Match Preview
Exmouth Town v Willand Rovers
It’s a midweek trip to the chilly seaside as our shortest journey of the season takes us down the M5 and towards the East of the county where Exmouth Town are our latest test in the Southern Premier League Division One South on Wednesday 16th October with a 7:45 pm KO
The games come thick and fast for the next few weeks as Willand will travel to Exmouth Town, Bemerton Heath Harlequins, Evesham United and Shaftesbury FC and host Bristol Manor Farm so getting off to a good start of a long run of fixtures is crucial to keeping momentum at this time of year.
Rovers produced a point in our latest clash as Malvern made their long trek to Silver Street where it would be a goalless first half with chances going both ends but mainly Steele’s men in the driving seat and the second half got a bit more alive as Harvey Dorothy broke the deadlock but it would be the visitors in the 83rd minute which would deny the three points to Rovers as debutant Olateju scored to take a point back to Worcestershire.
Steele spoke to the club’s media after the fixture and spoke about the improvement from last week but still things to change and work harder on to push on in the league as the fixture list becomes condensed and the opponents become more established.
Exmouth is a team well known to Willand in a geographical sense and a level of Friendship between the two sides but that acquaintance must be exiled for the evening when Kevin Hill locks heads with David Steele for the chance to secure all 3 points.
Founded in 1933, The Town as they are known started life in the Exeter & Devon League and progressed to the Western League in the early 1970’s where they would predominately play for the majority of their existence. In 2005 the original Exmouth folded due to financial issues but the reserves took their spot and went back to their roots in the county leagues when the South West Peninsula League was set up they got moved into it and the rise of the East Devon side continued from there.
They finally got a taste of Southern League football in 2022 as they were runners-up in the Western League and since then they have been ambitious and continued their rise on and off the pitch with fantastic recruitment in the side and a developing stadium and growing fanbase.
One player to look out for in the opposition is star striker Tom Bath, who is an experienced striker in the Southern League and on his day can prove a real threat to any backline. A staple of southwest football, Bath has played at several of the powerhouses in Devon and his goal-scoring record goes to show with him now choosing to settle down on the coast with Exmouth.
The last time both sides met in the Southern League was at Southern Road where Town got a 3-1 win over Rovers with Ace High and Tom Bath scoring for the hosts with Charlie Wright scoring a consolation for Willand.
21 miles separate both clubs but it’s a battle of Devon which is also at stake alongside the three points. Exmouth is currently in the playoffs sitting in 4th on 16 points whilst Rovers are in 11th sitting on 11 points. Friendships put aside for one evening, 2 Devon titans with one winner. It’s all to play for this Wednesday night so if you can make the journey to cheer on the lads it would be massively appreciated.
