Category: Team news

Alas the Under-16s hopes of a first game of 2016 – THE SUNDAY, JANUARY 4 Home meeting with Bridgwater VPR at Silver Street has been called off after the opposition asked the league to use their ONE MATCH CAN BE CALLED OFF card! It is particulary frustrating given we had a previous match against the same team called off on the Sunday morning of the game owing to them having too many players injured playing the day before! Needless to say the hard working league officer will find a new date for this gam eto be played.

It all means that CLIVE JONES’ Under-16 team make a belated start to 2015 with a SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, HOME match against WESTONZOYLAND. The manager has a full squad available for the game which kicks off at 2.30pm at Silver Street – players to report at 1.45pm.
Squad: Harrison Burton, Ryan Harley, Tom Badcott, Josh Mclean, Dan Foweraker, Sam Jones, Ollie Elsworthy, Phil Andrew, Bailey Jason-Ryan, Levi Edwardson, Owen Buxton, Mitchell Dart, Connor Pengelly.

Sam Jones managed to do something his father Clive never achieved on the Sunday before Christmas! Young Sam, playing for Devon Under-16s in their latest match away against Gloucestershire Under-16s, netted his first county youth goal.
Dad Clive played schoolboy football for both Somerset and Devon at county level and failed to score for either. Clive was there to see Sam net in the game played on the artificial surface at Almondsbury, home of the Gloucestershire FA, and said: “It was a good goal and helped the side hold a single goal half-time lead. I am chuffed for Sam. It’s special enough to play for the county and to also get a goal is something he can always have on his footballing CV – it’s certainly one better than I ever managed!”
Rovers’ had four players on county duty at Almondsbury. Harrison Burton played the whole 90 minutes in goal (Rovers’ player Josh McLean was taken ill the night before the game so was unable to travel with the side leaving Harrison to play ion goal for the entire game). Bailey Jason-Ryan began the game in central midfield alongside Jones junior and Levi Edwardson led the line up top!
Clive Jones said: “All our lads did very well in what was a good all-round team display (Devon won 4-1). Harrison (Burton) made a stunning save at 2-1 at a crucial time. It’s very pleasing to see so many of the lads who also play at Rovers on a Sunday playing, and contributing, in the county side. It certainly augers well for the future at Silver Street!”

After that magnificent 3-1 win at Westonzoyland (with nine for the first half and nine plus an injured player making 10 for the second, it means that the side has now ended the 2014 year UNBEATEN in all competitions! This really does auger well for the future of the club. The big thing is now – how can we make 2015 further progress? One thing we are going to be looking at is keeping this current gravy train rolling and that means playing on as either an Under-17 side, or indeed having a crack at playing as a young Under-18 side. All curremnt players can rest assured that the ‘master plan’ is to keep this set of players together and see if we can’t, at the very least, put FOUR OR FIVE (or more) of the current squad into the Rovers senior first team for the start of the 2017/18 season. Here’s hoping!

The team now enjoys a festive break – though five of the lads are playing this coming Sunday (December 21) for Devon against Gloucestershire Under-16s on nthe Almondsbury articifial surface. Rovers Under-16s retrun on the first Saturday of Janaury when we play our FIRST home game of the season against BRIDGWATER VPR and then a week later we entertain WESTONZOYLAND before a KO CUP QUARTER FINAL at MINHEHEAD on Saturday January 18.

So until we convene it’s a case of HAPPY CHRISTMAS and here’s to a successful 2015 for all our players, management and officials and their families.

MAGNIFICENT NINE (TEN) ENSURE THE UNDER-16S CLAIM FIFTH SUCCESSIVE LEAGUE VICTORY

 

There were just NINE players on duty (it became 10 in the second half when the injured Sam Jones borrowed boots and kit to play a part), for Clive Jones’ Under-16s and yet the former Rovers first team manger with his ‘assistant’ John ‘JP’ Pengelly, somehow managed to set the team up against a full complement of home side Westonzoyland – and win the game 3-1!

Oliver Elsworthy scored twice and there was a first Rovers goal for one of this season’s new lads – who has quickly become very popular amongst his new team mates – Josh Mclean, who rifled the ball home from fully 35-yards!

But the hero count for Rovers is NINEFOLD – so take a bow; Harrison Burton, skipper Tom Badcott, Ryan Shrewsberry, Josh Mclean, Ollie Elsworthy, Connor Pengelly, Owen Buxton, Mitchell Dart and Tommy Mortiboys.

“Boys, you did us proud.”

Confusion in the week, some of which was down to website article posting – led to the three Exeter-based players not being at the game in Bridgwater. Sam Jones travelled with the team but was injured and could not play – BUT – he came on after the break, borrowing his dad’s boots which were too small for him! Let’s hope the lad did not do any more damage to the injury as he is on County duty next weekend along with four other Rovers’ players!

The win means the Rovers Under-16s have got through the entire year of 2014 WITHOUT LOSING A GAME – what’s more they head into 2015 on course to emulate last season’s success of a double trophy triumph.

So what did the ‘gaffer’ (Clive Jones) make of it all: “I told the lads post I was so very proud of them all. To a player they were magnificent. At one stage we had eight and I was seriously thinking of saying to them (Westonzoyland) that we could not play. Then eight became nine and, after the break Sam took the decision he wanted to get out there and do his bit – albeit with an injury. Amongst the hero’s (and they all were) I do want to make special reference of the shift from Ollie (Elsworthy). When we set the team up with nine at the start in a 3/4/1 Ollie was asked to run the line as a lone striker and boy did he do that! He was simply magnificent and I did ask him after the game where that performance came from – yes, it really was that good!

 

Take a bow Clive Jones and JP – the pair of you, along with nine hero’s made a certain Rovers’ officials Christmas. It’s McDs on me later in the season!  SB