Match Preview: Willand Rovers v Shaftesbury
Rovers will be hoping to take the momentum from last week to this weekend provided the rain doesn’t get there first as we take on Shaftesbury in the Southern Football League Division One South with a 3 pm KO!
Last time out for Rovers, it was a rare Monday outing as we made the trip over to Wiltshire to take on Melksham Town where both sides needed all three on the board to push out of the clutch of the relegation zone and Willand had found the winning formula in the first ten with Charlie Bateson’s brace putting Rovers in touching distance of climbing out the drop.
This time round, it is the Rockies who will be looking to build on their promotion bid, with the side sitting inside the playoff spots, 2 points off Bishops Cleeve. Their last outing was also a trip to Melksham, where the goals were flowing, and it was the visiting side who prevailed in the 9-goal thriller, with Holmes, Burden, Morgan, Hoey & Brown sending it in to secure a vital three on the road.
One to watch for the visitors this weekend would be Harvey Bradbury who had come through the youth ranks at Portsmouth before moving on to Watford where he would have a couple of non-league loan spells before heading over to Oxford United. From the Kassam, he’d head over to the Den before settling down at Oxford City.
Numerous spells at Welling, Gosport, Dorchester, Dartford, Farnborough, Chatham and Havant & Waterlooville lead to today’s side in Shaftesbury where he looks to help the Dorset-based side jump into the Southern Premier League for the first time in their history with his experience as explained proving important in their bid.
Both sides met earlier on in the season with Rovers ahead at the break with a brace from Bailey Kempster but the hosts grouped to cause a reaction with Holmes & Hoey combining their efforts to ultimately keep the points in Dorset that evening.
For City fans not making the trip to Port Vale, Torquay fans not making the trip to Enfield & Tiverton fans not making the journey to Gloucester, show your season ticket on the turnstile and get concession entry for our game against Shaftesbury.
Saturday’s game is subject to a pitch inspection following substantial rain within the Mid Devon area but we do hope to welcome you this weekend and an important weekend it will be for both sides at the contrasting ends of the table.
