Manor Farm take on fellow play-off contenders Evesham and Willand in this season’s big Easter weekend, and Jack Davies runs us through what we can expect from both fixtures.
The Farm’s recent run of four wins in a row was halted by defeat to Mousehole last week but there is still plenty of confidence going into what’s surely a ‘make or break’ weekend. Attackers Jayden Nielsen, George Kellow and Dan Dodimead all have goals in big games since the turn of Spring whilst midfield duo Theo Llewelyn and Jamie Adams have struck up a very solid partnership of late.
Evesham are always contenders, having narrowly lost a play-off semi-final last season and whilst sitting poised in seventh, this. The Robins have been on a rollercoaster of a run since Christmas. A sequence of wins was followed by one win in seven and Evesham are currently two without a win. There are plenty of goals in the side, including Levi Steele and Ethan Moran, who both have previous against Farm.
Willand are one of a huge cluster of teams who are mid table but only five points from the final play-off spot. An excellent start to the season saw Rovers flying high at the summit before a drop off since the turn of the year. They currently have just one win in nine but that was an excellent win away to Tavistock. The spine of the side are familiar faces. Owen Howe’s 74 goals for Farm ensures he’ll always be a cult hero and centre back Josh Ford had several fine seasons, including the famous run to a play-off final two years ago.
Evesham Factfile:
Nickname – The Robins
Manager – Mike Ford
Stadium – Spiers and Hartwell Stadium
Star man – Levi Steele
Last game – 2-0 defeat to Bashley
Last season – 3-2 defeat to Frome
Fun fact – Starting at Farm, Evesham won four games in just eight days to make the play-offs last season.
Willand Factfile:
Nickname – Rovers
Manager – David Steele
Stadium – Silver Street
Star man – Owen Howe
Last game – 2-0 defeat to Bashley
Last season – 15th
Fun fact – They reached the Fa Vase quarter final in 2019.