United take on the league leaders tomorrow evening, as Weston-super-Mare head to Plainmoor.
Following another useful point on their travels on Saturday at Boreham Wood, Paul Wotton’s side will be looking to follow that up with victory on Tuesday, as The Gulls look to reduce the gap at the National League South summit.
Who’s the boss?
After a playing career that took in spells with the likes of Cirencester, Salisbury and Bath City, Bartlett moved into coaching with the Forest Green Rovers.
In October 2016, Bartlett got his first permanent taste of first-team managerial experience by joining Weston for the first time.
Proving adept in the transfer market, Rollin Menayese, Lloyd Humphries, Theo Wharton and Danny Greenslade all enjoyed profitable spells in Somerset before he left in June 2017 to take up a full-time role at FGR.
In May 2019, Bartlett left Forest Green in order to rejoin the Seagulls on a three-year deal.
How have they been doing?
It’s safe to say that 2024/25 couldn’t have gone much better for Weston so far.
Saturday’s remarkable 4-3 turnaround win at home to Farnborough was typical of a side that boast the best goal difference in the division, with their latest three-point haul taking their tally to 31 points from 17 outings, enough to take them three points clear of 2nd-placed Truro, with a game in hand to boot.
Player to watch
Midfielder Ollie Chamberlain signed for the club in the summer, arriving from Taunton Town.
Ollie had been a mainstay within the Peacocks midfield across the last nine years, playing a huge part in their success which has included two promotions, two FA Cup First Round appearances, and two years in the National League South.
Describing himself as a “high intensity” player, Ollie is capable of featuring in midfield as a box-to-box midfielder, in the No.10 role as an attacking midfielder, on the wing or even as a right wing-back.
Played for both
One of the few players to have represented all three Devon clubs, Reuben Reid will be remembered by Gulls fans for a successful short loan spell towards the end of the difficult 2006/07 campaign, where his first Football League goals were unfortunately not enough to prolong The Gulls’ lengthy stay in the Football League
The Bristol-born forward continues to enjoy life in the West Country, with two spells art Yeovil included within a career that has also included stays at Forest Green and Cheltenham, in addition to earlier spells at the more-northerly destinations of West Bromwich Albion and Rotherham.
Previous Encounter
United 3 – 3 Weston-super-Mare | Vanarama National League South | April 1st 2024
The Gulls and the Seagulls couldn’t be separated back in April, as they played out a thrilling draw at Plainmoor.
Early goals from Jack Stobbs and Arkell Jude-Boyd set the stage for an entertaining afternoon, before Jordan Bastin’s strike midway through the first half brought Weston back into the match. When Weston levelled in the opening minutes of the second half through Bailey Kempster, the result was well and truly in the balance, prior to both sides netting again in the dying stages through Jude-Boyd again, and Reuben Reid for Weston, to se the final score pegged at 3-3.