Manor Farm 2-0 Willand Rovers: why you should care about non-league football.

By Sian Clarke, Second Year Ancient History, and Weronika Lecka, First Year Spanish and French

Pre-match anticipation and interview with the Captain Louis Britton:

After hanging out in the lounge and bar area, at around 14:50 we made our way to stands after the speakers were welcoming the supporters and announcing the line-ups for Manor Farm. We sat in the closest stand to the entrance and watched as the players and officials walked to the pitch.

The crowd was full of excitement as in the captain's own words: 'We haven't lost since Christmas, we're pretty confident' and winning would be 'massive if we want a chance at play offs'. Manor Farm FC were last in the play offs during the 2021/2022 season - the same season that saw the tragic passing of Geoffrey Sellek. Winning would hopefully allow them to be in the playoffs once again.

What have you done differently to prepare for this match after these draws? - We have mainly been working on finishing and defending, making sure that strikers are feeling confident.

For context, Manor Farm had been in a run of three successive draws.

The gameplay itself:

At the start Manor Farm dominated the match, creating multiple attacking chances and forcing the goalkeeper into multiple saves. Striker Louis Britton made multiple great runs and had good strength to win his physical battles with the defenders. Their goalkeeper Seth Locke also had a very confident performance, frequently coming off his line to sweep the ball and pass up field whilst producing great saves when tested. Despite receiving a booking, Louis Britton opened the scoring with a fantastic header in the box on the 22^nd minute from a wonderful cross by Dan Dodimead. It was a great opportunity to see the home support as everyone was chanting ‘Farmy Army!’, which showcased a great community support for the club. The rest of the half was a continuous battle between Manor Farm and Willand Rovers, which included a fantastic defensive clearance from both the Manor Farm defender Jacob Spence and goalkeeper Locke on the 33^rd minute to deny Willand from equalising. After many more attacking situations from both teams, the half finished 1-0 to Manor Farm.

After a 15-minute half-time break, the second half started, and the supporters were looking forward to another 45 minutes of a very close and entertaining match. Unfortunately, 5 minutes in, Spence received his second yellow card, and Manor Farm were down to 10. However, that did not stop the Manor Farm defence as they frequently made strong tackles in the box and clearances up field for Louis Britton to start potential counterattacks. Again, the two teams battled for the majority of the match, which entertained the spectators. As Manor Farm were attacking downhill in this half, many of the home supporters gathered behind the goal to bang the sponsor boards and wave their flags, which created a fantastic atmosphere and really showed how much the supporters are involved with the club and how their support influences the team to have a confident performance on the pitch. During stoppage time, Dan Dodimead was fouled in the box and the referee gave a penalty, which Louis Britton confidently put away, increasing the score to 2-0 and securing 3 points for the home side. Harry Lucas was nominated as the man of the match, however we personally thought that goalkeeper Seth Locke was the man of the match after a calm and confident display in the box.

Man of the Match Interview with Seth Locke:

What makes Manor Farm so special?

I think the fans the fans are. You guys probably heard them today. Chanting, singing, even when they sing my song, it's amazing. It's the best with flags, there's no better feeling than hearing the song sung or all of them [fans] getting behind you as there's a roar, as the ball is going down the hills, you're about to score and then when the bullet hits back of the net, there's no feeling like it. That’s why I ran the length of the pitch today, because I quite enjoy it.

I’m guessing that if you were to save a penalty, the supporters would be behind you chanting your name?

It’s unbelievable, they're amazing that's what keeps us going. They join us down the hill, up the hill, where we need to go and they just are that 12th man on the pitch to give us that little bit of help.

How are you guys going to prepare for the next matches?

We've just got to recover really well now. Really important for us to do our little bit, come in for training, work hard in training. Have a look at the opposition are good at and try to exploit them as much as possible and try and go on a bit of a run and push for a playoff place.

The importance of local sports - why should you care about non-league matches?

But enough about the gameplay – why should you care about local football? Where it’s no surprise that third spaces are disappearing, and clubs such as Manor Farm offer an affordable solution for students. If you purchase the £5 membership through their supporters society on the SU website, it gives you a heavily reduced ticket price to their home games (only a fiver!), cheap pints, and access to a welcoming community, all a mere £1.30 train return ticket away!*

Whilst non-league football is undoubtedly different to its counterpart, there are benefits you don’t receive attending Premier League games. On a wider scale, it removes the corporate corruption that is influencing the sports we all love – bringing it back to the reason behind its creation – to bring people together. For its supporters it offers proximity to the action unlike anywhere else. Indeed, seated mere feet from the pitch, we even faced the threat mid-match of a flying football ricocheting off the roof of the seating area. There is undoubtedly a sense of nostalgia associated with non-league sports, with the older generations reminiscing on the sports of their childhood - and that's a good thing! Additionally, hooliganism is an unfortunate - and often dangerous- reality of league sport, and the lack of segregation at Manor Farm's grounds prevented the fostering of such hatred, with supporters of either team enjoying a local beer in the bar before kickoff.

Through interviewing J.J Crosby, the EDI member of Manor Farm Supporters Society, we could visualise the love the sport creates. Crosby stated: that there's 'something quite romantic about being stood in minus 1, shivering huddled round a cup of Bovril that will burn your tongue if u try to drink it, huddled round a pitch for 90 minutes'.

Although our limbs had long lost feeling by the end of the afternoon, we couldn't help but agree. The visuals of the sunset, combined with the genuine care for the players and the player's appreciation for the community in return, is a beautiful reminder of what sports should be. But as Crosby. also revealed, they've faced setbacks trying to spread their support for the club.

'For reasons I can see but completely disagree with', his society was placed into the Hobbies section of the Bristol SU Welcome Fair, the opposite side of the Sports tent. This meant that anyone interested in football, who would have gone to the latter, would not have seen the society - preventing them from a substantial increase in membership as a result. Whilst you're not technically playing the sport, with the Bristol MotorSport Society in the sports tent (a society primarily dedicated to weekly pub watch along of F1 races), it only seems fair to place Manor Farm's dedicated supporters in their rightful place.

And to anyone interested in joining the society - they organise an equivalent of a GIAG (Give It A Go), at the beginning of each academic year - where tickets and pint prices are only £3, if shown valid Student ID.

Through speaking to a community supporter who was organising a Golden Goal (a raffle where if a goal is scored in the minute you've picked you win that day's collection) we heard first hand how much the club means to residents themselves. Citing the community as one big 'family' she explained how they've been here through thick and thin, how the familiar faces create a sense of belonging unlike anything you see on the TV. Even though we were both utterly new supporters, we never felt out of place, instead welcomed by everyone who greeted us: from the bar staff, to the children practicing their dribbling in a smaller pitch pre-match. Their captain was not wrong in calling it a 'family club' in the slightest.

Indeed, Bristol Uni students are a common sight in the stands, with roughly 30 attending every home game! And the eagerness of those present seamlessly matched the other supporters: decked in merchandise from the local store, banging the perimeters of the pitch during the free kicks, ecstatic cheering (and even flag waving) when Manor ultimately triumphed.

So if you're looking for a simple, cheap, and joyous way to beat the weekend blues, I urge you (and your mates) to head down to Sea Mills, grab some chips from their van, and lose yourself in the sport. There's really something for everyone!