May 2023

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Yeovil Town winger Callum Harriott is on international duty with the South American country of Guyana, new pictures of the team’s training sessions have shown.

The 29-year-old, who arrived at Huish Park in March on a “short-term deal” which nobody has advised has yet expired,appears to be involved in the team’s training cap in Kingston, Jamaica.

The camp is preparing for a Gold Cup preliminary match against Grenada in Miami, Florida on June 17th which, in Guyana are successful, will see them progress to face the winner of the match between Guadalupe and Trinidad and Tobago for a spot in the last 16 of the Gold Cup.

Callum Harriott at a Guyana national team training camp in Kingston, Jamaica.
Picture from Guyana Football Federation.

Joining Harriott in training with the national team, nicknamed the Golden Jaguars, is former Glovers’ winger Keanu Marsh-Brown, who had a spell at Huish Park in the 2012-13 season. That campaign obviously turned out not to be a bad one, albeit Marsh-Brown’s contract was cancelled in January 2013.

Harriott arrived in Somerset as one of a number of players brought in under the ‘stewardship’ of SU Glovers, the group owned by Matt Uggla which failed in its attempt to take over the club from Scott Priestnall.

The ex-Gillingham and Charlton Athletic player made just three appearances, scoring once in the 1-1 draw at Aldershot Town on Good Friday, and made his last appearance on Easter Monday, when he appeared as a 62nd minute substitute in the 1-0 home loss to Dorking Wanderers.

He picked up a thigh injury in that match and was never seen again with manager Mark Cooper saying he had not seen the player at training, although he was named among the players retained by the club at the end of the season.

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Documents filed on Companies House have confirmed that Scott Priestnall is no longer a director of Yeovil Town.

They also show new chairman and owner Martin Hellier as a director of both the club’s trading business, Yeovil Football & Athletic Club (YF&AC), and Yeovil Town Holdings Limited (YTFC Holdings), the company which holds the exclusive buy-back rights on land around Huish Park.

Hellier Trading Group, the chairman’s own business, is also registered as “a relevant legal entity” which holds “directly or indirectly, 75% or more of the shares in the company” whilst CV Leisure, the company set up by Priestnall when he bought the club in 2019, was also removed from the records of YTFC Holdings.

In summary, the filings which went live on Tuesday night confirm that everything we expected to see following confirmation of the takeover earlier this month.

On Wednesday morning, Priestnall was also removed as a director of the National League Trust, the league’s governing body, with his last act in this capacity appearing as a guest of the board at the play-off final at Wembley between Chesterfield and Notts County earlier this month.

Stuart Robins continues as a director of YF&AC and retains his 20% shareholding in that company. Therefore, it appears that Hellier holds a 72% stake in YF&AC alongside Robins and 8% held by an array of smaller shareholders, but in YTFC Holdings he appears to have acquired the 92% shareholding previously held by Priestnall.

Stuart Robins, centre, with Martyn Starnes, left, and Scott Priestnall at the match at Altrincham in August.

All of which means that Priestnall’s only remaining connection with anything to do with Yeovil Town is his role as a director of Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust, the charitable arm of the club/

He remains on the board alongside Robins, now (we assume although there’s been no official confirmation) former CEO Martyn Starnes, ex-commercial manager Dave Linney, and Johanna Harris, a teacher at Buckler’s Mead Academy.

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Yeovil Town will travel to Plymouth Parkway during pre season for a friendly match at Bolitho Park.

Parkway, who had former Glovers midfielder Toby Stephens on loan last season, will host the Glovers on Saturday July 29th.

According to Plymouth Parkway, kick off time and ticketing details will be released in due course.

Yeovil will head to Bolitho Park to face Truro in the league this season as they continue to groundshare with Parkway.

This match is the third of the Glovers pre season schedule with trips to Tiverton and Buckland Athletic already in the book.

 

 

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Andy Welsh is a Yeovil Town centurion. Between 2008 and 2011 you could find Andy bombing down the wing, scoring goals and assisting his teammates. On this episode of the Glovers Past, we caught up with Andy – now the manager of Bury AFC – about his time at Huish Park.

We covered:

  • Working under Russell Slade
  • Terry Skiverton taking over following Slade’s departure
  • What it was like working under Skivo and Nathan Jones
  • Yeovil’s Premier League loanees – Steven Caulker, Andros Townsend, Ryan Mason, Asmir Begovic and the rest..
  • Becoming a manager and life at Bury AFC.
Pictures Courtesy of Mike Kunz

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.

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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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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has said the club is looking to draw on talent from across the South West as he seeks to build a squad ready to compete in the National League South next season.

The boss had spoken of the recent re-signing of midfielder Matt Worthington and the addition of Yeovil-born goalkeeper Will Buse as evidence of a local stamp which he is looking to put on the squad.

Speaking on Tuesday, the boss told the club’s YouTube channel: “It was key for me that I wanted to change the way we recruited. I wanted to try and have more local players which I class as areas such as Bristol, because we are out on a limb and there is no disguising that.

“But Busey fits in to that perfectly and I felt the way he conducted himself last year when he was backing up Grant Smith was really good, he never moaned and just got on with it.

“I think when he got his chance to shine, he really did and, of course, he let some goals in but he made some remarkable saves and he is a really aggressive goalkeeper.

“He wants to come off his line and affect the penalty area which is what I think we are going to need in the league we are going into.”

Will Buse. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

On Worthington, who is the club’s longest-serving player having joined in January 2019, the boss added: “He is someone who is local, he understands the club, he understands the town and it is important we show fans that we have that on our minds.

“Worthy signing was a statement for us because he gives us a lot in that attacking midfield area with his energy and athleticism. I want more goals from him, I have told him that he should be scoring ten goals a season with his technique, so it is a really exciting time for us.”

Having re-signed Worthington and strengthened his defence with the addition of Buse, who was released by Bristol City in the summer, and defender Jamie Sendles-White, Cooper said he was pleased with the additions he had made.

However, he is under no illusions that it is in the attacking department that his squad needs strengthening. The Glovers managed just 35 goals in 46 National League matches last season – but the manager his called for patience in his efforts to bring in players up front.

He added: “I know everyone will be screaming ‘please sign centre forwards’ and I am aware of that and (chairman) Martin (Hellier) is desperate for that as well.

“I could go and sign a load of centre forwards now and they might not be as good as the centre forwards I could get in a month’s time and I think it is so important we take our time.

“We have to wait and be patient for a centre forward that might be playing in League One or been released by a League One club, he thinks he’s going to get another League One club and he doesn’t, he doesn’t get a League Two club and then there’s Yeovil, who are a big club with a big project.

“He will be too good for (National League South) level and that is what I am trying to do, but in the meantime if something does come out of the woodwork and I can act, I will do it.

“But, after everything which happened last year with recruitment, it is important we take our time and make sure (our signings) are the right ones. I understand fans will be frustrated, but please give us a bit of time.”

He also spoke positively about the improvements which are starting to happen around Huish Park since the takeover of the club by Hellier with captain Josh Staunton and winger Will Dawes working alongside the new owners to give the ground a new look.

Cooper said: “Even when you are showing prospective players around and they come and they see the stadium looking good, all the work going on, it gives you a head start over other clubs.

“Those players can see this can be a really big club and that has certainly helped with Worthy and Busey staying (and coming in) and the meetings I have had with players, they have been impressed with what is going on.

“It is the local feel to it. Josh has made Yeovil his home and he is a real ambassador for the town and what we are trying to do. I have given Josh a few programmes for the training ground and the changing rooms here (at Huish Park) to be revamped and he has got Dawesy in to help him.

“It is great and it gives that feeling of togetherness and we want that place to be the best it can be.”

 

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Yeovil Town have announced the signing of former Welling United defender Jamie Sendles-White.

The ex-Torquay United man made 53 appearances for – and captained – Welling in National League South before announcing he would be leaving for a new challenge this summer.

Speaking to YTFC.net, in true footballer fashion, the new signing ‘can’t wait to get going.’

“I’m very excited. It’s a big club, a massive club for the level and I can’t wait to get going. I’m sure that the fans will be turning up in their numbers this year. I’ve played here before and the fans really get behind the team so I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.

“With it being such a big club, with the squad that’s building here, I think that as a collective there should only be one real target and I think that’s a realistic target.” Pre White presumably the target is pr*m*tion but no one will say it…

Sendles White has represented Northern Ireland up to Under-21 level and has played numerous times in the Football League for the likes of Crawley Town and Mansfield Town. At 29, he comes with plenty of experience that he feels will benefit the squad.

“I think it [experience] helps. I’m 29, I feel young but I’m more of an older head. So I think its good to have the older heads in the team to help the younger ones. I’ve been promoted with Torquay, I’ve played League One down, so I’ve got a lot of experiences and I feel that I can bring that to the team.”

He spent time on trial at Swindon under manager Mark Cooper at the start of the 2015-16 season and knows what the manager is about. On his discussions with the boss he said: “We had a good chat and I’m a big fan of the style of play that he implements in his teams. We spoke about that and I feel like I can fill into that really well. I like to play the right way. Obviously I’m a defender and I like to defend and do that side of the game. I want to play the right way, I want to get the ball down and play proper football and I know that that’s exactly what the gaffer here wants.”

He signs on an initial one-year deal with an option for a second year.

Manager Mark Cooper told the club’s YouTube channel he was pleased with the signing of Sendles-White.

The manager said: “I’m trying to make us nice and solid at the back. He is a bit of experience having played at (National League South) level and above that level.

“I have been aware of him for a few years, Jamie did really well at Swindon and he will be a real competent, solid signing for us and he can play a bit as well. It is important the blend of the team is right, it can’t all be something of one and not enough of the other.

“We are trying to get a blend of defenders who are really solid and can defend and have that attacking threat at the top of the pitch.
It is about putting a good squad together which is what we are going to need and Jamie adds to the defenders we have got with Josh Staunton, Morgan Williams, Ollie Haste, Will Dawes can play (in defence).”

Yeovil are of course known for signing one particular central defender from Welling back in 2000 – Terry Skiverton, if you were wondering – but we aren’t ready to put that kind of pressure on the new man just yet.

Welcome to Yeovil, Jamie!

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Yeovil Town chairman Martin Hellier has said the club is “embarking on a journey of brand modernisation” as it looks to update its crest.

In a tweet posted on his personal Twitter, the owner said the changes would take the club’s “existing, complicated, ‘hand drawn’ club logo to the next level” and promised there would be full consultation with supporters about the changes.

He posted a picture showing the badges of Premier League sides including Arsenal, Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur as examples of how the changes may take place.

The post from Sunday morning read: “A heads-up to all fans and supporter groups. Through the correct process of both FA and fan/community consultation, we shall be embarking on a journey of brand modernisation in the coming 12 months, to take our existing, complicated, ‘hand drawn’ club logo, to the next level.

“Full consultation with all parties will follow in due course. Examples attached of how it’s benefited other clubs.”

As well as featuring on the badge worn on the club’s shirts, it is also prominently displayed on the front of Huish Park.

The current crest design is based on Yeovil’s own town coat of arms which it has used since 1954 and depicts John the Baptist taken from the town seals dating back until the 14th Century.

A description on whatsbehindthebadge.com, explains: “The rest of the official arms are made up of the crest which has a Saxon crown and is a symbol of King Alfred the Great, owner of Kingston Manor, and the flames emitting from the crown tells of devastating fires of medieval times. The bull which has golden hooves and horns, represents the agricultural and dairy industries, which contributed to the town’s growth. In the hoof of the bull is a small shield depicting a golden glove, and is symbolic of the town’s staple industry. It is this industry that gives the club its nickname of “The Glovers”. The supporters are a lion from the Earl of Arundel, and the horse from the Horseys of Clifton Maybank.”

There is more to be found in the explanation – read it in full here.

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The National League have today tweeted a ‘reminder’ that the 2023/24 season is scheduled to get underway on Saturday August 5th 2023.

The irony here is, we can’t find any actual ‘key date’ announcement to actually be reminded of, but there we go…

We don’t yet have any further dates, like fixture release dates, play-off dates, or when the season is actually planned to finish. But I’m sure the National League will ‘remind’ us of them in due course.

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Recently released Glovers defender Max Hunt has signed for Buxton FC in the National League North where he will team up with former teammate Jordan Barnett.

The central defender had spent two seasons at Huish Park before departing Somerset this summer.

Hunt played 65 times in the League for the Glovers across his time with the club after joining from Carlisle in December 2020.

All the best to Max at Buxton.

 

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  • On today’s episode of the Gloverscast, Ian and Dave welcome Seb White and Hugh Gleave to discuss what National League South will look like for Yeovil Town come August. We talk beer, some of the new grounds we’ll visit, the quality of the football, what it will take to get out of the division an everything in between.

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.