January 2024

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Another home win for Mark Cooper’s side saw Yeovil Town go thirteen points clear of second placed Worthing. Ian was in the press box at Huish Park to see the 3-1 win over Slough and here are his conclusions…..

I thought it was an entertaining first half. Yeovil dominated the ball and controlled things, but the way Slough pressed in the first half and tried to prevent Yeovil from playing out from the back impressed me. Clearly it was impossible to maintain, but the visitors gave a good account of themselves and made things hard for Yeovil to get the rhythm going. That said, the Glovers had chances that they should have done better with, Pearson in particular had two big chances that you’d want him to make more of.

Matt Picture Courtesy of Gary Brown

Matt Worthington stepped up again. When the team news came out with know obvious right back on the graphic, there was a question around formation. Thankfully (you know my feelings on wingbacks by now reader) we retained the shape that has made us so successful this season with Worthington filling in for the injured Michael Smith. It was clear from the outset that we were looking to get Worthy in the same positions that Smith occupies so successfully. While he didn’t get a massive amount of joy in the first half, at the beginning of the second half Charlie Cooper’s perfect pass picked out the skipper who finished superbly. We all want Michael Smith back soon, but it looks like we’ve got someone else who can do the job too.

Charlie Cooper was a force in the middle of the pitch. He gets his criticism, unfairly at times, but I thought Cooper was crucial centrally with Worthington out wide. His assist was as good as they come, and he did the dirty work that he does so well. I thought he and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton worked well together, proving there’s another partnership that works nicely in the middle. Unfortunately, he hobbled off before the final whistle after putting in a tackle (that I winced at to be honest) and getting booked. Fingers crossed on that one…

Frank Nouble’s experience is so important in the run in. Is it too soon to call it a run in? Either way, with the experience of Rhys Murphy, Michael Smith and Jake Hyde all missing right now, and with uncertainty around the timeline of their returns, Frank Nouble is the experience at the front end of the pitch now. Mark Cooper described him as the “Guv’nor” (see also Governor) following the win last night, and you can feel his influence on the young players around him. He took ownership of the penalty, as you’d expect, and dispatched it calmly. What a spell he’s enjoying right now. Also, he’s top of the league.

Picture Courtesy of Gary Brown

Alex Whittle is Mr Dependable. It might sound like a bit of a lame superhero, but every team needs an Alex Whittle in my book. He didn’t do anything spectacular last night, in fact, I’m not sure he’s done anything spectacular all season. However, you can absolutely bank on him to put a brilliant shift in, work his socks off (© C.Hargreaves) and get the job done. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves, in fairness there’s a lot to go round, but if you roll back to the summer and look at our signings he’s one of the best we’ve made. Quality left back, no fuss, no nonsense. Mint.

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What happens when you captain your side to yet another home win, whilst playing out of position and score a vital goal?

You guessed it, team of the week recognition comes calling.

Cracking work, Skipper!

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper hailed the role of Frank Nouble to Yeovil Town’s play after the striker moved in to double figures with a goal in tonight’s 3-1 home win over Slough Town.

The 32-year-old slotted home from the penalty spot with eight minutes remaining to ensure three points which restored the Glovers 13-point advantage at the top of National League South.

Speaking to our man Ian Perkins after the game, Cooper said: “We have got some real one-v-one exciting players and Frank is pivotal to that because he holds his position in the middle of the pitch with gives them licence to do what they do.

“The reason we have those players is because of their movement. The way we try and play like we do is to try and get in certain areas to hit those balls in behind for those quick, young players to run on to.

“Frank attracts a lot of attention from defenders, pulls them out and leaves those spaces. He’s pivotal to what we do. He’s the guv’nor in the changing rooms and experience is vital for us.”

Frank Nouble. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown

The late penalty, following a foul on Jordan Young inside the box, saw off any chance to a comeback from the visitors who got themselves back in to the game after two early first half goals from captain Matt Worthington and Young put the hosts in control.

Worthington started the game at right-back in place of the injured Michael Smith, but his manager said he never had any doubts about his skipper.

He told BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins: “I knew Worthy would be fine out there. He got a good goal and his athleticism made it pretty straight forward for him.

“His goal came from complete calm. There was a lot of screaming for us to get the ball forward, but it’s not for us. We have to control the opposition and put them where we want them, then play the ball forward and kill them with a great finish.”

The boss revealed that they had tried a new warm-up technique at the start of the second half to try and overcome some recent slow starts, which he pointed to following Saturday’s 1-1 draw at St Albans City.

Cooper added: “Our stats shows we don’t start particularly well (in the second half). We have tried lots of things and tonight we tried something different, came out a bit earlier, did some work with quick feet, balls, cones, I thought there was a helicopter landing on the pitch because there was that many cones for them to do an extra warm-up. So, we’ll keep doing that.”

Matt Worthington celebrates his opening goal.

Calmness and control was at the heart of the manager’s post-match comments. He added: “Their manager’s comments before the match was this was the ‘biggest free hit the world’, they are usually direct and aggressive and tonight they played football without any pressure. That becomes dangerous and difficult, but I thought we controlled that.

“When we did go long, that is what gave them a lift in the game. When we played short, backwards, sideways and forwards, that is where the goal came from. We killed them and controlled large parts of the game.

“Some of our play was brilliant, the players deserve immense credit because the pressure tonight all about ‘it’s our game in hand, we need to win, we have to be 13 points clear’, that subconsciously is always on the players’ minds. So for us to give such a calm, controlled performance under that pressure, all credit to the players.”

Asked about shouts to get the ball forwards from the Huish Park stands, Cooper said: “The players know the game plan and we are not going to change, we play our game not what other people want us to do. The reason we are clear at the top of the league is because we play our game. We won’t change that.“

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Yeovil Town Skipper Matt Worthington has said he’s going to feel it in his legs for a few days after filling in at Right Back in the Glovers 3-1 win over Slough.

Speaking to the Perkins Twins after the game, Worthy said how he was pleased to get his goal early in the second half in a game that took some winning.

“It was a tough game, they set up to stop us playing and almost went man-for-man in the first half, but we had quite a few chances (that) again we didn’t take, so we came in at half time a little frustrated that we didn’t take the chances. 
We stuck to the game plan and knew that with the quality we’ve got in the team that we’d score eventually.”

Matt Worthington celebrates his opening goal.

Worthy’s goal opened the scoring for the Glovers, latching onto a sumptuous pass from Charlie Cooper, a chance the Skipper was happy to take.

“I made a couple of runs in the first half and couldn’t quite get it, but I knew as soon as he (Charlie Cooper) got it, he was going to look for the back post and I made a run and luckily I got a touch on it.”

The game was poised at 0-0 at the break, and a strong start to the second half gave the Glovers a foot in the game, it was a case of trusting the process as the game wore on.

“The Gaffer just said (at half time) that we needed to be more clinical and ruthless, which the last game as well, we didn’t take our chances, but he said stick to the game plan and like I said, we’ve got players who can finish and we got the result in the end.”

Worthy, sitting in for Michael Smith on the right side of the back four said he was going to be feeling the burn for a couple of days after smashing turf down the right flank for 90 minutes.

“It was tough, physically it was very tough, mentally as well you have to be more switched on with defensive duties, it was tough and I think my legs will be feeling it for the next few days, but it was a good experience and I got a goal!”

“Smudge (Michael Smith) is a very good player at right back, I hope he’ll be back very soon, that’ll be good.”

“It was difficult, because there was times I was pushing forward and thinking ‘oh god, don’t lose it, I’ve got to get back in’, we always stick to the way we play, the gaffer as got full faith in us and said he’d take responsibility if we end up losing the ball and I think that’s what we’ve done well all season, playing it out from the back, up the pitch and then fed the players that are going to score us goals, we stick to the game plan”

The win took Yeovil 13 points clear at the top of the NLS, with fellow promotion hopefuls Maidstone on Saturday to come, another tough away day says Worthy,

“It’ll be a difficult game, they’re up there as well, we just have to keep pushing on, concentrate on ourselves, keep picking up points, we’ll look to go there and get all three points.”

You can listen to the entire interview with Josh and Ian Perkins (no relation) below

 

 

 

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Yeovil Town restored their 13-point lead at the top of National League South as they retained their unbeaten home start with victory over Slough Town.

An entertaining first 45 minutes saw both sides go to toe-to-toe with the visitors rattling the crossbar, but two quick goals from Matt Worthington and Jordan Young put the Glovers in the driving seat.

The visitors did not give up and pulled one back with a fine finish from defender Dan Bayliss with 20 minutes remaining before Frank Nouble fired home from the penalty spot to wrap up the points.

Here’s how it went down under the lights at Huish Park.

 

First half

The big question in the team news was who would fill in for the injured Michael Smith, who picked up a hamstring strain late in the 1-1 draw at St Albans City the previous weekend. The answer was captain Matt Worthington.

Cooper said in his pre-match interview that it was a choice between Worthington or Charlie Cooper, despite Will Dawes who has also played in that position on the bench along with Jay Foulston, who came on for Smith on Saturday. 

The other team news saw midfielder Dylan Morgan handed his first start since his arrival from Taunton Town last month.

Morgan had a great opportunity after five minutes when he robbed Slough player-manager Scott Davies, skipped past two other visiting players, but he could not get enough power in it to really trouble Dan Lincoln in the Rebels’ goal.

Two minutes later, fluid move was started by Jake Wannell who found Jordan Young with a superb pass, he moved down the right, fed Worthington who found Frank Nouble, but the big striker could not quite get enough behind it. A beautiful move, almost perfect.

But, there were a few occasions when Slough showed they were not afraid to go forward and on 13 minutes they came closest to scoring. Matt Lench’s free-kick was met by a brilliant header from Temi Eweka whose effort came back off Joe Day’s crossbar. A close shave.

Temi Eweka got in a header which rattled the Yeovil Town crossbar

As gilt-edged chances go, they don’t get much better than Sam Pearson’s after 19 minutes. He seized on a loose pass, was clear through on goal, but showed a bit too much to Lincoln, who grabbed the ball at the forward’s feet.

Lincoln got the better of Pearson again four minutes later as the former Bristol City youngster got in the right place and this time tried to prod his effort past the keeper. But again the gloveman came out on top.

Slough were not giving up though and once again broke forward in numbers and found Josh Jackman on the edge of the box. His effort dipped just past the post with Day scrambling to get across. It is clear to see why Slough have picked up some good results in recent weeks, beating Maidstone United and picking up a point against Worthing already this month.

It was Yeovil’s chance to have a shot on goal next. Young broke forward down the right side, got to the edge of the box but lashed his effort in to the side netting.

To Slough’s credit, they managed to nullify the Yeovil attack frustrating any attempts to play forward. They were staying in their shape and doing what they need to do.

There were a few half-chances with the ball pinging around inside the Slough box before the half-time interval, but there was nothing to force Lincoln in to further action.

A job well done from the visitors who were not giving their hosts the licence to play the ball forward.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Slough Town 0

Second half

The first action of the second half saw Eweka and Nouble clash heads just in front of the dug-outs. Fortunately the defender was okay, but was off the pitch to see Yeovil take the lead just two minutes in to half.

A great ball in to the box from Charlie Cooper found Matt WORTHINGTON arriving in the Michael Smith position on the right side of the area to expertly turn the ball home.

Matt Worthington celebrates his opening goal.

And on 54 minutes it was 2-0. Jordan YOUNG picked the ball on the right, jinked in to the area and surprised everyone – including Lincoln – by tucking a tidy finish in to the bottom corner.

But the visitors almost pulled one back when substitute Munashe Sundrie pulled a ball across to the near post and Nathan Minash was not quite in the right position to take advantage of Day who was struggling to get across

A minute later, Slough player-manager – and former Yeovil loanee – Davies went in to the book for a foul on Cooper. Then less than 60 seconds later Pearson went down off the ball after a tussle with Emeke, but the young Welshman reacted pushing the defender. Referee Neil Pratt (by name….) saw the later offence and booked Pearson. 

On 66 minutes, Dylan Morgan’s first start came to an end and he was replaced by striker Olly Thomas, signed on loan from Bristol City the day before. Pearson moved in to the wide left position vacated by Morgan with Thomas going up front alongside Nouble.

Olly Thomas replaces Dylan Morgan.

Despite their 2-0 deficit, Sough were still not giving up and pulled one back with 20 minutes remaining. Goddard played a great ball out to centre-half Dan BAYLISS who showed a finish belying his position to rocket an effort past Day. A great finish, but questions about the defending from Yeovil.

There was a hairy moment seconds later when a ball in to the box from the left and Minhas could not quite find his feet and Day gratefully dropped on the ball. 

With the visitors looking an increasing threat, Jay Foulston replaced Pearson with 15 minutes to go as Mark Cooper looked to solidify his side. The reorganisation saw Foulston go to the left of a back three with Whittle and Worthington pushed forward in to wing-back positions.

Then with ten minutes to go, a ball through from Thomas young Young who got the wrong side of his defender who was felled inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Frank NOUBLE grabbed the ball and sent Lincoln the wrong way to make it 3-1.

A quick break away saw Young, Thomas and Nouble away and Young slid the ball to his left to the on-rushing Thomas who hammered in a shot at an angle which Lincoln pushed away.

Either side of that opportunity there was a huge goalmouth scramble where Nouble before Lench free-kick was headed just wide.

We definitely did not have it all our own way in the first half, but those two early goals from Worthington and Young were telling. Another three points and another step forward.

Full time: Yeovil Town 3 Slough Town 1

 

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Tuesday 30th January – 7.45pm

Competition: National League South

Pitch: Holding up well having enjoyed its rest in recent weeks
Conditions: A cold night

Attendance: 2902 (70 away fans)

Scorers: Matt Worthington 47 (1-0), Jordan Young 54 (2-0), Dan Bayliss 70 (1-2), Frank Nouble pen 82 (3-1)

Bookings: 
Yeovil Town: Sam Pearson 60, Charlie Cooper 86
Slough Town: Scott Davies 59, Matt Lench 75

Referee: Neil Pratt

Yeovil Town (4-5-1)

Substitutes: Olly Thomas (for Dylan Morgan, 66), Jay Foulston (for Sam Pearson, 75), Josh Owers (for Charlie Cooper, 90+2), Jamie Sendles-White (not used), Will Dawes (not used).

Slough Town: Dan Lincoln, Josh Jackman, Dan Bayliss, Jeanmal Prosper, Matt Lench, Nathan Minhas, Johnny Goddard, Scott Davies, Temi Eweka, Tyrese Dyce (for Munashe Sundrie, 33), David Ogbonna (for Eze Ebuzoeme, 86). Substitutes (not used): Dandy, Idiakhoa, Hamiga.

 

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Loan striker Olly Thomas is ready for half-an-hour’s action as Yeovil Town take on Slough Town tonight, according to manager Mark Cooper.

The Bristol City youngster, who returned to Huish Park until the end of the season on Monday, is named among the substitutes for the National League South encounter.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins ahead of the game, Cooper said: “He is really quick, a big lad and aggressive. He’s been out for a while through injury, been back fit for ten days, played two Under-23s games, so I think he is ready for half-an-hour or 20 minutes to get him back in to it. We are hoping he can have the same impact as he did at the start of the season.”

The boss also confirmed our team news guess that captain Matt Worthington will play at full-back tonight in place of the injured Michael Smith, who picked up a hamstring injury late in the 1-1 draw at St Albans City on Saturday.

He said: “We will play the same shape we always played 4-3-2-1, Matt Worthington will play right back, he’s played there before, it was a toss up between him or Charlie Cooper. But, Worthy is going to play there and get up and down the line.”

Asked about the severity of Smith’s injury, Cooper added: “I don’t think it is a long one, we are hopeful it will be a short-term injury.”

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With Michael Smith unavailable having picked up a hamstring injury in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at St Albans City, the big question in tonight’s team news is – who is playing at right back for Yeovil Town at home to Slough Town tonight?

Dylan Morgan is handed his first start since joining from Taunton Town at the end of last year and is expected to play down the left side with Jordan Young down the right.

The only thing which seems to make any kind of sense is captain Matt Worthington dropping back in to the defence, so we’ll go with that until we get any more solid intelligence – or the game starts and manager Mark Cooper’s plans become apparent.

 

 

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Yeovil Town posted a video on social media unveiling the new brand identity this afternoon including a new logo.

In a post on YTFC.net, the club said: “In designing our new badge, we sought to capture the essence of both our footballing tradition and our town’s proud history. The gloves and the ball serve as a powerful symbol of our identity, uniting past and present in a dynamic emblem that resonates with supporters young and old.“

Watch the video below and leave a vote on the poll.

How the new crest might look on a kit.
Courtesy of Palace Glover.

What do you think of the new club identity?

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Well, attempt number two at matchday 28 was successful, although the result may not have been exactly what Glovers fans were wishing as, as Yeovil recorded a 1-1 draw away to St Albans City. Let’s see how the rest of the league got on.

Before we start in the league though, I’ve got two words… Maidstone United. In one of the biggest shocks in recent FA Cup history, the Stones defeated promotion-hunting Ipswich Town in a historic 2-1 win. A big congratulations to Maidstone, and I’m sure we all look forward to visiting on Saturday!

Onto the league now, and in what feels like a constant theme on these roundups, we begin once again with Worthing. They’re the league’s top scorers by some distance, and they proved it again with another thumping win over Torquay United, Ollie Pearce grabbing his customary goal to doom the 10-man visitors to their 11th league defeat of the season. Moving to the West Country now, and Weston-super-mare played out an entertaining 3-1 win over Tonbridge Angels, while Taunton Town and Aveley couldn’t be separated, a frantic 10 minute period bringing all 4 goals in their 2-2 draw.

There were three 2-1 wins to mention; Eastbourne Borough earned a massive 3 points in their relegation battle by beating Farnborough, Braintree Town earned their 3 points away to Truro City, while it was the end of the line for Welling United manager Danny Bloor, despite their win away to Hemel Hempstead.

The last four fixtures were all 1-0 victories, with Chelmsford City continuing their impressive run of form in a massive win away to Hampton & Richmond, while another huge win came further down the table, as Dover Athletic defeated Tuesday’s visitors Slough Town despite being down to 10 men for the final few minutes of the game. Chippenham Town dealt with now-bottom of the table Havant & Waterlooville, and in the final game of the afternoon, Dartford lost 1-0 at home to W*ymouth.

 

National League South results – in full

Chippenham Town 1-0 Havant & Waterlooville
Dartford 0-1 W*ymouth
Dover Athletic 1-0 Slough Town
Eastbourne Borough 2-1 Farnborough
Hampton & Richmond Borough 0-1 Chelmsford City
Hemel Hempstead Town 1-2 Welling United
Taunton Town 2-2 Aveley
Truro City 1-2 Braintree Town
Weston-super-mare 3-1 Tonbridge Angels
Worthing 4-2 Torquay United

FA Cup 4th Round results (NLS teams in bold)

Ipswich Town 1-2 Maidstone United

National League South table