January 2023 (Page 4)

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Dave, Ian and Ben are here to talk about a quite busy week in Yeovil Town. Dave also spoke to Erin from Golf Road Goals about our opponents on Saturday, Altrincham.

Thank you for your continued support of the Gloverscast. Remember to add Gloverscast.co.uk to your favourites and check the website daily for the latest news and views from Huish Park.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Leave us a review and share the pod with a pal.

We’d love to welcome some local businesses into the Gloverscast family through advertising. If you’re a business that would like to speak to a dedicated audience of more than 1000 monthly listeners, please get in touch. Find out more about advertising with us here.

If you have an idea for the website, want to contribute or just want to send us a message, feel free to email ian@gloverscast.co.uk.

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Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper has said he believes the new arrivals in to his squad will improve competition.

The manager has brought in forward Jordan Young and midfielders Charlie Cooper and Chesterfield loanee Jack Clarke in the past week, as well as signing play-maker Jordan Maguire-Drew on a permanent deal.

The three incomings follow the departures of strikers Louis Britton and Jake Scrimshaw and the return of midfielder Jamie Andrews to his parent club West Bromwich Albion.

Speaking about the new arrivals ahead of this weekend’s home match with Altrincham, the boss said:

Jack Clarke: “Jack brings us quality in the middle of the pitch, he is left-footed, he moves with the ball very well, and all our recent signings give us more competition and improve the squad.

“He was playing every game when they were top of the league at the start of last year and they were flying. I have seen him play on numerous occasions and he is a very tidy player who can make things happen with that left foot. He gives us an added bit to our armoury and improves us.”

Jordan Young: “Jordan is an exciting, young forward who has bags of potential. He has scored some brilliant goals and can be a match winner, but he has to adjust to full-time football game, so we have to get him really fit and conditioned to last the rigours of full-time football.”

Jordan Young came on as a 59th minute substitute at Bromley on Saturday.

Charlie Cooper: “Charlie has experience at this level and he knows what it takes to win regularly at this level, so they both improve us.” And on the subject of the midfielder being his son, the boss added: “Let’s judge him on the pitch and not who he is related to. I would not have brought him in if I didn’t think he could do the job, he has been at this level already and I have brought him in to improve the squad.”

He added: “They all improve and help our squad. You can’t win consistently with 11 players and we need competition with all areas and the players we have brought in improve us.

“Maguire-Drew is a top player for this level and now he’s settled, he can concentrate on his football and really get stuck in to it.”

Clarke joined ahead of Tuesday night’s trip to Barnet which was postponed less than two hours before kick-off with Cooper, the team and supporters already having arrived at The Hive.

The manager was in no doubt the game should have been postponed far sooner, saying: “I don’t think there’s any need to drag a team and supporters all that way when you know what is going to happen. The pitch is not going to get any softer between 4pm and 6pm, is it?

“It would have been easier to call it off as other teams did on Tuesday night. It is just a bit embarrassing for Barnet rather than for us and I just feel sorry for the supporters who had to travel all that way.

“We had staff there in the afternoon and they said the pitch was rock hard, but you have to take it as it is and make sure we are well-prepared for a tough game against a good Altrincham team.”

He said that the team had trained at Huish Park this week and described the pitches as “perfect”. Asked if the match with Altrincham was at risk, he said: “The groundsman has assured us that Saturday will not be an issue.”

Huish Park’s groundsman Stuart Antell tweeted a picture on Wednesday showing a frosty-looking pitch.

Speaking immediately after the 4-1 defeat at Bromley last weekend, the manager said he had decisions to make about his side who conceded four for the first time in a season and a half-and-a-half and missed some golden opportunities to score.

Asked whether he had thought any more on those decisions, he said: “As a manager I am always making decisions whether it is training schedules, the type of training, team selection or tactics, so I am always making decisions.

“When I look back at the game, we weren’t actually that bad. We were 2-0 down after (32 minutes) and the whole game plan goes out of the window. We gambled and put as many forward players as we had on the pitch and it became a bit of a basketball game, but we had more chances in that game than in any game since I have been here.”

In particular, on loan Peterborough United forward Andrew Oluwabori and Maguire-Drew missed some golden opportunities to pull the Yeovil back in to the game and Cooper said he was confident they would do better against Altrincham at the weekend.

He added: “We have to react and move on to the next one, I have every faith that the boys who missed the chances (we created at Bromley) will score them if they get them on Saturday.”

Cooper also confirmed on loan AFC Bournemouth defender Owen Bevan who be available against Altrincham having missed out last weekend. He said: “Bev’s pace gives us an ability to defend higher up the pitch and any team would miss a player of that calibre. He’s back and fit and ready to go on Saturday.”

Owen Bevan heads away. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Prior to that, the Glovers had only lost once in their previous ten games, that being the defeat on penalties to Dorking Wanderers in the FA Trophy – and it’s great to see the Somerset Men’s Premier Cup win over Taunton Town given the respect it deserves.

He added: “It’s good that everyone is upset at losing a game because we have raised expectations where people think we are going to get a result in every game.

“We have to move on quickly, we know where we went wrong and we have to be better on Saturday.

“The players’ warm up was getting snow off the pitch, we managed to get half-a-pitch (on Wednesday) to do some work and (on Thursday) we have done some more tactical work with the new boys.

“It was good to get more time on the training pitch which was much needed to help them gel.”

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Is it time the National League had a proper discussion about last minute postponements and how to prevent them? Amidst a cost of living crisis and spiralling costs that impact both clubs and match-going supporters, the late pitch-inspection and postponement has never been a bigger frustration.

The determination to get fixtures played at any cost puts players, staff, supporters and facilities at risk.

As Yeovil made the trip to Barnet on Tuesday evening and temperatures plummeted below zero, the Bees were still pushing tickets and programmes up until about 5:25pm – and I fully accept that these were probably scheduled posts – before the match was postponed at 6pm after the referee inspected the pitch.

Barnet had tweeted that ground staff had been keeping an eye on the pitch throughout the day and it was only once the temperature dropped at 4:30pm that the referee requested an inspection. At what point do we start trusting ground staff with the decision making? We’re as guilty of it as anyone.

When Yeovil played against Scunthorpe in early-December, one end of the pitch looked like it was North of the Wall. The ground staff at Huish Park worked throughout the week to get the game on but should it have even been played?

With temperatures across England well below zero at the start of December, Scunthorpe travelled 258 miles to play out a dire 0-0 against a Yeovil side riddled with illness and injury – what was the point?

A week later, Yeovil hosted Dorking Wanderers, which was subject to late pitch inspection. Prior to that game the referees instructions included warming up in the frozen area of the pitch to help defrost it. Presumably infuriating the ground staff who work all year round to make the surface perfect for football. What damage does that do to a pitch? How much does it cost a few months down the line? Why’s it all getting a bit “we’ve all had enough of experts” in a field (ahem) that people work damn hard to become experts in?

Supporters risk long journeys to see their clubs, and on some occasions in treacherous conditions, when sometimes its blindingly obvious that things aren’t going to go ahead. At some point clubs need to be brave enough to make an early decision. 

Snow covered Yeovil on Wednesday and temperatures aren’t forecast to get above 6 degrees before Altrincham make the trip to Somerset for Saturday’s National League fixture. Surely a sensible decision can be made more than 24 hours before kick off?

I’ve no idea who’s at fault, if if anyone is at fault? Is it the referees? Is it the macho football culture, is it the packed calendar of constant football? Are there too many clubs in the National League, forcing clubs to cram in fixtures? Should professional clubs be playing in their county cups?

There has to be a solution somewhere that stops putting people at risk, can the organisations that run the game authorities find it?

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Yeovil Town have bolstered their midfield ranks with the resigning of Jack Clarke on loan from Chesterfield.

Clarke, who had joined the Glovers for a short stint during the 2020/21 season, returns for the rest of the current campaign.

The midfielder hasn’t played for Spireites since 4th October when he played 75 minutes in 3-2 defeat to Dagenham & Redbridge.

Clarke will wear the number 30 shirt and is available for the Tuesday night game against Barnet.

Welcome Back, Jack!

 

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South Somerset District Council has insisted it has “a number of safeguards” in place to protect Huish Park from development.

The authority has issued its second statement in a week defending its purchase of the land upon which the stadium stands and the land around it in a deal valued at £2.8m back in May.

It is a pretty wordy statement which references “comments on social media” which we assumes refers to ongoing questions posed by Martin Hellier, the local businessman who has made no secret of his desire to buy the club.

The statement gives a lengthy chronology of how it came to buy the land and then refers to Yeovil Town Holdings Limited (YTHL), a company controlled by club chairman Scott Priestnall, which has the buy-back rights to what it calls the “non-core land” at Huish Park – essentially the land around the stadium.

The council said: “YTHL cannot sell the non-core land for development while the freehold is owned by SSDC. Due to commercial confidentiality, we will not be debating hypothetical situations regarding sales or disposal but a number of safeguards are in place to protect the core land, i.e. the stadium.”

Plans produced by SSDC showing the ‘core’ and ‘non-core’ land it owns at Huish Park.
Hellier’s criticism on social media has centered on the fact that he says he is willing to buy the land from the authority, but is yet to make any progress in his efforts.
In its statement the council said it would “carefully consider any proposal to buy the freehold outside of the buyback option” it has with Priestnall, as the majority shareholder of Yeovil Town Holdings Limited.
It adds: “Bearing in mind the Council’s reasons for buying the land in the first place, it is highly unlikely SSDC would sell its freehold of the stadium or remaining land unless it judged that was part of supporting the future of the club. This would therefore probably have to be linked with a transfer of ownership of the football club.
“But a potential buyer would need to agree terms with the current owner and jointly approach SSDC with their proposition.
“The option for the buy-back was to the owner prior to the SSDC purchase and leaseback, but would apply to any successor. SSDC was always clear that it was not going to become involved in the running of the football club via this transaction, and that the owner can manage the club as it considers appropriate.“
The “potential buyer” referred to in the statement could refer to an unnamed “preferred party” with which it has an exclusivity agreement to become a majority shareholder of the club.
The saga continues……

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In news which made set a world record for making the Gloverscast out of date, Jordan Maguire-Drew is a Yeovil Town player.

Within minutes of us posting an article about comments made by Grimsby Town boss Paul Hurst saying he was expecting the playmaker back at Blundell Park, the player’s departure from the League Two side was confirmed.

Then 19 minutes later, he was confirmed as signing an 18-month contract at Huish Park.

In a statement on ytfc.net, the 25-year-old said: “I’m delighted to be here permanently. I really enjoyed my first month and now having the move sorted, I can’t wait to kick on.

“I’d like to thank the fans for their support so far, it was your support that made this an easy decision for me.”

The deal ends a somewhat odd bit of statement tit-for-tat between North East Lincolnshire and South Somerset.

When Maguire-Drew signed back in December, the Glovers said that “personal terms have been agreed for the player to sign on a permanent contract during the January transfer window, subject to the completion of a satisfactory medical” whilst Grimsby referred to it only as a one-month loan.

The Mariners then followed up with a statement reiterating their position “in light of contradictory statements“, before adding: “Although we can confirm that informal discussions regarding a permanent transfer have taken place between the two clubs, it is important to state that nothing has been formally agreed at this stage and Jordan remains under contract with GTFC.”

True at the time, we guess, but then minutes after Yeovil boss Mark Cooper confirmed he expected the player to sign after the 4-1 defeat at Bromley on Saturday, his Grimsby counterpart Paul Hurst said differently.

Either way, on the basis of his performances since arriving in Somerset – welcome to Huish Park permanently, JM-D!

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UPDATE: No sooner than we post this, Grimsby have announced the departure of Jordan Maguire-Drew by mutual consent.

Grimsby Town manager Paul Hurst has said that Jordan Maguire-Drew is expected to return to his parent club this week following the expiry of his initial loan deal.

Speaking to the Grimsby Telegraph, Hurst said: “As it stands Jordan [Maguire-Drew] will return [this week]. To my mind, if a permanent move was going to happen then that would’ve been sorted by now, so I’m expecting him to be back with us. If someone comes back and they conduct themselves in a certain way, and we all know what that means, then they won’t be involved but that also goes for the players that haven’t gone out on loan.”

“Ultimately, he’s our player I said that I reluctantly agreed to let him go out on loan, I wasn’t pushing him out the door so it is very much in Jordan’s court in terms of how he comes back. I’m very open-minded with it all and everything I’ve seen and read suggests he’s done well [at Yeovil] so time my mind, he is contracted with us and will be back, but it is up to him now.”

Jordan Maguire-Drew. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Following the defeat to Bromley, Glovers’ gaffer Mark Cooper said he expected a permanent deal to be confirmed in the early part of this week with the suggestion that personal terms had already been agreed when the initial loan deal was agreed.

Cooper said that a permanent deal for the forward was “more or less done.” He added: “Hopefully we can announce that early in the week.“

Clearly there’s some miscommunication somewhere in the matrix, Maguire-Drew has played just three league games in the Green and White of Yeovil including scoring the all important second goal against Torquay on New Years’ Day.

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The Somerset FA have published the full list of Quarter Final ties for the Somerset Men’s Premier Cup.

The Glovers’ away game against Paulton Rovers has been scheduled for Tuesday 14th February with a 19:45 kick off.

Yeovil have a free weekend prior with Gateshead away now postponed due to Heed’s FA Trophy involvement and Mark Cooper’s side will host Notts County on the 18th.

Larkhall’s tie against Bath and Bridgwater’s game against Weston Super Mare will both take place 24 hours later on Wednesday 15th.

The other tie sees Bishop Sutton taking on Frome with that game pencilled in for Tuesday 31st January.

The Glovers beat Taunton Town 2-1 in the last round as they look to defend their 2022 crown.

At time of writing ticket details have not been confirmed, but a Valentines Date Night at Winterfield Road sounds like an opportunity not to be missed!

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Yeovil Town forward Ollie Hulbert has joined National League North side, Leamington FC on a loan deal through until the end of the season.

The striker had been at Plymouth Parkway until last week but now joins the Brakes for the remainder of the campaign – his third loan club of the season having also had a short time at Gloucester City.

Leamington boss Paul Holleran said on Hulbert’s arrival;

‘I’m delighted to get Oliver over the line,’ said the manager on the new arrival. ‘He’s a player that was very impressive in this division last year. It’s an area we have been looking to improve. We’ve been looking for another option for a number of months, but trying to find the right number nine at the moment is something that has proved to be very difficult.

‘Oliver is a player that we know has the potential to add a different dimension to our attack, and throughout his young career he has always scored goals. We are really looking forward to working with him.’

Hulbert has made just three league appearances for the Glovers this season, most recently a cameo from the bench against Maidstone on October 29th.

Loan Watch fans are delighted at this news!

Go well, Ollie.

 

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Dave braved Bromley and is here to tell Ian and Ben the story of his afternoon.

Thank you for your continued support of the Gloverscast. Remember to add Gloverscast.co.uk to your favourites and check the website daily for the latest news and views from Huish Park.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Leave us a review and share the pod with a pal.

We’d love to welcome some local businesses into the Gloverscast family through advertising. If you’re a business that would like to speak to a dedicated audience of more than 1000 monthly listeners, please get in touch. Find out more about advertising with us here.

If you have an idea for the website, want to contribute or just want to send us a message, feel free to email ian@gloverscast.co.uk.