WEST COUNTRY FOOTBALL

Tag: Shepton Mallet AFC

  • Muddy Waters.

    Muddy Waters.

    The Intro
    The Ground
    The Match
    The Photos

    – Saturday 28th October 2023
    – 15:00 Kick Off
    – Attendance: 369
    – Distance Travelled: 88 miles
    – Full Photo Gallery

    – Western League – Premier Division
    – Fairfax Park, Bridgwater
    – Weather: Heavy rain
    – Admission: £8
    – Programme: £2

    Intro

    Two teams in pretty decent form meet today as 3rd plays 8th. Shepton Mallet haven’t lost in the league since the end of September as they succumbed 4-0 away at 4th place Brixham. Probably their most memorable result so far this season would be the 3-1 away win over Falmouth Town – the Cornish side doing well in 5th position. Sadly for Shepton they are already out of both the FA Cup and Vase; losing in a replay to Sherborne Town in the Cup, before slipping to a 2-1 home defeat to Barnstaple Town in the Vase.

    Bridgwater United occupy 3rd spot in the League, but in fact their last league game ended in a shock 1-0 loss to mid-table St Blazey. Before that blip they had won every match since their narrow FA Cup loss to Southern League Premier outfit Salisbury FC. That cup run began with a win over Liskeard Athletic, before they thrashed Street FC 4-0 in the next round. The only time Bridgwater have failed to score this season was in that loss to St Blazey so they should be confident of scoring today.

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  • No Ill Feelings.

    No Ill Feelings.

    SHEPTON MALLET AFC 2 – 2 ILFRACOMBE TOWN

    The Intro
    The Ground
    The Match
    The Photos

    – Saturday 29th October 2022
    – 15:00 Kick Off
    – Attendance: 223
    – Full Photo Gallery

    – Western League – Premier Division
    – The Playing Fields, Shepton Mallet
    – Weather: Mild, Cloudy
    – Admission: £8

    Intro

    Both these sides will be buoyed by good midweek results in their respective local cup competitions; Shepton beating Welton Rovers 4-1 away from home in the Les Phillips Cup, while Ilfracombe were at home to a young Plymouth Argyle side and beat them 1-0 in the Devon St. Luke’s Bowl. Despite the same fortunes midweek, it’s today’s hosts who will be more pleased with the start to their campaign.

    They currently sit in 3rd with four games in hand over 1st and 2nd. Admittedly, Mallet have been coming through something of a blip having recently lost to top side Bridgwater and mid-table Falmouth, and drawn at home with 16th place Cadbury Heath. A monumental start to the season saw Shepton win their opening 8 games and reach the 2nd Qualifying Round of the FA Cup for the first time. They faced Weston-Super-Mare in that historic match, but eventually succumbed to the Southern League side 1-0. Funnily enough Shepton revisited the seaside in the Somerset Cup less than 3 weeks later, that time losing 3-1 to Weston.

    North Devon side Ilfracombe’s last league match was a morale-boosting 8-0 thrashing of Welton Rovers, and The Bluebirds are a comfortable 11th place in the table. The FA Cup and Vase bore little fruit for them this season – in the Cup they eventually overcame Sherborne Town after a replay, before losing to Southern League Division One Willand Rovers. They crashed out of the Vase at the first time of asking to Cornish outfit Camelford. A couple of decent draws against high-flying Bridgwater, and 5th place Mousehole, show that Ilfracombe are certainly capable of getting a result today.

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  • Hammer Time

    Hammer Time

    Westbury United 1 – 4 Shepton Mallet AFC

    The Intro
    The Ground
    The Match
    The Photos

    Saturday 23rd July 2022

    Preseason – Friendly

    15:00 Kick Off

    Meadow Lane, Westbury

    Attendance: c100 (estimate)

    Cloudy, warm, breezy

    Full Photo Gallery

    Admission: £ FREE

    Intro

    A successful first season in the Hellenic League Premier Division (after a lateral movement from the Western League) saw Westbury United promoted as runners up, meaning this season they will compete in the Southern League for the first time. An opening couple of months saw them suffer 3 of their eventual 4 defeats of the season failed to suggest that they would win promotion, however a run of 16 games undefeated saw them fly up the table. Poor FA Cup and FA Vase runs would’ve eased fixture congestion, which is not to suggest that the White Horse Men would’ve been happy about their early exits from these competitions. A 4-2 win over Wessex League Christchurch in the Extra-Preliminary Round of the FA Cup showed early promise. However another Dorset team – Hamworthy United – would make the trip to Wiltshire in the next round and come away with the victory. Hamworthy were just getting started on a very successful season – promotion from the Wessex League Premier Division, and coming within a hair’s breadth of a Wembley final only to lose on penalties in the FA Vase semi-finals. There was no such success to be had for Westbury in the FA Vase as they crashed out at the first time of asking at home against Alresford Town. It will be interesting to see how well United adapt to Southern League football in the coming months, with survival surely their initial aim.

    Shepton Mallet came a very respectable 6th place in what is becoming a really strong and competitive Western League Premier Division. Now featuring teams from Cornwall, and more from Devon, this League has seen a sharp increase in miles travelled for all teams involved. However, there are plans afoot to restructure the Leagues in the South West in time for the 2023/24 season which should help combat those long hours on the motorway. A strong start to the season saw Shepton keep clean sheets in all 4 of their opening games and pulling off 6-0, 7-0 and 5-0 wins over Cadbury Heath, Bridport (who would end up relegated at the season’s end), and Ashton & Backwell respectively. A decent FA Cup run saw the Somerset side beat Andover New Street after a replay, then knock out Southern League Melksham Town in the Preliminary Round. The reward was a home tie against Taunton Town who, by the end of the season would see themselves promoted to the National Leaugue South after winning the Southern League Premier Division South. Sadly for The Mallet they found The Peacocks in a ruthless mood that day and were convincingly beaten 8-1. In the FA Vase Shepton faced off against a couple of League rivals in the opening rounds: travelling to, and beating Exmouth Town in the 1st Qualifying Round, then hosting Cornish side Mousehole in the next game but coming up short and losing 1-0. Exmouth would be promoted alongside Tavistock at the end of the season; both teams will be coming up against today’s hosts in the impending Southern League season. Will Shepton Mallet be able to improve on last season and really push for promotion? Time will tell.

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  • Better Late Than Never

    Better Late Than Never

    Bradford Town 2 – 1 Shepton Mallet AFC
    Western League – Premier Division
    Wednesday 12th February 2020
    Trowbridge Road, Bradford-on-Avon
    Attendance: 111

    Bradford Town have been enjoying a fruitful season since I last visited in pre-season. Currently sitting top of the Western League despite their exploits in the FA Vase meaning they have games in hand over some of the chasing pack. However, their attempts to reach Wembley were dashed at the weekend as they went down 3-1 at home to Leighton Town of the Spartan South Midlands League. Winning all four league games so far this calendar year, Town should remain confident of challenging Plymouth Parkway for promotion to the Southern League, but will find tonight’s opponents – currently 4th – stiff opposition.

    Shepton Mallet are 7 points behind their hosts but have played a couple more games, having been knocked out of the FA Vase back in October. They are in a rich vein of form, winning the last 6 matches, going all the way back to a 4-0 win over Odd Down on Boxing Day. While a late push for promotion is not out of the question, it will be a tough ask for the Somerset side with only one automatic promotion spot and only 2nd place entering the play-offs. This should be a great contest!

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