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Rockies Review
Tuesday 5th August 2025
🏆 Emirates FA Cup
Extra Preliminary Round Replay-
Shaftesbury vs Baffins Milton Rovers
‘Continental or a full English Sir?
By Avril Lancaster
With a treasure trove of riches in his squad ‘Rockies ‘ manager Jim Milligan may have well pondered from his dugout or over his Sunday morning coffee and papers on what was a rather untidy affair at the PMC Stadium on Saturday.
Perhaps in Hampshire as Baffins gaffer Matt Powell contemplates walking the dog or going to the car wash, he may think “We could of nailed them Saturday. ” A midweek trip up here on a Tuesday to be fair is not what anyone would be wanting.
We will be bright eyed and bushy tailed. We will want to win this, then take on Thatcham Town in the Preliminary Round. There is fruit on tree to be had in making the 1st/2nd Qualifying rounds.Milligan may well speak of ‘hunger’ to the players pre match.
What were the respective gaffers thoughts after Saturday’s draw in Hampshire on Sunday morning!?
Milligan knows the early rounds of the Emirates FA Cup can be a scruffy mare. Step 4 sides are prone to getting biffed by their former peers and last season we cantered past Bournemouth FC 4-0 at this stage before our first season at Step 4 commenced.
Baffins Milton Rovers certainly gave a good account of themselves and having missed out in the play off lottery they do look a side that could well be at Step 4. Their near neighbours Horndean, Moneyfields and Fareham Town and AFC Portchester have done and the region is enhanced by this.
Baffins Milton Rovers are very much part of a thriving non league scene on the South Coast along with Havant & Waterlooville and Gosport Borough. All these clubs have Wessex League pedigree and history.
Jack Lovell in action on Saturday.
So let’s get into the nuts and bolts of Saturday. Jonathan Hill was steady in goal. He is a Southern League standard keeper and looked more settled after the chaos of pre season was finally over.
Brandon Holmes looked composed when he came on as did Sonny Pike at a time when you would probably have put a few quid on Baffins Milton Rovers to nick it. Here are two players that provide the balance even though Milligan has ensured competition for places is at a high level.
Milligan will be mindful on the performance today. Photo – Charlie Hansford.
Moss Jackson-Collis and Leighton Thomas applied a bit of pressure when on as substitutes on a Baffins side perturbed by a 3-2 loss at Cowes Sports in Tuesday night’s opener in the Velocity Wessex League Premier Division. Jackson-Collis has pace in abundance. Thomas can get in on defenders. He is strong and quick.
On a well kept pitch our rhythm section of Alefe Santos DAbadia, Harry Baker and Luke Burbidge, despite their unquestionable ability, often found themselves swarmed by the home sides crab like defence which shackled the pinchers on them.
There wasn’t a flow. Toby Holmes created a few chances. Holmes is a player of pedigree and wants to get the goals, he was frustrated by this. Perhaps he is so used to Step 3 it’s maybe like switching from a manual car to an automatic car. It’s not always as straight forward as it may seem.
Cameron Beard, Charlie Rayfield and Jim Ward did their jobs, as did Jack Lovell in opening the scoring. Liam Farrugia as ever put in a shift. That doesn’t even need to be questioned when it comes to the former Bashley defender.
Farrugia is a soldier in defence. He has been with us in some darker days when chairman Steve Coffen had to put the clubs budgets on a par in 2022/23 following the 2021/22 season. The next season we won promotion to Step 4 via the play offs.
Brandon Munday vs Baffins Milton Rovers.
So, Baffins Milton Rovers. Charlie Massinbird certainly made his mark as a recent addition to Matt Powell and Pete Stiles war cabinet. Lewis Beale looked quick up top as did Danny Burroughs.
In my view on seeing them today I was quite surprised they lost their opening game on the Isle of Wight, though a visit to Cowes Sports offers little change to anyone, ourselves included in recent seasons.
Thatcham Town await the winners having seen off Petersfield Town 2-0 at Waterside Park and no doubt Tuesday night will see a different game with Baffins last three visits seeing a 3-0 win and two 3-1 defeats. Prepare yourselves for a hair brained cup tie on Tuesday night. It’s the FA Cup!
📸 Action photos- Avril Lancaster
Trungle Park- Mousehole AFC have risen from the Cornwall Combination League to pushing for a place in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Division South.
Mousehole AFC- Chenowith, Lewis (Konte 9), Barratt (Keverne 89), Ward, Turner, Calver, Nixon (Derham 78), Symons, Bernard (Ranalli Sousa 86), Fresenda, Massey (Sullivan 78)
Shaftesbury- Murphy, McKeown, Beard, Cocklin (McCann 68), Nixon (Wright 19), Davidson, Rogers (Thomas Young 72), Santos DAbadia (Satterley 64), Burbidge, Hoey (Almedia 86), Holmes
Officials – N.D’Arcy, D.England, C.Hancock
Booked – Beard 31, Satterley 79, Milligan (Technical Area) 45+3. Sullivan 90+4
Attendance- 199
🌟 Star Man – Toby Holmes. Worked hard all game and even though this was a game against a good side that finished well and are very good team you could see Holmes Southern League experience will help the team in the up coming games.
See highlights of this game – Way Out West (YouTube) and also featured on https://youtube.com/@footballtravel-k4s?si=6_-wa1sUQKlNR4l9
Pitching In Southern League South results-Bemerton Heath Harlequins 1 Exmouth Town 0, Bideford AFC 1 Yate Town 1, Bishops Cleeve 3 Didcot Town 0, Bristol Manor Farm 0 Tavistock AFC 3, Cinderford Town 2 Thatcham Town 2, Evesham United 2 Cribbs 0, Helston Athletic 1 Larkhall Athletic 1, Malvern Town 5 Bashley 2, Melksham Town 3 Willand Rovers 0, Mousehole AFC 5 Shaftesbury ,Westbury United 2 Falmouth Town 1
Photos- Avril Lancaster, Tim Lancaster (Tim’s Ground Travels)
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