Category: Third Team

A good weekend. A very good weekend…

Celebration.v Binfield

Although our Hellenic League, Premier Division status for 2019/20 isn’t yet mathematically certain, a 2-1 win against Binfield on Saturday has taken Tuffley Rovers to the brink of safety.

When a Mark Pritchett foul, moments before the end of the first half, allowed Josh Howell to give Binfield a 1-0 lead from the penalty spot, things weren’t looking too good for Rovers, but Warren Mann’s goal, after his initial penalty had been saved, and a first Rovers goal for Will Dawes, proved enough to secure three points to take the first team to within touching distance of safety, after a campaign that started so badly.

Will Dawes goal.vBinfield

Alongside the Hellenic League result, the Reserves made it 11 games unbeaten, as they saw off Upton St. Leonards 3-1. The game was made all the more memorable because there were first ever Gloucestershire Northern Senior League goals for Under 18s players Niall Priday and Ryley Mace, with those goals added to a Will Emery effort. That result took Rovers’ reserves fourth in the Division One table, with the next game against title challengers Chalford, who sit one place higher.

Niall Priday goal.vUSLedit

Unfortunately, the worst result of the weekend came in the form of the Thirds’ 6-0 defeat at the hands of Kingsway Rovers, but the other Stroud League results were much better! First, the Fifths ran out comprehensive winners against Sharpness 3rds, with a brace apiece from Charlie Agg and Paul Bayliss taking Will Cronshaw’s side to a 4-0 win. In the other game, the Fourths came back from 3-1 down to salvage a point from their final game of the season; Scott Morgan netting a hat-trick in the 3-3 draw.

So, three wins, a draw and one defeat make for a pretty good weekend. A damn good weekend, as they go.

Home form key to Rovers’ safety hopes

After taking one point from their first six league games, then thirteen points from nineteen, Tuffley Rovers could complete a remarkable turnaround in their 2018/19 season, if they can continue an excellent run of home form when Binfield visit Glevum Park tomorrow.

Since losing at home to Royal Wootton Bassett Town on 15 December, Rovers have gone on a run of three wins and three draws in their past six home league games, which has helped salvage their Hellenic League Premier Division season, so manager Mark Pritchett will be hoping that the excellent run of form continues tomorrow and his side secure a win that might prove enough to save their season.

Whilst their performances across the seven away games – played over the same period – have been positive, the results have been less impressive and have yielded only five points. So, when Binfield visit tomorrow, the hosts will be looking to build on their home form.

The 12 points from the undefeated home sequence, coupled with a more meagre return of 5 points from the away games during that spell, have made up over half of Rovers’ 31 league points, as they have slowly climbed the table, with three sides now beneath them in the battle to avoid relegation.

With two of those sides – Abingdon United and Longlevens – playing each other, Saturday’s game against Binfield offers The Rovers the chance to take a huge step towards safety. However, it will be a tough test given that Roger Herridge’s costing side beat Rover 4-2 just two weeks ago.

That game saw Rovers put in what Pritchett described as their worst performance of 2019 and although they reached the interval with scores level at 2-2, a poor second half ultimately led to them returning home empty handed.

However, after a depleted squad secured another valuable point against Flackwell Heath last week, the return of Adam Bloomfield, Brad Loveridge, Will Dawes, Tyreece Briscoe and potentially Paul Carter, who has been out with injury, should mean Rovers have plenty of options in their quest to beat one of the division’s form teams.

Saturday’s game at Glevum Park will kick-off at 3pm. Around 4:45pm, Rovers should have a better idea of the challenge they face for the remainder of the season.

TRFC.Logo

Saturday fixtures:

First XI v Binfield, 3pm @ Glevum Park

Upton St. Leonards v Reserves, 3pm

Thirds v Kingsway Rovers, 2:30pm @ Beaufort

Old Richians Reserves v Fourths, 1:30pm

Fifths v Sharpness 3rds, 12:30pm @ Winget

A disappointing weekend but a valuable point for the first team

A very valuable point for our Hellenic League side proved to be the only highlight of a fairly drab weekend for the club, as four games over Saturday and Sunday ended with three defeats in the other games.

With the in-form reserve team (10 games unbeaten) and trophy hunting fifth team not in action, all eyes were on Glevum Park, where a fairly depleted first team squad, missing six regular players, rode their luck at times, but secured a point against Flackwell Heath, with Joel ‘Digger’ White’s goal, on the stroke of half-time, cancelling out Mo Ceesay’s 28th minute header for the visitors. The game was played out in end-to-end fashion but Rovers were grateful to a superb Luke Merchant block, in the final seconds, to secure their point.

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Away from Glevum Park there were defeats for the two Stroud League sides in action, as the Fourths journey to Cotswold Rangers ended with a 3-1 defeat, despite Matt Stevens’ goal. The Thirds lost by the same margin, at home to Horlsey United, with Dave Cornock scoring for Dan Boon’s side.

Cornock was one of several regular players absent from the Veterans’ team on Sunday morning and although Mark Patterson’s squad scored three times – through Jon Corbett and a Shayne Bradley brace – Shipton Oliffe ran out 6-3 victors.

So, one point from a possible twelve doesn’t make pleasant reading…but that vital point for Mark Pritchett’s squad was a genuine silver lining.

A look back at the weekend…

Another mixed weekend for The Rovers

It was another mixed weekend for Tuffley Rovers’ side’s, with positive results for the Reserves and Thirds, alongside defeats for the other three sides.

After victory over the league leaders, Brimscombe & Thrupp, the previous weekend, the First XI travelled to Binfield full of optimism and went into the interval at 2-2, with goals from Kieran Alder and Warren Mann. However, the hosts were the better side in the second period and two goals in the last twenty minutes saw them win 4-2.

Our Reserves made it ten games unbeaten, as goals from Keiron Mace, Will Emery and Luke Troke were enough to see of FC Barometrics, 3-0, in the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League.

The Fourths crashed to a dispiriting 8-0 defeat at Avonvale United, whilst the Fifths succumbed to a late, solitary Cam Bulldogs 3rds’ goal, but the Thirds  did bring some Stroud League cheer, as Kyle Kennedy’s first half goal proved enough to separate them from Tetbury Town Reserves.

Overall a fair enough weekend. One heavy defeat, so defeats after good contests and two good wins! #uptherovers

A good weekend for The Rovers overall

Despite a first team defeat, away at Hellenic League title challengers Wantage Town, it was a good weekend for the club’s adult sides, with five wins from six games played.

Kieran Alder’s free-kick had given Rovers hope of leaving Wantage’s Alfredian Park with a point but Ben Cook’s 71st minute goal was enough for the hosts to record a 2-1 win.

The Reserves were in action at Glevum Park and extended their unbeaten run to nine games, as two Luke Troke goals were enough to secure a 2-0 victory over Upton St Leonards.

In the Stroud League there were victories for all three teams, as Josh Webb netted twice for the Thirds in a 4-1 win over Tredworth Tigers Reserves; Aiyenyo Patrick Uyi scores his first goal for the club, with almost  the last kick of the game, to secure three vital points for the Fourths, as they beat Alkerton Rangers 2-1; and the Fifths warmed up for their County Cup semi-final tie with a 6-0 win over Randwick 3rds, Alex Whiffen scoring twice in the process.

On Sunday the Vets retained their place at the top of the Gloucestershire FA Veterans League, with a 2-0 triumph over Shipton Oliffe. Dave Cornock scoring both goals.

Whether the weather is affecting our games (2 February)

Shrivenham game OFF and other fixtures affected

Today’s scheduled Uhlsport Hellenic League fixture against Shrivenham FC was postponed yesterday afternoon, after the Hellenic League’s Executive Committee made a pragmatic decision to postpone all competition fixtures, in order to avoid any unnecessary travel in the poor weather conditions.

All three Stroud & District League games also fell foul of the weather too, meaning that only one game is currently scheduled to go ahead, with our Reserves visiting Longlevens’ reserve team, in a 3pm KO at Longford Lane. Keep an eye on our social media pages for any updates on that fixture.

Sunday Summary – 26 & 27 January 2019…albeit on a Tuesday!

Apologies for the delay in publishing this week’s update, but the euphoria of a first team win took hold and attention turned away from updating the website!

All four of this weekend’s games took place on Saturday and it was a largely disappointing afternoon, with only one draw to accompany three Uhlsport Hellenic League, Premier Division points.

Mark Pritchett’s squad travelled to play Reading City and returned with a vital 2-0 win, courtesy of two late first-half goals from Jake Rhodes and Brett James and a determined second-half performance that ensured a first league win for almost four months, extending the side’s unbeaten Premier Division run to four games in the process.

The Reserves hosted one of the favourites for the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League title and finished the day with a creditable draw, as young substitute Jack Ellis scored an equalising goal in the second period, after the visitors had led at half-time. The draw extended Dan Gillespie’s side’s unbeaten run to six games, as well as cementing sixth place in the league table. Sharpness remain top of the table.

Only two Stroud League fixtures took place at the weekend and both ended in 5-2 defeats! Our Division Three side were beaten by Wickwar Wanderers, although Dan Boon’s weakened squad put in a terrific effort, with an Andy Meek brace of goals keeping them in the game for a period.

The Fourths continued a miserable run of form, as their 5-2 defeat at home to Old Richians could have been worse without a MoM performance from keeper Brad Newman. Youngster Alex Whiffen scored his first ever goal for the club, to accompany a second goal of the season from Ben Wadsworth, as Stephen Patton’s squad tried to mount a second-half comeback after trailing 3-0 at the interval.