I think I read that Slocombe kept 19 clean sheets last season in helping Blackpool to promotion Rickie lambert talking to Plymouth
Info on Sam Slocombe: Former Scunthorpe United, Oxford United and Blackpool goalkeeper has appeared in 172 league games for his previous three clubs. 29 year old Slocombe joined Scunthorpe United from non league Bottesford Town in August 2008 and made his first team debut for them in a League Cup tie against Port Vale in September 2009. His league debut came against his most recent employers, Blackpool, on 7th November that year. After appearing in 115 league games for Scunthorpe, he signed for Oxford United in June 2015 and went on to appear in 23 league games during his one season at The Kassam Stadium. One year ago he joined newly relegated Blackpool and appeared in 34 league games for them as they clinched a League Two play off spot and also appeared in the play off semi finals against Luton and the final at Wembley, where they beat Exeter City 2-1. He has played against Rovers on four occasions and kept clean sheets at The Mem for both Scunthorpe United and Oxford United. Slocombe on joining Rovers: “It's good to be here and to get everything signed. It's another good signing today with the arrival of Adam, so that will hopefully lead to good competition and a good goalkeepers union at the Club. I have always thought that good competition brings out the best in you and pushes you that little bit harder.” Info on Adam Smith: He appeared in 86 league matches for his previous side Northampton. Smith, who will be 25 in November, was born in Sunderland and began his career as a youngster with Middlesbrough. He joined Leicester City in 2010 and in five years at the club he spent loan spells at Chesterfield, Lincoln City, Nuneaton Town, Stevenage, Cambridge United and Mansfield Town. In the summer of 2015 he joined Northampton Town and was an ever present in the side that clinched the League two title in 2015/16. At the end of that campaign he was selected in the PFA League Two Team of the Year. Last season he appeared in 40 league games for The Cobblers as they finished 16th in League One. He has played against Rovers on four occasions for Northampton and kept a clean sheet at The Mem in our first game of the 2015/16 campaign. Smith on joining Rovers: “The deal has come about pretty quickly really and once the Manager spoke to me it was an obvious choice for me to make. It's a great Club and Darrell has said great things about it and the squad, so it ticks all the boxes really.” DC on his two new signings: “I am delighted to be signing two excellent goalkeepers who will provide us with competition for the number one spot next season. Both have experience of playing at this level and they have different attributes which means they will complement each other. I’m sure that our supporters will welcome the news that we have signed these two players today and I’m certain that they will give them their backing throughout the season.” .
I guess not. But I like the look of our new keepers. It good that they are ours too and not yet another loan keeper!
I forgot to mention that the reason why he left Leicester was because he was sacked. He along with 2 other players, had their contracts terminated because of doing something naughty in Thailand while out on pre-season. They had a sexy orgy with 3 Thai girls and filmed it all and was shared with with mates back in the UK. Leicester officials were made aware of this and they decided to sack these players for bringing shame on the club. Smith, as a result of this thought his career was then over. But Northampton took a gamble on him and he rewarded them by being one of the best keepers in the league whcih saw his side win the league in his first season. From everything that I have read about him, he has bags of potential and really is a championship standard keeper. We have a bloody good keeper here.
It's great to have a couple of keepers we can call our own! Didn't Ellis put four past Smith last season?!
No Tom Lockyer in either squad this weekend, is he injured or being rested because of Welsh call up to their Intl squad
Report: Melksham Town Rovers became the first pro side to play at Melksham Town’s Oakfields Stadium this afternoon and on a very hot afternoon came away from this well appointed ground with a 6-1 win under their belts courtesy of a Rory Gaffney hat trick and further goals from Ellis Harrison, Billy Bodin and Rory Gaffney. After a couple of promising runs down the right by Bodin, which came to nothing, the home side forced the first corner which was comfortably cleared by Rovers. However Darrell Clarke’s side took the lead after six minutes, profiting from a dreadful mistake by home goalkeeper Rob brown caught the ball under his feet when attempting to clear a backpass. Harrison was lurking and as the ball ran free he pounced to roll the ball into an unguarded net. Bodin fired wide of the target a couple of minutes later and then set up Ollie Clarke with a ball in from the right. However the skipper for the afternoon headed over from close range. Melksham were unlucky not to be back on level terms on 12 minutes, though, when a delightful curling free kick taken by James Hiscocks struck the crossbar and fell behind. Following a spell of Rovers possession, Melksham were given another opportunity after Clarke’s side failed to clear a free kick into their box. However Joe Stradling’s hurried shot cleared the crossbar by some distance. At the other end Harrison attempted to double his afternoon’s tally but his thundering volley from outside the area comfortably cleared the bar. Melksham should really have been on level terms on 27 minutes when Sam Slocombe was called into action for the first time. The keeper did well to parry a shot from Dan Demkin but the loose ball was picked up by Ben Pring who somehow managed to miss the target from five yards out. Ollie Clarke then tested Brown in the home goal, but the keeper comfortably fielded his effort but Rovers did double their lead with five minutes of the half remaining. Ryan Broom’s short free kick found Bodin in space and he rifled a superb left foot shot past Brown and high into the roof of the net. Broom was then denied a goal himself as Brown threw himself to his left to touch the youngster’s ferocious drive away. Rovers made eight changes at half time, with all of their substitutes starting the second period. The only ones from the first half to remain on the pitch were Slocombe, Hall and Broadbent. There should have been a third Rovers goal within a minute of the restart when Rory Gaffney found Chris Lines inside the area and his fierce drive was pushed away by Brown as far asBrandon Fox, who couldn’t get his shot away quickly enough, allowing the keeper to gather. Gaffney might have scored a third goal on the hour mark. He was well placed to receive a superb ball into the box from Liam Sercombe, but directed his header over the bar. However two minutes later the home side were awarded a penalty after Luke Russe was adjudged to have fouled Gary Higdon. The resulting spot kick was dispatched by Lee Davidson who sent Slocombe the wrong way. Sercombe and Gaffney both went close to adding to the goal tally. Sercombe’s initial shot was well saved by Brown, who parried the ball as far as Gaffney. His resulting shot hit the post and Sercombe’s close range effort from the rebound just cleared the bar. Gaffney did get on the scoresheet after 74 minutes when his fierce left foot drive from out on the left saw Brown make another mistake as he was beaten at his near post. The keeper redeemed himself moments later, though, when he safely gathered a Lines free kick and then dived low to his left to keep out another effort from Sercombe. However Rovers restored their two goal advantage on 74 minutes when Rory Gaffney saw his angled drive beat Brown at his near post and they soon added two more goals. There were five minutes remaining when Byron Moore raced down the left and crossed into the box. Gaffney chested the ball down to Sercombe who rifled the ball home. One minute later Gaffney scored his second of the afternoon as he accepted a pass from the impressive Sercombe before drilling the ball home. Gaffney completed his hat trick in the final minute when he hit a low shot from the right past the keeper and into the net. The home side tired in the later stages of the game and created very little in the second half, leaving Rovers to record a comfortable victory Sam Slocombe, Daniel Leadbitter, Lee Brown, Lewis Hall, Jonny Burn, Tom Broadbent, Stuart Sinclair, Ollie Clarke, Ellis Harrison, Billy Bodin Substitutes: Luke Russe, James, Clarke, Michael Kelly, Liam Sercombe, Chris Lines, Brandon Fox, Byron Moore, Rory Gaffney, Adam Smith (All used on 46 minutes) Attendance: 1,476 Melksham Town, 1 - Davidson (pen, 62) Bristol Rovers, 6 - Harrison (6), Bodin (40), Gaffney (74, 86, 90), Sercombe 85)
Report: Yate Town Yate Town 0-0 Bristol Rovers A youthful Rovers side shared the spoils in a physical pre-season opener against Yate Town at Lodge Road. Trialist Mo Baghdadi came closest to breaking the deadlock, with a powerful drive that struck the underside of the bar midway through the first half. Under 21’s Manager Chris Hargreaves named nine trialists in the starting XI, with Rollin Meyanese and Lewis Ellington the only two registered Rovers players, during the community day which attracted over 250 children to the fixture. The visitors had the first meaningful effort on goal at a sun-soaked Lodge Road, with Cameron Hargreaves lacing freekick over the crossbar after Baghdadi was brought down recklessly. Yate responded, albeit fortuitous, as Harry Goode slipped which allowed Luke Bryan to force a strong diving save from Alexis Junior in the Rovers goal. Hargreaves’ men were given plenty of pace in the middle of the park, which was exploited time and time again through the first half, but to no avail, with Brandon Scott most-notably producing an effort off target. James Carvell cut inside the home side’s defence and struck a tame effort that was gathered easily by Harvey Rivers. Rivers was called into action once more in a hectic opening period; after lovely link play between Kane Fitzgerald and Cameron Ebbutt saw the latter hit a deflected shot just wide. Rovers changed their entire team during the half-time interval, making ten changes in total during the break. Bluebells’ Dan Lamimman failed to convert from a matter of yards from goal, in what was the hosts’ best chance of the afternoon. Jordanian Hassan made his introduction in the final minutes of the game, but was unable to make the difference as the score remained goalless. Chris Hargreaves told bristolrovers.co.uk: “Obviously we wanted to win the game - we had total possession first half. “We couldn’t quite add that little endeavour in the final third to make it count. “The young lads have performed really well - there are 18 year olds playing against men and they showed really good spirit today.” Yate: Harvey Rivers, Mayson Evans, Mike Baker, Brad Abraham, Trey Anderson, Charlie Hitching (c), Jack Camm, Eugene Keary, Ben Brooks, Luke Bryan, Tom Fry. Substitutes (all used): Mitch Tippens, Joe Swift, Brad Norris, Tyrone Fudkal, Dan Laninan, George Box, Jack Ball, Ciaran Greening, Kyle Thomas. Rovers: Alexis Junior, Harry Goode, Mo Bhagdadi, Kane Fitzgerald, Rollin Menayase (c), Ben Morgan, Brandon Scott, Cameron Hargreaves, Cameron Ebbutt, Lewis Ellington, James Carvell. Substitutes (all used): Thom Jonkerman, James Spruce, Ghassan Hassan, Connor Jones, Casey Reid, Carlo Santaro. Sam Phillips, Toby Rennie, Lewis Leigh-Gilchrist, Ryan Penny, Liam Edwards, Attendance: 910
