September 2021 (Page 6)

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Venue: Huish Park
Saturday, September 18 2021, 3pm kick-off.

Conditions: Dry
Ground: Fine

Scorers: Oyeleke 19, Tshimanga 36,

Attendance: 2,356 (238 away)

Referee: Daniel Lamport

Bookings:
Yeovil: Williams, 45
Chesterfield: Payne 68, Tshimanga 78

Yeovil Town : (4-4-1-1)
Grant Smith
Dan Moss, Max Hunt, Luke Wilkinson, Jordan Barnett
Charlie Wakefield, Dale Gorman, Josh Staunton, Tom Knowles
Sonny Blu Lo-Everton
Joe Quigley

Subs: Morgan Williams (for Wilkinson, 28), Yussuf (for Lo-Everton, 46), Max Evans (not used), Alex Bradley (not used), Jack Robinson (not used).

Chesterfield: Loach, Miller (for Whittle, 66), Grimes, Gunning (for King, 46), Kerr, Carline, Weston, Oyeleke (for McCourt, 75), Mandeville, Payne, Tshimanga. Subs (not used): Khan, Minter.

 

Summary

Yeovil Town‘s decent start to the season hit a hefty speed bump this afternoon with a 2-0 defeat against Chesterfield at Huish Park.

An own goal from goalkeeper Grant Smith  – albeit one credited to midfielder Emmanuel Oyeleke – and a finish from Kabongo Tshimanga was enough for the superior Spirerites as the Glovers expelled a lot of energy but couldn’t break down their opponents.

A big concern for Yeovil will be the first half departure of defender Luke Wilkinson who was forced off with an injury.

Here’s how Ian Perkins saw it at Huish Park…..

 

FIRST HALF

Glovers’ boss Darren Sarll was able to name an unchanged starting XI for the fourth consecutive game with the only change coming on the substitutes’ bench where on-loan defender Jack Robinson replaced Toby Stephens.

Josh Staunton thought he’d given Yeovil the lead after 15 minutes when he scrambled a dropped ball into the back of the net. The referee adjudged that visiting goalkeeper Scott Loach was fouled.

Moments later, the Spireites took the lead through an own goal. After a decent stop from  Grant Smith, Emmanuel Oyeleke was teed up on the edge of the 18 yard box and his powerful drive rebounded off the post into a body and into the back of the net. The goal was credited to OYELEKE.

Yeovil suffered the early loss of skipper Luke Wilkinson, who limped off just before the half an hour mark.

The Glovers came close to striking back through Tom Knowles after Joe Quigley rounded Loach. Quigley was forced wide by the Chesterfield defence but he set up Knowles who glided past a couple of blue shirts before his effort was cleared off the line.

In the 36th minute, Kabongo TSHIMANGA doubled the Spireites lead. A routine hoof up the pitch was allowed to bounce, with neither Morgan Williams nor Max Hunt covering themselves in glory. The £100k man slotted past Grant Smith with composure.

Half-time: Yeovil Town 0 Chesterfield 2

SECOND HALF

Sarll made a change at half time, with Adi Yussuf replacing Sonny Blu Lo Everton in the hosts’ forward line.

It wasn’t until the 58th minute that there was a real effort of note. After a spell of pressure the Glovers moved the ball nicely and a rasping effort from Josh Staunton drew a good one handed save from Loach.

Max Hunt came close to pulling one back with a free header in the box after a Knowles cross, but the defender’s effort glanced high and wide.

Yeovil had another decent chance in the 71st minute after neat work by Charlie Wakefield on the right wing found Knowles in the box. Knowles’ execution wasn’t the greatest and his strike went well over the bar.

Knowles grew into the game as it progressed and came close again five minutes later with a speculative effort from distance which went wide of Loach’s left hand post.

As time wore on the game petered out with Chesterfield standing firm and Yeovil, without a Plan B, sapped of energy and ideas.

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 Chesterfield 2

Read our Five Conclusions – here
https://youtu.be/Tn-bq4Jqt-g

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Unchanged starting XIs are becoming every day for Yeovil Town this season as boss Darren Sarll named the same starting line-up for the home game against Chesterfield today.

The only change comes on the bench where on-loan Middlesbrough left-back Jack Robinson replaces young midfielder Toby Stephens. There is no place for Matt Worthington who is available again after suspension.

For the visitors, former Glovers’ players striker Kabongo Tshimanga and goalkeeper Scott Loach start.


Yeovil Town: Smith, Barnett, Wilkinson, Hunt,  Moss, Staunton, Gorman, Wakefield, Knowles, Lo-Everton, Quigley.  Subs: Evans, Bradley, Williams, Robinson, Yussuf.

Chesterfield: Loach, Miller, Grimes, Gunning, Kerr, Carline, Weston, Oyeleke, Mandeville, Payne, Tshimanga. Subs: McCourt, King, Khan, Whittle, Minter.

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Former Yeovil Town director Errol Pope has resigned as a director at CV Leisure, the company which owns a majority stakeholding in the club.

His resignation, registered on Companies House on September 1, leaves Glovers’ chairman Scott Priestnall as the sole remaining director of the business.

It is getting on for a year since the club announced Pope had left the club in December last year with “a heart laden with regret“. His departure was eventually confirmed by his resignation as a director of Yeovil Football & Athletic Club Limited  in August.

Pope remains a director of Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust, according to records on Companies House.

CV Leisure – or Scott Prietsnall as we might as well call it – owns “75% shares or more” of Yeovil Town Holdings Limited, which owns the land around Huish Park.

The rest of the shareholding is held by a variety of different shareholders including some who held shares since the club’s financial troubles of the 1990s.

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It is another busy weekend for the youth sides representing Yeovil Town this weekend.

For the club’s Under-18s, it is a trip to face Wimborne Town’s youth side in the South West Counties League at Blandford School (10.30am kick-off) on Saturday morning.

Five of the youth sides run by the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust are also in action in the Junior Premier League with the under-12s and under-16s on the road at Torquay United and FC Wiltshire respectively.

The under-13s, under-14s and under-15s sides all play at home. Good luck to all those turning out in green and white this weekend.

 

 

 

 

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The Green & White Supporters’ Club s running travel to Yeovil Town’s matches at Boreham Wood, Grimsby Town and Solihull Moors in the coming weeks.

Details are as follows:

Boreham Wood – Saturday, September 25

Members: Adults £28, Concessions £26
Non-Members: Adults £30, Concessions £28
Coach departs Huish Park: 9.15am

Grimsby Town – Saturday, October 23

Members: Adults £34, Concessions £32
Non-Members: Adults £36, Concessions £34
Coach departs Huish Park: 7am

Solihull Moors – Saturday, October 30

Members: Adults £24, Concessions £22
Non-Members: Adults £26, Concessions £24
Coach departs Huish Park: 8.45am

 

To book, call Paul Hadlow on 07736 044570 or email him on paulhadlow@outlook.com.

If you are getting in touch by email, please make it clear which match you are booking for and that you give your full name, the names of people that are travelling and a contact telephone number.

You may be asked to pay a £5 deposit to reserve your seat.

If you are making any of these trips, make sure you check out our Ciderspace Away Travel Guides – here.

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Well, we weren’t expecting to see them for a couple more weeks, but here come the big-spenders! Having seen off $tockport last weekend, now it’s the turn of Cash-terfield this weekend.

Now whereas $tockport are backed by a local businessman, Wrexham have Deadpool and his mate behind them, it turns out that Chesterfield have got their cash from predicting the global pandemic – I kid you not.

The story goes that Chief Executive John Croot took out an insurance policy which covered the club for any loss of income due to COVID-19.

Apparently, the insurance company even took the club to the High Court with Mystic John winning the battle and landing “a significant sum” according to Financial Officer Andy Fantom – who sounds a bit like a superhero himself. Don’t believe us? Read the Derbyshire Times  article here.

The upshot of it all was that, having furloughed players and then brought others in, Chesterfield have played the system well enough to strengthen the squad which made the National League play-offs last season.

Their biggest signing is striker Kabongo Tshimanga  who joined for reported £150,000 fee after being free-scoring at this level for Boreham Wood.

The one-time Yeovil Town loanee, who played zero minutes under the management of Darren Way during a half-season spell on loan from Milton Keynes Dons in 2017, netted a hat-trick in a 4-2 midweek home win over Barnet.

Who says money can’t buy you love, eh?

 

FROM THE FIRST TEAM COACH

Chesterfield first-team coach Danny Webb is no stranger to the surroundings of Huish Park.

He spent a season-and-a-half at the club between January 2006 and May 2007 having joined his father, former Glovers’ boss and later owner, David.

Webb has had quite a list of clubs since then and had a spent a few months as manager at Leyton Orient a few years back, before joining James Rowe’s backroom team last April.

Speaking to the Derbyshire Times ahead of the weekend, he said: “It is two teams on a good run so for the neutral I think it is going to be a hell of a game but hopefully one that swings in our favour.

“They have had a good start, they have been strong, I watched them against Stockport and they looked powerful.

“I think they have got the lowest possession in the league which shows they win it back and they are dangerous on the counter.

“They are big and strong and dangerous from set-pieces. Darren Sarll will have them organised and up for it.

“We have got to go there and show the same sort of fight and hunger which has got us the points on the board so far and I am sure our footballing ability will shine through but we have to do those basics well to go somewhere like Yeovil and get a result.”

TEAM NEWS

Defender Laurence Maguire and midfielder Curtis Weston seem likely to be available for the weekend despite one missing the 4-2 midweek win over Barnet and the other limping off after 80 minutes.

Maguire – possibly best known for being the younger brother of England defender, Harry – sat out the match on Tuesday night with an ankle injury and Weston went off with “tightness”, according to Derbyshire Times.

Both were expected to be in training before the trip to South Somerset and therefore first-team coach Danny Webb expected them to be available.

He said: “Laurence Maguire is back in training , he was not quite right for the other night so we shall see how he is.

“Curtis Weston had a couple of days where he felt a bit ropey, nothing major, I think that maybe just caught up with him.

“The amount of ground he covers and what he brings to the team, whether it is his leadership skills, his pure athleticism or his footballing ability, sometimes it catches up with you in a game like the other night where we are going for it, we want the win and we have got the crowd behind us so that is all it was.

“Curtis is very well and he is available for selection.”

Midfielder Jack Clarke, who had an utterly forgettable loan spell at Yeovil at the start of last season, will be missing after picking up a hamstring injury in the recent 2-2 draw with Bromley, while defender Hayden Hollis is out for the season with a recurring Achilles injury.

Akwasi Asante, who scored against Yeovil in our 3-0 defeat there last season, is another long-term injury victim having injured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament at the end of last season.

He is expected to be out until January or, as the  Spireites Write trio told us on our latest podcast maybe October – perhaps get Mystic John Croot on that one, lads!

 

A FOOT IN BOTH CAMPS

It is pretty unlikely that Chesterfield striker Kabongo Tshimanga looks back on his time as a Yeovil Town player with a great deal of fondness.

The striker, who has six in six coming in to the weekend, spent the second half of the 2016-17 season under Darren Way on loan from Milton Keynes Dons and played zero minutes.

He returned to stadium:mk and was promptly released  by his parent club and, after a couple of spells at Boston United and Oxford City, he found his goal-scoring form at Boreham Wood before jumping on the gravy train in the Peak District.

The other player expected to be in the visitors’ starting XI who has been in both camps is goalkeeper Scott Loach, who played six times during a one-month loan spell at Huish Park in 2015.

In the Yeovil side of the pitch, Glovers’ keeper Grant Smith and striker Adi Yussuf both turned out for the visitors’ last season.

Smith played 18 times after joining Chesterfield in the second half of last season, whilst Yussuf, fresh from scoring his first goal for the club in the 3-0 win at $tockport last weekend, will be looking to put one over on his old side.

He scored twice in a 10-game spell on loan at Chesterfield whilst a Blackpool player last season.

There’s also likely to be some people with experience of both clubs in the dug-out with the visitors’ injured midfielder Jack Clarke having had a forgettable loan spell at Yeovil at the start of last season, whilst injured Glovers’ full-back Mark Little had a spell on loan at Chesterfield from Wolves in 2009-10.

Even Chesterfield first-team coach Danny Webb has Yeovil Town connections after following his dad, former Glovers’ manager and owner David, to the club. He played seven times in a couple of years at Huish Park, but failed to score.

As ever, there’s a fair list of players who have done time with both clubs, so we’ve stuck with the ones who will have some involvement this weekend, here’s a few others:

  • Mike Hughes
  • Daniel Johnson
  • Marc Richards
  • Nathan Smith
  • Terrell Forbes
  • Martin Gritton
  • Adam Rooney
  • Tom Whelan

There’s probably more, but that’s enough to be getting on with.

If you’re still interested in hearing more about Chesterfield, give our latest podcast a listen where we speak to Spireites Writes about how they discovered a licence to print money – listen here.

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

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll has been speaking to the media ahead of the Glovers’ game against Chesterfield on Saturday and has said how proud he is of his side’s early season form, but that he – and his team are taking the season one game at a time.

“Any momentum is driven through training time, opportunity to learn, practice, repeat and drill and all of those things, that’s where our momentum has been built from”

“We’ve spoken about the construction of the squad; there’s a lot of misfits in there, people who have had two clubs in a season, so all the time we get to train and rehearse is to our benefit”

After three wins in a row, Sarll was adamant the squad aren’t getting ahead of themselves saying even in the impressive 3-0 win over Stockport, there was probably more to find.

“There were things Saturday, it was a good performance, an accomplished, professional performance, but there were still elements that absolutely have to be improved and developed”

“We have a saying in the dressing room ‘runs of one’ we only concentrate on the next game, we’re not interested in winning ten in a row, we are not interested in talking about runs, we’re not taking about going unbeaten on not conceding runs”

“One game, brutally, at a time”

Sarll spoken about how his team of ‘misfits’ were also lacking a long, hard season of experience, he named a number of his squad who hadn’t managed 40 games in a single season before who may have to, but reiterated that it was a simple case of one game at a time.

Looking ahead to the Chesterfield game, the gaffer was complimentary of the opposition, but confident his side would be ready for the challenge.

“I think what (Chesterfield boss) James (Rowe) have done is carried on those winning habits that they need to win games, I think all of our games are tough in a different way this season to last,

“This will be a tough game, they’ve recruited very powerfully and there comes an expectation with that type of recruitment”

“We will have to be very, very if we are to get anything from the game”

Middlesbrough loanee Jack Robinson is available to make his debut after a small injury whilst Matt Worthington’s suspension is also up making him available, but Sarll says he may have some tough decisions to bring them back into a winning squad.

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Joe Quigley hammers home the opener.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Yeovil Town striker Joe Quigley has been speaking to be the press ahead of the Glovers’ game against Chesterfield.

Quigley has been in red hot form having scored five goals in the opening four games and has said that he’s been pleased with how he and side have bounced back after an opening day defeat to King’s Lynn.

“It’s been a good start, first four games and three good results, the first one was disappointing but we bounced back well…

“I think I’ve done well, obviously I’m five in four which you can’t complain about”

Quigley praised his teammates for helping in this rich vein of form, citiing a team high on confidence, players in form around him and an increased work ethic from the group throughout pre-season, but he also took time to recognise the work Manager Darren Sarll has done with the front man.

“The gaffer has a different wat of working with me to most others which has been very beneficial to me and to the team; if we can keep doing that we won’t go far wrong”

“We’ve got a good relationship, if you can match his work ethic then you’re not going to go too far wrong.”

Looking at the run of recent results, the forward said how the 3-0 win over Stockport was just another step along the road to proving this Yeovil team are a match for any side in the league.

“It was only a matter of time before it clicked going forward, we have been so good defensivley… it proves we can go toe to toe with anyone, as a group we don’t care what anyone spends, we know we can match them”

With five goals already on the chart for Quigley, he admitted he does have a target in mind… but that he’ll be keeping it to himself.

“There’s a figure in mind which I set at the start of the season, there’s bits on the way you can tick off, it’s been a good (goalscoring) start

“I’ll keep that (the target) to myself, but it’s on target… I’m happy with it”

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Chesterfield 0 Yeovil Town 3 – Saturday 4th March 2006

In the 2005/06 season it took some time to adjust to our new League One level, but after a difficult start Yeovil had established themselves around mid-table by Christmas despite the loss of Gary Johnson in September, with assistant Steve Thompson stepping up as manager for the rest of the season.

However, results in the new year took a turn for the worse with some financial restructuring at the club leading to the losses of several key players during the transfer window including the long-standing midfield duo of Darren Way and Lee Johnson, both departing within a week of each other to Swansea and Hearts, respectively. Johnson in particular appeared to have been thriving at League One level, perhaps released from some of the pressure of being the manager’s son.

Early January saw the club peak with a league position of 10th, but results turned with the departure of Way, Johnson and Efe Sodje. There followed a run of two points from six games, and not only that but the Glovers were struggling to either score or keep clean sheets in a run of matches against other teams in trouble. The 1-0 defeat at Port Vale was a low point, but it got lower as it was followed by conceding an injury time equaliser at home to doomed MK Dons, and a truly abject performance away at Blackpool which saw the club re-enter the relegation places – from 10th to 21st in six games, and relegation was starting to look a very real possibility.

Saturday 4th March saw Yeovil face another team in trouble, this time away at Chesterfield. We had moved to replace Way and Johnson by bringing in Anthony Barry from Accrington and former Bristol City midfielder Tommy Doherty on loan from QPR, to partner the rising star of 18-year old Chris Cohen on loan from West Ham (he would turn 19 the day after the game). Phil Jevons was unavailable through injury and in his absence Matt Harrold was partnered up front by Arron Davies, who had played most of his previous games on the wing. Harrold was also carrying a knock but played through it as we didn’t really have any other options. Terry Skiverton returned to defence to give some much-needed solidity.

There had been a lot of snow the week before and there was some doubt it would go ahead with many other games called off, and even though the pitch was fine on the day, the surrounding areas were somewhat treacherous which may have contributed to what happened during the game. Tommy Doherty’s day lasted only ten minutes, as he came off worse in a challenge and was replaced by Paul Terry – it would prove to be Doherty’s only appearance for Yeovil. After a quiet first half an hour, Davies latched onto a long Chris Weale clearance to put the visitors 1-0 up. Just before half time however, Anthony Barry was involved in an awkward challenge and slid into the advertising hoardings at the far end from the away supporters. After a long delay, he was stretchered off to applause from the home and away fans, and after only four appearances would be out for the rest of the season with a dislocated knee. He was replaced by Andy Lindegaard, and to be fair Lindegaard and Poole did cause the home defence a lot of problems by running at them to create chances for the lively Davies.

In the second half, Yeovil had more opportunities but it was right at the death that Davies scored twice more, firstly an expertly taken shot across the keeper, and then a slightly fortuitous back-heel that he may not have known much about, but the hat-trick was much deserved after his performance. By the end Yeovil were the walking wounded, with Weale left limping after being clattered by a forward and Harrold struggling to play on, but having made two injury-enforced changes already Steve Thompson held back his final substitution having been caught out the previous week when Yeovil finished the game with ten men due to yet another injury.

The win against Chesterfield gave Yeovil a big boost, and although results did not turn around immediately, it perhaps gave them the confidence to know they could still win games despite the loss of so many players through departure and injury. It also highlighted that Harrold and Davies could complement each other well, which they would do again away at Walsall a couple of weeks later when both players scored in a vital 2-0 win (highlights to come in a future video).

Yeovil would finish their first League One season in the relative comfort of 16th, and actually put in some pretty good performances towards the end even though in January and February the situation had looked pretty bleak, and it may have been that the win at Chesterfield served as the catalyst.

Interestingly, with a lot of games being called off due to freezing temperatures around that time, both Yeovil and Chesterfield had taken their players away prior to the game. Yeovil’s squad went on a team-building day to an army assault course, during which they were thrown into freezing cold water. Chesterfield’s players were taken on holiday to Spain, so maybe the contrast between a beach in Spain and a freezing cold day in Derbyshire proved too great!

Yeovil team that day: Chris Weale, Kevin Amankwaah, Nathan Jones, Terry Skiverton, Adam Lockwood, Tommy Doherty (sub. Paul Terry, 11), Chris Cohen, Anthony Barry (sub. Andy Lindegaard, 45), David Poole, Matt Harrold, Arron Davies. Unused subs: Steve Collis, Colin Miles, Danny Webb.