Welton Rovers ended 2018 having just parted company with their Manager, Clive Scott, but remain full of hope for 2019.

It’s testament to the quality of the squad that Scott had assembled that the West Clewes hot-seat is once again a desirable role, with plenty of hope for both the immediate and long-term future. Welton’s 2018/19 season began so well, including a run of seven consecutive victories, but since then their form has plummeted, with seven defeats from the nine matches since that run had ended.

This change in fortunes brought an end to Clive Scott’s two-and-a-half year reign, one which can only be considered a success. Scott joined the club in June 2016 with the club having just been relegated from the Premier Division, and he did a fantastic job of steadying the ship amid difficult circumstances. He leaves Welton as the club’s eighth-longest serving manager, and with a much stronger squad than the one he inherited.

The 2017/18 season ended as a successful one, with Welton finishing eighth in the table, a huge improvement on the previous season’s effort of third-from-bottom. For much of the season, a top-five placing and potential FA Cup spot seemed a real possibility for Welton, but an exhausting run-in of eleven matches in the final 26 days of the campaign, where the club were only able to pick up thirteen points from a possible 33, put paid to that.

Arguably the highlight of 2018 came during that intense run with the club’s 2-0 victory over local rivals, Radstock Town. The Miners had very much had the edge on this fixture in recent years, but second-half goals from Aaron Cockerill and Lewis Coleman secured a first Rovers win in the Coalfield Classico since 2014.

Other highlights this year include two fantastic Somerset Premier Cup ties against Bath City, which proved to be great opportunities for the players to test themselves against superior opposition, and ensured two bumper gates.

The Under-18s have continued their development and deservedly beat Paulton Rovers for the Bert West Cup back in September, securing a 5-3 ‘come-from-behind’ victory. Seventeen-year-old Conor Ford was one of the scorers on the night, and his debut goals for the Welton Rovers Senior Team, a brace in a 4-1 win against Bristol Telephones, hopefully hint at a lot more to come, from a player who could lead the Green Army’s frontline for many years to come.

Following the managerial shake-up, it is former Rovers promotion hero and Somerset Premier Cup winner, Nick Beaverstock, who returns for his third spell as manager, albeit as caretaker on this occasion, alongside the Midsomer Norton-born duo of Under-18s manager, Aaron Seviour, and long-serving player, Tom Smith.

The fixtures come thick and fast at this time of year, but everyone at the club is confident that the interim trio can achieve the club’s aim of picking up at least eleven points from the next five matches, before a new permanent manager is appointed.

Anyone interested in applying for the West Clewes managerial role should send a covering letter outlining why they believe they are the right person for the job, along with their footballing CV, to: [email protected]

Welton Rovers played their final home fixture on 29th December against Warminster Town. Their first action in Midsomer Norton of 2019 is on Saturday, 12th January against current table-toppers, Cheddar.

Gareth Paisey, Vice-Chair