June 2021 (Page 5)

Former Yeovil Town loan defender Morgan Williams has dropped a hint he may be on his way to Huish Park with his latest post on social media.

The 21-year-old, who was released by Championship side Coventry City in the summer, posted a picture of himself on his Instagram account with three green hearts in what appears to be a spot in South Somerset.

Morgan Williams post on his Instagram account.

His four appearances whilst on loan with the Glovers this season were the only football Williams saw this season, albeit during a bleak period at the end of October and the start of November.

The youngster played in home defeats against Chesterfield and Hartlepool United, who both went on to make the National League play-offs, and the 1-1 draw at Woking.

He was also part of the side which earned an FA Cup win at Bromley thanks to a last-gasp winner from Gabby Rogers.

The season before he made three appearances including an impressive debut in a 2-0 win at home to Halifax Town.

Williams’ presence in Yeovil might suggest he is just visiting friends he made during his time at the club……or perhaps something more.

 

Picture courtesy of Andy Cleave

Last month, we brought you news on Yeovil fan, Kieran Conway who was planning to run from Taunton to Yeovil to raise money for a trio of good causes including the Adam Stansfield Foundation and the Yeovil Hospital Charity.

In total nearly £1500 was raised, by Keiran who ran to the home game against Maidenhead (all that way for a 0-0 draw!).

Today (Wednesday, June 9) Kieran posed outside of Yeovil Hospital to hand over a cheque worth £500, their portion of the donations.

The charity thanked Kieran via their social media and we at the Gloverscast extend those well wishes – an excellent effort.

The Crowdfunder has now closed for Kieran’s efforts, but anyone wishing to continue to donate or make a direct contribution can do so via the links below – including the link to the recent fundraising efforts set up by the club to remember our late captain, Lee Collins.

Yeovil Hospital Charity Donation Page – https://www.justgiving.com/yeovilhospital
Adam Stansfield Foundation – https://www.adamstansfieldfoundation.com/
In memory of Lee Collins – https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/in-memory-of-lee-collins

Forest Green Rovers has been confirmed at Yeovil Town’s latest pre-season opposition with a match scheduled for Saturday, July 31, 3pm kick-off.

The League Two play-off semi-finalists are the first pre-season friendly match confirmed at Huish Park for pre-season.

The club has already confirmed trips to Taunton Town on Tuesday, August 3 and Weston-super-Mare on Saturday, August 7.

 

Yeovil Town are still awaiting confirmation to hear whether live streaming of matches from Huish Park will continue next season.

The club has confirmed its YTFC Live service welcomed more than 18,000 customers from across the United Kingdom during the 2020-21 National League season.

It also reported supporters from the United States, India and across Europe joined the streams with more than half (54%) tuning in on a desktop or laptop.

On the potential of streaming continuing, the club said: “We are awaiting confirmation as to whether we can continue the platform for upcoming seasons, in the hope of reaching more Glovers fans, far and wide.”

Notts County and Hartlepool United are standing in the way of a Johnson-versus-Madden head-to-head in the National League play-off final.

A brace from striker Rhys Oates earned Hartlepool a 3-2 win over Bromley in the play-off quarter finals on Sunday to set up a semi-final against Paddy Madden’s Stockport County next Sunday.

Ex-Yeovil Town striker Courtney Duffus was missing from the Bromley side, seemingly out of favour with new Ravens’ boss, Andy Woodman, but there was a second half appearance for Byron Webster.

In the other quarter-final, Notts County defender scored a later winner to settle an enthralling 3-2 win over Chesterfield, whose manager James Rowe was not bitter about the defeat and instead blamed the referee in his post-match interview,

Notts face Gary Johnson‘s Torquay in the first semi-final next Saturday, with the final taking place at the home of football, Bristol City’s Ashton Gate, the following weekend,

With Rhys Murphy‘s move to National League rivals Southend United now confirmed, there is a job to fill a goal-scoring gap left in the Yeovil Town frontline for next season.

The striker struck 13 times in 31 appearances this season, having got 20 in 33 appearances the year before, with Joe Quigley the Glovers’ next highest scorer with 12 this year.

Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz

It is widely accepted there is a need for another frontman alongside Quigley and Reuben Reid, who has scored three times since rejoining in January, so who could it be?

Here are some possibilities based on no real fact whatsoever……

Andrew Dallas – Cambridge United

The 21-year-old Scotsman has spent the second half of the season down the other end of the A37 (and A354) on loan at W*ymouth and scored 12 times in 25 appearances.

He is a product of the Rangers youth set-up and made the long journey south to Cambridge United in the summer of 2019, but has never managed to find a regular spot in their starting line-up with just two league starts, albeit with many more off the bench.

His parent club will be playing in League One having secured automatic promotion from League Two this season, meaning Dallas may struggle to find a place.

Dallas would have been at Cambridge at the same time as Glovers’ midfielder Tom Knowles, has proven he knows where the goal is at this level – is that enough conjecture to make this seem credible?!

 

Olufela Olomola – free agent

Striker Olufela Olomola in action during his loan spell with Yeovil Town.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

It would not be a summer at Yeovil Town if there wasn’t a former player linked with a return to Huish Park, and one option could be former loanee Olufela Olomola.

The former Southampton youngster is a free agent having been released by Scunthorpe United at the end of the season, having made just seven appearances this season.

His goal-scoring record has been healthier during his spells in green and white than anywhere else with seven goals in 28 matches in his first spell in the 2017-18 campaign, and three in 21 appearances when he returned in 2018-19.

So, not prolific at League level, but perhaps a division lower he could do something…..maybe?

 

Donovan Wilson – Bath City

Anyone who has listened to former Glovers’ defender Jerry Gill, now the manager at National League South side Bath City, doing co-commentary on BBC Somerset this season will have heard about Romans’ striker Donovan Wilson.

The 24-year-old  was on trial at Huish Park last summer having not been retained by Macclesfield Town at the end of last season, but was not picked up by Yeovil boss Darren Sarll and joined Bath last September.

His impact was impressive with six goals in nine starts before the National League South side was prematurely brought to an end, and in March he was brought in on loan by Sutton United, scoring seven times in 17 appearances as they won the National League Premier.

It’s fair to say that with his goal-scoring exploits at Sutton, there will plenty of teams looking at the former Wolves player – but we can dream, can’t we? At least until he signs for someone else.

UPDATE: Turns out we can’t dream, Donovan Wilson joined Sutton United on a permanent transfer on June 11 – which makes sense.

 

Former Yeovil Town loan midfielder Josh Sheehanhas confirmed he is leaving Newport County after their failure to make it out of League Two.

The 26-year-old is reportedly set to sign for Bolton Wanderers who were automatically promoted back to League One this season.

Sheehan had two spells at Huish Park on loan for Swansea City, playing 13!times in the season we were relegated out of League One in 2015.

He then had a second spell at the club the following season,

Wolves have named their released and retained list after the upcoming season and on it is the name of a fomer Yeovil player who was tipped for a bright future.

Hong Wan, a former Captain of the Glovers Under 18s signed for Wolves in the summer of 2019 whilst the club were in something of a limbo inbetween managers and owners.

the 20-year-old has agreen to sign for Johor Southern Tigers of the Malaysian Super League, he never made a competitive first team appearance for either Wolves or Yeovil, but did represent both in friendlies, and in the case of Wolves in the EFL Trophy as part of the Under 23 set up.

 

 

The Premier League have released their most recent up to date list of players who are scheduled to be released from their contract and there are three ex-YTFC players listed as being available, for free after their time at Crystal Palace has come to an end.

Winger Andros Townsend has revealed he is considering a number of options both in the Premier League and abroad with clubs offering him European football next season available to the former loanee.

Whilst a duo of Goalkeepers, Wayne Hennessey and Stephen Henderson are both also likely to call time on their stint at Selhurst Park.

All three have been under the watchful eye of another former Glover, Scott Guyett who is the Head of Sports Science at Palace and was this week announced as the recipient of the Chairman’s Award following a decade of service to the London club.

Congratulations Scott and the best of luck to three talented footballers on their next adventure.