Category: Team news

 VOLUNTEERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS WANTED       

                

I am sure you all agree that this has been a special year for the club, with a historic FA Vase run taking us to the ¼ finals.

We are now in the Les Phillips Cup final and with a handful of games to go a chance of winning the league.

That is all down to the hard work of Russ and Steely and the players.

But while we enjoy the success on the pitch, we need help off it. If you can spare some time during the week or on match days we certainly would appreciate it. There are many jobs that we need to fill from club house maintenance, to the kitchen, to match day host etc.

If you are interested please come and speak to one of us.

We would love to welcome you on board.

This year’s Les Phillips Cup Final will be played out by two Devon teams on a Dorset pitch as Willand Rovers got past Bridgwater Town while Plymouth Parkway won at Cadbury Heath on Wednesday evening.

Sherborne Town will be the venue for the final on May Bank Holiday Monday at 3pm and it will be a fitting climax with two of the three sides battling for the Toolstation Western League Premier Division title – and possible promotion to the Southern League – going head to head with the large carrot of a league and cup double up for grabs should the last two weeks of league action pan out, although Bitton could easily scupper both club’s aspirations.

There will be plenty of water passing under numerous bridges before that game and Willand and Bridgy lock horns again in two week’s time, again on a Wednesday and if that game is anything like the semi-final there will be no love lost and the league might have to import Anthony Joshua to referee it.

Craig Scrivens had the unenviable task at Silver Street and having booked five players in the first half a red card was almost inevitable in the second and it went to Willand’s Josh Searle after he was judged to have gone in late on Jake Llewellyn leaving the home side to battle for 35 minutes with ten men and a goal down. To their credit they battled away without creating much in the way of chances and it took a moment of individual brilliance from substitute Ben Bickle to rescue the tie and take it to a penalty shoot out which Rovers came through with some to spare.

It was hard on Bridgy who had the best of the chances and stood toe to toe with Rovers in a match which veered from fierce to uncompromising while occasionally edging into ugly. Robins’ keeper Connor Sidley-Adams parried a Luke Alden shot early then at the other end Mike Searle brought off a stunning tipped save from a Mark Armstrong header. Searle was in the book early as both teams were guilty of getting their retaliation in first but Bridgwater took the lead on 21 minutes when a long crossfield pass found the galloping Jack Taylor and he gave Searle no chance with a stunning finish from 15 yards. Referee Scrivens then had his work cut out booking two more from each side in an unpleasant spell before Willand finished the half with Brett Worbey being denied by a last gasp block.

After the restart Searle went for an early bath and Bridgy went for the jugular with Tom Ellis’s free header from a corner going straight to a relieved Searle then Rovers’ boss Russell Jee threw on Dean Stamp and he found the net inside 20 seconds but was clearly offside. Bickle was also introduced and he cut in from the left to drill a shot across Sidley-Adams to level matters and it was game on with 15 minutes left. Worbey had a free-kick saved well by Sidley-Adams but it was the last action and the tie went straight to a penalty shoot out. Mike Searle was to prove the hero with two saves and Willand went through 3-2 to set up the final and the league game, again at Silver Street in 14 days which could be the title decider.

Willand Rovers  — Monumental Men, Ladies and Lads

Well I am sure you will have seen or heard the Willand roar on Saturday 2^nd February. The club for only its second time played in the 5^th round of the FA Vase we were drawn at home to Deeping Rangers who hail from Lincoln and are geographically pretty close to Peterborough. Due to the miles they had to travel to get to us they came down to the West Country on Friday.

Of course what we could have done without was a snow bomb dumping 3 inches of the white stuff 48 hours before kick-off. Well what do you do? Do you just sit there and hope it all melts away leaving puddles everywhere or do you think well if we clear this off the pitch we may have a chance of playing. Social media shouts were sent out and slowly the volunteers arrived armed with shovels, brooms, wheel barrows and started the momentous task of removing the snow, for the first couple hours it seemed to be a forlorn hope, but by lunchtime some 27 volunteers, men, lasses and lads aged between 10 and 80 were hard at it removing the snow and freeing the grass from its wintry blanket. However, there is always a risk of removing the snow allowed the pitch to freeze overnight and all that effort would have been to no avail.  Saturday came and we passed the 10am pitch inspection – game on.

Now of course the pressure was on the management and players to produce a cup victory. The pitch of course was heavy with the frost gone leaving the top inch sodden. Deeping came at us and put under pressure for the first 15 minutes and their efforts were rewarded by a goal, they also hit the crossbar and had one disallowed for off side. Willand tried to play and get themselves back in the game, we had a goal disallowed and hit the post but a strike from Brett Worbey took a slight deflection drew us level. Within a minute Deeping responded to go back ahead. But the half was not done yet Angus Wilson slotted home to again draw us level.

Whatever was in the half time tea and what words of wisdom were spoken? After a slightly low key first half, Willand bossed the second, the post again came to Deeping rescue, two were cleared off the line with the keeper beaten, was it going to be one of the cruel footballing days. But no Willand still had the guile, fight, fitness and strength to make one of the chances count, a delightful through ball found Dean Stamp haring in on goal, the big defender desperately trying to pull him down and on what was now a glue pot of a pitch the ball fell on Dean left foot and once there it was only going in one direction into the back of net between the keepers legs. Much to the raptures of the Willand faithful and the other 700+ support the team in purple from the West Country.

What a game, what a 48 hours, who says Willand Community spirit is dead? Everyone one the volunteers, committee, supporters, management and players have all played there part in creating history.

630 sides started on the journey to Wembley only 8 are left. Willand are now 2 wins away from playing there.

As you read this we should be about to start last two months of the league season, and what a season it has been. Entertainment is what our Management duo set out to achieve, in the calendar year of 2018 we scored no less than 120 goals averaging over 2 goals a game.

At the time of writing we sit top of the Western league with one defeat in the first 23 games. Even now the wet weather has arrived we continue to play exciting football. In fact we are the top scoring step 5 side in the country.

As mentioned previously the squad has been enhanced by the return of local boy Dean Stamp whose partnership with Craig Duff is now becoming the most feared in the league, with Duff pulling the strings just behind the main striker his arrival has also enhanced the flying wingers Luke’s Mortimore and Alden play.  Goals are aplenty. Veteran David Steele has reached a remarkable landmark with his 150^th goal for Willand a fantastic strike from the edge of the area into the bottom corner at Shortwood.  Dean is close behind with 142 goals for Willand and if he stays for a few more years will undoubtedly become Willand top goal scorer ever. Another in the goals is Luke Mortimore who after 24 in his debut season which ended in March due to injury has scored  26 already this season, taking him to 50 goals in 73 games which is remarkable for a winger – we are very lucky to have him.

We have been successful in obtaining funding from Invest in Devon for some more ground work, the plan is to complete during the current season the pitch in fill.

We are also very grateful to Lee Waterman, Willand Service Centre who has provided 2 boots sponsor prizes to the player who has received the most man of the match nominations. For the period of August to the end of December Joe Curtis received his award from Lee after a number of imperious midfield displays, Brad Ausden was a close second.

As mentioned previously we are more than a football club, we have held an number of events all of which have been a great success and lots of fun.

Thank you to all who supported the Christmas Bingo we hope you won and some fun at the same time. Don’t forget that the bingo continues on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesdays of the month.

Winner of boot sponsor for the first half season was Joe Curtis and runner up Brad Ausden. Big thankyou to the sponsor Lee Waterman from Willand Service Centre in Willand.