Category: First Team

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.

Season tickets on sale – offering great value

Season Tickets Poster 201920

Season tickets for the 2019/20 Hellenic League season are now on sale – and at just £40 for the whole campaign, we believe they represent great value! It gets even better if you qualify for a concessionary rate ticket at £30, whilst U16s can sign-up for a season ticket free of charge!

Interested? Contact us via our social media pages or by e-mail at admin@tuffleyroversfc.co.uk.

That was the week that was….

…the last of the full, competitive 2018/19 season and we had a relatively decent week, as it happens!

The week started with the final Uhlsport Hellenic League, Premier Division fixture for the first team, and it was a great day for the club, as the GroundhopUK group made our game the 12th (or 13) of their groundhopping weekend. The consequence was that we had a crowd of 221 to watch us record an excellent 3-0 win over Fairford Town, not only a great way to end the competitive season, but also enough to secure a 15th place finish that looked incredibly unlikely earlier in the season. Kieran Alder netted his 13th of the season, after Adam Bloomfield had scored twice in the first half to put Pritch’s side in charge of the game.

We then saw the Reserves, Thirds and Fifths all end their seasons on Saturday, with one win, one draw and one defeat to show for the day’s endeavours.

Dan Gillespie, Russ Williams and Phil Ryder-Jones signed off their time with the Reserves with a disappointing result, albeit a 3-1 reverse away at title challengers Chalford. Will Emery’s sixth goal of the season wasn’t enough to secure any points, as the second team finished with three consecutive defeats, albeit after a string of good results that had taken the squad up the table, ultimately securing them a creditable fifth place finish.

The Thirds went better than that, finishing third in their division, as Dan Boon’s side came from behind to beat Upton St. Leonards Reserves 3-1. The visitors took a first half lead, before Andy Meek, Mark Pritchett (making a very rare Stroud League appearance) and Chris Giddy scored to make it a good end to the season.

A full set of results was complete when the Fifths got a point, courtesy of a 1-1 draw, away at Champions Cashes Green. Alfie Fortey’s goal, equalising after the hosts had taken the lead, meant that Will Cronshaw’s side finished fourth in Division Six, only a year after promotion.

On Sunday, the Vets completed their season, too, and they held title challengers Quedgeley Wanderers to a 3-3 draw, despite playing much of the second half with only ten players, after a threadbare squad lost a couple of players to injuries. A brace from Shayne Bradley and another from Gary Cornwall were enough to help secure a third place finish for Mark Patterson’s team.

Groundhop UK – advice ahead of Monday’s game

Image result for hellenic league groundhop

We are anticipating a busy day at Glevum Park on Easter Monday with the visit of Fairford Town to Glevum Park, for our final Hellenic League fixture of the 2018/19 season, as well as the penultimate game of this weekend’s Hellenic League Groundhop, so we’re offering some advice to all visitors, including our regular spectators.

Travel to the site and parking arrangements: If you haven’t been to Glevum Park before, we would ask that you access the ground via Lower Tuffley Lane unless you are a pedestrian (in which case the Shakespeare Avenue side of the ground is suitable). The published postcode for our ground – GL2 5DT – can end up taking you to either side of the ground, so if you’re driving please use GL2 5DN and follow the route on this YouTube video: Getting to Glevum Park

Save for visiting players and visiting officials, the majority of spectators will be directed to a car-park just before the ground, namely at local company Marshall Langston, who have kindly agreed to support our event. Marshall Langston’s car-park is approximately 200 yards before the entrance to Glevum Park and can be seen on the left-hand side at the 50 second mark in the YouTube video (it is the building with the green gates). That car-park will be open from 12:45pm. All parking is free of charge.

If you travel by motor vehicle and access from the Shakespeare Avenue side of the ground, please be respectful of local residents and do not attempt to park in the resident’s parking immediately outside the ground under any circumstances.

Admission prices: As part of the Groundhop agreement, all spectators attending Glevum Park – with the exception of season-ticket holders and U16s – will pay the standard admission price. Concessions will not be available on the day. All the Groundhoppers have paid the full admission price, so it would be inappropriate to then offer concessions to other spectators.

Admittance: Season ticket holders and spectators attending with an official Groundhop UK pass should ensure they have tickets ready to display at the gate. In the event that we experience any queueing we will look to fast-track those with season-tickets and Groundhop passes, using the gates adjacent to our turnstiles.

Programmes: We have printed a significant number of additional programmes. They will not be available on the turnstiles, however, in order to ensure that access is granted swiftly and will be available from specific areas inside the ground. They will be sold on a first come, first served basis.

We look forward to welcoming everyone to Glevum Park tomorrow. We’d ask you to be respectful of our neighbours, as well as all players, officials and visitors. The weather forecast is fantastic and we hope everyone has a terrific day.

In closing, we’d like to thank the organisers of Groundhop UK – specifically Chris Berezai, who has been a great source of advice and assistance – for their support in making this day possible. We hope that all their guests are able to join our friends from Fairford Town and our wonderful supporters in making this a good day for everyone.

#uptherovers

 

Third team result the rose amongst some thorns!

A weekend that saw Tuffley Rovers’ sides playing four games ended with just one victory, with the third team’s convincing win in Stroud League, Division Three the highlight of a difficult day.

Dan Boon’s squad recorded a fine 5-1 win at Beaufort Playing fields – a result that secured third place in their division – courtesy of goals from Martin Kent, Iain Buckingham, Lee Brinkworth and a brace from Chris Giddy, with their second half performance decisive, after they held a slim 1-0 advantage at the break.

The First XI came back from their final Hellenic League away game of the season without any points, having lost 2-1 at Flackwell Heath, despite a decent performance. Flackwell Heath opened the scoring through Simeon Weekes, before Aaron Layne scored their second, eleven minutes after the interval. When Dominik Kent pulled a goal back 23 minutes from time, his eighth of the season, there were hopes of a comeback but a late Tyreece Briscoe free-kick which hit the post was the closest they came. The second half saw a debut for Jack Ellis, after a good season in the U18s and Reserves squads.

In Dan Gillespie’s final home game as reserve team manager, following his recent decision to stand-down at the end of the season, his side went down by the same 2-1 scoreline, despite leading early on. A much-changed side included several U18s players, with Kane Hyett and Ethan Ravenhill making full-debuts, had led through Ryan Dobbins’ goal but the opposition, Berkeley Town, scored twice in the second period to take the three points away from Glevum Park.

The other game of the day saw a 10-goal thriller, as the Fifths went down 6-4 away at Minchinhampton Reserves, with the hosts winning both halves 3-2! Will Cronshaw’s charges worked hard in their penultimate game of a solid season, but despite goals from Rudran Rutnanandan, James Hawley, Alfie Fortey and Jake Anderson, weren’t enough to secure any points, leaving the Thirds as the club’s most (and only) successful side on Saturday!

Safety secured, so opportunity knocks for Rovers’ youngsters

Team huddle.vBishops Cleeve

As they set off on their final away game of the season, Tuffley Rovers will be in party mood, after local rivals Longlevens’ win over Reading City on Friday ensured that Mark Pritchett’s side had secured Hellenic League, Premier Division football for the 2019/20 season.

However, it will be a depleted Rovers squad that make the trip to Flackwell Heath on Saturday, with Warren Mann and Jake Rhodes injured, whilst Macaulay Herbert, Brad Loveridge, Luke Payne and Rhys Davies are all unavailable for a variety of reasons. So, with Paul Carter also suspended, Pritchett is left short of numbers, although one position is likely to have the most profound effect on the Rovers boss.

Luke Merchant is travelling with the squad but might not be fit to play, which leaves Pritchett with a problem, given that reserve keeper Dan Brabham is unavailable for selection. It could mean Pritchett may don the gloves himself, making an appearance in goal for the third consecutive season.

Thankfully, the Levens win on Friday afternoon has ensured the lingering threat of relegation has passed, meaning that Pritchett will have the opportunity to look at some of the club’s younger players over the weekend.

Reserve team players Shay Lyons and Jack Ellis have both been added to the squad, whilst Essa Sabally returns, after a spell out of the first team squad, and with all three players under 20 years of age, Pritchett knows he will be fielding a very young squad.

Joel White, Pritchett, Sam Hill and Brett James aside, Pritchett’s squad is full of U20s and the manager himself is the elder statesman, at 30 years of age!

The two sides meet just three weeks after playing out a 1-1 draw at Glevum Park, over a busy weekend for Rovers, who will host Fairford Town, as part of the Hellenic League’s Groundhop on Monday, 22 April.Celebration.v Binfield(2)