November 2022 (Page 5)

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Four groups of Yeovil Town supporters have issued a set of questions to Yeovil Town owner and chairman Scott Priestnall today.

Led by the Glovers’ Trust and backed by the administrators of the Ciderspace Facebook Group, The Green Army and the Gloverscast, the letter asks for clarity on the future development of Huish Park and calls for the open fan forum which was promised in the last update on October 14th.

Dear Mr Priestnall

As supporters of Yeovil Town FC, we have become increasingly concerned about the state of our club under your ownership.

We have seen our ground and the land that surrounds it sold to South Somerset District Council with no obvious plan on how to buy it back, whilst at the time of writing our team languish just outside the relegation zone.

Moreover, we are worried that matters could get worse. The proposed development of the land around the ground potentially threatens the very existence of our club.

We now write to ask that you urgently provide clarity in respect of the following;

1. Please provide a breakdown of how the money raised by the sale to South Somerset DC has been spent/ allocated.

2. You have informed us that architects have been engaged to draw up plans for the land around the ground, and that supporters will be consulted. We call upon you to start this process immediately and to share the initial plans with supporters and local residents.

3. You have also said that the development of land previously owned by the holding company will benefit the club and provide a revenue stream. Could you now please set out your vision for how this will be achieved and give a firm commitment to this process.

4. You have made a public commitment to holding an open meeting with fans, we ask now that you set a date as soon as possible for that meeting.

We look forward to hearing from you. 

In a response posted on the club’s Twitter feed posted at 7.08pm on Monday, it said:

It’s disappointing that after only receiving this letter today from Glovers’ Trust chairman Mr Roger Pipe and after offering Mr Pipe a meeting at the club tomorrow to discuss, that the decision was made to publish this letter anyway.

It’s confusing, considering that these points were discussed at the recent Supporters Alliance meetings, answered by Club Chairman Scott Priestnall and these answers documented in the minutes of the meeting and sent to attendees.

It is therefore questioned why the Glovers’ Trust have not fed back the answers to their members.

The club will confirm an open meeting in due course and will communicate to supporters directly.
 

Then in response to the club’s response posted by the Glovers’ Trust at 8.38pm, the Trust said…..

The Glovers Trust note the response from the board of Yeovil Town Football club to our joint open letter. We were disappointed, but not surprised that rather than answering the important questions contained within, the owners saw it appropriate to seek to slur our organisation and our chairman.

The Glovers Trust would like to reiterate that this was a joint letter, signed by multiple supporter groups associated with our fanbase, and not just the Glovers Trust. Groups that have no other motive than to safeguard the club we love. When the letter was sent to Scott Priestnall, it was made very clear that it would also be made public. Public letters are not uncommon and we believe fans have the right to know what questions are being asked, and what answers are/aren’t being given.

While the directors are correct that many of these questions have been repeatedly asked at Alliance meetings since the sale of our assets to SSDC, we have yet to receive anything like an adequate response to any of them.

We do not wish to engage further with the owner on social media, but once again extend an invitation for him to join us for our AGM where he can answer these questions and more in the presence of our members and wider fanbase. Failing that, we look forward to a date being confirmed swiftly for the November open forum.

We will continue to support Mark Cooper and the team. But we will also not be distracted from the very important off-field issues that continue to plague our club.

…..we await a response to the response to the letter – is that enough responses? Anyway, you get the idea……don’t you?
 

Why have we signed it?

The endless cycle of statement, silence for several months, statement, silence for several months is draining. The dialogue between the club and supporters should be shared, transparently and in a timely fashion.

It appears that a Supporters’ Alliance Group meeting has taken place in the recent past, it appears minutes of this meeting exist, it appears these minutes contain some information which would be of value in understanding what is happening with our football club. So where are they?

In the end of season survey which had 499 responses, we received an average score of 2.5 out of 7 to the statement ‘YTFC will benefit from the sale of Huish Park to SSDC’.  Our monthly pulse surveys also show supporters still feel things need improving. We, and many supporters, still have around how this deal improves the long-term future of the club and recognise many decisions lie with SSDC and, as a public authority, we have reached out to them for answers. As and when we receive responses, we will let you know.

For the time being, there’s a response from the club to the Trust’s letter and we look forward to the open meeting for supporters in due course.

The above are questions, among others, we wanted answered after more than 1500 supporters put their signature to a letter in April.

We all want the best for the future of the football club. And if you’ve listened to the recent episodes of the podcast, you’ll all know we’re right behind Mark Cooper and willing this team to get us out of trouble.

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Goals from Alex Fisher and Malachi Linton saw Mark Cooper pick up his first win as Yeovil manager against basement club Gateshead yesterday. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions.

Alex Fisher is rejuvenated under Mark Cooper. Everything feels a bit fresher, but no one has had a bigger turnaround than Yeovil’s number 9 under the new boss. With another two goals yesterday (it should have been a hat trick), Fisher’s form might make it difficult for Louis Britton to make an early impact. Two fox-in-the-box type goals exemplify the simplicity with which Mark Cooper has asked his striker to play. Hold it up, move it wide, get in the box. Both of his goals came from crosses when he was inside the six yard box. It’s amazing what can happen when you play a number 9 as a number 9.

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

Oluwabori built on his Tuesday night cameo. The right winger shone against Maidenhead and yesterday was no different. He’s the type of player to create something from nothing and has added so much to this squad. His confidence his high and you see it rubbing off on his new teammates. He doubled up nicely with Chiori Johnson, linked up with Matt Worthington and he and Fisher look to building a good connection. Oluwabori was constant thorne in the side for Gateshead, who surrounded him at every opportunity. We’ve got a talent here who can make a genuine creative difference for the Glovers.

Matt Worthington was my man of the match. I thought Worthy was fantastic yesterday. He’s gone from being the senior midfielder in a pair under Chris Hargreaves to playing in the number 10 role for Mark Cooper and given the licence to get forward by having Josh Staunton and Jamie Andrews behind him. He was relentless and making a difference in spaces where we’ve probably not seen him before, forcing the Gateshead defence into mistakes by triggering the press. Can he add goals and assists? That’s the next challenge.

The power of Huish Park was evident. Mark Cooper gave a bit of a call to arms on Tuesday after the volume picked up in the stands and a bright start got Huish Park up for it yesterday too. There was a lull in the middle of the first half but Yeovil were roared home in the second half. It feels like it’s been a while since a managers name was sung in the crowd, but it’s not taken long for “Mark Cooper’s Green and White Army” and “Heeey Mark Cooper” to make it to the terraces.

It feels like we’ve got the right man in charge. Mark Cooper has added his own personnel, simplified everyone’s jobs and it’s making a difference. We can’t get ahead of ourselves, this was a bottom of the league team that looked lower on confidence than we did. But, it was a game that we needed to win and we did so. Next we travel to top of the league Notts County where the pressure will be entirely on them in front of a big crowd. It feels like we’ve got a decent foundation to build on now though, and you can see what that first win meant to everyone yesterday. You can’t help but wonder where we would be if we’d be able to opt for him in the summer, but sure I’m glad we’ve got him now.

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Yeovil Town Under-18s began their Gary Else Memorial Cup campaign with a 2-2 draw against BRS Coaching Youth Under-18s at Alvington this weekend.

Having gone ahead with a long range effort from Mason Hunter just before half-time, the young Glovers were indebted to goalkeeper Robert Hollard who pulled off a fine stop to keep them in front at the interval.

Mason Hunter. Picture courtesy of Matt Partridge.

But three minutes after the restart the Ringwood-based visitors drew level and added a second soon after 73 minutes only for captain Jake Graziano to complete the scoring from the penalty spot a minute later.

The game against Ringwood-based, who are much improved from the side Yeovil beat 6-0 in league action last month, was the first in the competition’s group stages. The other teams in the Glovers’ group are Torquay United and Bridgwater United.

Yeovil Town Under-18s: Robert Hollard, Ethan O’Sullivan, Josh Sutton, Jacob Shore, Harrison Foster, Jake Graziano, Mason Alden, Charlie Bateson, Mason Hunter, Alex Stevens. Max Dyer. Substitutes: Mikey Archibald, Harry Evans, Ryan Price, Josh Haskett, Nathan Hart.

 

A number of the club’s youth group teams playing under the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust were also in action in the Junior Premier League.

The Under-14s ran out winners in their fixture against Taunton Town, whilst the Under-13s drew and the Under-15s lost against competition from the county town.

The Trust’s Under-11s lost their fixture against FC Wiltshire while the Under-12s match against Cheltenham Town was postponed. The Under-16s were without a match this weekend.

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Only one of Yeovil Town’s two loanees was in action for their loan clubs this weekend.

Midfielder Toby Stephens played a pivotal role for Plymouth Parkway in a 3-1 win home win over Hayes and Yeading in the Southern League Premier Division South

He played through a “delicious” ball for former Glovers’ loanee Ben Seymour to score the opening goal and played the full 90 minutes.

Defender Ollie Haste wasn’t named in the matchday squad for Truro City’s trip to the Metropolitan Police, a result which keeps Paul Wootton’s side a point ahead of Weston-super-Mare at the top of the Southern League Premier Division South.

The Gloverscast understands he took a slight knock in training on Friday and was advised by the Yeovil medical staff to sit out this weekend, but should be back on the pitch sooner rather than later.

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Two-goal hero Alex Fisher has said he is enjoying working under new Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper after a man of the match performance in the 3-1 home win over bottom club Gateshead.

The striker’s brace moved him ahead of wing-back Jamie Reckord to be the club’s top scorer – albeit with only four goals in the first 18 matches – and he is hoping the team can start to find some form under the new manager.

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

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game, he said: “It’s been a good transition (with the new manager taking over), he has a lot of ideas and I know a lot of his teams play a lot of good football.

“It’s not the sort of thing you can just implement overnight, it’s more incremental changes week by week and I hope to think this will be the start of some really positive displays.”

He added: “He’s come in, he’s tried to simplify my game to make things easier for me and with a few of the other guys and it’s worked really well. I’m just really happy I have been able to notch a couple today and I just hope this form can continue.”

Fisher played alongside wingers Andrew Oluwaborie and Anthony Georgiou in a three-man attack which switched to a front two alongside the on loan Peterborough United man after a tactical tweak by the manager.

Of the impact of the new players, Fisher added: “They are great guys with a great attitude and you can see they have added a lot to us. They are very comfortable on the ball and get it in dangerous areas and I hope it’s as exciting to watch as it is to play in.

“It was a great team performance, I think any of us could be standing here with (the man of the match award). It was nice to get a couple of goals and good to score three at home for the first time this season, we’re delighted with the three points.

“You have to give (the fans) something to get behind and I think we are starting to do that. I don’t think you could ever have questioned anyone’s commitment in any of the games up to this point, but you want to be scoring goals at home and three today feels right.“

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Mark Cooper was pleased to feel the tension which has hung around Huish Park all season lift after his Yeovil Town side picked up their first win under his stewardship.

A brace from striker Alex Fisher – who turned in a man of the match performance despite missing a second half penalty – and an injury time goal from substitute Malachi Linton saw the Glovers pick up a 3-1 win over bottom club Gateshead.

It was the third win of the campaign and the first time the team have scored more than two goals all season and the performance was just what Cooper has been working towards since he replaced Chris Hargreaves.


Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the match, he said: “You can sense tension around the stadium when we play here and the players feel that as well, so it was just a case of getting three points no matter how we did it.

“When you are near the bottom and you have been beaten down a bit, everyone tells you you’re not very good, you lose a bit of enthusiasm and my job in the last few weeks has been to rebuild that enthusiasm just for the game itself.

“Getting them to play on the front foot and attacking the goal because we know we are sound defensively, it is just unlocking that little bit of belief that they are decent players and they can go and score goals.”

The boss was full of praise for goal-scorers Fisher and Linton – who took their respective totals for the season to four and three – after there performances.

Of Fisher, the manager said: “He’s a good centre forward, he always has been and every time I have seen him play he has done well, so it’s no surprise.

“At this level, all the players, coaches and managers will have a deficiency but we’ve just got to get the best out of him.

“When he’s got his back to goal, in the middle of the pitch, controlling it and getting it wide and getting it in the box, that’s all I have asked him to do.”

Linton came off the bench after 74 minutes to replace Andrew Oluwaborie and the boss was pleased to see him take his opportunity having dropped out of the starting XI since his arrival.

Cooper said: “They get frustrated when they don’t play, so when they do come on the pitch they have to make a difference and Mal has come on the pitch and scored a goal.

“He can be disappointed he’s not playing, but he has to react in the right way like he did when he came on.”

Next up in the National League is a trip to leaders Notts County – a team Cooper managed for a couple of months in 2016 – albeit there’s the small matter of a Somerset Men’s Premier Cup tie against Taunton Town in midweek, let’s not forget.

Of the league fixture, Cooper said: “Nobody will expect Yeovil to go there and get anything, they are flying and have a very good manager in Luke Williams, and we know it’s going to be a difficult ask but we’re looking forward to it.

“They will have a record crowd there, so why wouldn’t we want to play in that atmosphere? That’s what I have told the players (in the dressing room), we just need to look forward to it – I know I am.”

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Malachi Linton. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Venue: Huish Park
Saturday 12th November, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: Warm, sunny day
Pitch: Looking good

Attendance: 2,405 (65 away supporters)

Scorers: Will Harris 25 (0-1), Alex Fisher 31 (1-1), Alex Fisher 51 (2-1), Malachi Linton 90+3 (3-1)

Bookings:

Yeovil Town: Matt Worthington 87
Gateshead: 

Referee: Sam Mulhall

Yeovil Town (4-3-3):

Substitues: Louis Britton (for Alex Fisher, 70), Malachi Linton (for Andrew Oluwaborie, 74), Ewan Clark (for Anthony Georgiou, 85), Gime Toure (not used), Ollie Hulbert (not used).

Gateshead: Montgomery, Richardson, Pye, Gallagher (for Daley, 20), Conteh (for Yussuf, 86), Bailey, Ward, Hasani (for Martin, 51), Campbell, Harris. Substitutes: Langley, Magnay.

 

Match Report.

A double from man of the match Alex Fisher and a late finish from substitute Malachi Linton saw Yeovil Town pick up their first win under new manager Mark Cooper and their third of the season.

It was also the first time this season the Glovers had scored more than two goals and pulled themselves a whole two points adrift of the National League relegation zone with a win over bottom of the table Gateshead.

The result was nothing less than Mark Cooper’s men deserved and they could even afford a missed second penalty from Fisher who deserved his hat-trick for an outstanding display – but we’ll take three points, oh yes we will!

 

First half

Manager Mark Cooper made two changes from the midweek stalemate against Maidenhead United with Ben Richards-Everton and Ewan Clark, replaced by Chiori Johnson and Andrew Oluwabori.

There was no starting position for new signing striker Louis Britton, who joined four fellow forwards on the substitutes’ bench alongside Malachi Linton, Gime Toure, Ollie Hulbert and Clark.

For the visitors, ex-Glovers’ striker Adi Yussuf was named among the substitutes’ bench manager Mike Williamson, a former Newcastle United player, made just his second appearance of the season.

The line-up saw Matt Worthington playing forward, almost as a number ten, with captain Josh Staunton and on-loan Jamie Andrews playing in the centre of midfield, and it was the home side who started the brighter but without forcing visiting keeper James Montgomery in to action.

But, it was the visitors who took the lead with the game’s first opportunity on 25 minutes. A looped ball forward saw Staunton miss an interception and Will HARRIS picked it up and a clinical finish left Grant Smith clutching at thin air. More than a hint of offside but the only person who matters (the assistant referee) did not agree.

The lead lasted just six minutes as a wonderful free kick whipped in low and around the wall by Anthony Georgiou and Alex FISHER stooped low to head home. A goal and from a set piece – that’s the stuff!

At that point Cooper shifted the formation with Oluwaborie moving up in to a front two with Fisher with Chiori Johnson pushing further forward. If there was a lack of a tactical Plan B from Chris Hargreaves, his successor was showing he is capable of changing it up.

 

Smith was called in to action on 35 minutes when sloppy defending saw a free-kick find its way to Williamson and his first time effort was denied by the keeper’s feet.

Andrew Oluwaborie. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

As the board went up for first half-time injury time, a great ball from Jamie Reckord was chested down by Johnson to Oluwaborie but the winger could not get enough on it to trouble the goal.

But the Peterborough United man did force Montgomery in to action when the winger cut back inside with the keeper off his line and had an effort stopped by his feet.

Then with the final action of the first half, a low ball across the six yard area saw Fisher go agonisingly close to adding his second. There’s no doubt the home side will have been the more disappointed to hear the half-time whistle.

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Gateshead 1

Second half

It was a fast start from Yeovil with Chiori Johnson, who was definitely given more licence to go forward since the change, pressing forward in, but he effort went wide.

And the former Torquay United man was at the heart of the move which put the hosts ahead on 51 minutes. His sumptuous delivery found FISHER inside the box and the striker slammed his second of the afternoon in to an unguarded net.

It was nothing more than the Glovers deserved for their positive play, in particular Oluwaborie and Johnson’s link up down the right hand side which was causing Gateshead all kinds of problems.

There was a heart in mouth moment on the hour mark when Smith went down heavily after a coming together with a Gateshead player and needed some lengthy treatment. Heart in mouth because there were five strikers on the bench – but on loan keeper Will Buse was watching on from the stands.

Fisher had a golden opportunity to complete his hat-trick on 67 minutes when he won a penalty and, as you’d imagine, grabbed the ball. But the striker went for the perfect penalty and his effort went over rather than ‘top bins’.

Alex Fisher wins a second half penalty. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

That proved the frontman’s last opportunity who was replaced three minutes later by new signing Louis Britton. Fisher even apologised to the Huish Park for only scoring two goals rather than three. It’s okay, Fish, you’ve done your bit!

Smith was furious by a piece of sloppy defending with 15 minutes remaining, another long ball over the top to Harris (if it sounds familiar, check how the Gateshead goal came about!) put the striker one-on-one, but luckily his effort was not as clinical as when he found the next.

The visitors were hard working and playing good football, and the nervousness from Yeovil was there for all to see. On the touchline, Cooper and Chris Todd were making their feelings known.

Whatever they said, it clearly didn’t get through to the defence as on 84 minutes another (yes another!) dinked ball over the top from the visitors found Kenton Richardson who put the ball in the back of the net……but the flag was up.

If you felt nervous before, how did you feel when Adi Yussuf replaced holding midfielder Kamil Conteh. An attacking move from the visitors. Curse of the old boy, anyone? Oh and five minutes of injury time…..how’s your nerves, Huish Park?

But it was left to substitute Malachi LINTON to settle the nerves three minutes in to stoppage time with a third – yes, a third goal. The young striker was sent through on goal, held his nerve and slotted home his third of the season, taking him level with Reckord as this season’s top scorer.

 

If you wondered what response Huish Park would give to a team which was truly “playing on the front foot”, you only had to listen to the crowd. Off the field, there may be dissent, but these fans will back any Yeovil Town side who put that kind of effort in.

Full time: Yeovil Town 3 Gateshead 1

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Andrew Oluwabori is given a debut as part of a front three as Yeovil Town go in search of a much-needed victory against bottom club Gateshead at Huish Park (3pm kick-off).

The on-loan Peterborough United winger impressed coming on as a second half substitute in the goalless draw with Maidenhead United in midweek and lines up alongside Anthony Georgiou and Alex Fisher.

New signing striker Louis Britton is named among five forwards on the bench alongside Ollie Hulbert, Gime Toure, Malachi Linton and Ewan Clark.

There is no Ben Richards-Everton in the squad. The centre half is reportedly injured.

For the visitors, former Glovers’ striker Adi Yussuf is named on the substitutes’ bench.

Yeovil Town (4-3-3):

Substitues: Louis Britton, Gime Toure, Ollie Hulbert, Malachi Linton, Ewan Clark.

Gateshead: Montgomery, Richardson, Pye, Gallagher, Conteh, Bailey, Ward, Hasani, Campbell, Harris. Substitutes: Langley, Magnay, Daley, Martin, Yussuf.