Bristol Rovers vs Marine Academy Plymouth
FA Women’s National League, Erme Valley, Sunday 23rd August, 14:00 KO
Bristol Rovers Women look to bounce back this weekend, as they travel to face Marine Academy Plymouth in the second game of the Women’s National League.
The season’s opener at The Mem saw Nathan Hallett-Young’s side suffer a heavy 3-0 home defeat to Bridgwater United, courtesy of goals from Manfy Sharpe, Aimee Kingdon, and Ex-Rovers defender, Abbey Hateley.
From the start, Bridgwater played some tidy football and went ahead five minutes before the break. The Robins then went on to grab a quickfire double just after the hour mark to seal their opening day win.
Despite struggling to break down a resolute defence, the Gas Girls kept pushing to the end, and this Sunday they have another opportunity to claim three points.
Read everything you need to know about the fixture below…
Tickets…
Tickets can be purchased on the day of the fixture, at the gate.
Opposition…
Like Rovers, MAP also tasted defeat on the opening day, with Kelsey Blight’s goal not enough to stop Abingdon United from scoring twice to keep the points in OX14.
Greg Mogford’s side have undergone plenty of change this summer, and their new-look team enjoyed a successful pre-season, as an early Blight goal saw them on their way to a resounding 6-0 victory over newly formed Truro City to kick things off.
Emily Elliot’s double then helped MAP to another win, this time 2-1 in Yeovil. Sam Drewery’s late penalty rescued a point against local rivals Plymouth Argyle in the next fixture, before braces from Gracie Proctor and Sophie Pearce saw the Devonshire team claim a 5-1 triumph away to Gloucester City.
That rounded off an unbeaten summer, and although the league season opened with defeat, MAP remain eager to continue what has been a strong run of form.
Previous Meetings…
MAP ended the 2025/26 campaign in eighth, 21 points behind the Gas in fourth, but the sides actually met on four occasions throughout the season as Rovers managed a quadruple.
The first encounter came in the group stage of the National League Cup on September 7, with Rovers seeing off the visitors at Oaklands Park Stadium thanks to goals from Chloe Bassett and Rianne Bourne-Hallett.
Less than a month later, it was again the Gas who triumphed. This time in the FA Cup, Hallett-Young’s team responded in perfect style to going behind, ending up 6-1 winners at The Memorial Stadium.
Eventually meeting in the league on November 2, MAP’s injury-time goal couldn’t stop Rovers claiming a 3-2 away win. The most recent victory came in the penultimate home match for the Gas, on March 22, with Annys Turner, Chloe Snook, and Ruby Scahill all helping seal the win for their team.
Travel...
From Bristol by car, join the M5 southbound towards Exeter. Continue on the M5 until Junction 31, then merge onto the A38 heading towards Plymouth. Stay on the A38, passing Buckfastleigh and South Brent, before taking the Ivybridge exit (signposted Ivybridge / Ermington). Follow signs into Ivybridge town centre. Ivybridge Town Football Club is located at Erme Valley, Ivybridge, PL21 0LH.
The closest train station to Ivybridge Town Football Club is Ivybridge Station, located on the eastern edge of the town. The station is roughly 1.5 miles from the ground.
From Bristol Temple Meads, take a Great Western Railway service towards Plymouth. At Plymouth, transfer to a local GWR service heading eastbound to Ivybridge. When leaving Ivybridge Rail Station, head south along Station Road towards the town centre. From here, either walk or take a local bus service towards Ivybridge Leisure Centre. The football ground is located directly behind the leisure centre within the Erme Valley complex.
Walking time is approximately 25-30 minutes, while local buses take around 10 minutes depending on the timetable.
