Up Next ⚽️
📆 Saturday 21st September
🆚 Cribbs Football Club
⌚️ 3pm KO
🏆 Southern Football League Division 1 South
🏟️ Stan Robinson Stadium Willand, EX15 3PG
🎟️ Adults £10, Concessions £8, Under 16’s £1
Match day sponsors are SWIFILL LTD.
Thank you for your support 👏
Willand Rovers vs Oxford City
The magic of the FA Cup finally ran out of stardust for Rovers as we exited the competition in the 2nd round of qualifying when we travelled to National League North side Oxford City.
In the first few seconds, the hosts put themselves in front as Olly Sully played the ball to the middle as no one was there and McEachran latched onto the ball and took a daring shot which flew past George Burton and into the left-hand corner to put the Hoops in front.
Willand would try and get a response from going down very early on as a free kick is worked around the box to River Allen who crosses the ball to Jamie Richards who heads the ball across the goal as a shot goes at the ball but is straight at the hands of Rylee Mitchell.
Disaster for David Steele’s men in the first 15 minutes as the ball was played down the right-hand side and driven low into the box, leaving George Burton scrambling to get a grip but not before Louis Walsh tapped it in to double the lead.
Fin Rooke then attempted to make his stamp on the game as he got his head on it and tried to put it just right of the keeper but it was too close and was another one off the training pitch for Mitchell.
When Rovers thought the goals had come to a halt in the first half, Oxford had different ideas as the ball went down the right-hand side to the winger whose quick feet and good reactions were fast enough to get past Nathan Byrne who crossed the ball to Louis Walsh who heads in his second goal of the game. A name which will become too familiar as the afternoon goes on.
Nearly a fourth before the whistle the ball is sent in again but this time Louis Walsh gets on the end of the cross and plays it back to the Oxford player in the box but George Burton makes a big stop as it goes out for a corner keeping the scoreline at 3 at the break.
As the second half started about 2 minutes into the half it was almost deja vu for George Burton 4 as Louis Walsh got his hat-trick and slotted the ball to the left of the Rovers shot-stopper.
Another shot on goal for Oxford as the ball was once again crossed in this time from the left flank and crossed to the far post where Jayden Carbon leaps over Josh Searle to head it close enough to George Burton for him to tip it over the bar.
4 became 5 at the midway point of the second half as the hosts directly from a free kick made sure that no matter what their place was booked in the next round as Lewis Coyle stood over it on the edge of the box it soars into the near post bottom corner of the net as George Burton is glued in place.
It was a somewhat rare Willand attack in this game as Josh Searle crossed the ball into the box but Rylee Mitchel punched it out and the ball looked to drop onto Harvey Dorothy’s head.
Just when the game was put to bed, the final goal of the afternoon rolled in to make it 6 with Louis Walsh making it 4 on the afternoon and securing the match ball as we were utterly torn apart as he was clear through and 1 on 1 with George Burton.
Despite being down 6-0, Rovers still wanted a consolation towards the end of the game with Harvey Dorothy testing Mitchell as he had a shot and tried to slot it through the keeper’s legs but Mitchell read it and stopped the chance.
Full-Time at Court Place Farm with the scoreline standing at 6-0 to the hosts and their place booked in the next round and a momentous FA Cup Journey coming to a grinding halt as described by manager David Steele. On the day they could have had the scoreline potentially higher but a test nonetheless for the Rovers and league action to focus on for the rest of the 24/25 Season.
WRFC are exited to announce in partnership with Vospers Mazda Exeter one lucky person can win a MX5 for the weekend.
Tickets are £3 & we will be doing the draw on Saturday 28th September during our Race night.
Tickets can be purchased from the clubhouse.
Terms & conditions apply please refer to the poster.
Good luck 🤞🍀
Race Night 🏇
📅 Saturday 28th September
⌚️ 7pm start
🎟️ Free entry
Everyone welcome
Join us on Saturday 28th September after our home game against Yate Town
Oxford City v Willand Rovers
The FA Cup continues again this weekend with a bang as we have a huge test ahead of us with David Steele’s men travelling to National League North side Oxford City in the Second Qualifying Round of the competition.
In what could be considered one of Rovers’ biggest games in the last decade and potentially history, the cup fever has swept the village and the magic of the Cup sprinkled a sense of hope as, in the previous season the Hosts were playing against some of the biggest sides in non-league and now the Village side from Devon is ready to attempt a David vs Goliath tie to progress into the third qualifying round.
To get to this stage Rovers have conquered AFC St. Austell, Mousehole AFC and Brixham AFC with 6 goals in those 4 games under our belt in the competition already. Last week though was the end of one Cup Run as rovers bowed out of the FA Trophy at the first hurdle Bishops Cleeve took their chances in the latter stages of the game and booked their place in the next round with a 2-0 win where Cleeve striker Jay Malshanskyj got both to end Rovers’ unbeaten run across all competitions.
Though it may have been a disappointing afternoon at Silver Street, there was still a glimmer of prosperity with a chance at Cup glory the next weekend. Oxford City are the team to beat in the second round but they won’t want to continue their torrid form as life in the National League North has not been kind to them with the Hoops rock bottom of the division.
Last season, Oxford City were in the National League alongside some huge EFL giants of days past and arguably some top-quality players so being newly promoted and first-timers to the division didn’t quite make the jump and at the first time of asking fell back into the regional national league system.
City has also got multiple significant players to look out for including former EFL bagsman Josh Parker who has turned out for QPR, Oxford United and Charlton Athletic with even an international stint over in Domžale between 2013-2015 and has also represented his nation of Antigua and Barbuda 36 times and scoring 5 in those games.
Their manager Sam Cox has certainly been in the spotlight in recent years as well he played a part in the Apple TV series Ted Lasso as a West Ham player named Armando but with a portfolio of Non-League experience in his playing career, management is still a new game for the gaffer so it will certainly be his first test in cup competition.
Whatever happens with the result on Saturday, it will still be a momentous day for Willand as it’ll be a chance to test themselves against former EFL players and near enough pro but all will be decided in 90 minutes hopefully as the story continues on the 14th September.
Willand vs Bishops Cleeve
Vernon Maxwell, the retired Houston Rockets shooting guard, once summed up the essence of social media in a single tweet:
‘I’d like to apologise to Jazz fans who were offended by my tweets,’ he began, offering mock recompense for some undisclosed misdeed, before taking a quick change of direction.
‘If I knew u guys had internet in Utah I would’ve never made those tweets’.
Maxwell’s humour and spontaneity capture what Twitter has become for millions—an open platform for quick, often witty exchanges. Launched in 2006, Twitter originated from a seemingly simple idea: allowing users to express their thoughts in 140 characters or less. The very first tweet, sent by co-founder Jack Dorsey on March 21, 2006, read, “just setting up my twttr.”
Simple and with no edge.
This tweet would lay the foundation for what would become a global platform for the exchange of ideas, news, and information. In its early years, Twitter thrived as a space where people from different walks of life could engage in open conversation, transcending geographical and social boundaries.
Football and Twitter shared a lot of qualities, making it the perfect platform for fans to engage with one another. It was like a pub full of not-so-strange strangers, all wearing the same top but with different badges, and all talking at once. Sure, some of the conversations were nonsense, but unlike the boring conversations at pubs all along the Nantwich Road on a Saturday afternoon, you could easily ignore some of the more irrelevant and irreverent ones. Every now and then, you’d catch something interesting, and maybe even engage in a good debate.
Things inevitably changed, of course, and what started as a playful space for banter and analysis soon took a darker turn, reflecting the growing tribalism in football. Fueled by anonymity, fans weren’t just defending their teams anymore—they were defending their ideologies, and disagreements over clubs didn’t end with mutual respect but personal attacks, and debates shifted from tactics to character assassinations.
This, of course, didn’t happen in isolation; it was a reflection of changes in the wider society that permeated the football consciousness. Twitter didn’t initiate these divisions, but it undoubtedly reinforced them by fostering echo chambers where individuals who shared their viewpoints amplified their voices. What used to be friendly pub debates about players like Steve Coppell or John Barnes, right wing and left wing conversations had morphed into clashes of “far-right” versus “tofu-munching liberals,” with labels flying fast and furious.
Of course, it’s not all bad, and with careful pruning, Twitter can still be a place of humour and intellect for football aficionados; for every Joey Barton who fuels the fire of misogyny, there’s a boring James Milner to bring you back to earth. For many, Twitter remains the most convenient way to follow your club and others.
Twitter’s journey from a digital pub to a battleground of opinions is much like watching a football match with an overzealous referee—full of drama, occasional chaos, but ultimately part of the game we love.
For their first foray into FA Trophy action this season, Willand faced off against Bishops Cleeve, who entered the game on a 5-match unbeaten run.
Willand, themselves undefeated throughout the season, made one change from their victory over Brixham: Jake Miller replacing Douglas Camilo, with Harvey Dorothy, the team’s leading goalscorer, joining him on the bench.
The match kicked off with Bishops Cleeve applying early pressure, and the visitors had a chance to open the scoring when Mitres full-back Bower failed to convert a header from close range, missing both from 6 feet out and 7 feet up.
The hectic start continued and In the 13th minute, confusion in Willand’s defence led to a half-fumble by Burton, the referee’s whistle halted any potential threat, and moments later Sully flashed a ball across the Bishop’s Cleeve penalty area, the ball evading the onrushing attackers in white.
The visitors stated to dominate possession as the clock ticked on, without troubling Burton, and it was Willand who had a chance to take the lead in the 23rd minute with Hewitt’s well-struck shot straight at the keeper.
Bishops Cleeve almost imploded before halftime with a series of misplaced passes and errant shouts that the keeper was the best option, culminating in a good save from Clayton but as the first half drew to a close, neither side had managed to gain a clear advantage.
The visitors had dominated possession but failed to test Burton significantly, with Willand seeming to struggle with cohesion between their front line and midfield.
Half Time Willand 0 – Bishops Cleeve 0
The start of the second half was very much as you were, Bishops Cleeve working well with the ball with the home team resilient in defence.
A double substitution and change in formation that saw Dorothy and Camilo join the fray almost had immediate impact for the home team when Camilo broke clear before watching his dink dip agonisingly the wrong side of the post.
Willand continued to press and created a number of half chances, but as the weather turned distinctly autumnal, it was the visitors who pushed on to avoid penalties, and in the 70th minute, a shot fired across Burton’s goal was expertly pushed past the post by the Willand keeper.
The breakthrough came soon after, however, Malshanskyj with a great strike that nestled into the bottom corner of Willand’s net, leaving Burton with no chance.
The visitors extended their lead with another clinical strike in the 82nd minute, as Malshanskyj’s second goal was fired into the opposite corner, putting the game beyond reach.
Bishops Cleeve’s late goals, combined with a solid performance throughout, saw them progress to the next round of the Trophy. As for Willand Rovers, despite some promising moments and a much improved second half, the team will look to regroup and focus on Saturday’s massive game at Oxford City.
Full Time – Willand 0 – Bishops Cleeve 2
While researching this article, I found a happy coincidence: Willand and I joined Twitter within three days of each other in June 2013.
Now, it’s not my place to talk about much, aside from offering the occasional anecdote or making a sporadic observation (and sometimes I talk about the football). But as it turns out, Willand’s third tweet is just as true today as it was back then.
‘@Owen_Howe talks about Willand Rovers in today’s @TivertonGazette. Would love to have him back one day!!’
Match Preview
Willand Rovers v Bishops Cleeve
It’s cup action once again for Rovers as we go into the FA Trophy looking for a cup run with the first step of the journey being a matchup with fellow Southern League Premier Division One South side Bishops Cleeve this Saturday.
With the FA Cup run alongside the Trophy this campaign, David Steele and his men will be hoping to double down on cup runs with a great chance on home soil to push on into the competition. Last week saw Rovers get themselves through to the second round qualifying with a win over Western League Brixham AFC with the one goal coming from Fin Rooke who took his strike well and blazed it into the back of the net.
Speaking after the match, David Steele was pleased with the result. He hoped for a good draw in the 2nd round qualifying of the competition which would be the furthest we have competed for 10 seasons. Overall, a great day for Rovers and a chance to write some history shortly.
The Next round of the FA Cup sees us travel to National League North Oxford City, a big tie for Willand and certainly a test for an unbeaten Rovers side looking to make their way to the first round proper for the first time in our history.
Back to the game at hand, Gloucestershire-based Bishops Cleeve will be looking to try and further their cup endeavours as like Rovers they also have a huge cup match the week after with Torquay United taking the trip up the M5.
The Mitres have had a good start to the season with 2 wins and 2 losses on the board with them sitting in the top half of the Southern League Premier Division One South and those wins coming against league title favourites in Yate Town and Bemerton Heath Harlequins.
One to look out for in the visitor’s side is young striker Ethan Dunbar who is already a proven striker who can pose a massive threat on his day with him turning out for several clubs in the league and coming through the prestigious Hartpury University.
The last time Willand took on Bishops Cleeve it was a 0-0 draw-up back in March. George Burton kept a clean sheet on the road with playoff pushing Cleeve reduced to taking a point on the afternoon.
It’s set to be another cracker of a cup fixture at Silver Street this weekend with another competition to battle in and hopefully make it to the latter stages, who knows we may even make it to Wembley…. We can dream but it all starts on Saturday again.
Willand vs Brixham
Some Might Say that being a student on the mean streets of Crewe in the mid-nineties was a challenge. If it wasn’t 9am lectures, it was locals coming off the lines of the Rolls Royce factory and engaging in both verbal and physical altercations with the academic populus.
And if people didn’t want to talk about the longest covered railway station in the country (and you’d be surprised), it was a condescending conversation about how Crewe Alexandra were everyone’s favourite second team.
Of course, we had the weekends, but they tended to vanish into a haze of hard liquor and happy hours, and even these were tempered by the state of the establishments in which we found ourselves – It’s not easy to be happy when you’re not sure if the smell in your nostrils is nostalgia or just the lingering scent of despair from the more permanent residents.
And so, much like for any proper student in post Thatcher Britain, sacrifices had to be made, and in the case of the 1994 Crewe Cohort, this meant travelling Half a World Away and crossing the border towards Stoke for one of their infamous Student Nights.
It wasn’t long before Mondays and Thursdays became the nexus of our social calendar, but even before the bus departed at exactly just after 6pm each week, decisions had to be made.
Most students headed straight for Valentino’s, the most 1990’s named nightclub of the 1990’s. A chasm of a building spanning several floors and multiple genres, where you could start in the basement and dance to the dying embers of Madchester and finish your night raising your hands in the roof to the transient sounds of the dance music revolution.
For those with subscriptions to Melody Maker or the NME (but never both) with a panache for live music, there was always The Wheatsheaf, the potteries equivalent to The Cavern or King Tutt’s, and in the mid-nineties the venue hosted some of the up-and-coming Britpop bands that would soon make a generational tidal wave.
Being students though we were never far from the compromise between our ever-dwindling grants and maintaining the aura of being cool, and on one such week, the choice was simple; Monday night, a gig by Collapsed Lung, buoyed by the success of their anthemic tune ‘Eat My Goal’ or Thursday night, and The Inspiral Carpets former roadie and his whiny brother Liam, destined I was sure to become another Kula Shaker rather than a Shakermaker.
I’m not sure what I ended up doing on the Thursday night, but I like to think that I Definitely, Maybe stayed in and listened to the newly acquired debut album of the band that was playing some 15 miles away, who in the end, didn’t quite Fade Away as predicted.
This memory has of course been dislodged from my psyche by the news this week that for a mere £500+ per ticket I could again get the chance to see a band that I’d lost interest in a long time before most people had heard of them.
It might be a social media phenomenon, but people are talking about the Oasis comeback as though it’s the greatest comeback of all time, when we all know that it’s not even the greatest this week; that honour belongs to Willand, who after trailing 3-0 away to Falmouth, came back to tie the match in a game that will Live Forever in the memory of their fans.
A week removed and a different challenge for the team in the form of Western League Premier Division opposition Brixham, who, despite having a ‘games drawn’ record that would rival Willand’s own, beat Southern League opposition in the previous round.
Away day hero Fin Rooke replaced the suspended Owen Howe up front in a squad that welcomed back Adam Kelly Ethan Phillips.
Despite the auspicious occasion and a sizable crowd, the game started with a slightly flat atmosphere, perhaps tempered by the incoherent weather, which seemed confused as to which season it should represent. The first half played out under skies that seemed to Cast No Shadow, uncertain whether to clear up or cloud over.
Willand began on the front foot, quickly putting Brixham under pressure. In the 13th minute, Camilo played a clever ball to Guppy, marauding down the left flank. Guppy’s cross found Rooke, but the striker narrowly missed the crucial touch to open the scoring.
Willand continued to press, and their persistence paid off in the 23rd minute. Camilo and Rooke combined again to win a corner, with Rooke’s subsequent strike being met with shouts of ‘what a shot,’ echoing long after the ball had made its way back to the halfway line.
The remainder of the half was a cagey affair, with neither team able to break free from their defensive shackles.
Half Time – Willand 1 – Brixham 0
Willand began the second half on the front foot, eager to double their advantage, and came close in the 64th minute when a cross flashed across the face of the goal, somehow evading everyone before rolling out for a goal kick.
As the game wore on, Willand started to show signs of fatigue—possibly a hangover from their summer exodus to our Cornish counterparts—as Brixham began to push their way back into the game.
Whatever the reason, the visitors came close to an equaliser in the 78th minute, but their final touch let them down, and moments later, Burton pulled off a crucial save, diving to palm the ball away and keep his team in front.
Willand had the best chance to extend their lead when Rooke was brought down in the penalty area after a strong run. River Allen stepped up to take the penalty, but the Brixham keeper was equal to the task, making a fine save to his right and then blocking the follow-up shot.
In the end, Willand held on for a 1-0 win, with no late comeback from Brixham. It wasn’t a match filled with goals, but it was a hard-fought victory that demonstrated the team’s resilience and determination. Willand fans All Around the World might have hoped for a more comfortable afternoon, but they’ll be pleased to see their team in the hat for the next round.
After all, sometimes it’s not about being a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star; it’s about getting through the Champagne Supernova moments, staying Supersonic on the pitch, and making sure you don’t Look Back in Anger when the final whistle blows.
And for those of you still counting, that makes thirteen references.
I make no apologies.
Full Time – Willand 1 – Brixham 0
