Category: Team news

Didcot Town v Willand Rovers

Rovers travelled to Oxfordshire on a spring’s evening for a rescheduled fixture with the Railwaymen as both sides entered this game in search of a vital three points at the business end of the season.

A couple of changes were made to the Willand lineup with Gene Price making his return to the side after a few weeks out of the squad and the bench included Alex Parsons who was selected as cover. Harvey Dorothy did not make the trip up due to an injury sustained on Saturday.

As the players emerged from the tunnel for another big battle, 146 were in attendance to witness a clash between two sides that are separated by a 280-mile round trip. Ref sounded up and underway at Loop Meadow.

The first passages of the first half were a mixed bag with the hosts breaking forward first with a heavy shot which Burton is forced into a big save for. However, it would be in the 5th minute when the Railwaymen’s star striker Dan Warre was brought off as he had become unable to continue in the game.

Time elapsed, and both sides looked to suss each other out with various opportunities. The hosts looked the stronger, but the rovers were by no means dominated so far.

A handful of free kicks and corners were to come up next for Willand which didn’t materialiser into anything but did add a threat to Didcot’s back line who had been shaken up from the early switch.

In a heartwarming moment, the 37th minute saw the entirety of Loop Meadow light up in remembrance of the Didcot Town supporter Bob Worth who passed away in the first fixture on the 1st March.

Half-time and no goals to separate the sides going into the team talks at the break. A big second half is required to get something out of this fixture for either side.

Out of the block, Gene Price produced a fantastic strike at goal in which it could’ve easily been 1-0 but Bedwell stood his ground and didn’t let Price find his footing in time and prevented the deadlock being broken.

A shake-up of the team was decided as we went into the final 30 with Price now making way for Douglas Camilo who slotted into the frontline and would attempt to aid our attacking threat in the vital stages of this competition.

Then came a set of corners for Rovers which after a handful of attempts did not quite come to much but Willand continued to knock on the door and refused to go silent and empty-handed.

Didcot would up their own game too with a few subs and nearly found themselves in front with a scramble to push it in where George was required to step up once again and deny the hosts.

Fin Rooke would try to add to his goal tally from the previous weeks as he relentlessly challenged Bedwell between the sticks with a couple of difficult chances of his own but it just wasn’t to be on the evening.

However, a lifeline sprung up for Willand, from confusion with the foul in the box and an initial verdict of a free kick. The ref went to consult the lino who awarded Rovers a big penalty.

Up stood Fin Rooke with 5 minutes to go on the clock. From the spot he walked up, and took his shot but once again Bedwell read the mind of Rooke who went towards the middle and denied past.

Into added time it would be the hosts who piled on an incredible amount of pressure in which a handful of chances fell their way which George had to parry and get away before a late winner could be achieved.

However, that would be the last key event of this clash as the man in the middle blew up for Full Time and the points settled in Oxfordshire on April Fools Day. Though take it as no joke, an important point on the road with another huge away trip at the weekend as we take on Cinderford Town!

#WeAreRovers

Willand vs Mousehole

A famous music producer from London moved to the Devon/Cornwall border. After a storm that damaged the local crossing and after spending some time in pubs in towns on both sides of the Tamar, he decided to instigate a music festival to help build both figurative and literal bridges.

He sourced a site, booked artists, and launched the ticket sale. During the process, he ensured the committee included representatives from both counties, a move that ultimately led to his downfall.

Meetings went long into the night, but eventually he had no choice but to cancel the festival. His issue? He’d booked two headline bands: The Jam and Cream.

And neither county could agree on who went on last.

It’s a joke, of course, but it reflects real life on the peninsula more than it appears healthy (at least healthier than a gluttony of the cream teas to which it refers).

I don’t really have a dog in this fight; regular readers will be aware that I was raised on the mean streets of South Warwickshire, where cream teas were an exotic treat saved for idyllic summer holidays served by caravan parks.

That genuine tension should arise from the placement of jam or cream seems absurd to outsiders, but in Devon and Cornwall, it’s no laughing matter. What seems like a minor culinary difference has come to symbolise centuries of friendly rivalry — and sometimes not-so-friendly division — between the two counties.

The Great Cream Tea Debate has its roots in regional identity. In Devon, it’s cream first, then jam. In Cornwall, it’s jam first, then cream. Both sides have historic “evidence” to back it up. Devon points to Tavistock Abbey in the 11th century, where monks were said to have served cream and jam on bread to travellers. Cornwall, meanwhile, argues that their method is the only one that makes visual sense — after all, who puts cream on top of jam? (Devonians, apparently.)

The cream tea debate is really shorthand for a much broader set of cultural and territorial disputes that define the Devon-Cornwall border.

Take the Tamar Bridge, for example. Locals on both sides of the river have long argued about the fairness of tolls — specifically, the fact that you only paid to leave Cornwall into Devon, not the other way around, and the implication, at least on one side of the river, that payment equals importance.

Then there’s the quiet resentment over Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. It’s the main hospital for a huge swathe of East Cornwall, which means that many Cornish babies are, technically, born in Devon. It’s led to more than a few jokes about whether someone born in Derriford can ever truly call themselves Cornish — particularly among the more hardline nationalists.

Even place names are a source of tension. While some Cornish speakers have successfully advocated for dual-language road signs, others have faced defacement or removal. Language, heritage, and identity all get wrapped up in these debates — far beyond a simple cream tea.

Our Cornish counterparts for today’s game at Silver Street came from Mousehole (and you’ll need to seek out last year’s match report for more enlightenment on how to pronounce the idyllic Cornish village).

In their second season in the Southern League, the Seagulls arrived on an excellent run of form that had seen them unbeaten in the league since late January, their only loss this year, and looking to cement their place in the playoffs.

David Steele made one change from the team that beat Shaftsbury midweek; Brandon Bak was recalled to the starting lineup to replace James Watts-Barciela, whose loan spell has expired.

It was the visitors who started the game stronger and, for the first 15 minutes, put Willand on the back foot, creating a number of chances, the best being a well-struck free kick that saw the ball strike the Willand crossbar before dropping into the hands of a grateful Burton.

As the game progressed, the home team settled into a rhythm, and their patience was repaid in the 33rd minute. Kempster made a decisive run in from the left before he found an inch-perfect pass to Bak, who made no mistake from 12 yards.

As the last of the winter sun dissipated, both teams continued to push, but without creating any significant chances.

HT – Willand 1 – Mousehole 0

The home team extended its lead early in the second half, cutting apart the Mousehole defence with two passes. The first, an Allen pass inside the fullback, set Kempster free, his first-time pass weighted perfectly for the unmarked Rooke to place past Chenoweth.

Rooke nearly added to his tally minutes later, with another well-worked move between Kemster and the Willand forward culminating in a good save from the Mousehole keeper.

The third goal finally came in the 73rd minute; a direct ball from Man-of-the-Match Edwards was taken out of the air by Rooke under pressure from the Mousehole centre-half and placed under Chenoweth in what may be one of the most underrated goals you’ll see at Silver Street this season.

To Mousehole’s credit, they kept pushing, while Willand could have extended the lead further, but at the full-time whistle, it was the home bench that were celebrating both an excellent performance and, for the second time in a week, 3 points.

In the end, whether you put jam first or cream, it all comes down to identity. And while the cream tea war may never end, those inside Silver Street this week can all agree on one thing: victory tastes just as good as any scone.

Also, it’s Jam first. I make no apologies.

FT – Willand 3 – Mousehole 0

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