Bristol Rovers WFC v Keynsham Town Ladies, FA Women’s National League, The AJN Stadium, Sunday 30th November, 2:00 pm
Bristol Rovers travel to Keynsham this Sunday for their first meeting of the season, returning to league action after their unfortunate FA Cup exit.
The Gas Girls had enjoyed an impressive cup run, but their journey came to an end with a hard-fought 3–1 defeat to a strong Fulham side at the Mem. An early own goal and two further first-half strikes left Rovers with work to do, though Meg Jarvis pulled one back with a superb solo finish as the team pushed throughout the second half. With cup duties now behind them, the Gas Girls shift their focus solely to the league, where they currently sit in a promising third place.
Post-match, TJ Gauvain reflected on the disappointment of the result but highlighted the positives from a strong second-half display, noting that the team “dominated possession” and “moved the ball really well.” Looking ahead to Sunday, TJ encouraged the squad to “believe in ourselves” and take “full confidence in what we did well into Sunday,” adding that if Rovers continue to move the ball as they did, “some teams in the league won’t get near us.”
Opposition...
Now known as Keynsham Town Ladies, the club was founded in 1993 as ‘Super Strikers Girls Football’, originally competing in local six-a-side leagues at under 11 level. As the club grew, the team progressed through the age groups and enjoyed several successful periods. Last season, they finished sixth in the table, but also celebrated notable achievements, including winning the Women’s Senior Somerset County Cup after a victory over Yeovil Town Ladies. In addition, much like the Gas Girls, Keynsham enjoyed an impressive FA Cup run, reaching the fourth round and facing WSL opposition.
This season, they currently sit tenth in the table after a challenging start, with their only win secured on opening day as a 2–0 victory over Marine Academy Plymouth. Since then, their league campaign has seen four losses and four draws. Their most recent league outing ended goalless at home to Ascot United, and last weekend they exited the FA Cup after a 2–1 defeat to Dartford.
Last meeting…
Last season, the sides won each in the league. In the first meeting at Keynsham, the hosts claimed victory thanks to a second-half strike from Scarlett Mills. The Gas Girls endured a difficult afternoon, collecting two yellow cards and an early red, leaving them to play with ten players for much of the match.
In the reverse fixture, Rovers responded strongly, earning a 1-0 win of their own courtesy of a second-half goal from Chloe Bassett. The teams also met in the WNL Plate, where Keynsham came out on top with a 4-1 victory, scoring four first-half goals before Meg Jarvis netted a late consolation for Rovers.
