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2023-02-22
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Loan Watch: Leamington continue resurgence
2023-02-22
Here’s little mini round up of the Tuesday night Glovers loanee action.
BR-E couldn’t back up his MOTM debut for Scunthorpe, his side were undone by two Paul ‘”Tom Daley” Mullin goals at Wrexham.
Leamington picked up a big away point at Telford to extend their unbeaten run, Ollie Hulbert played 86 minutes in the 1-1 draw.
Truro suffered a shock 3-0 defeat to Poole Town, Ollie Haste was an unused substitute.
None of Gillingham, Tiverton or Sherborne had a game on Tuesday, with their respective loanees expected to be part of the Yeovil youth squad in the National League Cup on Wednesday.
Five Conclusions: Maidenhead 2 Yeovil Town 0
2023-02-22
In a game that was more of a must-win than Dorking Wanderers earlier this season, Yeovil fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Maidenhead United last night. Ian watched it on National League TV through his fingers and here are his conclusions.
We are in trouble. I feel like we kind of knew it, but thought Mark Cooper could see us through to the end of the season. If anyone can, it’s probably him. But once again, we failed to test the keeper enough, had to change the system at half time again and barely mustered an effort on target. This fixture was big, York is now even bigger. We’re now without a win in four, York are winless in six, you know the script right?
We had to change the set up again. After a great performance with a back four against Notts County, we switched to wingbacks again and it didn’t work. We struggled to keep possession and other than Jordan Young’s first half free kick we didn’t test the Maidenhead goalkeeper. The half time switch to a back four brought us to life for the first five minutes of the second half but Maidenhead adapted like the Borg and rendered our attacks useless.
We’re conceding sloppy goals. Our strength this season has been our defence, but in our last five games we’ve conceded 12 goals. Quite rightly we’ve tried to get on the offensive to solve our goalscoring woes, but the result of that is we’re more vulnerable at the back. The first goal came from a pretty poor delivery into the box that an unmarked Sam Barratt was able to bundle in. The second was shambolic defending too, Ryan Law’s shanked clearance fell to Reece Smith who smashed home with no one near to block the shot.
The lack of depth is costing us. Mark Cooper said he was worried about the fixture after the energy expended against Notts County. He does not have enough players to rotate in this dreadful run. We’re asking players like Lawson D’Ath to play every game. Josh Staunton is hobbling around the pitch in pain. How long until we break Matty Worthington? We don’t have a physio to check if the players are fit enough. We need more players. We need more staff. Mark Cooper said without Martyn Starnes and Stuart Robins, “the club would have folded ages ago”. If you need help reading between the lines there, I don’t know what more there is to say.
Nothing changes until everything changes. Sorry to Coatesie for stealing his line, but here we are again. Anyone else getting flashbacks to 2019? Some people might be getting flashbacks to early ‘90s. It could be even worse. If we manage to stay up this season, and nothing changes, the direction of the club is one-way. While plans for houses surrounding Huish Park go into SSDC, the part we all actually care about is withering away. A win on Saturday will not change the trajectory of a club that won promotion to the Championship ten years ago.
D’Ath: We have to roll our sleeves up and fight
2023-02-21
Lawson D’Ath challenged his Yeovil Town team-mates to “roll their sleeves up” as they fell deeper in to the relegation mire with a 2-0 defeat against Maidenhead United on Tuesday night.
The midfielder, who was replaced by Malachi Linton in the 72nd minute in Berkshire, admitted the performance was “not good enough” against one of their National League relegation rivals.
The Glovers travel to fellow strugglers York City on Saturday with just two goals on goal difference keeping them out of the division’s relegation places after Gateshead picked up a valuable 2-1 win to boost their fight to stay up.
D’Ath told BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins: “We know that is not good enough, it is just the basics and you only have to look at the (first) goal. If we had come in at 0-0 we would have had a better chance, but it’s not good enough.”
Manager Mark Cooper pointed to the energy the players expended in Saturday’s 4-1 home defeat to leaders Notts County in his post-match interview, but D’Ath said they could not use that as an excuse for their performance.
He added: “We have Saturday-Tuesday weeks coming up, so it is not a good enough excuse. Yes, we are tried after a tough performance both physically and mentally against Notts County but we should have come and at least got a point here and moved on to the next game.
“I still think we had chances early on in the second half, it was just a lack of quality and then we got done on the counter attack.”
Asked if his position as one of the squad’s more senior players added extra responsibility, he said: “No matter how old you are, who you are, where you have come from, we have to roll our sleeves up for this club and fight for every point.”
Cooper: That was unacceptable
2023-02-21
Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper said his players knew their performances in the 2-0 defeat at Maidenhead United were “unacceptable” and urged everyone to “stick together.”
A goal in each half in Berkshire saw the Glovers drop to within goal difference of the National League relegation places on Tuesday night and they travel to fellow strugglers York City on Saturday desperate for a result.
He told BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins that he would be looking to bring “a spark” up front with no win in their past four games.
The boss said: “I was worried about tonight after the energy we expended (in the 4-1 home defeat to Notts County) on Saturday. If I could I would have changed five or six players, but I could not really do that.
“I don’t think we would’ve score if we had been there until tomorrow night, we were powder puff up top and the difference in the teams was their centre forwards were a handful.
“I look at myself first and I did I get the selection and the tactics right? You’d have to say ‘no’, but tonight is about desire to keep the ball out of our net and make sure we get ‘nil’ against us and see what happens – but we didn’t and we were never going to score tonight.”
He added: “Games are decided by good and bad decision making. On Saturday (against Notts County), we lost because of bad decision-making and again Maidenhead made more good decisions than we did.
“We can cry about it or we can pat Maidenhead on the back and try somehow to get a couple of players in which gives us a little bit of spark at the top of the pitch.
“You can defend all you want, but if you don’t have that spark at the top you are never going to win games.”
With the club still operating without a physiotherapist (and unused substitute Will Dawes giving treatment to his team-mates, Cooper admitted he does not have the staff to decide whether many of his squad were fit to take the field at the moment.
He said: “I am not using that as an excuse, I am just stating facts. The team we put out should have got a result, but there was not too many changes we could have made.”
Asked if he had the support of the club’s hierarchy he added: “I need to go and speak to Martyn (Starnes, Chief Executive Officer) and (director, Stuart Robins) who have been magnificent if they were not here, the club would have folded ages ago.
“So fair play to those two they have kept it going, so I am going to speak to them now and see if we can do some magic before the weekend.”
Cooper concluded: “We have to stick together. It’s difficult, they understand that tonight was not acceptable and they have to understand that and then we move on.
“Tomorrow we rest and on Thursday we start again and come up with a play and, like I say, hopefully we can bring in one or two that can hopefully help us.”
Match Report: Maidenhead United 2 Yeovil Town 0
2023-02-21
Venue: York City
Tuesday 21st February, 7.45pm kick-off
Conditions: Chilly night
Pitch: Green and brown in places
Attendance: 1,015
Scorers: Sam Barratt 40 (0-1), Reece Smith 66 (0-2)
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Ryan Law 55, Lawson D’Ath 66
Maidenhead United: Will de Havilland 38, Kane Ferdinand 90
Referee: Richie Watkins
Yeovil Town (5-3-2)
Substitutes: Andrew Oluwabori (for Jamie Reckord, 46), Jordan Maguire-Drew (for Jordan Young, 64), Malachi Linton (for Lawson D’Ath, 72), Will Dawes (not used), Will Buse (not used).
Maidenhead United: Andrew, Asara, de Havilland, Nataniel-George (for Sparkes, 86), Massey, Odutayo, Barratt, Acquah (for McCoulsky, 83), Adams, Smith (for Leathers, 74). Substitute not used: Panayiotou.
Match Report
Only goal difference separates Yeovil Town from the National League relegation places after they went down to a 2-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Maidenhead United on Tuesday night.
Having bossed possession without doing much to threaten the hosts’ goal, the Glovers fell behind when forward Sam Barratt was gifted the freedom of the six yard box on 41 minutes to bundle home an opener.
Reece Smith added a second after a shambolic piece of defending from the visitors on 65 minutes and Yeovil offered very little to make any difference at the other end.
A win for Gateshead, who occupy the top of the division’s bottom four, pushed them level on points with us separated by just two goals on goal difference.
First half
The opening 15 minutes was an utterly forgettable affair with the only kind of entertainment coming from a penalty appeal from the home side when Emile Acquah went down under well-timed Josh Staunton tackle in the third minute.
There was some early pressure from Maidenhead with Ashley Nathaniel-George causing problems down the right, but as the half drew on it was Yeovil who began to get control of the play.
Jordan Young hammered one over the bar on 23 minutes and ten minutes later Alan Massey saw an effort turned over the bar at the other end, but the best chance of the game came from Young on 38 minutes.
A promising forward run from the forward was ended by a forceful tackle from Will de Havilland and the ex-Chippenham Town man’s effort from the free-kick which follows was turned aside by Alexis Andre Junior in the hosts’ goal.
But, as sure as eggs is eggs, the visitors took the lead just three minutes later. A corner in from the right found Sam BARRATT given the freedom of the six yard box by the Yeovil defence and he bundled the ball home.
Having controlled the possession – admittedly without doing much with it – the Glovers found themselves a goal behind. Utterly soft goal and one which drops us to within a place of the National League’s drop zone, at least temporarily.
If you parted with £9.50 for the stream, you’ve been robbed. If you have traveled and paid for a match ticket, get yourself a Crime Reference Number – where there’s blame, there’s a claim.
No idea how anyone can watch this five at the back formation and think “yeah, that’s doing the job”.
Half time: Maidenhead United 1 Yeovil Town 0
Second half
Following his impact off the bench in the home defeat to league leaders Notts County last weekend, Yeovil boss Mark Cooper introduced Andrew Oluwabori at half-time.
There was a sharp intake of breath two minutes after the restart when Grant Smith went walkabout in the Yeovil penalty area and, luckily for him, there was no-one there in a black-and-white shirt to bang the ball home.
Within six minutes of the restart, Oluwabori was showing why he had been introduced with his cross clipping the top of the crossbar. Surely it took a deflection? Nothing given.
If ever you needed to know that this was a game between two of the division’s lowest scorers, it wouldn’t have taken you 63 minutes to figure out why. But, at that point Jordan Maguire-Drew was introduced in place of Young.
Within seconds, the hosts doubled their advantage. A great run from Idris Odutayo was followed by ropey clearance from on loan defender Ryan Law and the ball fell to Reece SMITH who volleyed in to the bottom corner. Absolutely shambolic defending from Yeovil.
Sensing blood, Maidenhead went in search of a third with the visitors’ rocking at the back. Kane Ferdinand almost found it on 71 minutes, only denied by a save from Smith and then with ten minutes remaining Barratt almost added his second when his effort was tipped wide.
Cooper fired an effort just past the post on 74 minutes to prove the away side had actually figured we changed ends at half-time and with five minutes to go Maguire-Drew’s effort was easily held by Andre Junior in the Magpies’ goal.
Substitute Malachi Linton blazed one over the bar in second half injury time, but the reality is that we could have stayed out there all night and not scored.
With Gateshead picking up a home win over Oldham Athletic we are now separated from the relegation places by just goal difference, albeit we have a game in hand over the team below us. Oh, by the way, it’s away at Wrexham in April – but I can’t imagine they’ll have much to play for by then. *face, palm*
If you didn’t believe we were in a relegation scrap before, believe it now.
Full time: Maidenhead United 2 Yeovil Town 0
Gloverscast #232 – “cul-de-sac the board”
2023-02-20
Ian, Ben and Dave dissect the 4-1 defeat by Notts County, have a moan about some things, take your questions and preview Tuesday’s 0-0 at Maidenhead.
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Plans for 250 houses at Huish Park
2023-02-19
Plans to build 250 houses alongside Huish Park have been unveiled by documents released by South Somerset District Council.
The council has published responses to a request for opinions on whether the proposed development would have a sufficient impact on the local area that it would require an extra study being undertaken.
These responses refer to a proposals for “250 dwellings at land off Lufton Way/Copse Road, Yeovil, Somerset” and suggest the proposal is for the development to take place on land all around Huish Park.
In the original “request for a screening opinion” submitted by DLP Planning asking whether an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was required for the work, it describes the plans for “approximately 250 dwellings with ancillary open space, parking, soft landscaping and supporting infrastructure” – read in full here.
It adds: “Car parking arrangements provided will allow for sufficient parking to be delivered within the site in
compliance with the Council’s existing standards. Spaces will be provided to each unit and comprise a
mix of allocated spaces in private parking courts, private drives and garages.
“It is acknowledged that the proposed development of this site will result in the loss of the former sports
pitches. Sports England have previously objected to proposals for the development of this site unless re-provision of these facilities can be provided.
“It is understood that the sports pitches on site are not currently used and are of poor quality. It is noted that there is the opportunity to replace the existing pitches with a new 4G pitch on land to the east of the football club.”
None of the statutory bodies – the kind of people who get asked about the impact of development on ecology, roads, archaeology and suchlike – raised enough objection for an Environmental Impact Study to be required in to the development.
However, the Highways Department at SSDC did raise “concerns” over the loss of matchday parking and warned it would put heightened the risk of accidents in the area.
In his response, Adam Garland, Principal Planning Liaison Officer at SSDC said: “Where such facilities are lost it will create indiscriminate parking in the new estate road, and surrounding roads.
“The increase in manoeuvring, braking and turning movements, and higher levels of pedestrians crossing the local roads will increase the risk of collisions within the highway.
“This is further exacerbated by dint of the fact that match days are generally at weekends where there is a higher risk of residents being at home, and children are more likely to be in the streets.”
He added that if the authority were given “an amended proposal showing the retention of parking for match days further consideration would be given.”
So, now we wait and see what happens next as far as this development is concerned.
In May 2022 when the sale of Huish Park and surrounding land to SSDC was completed in a deal the authority says was valued at £2.8m, club chairman Scott Priestnall said in a statement: “When I first came into the club, I saw the opportunity to grow this already amazing club into an organisation off the pitch that could provide revenues all week, not just on match days. While I had very positive conversations with local planning (authorities), developers and funding partners, the pandemic delayed our options to grow, at the same time causing huge financial difficulties to our ongoing operations.
“There is and has always been a massive opportunity to develop the club’s infrastructure, but over the last 30 years the custodians of this club have never been able to put a plan together that works for all related parties.”
Back in October 2022, we reported changes to the core and non-core land – basically land with restrictions on what development can take place on it (core land) and land without such restrictions (non-core land) – which had been agreed before the sale completed, but not publicised.
That means the area which is currently occupied by a 3G surface outside Huish Park could also be developed on.
