July 2023

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has expressed his disappointment at the red card, and the handling of the game from the officials as the Glovers drew 1-1 with Plymouth Parkway.

Defender Morgan Williams was singled out as the only one to do anything wrong in a 21-man melee late in the first half, with the Glovers already 1-0 up after Jake Hyde’s goal after 29 minutes.

The home sign, who start next season a division below the Glovers in the Southern League Premier Division South, scored with their final attack of the game when substitute striker Dylan Jones headed home a leveller in injury time in a match which Yeovil controlled for large parts.

After the game, Cooper told YTFC on ‘X’ (Twitter in ‘old money’): “It was a good game to start with, we were solid and we looked threatening going forward once the game settled down.”

“Then the big incident spoils the game really, it ruins any tempo to the game, we go down to 10 men. The referee has told me and their manager (Lee Hobbs) a lie, he told us before the game that if there was any disciplinary issues, he’d give us a shout and we’d be able to get any players off.

Mark Cooper speaks after the 1-1 fdraw at Plymouth Parkway.

“The linesman marched onto the pitch and said that Morgan Williams had punched their player in the face, even though their player said he hadn’t… it looked to me like he couldn’t wait to get his red card out.

“That spoiled the game from us, we had to sit in and try and make sure we got something out of the game, so it was disappointing.”

Speaking about the dismissal in his post-match interview, Parkway boss Hobbs said: “We were disappointed when they lost a man because they were testing us and we needed that test, and I’m not sure what the sending off was for, to be honest.”

On the game as a whole though, Cooper was pleased with the reaction even if his side couldn’t quite see the game off. They finish pre-season with a record of five wins, one draw and one defeat from their seven matches.

The manager added: “We had a few chances to see the game off, if you don’t, and they get a corner in the last minute, you’re always vulnerable.”

With the pre-season campaign now concluded, Cooper was adamant his side we’re all good to go ahead of next week’s National League South curtain raiser away at Hemel Hempstead Town.

He said: “We’re ready, we look fit, the pitch was difficult today, but I said to the players we wont make any excuses and we have to deal with it”

‘

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Gloverscast Ben took in Yeovil’s final pre-season friendly against Plymouth Parkway, there were plenty of talking points, here are his five conclusions from Bolitho Park.

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If we do things chronologically, the first thing I noticed was actually pre-match.

During the warm up, I noticed that the coaches were actually doing relatively little.

Rather than being told to go here, go there, run this way, around this cone, once a structured stretching session was completed, the little groups broke away in their positions and took control of what they needed to do.

The defenders worked on some shape and some heading, the midfielders pinged passes about and the attackers were working on their close control and finishing. It sounds simple enough, but it just looks like a group who know what they need to do and how they’re going to do it.

A refreshing change from the lost individuals masquerading as a team we saw so often last season.

Staunton, Wannell and Williams warm up

Once the game was underway, it is clear, no matter if we like them or loathe them, high flying wing backs are here to stay.

For the most part, in the first half, it worked, too.

Jordan Young had chalk on his boots on the right and on the left Will Dawes took the much coveted Gloverscast Man of the Match award.

He DID NOT stop causing havoc both in attack and defence.

His crosses were dangerous, his position constantly drew the opposition out of line and it made for a very attacking first half.

If we have the ability to take that approach against better sides, it will garner positive results.

Both Hyde and Nouble looked dangerous from Dawes’ deliveries and we continued to push forward even in the second half with ten men.

Will Dawes
Picture courtesy of Iain Morland.

The red card changed the game and it was totally needless.

Firstly, I really think it was a good thing that the game had a bit of bite to it, teams aren’t going to roll over and let us rub their tummies this season. Plenty of sides will boot us about, we best get used to it.

Next, the initial challenge did look nasty, the 21-man melee was a bit over the top (the Parkway keeper clearly didn’t fancy it), but to see a red card brandished was totally unnecessary.

If Williams deserved to see red, so did a dozen others.

There was no surprise to see Mark Cooper head onto the pitch and explain that he could, if needed to, substitute Morgan Williams rather than scupper the game’s integrity.

The Glovers will, I’m sure, have trained for lopsided numbers in training and to be honest, still kept Plymouth at arms length through most of the second half.

Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper and his assistant Chris Todd ‘discuss’ the sending off with the referee.

The game also changed when Frank Nouble was taken off.

During the first half, Nouble was kicked, booted, dragged down, pulled and pushed, but kept himself right in the mix of everything.

He dropped deep to pick up the ball, he kept it stuck to his boot when playing a solo role up front and nearly scored and assisted himself.

But, Olly Thomas didn’t have quite that same effect on the game and as a result, the ball came back at the Glovers defence a bit too much.

I have no doubt in my mind in a league game, Mark Cooper would have kept Nouble on for exactly the reason of keeping the ball at the right end when playing with 10 men to buy time and soak up pressure.

Thomas has his place for Yeovil this season, but I’m not sure that was it.

Frank Nouble.
Picture courtesy of Iain Morland.

Finally, with the attacking options we have, players from last season (like JMD, Owers, Dawes to name just three) adding extra %s to their pre season games it’s safe to say the Glovers head into the season in the best position I’ve seen the side since dropping into Non League and maybe before.

The options are plentiful, the link ups look like they’re well in the process of gelling nicely.

We’ve thrashed a couple teams, scored a couple goals, had some moments of adversity and a little wake up call in defeat too.

The lads are ready, the stadium is ready, the supporters are ready.

Roll on Hemel.

 

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An injury time equaliser saw Yeovil Town’s pre-season campaign finish with a draw at Plymouth Parkway on Saturday.

A header from the home side’s substitute Dylan Jones saw the Glovers pegged back late on having played the entire second half with ten men after a questionable sending off for defender Morgan Williams late in the first half.

Striker Jake Hyde made it four goals in his four pre-season appearances to open the scoring on 29 minutes before Yeovil keeper Lewis Williams saved a penalty late in the first half with the other Williams departing soon after.

Ben was among the away supporters at Bolitho Park and here is how he saw it…..

 

First half

In a scrappy first couple of minutes, both sides struggled to get the ball down, Parkway found a little joy down their left hand side to force a corner, but it was well dealt with at the second attempt by Jake Hyde.

The first Glovers attempt came just 90 seconds later. Hyde again in the action linking up with Jordan Young who forced a good save from the Plymouth keeper from close range.

There was an urgency to the away side, both Jordan Young and Will Dawes keeping the game moving at a rapid pace.

Sonny Blu Lo-Everton saw a free-kick come to nothing before Plymouth had a set piece of their own.

A training ground manoeuvre failed to come off with Matt Worthington closing down.

Plymouth were having some early success down the Glovers right as the home side looked to take advantage of Young’s more attacking position, but nothing Morgan Williams couldn’t handle.

Dawes was soon back into the action down the left 11 minutes in, linking up with Hyde to produce a cross that Frank Nouble could only nod wide.

With 16 minutes on the clock, Parkway arguably should have taken the lead, a hopeful long ball found hosts’ striker Jack Crago, but Yeovil keeper Lewis Williams’ position forced the striker into a looping shot which fell high, wide and not so handsome.

Yeovil did have the ball in the net on 18 mins, Hyde sliding Young’s through ball under the keeper, but the former Southend man was flagged offside.

After 20 minutes, a Young effort from 20 yards was well cleared, after more good work from Dawes down the left, the Glovers were turning the screw.

Sonny Blu Lo-Everton was a constant menace just in behind the front line, his driving run into the box could only result in a scuffed shot wide with a quarter of the game gone.

Dawes was once again picking off crosses down the left, Hyde just unable to get enough leverage on his header as the away side continued to press.

It was just before the half-hour mark that Yeovil finally found a breakthrough. The ball stuck to Nouble like glue and his whipped cross in was tapped in by HYDE. A goal he had deserved, but down entirely to Nouble’s footwork.

 

Jake Hyde in action.

More good work from Nouble, Hyde and Young forced a couple of free kicks in a game which didn’t lack a little spike. The resulting set piece was straight down the keeper’s throat.

As the half drew to a close, Parkway did grow into the game, the two Josh’s, Staunton and Owers mopping up on multiple occasions.

With 39 minutes in the clock, Plymouth were awarded a somewhat…questionable penalty.

Nouble was adjudged to have fouled Crago in the box, but Williams was equal to the shot from the home side’s captain Ryan Lane diving down to his right with the rebound blazed over.

With minutes left before the break, Matt Worthington was brought down by a rash challenge by Parkway’s Callum Hall.

21 of the 22 were soon engaged in some aggressive cuddling in the centre circle.

Morgan Williams was shown a red card after the melee, following a discussion between assistant and referee. The assistant seemed to suggest ‘punching’ from the Glovers’ number 2.

Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper and his assistant Chris Todd ‘discuss’ the sending off with the referee.

Half-time: Plymouth Parkway 0 Yeovil Town 1


Second half

The changes started to come after the break, but the Glovers were still intent on keeping their full-backs high.

Dawes on the left combined with Lo-Everton to force a corner whilst Zac Bell had a couple of nice touches early on.

Hyde was proving to be a handful, sheer strength from him saw a ball slide through to Olly Thomas, but the Bristol City loanee couldn’t get the ball out from under his feet.

A Sendles-White long throw caused havoc in the Parkway defence, Zac Bell scuffed a shot wide.

Owers linked well with Thomas, but the ball squirmed away, the Glovers were in no mood to take their foot off the gas.

Jordan Maguire-Drew, Alex Whittle, Rhys Murphy, Charlie Cooper and Will Buse were introduced just before the hour mark.

Jordan Maguire-Drew was introduced after an hour at Plymouth Parkway.

The goalscorer, Jake Hyde was one of those sacrificed. He scored once, but on another day he could have had four.

The changes in personnel did bring about a slight change in formation.

Olly Thomas a lone front man with Murphy and JM-D playing as a duo in behind.

JM-D flung at least one dangerous cross in to force set pieces, but they were snuffed out by a wall of yellow.

At the other end, Will Buse punched a Parkway free kick clear with Josh Owers adopting the role of chief mopper upper.

JM-D’s set pieces were again causing trouble. Olly Thomas not able to capatalise on a ball he wasn’t expecting to get.

Parkway did manage a few forays into the Glovers’ final third, but some sensible defence defending from Jamie Sendells-White and some harmless pot shots were all that the hosts could really offer.

At the right end, Charlie Cooper had a shot closed down after some one touch magic with Rhys Murphy whilst Alex Whittle sent a shot in from distance, it might take some finding.

Charlie Cooper was really in the mood, he and Owers charged forward, but Murphy couldn’t release Thomas as the loanee had strayed offside.

Olly Thomas battles for the ball.

Cooper was playing a box-to-box role in his short stint on the pitch, mopping up on the edge of our 18 yard box and getting forward at every opportunity.

It was Cooper again who had a sniff at goal, JMD and Murphy were exchanging neat touches in around the edge of the box before Whittle whipped in a hard and low cross that Cooper got to, and but for an outstretched boot, may well have scored with.

Yeovil found themselves absorbing a little bit of pressure late on, Parkway getting a couple of corners and free kicks. For the most part, Yeovil were equal to the challenge.

But with a few minutes left on the clock, THOMAS rose highest from a set piece to nod the hosts level.

At the very death, Rhys Murphy was clean through on goal, but his effort was well saved despite the almighty shove he received as he shot.

It was, one of the more dominant 1-1 draws you’ll likely see with the first half penalty the only real chance to fall the way of the hosts before last gasp equaliser.

The Glovers will be happy to have navigated a fair amount of time with 10 players, even if they didn’t take advantage of more opportunities.

Full time: Plymouth Parkway 1 Yeovil Town 1

 

Yeovil Town: Lewis Williams (for Will Buse, 60), Morgan Williams, Josh Staunton, Jake Wannell (for Jamie Sendles-White, 46), Will Dawes (for Charlie Cooper, 65), Jordan Young (for Zac Bell, 46), Matt Worthington (for Alex Whittle, 65), Josh Owers, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (for Jordan Maguire-Drew, 60), Frank Nouble (for Olly Thomas, 46), Jake Hyde (for Rhys Murphy, 60).

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Jake Gallagher has kindly offered us his thoughts on why pre-season doesn’t matter…

Pre-season is win-win as a football fan. If your team didn’t do well in the five or six games that occur before the league action commences, then it doesn’t matter because it’s only pre-season. If your rivals are putting good results together, then it doesn’t matter because it’s only pre-season.

Jordan Stevens celebrates his opening goal in the pre-season friendly win at Buckland Athletic.
Picture courtesy of Iain Morland.

Depending on the biased view of your team or of that lot from down the road, pre-season doesn’t matter. That is of course, until it does.

Last season’s National League South winners Ebbsfleet United started their title-winning campaign with nine consecutive league victories. The first club to stop them earning three points were Oxford City who ended the season promoted themselves. Simply put, Ebbsfleet started like a train.

Ebbsfleet scored 15 goals in those 6 friendly games, at an average of 2.5 goals per game

Now if you look back to their pre-season of 2022 – and do remember that none of this actually matters – they won 4, drew 1 and lost 1. The loss coming against West Ham U21s and 2-2 draw against League Two outfit Colchester United. Their wins were good results, on paper at least, including a 3-1, a 1-0, a 3-0 and a final pre-season fixture that ended in a handsome 5-1 victory.

Ebbsfleet scored 15 goals in those 6 friendly games, at an average of 2.5 goals per game (gpg). When the season began, that average increased to 2.8 gpg. On this occasion, a good pre-season equalled a good start to the league.

Next let’s check on Maidstone, the National League South champions from the season before that.

Their pre-season of 2021 – and remember once more that none of this matters – they won 5, drew 1 and lost 1. They scored 20 goals in 7 friendlies, that’s 2.8 gpg, and saw them propel into the season proper with 6 wins in their opening 8 league matches, drawing the other two, scoring 2.4 gpg.

There’s a trend here; Good pre-season = good start to the league.

Shall we now cast our eyes back to Yeovil Town’s last pre-season? I’m talking about the beginning of Chris Hargreaves’ short spell at the club.

Chris Hargreaves

In our pre-season of 2022 – and remember for a third time that none of this matters – we won 1, drew 3 and lost 1. We scored 0.4 gpg in those friendlies which saw us begin the campaign with 1 victory in 11 league matches scoring 0.9 gpg.

The trend? Bad pre-season = bad start to the league.

Listen to any football manager and they’ll tell you pre-season is about fitness levels and getting through games unscathed

In Mark Cooper’s pre-season of 2023 (so far) – which doesn’t matter – we’ve won 5, drawn 0 and lost 1 scoring 3 ggp on average. So can we expect a good start to the campaign given the good results in our friendlies? You’d have to hope so.

Listen to any football manager and they’ll tell you pre-season is about fitness levels and getting through games unscathed. But it’s absolutely, categorically, much more than that.

Pre-season is about setting standards, creating good habits, a good culture, and gaining confidence through good performances. At this level player turnover is high, so it’s likely players be playing with new teammates or have a new teammate to play next to. It’s about forming strong on-pitch relationships and understanding each other’s strengths. Winning is a bonus but winning – friendly game or not – is what football is all about.

The performance against League Two Newport was a good one. If you can put aside that the Welsh side were utter shite there are many positives to take into our opener against Hemel Hempstead Town. Don’t get me wrong there’s plenty to work on; Morgan Williams didn’t look comfortable receiving the ball in the middle of a back three and Jake Wannell didn’t show enough aggression when defending corners aerially, but these are small points to pick up on.

I’ll level with you and admit all the numbers I’ve referenced earlier in the piece is a shallow analysis – there’s no deep dive here. It’s based on results only. As I mentioned earlier in the piece though, winning is what football is all about.

Winning breeds confidence in yourself.
Winning breeds belief in your teammates.
Winning breeds trust in the management team and their methods.

If you can get to full fitness, avoid injury, feel like you’ve performed well while garnering strong connections and partnerships with your teammates AND win games, then pre-season matters. It always matters.

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Off the back of a good win against Newport County, Ian, Dave and Ben chat about the performance, the stadium and more. We take your GCQs and there is an impromptu Sudden Death Gloverscast Quiz.

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We had the first taste of pre-season at Huish Park last night on a glorious summer evening as Yeovil ran out 2-0 winners over Newport County. Here are Ian’s conclusions from a confidence-boosting evening at home…

Huish Park was looking resplendent. We all know our home has been in desperate need of some tender loving care for a long time and we’ve seen a lot of the work that has been done over the Summer through social media. Last night more than 2100 supporters got to see it first hand for the first time and to say it looks impressive is an understatement. The refreshed seats, the dugouts have transformed pitch side (and make you feel closer to the players and staff), the carpet, as much as we love it, has been replaced with modern wooden flooring. And, there’s more to come behind the Thatchers Stand too. The pitch is looking impressive too, and complemented some of our excellent passages of passing play. 

Frank Nouble is everything we’ve been looking for. For so long we’ve needed a ‘sticky’ striker. Someone strong, who can hold off defenders and keep the ball to alleviate some pressure on our defence. Nouble has that about his game, as well as some explosivity too. He’s formed a good partnership with Rhys Murphy already from what we’ve seen, and last night he and Olly Thomas seemed to strike it off too. I don’t want to look back, but you can’t help but wonder where we might be had Mark Cooper been allowed to sign Nouble a few months earlier…

Frank Nouble celebrates his goal with Jordan Maguire-Drew, left, and Jordan Young.

Jordan Maguire-Drew is purring. If you ever lose your keys, give JMD a call, I think he can unlock anything. We saw flashes last season before injury derailed his season, but during pre-season he’s been on another level. He’s shown how good he is against smaller teams and against Newport County he showed other assets of his game. I can’t recall a set piece that wasn’t dangerous, the deliveries were pinpoint and caused the League Two side all sorts of problems in the box. He’s looking sharp, knows where his teammates are those relationships are strengthening. We knew he was good, but I think he’s the man to make us tick when August 5th rolls around.

What a difference a year makes. Last summer, although there was optimism (isn’t there always in Summer?), we struggled to score goals throughout our pre-season. We couldn’t create clear openings but for Tom Knowles (#DFILWF). This summer it’s been a totally different story at the top end of the pitch. We’ve got experience in Murphy, Hyde and Nouble and I’m excited about Olly Thomas too. Combined with that there’s the likes of Jordan Young, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, JMD, Matt Worthington, Alex Whittle and Zac Bell who are all contributing in those attacking areas. There’s massive depth up front and the patterns of play taking shape and creating chances.

A case for the defence. Other than the defeat at Wimborne pre-season has been pretty much immaculate. We’ve conceded five goals (but scored 18) and huffed and puffed against some teams, but that’s to be expected. The only questions that have been asked on social media have been around the defence but against Newport County we looked like a good defensive unit. Morgan Williams, a goal scorer on the night, was in the middle of a three and provided that pace that helped to cover Jake Wannell and Jamie Sendles-White who aren’t necessarily as quick. In the case of Wannell and Sendles-White, they had their best performance so far in a three and as a pair later in the evening. It’s natural that as these players gain fitness, they improve and we’ve seen that in the culmination of a good performance where we kept a football league side at arms length – despite their ‘official’ version of events.

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Yeovil Town striker Jake Hyde has played down concerns that an injury had kept him out of the club’s past three pre-season friendly matches.

The 33-year-old, who signed following his release by Wrexham in the summer, missed the wins against Tiverton Town, Dorchester Town and AFC Totton with a reported back injury, but has said his absence was down to “management” of his body more than an injury.

He was speaking after scoring his third goal in as many pre-season matches bagging the second in a 2-0 home win over League Two side Newport County on Tuesday night.

Asked about his absence, Hyde said: “I am building up to be fit. I am just maintaining little things, so I am just sort of coming through that now and feeling stronger every day. It is more about management than an injury, so I am feeling good and getting better every day.”

The frontman found the net after 74 minutes against Newport, having lifted a penalty kick over the crossbar nine minutes earlier, but said he would not let the miss knock his confidence.

Hyde said: “I have taken a lot of penalties down the years and I have scored more than I have missed, so you just have to get on with the game as best you can. Things like that won’t bother me, as long as when the next one comes along you put it in the back of the net.”

Another player who played down any injury concerns about his fitness was the other goalscorer on Tuesday night, defender Morgan Williams, who picked up an ankle injury in the first pre-season friendly at Buckland United.

That ruled him out of the matches at Wimborne Town and Tiverton Town, but he returned as a second half substitute in the 5-0 win at Dorchester Town and played the full 90 minutes against Newport.

Speaking after the match at Huish Park, he said: “It was only precautionary which meant I was out for a week or so to make sure I could get back fit, but I am feeling really good and really happy.”

He added that the team is now looking forward to the start of the National League South season which gets underway next weekend following the final friendly fixture of pre-season at Plymouth Parkway this Saturday.

Williams added: “We are looking sharp, all the boys are looking and we are ready to go. You can see the new ground with the new seats (in the dug out area) looking really nice, so we are looking forward to being back for home games during the (National League South) season.”

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Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper was pleased with his side’s “powerful” performance as they picked up a 2-0 win over League Two opponents Newport County in the only pre-season friendly on home soil on Tuesday night.

Goals from defender Morgan Williams and striker Jake Hyde were enough to secure the victory with the Glovers even able to withstand a missed penalty by Hyde moments before he grabbed his side’s second goal.

A crowd of more than 2,000 was at Huish Park to watch the victory which means Yeovil have now picked up five wins out of their six friendlies to date

Speaking to the club’s Twitter account about the home win, Cooper said: “The longer the pre-season goes, the stronger we become and the better we become. We are growing and I thought we looked powerful tonight.

“We had a really good start for the first 25 minutes before Newport came in to the game towards the back end of the first half, but what pleased me most was that we stood up and defended those moments really well. Then second half I thought we totally dominated.

“I thought we played with a real intent and that was maybe because we knew we had to be really on it because we were playing against a team which is two leagues above us with some good players, that focused the mind and we knew we had to face it head on and we had a mentality to do whatever the game needed.”

The boss was pleased with how his side defended against higher division opposition and was quick to praise the physicality of his back line made up of Jamie Sendles-White, Jake Wannell and Williams with wing-backs Zac Bell and Alex Whittle alongside them. Club captain Josh Staunton remained on the bench for the match.

Asked about the clean sheet, Cooper said: “Jamie Sendles-White is now getting his fitness and you saw what a solid performer he is tonight.

“Most of the defending tonight was set pieces, most of their opportunities were corners but we defended them really well on the whole. We have a big team and a big squad which was always a thing (we wanted) because in (National League South) we are going to have to defend balls in to the box.

“And at the other end of the pitch, as you can see, we have got another threat with long throws on both side and we have got a threat.”

Yeovil now concluded their pre-season campaign with a trip to Southern League Premier Division South side Plymouth Parkway on Saturday, ahead of a the National League South opener at Hemel Hempstead Town on August 5th.

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Yeovil Town’s one and only friendly at Huish Park this pre-season with their most impressive result and performance seeing off League Two side Newport County in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 on Tuesday night.

A first half goal from defender Morgan Williams gave the Glovers a well-deserved advantage after 21 minutes which they could have added to before the interval.

Striker Jake Hyde, who came off the substitutes’ bench having missed the previous three friendlies through injury, grabbed the ball after the hosts were awarded a penalty following a foul on Jordan Maguire-Drew on 64 minutes – but the striker lifted his spot kick over the bar.

However, the summer signing made amends moments later when his effort – via some ‘help’ from team-mate Charlie Cooper and potentially visiting goalkeeper Nick Townsend – found its way in to the net for Yeovil’s second on 73 minutes.

Here’s how Ian saw it from his position in the Huish Park stands……

 

First half

Rhys Murphy, who has five goals in pre-season so far, was left out of the starting XI (hopefully rested) with Bristol City loanee Olly Thomas paired alongside Frank Nouble up front. There was a return for Jake Hyde, missing since the 2-1 defeat to Wimborne Town in the second friendly of the campaign, on the substitutes’ bench.

For the visitors, there was a familiar face in the shape of striker Seb Palmer-Houlden, who joined Newport on a season-long loan from Bristol City last week and had a brief spell on loan at Huish Park last season. If social media is anything to go by, the South Wales side’s supporters claimed this starting line-up was their strongest available XI as they prepare for the start of the League Two season.

The opening 10 minutes saw the Glovers hold their own against a side two divisions higher, and they created some half chances without testing Newport keeper Nick Townsend. He was drawn into a punch from a teasing Jordan Maguire-Drew cross but Yeovil could not capitalise from the corner.

Thomas showed signs if his physical prowess shrugging off a Newport defender, earning a free-kick after some fancy footwork. Maguire-Drew delivered another teasing cross towards Nouble who’s header went wide.

Yeovil came close to an opener in the 19th minute. A good cross in from Alex Whittle was half cleared to Matt Worthington who brought the ball down and struck an effort which was deflected wide of the post.

It did arrive almost immediately as Morgan WILLIAMS curled a left footed effort into the top corner to put the Glovers ahead with 21 minutes gone.

Charlie Cooper almost doubled the lead seconds later with a free-kick struck fiercely towards the top corner which was tipped over the bar by the scrambling keeper.

Nouble thought he’d grabbed a second in the 28th minute as his right footed effort struck the foot of the post and trickled along the line before the keeper clawed it away. Nouble’s effort came from another delicious cross from Maguire-Drew, with his deliveries causing all sorts of issues for Newport’s defence.

Newport grew into the game as the half wore in and managed to stem the flow of Yeovil pressure. But for a routine catch from a header, Will Buse was hardly tested in the Glovers’ goal but County certainly found themselves further into Yeovil territory as the clock ticked on.

In the 44th minute Williams made an important block as Newport broke into the box and from the resultant corner Buse had to help the ball over the bar from a header Newport header.

Half-time: Yeovil Town 1 Newport County 0

Second half

It was as you were after half time with no changes, and after an early spell of pressure for Yeovil, Newport almost equalised through Harry Charsley’s volley, which went narrowly wide of Buse’s left hand post.

Just past the hour mark Yeovil introduced Sonny Blu Lo-Everton for Zac Bell resulting a change of shape for Mark Cooper’s side and a switch to a back four with Lo-Everton in the ‘number 10’.

Jake Hyde, who’d replaced Olly Thomas opened up the Newport defence and played the ball to Maguire-Drew who turned sharply and went down under a challenge to earn the Glovers a penalty. Hyde stepped up, but attempted to deftly lift his spot kick and it ended up not so deftly in the the Thatchers Stand.

HYDE amends in the 73rd minute with a right footed effort that rebounded off the post before going in. It was credited to Hyde but it looked to me like Charlie Cooper got something on the rebound.

Yeovil were on the hunt for a third with five minutes remaining and as Jordan Young and Will Dawes broke forward, the latter couldn’t find Lo-Everton in the box.

Through luck rather than judgement, Newport’s keeper kept a point blank header from Jake Hyde out from the resulting corner.

The Glovers saw out the game professionally and with some exciting passing okay to whet the appetite for the season ahead of the final friendly fixture at Plymouth Parkway on Saturday.

You can say that Newport County did not look a great side for an EFL outfit, but there is no denying that Mark Cooper’s men looked impressive and thoroughly deserved their victory.

Full time: Yeovil Town 2 Newport County 0

 

Yeovil Town: Will Buse, Morgan Williams, Jamie Sendles-White, Jake Wannell, Zach Bell (for Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, 62), Alex Whittle (for Will Dawes, 78),  Charlie Cooper, Matt Worthington, Jordan Maguire-Drew (for Josh Owers, 74), Olly Thomas (for Jake Hyde, 56), Frank Nouble (for Jordan Young, 80) .

Attendance: 2,177 (153 away supporters)

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What a signing that is. Sonny Blu Lo-Everton is so talented and creative. Even if he doesn’t start every game this season, when he does play he will rip this league apart. I imagine that is Scott Pollock off then, to be honest. But what a replacement!
 
Being 20, he still has five or six more years of growing into his full potential, as I have said before, he is destined for the #EFL. Fingers crossed that’s with us, but if we get some money for him that would be appreciated as well. We’ve got some of the best creative talent in the league.

HOW WILL HE FIT IN?

For me, it’s one of two positions, but I think his main position will be as a deep lying playmaker. I think we’ll see him picking up the ball from deep and spreading the play wide and linking up with the strikers and attacking midfielders like he did in the 5-0 win against Dorchester.
 
 
However, when we play with four at the back, players like Jordan Stevens will be on the wing which may leave a chance for Sonny to play further forward if Jordan Maguire-Drew gets injured, needs resting or gets subbed. He’s a similar player to JMD in terms of his creativity and vision of his teammates.
 
 
Most Yeovil fans will know what type of player Sonny is, but if you have forgotten here are some clips of him playing in the last couple seasons!
 

 
As we can see from this clip, he comes deep to get the ball at the bottom of the screen, has the awareness to look around before receiving the ball to know where the defender is. He has the ability to turn his man and run into space, and then to find a quality pass.
 
 
 
In the second we can see he is always aware of his surrounding with quick looks over his shoulder before receiving the ball and knowing where the defender is, the bit of quality to put it through the defenders legs and to run into space and find the pass. A shame Jordan Barnett was on the end of it!
 
 
I think this will be the position that Sonny is mostly going to be looking to pick up for us.  Receiving the ball off of the defence on the half turn looking to bring the ball forward with his ability on the ball when passing or dribbling.
 
 
 
His ability to pick out a long pass either from a dead ball situation or from open play could be really helpful when we’ve got the height of Frank Nouble and Jake Hyde and the running ability of Rhys Murphy, Olly Thomas and Jordan Stevens!
 
Overall I think this a brilliant signing for us. His work rate is second-to-none, matched with his ability to create a chance or create a bit of space out of nothing!
 
 
What are your thoughts on the signing? Let us know in the comments….