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*MATCH PREVIEW*

Willand Rovers v Shaftesbury

All eyes turn to the fixture list this Saturday as Rovers continue battling through the shortest month of the year it’s the turn of Dorset side Shaftesbury who makes the journey to Silver Street this weekend ahead of another clash in the Pitching In Southern Football League Division One South with a 3 pm kick-off at the Stan Robinson.

Our first fixture of the week saw David Steele’s men travel up the motorway to Cribbs in which several returning players made it onto the team sheet for this game. The hosts took the lead early on through a goal from Calney, then two before the half-hour mark through Bonnick. Rovers made sure not to let the hosts run too far away with it as Kempster pulled it back to half the deficit going into the break.

Second half and the hosts did get that third but the story does not end there with Kempster finding a response early within the second half. Harvey Dorothy helped secure a point on the road on a bitter night in Brizzle just under 20 minutes from time which was the final action of the half and 3-3 it stayed.

Onto this game now and it is the Rockies (not the Rookies, sorry Fin) who make the journey down to Mid Devon on Saturday, Pat McManus and his lads have progressed on through the season with it being their debut campaign at this level. They’ve had a midweek off after having Exmouth come to them on Saturday but it was the hosts who managed to find three points on the afternoon.

One to look out for Shaftesbury would have to be Brett Pitman. For those who aren’t familiar with Brett, he has a fantastic CV of footballing experience with his career starting at AFC Bournemouth before making a move to Bristol City where he spent three years at the gate. Other clubs he has plied his trade at include Ipswich Town, Portsmouth, Swindon Town, Bristol Rovers and the most prestigious of all… AFC Portchester where he scored a lot of goals in the 9th tier.

We visited Cockrams during October in which for around 90 minutes it was 0-0, however, it would be the one to look out for which put it in the back of the net to secure three points for the hosts on the night after a heavy battle.

With Valentine’s Day out of the way, hopefully you’ve bought your partner a ticket to this fixture to show your appreciation or if you don’t have a relationship, treat yourself to a game of football and the joy of another exciting Willand Rovers game, see you Saturday.

#WeAreRovers

Match Preview
Cribbs FC v Willand Rovers

A very quick turnaround for Rovers up ahead as tomorrow night we travel up the M5 for our rescheduled fixture with Cribbs in the Pitching In Southern Football League Division One South with a 7:45 pm KO at the Lawns.

The last time out for Willand was just shy of 72 hours ago with the long journey over to Bashley where 5 goals were struck on the afternoon but the pendulum swung the host’s way with a 3-2 win for the Stags. Bailey Kempster’s contributions from the penalty spot made up the goals for Rovers with the late stages the pressure being piled on to find that golden third.

Onto the game at hand, on a night of cup football in the county, Rovers escape all of that to focus on the important fixture ahead of them with another vital three points up for grabs. Cribbs have been in the Division for 2 seasons now with their first season being under current Taunton Town boss Richard Luffman and now Ryan Crouch has taken the reigns at The Lawns and will be keen to build on from the previous success.

One to watch for Cribbs would have to be Mal Nicholls who is currently on loan from Chippenham Town at the moment. The Welsh 21-year-old defender came through the ranks of the Swansea City academy before he departed for Newport County. He’s also turned out for the likes of Chippenham, Basingstoke and Larkhall. A promising defender, Nicholls will certainly be tough to get past on the evening and will be one to look out for in the future.

The hosts’ last matchup against Rovers was on a sunny, September afternoon at Silver Street with Willand running out 4-0 winners and most notably a goal of the season contender from River Allen with him soaring the ball from the halfway line and past the keeper securing all three for the All-Whites on the day.

Our final away game of the month, plenty to fight and play for. The magic of the Southern League strikes again, Time to step it up again on a cold Bristolian Tuesday night.

#WeAreRovers

Match Preview
Bashley FC v Willand Rovers

It’s time to head to Hampshire this weekend and more precisely the New Forest (which has been around for thousands of years) to take on Bashley in the Pitching In Southern Football League Division One South with a 3 pm KO at Bashley Road!

But first, we would like to extend our deepest sympathies to everyone connected with Bashley Football Club during this difficult time. Bash player Jordan Chiedozie is recovering from his injuries after a serious car crash.

On our social media pages, we have linked the GoFundMe website in which if you choose you can donate to help support Jordan through his recovery. Thank you for your support.

The last bit of action for Rovers was when Evesham United came to the Street for another highly anticipated fixture in the calendar. The first half saw the only goal of the game as from a free kick, Reegan Messenger hit it away to give the visitors on the afternoon the points on the board.

We progress through February and a rare trip down to the south coast is next on the calendar. Brother duo Dave and Steve Lewis run the club and are looking to put a hidden gem on the map in Bashley with the club progressing through the leagues.

Earlier on in the season, a single goal settled the result with Luke Holmes slotting past George Burton on the day to secure the Amber and Black army all three at the Stan Robinson.

Once again we are running the coach down to Bashley with a 10:30 departure from Silver Street, do contact our social media pages or Mike Hawkins to secure your place.

We go back into battle again at 3 pm, another 90 in the most competitive league on earth. As always, come on you Rovers and join us when the Stags come up against The Villagers.

#WeAreRovers