Page 11 - Bristol Telephones v Oldland Abbotonians 040821

Visitors

end of 2015/16 Oldland were disappointingly not promoted and had
to start again with the squad moving away.

2016/17 was a pivotal year as although the football side
disappointed, through fundraising and grants the club spent in
excess of £70,000 on ground improvements including safety fencing,
pitch maintenance equipment, a new stand and CCTV system. In
2017/18 the team were led by Scott Armstrong and for most of
2018/19 by Jon Toy a former player with a wealth of experience
before Clayton Woodman and Steve Cains returned to the club they
had played for. These two have stepped into the joint Chairman role
from the summer of 2021 with the mangers being former coaches
Darren Sealey and Paul Weeks plus Kevin Goddard on the coaching
side who has brought with him along with a host of new, keen and
more importantly, local players.

The Reserves are managed by Steve Cains, Craig Durnell and our
Somerset Floodlit Under 18s boss Ryan Auchterlonie and from
2018/19 a newly formed adult third team, The Colts, plays in the
Bristol & District League, managed by Jamie White assisted by Colin
Towler.

Oldland has often been described as a nursery for Bristol Rovers with
Vic Lambden, Peter Sampson, Brian Bush and Mike Tippets all playing
for the club before turning professional at Eastville. Former Rovers
favourite Bobby Jones was one of many successful Oldland
managers, a list which includes David Hillier.

Abbots rose to heady heights under the leadership of Alan Bush in
the 1980's with the help of former Rovers players Jeff Meacham, the
late Steve Talboys (Wimbledon) plus Rovers favourites Graham Day,
Peter Aitken and Phil Bater. Among other youngsters who left Abbots
to play for Rovers were Stuart Taylor, Phil Kite and Kevin Westaway.