On this episode of the Gloverscast, Cleavo finally takes part in the quiz against Ian. Dave chats to Magpie Circle podcast about Notts County and Ian and Dave take questions following the 0-0 draw with Maidenhead
Thanks for listening!
Josh Staunton has said it is “a massive honour” to wear the captain’s armband in the absence of Luke Wilkinson.
The 26-year-old, who has also taken the skipper’s spot in the heart of defence for the last two games, said the responsibility is bringing out the best in him.
Speaking to the Gloverscast’s Ben Barrett ahead of the weekend’s fixture with Notts County, Staunton said: “To be handed the armband for a club like Yeovil is a massive honour and I feel proud every time I have done it.
“I have really enjoyed it and always felt it brings the best out of me, when I was under-23 captain I seemed to find an extra per cent in me.
“I’m delighted to be wearing, I like the responsibility.”
Despite being on four yellows cards and only one away from a suspension, Staunton said he will not change his whole-hearted approach.
He added: “I think all my bookings have been for tackles and I would much rather that than be done for dissent.
“As a player you are if you are committed you are going to get a few. I don’t change my approach, I don’t go out there thinking I can’t get yellow carded.
“You still have to make sure you are making the right decisions and the team has to come first, if I have to take a yellow card for the team and miss Tuesday night (at home to Altrincham) so be it.”
Defenders Luke Wilkinson and Morgan Williams could both return to the Yeovil Town side towards the end of the month.
Wilkinson has not featured since limping off after 28 minutes of the defeat at home to Chesterfield, whilst boss Darren Sarll has revealed Williams picked up a knee injury in the Somerset Premier Cup win over Bridgwater United last month.
The manager said Wilkinson was “not too far off and may be the back end of the month” whilst Williams could be “a couple of weeks.”
On the long term injuries, he added that right-back Mark Little and striker Reuben Reid were still looking likely to return towards the end of the year.
Sarll said: “We are still looking at December for Reidy, so probably Reid first and then Mark (Little).
“(Reid, Little and Wilkinson) are the three most experienced players and three of our better players and we have to try and make sure we are in a competitive position when they are back in the squad.
“They will make a huge contribution to whatever we do in the second part of the season.“
Darren Sarll has called on Yeovil Town‘s supporters to back his young side after the frustration of a goalless draw with Maidenhead United.
The Glovers’ side were faced with boos from some parts of the Huish Park crowd on Tuesday night and the manager warned that many of his players needed to be encouraged when Notts County come to town this weekend.
His comments echoed those he made following the game when he called for patience from the crowd.
He said: “Creative players like Sonny (Blu Lo-Everton) and Tom Knowles need to know they are not going to get battered for making a mistake.
“Those players have to take risks and sometimes those come off and sometimes they don’t, so we have to try and create a positive interaction which develops their confidence where they feel like they can do those things.
“The culmination of the four home games is the biggest derby the club can have in a brilliant competition, so we are building up to that.”
He added that he wanted to create an atmosphere where his players “want to come and play at Huish Park” building up to the FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie at home to Weymouth at the end of the month.
The manager said he did not feel the midweek match was “quite the right start” to throw defender Jordan Dyer, who was signed on loan from Exeter City, in to action.
But, he was happy with the performance of striker Ben Seymour who played 69 minutes alongside Joe Quigley against Maidenhead.
Sarll said: “Ben has got that movement and grace in his running, he reminds me a lot of Jamie Cureton which are qualities which are different than we have.”
He added he was hoping to work with Seymour, Dyer and midfielder Mitchell Rose, who has signed on a month-to-month contract, “for longer than a month.“
Yeovil Town 4 Hartlepool 0 – Saturday 13th March 2010
Gavin Williams will without doubt be one of the most fondly remembered players in Yeovil’s history by anyone who saw him. He was a special player, able to turn a game with a moment of magic, but also with an element of mischief which no doubt wound up many opposition players and fans. Whatever was happening on the pitch, he was involved. He could create goals, score goals, and often trod a very fine line with some of his tackling, which would see him sent off more than once in his Yeovil career. Every game without fail he would place the ball outside the quadrant at a corner to get the opposition fans jeering at him. He was always sure to do the Cardiff City ‘Ayatollah’ celebration if he scored against another Welsh club, which Swansea fans in particular were not huge fans of. If the question was asked, ‘who plays the most practical jokes at Yeovil?’, the answer would always be Gavin Williams.
Gavin arrived at the end of the 2001/02 season, just in time to be presented before the FA Trophy Final at Villa Park. He joined a team that it had taken Gary Johnson most of the season to put together, but by the time he arrived the First XI more or less picked itself. The only areas for improvement were an attacking midfield player, as occasionally Gary Johnson’s team had struggled to break down defensive opponents, and a first choice striker to partner Adam Stansfield. These arrived in the shape of Williams and Demba, the only additions to the squad in the quiet summer of 2002, a period of unprecedented stability in the Yeovil squad. He took the No. 20 shirt, as the numbers 1-11 would be taken by those who started in the Trophy Final. From then on, the No. 20 at Yeovil would be associated with Williams the same way that the No. 14 was with Thierry Henry at Arsenal.
What made his arrival all the sweeter was that we had bought him at a steal of £22,500 from rivals Hereford, who swore they would never let the same thing happen again after we took McIndoe from them for a similar amount in 2001. It must have really hurt them to see two of their former players romp to promotion with their rivals in one of the best teams the Conference has ever seen, so that’s unfortunate.
Williams was a focal point of the team in 2002/03 playing in an advanced midfield role, scoring 6 goals with an additional 9 assists. Most of his goals that season were fairly spectacular, including arguably the goal of the season at home to Doncaster. Following promotion, he became the outstanding player in the 2003/04 season, and also leading scorer despite playing mostly in midfield with 13 goals and 9 assists.
If there was one potential problem with having Gavin Williams in your team, he did create a bit of a selection headache. Without the greatest pace, he was not a traditional front man, and he also wasn’t really a winger. He was an attacking midfielder, who would occasionally go wandering and leave space behind him for a counter-attack. It was clear from team selections at the beginning of the 2002/03 season that Gary Johnson wasn’t really sure where to play him at first, as he had been a striker at Hereford. In the first game, he was played up front with Adam Stansfield, with Demba left on the bench. Following Stansfield’s injury, he was played up front with Demba. From the third game onwards, Johnson changed the formation from 4-4-2 to the 3-4-1-2 that would be used most of the season, with Williams playing in the hole behind the front two. This gave him the freedom to play wherever he wanted without having to worry about defensive duties. This did raise the problem of where to play Anthony Tonkin, who as a specialist left back thrived in a 4-4-2 but was very uncomfortable on the left of a back three. This was resolved unintentionally, when he was poached by Stockport after only nine games of the season. This formation would last most of the season, and result in Yeovil scoring 100 goals as they won the Conference.
Unfortunately, playing three at the back didn’t really work in League Two. After an up and down start, reverting to a back four gave much more solidity and shape to the team after the introduction of Ronnie Bull on loan as a specialist left back, after which Colin Miles would play much of the season there as Yeovil reverted to a 4-4-2.
The problem arose again though, of where to play Gavin Williams, as there was one less place available in midfield. Following the departure of McIndoe over the summer, Williams played most of the 2003/04 season on the left, which allowed him to cut inside as he did to spectacular effect with his solo goal against Kidderminster. He also occasionally played as a withdrawn striker in a 4-5-1, most notably in the FA Cup game against Liverpool where he came closest of any Yeovil player to scoring that day, drawing a smart save from Jerzy Dudek from a long range shot.
The role Gavin often played for Yeovil would almost certainly be well suited to the modern game, given how many teams now play with only one out and out striker, with three attacking midfielders behind. The role he played was similar to the one Mason Mount or Jack Grealish currently do for England. In a way Gary Johnson was well ahead of his time, as although he took a man out of defence in order to maintain two up front, the switch from two attacking midfielders to three was arguably what allowed Yeovil to score so many goals in 2002/03 and unlock defences that they had occasionally struggled to get through the previous season, with almost exactly the same team. It was Gavin Williams that was the significant difference between coming third and winning the Conference by 17 points.
After a deserved career in the Championship including time at West Ham, Ipswich and Bristol City, he returned to Yeovil for the first of three additional spells in March 2010. The first of these was this game, at home to Hartlepool, which Yeovil won 4-0. In his time on the pitch, Gavin scored one spectacular free kick, created another goal by lobbing the keeper, and then got sent off for a dangerous challenge, all before the hour mark. In his first game back. If there was ever a game that encapsulated Gavin Williams, it was this one. He was often where the action was, being sent off three times in his Yeovil career and probably being substituted on more than one occasion as he often rode that very fine line. The last action of his first spell with Yeovil was to get sent off for a very bad challenge on the keeper in a dismal 3-1 defeat at Lincoln. By this point, his move to West Ham was already on the cards and it was only a matter of time although it was a shame that his last action was to get sent off.
In that 2009/10 spell under Terry Skiverton, Gavin scored five goals and five assists from eight games. He returned for another loan spell in 2010/11, scoring one goal and four assists from 12 games. He also scored the winner against Yeovil that same season while on loan at Bristol Rovers, which he did not celebrate. 2010/11 also saw Yeovil field an attacking partnership of Williams, Williams and Williams (Sam, Andy and Gavin), although unfortunately due to injury they were rarely all on the pitch at the same time.
At the start of the 2011/12 season, Gavin re-signed permanently and would finally take the N0. 10 shirt, initially under Terry Skiverton before being reunited with his old gaffer when Gary Johnson returned to the club in January 2012, steering the Glovers to a League One Playoff final win. In his fourth and final spell, Gavin played 54 games, scoring 7 goals and 5 assists. A lot of these appearances were from the substitute’s bench, as he was unfortunately hampered by injury later in his career, particularly in the promotion season. He was a substitute in the Playoff Final, but did not get on the pitch.
His last goal for the club would be an unforgettable one though, as he scored twice in a 4-1 win at home to Oldham, which will feature in a future Green and White Goals video. The second of these was a spectacular solo run and 30-yard shot that was arguably his best for the club – and there were a lot of great ones to choose from.
Last night, the Glovers drew 0-0 with Maidenhead United at Huish Park, here are our five conclusions.
We’re not creating enough going forward is the blindingly obvious one. Darren Sarll reiterated a need for patience from the fans for the likes of Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, and the young players in the squad but for the final 20 minutes, Yeovil were up against ten-men. (Not that that changes games of course…) Against a semi-professional side who had not won since the 28th of August, we should have created more. Our system is robust and we didn’t give away a lot of chances, but I think it’s fair to expect more from a team who haven’t had a competitive fixture in 10 days.
Ben ‘don’t call me Tom’ Seymour showed signs of a spark. He’s got the pressing and chasing mentality that Gary Johnson’s strikers tended to have. He looked pacy and sharp and I think we can expect some good things from him if he’s served right. His low-effort at the end of the first half was his effort on goal but he worked hard and that’s a good sign.
What has Jordan Barnett done? I think Barnett has started well for us. Dedicated, decent defensively and happy to push forward too. I thought it was an odd circumstance to bring in Jack Robinson for his first game and leave out Barnett who had started every game. Robinson didn’t set the world alight and I think Barnett can feel hard done by to lose his place.
Last night Darren Sarll was asked about the signing of Mitch Rose for the first time since the midfielder signed for the Glovers. Rose, as has been widely reported, is serving a suspended sentence. When asked about the circumstances surrounding the midfielder, Darren Sarll said: “People should understand and know the full extent of any situation before we start beating people down. Mitch is an ex-youth team player of mine, I have known him years and if something untoward has happened in his life I have certainly not got any details about it.” It feels disingenuous to say you’ve signed a player without this information, especially when the player himself indicated the opposite. I would imagine the only reason we’ve signed this player is because of the ‘untoward’ circumstances. The manager had plenty of time to think about how this signing could be communicated in a positive and almost redemptive way, and he chose to plead ignorance.
Another match where our absentee owner was nowhere to be seen. We’ve not heard any communication from Scott Priestnall since the Glovers Trust informed members that they were aware of two bidders for club. No denial, no acknowledgement. Nothing. In July 2019, when Priestnall met with supporters and the media ahead of his own takeover completion, he said: “I’m not going to put the club in danger, so I want to bring a fresh viewpoint on how the club moves forward.” At the end of the match last night, there were a few boos. I think they were aimed at the performance and the tactics and it seems there is a bubbling frustration amongst supporters, albeit a minority, which stems from the over-promising of the summer. If as an owner of a football club, when you insist that you’re building a squad for promotion and you fail to beat a ten-man semi-professional outfit, fans are well within their rights to vocalise their feelings on the state of affairs.
Midfielder Mitchell Rose is playing on a month-to-month contract following his arrival at Yeovil Town, according to manager Darren Sarll.
The former Notts County and Grimsby Town player arrived at Huish Park at the end of last month having played just five games for National League North side Boston United last season.
In the summer, the 27-year-old was given a suspended prison sentence for an assault on a man and a woman which left a 26-year-old woman with a broken cheekbone.
Asked about the decision to sign the player following his first 90 minutes for the club in the goalless draw with Maidenhead United, Sarll said he would encourage people to get to know the player.
He added: “People should understand and know the full extent of any situation before we start beating people down.
“Mitch is an ex-youth team player of mine, I have known him years and if something untoward has happened in his life I have certainly not got any details about it.
“He’s a player I have admired for a while and with Luke Wilkinson out, the options to bring in another central defender were very thin, so we wanted to have Mitch on a month-to-month basis.”
Rose, who worked with Sarll during his time in the academy at Rotherham United, played the full 90 minutes of the goalless draw with Maidenhead.
Darren Sarll has called on Yeovil Town supporters to be patient with the club’s players after a frustrating goalless draw at home to Maidenhead United on Tuesday night.
The Glovers managed just two shots on target despite the visitors going down to ten men when midfielder Jay Mingi was dismissed for a second booking after 71 minutes.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the match, the manager said: “We have to be patient. Our supporters, me included, the board, we all wanted a young team and we have got to be patient with these boys.
“We have to create the environment where they feel like they can take a risk. Sonny had the ball and got in a brilliant position, he went to jink back inside on to his stronger foot to open the goal up, and he gave the ball way.
“What do we expect creative players to do? Pass it sideways and backwards? There’s two sides of the coin on that one. We have a foundation which we can build on.”
The boss said he felt his side were “getting better” and described the clean sheet as “a good defensive performance.”
He added: “It is another point. When you can’t win them, not losing them is an important attribute, too many games last year we lost from these positions late on.
“But, we were not smooth or effective in our attacking play but we haven’t had a game so far where we have had to dominate the ball and open teams up.
“We are still piecing together everything, we are seven games in and we have got far more points than we had last year.”
Venue: Huish Park
Tuesday, October 5 2021, 7.45pm kick-off.
Conditions: Cold…..very cold.
Ground: Slick. Held up well despite the rain.
Scorers: None – to put it mildly!
Attendance: 2,031
Referee: Adrian Quelch
Bookings:
Yeovil: Staunton 24, Knowles 37
Maidenhead United: Mingi 28, 71, Massey 45, Kelly 81
Sendings off:
Yeovil Town: None
Maidenhead United: Mingi (second bookable offence), 71
Yeovil Town : (4-4-2)
Grant Smith
Dan Moss, Max Hunt, Josh Staunton, Jack Robinson
Charlie Wakefield, Dale Gorman, Mitch Rose, Tom Knowles
Joe Quigley, Ben Seymour
Subs: Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (for Seymour, 69), Jordan Barnett (for Tom Knowles, 80), Alex Bradley (for Moss, 90), Max Evans (not used), Matt Worthington (not used).
Maidenhead United: Lovett, Massey, Wells, Parry, Clerima, Minigi, Ferdinand, Upward, Barratt (for Kelly, 69), Smith (for Beckwith,88), Blissett (for Acquah, 79). Subs: Adams (not used), Asonganyi (not used).
Yeovil Town were held to a dull and disappointing 0-0 draw by Maidenhead United at Huish Park this evening. A game of low quality with a lack of clear cut opportunities made for minimal entertainment in the cold for the 2031 spectators who fancied a Tuesday out.
Darren Sarll changed up his side for the clash with out of form Maidenhead United, who were without a win in six games going into the match. Loanees Jack Robinson and Ben Seymour came in for their full debuts alongside controversial new signing Mitchell Rose. The reception for Rose was considerably muted during the pre match team announcement. Jordan Barnett was sacrificed at left back for Robinson despite his decent start for the Glovers. Seymour came in for the suspended Adi Yussuf and Rose replaced Matty Worthington the central midfield to partner Dale Gorman.
A cautious opening five minutes saw both sides trying to gain a hold of possession with neither in the ascendancy. Ben Seymour forced Maidenhead’s keeper Rhys Lovett to deal with a fizzed left footed cross that was searching out top scorer Joe Quigley.
George Wells had the audacity to attempt lobbing Grant Smith after his clearance found the Maidenhead full back. His effort was speculative at best with Smith in a decent position and the execution poor.
Kane Ferdinand gave the Glovers defence a minor scare a few minutes later when he found himself with acres in the middle of the eighteen yard box. His weak headed effort was over the bar and he as adjudged to be in an offside position.
Tom Knowles had a shout for a ‘seen ’em given’ penalty in the 21st minute. A cross from the left hand side was sent in towards the penalty area and the winger hit the deck under a challenge from Wells but the referee wasn’t inclined to award anything.
Moments later there was a heart in mouth moment for Josh Staunton as he brought down Maidenhead’s centre forward Nathan Blissett on the edge of the penalty box, earning himself a fourth yellow card of the season. The referee, Adrian Quelch, deemed the challenge took place outside the box so awarded a freekick inches outside the box. Maidenhead attempted to work a fancy opening and Charlee Adams effort was laughably average.
Knowles gave Maidenhead a scare shortly after, cutting inside from the right a firing a rasping left footed effort into the side netting from outside the box.
Knowles was victim of a pretty reckless tackle just before the half hour mark. Jay Mingi, on loan from Portsmouth, went in forcefully on Knowles prompting calls for a red card from the supporters at Huish Park. Quelch gave Mingi a yellow but it probably fell into the ‘seen ’em given’ category.
Quigley came close to grabbing the first goal of the game in the 34th minute after a cross from the left wing by Mitch Rose. The strikers diving header flew wide of the post but certainly warmed the vocal chords on this chilly evening.
Blissett hit the side netting himself shortly after. Dale Gorman headed the ball over the backline towards Smith who decided not to come and claim the ball allowing Blissett a decent effort at goal. Any striker worth his salt would have forced a save but on this occasion he put wide.
Quigley had another header flash wide after Gorman’s delivery in the 44th and the first effort on target came moments after through Ben Seymour. The loanee from Exeter’s low strike was saved comfortably by Lovett.
A tepid opening to the second half saw neither side show much impetus from the break.
Lovett was forced into a goal-denying save just before the hour mark after his own defender flicked a Gorman freekick goalwards. Corner chaos ensued after but Maidenhead weathered the minor storm.
Some neat interplay on the edge of the Maidenhead box gave Quigley an opportunity to shoot but his effort dribbled into the palms of Lovett.
In attempt to bring some life to the attacking end of the pitch Sarll, Sarll made the first change of the game in the 68th minute. Sonny Blu-Lo Everton for Ben Seymour, slotted into the central attacking midfielder position behind Quigley.
Maidenhead found themselves down to ten men with 20 minutes left on the clock when Mingi was given a second yellow card.
Attacking vs defence ensued with the 11 players in green and white looking to force an opening, although Maidenhead weren’t dominated and employed a degree of time-wasting the opportunity allowed.
A promising run from Charlie Wakefield, where he coasted past three men before releasing Knowles on the right of the penalty area. Knowles first touch was lacking and he couldn’t get a credible effort on goal.
Knowles was replaced by Jordan Barnett shortly after with Wakefield moving to the right and the recent signing slotting in higher up the pitch than we’ve seen him so far in left midfield.
With four minutes added on, the late addition of Alex Bradley for Dan Moss made little difference in the attacking end as Yeovil struggled to break down the resilient Magpies, who even caused problems despite the man disadvantage.
Josh Staunton, skipper on the night, was awarded man of the match by the match sponsors which was a telling statement about the performance of the Glovers.
There were boos on the full-time whistle with some fans less than happy with their evening out.
Tickets are on sale for Yeovil Town‘s trip to high-flying Grimsby Town in our next away trip on Saturday, October 23.
Adult: £20.00
Concessions: £13 (18-22 years, 65+ years plus NUS students, unemployed – proof of status may be required)
Unaccompanied (aged 12-17 years): £7
Accompanied (aged 3-17 years): £5
Under-3s: Free.
Registered disabled (see below for eligibility): £20 plus carer free.
Tickets available to buy – here.
NOTE: there is a matchday surcharge of £2.00 for all ticket categories, except for the Under 17 rates, if you choose to purchase at the ground on the day of the match.
Further disabled information: Ambulant and Wheelchair disabled supporters are charged £20.00 with an assistant going free of charge. You need to be on the High or Enhanced rate of Living Allowance. There are 20 wheelchair spaces in the away area. These must be booked in advance. If needing to make a booking, or more information on facilities, or further assistance, Amanda Stephenson is the club’s Disability Liaison Officer – call 01472 605050 or e-mail safety@gtfc.co.uk. Disabled supporters enter the ground via Harrington Street (the sea facing side of the stadium). There is a fully accessible toilet within the away end.