November 2022 (Page 4)

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Josh Staunton has been named in the Yeovil Town starting XI for today’s trip to league leaders Notts County (3pm kick-off).

The skipper is alongside Jamie Andrews and Matt Worthington in midfield and, as for the rest of the formation, we are guessing – but this is what we reckon.

There is a place for on loan Bristol City goalkeeper Will Buse on the substitutes’ bench.

Yeovil Town (5-4-1):

Substitutes: Will Buse, Lawson D’Ath, Louis Britton, Anthony Georgiou, Malachi Linton.

 

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The Glovers Trust is hosting its AGM on Tuesday 22 November at the Arrow (BA21 3TL) in Yeovil. The meeting starts at 7pm, and will give all supporters (not just Trust members) the opportunity make comments and ask questions of the Trust board and talk about the current issues facing the club.

 

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Yeovil Town Under-18s travel to Mangotsfield United looking to record their fourth consecutive win in the South West Counties Youth League.

The young Glovers have scored ten times without reply in their last three league games, but were held to a 2-2 draw by BRS Youth Coaching in the Gary Else Memorial Cup last weekend.

Last time out an early goal from striker Charlie Bateson was enough to earn three points at Bath City and move them up to third place.

In the Junior Premier League, the club’s other age group sides are also in action as part of the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust.

The Under-11s face North Somerset Regional Talent Centre, the Under-12s take on Paulton Rovers whilst the Under-13s, Under-14s and Under-15s take on their counterparts from Saints South West.

The Under-16s play Bridgwater United.

 

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Yeovil Town midfielder Matt Worthington is enjoying playing in a more advanced position under new manager Mark Cooper.

The 24-year-old impressed playing a role supporting the attack in last weekend’s 3-1 home win over bottom club Gateshead and is hoping to carry on this form when the Glovers travel to top-of-the-table Notts County on Saturday.

Speaking before the game, he said: “Being higher up the pitch suits my attributes, I can press from the position higher up the pitch, win the ball back and I want to start adding goals and assists to my game, so being in that position will help.”

Cooper was again full of praise for the former AFC Bournemouth youngster and suggested he expects him to continue in the new role in the coming weeks.

The manager said: “Matt has tremendous athletic attributes, so we need him to run through the middle of the pitch and create opportunities which he did on Saturday.

“I don’t want him sitting back and not being able to use his athleticism, so it makes sense for us to let him off the leash and let him run.”

Matt Worthington. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Worthington spent half-a-season on loan at Forest Green Rovers working under Cooper in 2018 and said the new manager had given the squad an opportunity to show what they are about since his arrival at Huish Park.

He said: “He’s given everyone a chance to show themselves, it’s a clean slate for everyone. He’s made a big difference in terms of the style he wants to play, eventually he wants to have us playing good, attacking football.

“But, as he has said, that takes time. We need to get back to basics, get points on the board and however we do that, that’s what we need to do.

“From the first day he came in he said the big problem was confidence, he had watched a few games before he took over as manager and he could see that, everyone could see that.

“We needed to strip back to basics and I said before last weekend that the goals would come, and they did.

“When he came in I was excited and over the past couple of games you can see what he has worked with us on – it’s keeping the ball, high intensity and getting after people.”

Worthington spoke about the club’s difficult start to the season which led to the dismissal of Chris Hargreaves, who was only appointed manager in the summer.

He said: “It was hard. For me personally, I struggled with going home and annoying the missus quite a lot by being in a bad mood, Yeovil is a small place and when we are not winning games it seems like the whole town is on a down.

“We have a good group and a good captain in Staunts (Josh Staunton) and we have multiple conversations with just the players to say this is what we need to do.

“We needed to stick together, stick to the game plan and if we kept trying to make chances, things will change and hopefully things have changed now.”

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Captain Josh Staunton and defender Ben Richards-Everton are both doubts for Yeovil Town’s trip to leaders Notts County this weekend.

The pair have both received injections and are yet to train, according to Glovers’ boss Mark Cooper, who did confirm that defender Morgan Williams and play-maker Lawson D’Ath are both back in training.

Richards-Everton sat out last weekend’s 3-1 home win over Gateshead whilst D’Ath’s last appearance was almost a month ago and Williams has been missing since featuring in the first game under Cooper at Maidstone United three weeks ago.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins on Thursday, the manager said: “Ben Richards-Everton and Josh Staunton both had injections this week, so they have no trained yet. Morgan Williams is back training this week, as it Lawson D’Ath.

“Whether (Williams and D’Ath) are ready to feature yet is another matter. They add to the quality of the group and it would be great if we can get everyone fit.”

“We have one or two bumps and bruises and whether they make it (on Saturday) we will have to wait and see, but we want to be competitive and whatever team we put out we will be.”

Charlie Wakefield. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The manager also revealed that winger Charlie Wakefield, who last appeared as a 63rd minute substitute in the 1-1 draw at Maidstone, has also picked up a new injury.

He added: “He’s got real attributes that we could really do with, but it’s not to be.”

 

Cooper has also called upon players who are not featuring in the matchday squad to ensure they are ready to be thrown in to the fray if required.

On loan Bristol City goalkeeper Will Buse is still waiting to make his first appearance, striker Jake Scrimshaw is yet to feature under Cooper, and fellow forwards Malachi Linton, Gime Toure and Ollie Hulbert have all had to make do with places on the bench.

Of these players, Cooper added: “One or two will be disappointed because they have not been playing as much as they would want to or think they should and that’s only natural, but it’s important they realise that football changes really quickly.

“One minute they could be out of the team, but the next there’s an injury and they get in the team and they have to be ready.

“But I can only praise the players commitment since I have been here and there’s some quality in there as well.”

Will Buse. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

He added that the arrival of wingers Andrew Oluwaborie and Anthony Georgiou, on loan from Peterborough United and Leyton Orient respectively, had given the team a lift and their pace and crossing ability pointed towards the way he wants to see his side play.

The manager added: “At any level, pace can hurt teams or put them on the back foot and defenders are frightened of pace. When you come in to a club, you have to assess the players you have and find the best way to play.

“For me, it was to try and get the ball wide and get crosses in to the box especially with Fisher.”

Cooper was also complimentary of midfielder Matt Worthington who starred in last weekend’s 3-1 home win over bottom club Gateshead playing in a more advanced position.

The manager added: “Matt Worthington has tremendous athletic attributes, so we need him to run through the middle of the pitch and create opportunities which he did on Saturday.

“I don’t want him sitting back and not being able to use his athleticism, so it makes sense for us to let him off the leash and let him run.”

A National League record crowd of more than 16,000 is expected to turn out at Meadow Lane at the weekend with Notts County top of the table and the added attraction of heavily discounted tickets.

Cooper, who had a two-month spell in charge at Notts in 2016, said the sight of a packed stadium should act as an inspiration to what the Glovers should be aspiring to.

He said: “We’re all looking forward to the atmosphere and what that brings. It’s a great achievement by Notts County to be able to attract that number of fans and it’s a little nudge to where we should be looking to be. There’s no shame in trying to strive for that.

“There’s not really any pressure on us, we can go there and enjoy ourselves, but you can enjoy yourselves more if you get a result.

“It’s a great stadium and great pitch and we are playing against a really good team, so we are all really looking forward to it.”

He added: “You have to have an intent and a plan of where you want to go and it’s important we start doing that now.

“We don’t want to be ‘little old Yeovil’ any more, we should be one of the big clubs that is being talked about in this league like Chesterfield and Wrexham.

“We should be being talked about in the same breath as those builds because not so long ago this club was in the Championship and not so many of those teams can say that.”

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Plans for development around Huish Park are expected to be available before Christmas, the minutes of the latest Supporters’ Alliance Group meeting have shown.

The minutes of the meeting held on October 13th were published on Tuesday by the Glovers’ Trust, and include a commitment from chairman Scott Priestnall that the preferred scheme will be open to public consultation before a planning application is submitted.

If you want to read the meeting minutes in full, click – here.

The chairman also told the meeting that he expects a formal application to be submitted next year.

The minutes show Mr Priestnall gave the meeting the following update: “He updated the meeting on the proposed developments during the last few months. He has been working with architects, consultancy firms and the council to produce drawings and to find out what developments are possible. The plans will go to public consultation before being submitted. There has been a lot of activity with the council during the past year. The details of the preferred scheme should be available before Christmas, but no formal application will take place this year. SP explained that he is not looking to just develop the land but to re-develop the stadium.”

When asked for further details on the proposals by Glovers’ Trust chairman Roger Pipe, the minutes show: “SP (Scott Priestnall) answered that there could be small retail establishments, with renting or leasing some buildings. There could be sports clinic and health provision. Also, player accommodation could be on site. There were no plans for office blocks or commercial premises.”

The publication of the minutes follow a series of social media exchanges between the Glovers’ Trust and the club on Monday night in response to an open letter asking questions about the planned development. The letter was drafted by the Trust and signed by other groups, including Gloverscast, and you can read more – here.

The minutes show a commitment from Mr Priestnall to making plans for the Huish Park site’s development open to public scrutiny.

Whilst the proof of pudding (or the publication of the plans for public scrutiny, at least) will be in the eating, the absence of a reference to housing development as part of the preferred scheme is positive, and the name-checked development feels like it could add to the viability of Huish Park as an operation outside matchdays.

In his closing remarks to the meeting, the chairman adds that the club needs “a long-term sustainable future.”

On the subject of the club’s finances, the minutes, Mr Priestnall reiterated that the National League is “still working” to have loans taken by clubs written off by Sport England. Yeovil Town took almost £1m in loans which are subject to “a four-year holiday period” during which no payment is necessary.

As we reported back in October, this detail was part of the chairman’s latest update to supporters. You can read more about that – here.

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The minutes of a meeting of the Yeovil Town Supporters’ Alliance have been published today.

The minutes are not yet agreed by all parties, as the Glovers’ Trust has requested an amendment to include a commitment by chairman Scott Priestnall to host an open forum for supporters which he made at the meeting on October 13th as well in a recent update he gave to fans.

For this reason, these minutes are better described as ‘draft’, but given their content seems to have caused a stir they have been published and we are pleased to re-publish them for your viewing pleasure…..


Minutes of the YTFC Alliance Meeting at Huish Park on Thursday 13 October 2022 at 13.00

Present:

  • Rich Rendall (RR) – Chairman of the Alliance/Green & White Supporters’ Club,
  • Scott Priestnall (SP) – Chairman and Owner (by Zoom)
  • Stuart Robins (SR) – Director,
  • Martyn Starnes (MS) – Chief Executive Officer,
  • James Hillier (JH) – Stadium Manager,
  • Mark Robinson (MR) – Commercial Manager,
  • Sam Collard (SC) – Media Department,
  • Roger Pipe (RP) – Chairman of the Glovers’ Trust
  • Terri Burt (TB) – Glovers’ Trust
  • Rob Newport (RN) – Cary Glovers
  • Emma Jarvis (EJ) – Commercial Assistant
  • Marilyn Cottle (MC) – Commercial Assistant/Junior Glovers

Apologies: Paul Hadlow (Green & White Supporters’ Club), Sharon Swain (Disabled Supporters’ Alliance – DSA), Simon Woodland (DSA).

RR opened the meeting and asked everyone to introduce themselves and their roles.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved. RR spoke about the new season and remarked that the team are playing well and this needs to continue and draws to become wins. We would like to wish all the coaching and backroom staff success and our best wishes are with Marcus Stewart on the diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

RP asked about the racism incident at the York game.

JH explained that the police and the club have now closed their investigations. Supporters, stewards and officials were spoken to, but no-one heard anything. Nothing was reported on the day, it was only when the recording was shown on Monday. JH also spoke to Kick It Out for advice.

SC explained the position of the camera. The press box including BBC Somerset did not hear anything.

RP thanked the club for their investigation.

JH and MR then spoke about the impact the incident had brought on the club. The club have spoken to a number of key sponsors. SR reiterated that the club takes incidents like these very seriously, will not tolerate racism or discrimination in any form and operates a zero tolerance policy. The reputation of the club is at risk and social media comments were not helpful.

Updates from the previous meeting were discussed. RP said that communications had not improved.

JH updated the meeting on other projects. Planning for the marquee to be moved to the corner between the Screwfix and Thatcher’s stands is awaiting approval. The club are disappointed in the delay. The new scoreboard will be fitted shortly. Access control is working well. There are now Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) terminals in all areas and cards can now be used in all areas of the ground.

The new lift has been ordered and we are waiting for the installation date. The Football Foundation provided 70% of the cost, the G&WSC donated £2000, the DSA gave £2000 and £7000 was donated from the lottery department at the club.
The DSA are painting the barriers on the home terrace. We would like to thank the DSA for all their work.

RP asked why there was only going to be three sides open for the FA Cup match with Taunton.
JH said that there was a cost implication to open the Screwfix Stand. The expected crowd is 2500 and they can be accommodated in the other stands. There would be a bar behind the away terrace and the tea bars were opening early.
RP asked about the issues with entry to the Screwfix Stand for league games.
JH explained that the new scanners have now arrived and there will be 2 gates open in the future. RR asked if it could be advertised which gates are open.
RP asked why the lights were on at the Boreham Wood match.
JH said that the referee insisted that they stay on. There have been discussions in the EFL to change KO times to 1pm to conserve energy. However, this could mean teams staying overnight and problems for fans to arrive by 1pm. The club will continue to save money, but there are no plans to close the Screwfix Stand for league games.

MC explained that the Junior Glovers are no longer a separate section. All young people under 16 who purchase a season ticket receive a free shirt. We are including children more on match days. Mascots are now allowed, and we have local teams as guard of honour and flag bearers. We have introduced a penalty shootout at half time for youth teams.

SP joined the meeting by Zoom.

He updated the meeting on the proposed developments during the last few months. He has been working with architects, consultancy firms and the council to produce drawings and to find out what developments are possible. The plans will go to public consultation before being submitted. There has been a lot of activity with the council during the past year. The details of the preferred scheme should be available before Christmas, but no formal application will take place this year. SP explained that he is not looking to just develop the land but to re-develop the stadium.

RP asked for more details.

SP answered that there could be small retail establishments, with renting or leasing some buildings. There could be sports clinic and health provision. Also, player accommodation could be on site. There were no plans for office blocks or commercial premises.

SP then explained the Sport England Loans. Sport England have not requested re-imbursement. The National League have regular meetings about the loans and all clubs have a four-year holiday period and are still working to have the loans written off.

RP asked if the National League are trying to convert them to grants.

SP said that the loans are directly with the clubs. He explained the loan system and why they were brought in. He asked for the supporters to be patient.

RP invited SP and SR to the Glovers Trust AGM. SP said that he had been approached in an aggressive manner by two members of the Glovers’ Trust at the Dorking game and he would have to speak to SR before giving a response. MS also witnessed the incident and said it was out of order. SP asked if this had been dealt with by the .

RR asked if there was any more investment in the club.

SP said there is ongoing discussions but for new investors the finances have to look decent, performances on the pitch need to inspire them and the environment needs to be friendly. Protesting is having a negative effect on the club. All supporters are welcome to attend the Alliance meetings.

Discussions then took place between TB and SP regarding the take-over by Simul Sports. TB believed that they had the money and that new investors are not willing to invest because of SP.
SP confirmed that there was a contract for Simul Sports to buy the club but they didn’t sign it. He advised that if the group wanted to buy a football club then there are a few for sale, but they haven’t bought anything.

SP explained that the council deal did not stop the Simul Sports deal. RP said that some people are disenchanted with the club.
SP asked if it matters who owns the club. The important factor is to be competitive. SP will be issuing a statement of future plans. The club needs a long term sustainable future.

RR thanked SP for his update.

The meeting finished at 15:00.

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Yeovil Town’s defence of the Somerset Men’s Premier Cup has been delayed by the weather.

The Glovers have confirmed tonight’s second round tie with Taunton Town has been postponed with rain forecasted for later today.

In a statement, the club said: “After an assessment of the pitch by a local referee and forecasted rain later today, tonight’s Somerset Premier Cup fixture has been postponed.

“Details of a further date will be released in due course.”

It added that tickets for the potsponed date would be honoured for the rearranged fixture.

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Alex Fisher celebrates a goal in the 3-1 home win over Gateshead. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Alex Fisher, the two goal hero from Saturday is in the official Vanarama Team of the week.

Because of course he is.

The Fish was fed twice and scored twice… he had a glorious chance to notch a second Glovers hat trick… but, well, yeah.

Nice one Fish… same again next week!?

The full team can be found below.