go into Wednesday against fellow relegation-fighting team Shaftesbury with one point above the relegation zone.

#WeAreRovers

Magic Numbers for 22.3.25 were 3,4,8 & 13. There was no winner, so next week’s jackpot will be £500.

d3982941-be6f-4f55-b64a-7329c06b8070