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We are in action again on Saturday in the Isuzu FA Trophy against Bishops Cleeve FC

📆 Saturday 7th September

⌚️ 3pm KO

🏆 FA Trophy

🆚 Bishops Cleeve

🏟️ Stan Robinson Stadium EX15 2RG

🎟️ Adults £10, Concessions £8, Under 16’s £1

We would like to thank match sponsors Clear Surface for there ongoing support it means a lot

Willand Rovers vs Brixham AFC

The magic of the Cup continues this weekend as the extra rounds are over for Rovers and finally, the qualifying stages await David Steele’s men. Still, it will be all local for Willand as Brixham makes the journey from the south of the county to Silver Street.

Last week it was yet again another Cornish side that Willand faced as the yellow walls of Bickland Park welcomed the all limes as we debuted our new away kit with a big comeback to seal a point in Falmouth on the bank holiday weekend. Rovers started on the backfoot by being 3 goals down at halftime and down to 10 with Owen Howe shown a red and headed for an early Bath. But Fin Rooke and River Allen would contribute their goal-scoring powers to make sure the lads didn’t leave empty-handed and to keep the unbeaten run alive for another week.

Speaking to Leon Brooke in the post-match interview, David was very proud of the comeback and the second half was one to remember, a benchmark for how the season should be in the way of never giving up even if the going gets tough. New Signing Olly Sully who joins from Taunton on loan also made his debut that afternoon and made a great first impression for Rovers.

Back to the game at hand and it’s another Western League side in the FA Cup with Brixham in the village. Despite only being formed in 2012, the last 12 years for Brixham have been a fantastic rise for the fishing village as they’ve been able to find themselves on the brink of Southern League football in the 9th tier. 2 seasons ago they had a memorable FA Vase run with the Fisherman making it to the final 16 and in the process just losing out on penalties to Corsham Town.

Brixham have already knocked out fellow Southern League side Exmouth Town 2-0 which set up this tie when Rovers beat Mousehole last Wednesday with Ashton Hewitt’s top left strike sending us through. The visitors also have a bit of a thing for 0-0 draws as the previous three of their games in the Western League have ended goalless.

Either way, the reward for a victory on Saturday is a place in the second-round qualifying which means it’ll only take three more wins to go into the ultimate draw with the EFL sides entering the competition. However, it’s still a long way to go until then and Brixham is the next chapter of the story.

With the boys in Cornwall again this week we see ourselves against newly promoted Falmouth town with a strong start to the Champaign with 2 draws to start the season for the boys and Falmouth winning their only game so far this season against Tavistock AFC.

First chance of the game went to Falmouth as they went through on the left side of the penalty area but the shot was blocked, a quick follow up for Falmouth then forces a save from George Burton. Shortly after at the other end Olly Sully got dragged down just outside the area and the Falmouth player goes in the book.

Next chance of the game went to Rovers as Camilo makes a lovely pass towards the path of new loanee Olly Sully as the keeper saves the ball to go out for a corner, as the corner comes in Ryan Guppy hit the post with a header then a goalmouth scramble as a ball is cleared off the line and out as both sets of fans are on the edge of their seats.

Owen Howe is sent off as if he looks to have elbowed the Falmouth player in the face. Olly made a mazy run into the final third and takes a shot from a mile out which is blocked. As that happens Falmouth go on a counter and the ball trickled in from a ball across. Falmouth looked to double their lead as a shot comes in from outside the box as the shot is fired too high.

Falmouth went on the attack again as a shot goes towards the goal but George Burton makes a save to tip it over the bar. Falmouth went into the box yet again as a one-two is played through the Willand defence but as the ball is played across it is cleared by Jamie Richards.

Falmouth went towards goal yet again as the shot goes towards Burtons near post but it is just wide. River commits a foul on the edge of the box and receives a yellow card for the challenge and then the free kick was tucked away.

On the stroke of half time Falmouth make it 3-0 as George burton plays a weak pass which was intercepted by the Falmouth man who slots it away for the 3rd goal. As the half time whistle goes for half time.

Falmouth search for a forth goal as the ball goes into the box as the ball got cut across and George is down to claim the ball. A Willand attack as the ball is played long over Fin Rookes head but the keeper drops the ball and Fin Rooke slots the ball away but the flag was up for offside.

Falmouth with another chance of a forth as the Falmouth player makes a darting run into the box and shoots into the side netting. Another big opportunity for Falmouth we the ball is lofted into the box and the ball is headed down to the man in the middle heads it straight into the hands of George.

A goal for Willand makes it 3-1 against the run of play slightly as the defence is sleeping and he runs right trough the middle of the two centre backs and touches the ball over the keeper it was the slightest of touches but it made the difference.

Another goal for Willand as we pile on the pressure on the Falmouth defence as river plays the ball through to olly who makes a run and the spots rivers run towards the edge of the area who fakes the 2 defenders and slots one into the right hand corner of the net.

And another for Willand as the main man Fin Rooke scores again as the Falmouth defence crumbles under the pressure of Rooke as the keeper misplaces a pass and Fin latches at the chance and slots it away.

A Falmouth attack now as the ball is played patiently around the area and a shot is taken as the ball rifles off the upright. Another attack from Falmouth as the ball falls to the man on the edge of the area but it is easily stopped by George.

Falmouth with another chance as the man takes a shot in the edge of the box towards the bottom right corner but it was just wide. Falmouth with another chance as the attacker looks to take the ball to the by-line and square the ball but that chance is put to bed by Ross Edwards. An incredible block to top the shot from the corner by Jamie to keep us in touch of all three points.

A Falmouth attack as a certain goal looks likely as the attacker skies the ball as Ryan Guppy makes the attempt of a massive block.

Full-time as Willand manage a comeback to bring the game back to 3-3 with an early red to earn ourselves a point.

𝙎𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙨! ✍🏻

Willand Rovers welcome former Forest Green striker Olly Sully on a two month loan period from our neighbours Taunton Town FC.

The young striker has a senior goal to his name after scoring against Scarborough on his second appearance.

Willand Rovers would like to thank Richard Luffman and Taunton Town for their assistance with this matter.

David Steele, Rovers gaffer said “I am really excited to work with such a young talent and we believe it will be a great move for both parties.”

 

𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿! ✍🏻

Willand Rovers also would like to announce former Plymouth Argyle youth player Jake Miller has agreed to join us after an impressive display against us in the FA cup.

Jake has previously played for Plymouth Parkway, Bideford, Tavistock and more recently AFC St. Austell.

Rovers boss David Steele says that “Jake was excellent against us in our FA Cup game against St Austell and he offers a different threat but also compliments the attacking players we already have.

I am extremely pleased he has made the decision to join us at this early stage of the season.”

Falmouth Town v Willand Rovers

The league action returns for Rovers as the magic of the FA Cup took over our schedule for the last week and once again it’s Cornish opposition as we travel to East Cornwall to face newly promoted Falmouth Town at Bickland Park.

It’s been quite a week for David Steele’s men as the long trip to Mousehole ended up with another 90 needed to determine who goes through to the next round at Silver Street and it was well worth the replay as Ashton Hewitt’s 58th-minute top left strike sent us to the next round of the cup where we will play Western League side Brixham AFC on Saturday the 31st August.

Speaking to Steeley after the replay he was delighted with the result and is looking forward to the next round of the cup and hopeful at the prospect of a cup run.

Back to the league action as Falmouth are next in the campaign as Rovers look to continue their unbeaten ways in recent weeks. “The Town” as they are known are back in the Southern League for the first time in several years and want to continue to put Cornish football on the map in the process with some impressive results already as they beat fellow Devon side Tavistock 1-0 midweek.

One to look out for from Falmouth would have to be youngster Oscar Massey who came through the ranks at Plymouth Argyle and then transferred to current League Two side Swindon Town with several loans spiralling from the Robins. He then came back to Devon to sign for Barnstaple Town where he’d make himself a fan favourite at Mill Road. In the 23/24 season, he made the switch back to his native Cornwall with Falmouth at Bickland Park.

Can Rovers continue their fantastic form of late and push on in their bid to aim for the playoffs with the next hurdle being once again in Cornwall? The magic of The Southern League goes again this Saturday.

Willand vs Mousehole

For a film to become iconic, it needs a moment—a moment that transcends time and generational barriers to burrow deep into the human zeitgeist. We are surrounded by verbal examples of this on a daily basis in the form of inspirational quotes. ‘Do, or do not. There is no try,’ eluded Yoda, while Forrest Gump told us that ‘life was like a box of chocolates’, at least according to his mother.

But to be iconic, you don’t necessarily need to be inspirational. There’s always a place where grandparents and grandchildren alike can proclaim that they are, in fact, ‘Your father’, and even if you had no intention of leaving the room, it has become acceptable to pronounce that you will soon ‘Be back.’

Some film quotes fit into neither inspirational nor situational, of course, but can still be heard around the country, from visitor centres to vestibules, with little context to the surrounding or site; ‘It’s alive’ should probably never be uttered outside of Dr. Frankenstein’s Lab, and I’ve yet to find myself in a place where ‘Damn Dirty Apes’ matches my environment, but somehow I still manage to utter both without fear or favour.

Some films, though, enter the higher echelons of consciousness not through their words alone but through the context in which they are spoken or in scenes in which they are mere bystanders.

You merely need to mention a film, and the congregation in which you find yourself will undoubtedly come back to iconic instances.

Who can forget the Chernobyl sequence in Die Hard, when John and Jack McClane take on another group of terrorists, or the Locust Swarm scene in The Exorcist, where the locusts overtake the screen, quite literally, in a cinematograph triumph? And who among us can frequent a beach without discussing the Shark Roar from Jaws or dance in the night sky without imagining that they are performing the Latin Twist from Dirty Dancing?

Of course, none of these things are true.

These moments of wonderment will always be Die Hard’s “Yippee-ki-yay,” The Exorcist’s head spin, the requirement for a bigger boat in Jaws, and no one putting baby in the corner in Dirty Dancing.

The scenes that I alluded to actually come from sequels, which, by their very nature, struggle to recapture the magic of their predecessors. The original films, especially those that produce iconic moments, leave sequels burdened with the expectation to outdo what has already been done, to recreate that lightning in a bottle, and more often than not, they fall short. (Although there are exceptions—The Godfather Part IIis a prime example.) For the most part though, sequels, rehashes, and replays are destined for mediocrity, a backwash of purse strings over performance and substance over style.

The original FA Cup preliminary round match between Willand Rovers and Mousehole might not have been ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ but it certainly had the elements required to make it an iconic experience. From penalty glory for Willand and a seemingly easy passage to the next round to controversial sending’s off and defensive heroics, the game carefully balanced along an emotional tightrope; there was even rumour of an iconic quote that led to one of the red cards, which certainly won’t be repeated here.

Once the whistle had been blown and the dust had settled on our Way-Out West adventure, a sequel was inevitable. But the question remained: could it live up to the hype?

Unusually for a sequel, the majority of the original cast was on hand for the home team, with the only change being Jack Kennell coming into the midfield for Nathan Byrne, and Dave Steele also welcomed back leading man Owen Howe, albeit in a supporting role on the bench.

Despite the mid-week kick-off time and 260-mile round trip, it was an impressive crowd on hand at Silver Street, boosted by the always impressive Mousehole support, and both sets of fans watched the opening credits in what appeared to be the embers of another British summer.

In truth, the opening gambits were more History Boys than Lost Boys as both teams struggled to take advantage of the ebbs and flows of the game, perhaps feeling the effects of a second game in a few days.

The first chance fell to the visitors in the 17th minute, some incisive play was stifled by the home defence before the ball found itself sat abreast the corner flag, where in truth it spent more time than either team would have liked.

In the end, there was very little plot of which to talk at the half meandered towards the interval, both teams somehow simultaneously controlling the tempo; Mousehole will claim to have had more possession while Willand had the better chances, the visitors relying on some good saves from Chenoweth to prevent trailing at the half.

Half Time – Willand 0 – Mousehole 0

The visitors came out with a purpose in the second half, but still failed to test the resolute Willand defence, and they were made to pay for the lack of cutting edge in the 58th minute.

Camilo broke down the right, and with Mousehole failing to clear the ball, Hewitt scored a goal that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Escape to Victory, the ball seemingly grazing both the crossbar and the stanchion as it rocketed in (at least that’s how it looked from our camera angle).

The goal spurred the opposition into action, and for much of the rest of the game Willand were encamped in their own half, defending a multitude of corners with some aplomb, with the occasional soiree into enemy territory. Not that this told the entire picture, though, as Burton remained notably untroubled as the clock ticked down. In fact, it was Willand with the opportunity to further their lead, with Camillo picking up a loose ball before his hand went up in celebration in unison with the linesman’s flag, his delight soon tempered by the long haul back into position.

There were no more plot twists though, and as the referee called for the credits, it was clear that the sequel hadn’t quite matched the original in terms of excitement and appeal, but no one would be looking at the reviews on Thursday morning.

We’re all too busy planning for the next round.

Full Time – Willand 1 Mousehole 0