In the first home game of the 2016/2017 pre-season, Weston fell to a 3-1 defeat against local giants Bristol Rovers.
The initial starting 11 for the evening consisted of Luke Purnell in goal; Sekani Simpson and Syd Camper as full-backs, with temporary captain Clayton Fortune next to Ollie Barnes taking position in the centre of defence. Jacob Cane started with Ashely Kington in central midfield and Joe McClennan lined-up out wide with Jake Mawford on the opposite flank. Trialist Elliot Richards was joined by Tristan Plummer up front to complete the team.
The match started off at a good pace, with both teams taking long shots but neither able to create any clear cut chances. 10 minutes in and Rovers took charge, Gaffney glancing a free header into the back of the net off the crossbar. It didn’t take long for Rovers’ to double their lead when at the 20 minute mark Fortune conceded a dubious penalty that Jermaine Easter clinically tucked away. Weston then began to get a foothold in the game, with Mawford becoming an increasing presence on the pitch. In the 39th minute the ball was cut back to Plummer who then picked out Richards with a volleyed pass, who tucked the ball away through the legs of the defender to score. The teams went into the break with the scores at 1-2.
Half time saw Camper, Plummer and Cane replaced by Withey, Davis and Mullings. It took only 2 minutes for Rovers to once again extend their lead to 2 goals, with Jamie Lucas scoring on his return to The Woodspring to make it 1-3.
After that the game really slowed down, Rovers appeared happy to keep hold of the ball and the Seagulls were left to chase the ball for the remaining minutes, however both Davis and Mattis looked extremely promising as well as the rest of the substitutes used. The game finished at 1-3, and the main positive that Weston can take from the game is the experience gained from playing against quality opposition and of course the match can only help improve the squad’s match fitness.
Weston XI: Purnell, Simpson (Wring 58), Camper (Mullings HT), Cane (Withey HT), Barnes, Fortune, McClennan (Ripley 75), Plummer (Davis HT), Richards (Mattis 63), Mawford, Kington