Month: August 2019

Sunday Summary – 17th & 18th August 2019

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With just two competitive fixtures over the weekend, both played on Saturday, it was a relatively quiet weekend for The Rovers, but with both games resulting in 3-1 victories, there was some satisfaction to be taken from the day’s work.

The First XI made a not unfamiliar journey to play Hellenic League, Division Two (West) side Letcombe in the Challenge Cup and despite falling behind to Fabio Pinto’s 12th minute goal, they recovered to run out comfortable winners, despite some uncomfortable moments, thanks to goals from Lewis Bainbridge, Ellis Waugh and Jake Rhodes.

Our Reserves were the other team in action, hosting Berkeley Town at Glevum Park, and their win came despite playing 25 minutes with ten men and without a recognised keeper, after Brad Newman went off injured with all three substitutes already used. Kyle Rogers ably filled the gap between the posts, to ensure that the lead created prior to that – courtesy of goals from Ross Graham, Adam Harding and Charlie Holliday – was enough to secure a much needed win for the newly formed squad.

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All in all, not a bad weekend. #uptherovers

Thanks to Brian Rossiter, once again, for his photographs from the reserve team fixture. The full album can be viewed at https://www.flickr.com/photos/ross0005/albums/72157710376361942

Sunday Summary – 10th & 11th August

Replay needed, as Rhodes keeps Rovers in the FA Cup

20190810 Pitch entrance

This has been a fairly quiet weekend, in one sense, with just two official games, but incredibly busy for the club as we hosted North Greenford United in the Emirates FA Cup, Extra Preliminary Round on Saturday – with the game ending in a draw, necessitating a replay in Middlesex on Tuesday evening.

20190811 Jake Rhodes celebration

Rovers looked to be in big trouble, after Jai Maisey’s 68th minute red-card, with Pritch’s side already trailing 1-0 to Sam Olanipekun’s 19th minute header, but a stunning goal from Jake Rhodes levelled scores and although both sides had chances, the game ended without any further goals and a replay will take place this week.

The other game took place on Sunday, with the Ladies’ team continuing their preparations for a first season in the Gloucestershire County Women’s League. Their latest pre-season game saw them narrowly defeated at Mitcheldean, with Jess Dobbins’ goal not quite enough to reduce a 2-0 deficit completely. Rovers also missed a great chance to score, when Chloe Taylor missed a penalty, but it was another good run-out for the newest Rovers team and the 2-1 defeat included plenty of encouraging signs.

Jess Dobbins goal v Mitcheldean     Tackle

 

Pritchett back for Cleeve test

PRITCHETT RETURNS AS ROVERS FACE CLEEVE TEST

After his charges gained a somewhat fortuitous point at Virginia Water on Saturday, when Mark Pritchett was absent, the returning manager will be hoping that he can inspire his team to inflict a second defeat of the season on fellow Gloucestershire side, Bishops Cleeve, on Tuesday evening.

Hosts Cleeve fell to a surprise defeat at Ardley United on Saturday, but will remain one of the favourites for this season’s Hellenic League title and it promises to be a tough test for Pritchett’s young squad.

The biggest challenge for the men from Glevum Park will be to show the sort of level of performance that saw them come back from trailing 2-0, rather than what was on display during the first hour or so at Stag Meadow on Saturday afternoon. Rich Cox, Pritchett’s assistant, who oversaw the draw, knows Rovers need to improve.

“We were very poor in the first half and couldn’t get a foothold in the game. We just weren’t good enough, both in and out of possession”, he confirmed. “We got a bit of luck when they had their third goal disallowed and after we scored almost straight after, it gave us a lift and we started to believe we could get something.”

Cox also recognised that his use of the substitutes also played its part.

“When we changed our shape, we improved and the players from the bench helped us salvage a point. “

The stand-in manager recognises that another poor performance is likely to prove costly, against a team who are being touted as one of the teams most likely to challenge for honours.

“There is no doubt that we will have to weather a few storms, and take our chances. This game is tough enough, at any time, but will be even harder after Cleeve were stung in their opening game. We will need to take the chances that come our way.”

Pritchett and Ryan Caddock, who faces a late fitness test, are likely to be added to the squad from Saturday, whilst Rovers await confirmation of Harri John’s International Clearance, with hopes that it will be completed in time for him to feature.

Rovers squad (from): Alex Avenell; Sam Hill; Jai Maisey; Declan Earwaker; Macaulay Herbert; Mark Pritchett, Luke Troke; Courtney Hamilton; Dominik Kent; Ryan Caddock; Harri John; Brett James; Warren Mann; Martin Smith; Jack Beardsell; Jake Rhodes; Ashley Bird; Adam Bloomfield; Ellis Waugh.

Sunday Summary – 3rd & 4th August

A weekend of learning for youngsters, as the competitive season arrives…

It was a tale of new look squads for the three games played over the weekend, as Rovers completed the full set of results, with a win, a draw and a loss from three games (two competitive fixtures and a pre-season game).

The first team commenced their Uhlsport Hellenic League, Premier Division season with a 2-2 draw, away at Virginia Water, having trailed 2-0 at half-time. Goals from debutant Dec Earwaker and substitute Luke Troke saw Rovers mount a comeback that secured a vital point from a game that they looked set to lose.

A new look reserve team squad, comprised almost entirely of U18 players, put in a decent performance against Whitecroft in the Reg Davis Memorial Cup, but lost to a comprehensive 4-1 scoreline and exited the competition. Kyle Rogers scored for Rovers, but it proved only to be a consolation, with the visitors leading 4-0 at the time.

In the only pre-season fixture of the day Will Cronshaw’s fifth team won 4-3 against Renegades Reserves, despite fielding nine 16 year olds in the line-up. Interestingly, there were 4 father & son pairings, as Cronshaw, Sean Roberts, Adam Dodsworth and Andy Blackwell-Booth all appeared alongside their sons.

The 2019/20 competitive season begins! A guide to this weekend’s fixtures:

Competitive football returns

With their pre-season schedules complete, our Hellenic League & Gloucestershire Northern Senior League squads start their competitive seasons on Saturday, 3 August. The club’s fifth team are also in action, with a pre-season game, too.

This weekend’s fixtures:

Uhlsport Hellenic League, Premier Division (3pm)

Virginia Water v Tuffley Rovers

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, Reg Davis Memorial Cup (3pm)

Tuffley Rovers Reserves v Whitecroft (at Glevum Park)

Pre-season fixture (1pm)

Renegades Reserves v Tuffley Rovers 5ths

Here is the preview of our first team’s visit to Virginia Water:

Tuffley Rovers will head into the first weekend of the 2019/20 competitive playing season with their uncertainty surrounding the availability of a number of their Hellenic League Premier Division squad.

With International Clearance pending for one player and a succession of injuries offering varying degrees of uncertainty about the availability of several others, there is one particularly noticeable absentee, with Pritchett himself definitely ruled out for the visit to Virginia Water.

Due to a long-standing commitment, Rovers’ Player/Manager Mark Pritchett will not be at the game, meaning his Assistant, Rich Cox, will take charge on the day.

With Kieran Alder, Joel White and Paul Carter having left the club over the summer, along with the end of the short-term arrangements for Will Dawes and Tyreece Briscoe, it is a much changed squad that will commence Rovers’ fifth consecutive season in Step 5 Non-League football.

The squad for Saturday’s visit to Stag Meadow will include six players in line for a Tuffley Rovers Hellenic League debut, whilst there is a return to the club for Courtney Hamilton, after he completed a transfer from Bishops Cleeve, having joined them at the start of pre-season. Jack Beardsell, signed after spending the last season at Fairford Town, is one player set to make his first start for the club.

Earlier in the week, Rovers looked to be facing a goalkeeping crisis, with first choice Luke Merchant suffering an injury that looks set to rule him out for a while, but Alex Avenell, who filled in whilst Merchant was away on holiday during pre-season, has been signed and will make his debut for the club, having previously appeared for Bishops Cleeve at the end of the 2018/19 Hellenic League season.

Having recorded one win and a draw against Virginia Water when the two clubs came together last season – the first time the clubs had ever met – the new look Rovers squad will go into the game with a sense of optimism, with Pritchett hoping that he’ll return from his break with a first opening day win since August 2016, and a much better result than 12 months ago, when his side were thumped by Royal Wootton Bassett Town.

Key to their hopes this season could be long-serving duo, Macaulay Herbert and Warren Mann, who have been appointed captain and vice-captain, respectively, following White’s move to Southern League side Slimbridge. Those two, along with other senior players like Sam Hill and Brett James, will be central figures for Rovers this season, as an otherwise very young squad look to avoid a repeat of their relegation battle last year.

Rovers squad: Alex Avenell; Sam Hill; Jai Maisey; Declan Earwaker; Macaulay Herbert; Luke Troke; Courtney Hamilton; Dominik Kent; Brett James; Warren Mann; Martin Smith; Jack Beardsell; Jake Rhodes; Ashley Bird; Adam Bloomfield; Ellis Waugh.