Pitching In Southern League Division 1 (South)
Tuesday 13th October 2026
Shaftesbury vs Slimbridge AFC
‘Rockies looking to get heads up after crushing home defeat’
By Avril Lancaster
Andy Struthers and Jim Milligan will be looking to get the ‘Rockies ‘ back on track on Tuesday night against Slimbridge AFC.
📸 – Ben Chandler Photography
Shaftesbury welcomed back Luke Burbidge once again to stabilise the team and he couldn’t have faced much of a more difficult test than a Tiverton Town side looking to have found it’s form on Saturday.
The visit of Slimbridge AFC sees the Gloucestershire bottom.of the table woth Shaftesbury in 15th place with ten points from thirty three available so neither side is troubling the form table at present.
Apart from a 7-2 defeat at home to Swindon Supermarine the ‘Swans’ have gained six points and went down 2-0 on Saturday at Exmouth Town. There are no certain three home points in this league and as our injury crisis slightly softens with Ollie Hughes and Jim Ward returning as substitutes on Saturday. Ward’s return would add balance.
Santos DAbadia getting back to form despite Saturday’s defeat.
📸 Photo- Ben Chandler Photography
Ward has been our Mr Reliable. An honest and hard working player that always gives his all be it at Laverstock & Ford or here. Ward was very much a part of our team that made the Division 1 (South) play off final and like Brandon Mundy one of those players who when at full fitness writes himself onto the team board. Every club has such players. You could see them in Tiverton Town’s side on Saturday. Be interesting to see what they do next.
We need to simply keep using this season to etch out as many points as we can as Jim Milligan and Andy Struthers haven’t had the rub of the green others have at present. Things can change. What we do know is we have the players capable of doing so.
Slimbridge AFC
Slimbridge AFC have taken six points from eight games and recently defeated Portland United 1-0 at Thornhill Park with Joseph Stokes scoring the winner. Last seasons Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division Champions have been in every game with the exception of a 4-0 defeat at Worcester Raiders and the Swindon Supermarine game the only heavy losses they have incurred so far.
Willand Rovers (FA Trophy), Larkhall Athletic and Bristol Manor Farm have all taken narrow wins at the clubs ground in the village of Cambridge (near Dursley), though only by one goal. Hungerford Town took away a 3-1 Emirates FA Cup win there, though Slimbridge did win 1-0 at Swindon Supermarine in the Isuzu FA Trophy and that should act as a warning thst they can turn in results.
That had followed a 2-0 win at Paulton Rovers in the same competition in August, alongside knocking out Burnham after a replay in the Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round and Pitching In Southern League Division 1 (Central) Mk Irish on penalties (after a replay in the Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round) before going onto win 4-1 at Baffins Milton Rovers in the 1st Qualifying Round. Slimbridge eventually went out to Hungerford Town in the 2nd Qualifying Round as previously mentioned.
A single goal by Jack Smith gave Slimbridge AFC a 1-0 win at Falmouth Town in the league showing they can win on the road after a long trip to Cornwall. That was a performance that shows they are a capabl side and they play some good football from the YouTube footage I have seen of them.
Goalscorers have included Stokes, Leighton Green and Ollie Sully. They have shown despite their league position that they can arrive here knowing that as it stands they have a chance. No one should underestimate them.
Recent Form Guide
Shaftesbury
Worcester Raiders (H) (PISLS1)W 3-0 Pitman, Tooze, Rayfield
Larkhall Athletic (A) (PISLS1) W 2-1
Pitman, Regula
Willand Rovers (H) D (PISLS1) D1-1 Pitman
SC Inkberrow (A) (PISLS1) L 1-3 Murray
Tiverton Town (H) (PISLS1) L 1-4 Pitman (Pen)
WWDLL
Slimbridge AFC
Falmouth Town (A) (PISLS1) W 1-0 Smith
Larkhall Athletic (H) (PISLS1) L 0-1
Bristol Manor Farm (H) (PISLS1) L 1-2 Stokes
Portland United (H) (PISLS1) W 1-0 Stokes
Exmouth Town (A) (PISLS1) L 0-2
WLLWL
Fun Fact – As Hellenic League Premier Division champions in 2006/07 Slimbridge AFC were promoted to the BGB Southern League Midland Division as it was then for the 2007/08 season. They are one of a number of clubs that have competed in both the South/South West Division and Midland/Central Divisions.