Staunton: Dorking game is “absolutely” a must win
2022-10-02
Yeovil Town skipper Josh Staunton has said that Tuesday night’s game at Dorking Wanderers is a “must win” following the Glovers’ 1-0 defeat to Southend United.
A clearly emotional and almost angry skipper spoke to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins following the game.
“We can’t keep making excuses and feeling sorry for ourselves, it’s times like this we have to earn your stripes as a Yeovil player. Anyone who was here to day can tell those on the pitch gave their all for the club, but we have to everything right to get it right by Tuesday.
“There’s no point dressing over it, we need a win, we needed a win today, we need a win even more now because the games are ticking by. We need an ugly win, it doesn’t matter how we get it really, performances have been okay, but they don’t bring us results.”
When asked if the team had discussed if the midweek trip to Dorking represented a ‘must win‘, the response was clear: “Absolutely.”
“Anyone who doesn’t know that in is kidding themselves a bit. We know today was a big go for us and this was an important week for us. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb, shot ourselves in the foot (with the dismissal of striker Gime Toure after 17 minutes) and we can’t let it be a hangover for Tuesday and an excuse for Tuesday. It’s a case of brushing this off and getting right for Tuesday whatever way we have to do it.
“We have got to start turning performances into results, it’s as simple as that. We’ve had some good home performances and they’ve come to one point. We’ve got to start – I don’t know, I’m a bit emotionally driven at the moment – I’m struggling to find excuses for it, we need to go and get a win.”
Staunton had a goal ruled out shortly after his side had been reduced to ten men, something which he says he hasn’t had an explanation about.
“As is the way these days, the goalkeeper tried catching… well, I don’t know what the goalie was trying to do. I just jumped up and headed it, he came flying into the back of me, I was pretty stationary, my arms were down and no explanation given, just ‘it’s a foul’.
“When things are against you, it seems things really are against you, those things swing matches. It would have been a real positive swing on going down to ten, but as seems to be the way the goalies are protected.”
The captain was happy to express he fr****tion (we’ve banned that word) at both the incident which saw Gime Toure sent off and the Southend goal, calling them both key moment which cost the side a better result.
“We were under the cosh a bit, they were committing men and the bloke had an unopposed header in the box, as seems to be the way at the moment. He’s headed it into the far corner, it was a decent header to be fair to him, but again it’s a momentary lapse in concentration which has cost us all three today.”
The second half of the game, saw a rise in effort to make up for the one man, and one goal deficit, but it was not enough.
“One thing you’ll never question with this group is the resiliance, the application and the attitude, everyone had a go today and those boys are on their absolute last legs out there… when you go down to ten against a decent footballing team, you are doing a hell of a lot of running, at the back we were leaving ourselves man-v-man an awful lot to try and get the goal.”
Yeovil Town’s “must win” game on Tuesday kicks off at 7:45pm at Dorking Wanderers.
Hargreaves: Toure to be fined for moment of madness
2022-10-01
Gime Toure let the team and supporters down today in a moment of madness according to Yeovil Town boss Chris Hargreaves.
Speaking to BBC Somerset Sheridan Robins after the Glovers 1-0 defeat at the hands of Southend, the manager was scathing in his criticism of Toure and said that the player would be facing a fine after his 17th minute red card for kicking out at a Southend player.
Hargreaves said: “I can’t excuse it, its unacceptable from a player that’s looked bright and looked like he could give us something. So it’s gonna cost him three games and its gonna to cost him a fair bit of money. He’s let all his teammates down today. I’ve go no choice [than to fine him], we need him on the field of play and it’s one moment of madness, a bit of ill-discipline. He’s done something that’s unforgivable for the rest of the players and that’ll be dealt with.”
The manager was also critical of the decision to disallow Josh Staunton’s header, which would have given his side a one goal lead: “The disallowed goal is guesswork and this also totally unacceptable. [It’s a] perfectly valid goal and they’ve disallowed it because its a home game and the keepers gone down.”
He added: “That physicality has gone out the game hasn’t it? As soon as the keeper goes to ground, probably in any level, it’s a whistle, but its a guess whistle in my opinion. So I’m displeased with that, to say the least. But I cant change it, and I’ve moaned about this standard [of officiating] in a few games. There’s no point making excuses about officials, its our job to do better on the field of play – but the odd decision would help.”
Shortly after the disallowed goal, Jake Hyde opened the scoring for Southend and Hargreaves was disappointed with the familiar fashion in which that goal was conceded. He said: “Its basics isn’t it? I can only put players out there and say this is your job man for man – stop the cross and then pick up in the box – and both weren’t done.”
Looking ahead to Dorking on Tuesday (who put five past Dagenham and Redbridge today), Hargreaves is under pressure to turn Yeovil’s fortunes around and said he’d told the players that the game is a must-win.
“I need people to step up and be counted because I don’t wanna be where we are and that’s an understatement. The last two performances have been excellent and we were going into this super-confident today and one moment of madness form a player that’s been doing well as cost us. It hurts, it hurts like hell and I want everybody to want it as badly as I do.”
Loan Watch: Haste Man of the Match as Truro win
2022-10-01
Yeovil Town’s on loan youngster Ollie Haste was named ‘Man of the Match’ for Truro as his helped the White Tigers maintain their brilliant start to the season with a 1-0 away win over Hartley Wintney.
Haste played the full 90 minutes once again and topped out 39% of the vote in a Man of the Match poll after the game.
Nice work, Ollie.
Toby Stephens was not named in the match day squad.
Gloucester City were in FA Cup action, and much like in the last round, Ollie Hulbert was not given permission to play in case the Glovers need him at some stage in the competition.
As a side note, Gloucester this week changed their manager with Lee Mansell relieved of his duties before Stephen King was announced as their new head coach.
Match Report: Southend United 1 Yeovil Town 0
2022-10-01
Venue: Root’s Hall
Saturday October 1st, 3pm kick-off
Conditions: Dry and bright
Pitch: Green
Attendance: 5,324 (81 away supporters)
Scorers: Jake Hyde 37 (0-1),
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Richards-Everton 77, D’Ath 88
Southend United: Andeng-Ndi 52, Powell 65
Sendings off:
Yeovil Town: Gime Toure 17
Referee: Sam Mulhall
Yeovil Town : (3-4-3)
Grant Smith
Owen Bevan Josh Staunton Ben Richards-Everton
Morgan Williams Matt Worthington Lawson D’Ath Charlie Wakefield (for Jake Scrimshaw, 76)
Sam Pearson (for Finley Craske, 65)
Alex Fisher (for Malachi Linton, 59) Gime Toure
Substitutes: Max Hunt, Will Dawes.
Match Report
It was yet another hard luck story for Yeovil Town as the wait due a second National League win of the season goes on.
Having been reduced to ten men after Gime Toure was sent off after 17 minutes for his part in an off-the-ball incident with Southend defender Kacper Lopata. This correspondent, like referee Sam Mulhall, did not see what it was given for but reports on social media suggest a kick out from the Frenchman. If so, that is inexcusable.
The real hard luck came when Josh Staunton had the ball in the net from a corner only for it to be given for a foul on Southend keeper Collin Andeng-Ndi, moments later play swung to the other end and Jake Hyde got what turned out to be the winner.
Here is Dave’s verdict from the away end…..
First half
The first surprise saw Charlie Wakefield slotting in at left wing-back in place of the injured Jamie Reckord.
The first chance fell to the star man playing down the….errr….left after just two minutes when a sweeping move made its way out to him and he curled a shot just wide of the post.
Chances were few and far between, but on 12 minutes Morgan Williams got away down the left and put a ball in which ended up at the feet of Sam Pearson whose effort hit as much air as it did ball and failed to test the hosts’ keeper.
Another effort saw a scramble in the hosts’ box which came to nothing before play broke to the other than end Cav Miley effort from the edge of the box was palmed aside by Grant Smith.
The most notable of the game so far came on 18 minutes after an off the ball incident led to a red card for Gime Toure. The incident seemed to pass everybody in ground, including referee Sam Mulhall by, but a tussle and a Southend defender Kacper Lopata saw the latter hit the deck. The assistant flagged and, after discussion with the referee, the man in black produced a red card.
A bit of Googling (thanks, Ben) suggests Mulhall was the same man who gave an early red to Wealdstone defender Lewis Kinsella for a boot up Malachi Linton’s backside. Suggestions on social media suggest Toure may have done the same to Lopata. Impossible to see from the angle of the away support.
Cue confusion in the away end and an intense period of pressure from the home side as Yeovil went deeper and deeper, welcoming the Shrimpers pressure on.
A lot of the threat came from Jack Bridge down the left but Ollie Kensdale and Marcus Dackers both called Grant Smith in to action as it seemed
On 32 minutes, Sam Pearson was set away on the left and fired a ball in to the near post where Alex Fisher could not make the contact and the ball went away for a corner. From the resulting corner by Lawson D’Ath, Josh Staunton rose highest in the box to head home, only for a foul to be given against Southend keeper Collin Andeng-Ndi. Against any other player on the pitch, that is never a foul but it’s the keeper.
There was a sense the dye may be cast there and two minutes later, a cross by Bridge was met by a close range header from Jake HYDE to open the scoring.
Half time: Southend United 1 Yeovil Town 0
Second half
The first chance of the half fell to Yeovil on 52 minutes when Andeng-Ndi brought down Fisher on the edge of the box after a self-inflicted foul due to some poor decision making.
As the half wore on, the home side saw a lot of possession without creating too many opportunities to force a save out of Smith with an effort out of the dangerous Bridge putting an effort over the bar after cutting in off the left flank either side of the hour.
Malachi Linton replaced Fisher up front for the visitors on 59 minutes and six minutes later Finley Craske replaced Sam Pearson, taking up a position in the middle of the park.
The two substitutes combined on 72 minutes when good pressure from Linton presenting Craske with a chance with the hosts’ keeper off his line, but his effort floated wide. Speculative but that’s all I have!
Dackers put an effort just over four minutes later but, for all the possession they enjoyed (and they did enjoy plenty of it), that was as near to a meaningful chance as the home side got.
The frustration of knowing that the standard of our opponents is not that far off our own even on a sub-par showing like this one was palpable to those in the away end in Essex.
Socks were worked off, no doubt bits were being chomped at but again it’s those decisive moments. One came just in to the first of six minutes of added time when Matt Worthington did superbly to break in from the left flank, picked out Craske with a great opportunity but his shot sailed high, wide and not so handsome.
Goal difference is all that separates us from the National League relegation zone and, after 11 matches, that is no hard luck story.
Full time: Southend United 1 Yeovil Town 0
Team News: Southend United (away)
2022-10-01
There is one change for Yeovil Town with Jamie Reckord replaced by on loan defender Owen Bevan for today’s trip to Southend United (3pm kick-off).
The left wing-back is missing from the squad with a knee infection.
Winger Will Dawes, signed for an undisclosed five-figure fee from Stratford Town, is named on the substitutes’ bench.
Yeovil Town : (3-4-3)
Grant Smith
Owen Bevan Josh Staunton Ben Richards-Everton
Charlie Wakefield Morgan Williams
Matt Worthington Lawson D’Ath
Sam Pearson
Alex Fisher Gime Toure
Substitutes: Finley Craske, Max Hunt, Malachi Linton, Jake Scrimshaw, Will Dawes.
Trust teams in JPL action
2022-10-01
Teams representing the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust are back in action in the Junior Premier League this weekend.
The Under-11s and Under-12s teams will take on their counterparts from Saints South West, an organisation based in Devon which appears to be affiliated to Southampton (they play in their kit colours and share a nickname, at least) albeit nothing is mentioned of them on their website.
The Trust’s Under-13s, Under-14s, Under-15s and Under-16s teams will all take on teams from the South Gloucestershire Regional Talent Centre in their respective age categories.
Good luck to all those turning out in green and white this weekend.
P.S. There’s no fixture for the Yeovil Town Under-18s after they played in the FA Youth Cup on Thursday night. Read more about that – here.
YeoGov Opinion Tracker: September 2022
2022-10-01
Last month we kicked off the YeoGov monthly tracker to measure fan sentiment about things at Huish Park. You can read the results of the August tracker here.
Now it’s time for your views on September. For those who’ve forgotten or tried to scratch the memories from their brain, we played three of our four matches at Huish Park and here’s how the results went.
3rd September – Yeovil Town 0 – 1 York City
13th September – Eastleigh 1 – 1 Yeovil Town
17th September – Yeovil Town 2 – 2 Chesterfield
24th September – Yeovil Town 1 – 1 Boreham Wood