July 2021 (Page 4)

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The first competitive goal ever scored at Huish Park was turned home by the foot of striker Mickey Spencer – with a broken foot.

The former Glovers’ favourite has spoken to the Gloverscast about his memories of scoring the opener in a 2-0 win over Colchester United on the opening day of the 1990/91 season.

He said: “The build-up to the first game was incredible with a lot of excitement around the place, but a lot of people were not aware I had broken my foot in a pre-season game at Farnborough.

Mickey Spencer in action in the 0-0 draw with Hereford United in the FA Cup second round at Huish Park in 1992.
Picture courtesy of Tim Lancaster

“So the day of the game I turned up at the on crutches and I had to sleep with my foot elevated to get all the swelling out of it.

“Because (then-Yeovil manager) Brian Hall was such a great tactician he said to me ‘if you don’t start, the crowd are not going to be behind us’, so he said just start and if your foot swells up we can take you off.

“A guy called Duncan Russell, who was the physio at the time, loaded me up on painkillers, and we played the first half and I had to stick my foot in a ice pack at half-time.

“I remember the goal really clearly, Peter Conning pulled the ball back to me and on my broken left foot I had to strike it and I remember striking it really cleanly.

“All the guys have run towards me and I am saying ‘watch my foot, watch my foot’!”

Mickey was joined by former Yeovil full-back Neil Coates, whose winning goal in an FA Cup replay at Hereford United in December 1992 earned a money-spinning third round tie against Arsenal.

The bumper crowd for that tie with the Gunners at Huish Park together with big crowds in the games running up to the tie are widely regarded as having saved the club from going out of business.

Make sure you don’t miss Friday’s edition of the Gloverscast to hear Mickey and Neil talk about their time at Yeovil Town.

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Former Yeovil Town loan striker Olufela Olomola has signed for League Two new boys Hartlepool United after a successful trial.

The 23-year-old, who was released by Scunthorpe United at the end of last season, played in a 1-0 friendly defeat against Spennymoor United on Tuesday night alongside another former Glovers’ loanee, goalkeeper Adam Smith.

Olomola also scored four times in a 9-1 victory over Northern Premier League Division One West side Runcorn Linnets last weekend.

Pools’ boss Dave Challinor said: “Fela has come in and earned a deal.

“He’s looked sharp in training, took his goals well, granted against lower opposition but has looked a threat.

“We now have to work with him to get out of him what we need over the coming weeks.

“Undoubtedly with the delivery and quality we have in wide areas we will create chances and if he keeps putting himself in the right positions he’ll get opportunities to score.”

 

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Andrejs Stolcers spoken about how he tried to encourage his Yeovil Town team-mates to play the ball through midfield after joining the Glovers’ side that would go on to win the League Two title.

The Latvian international had been released by Premier League Fulham in the summer of 2004 and linked up with former national manager, Yeovil boss Gary Johnson, in September.

Upon his arrival, Johnson spoke about Stolcers joining to build up his fitness as he looked for a move, but within three days he made his debut in a 1-0 home win over Swansea City in League Two.

The winger went on to play 43 times that season, scoring seven goals, and has spoken to the Gloverscast about his season at Huish Park.

He said: “I tried to bring something more to the team through my conversations with the lads to help them to keep the ball and manage the game rather than get it forward quickly.

Andrejs Stoclers on his debut as a second half substitute against Swansea City in 2004.
Picture courtesy of Ciderspace.

“When I arrived I saw that it was difficult to create much from midfield when you saw so little of the ball, so I tried to help us get the ball down, move it quicker and build up attacks rather than direct passes forward.

“We had some great full-backs and great wing players and we were able to use them more, but if we needed to play it direct, we knew we could do that as well.”

It did not take long for Stolcers to make an impact, on his debut as a half-time substitute against Swansea, he nearly combined to set up Phil Jevons with his first touch of the ball.

Then, in his second start, he scored twice in a 6-1 demolition of Oxford United at Huish Park, but it was the New Year’s Day trip to Swansea that season that sticks out as a memory for him.

He recalls: “I remember players telling me that Yeovil did not have a good record there and I spoke to a few of the lads about not allowing these things to stick in their heads.

“I told them to to put the past aside and stick to the game we knew we could play and the game plan the manager had set for us.”

The result was Yeovil won 2-0 and became one of only three sides to win at  The Vetch in the club’s final season at their old home – oh, and Stolcers scored the opener and set up Phil Jevons for the second.

The winger adds: “I loved that game in a big stadium, playing away from home where so many supporters are against you, it helps you focus and concentrate.

“I remember scoring a great goal there and then setting up Phil Jevons for the second – a brilliant performance which bred more confidence in our group.

“I think that game gave us more strength and understanding of what we could do, we wanted to be champions that year and we obviously went on to do that.”

However, having taken a drop of £14,000 a week in wages – according to manager Gary Johnson on his arrival – the winger was looking for a better deal than Yeovil were able to offer at the end of the 2004-05 campaign.

He recalls: “I wanted to stay, but I wanted to improve my contract a little bit and that did not happen.

“I felt I had given something special to influence the team’s performance, but it did not work out like that and I felt I had done enough so I left.”

Stolcers, who had signed for Fulham from Russian side Spartak Moscow in 2000, left Huish Park and joined FC Baku of Azerbaijan before returning to Latvia.

In 2009, he did have a trial at Yeovil, he recalls: “I went for a trial when Terry Skiverton was manager and I tried to get back, but he did not feel I was not good enough.”

He ended up playing for non-League Bath City and then Hayes & Yeading before retiring in 2010 and quickly got in to coaching the game.

In 2015, he was a youth team coach at Stevenage when current Yeovil boss Darren Sarll took over as Head of Youth.

Stolcers recalls: “I enjoyed my time at Stevenage and I did have a short time with Darren Sarll there, maybe three months.

“But, Darren decided he did not want to work with me, so I left – that is football, sometimes things do not work out.

“I am still coaching young players and working in schools with them, but I am ambitious to be a manager and applying for opportunities when they come up – but it is very competitive.”

 

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Yeovil Town’s Under 18s will have a new division of opponents next season having made the switch to the South West Premier Academy Under 18s division.

Previously, they have faced sides the junior sides from the Football League including Exeter, Bristol Rovers and Newport but this season will be up against the likes of Torquay, Bath City and last year’s champions Mangotsfield Town.

Futhermore, it has been confirmed that Mark Challen of M1 Coaching will be the manager for the Under 18s this season,

If we here at the Gloverscast get details of a fixture list or ticket details we will of course bring them to you,

Here’s to finding another Alfie Lloyd or Toby Stephens in the youth set up this season.

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Yeovil Town’s players can expect to have an intense start to pre-season when they travel away to Stratford Town for their opening friendly this weekend.

The Glovers travel to the Step 4 club for the opener with manager Darren Sarll saying he expects all his players to play at least an hour.

Talking to BBC Radio Somerset reporter Sheridan Robins at a recent training session, the boss said: “I’m a little bit different to the general stereotype thinking of pre-season, lots of people do (give players) 45, 60, 75, 90 (minutes each).

“But you can see (from our players) our there that none of them need to just do 45 minutes, they’re all pretty fit, so there will be a good hour, maybe 75 minutes in everyone on Saturday.”

The manager added that he wanted the match at Knight’s Lane to be the start of a winning habit for his squad.

He said: “It will be the start of winning again, there will be no fluff in this pre-season, we want to win all our games as comfortably and thoroughly as possible.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

“If you lose all your pre-season games, does that mean you are going down? No. If you win them all, does that mean you are going up? No.

“But I just want to get those good habits ingrained in to this new group, because there are only six or seven that are still here from last year.”

The game will be supporters’ first chance to see new signings including goalkeeper Grant Smith, defenders Mark Little and Jordan Barnett, midfielders Lewis Simper and Charlie Wakefield and welcome back Morgan Williams, who has turned out on loan for the club.

Stratford have confirmed the club bar at Knight’s Lane will be open to both home and away supporters with the club hoping to have a Pie & Pint stand open for the match. It will be located inside the ground near the turnstile entrance.

If you are attending the opening friendly match in Shakespeare country, don’t miss our Ciderspace Away Travel Guide on The Bards – here.

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Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll has praised the impact striker Reuben Reid has had since returning for pre-season training.

The 32-year-old forward managed just three goals in 27 appearances for the Glovers last season with only one coming from open play.

But, speaking with BBC Radio Somerset Yeovil Town reporter Sheridan Robins at a training session, the manager said Reid had returned from the summer break looking sharp.

Sarll said: “Reuben has come back (to pre-season training) seven kilograms lighter, his body fat percentage is under 10% and has not had a summer break and committed to his shape and his form.

“I think in that first (training) game there, this is the sharpest his finishing has been.

“Reuben has such football intelligence and I like it when he keeps things really short and snappy. I like it when he is quick with his feet rather than a bit elaborate and over-thought.”

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Here at the Gloverscast we have brought you a couple of recent rumours from journalists about potential players Yeovil were looking to sign and there’s been a couple of updates.

Andrew Dallas was linked to the Glovers alongside a number of other clubs including Notts County.

The former Weymouth front man has signed a new deal at his club Cambridge and is quoted as being “excited about being part of the campaign in League One” suggesting he’s staying put… for now.

 

Another player linked with Huish Park was former Harrogate man Jay Williams – we brought you the rumour that he had been linked to us a while ago but it seems as though his pre-season preparations have taken a detour, via Northampton.

The Cobblers have had to draft some extra bodies in for their friendlies due to some Covid related isolation and Williams was named as a trialist for their game against Stamford on Saturday.

Of course, neither news rules either out from making their way to Somerset before the season begins, but may be a sign that either they or us have set sights elsewhere…
Stay tuned to the Gloverscast for more wild speculation as pre-season continues!

 

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Darren Sarll has said he still believes he is two players away from getting the starting line-up he wants to begin the National League season with.

The Yeovil Town boss said he would like to bring in some more experienced heads before the campaign gets underway at Wrexham  on August 21.

Answering supporters’ questions on the club’s YouTube channel, he said: “I would like a couple more players that really impact the side, I still think we are two away in the eleven.

Darren Sarll
Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz,.

“I think the squad is thick with players of a certain age and a certain profile, young, up and coming and an asset.

“So I would like a couple of old men now, or some ridiculously talented players that we are capable of getting.“

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Yeovil Town defender Mark Little has called on the Government and social media activities to do more to identify online abusers.

The 32-year-old, who arrived at Huish Park this summer following his release by Bristol Rovers, was a victim of racial abuse on social media whilst playing for The Gas earlier this year.
He was speaking out after England players Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford were subjected to sickening abuse after missing penalties for their country in a shoot-out defeat in the Euro 2020 final against to Italy.

Speaking to ITV Westcountry, Little said: “I have tough skin and I have been going through it for a while so I can deal with it now but my little boy is two years old and he doesn’t have that yet and I don’t want him to go through it in the future.

“I don’t want him to grow a tough skin, he shouldn’t have to do that and no children should have to.

“I don’t understand why the social media companies don’t do the identification.”

He admitted hearing the experiences of the international stars following the shoot-out defeat brought back his own feelings of “anger and confusion” from the abuse he suffered.

The former Bristol City and Bolton Wanderers player was subjected to racial abuse on his Instagram account following a match for Bristol Rovers and called then for social media companies to do more to identify abusers.

He added: “I am absolutely devastated for (Saka, Sancho and Rashford) because the amount of pride and the praise they should be experiencing at the moment. It is such a massive achievement and it should be a huge celebration.

“How they brought the country together after a terrible couple of years should be cherished and they should be feeling the benefits of that but they aren’t going to be are they?”