Category: First Team

Tuffley Rovers will make the trip to face Hereford Lads Club in the Uhlsport Hellenic League on Saturday afternoon, hoping for an improvement in their fortunes at their hosts’ ground, after losing their previous two league fixtures there, including a catastrophic 9-1 defeat when Rich Cox was at the helm in 2021/22.

Manager Neil Mustoe will miss the game, due to a personal commitment, but will be hoping his side can at least continue their unbeaten start to the season, after draws away Worcester City and then at home to Aylesbury Vale Dynamos.

Whilst Mustoe is absent, Assistant Manager Liam O’Neill will take charge and he has a strong squad to select from, even with the absence of Sam Hill, Alex Barrett, Jack McCormack and Liam Smith, who are all unavailable. Long-term absentee Kieran Alder is still not fit but it is hoped that he may be able to return to action in the near future.

Keeper Luke Merchant has returned to the squad after missing the FA Cup tie last weekend as he was attending a wedding.

Mustoe managed to add two players to his squad before going away, with the signing of Nathan Payne on dual registration from Malvern Town, and Matt Holdaway, a versatile defensive player who played for Mustoe at Gloucester City U18s.

There has been one departure this week, with Elliot Jones transferring to Lydney Town. Ryley Mace also looks set to leave, with Shortwood United his likely destination.

Tuffley Rovers have advanced to the Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round, where they will face a trip to Southern League side Evesham United on 19 August, but the manner of their progress from the Extra Preliminary Round was rather different from any of their previous victories in the famous cup competition.

Rovers had drawn 2-2 at Glevum Park with Aylesbury Vale Dynamos on Saturday and were set to travel to Aylesbury on Tuesday, 8 August but the game was called off on Monday and provisionally rescheduled for 15 August.

That game has now been cancelled and it has been confirmed that The Dynamos have been removed from the competition after playing an unregistered player in the original tie at Glevum Park. An FA commission considered the charge on Wednesday and it was confirmed that they had decided to remove the club from this season’s competition, albeit pending an appeal.

The Aylesbury side had admitted the offence and took to social media on Thursday to confirm they had exited the cup. Earlier this afternoon the Football Association confirmed the outcome, after the time permitted for any appeal had passed without further representations.

Secretary, Neil Spiller, said that whilst the club were pleased to progress to the next round, they had tremendous sympathy for their opponents in the Extra Preliminary Round.

“We are really pleased to progress to the next round but this is not the way in which we would have wanted to progress”, he said. “We had a great game on Saturday and we have real sympathy for Aylesbury, who are paying a heavy price for a genuine administrative error. The outcome is probably the right one, but we had been looking forward to the replay and had hoped to progress through a more conventional route.”

Rovers will now travel to Evesham United on 19 August, for a 3pm kick-off.

Tuffley Rovers’ FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round replay at Aylesbury Vale Dynamos has been postponed, with the game now penciled in for 15 August 2023.

When the two sides drew 2-2 on Saturday, courtesy of Jake Rhodes’ second half equaliser for Rovers, it was anticipated that Rovers would make the trip to Aylesbury on Tuesday evening, but the FA have postponed the tie and will confirm the final arrangements for the game later this week.

This is a matter outside the club’s control and we apologise to anyone who had made plans to attend tomorrow’s game.

Rovers will now be without a game, as the Hellenic League Premier Division fixture against Pershore Town, which had originally been scheduled for 8 August, was postponed to accommodate the FA Cup replay.

Next up will be a trip to play Hereford Lads Club on Saturday afternoon.

Tuffley Rovers will go into Emirates FA Cup action on Saturday afternoon, as they host an unfamiliar opponent, Aylesbury Vale Dynamos, in the Extra Preliminary Round of the 2023/24 competition.

Neil Mustoe’s squad competed in a first Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division fixture, away at Worcester City, on Tuesday evening and returned with a valuable point from a 0-0 draw, whilst their opponents in the FA Cup tie lost their opening league game 2-0, against Dunstable Town.

Aside from the boost in confidence from a hard fought draw, Rovers’ battling display will count for little when they host Dynamos, with the two sides never having met before, meaning they are entirely unfamiliar opponents.

The Aylesbury side aren’t unfamiliar to all Hellenic League clubs, though, and although the club is relatively new (in its current guise), having formed in 2019 through the merger of Aylesbury Vale and Bedgrove Dynamos, they have already faced opponents familiar to Rovers in three of four years that they have competed in the FA Cup.

In 2019/20 they drew 1-1 at Royal Wootton Bassett Town, before triumphing 1-0 in a replay; then in 2021/22 they pushed Longlevens hard before losing 1-0. They gained revenge the following year, when they hosted Longlevens and won 3-2. They then defeated Bristol Manor Farm before losing a thrilling 1st Qualifying Round tie at Yate Town 4-3.

Kick-off on Saturday is 3pm at Glevum Park.

After travelling away for their first four pre-season fixtures, Neil Mustoe’s Tuffley Rovers squad will return to playing at their Glevum Park home for the first time this season.

Just two weeks after they started their 2023/24 preparations with a 4-3 defeat away at Hartpury University, Mustoe’s squad then recorded a draw at Toolstation Western League side Bitton, before a 3-0 win over Bourton Rovers and then a 1-1 draw at Sporting Club Inkberrow.

On Saturday afternoon, Rovers will entertain Gloucestershire County League side Sharpness, in a hastily arranged game after the original opposition, Stonehouse Town, pulled out as they were unable to raise a side. That fixture will kick-off at 3:30pm.

Before that game Rovers’ Development Squad will host Stonehouse Town Reserves in a 12noon game.

Both games are subject to free admission for all spectators.

Tuffley Rovers’ preparations for the 2023/24 playing season will commence this week, with first team manager Neil Mustoe looking to improve on a difficult first full campaign in 2022/23.

Mustoe’s side battled against relegation for the majority of the season, although their form in the latter part of the season was a marked improvement on their form until February, and he’ll be hoping his squad can show further improvement once the Uhlsport Hellenic League, Premier Division season begins in the first week of August.

The first training session will take place this Friday evening (meet at 6:30pm) and new players, with an ambition to play Step 5 football, are welcome to join. Further details can be obtained by emailing to admin@tuffleyroversfc.co.uk.

Rovers’ First XI will play a total of seven pre-season games, starting at Hartpury University on Saturday 8 July and ending with a home fixture against Brockworth Albion on 29 July.

We can confirm that Season Tickets are now on sale ahead of the 2023/24 playing season – and the standard rate tickets is available for as little as £50 if you take up the Early Bird discounted rate!

To qualify for the discounted rate you’ll need to purchase your Season Ticket on or before 30 June 2023, with the Standard Adult ticket costing £65 after that.

Full details can be viewed at Club Information / Season Ticket applications.

Don’t delay, sign-up today!

#uptherovers

Tuffley Rovers will host Brimscombe & Thrupp at Glevum Park on Friday evening (7:45pm kick-off) knowing that their destiny, in terms of their Premier Division survival at the end of the 2022/23 season, remains in their own hands.

Neil Mustoe’s side have struggled to put together a consistent run of results for much of the 2022/23 campaign – failing to win two consecutive league games all season – but a recent run of form, which has seen them take 15 points from the last ten games, has taken them to the brink of safety, as they sit four points clear of Chipping Sodbury Town and five clear of Bradford Town, with each team having three more games to play. Thornbury Town sit just above Rovers, courtesy of a two point margin, but play their final league game at Bradford Town on Thursday evening.

If Sodbury – who lost 5-0 to Rovers on Easter Monday – succumb to defeat against Worcester Raiders on Thursday, Rovers will know that a win against Brimscombe will secure their place in the Premier Division next season.

The fixture at Glevum Park is the final Hellenic League Premier Division game at Rovers’ home this season, with the two remaining league fixtures away at Corsham Town (Tuesday, 7:45pm) and at Chipping Sodbury Town (Saturday, 22 April, 3pm).

Mustoe will be hoping his team can get their business sorted at home this Friday, as Rovers host a team they drew 0-0 with in the first game of the season.