Vets Team – Page 2 – Tuffley Rovers AFC

New Football Chair appointed

Tuffley Rovers have a new Football Chair, with the appointment of Dan Boon, as Interim Chair, following the decision of the previous incumbent, Neil Spiller, to step down from the role two weeks ago.

Spiller, who will remain at the club, had been holding a dual responsibility as Chairman and Football Secretary, but decided to call time on one of those roles, which created a vacancy and this has been filled, at least in the short-term, by 36-year-old Boon, who has been involved with the club since 2011.

The new Chair will now work alongside his predecessor, as well as Ken Blackburn, the Head of Football Development, as they look to shape the future of the club, with any ambitions for success undented by the recent change in leadership.

“The club has been moving in the right direction for some time, and so I’d like to pick up where Neil has left off, but working with him and the rest of the committee to put Tuffley Rovers in a position where we can offer facilities and a club culture that we can be proud of”, confirmed Boon.

“We need to look at creating an environment where all of our teams, coaches, spectators and anyone connected to the club enjoy their football, whilst we also become as competitive as possible, challenging for silverware in as many competitions as possible”, he added. “However, we also need to focus on player development and retention, so individuals can see a pathway to whichever level they aspire to play at, as well as establishing a much stronger community presence, creating partnerships with the local community and then with more organisations across Gloucester.”

The outgoing Chair, Spiller, was quick to welcome the appointment.

“I am delighted Dan, who is someone who has become increasingly involved in the club, has stepped up to take on this role”, he said. “I think we’ve made great progress in recent years, but I felt that we need to spread the load by stepping back from some of the responsibilities that come with being the Chairman”, he confirmed. “With Ken Blackburn’s role now clearly established, I thought it was a good time to hand over the reins and Dan is, in my view, the right person to take this forward.”

With plans to start the 2020/21 season still very much up in the air, Boon might have to wait a while for his first competitive football as Chairman, with none of the nine sides he’ll now lead yet clear on when their respective campaigns will start.

Sunday Summary – 6th & 7th December 2019

Our five games over the weekend all offered an element of positivity, albeit with the weekend ending in disappointing fashion, with our Ladies’ team going down to their first defeat of the season, conceding an 85th minute goal as they lost their top of the table clash with Tytherington Rocks Ladies. That result aside, it was a weekend largely made up of success, with three wins and a draw.

The first games to kick-off on Saturday, at 2pm, brought wins for our two lowest ranked Saturday sides. The Fourths, who have been much improved this season, secured a solid 4-2 win over Frampton United, with Jake Anderson scoring twice, alongside goals from Brad Poole and a first Rovers goal for Tyerese Douglas. More notably, the Fifths recorded a first league win of their season, following promotion at the end of 2018/19, as their blend of over 40s and under 18s scored all their goals in the second half, as they beat Randwick Reserves 5-0. One of the elder statesmen, Andy Blackwell, scored alongside a brace for substitute Henry Jordan, as well as goals for Jack Webb and William Cronshaw (Jnr).

In the 3pm KO on Saturday, our Player/Manager Mark Pritchett was the hero for his side, as he scored twice – the second a contender for goal of the season – in a 2-2 draw away at Windsor. Rovers had trailed to a 7th minute goal from Billy Montague, before Pritchett fired home a free-kick, and then fell behind moments before the interval, when Danny Horscroft finished off an excellent Windsor move. Pritchett’s wonder strike, midway through the half, after good work from Liam Wright, levelled the scores and despite a late onslaught on the hosts’ goal, their keeper stood firm and a few chances went begging, meaning Rovers returned with a potentially valuable point.

Sunday started well, with the Vets Reserves recording a fantastic victory against top of the table and previously unbeaten Southside Star, with Dave Cornock scoring twice and Kevin Schmitz securing the three points with a late, late free-kick.

Then came the biggest game of the weekend, as the Ladies travelled to face fellow title challengers Tytherington Rocks, with both sides holding 100% records in the league. Chloe Taylor’s goal gave Rovers the lead, but the hosts levelled scores deep into first-half injury time. A tremendous battle ensued in the second period and it looked like the game might be heading for a draw, but The Rocks struck again, five minutes from full-time, and the game went their way.

Overall, a good weekend for The Rovers, albeit without a maximum haul of points that might have been possible with just a little more luck! #uptherovers

*Pictures courtesy of Brian Rossiter – full albums can be viewed at Brian Rossiter – Flickr

Sunday Summary – 14th & 15th September….

Once again, this Sunday Summary is a look back at the past seven days and what a week it was….goals, goals, goals!!

The week started with a flurry of goals in a first team fixture, as Mark Pritchett’s side won their Banbury Litho Floodlit Cup tie 6-1 against Hellenic League, Division One (West) side Thornbury Town. Ross Langworthy and Jack Beardsell both had a brace within 24 minutes, before second half-goals from Pritchett and seventeen-year-old Niall Priday saw us to a comfortable win.

On Thursday, it felt a little like deja vu! Priday scored again (three times, in fact!) in a thumping 6-1 win for the U18s over Cinderford Town. The other goals came courtesy of Kai Jordan, Kyle Rogers and a sumptuous Charlie Holliday free-kick. A great start to the league season for our remodelled U18s squad.

The weekend’s action started with four games on Saturday and it was a generally disappointing day for the club. The Reserves’ good run came to an end, as Cam Bulldogs left Glevum Park with all three points, courtesy of a 3-2 win, after Mike Palmer’s squad had led 2-1 at the interval, thanks to goals from Priday (again!!) and a first Rovers goal for Xander Jones. That wasn’t the only disappointing result, as the Fourths lost 4-0, at home to North Nibley, and the Fifths succumbed to a 6-0 reverse at Chalford 3rds. The bright spot for Saturday came from the Thirds, who won 3-2 at home to Tibberton United – continuing their unbeaten start to the season – thanks to goals from Miracle Osabuohien, Alfie Fortey and Cory Anderson.

If Saturday was a little disappointing, Sunday was altogether different and full of goals!

The opening game on Sunday saw a first win for our new Veterans Reserves side, with Dave Cornock scoring four times in a 5-3 win over Grays Athletic. Debutant Chris Gooch got the other goal, as Rob Wordley’s side recovered from 3-1 down, with less than fifteen minutes remaining!

Our final game of the week/weekend saw a moment of history, with a first ever open-aged Women’s team playing under the Rovers banner…and what a way to start! The newest of all the Rovers teams travelled to Winchcombe Town and won 14-0 in a superb performance. Chloe Taylor and Holly Kay scored five apiece, whilst Jayne Papps got a brace, to go with goals from Jade Papps and Lizzie Barstow in a fantastic opening day victory. If that wasn’t a good way to end a goal-filled week, albeit one with mixed results, what more could you want? #uptherovers

Sunday Summary – 7th & 8th September 2019…or that was the week that was!

Various commitments have meant that we haven’t posted our usual summary over the past two weekends, so it seems right to spend a little time looking back at the last week, rather than simply confining this update to the weekend alone. Not a hugely successful week, but quite a few positives amidst all the positives!

A win, at last, for the first team on Tuesday evening, as a Ross Langworthy brace and a goal from Brett James proved enough to secure a 3-2 win over Shrivenham at Barrington Park. The game seemed to be going comfortably in Rovers’ favour, but a late Antonio Gerrish goal made it 3-2 and by the time the official’s whistle sounded, we were probably glad the game was over!

The Reserves then provided another positive on Wednesday evening, as the young squad held one of the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League title favourites, Chalford, to a 0-0 draw. Brad Newman made a couple of great saves, whilst debutant Xander Jones went close to scoring a winner.

Unfortunately, the U18s couldn’t keep the positive streak going and lost their FA Youth Cup tie 3-1. The hosts had led 2-0 but a late, late Niall Priday goal gave Rovers hope, before Cinderford Town scored in the dying seconds of the game.

When Saturday came, we had a real mixed bag of performances. The worst result of the day saw the Fifths thumped 5-0 by Minchinhampton Reserves, in Stroud League Division Five, although Will Cronshaw’s young team competed well after trailing 4-0 at half-time.

There were wins for the Fourths (Matt Stevens and Jake Anderson with the goals in a 2-1 victory at Alkerton Rangers) and the Reserves, with Ash Bird getting a GNSL hat-trick as Mike Palmer’s side triumphed 6-0 away at Taverners.

The other two Saturday games ended in a draw. Dan Boon’s third team led through Alfie Fortey’s first-half goal, before a late equaliser for hosts Wickwar Wanderers, but the real drama was at Glevum Park. The first team went 3-1 down after 81 minutes and their hopes of a result against Windsor looked dashed, until Tyreece Briscoe and Langworthy managed to conjure up goals in the 84th and 97th minute to make it 3-3.

With the Ladies’ game lost from Sunday’s schedule, after opponents Cribbs withdraw from the league, there was only one game on Sunday and it ended in a convincing win for Mark Patterson’s Veterans’ side, who beat Cheltenham Civil Service 4-1 at All Saints Academy.

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.

Win one, draw one, lose two…

Looking back at the weekend, a little later than planned, and although the results weren’t great, there were a few positives. Now, if we start with the negatives, it will probably feel less painful!

A thumping 3-0 defeat, in a fairly drab affair, saw the first team fail to achieve mathematical certainty of their place in the 2019/20 Hellenic League Premier Division. Antonio Gerrish scored twice for the visitors – who extended their unbeaten league run to 17 games – and Nathan Blackford got the other, in front of a crowd of 79 at Glevum Park.

The Veterans were the victims of an even heavier defeat, going down 5-0 against Shurdington Rovers on Sunday, with that victory putting Shurdy in pole position to secure the Gloucestershire FA Veterans League, Division One (North) title.

It does start to get a little more positive from here….

First, we had the Fifths securing an excellent 0-0 draw at home to Cashes Green, which keeps them up and around the top teams in Stroud League Division Six. Youngsters Alex Whiffen and William Cronshaw Jnr continue to impress for the side, with the blend of youth and veteran players proving a real success.

The result of the weekend went to the Thirds, who defeated their Quedgeley Wanderers counterparts 2-0, thanks to goals from Josh Webb and Niall Priday making the difference. One notable event was the selection of Ethan Ravenhill as captain for the game; the seventeen year old surely becoming one of the youngest ever players to captain a senior side.

Ethan was congratulated on this achievement by third team manager, Dan Boon.

The other highlight of the weekend was the Tuffley Rovers U8s visit to our first team fixture. What a great bunch of youngsters and thanks to Jason Merrett for helping to organise their attendance at the game. Hopefully one or two of them will be playing at Glevum Park in ten years’ time!

Versatility the key, as Rovers prepare for in-form visitors

Tuffley Rovers are within touching distance of securing their place in the 2019/20 Hellenic League Premier Division, with only a disastrous series of results in the closing weeks of the season capable of pushing them back into the relegation places, as they welcome the division’s form team, Shrivenham, to Glevum Park tomorrow.

When Mark Pritchett’s side travelled to tomorrow’s visitors in late-October, the two sides looked set for a tough season, with Gareth Davies’ side bottom of the table and Rovers two points ahead of them. By the end of that game, a late Sean McKeon winner, gave ten-man Shrivenham the three points, pushing them above Rovers and they’ve moved steadily up the table ever since. Both sides now have three games to play and a remarkable run of form – fourteen wins from their last sixteen games and no defeats – has propelled Shrivenham to fifth place, 27 points clear of Rovers, who lie in 16^th place.

That gap will tell Pritchett that his side, who need a point to achieve mathematical certainty that they are safe from the drop, are in for a tough challenge, but Pritchett still believes his charges can gain revenge for that earlier defeat and achieve safety at the same time.

“Shrivenham have been on a brilliant run, going sixteen unbeaten, having been bottom when we played them last”, he confirmed. “Despite that, I believe we are in good form ourselves and are capable of putting an end to their long unbeaten run. As we aren’t 100% safe, we know we need the points, so there is a real incentive to perform and get a result.”

Injuries and non-availability have forced Pritchett to regularly change his line-up during the season but they have collected fifteen points from their last seven home games, an unbeaten run dating back to the start of the New Year, and the Rovers boss owes much of that excellent form to an increasing level of versatility in his squad.

Luke Payne, Rhys Davies and Luke Troke have all joined the squad since the October defeat against Shrivenham and all three have shown a capability to play in numerous positions, giving Pritchett plenty of options when selecting his squad.

Payne should be back in the squad for Saturday’s game, after missing the win against Binfield last time out, although another player who has filled a number of positions, Sam Hill, is unavailable. Brad Loveridge is also absent, whilst Dominik Kent is back in the frame, after a couple of outings for the Reserves since he too missed that win against Binfield.

With the opportunity to shape their own destiny – as well as the potential to finish as high as 12^th still a possibility – Rovers have plenty to play for and when the game kicks off at Glevum Park (3pm), Pritchett will almost certainly field a squad versatile and capable enough to leave him confident that they’ll rise to meet the challenge posed by Davies’ visiting team.

Other games on Saturday, 13 April:

Thirds v Quedgeley Wanderers 3rds, Beaufort, 2:30pm

Fifths v Cashes Green, Winget, 2:30pm

Sunday, 14 April:

Shurdington Rovers v Veterans, 10am, All Saints Academy

NB: Photographs courtesy of Brian Rossiter

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.

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.

Sunday Summary (9/10 March). Monday edition!

A great weekend, despite some mixed results!

Our senior teams had a mixed weekend, with two wins and two defeats, but a win by the first team was a genuine highlight of the season, not just the weekend!

The Hellenic League Premier Division leaders, Brimscombe & Thrupp, arrived at Glevum Park on Sunday, less than three weeks after a 2-1 triumph over Rovers in the reverse fixture, top of the table. They left with without any points, as an inspired display from Rovers took Mark Pritchett’s side to a 1-0 victory, courtesy of Jake Rhodes’ 19th minute goal.

Highlights are available via Gloucestershire Grassroots Sport, courtesy of Mike Watkins. Photographs from the game can be accessed via Brian Rossiter’s Flikr page.

The Fifths continued their good form, too, with a thumping 4-0 win over Cotswold Rangers Reserves. Sixteen year-old Alex Whiffen scored again, taking his total to seven goals in eleven games, to add to a brace from another young player, Charlie Agg, and a first of the season for veteran, Iain Buckingham.

Buckingham was then part of the Sunday Veterans’ side who went down 5-1 against Shurdington Rovers, at All Saints Academy in one of two defeats over the weekend. The other game saw the Fourths succumb to a 1-0 defeat against Cotswold Rangers’ first team.

Despite the two defeats suffered by the club’s sides, it was a good weekend given the excellent win against Brimscombe.

NB: Images courtesy of Brian Rossiter

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.