Category: First team

Premier Division Willand Rovers pocketed a very handy winner’s cheque on Wednesday night and in doing so booked a home tie with newly promoted Southern League side Street on Saturday week in the preliminary round of the FA Cup writes Kerry Miller.
The 3-0 scoreline looks comfortable enough but it was far from that as Shepton were right in the game until 20 minutes from time when a fine Luke Alden finish sealed the deal.
Shepton lined up without their impressive young keeper Tom Easterbrook who has gone to Nottingham University and striker Tyson Pollard who was on holiday, as was joint boss Jon Burr and they missed a battling performance which included debuts for Ryan Fry and Jammeh Malick.
Willand had the best of the opening half while Shepton played some excellent football without creating much in the way of chances and the home team went close early when Brad Ausden was put through and cut inside but his shot lacked power and was saved by new keeper Charlie Phillips. The visitors retaliated as Luke Ingram latched on to a long pass to lob over Mike Searle then Luke Mortimore and Ausden combined but Phillips was equal to the move with a flying save. There was no shortage of action as home full back Ryan Guppy had a shot saved then was deep in the defence to snuff out a promising situation twice in the same attack but the pressure was to tell and seven minutes from the break Josh Searle picked up a cross field pass and hit a sweet left footed drive past Phillips for the opener. The youngster almost set up the second just on the break with a whipped cross but Ausden could not connect from close range.
Shepton’s endeavour continued in the second half but with the bonus of chances created and Tom Hill scuffed his shot when in a good position and both substitute Ash Willmott and Joe Morgan went close. Willand were also looking good as befits a team at the top of the league and Jed Harper-Penman drove wide before Searle’s long drive cannoned back off the post into Phillips’ arms for a big let off. Mortimore crushed Plymouth Parkway with a clinical hat-trick seven days earlier but he could not add to his tally on the hour after Brett Worbey put him through but it was not to prove costly. Worbey then threaded another pass to Alden and he drew Phiilips before slottin g home the second with 19 minutes left to all but kill off the tie which they had been seconds from losing in the original game.
Shepton skipper James Billing then could only watch as Searle somehow kept out his point blank effort and the visitors showed they were not beaten as towering substitute Dale Hunt twice went close to halving the deficit. Just near the end Harper-Penman and Worbey almost exploited the space as the visitors pushed up in a vain bid for a goal but it did come right at the end when Harper-Penman slammed home the third from 18 yards to complete a good performance from Willand who look to be shaping up for a successful season.

Kerry Miller
Press and Media Officer
Toolstation Western League

Willand Rovers 4 Plymouth Parkway 0
WILLAND Rovers went to the top of the fledgling Toolstation Western League Premier Division table on Wednesday evening with a stunning and comprehensive victory over visiting Plymouth Parkway at Silver Street writes Kerry Miller.
A clinical hat-trick from Luke Mortimore and a close range header from new boy Ben Bickle dismantled Parkway who had no answer to the pace and finishing of Mortimore and the speed of passing on what was a pitch which looked poor but played extremely well. Almost 200 gathered on what was a night which started dry but got wetter and they watched Parkway, many people’s favourites to go right through to Southern League football next season, got off to a fine start pinning Willand in their own half for the first ten minutes. The potent strike force of Stuart Yetton and Adam Carter were a real handful early on and when the home defence gave the ball away in midfield Carter ‘s fierce drive was parried by Mike Searle to Mike Williams but he could not guide his free header with enough accuracy and the chance was gone.
It proved costly as Willand began to claw their way into the game and Bickle set up Mortimore who was denied close up by a defender and from the corner Adam Hill nodded wide. It was a wake up call which Parkway did not heed for on 19 minutes they gave the ball away in midfield in identical fashion but Rovers took full advantage as Brett Worbey fed Mortimore who drove under Kyle Moore to give his side the lead slightly against the run of play. He was then given the freedom of Silver Street minutes later and weaved inside before shooting wide just as the first of a series of fierce showers made its presence felt. The pendulum had swung completely and Mortimore again raided as a ball over the top caused problems and having won the tackle he curled a shot around Moore and into the same corner to double the lead and stun Parkway. It was almost a half hour hat-trick moments later as he was put through and lobbed home but an offside flag put paid to the celebrations.
Parkway themselves regrouped and Yetton had a firm header saved then Ryan Lane showed superb speed and no little skill in sending over a cross which Mike Smith chipped just over. They were creating chances but took none and when the second half began a come back was not being written off by anybody.
Around the hour mark the venue of the points became clear but they could easily have gone elsewhere if the fates had decided it. Yetton shot over from 18 yards before Worbey struck a free-kick which Moore tipped onto a post and Parkway somehow escaped and seconds later instead of 3-0 it could so easily have been 2-1 as Yetton hit the post with a header. Willand cleared a corner off the line before Smith blazed over and in truth that was where the visitor’s chances of a share of the spoils disappeared.
Rovers and the home fans then believed a win was on the cards and with Mortimore’s pace causing them no end of grief he was one of a counter attack which Parkway could not cope with and Worbey’s chip found Bickle who nodded home the third with some style. Three minutes later it was 4-0 as Mortimore ran half the length of the pitch before drawing Moore and steering home the hat-trick goal.
Substitute Christian Pople was just over with a drive late on but with four goals in the bank Willand managed the game to the end and sit proudly at the top having come out of the Devon derbies the victors. They now go to Shepton Mallet on Saturday in the FA Cup while Parkway have a trip to Bristol in the same competition to take on Hengrove Athletic.

Kerry Miller
Press and Media Officer
Toolstation Western League

Willand Rovers 1 Melksham Town 3

Melksham skipper Gary Higdon slammed home an injury time penalty to seal the deal at Silver Street on Wednesday night and send his side into the Southern League for the first time in their long history writes Kerry Miller.
The 3-1 victory meant that Buckland Athletic needed to win their last four games by an aggregate of 30-0 to deny them and with the little matter of the Les Phillips Cup Final tucked among those, the visiting side allowed themselves the luxury of celebrating the runners-up spot in the assumption that Buckland would not be able to complete such a task. The scenario before the game was straightforward in that Willand needed to beat Melksham and then win at Buckland next Wednesday to snatch the spot from Melksham and on eight minutes the dream momentarily edged towards reality. Town striker Jon Davies had twice tested home keeper Mike Searle before Brett Worbey curled a free-kick past Rob Brown from an inch outside the penalty area to stun the travelling support which doubled the crowd and provided a tense atmosphere at evening.
Town winger Luke Ballinger was soon in the action as Melksham settled early and after he had an effort saved by Searle he challenged for a long pass and when he got the best of the defender tucked the ball under Searle for the equaliser on 16 minutes. In truth Willand never really recovered from that blow and after Davies drove wide from 30 yards Melksham struck again as Mike Perrott’s free-kick was flicked on by Higdon and Ballinger was on the far post to nod in the second. Another high octane attack was just thwarted by a hack off the line and it got worse for the home side when Fletcher Williams was carried off on the half hour with what looked like a nasty Achilles injury.
Melksham went for the jugular and Higdon nodded in a corner but was pulled back for a foul then Ballinger was just wide with a drive as looked for a rare first half hat-trick.
After the break Willand came out all guns blazing and substitute Dean Stamp had a cross headed clear then Worbey’s effort was cleared off the line but it soon fizzled out as Melksham took control again. Mark Cooper shot over then Searle pulled off a stunning double save to keep out Davies and Rob Hobbs late on before a flying Higdon was just wide with what would have been his 40th goal of the season. He would not be denied as in time added on Davies was brought down in the box by Joe Curtis and after the defender was sent off Higdon crashed in the spot-kick to officially start the party.
So Willand will fight another season in the Western League and are expected to be joined by fellow Devon side Plymouth Parkway in August while Melksham prepare for their Southern League baptism, swapping Longwell Green Sports and Wells City for the likes of Didcot Town, Gosport Borough and Slimbridge.
It has been a remarkable campaign at Oakfields where bad weather, a lull in form and a long run in the FA Vase all looked to be conspiring to put a spanner on the works. However, with Willand falling away temporarily mid season and Buckland always playing catch up with Bradford Town as they forlornly chased champions Street the Wiltshire men stayed in there and will now reap the benefits of a new dawn in a new home.

Kerry Miller
Press and Media Officer
Toolstation Western League