Yeovil Town’s league tie against Slough Town will now be played on Tuesday 30th January 2024.
Slough had originally planned to travel to Huish Park on the weekend of the FA Cup 2nd Round, but the Glovers will instead, be going to Hollywood, North Wales.
Yeovil Town head back to Plainmoor just eleven days after the first National League South league clash, but this time, there are no points, just prizes on the line with the FA Trophy taking centre stage.
Since that fixture, Torquay United got a tough win over Havant and Waterlooville, beating the south coast strugglers 2-0 with second half goals from Tom Williams and Brad Ash.
This second round tie is worth £3750, whilst losers receive £1000, as a reminder, there is no replays or extra time in the case of a draw at 90 minutes, we’ll be straight to penalty kicks to determine a winner.
Mark Cooper has suggested that changes could be imminent for the Glovers with a number of players needing a chance to impress whilst others could do with a Saturday off.
New loan signing Duncan Idehen is expected to be involved, whilst the latest HP Source had Charlie Cooper front and centre as he continues his recovery from injury. Following Tuesday night’s 4-2 home win over Farnborough, the manager said he expected the midfielder to be available for selection this weekend.
Defenders Jake Wannell, who limped off after 26 minutes in midweek, and long-term absentee Jamie Sendles-White remain the only certain absentees, with Alex Whittle back from his one-game ban. Jordan Young can play too, his suspension kicks in on Tuesday at his former club Chippenham Town.
Gary Johnson – who if you recall, has some fond memories of this competition – might also make some changes, but more because of players returning.
Mark Halstead may return in goal after a spell off with concussion, Defender Ross Marshall (who left the field early in the League match up) and Tom Lapslie are described as ‘touch and go’ for the game.
Fleetwood Town loanee Callum Dolan has been suffering with an illness and might miss out.
Top scorer Aaron Jarvis (injury) and Ethon Archer (cup tied) are definitely out, whilst midfielder Brett McGavin, who scored when the two sides met in league action earlier this month, returns from suspension,
The Gulls bolstered their ranks with the loan addition of AFC Bournemouth defender Archie Harris on Friday. His announcement on the Torquay website suggest he will be available to play in the tie.
? BREAKING NEWS: Archie Harris Signs On Loan
Torquay United AFC is delighted to announce the loan signing of AFC Bournemouth defender Archie Harris.
? @afcbournemouth #tufc pic.twitter.com/f1aATuYR3c
— Torquay United AFC (@TUFC1899) November 17, 2023
Yeovil Town midfielder Sonny Blu Lo-Everton has said waiting his chance to win a regular starting place in the side was tough at the start of the season.
The former Watford youngster has started the last five matches in National League South and the FA Cup in a deeper lying role having previously only appeared as a substitute.
Speaking on Friday ahead of the weekend’s trip to Torquay United in the FA Trophy, he said: “It was tough because you have to split your mind between wanting to play and wanting the boys to do well, but that is part of football. Then you get your chance to play and then hopefully don’t get dropped, it’s that simple.
“I have come in to the team in the different position and created a really good partnership with Worthy and it’s working well. There are basic points to the game which you stick to, but after that it is kind of second nature between the two of us.
“The form we are in makes it really exciting going in to every Saturday and Tuesday and hopefully we can carry that on. At the moment, no matter who we come across, we go out with a game plan and at the moment it is working.
“But there’s no change in the way we approach this weekend, we played (Torquay) a couple of weeks ago and beat them in the league and no matter what competition you play in, you want to win, so we go in to it in exactly the same way.”
The 22-year-old, who arrived during pre-season having been at the club in the 2021-22 season, has also spoken about the arrival of experience defender Michael Smith has had on him
He said: “To have that experience behind you is brilliant, you just trust him and then you have got something less to worry about. The advice he gives is simple, but effective.”
Following an early injury to defender Jake Wannell in Tuesday night’s 4-2 home win over Farnborough, the pair found themselves a little closer together with Smith shifted to the middle of defence. Sonny said: “He was more asking for help than instruction! But we were comfortable in possession because he was back there.”
Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has confirmed the injury to central defender Jake Wannell is not as bad as first feared.
The 29-year-old, who has been a revelation alongside Morgan Williams since joining in the summer, limped off after 26 minutes of the 4-2 home win over Farnborough on Tuesday night, with the Glovers immediately bringing in Bristol City youngster Duncan Idehen as a ready-made replacement.
The loanee, who arrived until the end of January earlier this week, seems likely to start tomorrow’s FA Trophy tie at Torquay United, but Cooper is hopeful Wannell will not be out for long.
Speaking on Friday ahead of tomorrow’s match, the boss said: “Wans is not as bad as we first thought, so we don’t think he’ll be too long. But we’ve added Duncan to the group, a brilliant signing for us.
“It’s important that you always have your eye on a replacement and left footed defenders were not a position we were blessed with competition in and he was our number one choice. I rang Brian Tinnion at Bristol City at 9.45pm on Tuesday night and asked if we could have him and it’s brilliant from Bristol City that they have let him come and play some games.”
The 21-year-old has been an unused substitute for the Robins three times in the Championship this season, having had a five-game spell on loan at Carlisle United in League Two in the 2022/23 season.
Speaking of the youngster, Cooper said: “He’s a left-footed defender, so it’s a natural replacement (for Wannell), he brings balance. If you have two left footers or two right footers, it gives a little bit of imbalance which you could see in us the other night.
“He’s been on the bench in the Championship this season, he’s played for Bristol City in the Championship and in the Football League. He’s a good age, very quick and very aggressive, so it’s a great signing for us.”
Cooper said he had been to watch Idehen play in the Under-23s’ side the day before making the call to bring him to Huish Park.
He added: “We went to watch Bristol City’s Under-23s on Monday night, particularly to watch Duncan. It was blowing a gale, chucking it down with rain, but we saw what we needed to see.”
On Saturday, the Glovers make a quick return to Torquay United, where they ran out 3-1 winners in National League South fixture earlier this month, with a place in the third round of the FA Trophy up for grabs.
Victory would see them stretch an already record-breaking winning run to 15 games in all competitions and Cooper is confident experienced heads in the dressing room will not allow confidence to become complacency.
He told our man Ian Perkins: “The experienced players we have in the changing room have seen it before. They will nip things in the bud. I tend to not spend too much time in the changing room, I will go in and speak before the game but during the week, that is their domain.
“Anything that needs nipping in the bud, we have got some characters in their in Frank (Nouble), Murph (Rhys Murphy), Michael Smith, Joe Day, that will make things are done properly. So complacency for me is not an issue. We might play bad and get beat, but that won’t be through complacency.”
The injury to Wannell added to the loss of midfielder Jordan Stevens, who Cooper revealed in the week may be facing an extended absence, along with long-term injury victim Jamie Sendles-White. But, with midfielder Charlie Cooper expected to be available for the tie and the likes of club captain Josh Staunton and play-maker Jordan Maguire-Drew and striker Jake Hyde itching to start, the manager believes he has strong options.
He said: “We want to go strong on all fronts. Being respectful to the Somerset Men’s Premier Cup, I don’t count that one, but FA Trophy, FA Cup, National League South we want to be competitive in every game we can because it sends out the message that we want to win every game we play.
“That is probably not possible, but we want to send that message out. If you look at our bench, I’m not sure the boys coming in make it a weak team, they make it just as strong, they have just not had as many opportunities just yet.”
“I don’t think we have to change too much, if you win 14 games there’s not a lot wrong. Of course we are always fine-tuning and trying to make it even better. Torquay have changed since we played them, they changed on Saturday (in the 2-0 win at Havant & Waterlooville) to a back three, but it doesn’t really affect what we do. We have our patterns of play and the way we play is pretty clear, but without the ball we need to improve in certain ways.
“Because we are away from home there is more anxiety for them in front of their home crowd. If it is 0-0 in the second half, I am perfectly happy because I always think we will get good opportunities to score.
With persistent rain forecast in South Devon overnight and throughout Saturday, the boss admitted he has concerns about whether the game will go ahead.
He said: “My biggest issue is the weather with the rain that is coming. The pitch down there was soft when we played last week, so whether it can take another 12 hours of torrential rain, I don’t know. I don’t think either team need that because we both have got really important league games on Tuesday night.”
In other player news coming out of the Friday afternoon press conference, Cooper said striker Alex Fisher would not be gifted game time as he works his way back from a serious injury.
The 33-year-old suffered a broken tibia and fibula and severely damaged his ankle in April, and has returned to training and was named among the nine substitutes named by Cooper in the FA Cup first round win over Gateshead recently.
Asked when he could return to action, the manager pointed to the form of Rhys Murphy, Frank Nouble and Sonny Cox, who are ahead of him in the striking pecking order at Huish Park.
He said: “He’s been out for a long time with a horrific injury. But there’s real competition for the striker positions with lots of players flying and fully fit. It is a tough one. We are not in the business of giving players game time for the sake of it, it has got to be earned and it is no different with any of the players.”
With Yeovil registering win number 14 in a row on Tuesday night against Farnborough, let’s take a look at what else went down in a minimised running order following the weather and scheduling.
We start with 2nd-placed Aveley, who faced off against Chelmsford City on Monday night. The hosts couldn’t find a way back from two goals down, leaving them in 2nd, while the win for Chelmsford jumps them up into a playoff spot.
Onto Tuesday’s action, and the five games that were played certainly made up for the lack of fixtures! We’ll begin with Worthing, who conceded a calamitous 83rd minute goal to fall at home against Dartford, their progressive style of play perhaps coming back to bite them. Back in Essex, Braintree Town recovered from their weekend defeat to batter Welling United at home, leaving the visitors stuck in the bottom 4 with no games in hand on those around them.
Eastbourne Borough’s inconsistent start has turned into an inconsistent season, as they lost 3-0 at home to Tonbridge Angels to leave them close to the drop zone as we approach the halfway mark. And in the final fixture of the night, Maidstone condemned Dover Athletic to another defeat, Levi Amantchi finding himself back among the goals.
There were five postponed fixtures which I’m sure will be re-scheduled in good time, with Bath City v Slough Town, Hampton & Richmond Borough v St Albans City, Truro City v Taunton and Weston-super-mare v Chippenham Town all called off. Havant & Waterlooville v Hemel Hempstead Town was also postponed on Wednesday night.
National League South results – in full
Aveley 1-2 Chelmsford City
Bath City P-P Slough Town
Braintree Town 4-1 Welling United
Eastbourne Borough 0-3 Tonbridge Angels
Hampton & Richmond Borough P-P St Albans City
Havant & Waterlooville P-P Hemel Hempstead Town
Maidstone United 1-0 Dover Athletic
Truro City P-P Taunton Town
Weston-super-mare P-P Chippenham Town
Worthing 3-4 Dartford
National League North/South table
WWWWWWWWWWWWWW.
The Northern Plebs are at Anfield for the FCA’s so Ian is joined by Nick May and Former Gloverscast Quiz Champion Rob Manley to chat through the Farnborough match, we look ahead to Torquay and take your questions.
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The Football Association’s naughty portal has updated to confirm the one-match ban for Glovers’ forward Jordan Young.
Young received his fifth yellow card of the season for ‘Reckless Play’ in amongst his considerably less reckless Hat Trick of goals in the 4-2 win over Farnborough.
He will miss the midweek trip to Chippenham on Tuesday 21st November, his former club.
Young will be available for the FA Trophy clash against Torquay though as suspensions take seven days to kick in at this level.
Jordan Young’s hattrick helped Yeovil to another win against a tricky opponent under the lights at Huish Park last night. Here are Ian’s Conclusions from the Bamford Stand…
Jordan Young was on fire. What a difference from Saturday afternoon for Young. Almost everything (less tackling Jordan) he touched turned to gold last night. His first goal and his hattrick were calmness personified inside the box. To say there was a hint of fortune – see also hopelessness – about his second would be an understatement. It’s a great free kick, delivered with wicked bend, but the keeper’s had a nightmare. That’s what Young brings to this team though. His radar was off on Saturday, but under the lights he put on an attacking clinic.
We’ve seen a different side to some players now. With Will Dawes covering the suspended Alex Whittle at left back, we’ve seen that there is cover there. The injury to Jake Wannell has seen Michael Smith fill in at centre back, although we did see he is a mere mortal. We knew we were going to need to use the squad and we saw a bit of that last night with a change in personnel and shape as the game wore on. With the injury to Wannell, I was surprised not to see Josh Staunton come in, but with the hectic schedule it won’t be long before we see him back on the pitch.
With that said, I hope Wannell comes back fast. He’s been a revelation at the back in these last few weeks. His ability to carry the ball out, his calmness in possession and passing has progressed since he first arrived. The partnership between him and Morgan Williams has been a huge part of this record-breaking run. The loan signing of Duncan Idehen will provide extra cover in Wannell’s absence, but it’s hard to imagine someone slotting in like-for-like with the centre backs recent performances.
It got a bit spicy! When the referee blew the whistle for full time, there was quite a bit of tension out there at Huish Park. There was definitely a spirit to the game and Yeovil were victim to a few spicy challenges. I think there was an argument for a red card for Kuhl in the first half for a full-blooded challenge and Frank Nouble took some hefty tackles towards the end of the match. There was a bit of spat between Nouble and Cullen and an exchange between Mark Cooper and the opposition dugout was heated too.
We are dominant, but have to continue respecting the opposition. With a nine point gap and a game in hand at the top, we are undeniably the frontrunners now. If we weren’t before, we are the team everyone will be looking to beat to break this record-breaking run. Belief is so high right now, that with every fixture you can’t help but be confident, but it’s crucial we continue on the path we’ve taken so far. Mark Cooper won’t let confidence turn into arrogance. Every opponent is examined studiously, standards are not going to be allowed to slip and we have to remain classy in victory.
Bath City have voiced their “disappointment” at the decision to push the National League South fixture with Yeovil Town back by 24 hours.
The Romans, who sit third in the table, will now welcome the table-topping Glovers to Twerton Park on Wednesday 6th December.
Yeovil requested the move after television scheduled pushed their FA Cup second round tie at Wrexham to the Sunday before.
In a statement, Bath said: “It is with disappointment that we have to announce another change in the date for our home fixture against Yeovil Town.
“The National League have determined that the match should be postponed and moved to Wednesday 6th December.
“Yeovil requested that we move the match which we, for legitimate logistical reasons declined. However, the National League have determined that the match should be postponed.
“Tickets remain valid for the new date, and refund requests can be made by contacting the club.”
Young Bristol City central defender Duncan Idehen has joined Yeovil Town on loan until the end of January.
The 21-year-old, who has played alongside another Glovers’ loanee Zac Bell in the youth set-up at Ashton Gate, arrives less than 24 hours after central defender Jake Wannell limped off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury in last night’s win over Farnborough.
He began his professional career at Grimsby Town where he appeared for them in League Two in 2020-21 before being released and then joining Bristol City’s youth set-up last February. He made two substitute appearances for the Robins at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, before being handed a two-year professional.
Last season e was loaned out to Carlisle United in League Two, playing five times and scoring his first professional goal.
The club’s announcement refers to seeing Idehen “in action” in this weekend’s FA Trophy tie at Torquay United, suggesting he is likely to be put straight in to action.
