October 2021 – Tuffley Rovers AFC

Christmas at Toad Hall comes with a discount for Rovers family

Families looking for a Christmas theatre treat have the chance to secure a discount, courtesy of Tuffley Rovers’ sponsor Dreamshed Theatre. Written and directed by Bill Cronshaw, the inspiration behind Dreamshed, the production at the Cheltenham Playhouse will run from the 18th to the 24th December 2021.

Full details of the performance can be found here:

Christmas at Toad Hall – Dreamshed Theatre

Tickets can be booked online via: https://www.cheltplayhouse.org.uk/whats-on/autumn-2021/christmas-at-toad-hall/

Rovers players, fans, supporters and their families can secure a 10% discount on tickets by using the code BADGER as the promo code. You can also ring the box office on 01242 522852 and use the same discount code. The box office is usually open 10am-4pm, Tues – Fri and 10am-2.30pm on Saturdays.

Rovers face test after midweek best

After arguably their best result of the 2021/22 season, when Tuffley Rovers became the first side to win at Westfields in a Hellenic League Premier Division fixture, they will welcome one of the division’s form sides to Glevum Park tomorrow as they welcome Westbury United for 3pm kick-off.

The visitors, who sit four points and four places above Rovers having played two fewer games, have won five of their last six league games, with the only defeat a heavy loss against leaders Cribbs, and have scored 23 goals during that period, conceding nine (albeit four in the defeat against Cribbs).

Rovers will come into the game on a good run of league form themselves, having won three and drawn three of their last seven games, including fixtures against three of the top four sides in the division.

As ever, the match-day programme is now available online. Printed copies will also be available on the turnstiles.

Rovers need bouncebackability after Street defeat

Tuffley Rovers will be looking to find a little of what Iain Dowie once termed “bouncebackbility” when they travel to face Westfields in the Uhlsport Hellenic League on Tuesday evening, after a rather disappointing end to their Buildbase FA Vase campaign on Saturday, when visitors Street FC left Glevum Park with a 4-1 victory – read the match report here.

Despite being in the same division as Tuesday night’s hosts since the start of the 2019/20 season, Rovers have only faced them once in competitive fixtures, when Sam Hill scored a late consolation goal in a crushing 5-1 defeat on 19 November 2019.

Rovers will visit Westfields’ allpay.park looking for an improved performance but should be able to welcome back several players who didn’t feature in the defeat to Street. Jamal Lawrence, Joshua Aldridge, Archie Woodall, Brennan Denness-Barrett and Joel White should all return to the squad and manager Rich Cox is also looking at an option to add a further player in time for the game.

Anyone looking to travel should look for Widemarsh Common, Hereford, HR4 9NA. Those who cannot attend should be able to follow the game via the club’s Twitter account.

From Fleet to Street : Rovers on a journey to create matching Vase record

After four successive seasons where they exited the FA Vase competition at the first hurdle, Tuffley Rovers will have a chance to match their best ever run in the competition this Saturday, when they host Toolstation Western League side Street FC in the First Round Proper at Glevum Park.

Having already seen off Malmesbury Victoria in the First Qualifying Round, Rovers defeated Fleet Spurs in the Second Qualifying Round, in the first competitive fixture back at their home after summer drainage work, to set-up Saturday’s tie against a side who were playing Southern League football as recently as 2018/19.

A win against their visitors from Somerset will take Rovers into the Second Round Proper for the first time since 2016/17 and for only the second time in their history, equaling the club’s best ever run in the competition.

The Rovers’ manager, Rich Cox, will be deprived of the three Cheltenham Town work experience signings – Brennan Denness-Barrett, Archie Woodall and Josh Aldridge – but his side are on a good run of form, with the exception of their recent mauling at the hands of Hereford Lads Club, having lost just twice in their last twelve competitive fixtures.

In line with the rules of the competition, Season Tickets will not be valid for the fixture with Street. Admission prices will be £5 (standard/adult), £3 concessions and U16s free. Kick-off is at 3pm but the ground and bar will be open from 1pm.

The match-day programme is available online or printed copied can be purchased at the turnstiles at the ground.

Next games at Glevum Park

After a busy weekend that saw Tuffley Rovers host fixtures for the Development Squad and Ladies’ teams, with 15 goals scored in the process, attention now moves to a busy week for the first team squad, with two vital games.

First, on Tuesday evening (7:45pm KO) Rich Cox’s squad host Chipping Sodbury Town in the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division, before they move to entertaining Street FC in the First Round Proper of the Buildbase FA Vase on Saturday afternoon (3pm).

The full list of fixtures at Glevum Park for the remainder of this month is:

Tuesday, 19 October (7:45pm) First XI v Chipping Sodbury Town

Saturday, 23 October (3pm) First XI v Street

Thursday, 28 October (7:45pm) U18s v Stourport Swifts

Saturday, 30 October (3pm) First XI v Westbury United

In between all these games, the First XI will visit Westfields, in another Uhlsport Hellenic League fixture, on Tuesday, 26 October 2021 (7:45pm).

Cox hoping for a positive response after Hereford horror show

After a record Hellenic League defeat in their previous outing, at Hereford Lads Club on Saturday when they suffered a crushing 9-1 reverse, Tuffley Rovers have an immediate opportunity to restore any lost confidence when they host Calne Town in their latest Premier Division fixture at Glevum Park on Tuesday evening (7:45pm).

Rovers manager, Rich Cox, is hoping that his side will show the mental resolve needed to bounce back after such a chastening experience at the weekend.

“We’ve had some good performances and results of late, so I’d like to believe Saturday’s result was a one-off, freak occasion”, he said. “We pride ourselves on our battling qualities, especially during tough moments, but as a group we let ourselves and the club down.”

Rovers have already beaten Calne Town this season, when goals from Lewis Bainbridge and Brennan Denness-Barrett were enough to see Rovers to a 2-1 victory. Although Cox is hoping for a positive response from his team, he is also wary of the threat posed by the latest visitors to Glevum Park.

“Calne Town are a decent outfit who have some big threats and it was a close game at their place, so I expect this to be the case again. If we play well we have every chance of taking the points”, he confirmed.

Rovers look forward to welcoming Calne to Glevum Park. Admission rates are unchanged, at £5 per adult/standard admission, £3 concessions and U16s entitled to free admission.

Rovers begin busy month with home league return

Seven days after finally playing a home fixture, in the form of a Buildbase FA Vase tie, Tuffley Rovers will tomorrow play their first home Hellenic League, Premier Division fixture in over 12 months, as in-form Bradford Town visit Glevum Park (3pm KO).

The fixture, which will be the first of nine competitive fixtures for Rich Cox’s side in the month of October, comes 368 days after Rovers hosted Ardley United in a league match in September 2020 and they will face tough opposition in the form of a visiting side that has seven points from the last nine available and with only defeat in their last seven competitive fixtures.

Rovers were defeated by Brimscombe & Thrupp in their last league outing but returned to winning ways against Fleet Spurs, in the Buildbase FA Vase, last weekend.

As ever, the Rovers match-day programme will be available in print at the game and also available online.