Match Preview
Willand Rovers v Bishops Cleeve
It’s cup action once again for Rovers as we go into the FA Trophy looking for a cup run with the first step of the journey being a matchup with fellow Southern League Premier Division One South side Bishops Cleeve this Saturday.
With the FA Cup run alongside the Trophy this campaign, David Steele and his men will be hoping to double down on cup runs with a great chance on home soil to push on into the competition. Last week saw Rovers get themselves through to the second round qualifying with a win over Western League Brixham AFC with the one goal coming from Fin Rooke who took his strike well and blazed it into the back of the net.
Speaking after the match, David Steele was pleased with the result. He hoped for a good draw in the 2nd round qualifying of the competition which would be the furthest we have competed for 10 seasons. Overall, a great day for Rovers and a chance to write some history shortly.
The Next round of the FA Cup sees us travel to National League North Oxford City, a big tie for Willand and certainly a test for an unbeaten Rovers side looking to make their way to the first round proper for the first time in our history.
Back to the game at hand, Gloucestershire-based Bishops Cleeve will be looking to try and further their cup endeavours as like Rovers they also have a huge cup match the week after with Torquay United taking the trip up the M5.
The Mitres have had a good start to the season with 2 wins and 2 losses on the board with them sitting in the top half of the Southern League Premier Division One South and those wins coming against league title favourites in Yate Town and Bemerton Heath Harlequins.
One to look out for in the visitor’s side is young striker Ethan Dunbar who is already a proven striker who can pose a massive threat on his day with him turning out for several clubs in the league and coming through the prestigious Hartpury University.
The last time Willand took on Bishops Cleeve it was a 0-0 draw-up back in March. George Burton kept a clean sheet on the road with playoff pushing Cleeve reduced to taking a point on the afternoon.
It’s set to be another cracker of a cup fixture at Silver Street this weekend with another competition to battle in and hopefully make it to the latter stages, who knows we may even make it to Wembley…. We can dream but it all starts on Saturday again.
