January 2023 (Page 5)

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Yeovil Town’s defensive copybook got well and truly blotted  at Bromley on Saturday and the goal-scoring issues which have dogged us the past two seasons were still there for all to see.

The result was a 4-1 defeat, the first time we have lost by three goals since last March.

Here’s what Coatesie made of it….

 

We could not cope with the wind.  The 149 supporters who made the trip to the away end will be under no illusion there was a strong wind at Hayes Lane yesterday – it was blowing across the pitch and directly in to our faces. Bromley presumably recognised it and kept the ball down, albeit on a plastic pitch, whereas we seemed to be overhitting passes, trying long balls and I wonder if the lad in the away end whose baseball cap got tossed in the air ever found it! With the likes of D’Ath, Maguire-Drew and Oluwabori in the starting line-up, keeping the ball down should surely have been the tactic.

What happened to our defensive solidity? Bromley fans must have been wondering how this side had the third (now sixth) best defensive record in the National League. The first goal was a complete freak deflection, there’s not much anyone could do about that, but we looked so far removed from what we have been used to after that.
The inability to simply pick up players and show commitment to get to the ball before an opponent was non-existent and Bromley’s second and third goals. Richards-Everton gave me no confidence and Hunt only seems to perform with a calm head alongside him. Can the loss of Owen Bevan who, regardless of his undoubted quality, is a 19-year-old on loan from a Premier League academy really make that much of a difference?

So many attackers, such little end product. By the end of the match we had five recognised forward players on the pitch – Alex Fisher, Andrew Oluwabori, Jordan Maguire-Drew and the substitutes, Jordan Young and Malachi Linton – and yet chance after chance went begging. We’re undoubtedly able to create chances, Maguire-Drew and Oluwabori both proved that on countless occasions, but what are our attacking players working on in training? The miss by Oluwabori just before half-time was almost unforgivable…..and, yes, I know he’s a young lad starting his career, which is why I said ‘almost’.

There has to be changes. It seems unlikely there’s much which can be done on the training pitch in the 48 hours before we travel to another National League play-off contender, Barnet, so personnel changes has to be the only option. I’m hoping that Bromley was a blip based on the rustiness of not playing since New Year’s Day, but up front we have to do something differently. I go back to the impact ‘Fish & Mal’ made when they came on at half-time in the Boxing Day draw at Torquay. Tuck JM-D in behind them and keep Oluwabori on the bench to bring on and run at them towards the end. Whatever the changes, there has to be changes or it could be a long night on Tuesday.

It’s not you, Mark, it’s not. I heard a couple of comments from the terrace directed against Mark Cooper and seen a few post-match comments on social media to the same effect. Pinch of salt added for the social media comments, of course. Be under no illusion – our predicament is nothing to do with Mark Cooper. Before this game we had gone seven games unbeaten, granted with a number of draws, but under Chris Hargreaves we would be deep in the mire. With a hand tied behind his back by the basket case boardroom issues, Cooper has given us mid-table obscurity over a relegation scrap.

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Whilst the Yeovil Town first team might have come unstuck at Bromley their army of loanees were out and about, but only one was getting more game time, let’s round up what happened.

Down in Plymouth we start with Parkway who were on the wrong end of a 1-0 defeat to the Met Police.

Toby Stephens came off the bench in the 65th minute, but couldn’t help his side find an equaliser.

There was only one real winner – the weather – in the games involving Sherborne Town (Benjani and Jake Graziano), Gillingham Town (Rob Hollard and Sam Hodges) and Truro (Ollie Haste), as all were postponed.

We assume Max Evans‘ loan at Bedford Town has been concluded ahead of schedule (he was meant to be with the Eagles until 19th Jan) as he was once again not involved for them.

And then there’s Will Dawes up at Stratford who was also not involved for the Bards, it’s unclear if his ‘short term’ deal has come to an end or not.

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Venue: Hayes Lane
Saturday 14th January, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: Strong wind across the pitch
Pitch: Plastic

Attendance: 2,245 (149 away supporters)

Scorers: LouisDennis 9 (0-1), Besart Topalloj 32 (0-2), Louis Dennis 63 (0-3), Andrew Oluwabori 65 (1-3), Corey Whitely 87 (1-4).

Bookings: 

Yeovil Town: Max Hunt 11, Alex Fisher 51.

Referee: Wayne Cartmel

Yeovil Town   (4-3-3)

Substitutes: Jordan Young (for Lawson D’Ath, 59), Malachi Linton (for Max Hunt, 70), Chiori Johnson (not used), Charlie Cooper (not used), Will Buse (not used).

Bromley: Charles-Cook, Reynolds, Coleman, Whitely, Dennis (for Alexander, 89), Cheek, Webster, Forster (for Krauhaus, 88), Vennings (for Bingham, 73), Topalloj, Fisher. Substitutes (not used): Bingham, Sowunmi, Arthurs.

Match Report

The wheels came off Yeovil Town’s unbeaten run of seven National League games in spectacular style as their defensive solidity abandoned them at Bromley.

Having fallen behind to a bizarre opener from the home side when striker Louis Dennis’ shot cannoned off a visiting defender to complete wrong-foot Grant Smith in the Yeovil goal, they preceded to gift a second to Besart Topalloj. But, there were also gilt-edged opportunities missed first by Jordan Maguire-Drew and then Andrew Oluwabori, the latter being clean through on goal.

A further defensive calamity gifted Dennis his second just after the hour and although Oluwabori pulled one with his first since arriving on loan soon after, Corey Whitely wrapped up a well-deserved win for Bromley – their first over the Glovers at Hayes Lane since September 1987.

Here’s Coatesie’s report from the wind-battered away end in that corner of Kent…..

First half

Within two minutes the start a sickening clash of heads with Yeovil skipper Josh Staunton saw Bromley’s Jamie Vennings go down for a lengthy period of treatment. The midfielder returned to action.

But seven minutes later a bizarre deflection gave Bromley a lead. A shot from the edge of the box from striker Louis DENNIS took a wicked deflection off Max Hunt and completely wrong-footed Grant Smith.

On 13 minutes, on-loan Millwall full-back Besart Topalloj’s header went just over from a corner for the home side who had totally dominated the opening exchanges with Yeovil struggling to cope with a strong wind behind them.

149 travelling supporters were in attendance at Hayes Lane.

Andrew Oluwabori put a shot over the bar from distance, but the best chance of the half came on 27 minutes when Jordan Maguire-Drew’s free-kick in from the left found its way to Ben Richards-Everton. The centre half’s cross forced Bromley keeper Reice Charles-Cook in to action but no-one in Parma Violet could get an effort in on goal.

Oluwabori’s broke forward again on 23 minutes but unfortunately his touch evaded him and the attack broke down, and soon after Maguire-Drew jinked his way in from the right but his effort could not get past Charles-Cook.

Bromley had no such issues from a well-worked corner – ably assisted by some uncharacteristic sloppy defending – saw them a second on 32 minutes. TOPALLOJ slammed home from just inside the box to double the advantage.

If anyone needed any explanation why Yeovil are the lowest scorers in the division, the answer arrived when Oluwabori was clean through on 36 minutes. The Peterborough United loanee put his effort high and wide with only the keeper to beat.

The opportunities to score for the visitors were there. It was the ability to take them that was the problem.

Half time:  Bromley 2 Yeovil Town 0

 

Second half

Yeovil thought they had pulled one back ten minutes after the restart when Matt Worthington headed home a cross from Oluwabori – only for it to be ruled out by an offside flag.

Smith had to be a his best soon after, making a superb finger tip save to turn an effort from Kellen Fisher.

A strong run forward by Harry Forster left the visitors’ defence at sixes and sevens and the ball broke to DENNIS who turned home from close range to make it 3-0. Hint of offside? Perhaps I am clutching at straws here, but given how far behind play the assistant referee was, I suspect my guess is as good as his.

The response was almost immediate. Alex Fisher got away down the right flank and laid across the face of goal to OLUWABORI who side-footed it home. Too little, too late?

Even with Malachi Linton and new signing Jordan Young on to add to the three forwards they started with, there was no shape to the Yeovil attack. The tactic seemed to be lump it forward and hope for the best – but the best never came.

Jordan Young came on as a 59th minute substitute.

Then three minutes from the end another defensive horror show served up Bromley’s fourth. Forster’s effort from right was turned on to the post by Smith, the keeper then made a great reaction save to deny Dennis before Corey WHITELY tucked home.

Full time: Bromley 4 Yeovil Town 1

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Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper has suggested he is ready to make changes after seeing his side go down 4-1 at Bromley on Saturday.

The Glovers conceded four goals for the first time since the end of the 2020-21 campaign as their defensive solidity abandoned them whilst their inability to convert chances continued spurning numerous glorious opportunities.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the match, Cooper said his players had given him an opportunity to ring the changes as they travel to promotion-chasing Barnet on Tuesday night.

He said: “It has certainly given me a chance to make decisions. I have just said to the players (in the dressing room) that they keep giving me an opportunity to change things at half-time, and I didn’t today because we were creating chances.

“But if I was a player I wouldn’t want to keep giving the manager the chance to take people off at half time, that was a possibility again today, we have to starting shaking things up.”

The Glovers’ boss described his side’s start as “horrendous” as they went behind to a bizarre deflected goal awarded to Ravens’ Louis Dennisafter just nine minutes before gifting on-loan Millwall defender Besart Topalloj a second after 32 minutes.

But, their poor form in front of goal which leaves them comfortably the division’s lowest scorers with 21 goals in 25 matches continued with Jordan Maguire-Drew and Andrew Oluwabori both missing glorious opportunities before the break. 

In the second half, Cooper threw on new signing Jordan Young and joint top-scorer Malachi Linton in a bid to get goals only to end up conceding a third to Dennis just after the hour.

He said: “The whole last ten days (in training) have been about being on the front foot and being really aggressive getting after the opposition and pressing high. 

“We were 2-0 down before we know it through two horrendous goals, we have three clear one-on-ones in the first half to seriously change the game, we don’t take them.

“In the second half we gamble, I gamble to try and get back in it and we have chances, we concede the third goal as we leave ourselves a bit short at the back.

“We score (through Andrew Oluwabori) and then we have a brilliant chance, Jamie Reckord has a brilliant chance to make it 3-2 with 15 minutes to go, we don’t score, they go down the other end and score.

“The start was horrendous, that’s nothing like we worked on, so we have some big decisions to make in terms of which way we’re going to go forward.“

Of his second half substitutions, he added: “I was just trying to get forwards on the pitch to try and get us back in the game, one midfield player and the rest were forwards, we were 3-0 down, we’ve just to try and see if we can get a goal back, make it interesting, we did then we had a brilliant chance to make it 3-2 but we didn’t take it.

“I don’t like publicly criticising players but when you have opportunities like that, you have to score, that’s what you’re in the team for.“

The game was Maguire-Drew’s final of a one-month loan from League Two Grimsby Town and 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.“

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New signings midfielder Charlie Cooper and forward Jordan Young are named on the bench for Yeovil Town’s visit to Bromley (3pm kick-off).

In the starting XI, Alex Fisher returns to the line-up after being among the substitutes for the New Year’s Day win over Torquay United.

He is supported by loanees Jordan Maguire-Drew and Andrew Oluwabori.

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Charlie Cooper has become Yeovil Town’s newest signing after completing a successful trial period at Huish Park.

He’s signed an 18-month contract at the club andr has more than 150 appearances in the National League. He recently left Oldham Athletic.

Charlie, who is the son of the manager, Mark Cooper said “I’m delighted to be here. I’ve been here for about a month, training with the lads. It’s been good to come in and show what I can do. I know a couple of the lads already from playing with and against them. I feel comfortable and now I’m looking forward to getting involved in the action.”

A Birmingham City academy graduate, he has played in the Football League for both Forest Green & Newport County. His time in the National League has been spent with York City, Boreham Wood, FC Halifax Town, Woking, Wealdstone alongside Oldham and Forest Green.

Cooper was an unused substitute when the Glovers visited Boundary Park in October.

Welcome to Somerset Charlie. The last time the manager’s son played in midfield we did alright.

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Yeovil Town Under-18s’ home match against Swindon Supermarine has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Alvington.

The South West Counties Youth League fixture was postponed on Friday afternoon with heavy rain predicted in Somerset overnight and in to tomorrow morning.

The home matches for the age group teams representing Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust have also fallen foul to the weather.

The Under-11s had been due to face Juventus Devon while the Under-13s and Under-15s were scheduled to play their counterparts from South Somerset Regional Talent Centre.

 

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It’s a packed one one today.

We’re talking about the SSDC pscyhodrama and welcome John Oakes from the Glovers Trust for an update. Ian’s spoken with Yeovil Town Women’s FC CEO Ian Maskell about the new club and we talk Bromley and answer your GCQs.

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.

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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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Frontman Jordan Young has signed a two-and-a-half year deal with Yeovil Town having arrived from National League South side Chippenham Town.

The 23-year-old started his career in the youth set-up at Swindon Town when current Glovers’ boss Mark Cooper was in charge at the County Ground, and has scored five times for Chippenham already this season.

Just hours before the frontman – described as “a versatile forward who is able to play across the forward line” by the club’s announcement – Cooper had said he was hoping in bring in new players “in all positions” ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bromley.

Speaking to ytfc.net, he said: “It’s an absolute privilege to be here. I’ve had a bit of interest in me, I spoke to the Gaffer and it went from there.

“Yeovil are a massive club and when the Gaffer spoke to me, I knew it was the right thing to do.

“I can’t wait until Saturday, whether I make my debut or not, I’m really looking forward to it.”

The photographs accompanying his arrival notice suggest he has already trained with his team-mates, and the statement adds that his participation at the weekend is “subject to FA and National League clearance.“

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Mark Cooper is hoping to bring in new signings having seen four players depart Yeovil Town since their New Year’s Day victory over Torquay United.

The Glovers’ manager admitted the talk about a takeover at Huish Park was making it difficult for him to plug gaps left by the departures of loan midfielders Jamie Andrews and Ewan Clark and strikers Louis Britton and Jake Scrimshaw.

Asked whether he hoped to have new recruits before the weekend’s trip to Bromley, he said: “I hope so. We are in the midst of a takeover, so it is difficult to get things done. It’s easier to send people back than it is to sign people at the moment, but we’d love to get a couple in before the weekend.

“I have been led to believe we are on the same budget and if I can make room in that budget, then I can manoeuvre and bring players in as long as we are within the budget that was set at the start of the season.”

Jamie Andrews. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

On New Year’s Eve, club chairman Scott Priestnall issued a statement confirming he had entered an “exclusivity agreement” with an unnamed group about taking his majority shareholding in the club.

There has been no further comment since then and Cooper was keen not to count his chickens, saying: “It will only look good when it is finally announced that everything has gone through and we can start to get excited about it, but until then you are always cautious about what could happen.

“It‘s not made any difference to us, we are still working as we were before there was any talk of a takeover.”

Asked if he expected to get a boost to his playing budget in the event of a deal, he added: “If there is a takeover, naturally you would hope people come in and want to invest in to the team.”

The boss hinted that Lawson D’Ath may be set for a return to the starting line-up following the departure of Jamie Andrews, who had impressed on loan.

D’Ath has started just once since Cooper’s arrival at the end of October, but appeared for the second half of the 2-0 home win over Torquay a little under a fortnight ago.

Cooper said: “Jamie came in when I came in and Lawson (D’Ath) was injured, so we needed a midfield player.

“He is a young player, still learning his trade, and he started every game he was here but I have to look at the players who are on contract.

“Lawson has been really patient and he deserves a chance to play, so I didn’t want Jamie to be sat here and not playing and West Brom wanted him back to have a look at how he had progressed.”

He added the same was true with the exit of teenager Ewan Clark, who returned to Bristol City, and former Robins’ striker Louis Britton, who departed less than two months after signing on non-contract terms.

Cooper said: “We have two centre forwards in Malachi (Linton) and Alex Fisher who are both on two-year contracts and Louis was on a non-contract, so I wanted him to come in and add competition which he did but we can’t have lots of centre forwards sat around not playing.

“I’m convinced at some point he’ll go somewhere and score goals, I think he’s gone to Chorley in Conference North, so good luck to him.”

With the match at Bromley being played on an artificial surface, Cooper said the team had been training on the 3G pitch outside Huish Park in preparation.

He said the lengthy gap since the New Year’s Day win had enabled him to work on improving his side’s control of the ball, admitting they had been second best to Torquay for long periods of their last outing.

The boss is under no illusion his side are still comfortably the lowest scorers in the National League with 20 goals in their 24 matches, but still have the third best defensive record conceding just 22 goals.

He said: “We talk about being more of a threat going forwards, but if you do that you have the threat that you undo some of the good work you have done defensively.

“At some point we have to score more goals because if you keep relying on defending, eventually one day your luck will run out and there will be a deflected shot and something will happen and you’ll concede a goal.

“We need to certainly have more control of the game, but whoever have played so far has been defensively outstanding and we need that to continue.”

He added he had “a relatively clean bill of health” going in to the weekend’s match at Bromley, who has been rearranged after the previous fixture on December 4 was abandoned after just 11 minutes following a medical incident in the crowd.

Tragically, Bromley later confirmed season ticket holder Keith Hore died having been taken ill at the match.