Tuffley end season on a high thanks to Rhodes’ injury time winner
Jake Rhodes’ injury time header saw Tuffley Rovers end their 2023/24 season with a 1-0 win over Hereford Lads Club – bringing the curtain down on a positive season for the club.
Rhodes rose like a salmon to meet Henry Birkett’s corner to secure Rovers their 13th league win of the season – their most amount of wins in a Hellenic Premier season since the 2017/18 season.
The win sees Neil Mustoe’s side end the season with a fantastic run of form, with only one defeat in their last eight league games and ending the season on an eight game unbeaten run at home.
The game itself looked destined to end goalless, in a game that saw both sides struggle for quality on a windy afternoon.
Both sides were reduced to ten men in the second half, with Sam Hunt dismissed for an incident with Callum McGuirk just before the hour mark and Joel White given a second yellow card with just over ten minutes to go.
But the hosts would go on to clinch the win with Rhodes’ ninth goal in his twenty appearances over the season..
The game started with limited goalmouth action and Lads Clubs’ Isaac Powell denied by a superb Billy Thomas save, with the only effort of the first half an hour.
James Hancocks and Saul Thomas had great chances for the visitors in the first 25 minutes, but neither could find the target from around the edge of the box, with Thomas’ effort a particularly clear cut one.
Jake White had Tuffley’s first chance of the half, but fired over from the edge of the box – before Henry Birkett side stepped towards the right of the box and saw his effort well saved.
The second half saw both sides battling hard, but after an initial off-the-ball disagreement, Hunt and McGuirk would come together again soon after – this time, Hunt given his marching orders for shoving McGuirk into the fence around the pitch.
A couple of questionable decisions saw the visitors issued with a number of bookings – in particular Rory Thompson, who’s booking felt particularly harsh.
Substitute Liam Smith hooked an effort wide after a knockdown, before Birkett curled over as Tuffley looked to make the man advantage count.
But with just over 10 minutes to go, Joel White, who was awarded the Severn Sport Player of the Month for March pre-game, was dismissed after a second yellow for a challenge.
And just as the game was entering into injury time, Tuffley won a corner – with Birkett’s in-swinging ball was planted home by Rhodes.
The result caps off a promising campaign for Tuffley, who will finish 14th in the Hellenic Premier and it gives Mustoe’s side something to build on going into the 2024/25 season.
Hereford Lads Club still have one game left of their season, with their game away at Worcester City still yet to be put in the calendar.
Tuffley Rovers: Thomas, McGuirk, Clifford, Herbert, Joel White, Birkett, Jake White, Bevan, Walters, Rhodes, Chambers
Subs: Roberts, Lander, Blackford, Smith, Victor
Hereford Lads Club: Sterry, Griffiths, Hunt, McCormack, Plane, Cuthbertson, Walby, Powell, Thomas, Hancocks, Thompson
Subs: Allport, Guinane, Marsh, Rose, Bell
C Martin Roofing Man of the Match – Henry Birkett (Tuffley Rovers)
READ MORE: Check out the full list of results in and around Gloucestershire this Saturday right here
