November 2021 (Page 7)

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Venue: Huish Park
Saturday, November 13 2021, 3pm kick-off.

Conditions: Cloudly but dry.
Ground: Continues to look in great condition.

Scorers: Tom Knowles 41 (1-0), Harry Pritchard 68 (1-1), Adi Yussuf 76 (2-1)

Attendance: 2,494 (253 away supporters)

Referee: Sunny Gill

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Barnett (38), Moss (41), Wakefield (50)
Eastleigh: House (53)

Sendings off:
Yeovil Town:
Eastleigh:


Yeovil Town : (4-3-3)

Grant Smith
Dan Moss, Max Hunt Luke Wilkinson, Jordan Barnett
Matt Worthington, Josh Staunton, Dale Gorman
Tom Knowles Adi Yussuf Charlie Wakefield

Substitutes: Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (for Wakefield, 65), Joe Quigley (for Worthington, 72), Morgan Williams (for Knowles, 88),  Alex Bradley, Max Evans

Eastleigh: Joe McDonnell, Josh Hare, Michael Kelly, Andrew Boyce, Tom Broadbent, Cav Miley, Jake Hesketh, Tom Whelan, Harry Pritchard, Tyrone Barnett, Ben House.

Substitutes: Hill (for Hesketh, 65), Harper (for Kelly, 65), Whitehall (for Pritchard, 85), Maghoma, Hollands.

Match Report

An exquisite goal from Tom Knowles and Adi Yussuf in each half stretched Yeovil Town‘s unbeaten run to five games – yes, we’re counting the Somerset Premier Cup.

It was an at times ill-tempered match where the Glovers had to battle against an Eastleigh side above them in the National League table at the start of play and boasting some real quality in their ranks.

But, come the final whistle, it was Yeovil who moved up to 13th place with their visitors dropping to 15th.

Here’s how it played out at Huish Park…..

First half

An ankle injury to Jack Robinson saw the on-loan Middlesbrough defender saw Jordan Barnett drop back to left-back, with Max Hunt  and Luke Wilkinson reunited in the centre of defence.

That meant Josh Staunton moved forward in to a midfield three alongside Dale Gorman and Matt Worthington with Morgan Williams dropping to the substitutes’ bench.

Yeovil continued their habit of making a fast start to matches and enjoyed the better of the game for the opening 15 minutes.

However, as has also been the case this season, it was quality in the final third which prevented them from turning their possession in to serious threats on goal.

Despite the home side dominating play, it was Eastleigh’s Harry Pritchard who had the best early chance firing over from just inside the box after four minutes.

The visitors came in to the game more as things progressed with full backs in Michael Kelly and Josh Hare in the thick of it with top-scorer Ben House and defender Tom Broadbent both having opportunities.

A good piece of interplay on between Charlie Wakefield and Tom Knowles saw the latter test Eastleigh keeper Joe McDonnell  with an effort on 24 minutes.

The best chance of the first half fell to Adi Yussuf nine minutes later. A long throw by Knowles was flicked on by Hunt to find the striker six yards out but his header was off target after 33 minutes.

The game threatened to boil over on a couple of occasions with both Barnett and Dan Moss booked inside three first half minutes by referee Sunny Gill – last seen giving a yellow to Yeovil keeper Grant Smith for his ‘shagger hips’ after the FA Cup replay at W*ymouth.

But, it was a majestic moment from Tom KNOWLES that broke the deadlock with two minutes of the half remaining. A great pass by Wilkinson found him on the edge of the box from where he unleashed a stunning shot compared to Cristiano Ronaldo by ex-Glover Nick Crittenden on BBC Radio Somerset.

How different the half looked as a result of that moment of magic. The visitors undoubtedly had the better chances of the half albeit on the counter attack, but – even more importantly – the hosts led at the interval.

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Eastleigh 0

The first opportunity of the second half fell to the visitors when House got the wrong side of Wilkinson, who was grateful to his keeper Smith who came out to deny the visitors’ top-scorer.

Visitors’ captain Andrew Boyce headed a Whelan free-kick wide with another good opportunity just before the hour mark, before a neat bit of interplay involving created another opening for Yussuf who could not make the most of it.

On 65 minutes, Yeovil manager Darren Sarll replaced Wakefield with Sonny Blu Lo-Everton with his Eastleigh counterpart Ben Strevens introduced Ryan Hill and the pacey Vincent Harper in place of Kelly and Jake Hesketh.

That sparked the visitors who upped the tempo and and they pulled the game level  after 68 minutes with the first goal conceded  by Yeovil in 429 minutes.

Hill was involved finding House who slotted in Harry PRITCHARD, his first effort was blocked but he was able to turn in the rebound for the equaliser.

Sarll responded throwing on top-scorer Joe Quigley in place of Worthington and within eight minutes of going behind, the home side were ahead again.

A great ball by Smith picked out Quigley whose flick on found YUSSUF and he smashed an unstoppable strike for his third  goal in green-and-white.

In the 87th minute, Quigley had an opportunity to add to his tally for the season, creating a chance by his own persistence but his shot was blocked by McDonnell.

There was a heart in mouth moment in the dying moments of five minutes of added time when House looked to be shoved in the box, but referee Gill gave nothing.

Full time: Yeovil Town 2 Eastleigh 1

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Josh Staunton returns to the heart of midfield for the visit of Eastleigh to Huish Park in the National League today (3pm kick-off).

The 26-year-old is replaced at the centre of defence by Luke Wilkinson, who makes his first league start since the defeat to Chesterfield on September 18.

Max Hunt returns from a one-match ban to replace Morgan Williams who drops to the bench after starting the 5-0 FA Cup win at Yate Town last weekend.

Hunt replaces Jack Robinson who misses out with an ankle injury with Jordan Barnett dropping back to left-back.

For the visitors, former Glovers Tom Whelan and Michael Kelly both start.

Yeovil Town: Grant Smith, Dan Moss,  Luke Wilkinson, Max Hunt , Jordan Barnett, Matt Worthington, Dale Gorman, Josh Staunton, Tom Knowles, Adi Yussuf, Charlie Wakefield.

Substitutes: Max Evans, Morgan Williams, Alex Bradley, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Joe Quigley.

Eastleigh: Joe McDonnell, Josh Hare, Michael Kelly, Andrew Boyce, Tom Broadbent, Cav Miley, Jake Hesketh, Tom Whelan, Harry Pritchard, Tyrone Barnett, Ben House.

Substitutes: Maghoma, Harper, Hollands, Hill, Whitehall.

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Yeovil Town Under-18s play their first South West Counties Youth League match in a fortnight.

The young Glovers host Torquay United Under-18s in the Alvington Playing Fields on Saturday morning.

Their home game with Bath City Under-18s last weekend was postponed.

Five age groups representing the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust are also in action in the Junior Premier League this weekend.

The Under-11s, Under-14s and Under-16s will host Cheltenham Town and South Somerset in their respective age groups, whilst the Under-12s and Under-13s travel to Bridgwater United and South Somerset respectively.

 

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Third from bottom of the away form table and third from top at home is the story of Eastleigh’s season this year.

The Spitfires have lost just once on their own patch in the first game of the season against big-spending Wrexham.

But, away from home, only an 88th-minute winner at Wealdstone has seen them pick up three National League points on their travels. Their other point on the road came in a 1-1 draw at Barnet on September 11.

In their last game out they went down 2-0 at Boreham Wood to go out of the FA Cup at the first round stage last Saturday.

They lost on-loan centre back Josh Low in the week after he was recalled by Bristol City with captain Andrew Boyce and Christian Maghoma, who had an unsuccessful loan at Huish Park whilst a Tottenham Hotspur in 2015 when he failed to make an appearance, the regular starters in the heart of defence.

Low has made just eight appearances since joining in the summer and not featured since the defeat at Southend at the start of October, suggesting the Robins were unhappy at his lack of game time.

Striker Ben House is their top scorer with four National League goals this season although he is yet to find the net since bagging the winner at Wealdstone.

Familiar faces include midfielder Tom Whelan, formerly of Brympton parish, who joined in the summer having been surprisingly released by Chesterfield.

Michael Kelly, who played 21 times in green and white last season, has also made himself a regular fixture in the Eastleigh side.

Also, catch our chat with Eastleigh YouTuber Ahmad on our latest podcast – here.

FROM (OUR) MANAGER

Speaking ahead of the weekend, Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll spoke about the 3-1 defeat on the last visit by the Spitfires to Huish Park in December last year:

“They beat us well and truly last year here. I have worked with (Eastleigh manager Ben) Strevens as a player, he was an intelligent player and he does very well and the club does well.

“(Former Southampton midfielder, Jake) Hesketh is a good player for them, Tom Whelan is a very good player, so they have a lot of threat in their team.

“All these games are a war of attrition, but we go in to it knowing what our best looks like and feeling our best as well.”

 

TEAM NEWS

Eastleigh seem unlikely to be changed from their FA Cup defeat at Boreham Wood last weekend with no injuries or suspensions.

Boyce and Maghoma seem likely to start in the centre of defence after keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 home win over Maidenhead in the last National League outing a fortnight ago.

Former Cheltenham and Bristol City loanee Tyrone Barnett scored in that game and is expected to start alongside top-scorer Ben House up front.

 

A FOOT IN BOTH CAMPS

We have already eluded to the two most obvious connections who are almost certain to be in the visitors’ line-up this weekend.

Tom Whelan was a regular feature in the first month of Darren Sarll’s time at Huish Park featuring in the first eight matches of the 2019-2020 National League campaign.

But, having seemingly fallen out of favour, he was allowed to leave on loan from Chippenham Town and then W*ymouth in the National League South, eventually being exiled to the Bob Lucas Stadium.

In fairness, in the murky depths of the Dorset coastline he shone and eventually saw sense and moved to the National League paupers of Cashterfield where it is fair to say he tore us a new one in a 3-0 win in Derbyshire last season.

Whelan is proving something of a dead ball specialist for Eastleigh this season with his three goals coming from penalties and a sumptuous free-kick in the win over Altrincham the other week.

Scotsman Michael Kelly is the other connection likely to feature for the Spitfires following his release by Bristol Rovers in the summer.

The left-back who filled in when Carl Dickinson was unavailable for much of last season has been a regular starter this season.

Christian Maghoma on the other hand joined us in November 2015 promising to mirror the achievements of Steven Caulker.

He departed without playing a single match and went on to play for Arka Gdynia in Poland for two years before returning to England with Gillingham last summer. He joined Eastleigh on loan from the Gills at the start of the season.

In the green and white corner, Glovers’ captain Luke Wilkinson and a six-game loan spell at Eastleigh whilst a Portsmouth player back in 2010.

There’s a few other players with connections with both clubs including full-back Joe Tomlinson who played in the youth set up at Huish Park before arriving at Eastleigh via Bognor Regis and Hungerford – what a journey!

He impressed at National League level and made the step up in to the Football League at Peterborough United in the summer.

Striker Ryan Bird scored eight times in 36 appearances for Yeovil in the 2015-16 season before moving to Eastleigh where he managed three in 16 the following year.

Other connections include Yemi Odubade, Alefe Santos, Aaron Martin, Marcus Barnes, Alex Lacey, Oscar Gobern, Jake Howells and a striker called Thomas Clarke, the latter having a Wikipedia entry as impressive as his lower league journeyman career.

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On this episode we preview the Eastleigh game and talk about the latest news from Huish Park. Plus your questions and the quiz.

Thanks for listening!

Remember to add Gloverscast.co.uk to your favourites and check the website daily for the latest news from Huish Park.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, enjoy some retro content on Instagram. Leave us a review and share the pod with a pal.

If you want to take part in the quiz, have an idea for the website or just want to send us a message, email gloverscast@gmail.com.

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The Football Association are investigating reports of abuse directed towards Yeovil Town players during last weekend’s FA Cup tie at Yate Town, according to Glovers’ boss Darren Sarll.

The manager said some reports had been received of “some prejudice and discrimination and hate” directed at his players during the 5-0 win at the Southern League Premier South side.

A report on Bristol Live on Friday morning claims the abuse was targeted at striker Adi Yussuf and goalkeeper Grant Smith by sections of the Lodge Road crowd.

Yate Town have said they are not aware of any allegations and Yeovil have declined to add anything further.

Speaking at his weekly press conference on Thursday, the manager said: “We are going through a process with the FA.

“There was a couple of reports from witnesses that there may have been some prejudice and discrimination and hate.

“The one I know most about is the hate. What people think is okay to say to another human being has gone bonkers, it’s disgusting.”

The manager spoke at length about the impact of abuse and warning of the impact on players, drawing parallels with the mental health issues experienced by Lee Collins, who tragically took his own life earlier this year.

He added: “It is a shame because I thought Yate, the manager and players conducted themselves in a fantastic fashion and it’s a shame we have had reports of hate and maybe some discrimination from the terraces.

“From a manager that has dealt with an individual with terminal mental health issues, that becomes an anxious moment for me because we have seen the worst of it.”

The Bristol Live article claims “vile references” were made about Yussuf’s mother, who was in attendance, and said cries of  “we want you to die” were heard at the game and that Smith was subjected “to similar abuse when defending the goal in the second-half.”

The report adds: “The abuse continued after the game when Yussuf was pitchside with his family. Yate fans exiting the ground were heard singing abusive chants within metres of the player.”

A spokesman for Yate Town said the club was “not aware of any FA investigation” adding there was no mention of an incident in the report from match referee Matthew Russell.

When approached for further comment, Yeovil said they could add nothing further than had been discussed by the manager due to the ongoing investigation.

 

 

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The dream of the Quadruple remains a mathematic possibility for Yeovil Town after progressing through to the third round of the Somerset Premier Cup with a 2-0 win at Larkhall Athletic.

There were not a huge number of travelling supporters at the tie but one of them was Jake Farrant, a member of the Green & White Supporters’ Club, and here are this five conclusions…..

Finding the ground is a total mystery. I’ve heard reports before that getting to Larkhall’s ground is a bit difficult – but even so I still didn’t imagine it being that much of a problem to find. Famous last words I suppose – even though we were using a sat-nav we ended up going round in circles on some quiet, steep, narrow sub-urban roads in Bath and then ended up on a newly built housing estate down a dead end street as the sat-nav didn’t appear to know where it was either! Eventually we managed to find our way there and had plenty of time for a pre-match pint! The ground is in a very remote location and it reminded me of Forest Green Rovers whereby you drive down a single track country road and all of a sudden it just appears in front of you. If we ever draw them again in the Somerset Cup I would recommend leaving with plenty of time to spare, use a sat-nav and take somebody with you to try and understand where the sat-nav is trying to take you!

Sonny Blu Lo-Everton continues to impress. I personally have liked Lo-Everton since he came here. It took him a while to settle down and find his feet but in more recent games he has looked very sharp, created chances and just generally looks like one of our more lively players. During the match it was the same story whereby his ability to run forward and provide Yeovil with opportunities was good to see. It was also nice to see him grab another goal as well even if it was a tap in from a free kick as any goal that he can score will hopefully increase his confidence levels and potentially raise his game even further.

Max Evans looked solid. Evans has been a regular on the teamsheet all season and with him being reserve keeper we naturally haven’t seen that much of him of late. Maybe it’s just me but I always like to have a backup keeper on the bench in every match we play in just in case Smith gets injured. It doesn’t happen very often but I do like to have comfort in the knowledge that there is another keeper we can call upon. Seeing Max make some excellent saves during the game and looking like a more experienced keeper than he currently is gave me even more confidence that he would be able to be first choice keeper if we needed him to be. He came to Yeovil’s rescue a few times in the match and it was nice that he kept a clean sheet and had something to show for his efforts.

Yussuf’s needless bookings continue. Whether you like Adi Yussuf’s presence on the pitch or not – I think there is something we can all agree on – and that is that he often picks up yellow cards for needless challenges and niggly fouls. The second yellow at Boreham Wood is a classic example of this and even getting booked at Yate Town when we were well ahead in the game also springs to mind. It was a similar story at Larkhall and it often prevented him from creating potential goalscoring chances as there were a few occasions where he had got himself into a good position but ended up giving away a foul or ended up trying to look for a free kick rather than taking the player on. It would be interesting to see how much his game improves if he manages to overcome this as he may be able to create a lot more chances for us going forward.

David Coates needs to hang his head in shame. I’ve known David for a good few years now and I was lead to believe that he was a die hard Yeovil Town supporter who would follow his club to the ends of the earth. Unfortunately that doesn’t include Larkhall Athletic! I looked everywhere for him at the game and after a while I had to come to the simply shocking conclusion that David simply wasn’t there! The Somerset Cup is a prestigious tournament – and the game at Larkhall last night was the biggest game in Yeovil’s season so far. I therefore don’t think that it is too much to ask for Mr Coates to make the trip from his home in Preston to Larkhall for a mid-week Somerset Cup tie – unbelievable!

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Darren Sarll has said his side’s form in November could be crucial ahead of the arrival of the injured Reuben Reid and Mark Little.

The manager said he believed the weekend’s visit from Eastleigh was “one of those games that will define” its current form after a “pretty rubbish” October.

Yeovil go in to the match on the back unbeaten four-match run – if you include Wednesday night’s Somerset Premier Cup win at Larkhall Athletic – looking to extend that form against the Spitfires who are three points above them in the National League table having played a game more.

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

Sarll said: “It’s one of those games that will define the moment. October was pretty rubbish when I think back, shined up a little by the FA Cup win.

“We want to make sure November is prosperous going in to the Christmas break, we want to make sure the return of Reid and  Little is whilst we are in a positive state.

“Then you use them differently because when things are not going great, you are desperate to get them in and that is when people break down again.

“My lowest place at Stevenage was 17th at the end of February, by the middle of March we were fourth, so we need to be in and around it come January to propel ourselves.”

He added that he expected captain Luke Wilkinson to be ready for the weekend having played the first half of the win at Larkhall and the final 37 minutes at Yate Town, with fellow central defender Morgan Williams also available having played 90 minutes in the past two games.

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Tom Knowles is hoping his partnership with fellow forward Charlie Wakefield can prove as prolific as the one he enjoyed last season with loanee Josh Neufville.

He got on the scoresheet for the first time in his last outing at Huish Park when Wakefield bagged the other in a 2-0 win.

Tom Knowles in action for Yeovil Town.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Speaking ahead of the weekend’s home game with Eastleigh, Knowles said: “Chaz is similar to Josh last season, they have raw, out and out pace and really good technical ability so from last year when I scored a few goals, that was the recipe we had.

“Add (Joe Quigley) in to that and Adi (Yussuf) as well and hopefully now after scoring a few last weekend we will kick on and keep contributing.”

The 23-year-old was in fine form in the closing stages of last season weighing in with five goals in the final two months of an otherwise disappointing campaign.

He revealed he has been speaking with manager Darren Sarll about how to manage his frustration at not finding the net.

The wideman said: “We’ve had a few conversations and I am my own biggest critic, whether I misplace a pass or whatever I will be annoyed.

“It’s more about knowing myself and my own game, knowing I might not do everything perfectly but that is okay, just do a job for the team.

“I am learning more about dealing with my frustration but that is because I want to do well and do my bit for the team.”

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New Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder has said he will be assessing all players on loan from the Championship side – including defender Jack Robinson.

The left-back (or should that be centre back) arrived at Huish Park on the eve of the National League season with a deal until January 10 – although the Boro website claimed it was a season-long deal.

Jack Robinson in action for Yeovil Town.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

That move happened under the reign of Neil Warnock who was sacked last weekend and replaced by ex-Sheffield United manager Wilder.

Speaking to the Northern Echo, the new boss said: “First and foremost is to assess the players, whether they are out on loan, they’re here on loan, the kids, every player that’s connected to this football club will be assessed.

“We’ll look to run things absolutely thoroughly to make sure we get it right. Whether we bring players back, whether we keep them out, we’ll try and make decisions on them.”

Robinson has started the last four games for Yeovil with the previous incumbent of the left-back position, Jordan Barnett, starting in a more advanced position.

It seems unlikely that Wilder will look to deny the 20-year-old the opportunity to play, unless he feels he improves upon his current options presently filled by ex-Glovers’ defender Lee Peltier.