Jordan Stevens returns on the Yeovil Town bench for the visit to St Albans City (3pm kick-off).
The Glovers named an unchanged starting XI from the 2-0 home win over Hemel Hempstead last weekend.
There is no place for top scorer Rhys Murphy and striker Jake Hyde.
The National League have announced a number of changes to their National League TV offerings.
In a statement, they said.
“Sadly, the demand for streaming this season for National League North and South matches has not been enough to warrant the continuation of the streaming provision in its current guise.
The changes outlined below will allow the League to provide less games but apply more focus on those selected games and ensure a high-quality stream is provided.
What is changing?
From the beginning of February, the number of National League North and South games will be significantly reduced – however, selected fixtures will continue to be streamed and will be selected on a round-by-round basis. These will be communicated to fans in advance of the fixture and these fixtures will still be available both domestically and internationally.When will games be streamed?
On ‘full’ matchdays – fixtures will be selected from each division. Remaining ‘full’ matchdays are on the following dates:• Tuesday 20 February
• Tuesday 9 March
• Saturday 23 March (International Break)
• Friday 29 March (Good Friday)
• Monday 1 April (Easter Monday)Fixtures not on these dates that have been rearranged will be reviewed to assess their viability for streaming.”
We’ll do our best to keep you informed which games this applies to from a YTFC point of view.
Furthermore, back on December 31st, Gloverscast Ben asked the following questions of both the National League and Stream AMG, no response from either has been offered.
****FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE – All the plaudits, see comments below, handed towards ex-Glovers’ loanee David Noble (2 games, 2015) were obviously read in Wealdstone, as St Albans announced they had lost their manager to the National League side on Friday night, just hours before the Glovers’ visit. His assistant Jon Meakes and coach Harry Wheeler will take charge on Saturday.****
Yeovil Town travel to the ninth-placed St Albans City this weekend to face a side which in a rich vein of form.
The Saints have won five of their last six matches in National League South and sit only behind the Glovers and Chelmsford City in the division’s form table at this stage.
Yeovil team news
Manager Mark Cooper was in the crowd at Clarence Park on Tuesday night and watched three second half goals earn them a 4-1 win over Havant & Waterlooville.
Having gone ahead with a goal from Zane Banton, the Saints were pegged back by a goal from ex-Glover Ryan Seager for the visitors before three goals in the last 23 minutes sealed the win.
Speaking on Thursday about his thoughts on the opponents, Cooper said: “They are on a great run and play really good football.
“I listened to their manager (ex-Glovers’ loanee David Noble) after the game and like he said, teams raise their game to play against the team that is at the top.
“The credit we should give to our players is that every game we play against sides that raise their game by 25% minimum. To deal with that every week and win, credit to them.
“There will be a brilliant atmosphere, we will take another load of fans and we are expecting a tough game.
“Their manager has done a brilliant job there, he was a good footballer himself and they play a style the way he liked to play. They are very expansive, very easy on the eye.”
The boss also revealed that he has a fully-fit squad with the exception of long-term injury victim Jordan Stevens, who he said was “not far away.”
If there’s not mind games being played, that means top scorer Rhys Murphy is back from his hamstring strain and fellow striker Jake Hyde, who limped off with a calf injury in the 2-0 home win over Hemel Hempstead Town last weekend.
Defender Jamie Sendles-White, who is yet to feature after his Achilles operation, is also presumably available.
St Albans City team news
St Albans saw midfielder Dominic Hutchinson, who is on loan from National League Premier side Wealdstone, limp off with a hamstring injury early in the win over Havant.
Boss David Noble said he is not sure whether he would be available at the weekend and the Saints will also be without injured left-backs Sam Brown and Ben Wyatt, who have both missed a number of games recently.
Top scorer Shaun Jeffers, who had an unsuccessful spell at Huish Park on loan at 2015, has 18 goals in all competitions this season having worked his way back in to Noble’s plans having started on the bench in the reverse fixture in August.
Speaking after the Havant game, Noble was quick to give credit to his players for their recent run of form – and he is eyeing up continuing it at the weekend.
He said: “Players deserve a huge amount of credit, coming off a really bad spell we have put a really good run of form together.
“Our mentality doesn’t change, I look to win every game of football and we will be looking to win again on Saturday.
“Yeovil are runaway leaders at the minute and looking very strong. When you play the top teams, you lift your game and we will be going in to Saturday looking to do that.”
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Ian, Dave and Ben chat through Tuesday’s postponement and look ahead to St Alban’s with Lee from A Podful of Saints. Plus, an apology.
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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has said he is always looking to strengthen his squad following the recent arrival of forward Sam Pearson.
The former Bristol City youngster arrived on a permanent deal last week following his release from Ashton Gate and the manager said the club would always look to take such opportunity.
But he added he would not do so at the expense of the club’s financial health.
Speaking ahead of the weekend’s trip to St Albans City, Cooper told BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah: “We are always looking to make this project, this squad, better. We want to try and sign players that can get us back to where we think we should be and every signing we make has that in mind.
“If something comes out of the woodwork that can help that, we will try and do something. But I am not daft enough to think we can have hundreds of players, we have to balance the books. If we have to get one out to get one in, that is what we will do.”
One player who the boss admitted he would like to add permanently to his ranks is on loan goalkeeper Joe Day who has been an ever-present since joining from League Two Newport County at the start of September.
Day is seemingly not in the plans of Newport boss Graham Coughlan who recently handed a new contract to number one Nick Townsend, and signed former Exeter City stopper Jonny Maxted as a back-up.
Asked directly about whether he would want to bring in Day, Cooper replied: “Of course we would. Since he’s come to the club, you see the difference, he calmed everyone down, he’s a really good character and he wants to learn which is a big thing for me at his age. Of course, we would love to be able to keep him long-term.
“That will come down to finances, but hopefully we will be able to do something at the end of the season. When he plays for us he doesn’t have much to do, but what he does he does very well.”
The manager said that the postponement of the Tuesday night’s trip to Truro City, due to a waterlogged pitch at its Bolitho Park home in Devon, had not impacted their plans.
Cooper instead took a trip to watch Saturday’s opponents St Albans City pick up a 4-1 home win against Havant & Waterlooville.
He said: “If you are playing Truro on a Tuesday night in January, you have an inkling it’s going to be called off. So we were not too disheartened. With the winds and on that pitch, it would have been a farce, so we just got in on our normal win.
“We can’t look at what ifs (about our lead at the top of the table or games in hand we have), the next game is all we look at. We have the right thought process and after the game people will tell us how far clear we are or whatever, but we just deal with what we can control.
“That is the game at St Albans, who are in a brilliant run of form, but so were Hemel Hempstead last weekend.”
In the reverse fixture against St Albans back in August, goals from Jake Hyde and Rhys Murphy secured a 2-1 win in an early three points before the Glovers’ free-flowing style began to kick in.
Talking about the start of the season, Cooper said: “Maybe the fact it was quite a new team with a lot of new players getting used to playing with each other, it took a little while to click.
“But we have a distinct style of playing and I think anybody that watches our games can see how we play and our shape as a team is clear to see, we don’t change too much. We work on those patterns of play every day to make sure it is like clockwork.”
However, if you thought the manager was considering experiment with his side, the boss added: “We have got no time to experiment, we want to respect every opponent but win every game. If we take our eye off the ball and think we are better than we are, we will get our backsides slapped. So we have to be right on it every game.”
Yeovil Town defender Alex Whittle has said the competition for his left-back position from recent arrival Jay Foulston is pushing both players’ performance levels up.
The 30-year-old, who signed following his release by York City in the summer, has been a regular fixture in the back line for much of the season, but the arrival of Foulston has given manager Mark Cooper options in that position.
Speaking ahead of the weekend’s trip to St Albans City, Whittle said: “Most clubs I have been at there are usually two clubs for each position and here there is in most positions.
“Jay has come in and played well and we are pushing each other and we probably both polay better with a bit of competition.
“The way I play is maybe different to other clubs I have been at. I did get five goals one season when I was at Chesterfield, but the Gaffer likes Mike pushing on the right side and I come in to a back three at times.
“I like to create opportunities for others. Goal contributions, a pre-assist, they are all fancy words but as long as we are winning it’s fine.”
In 2018, Whittle lost a play-off final to win a spot in National League North with Warrington Town, and twice missed out in the National League play-offs with Chesterfield in 2021 and 2022, so he admits automatic promotion would be nice this season.
He said: “I have always been around the play-offs and beaten in a few finals, so it would be nice to go straight up.
“It is a good set of lads here, we have got a nice lead now but we have to keep pushing. There’s still a long way to go, there’s 19 more games to go so we can’t let standards drop.
“It’s nice to get clean sheets, but for me it is just about winning games. The back five has done well, but everyone is working hard for each other. You want to do well but it’s a team game.”
Having had to sit Tuesday night out due to a waterlogged pitch at Truro City, Yeovil travel to ninth-placed St Albans City looking to make it six successive wins in National League South.
Whittle does not think a week off will do his team-mates any harm, he said: “I just think about the next game. Every game is different, after some games you can feel tired on a Monday and think you have a game on Tuesday, so you notice that tiredness. But on a game day, the adrenaline gets you through.
“We have a big squad with two players for every position, so if the Gaffer needs to chop and change, I am sure he will do that.
On Saturday’s opponents, he added: “This is my first time in Conference South, so I don’t know a lot about them. I know Jack James (at St Albans) who was at Gloucester with me and he’s a good player, so they’ll have threats. They have been on a good run and away from home is always tough, so we have to be solid and hope the front lads can score.
Almost a full programme for the National League South, with one exception being Yeovil’s fixture away to Truro City, who I falsely believed would be able to go ahead! Let’s see how the rest of the league got on in blustery conditions.
We’ll begin with the single Monday night fixture, as Chelmsford City bagged a 1-0 win over Welling United to move themselves further into the playoff picture. Moving onto Tuesday, we take a look at this weekend’s hosts, St Albans City, who put Havant & Waterlooville to the sword, and deepened their relegation concerns with a thumping 4-1 win, as the Saints climbed to 9th in the table. A battle amongst two relegation-threatened sides went down at Wordsworth Drive, where Taunton played host in a 2-0 loss to W*ymouth, as Brandon Goodship grabbed a brace.
There were three 2-1 victories last night, the most dramatic coming at last weekend’s visitors Hemel Hempstead, as an 87th minute winner gave them the win over Farnborough; a 63rd minute penalty completed a comeback for Aveley over Eastbourne Borough, while Tonbridge Angels deepened Dover Athletic’s woes with their away win.
There were also three 1-1 draws to mention, as Chippenham Town came back against 10-man Torquay United, another Ollie Pearce goal rescued a point for Worthing at home to Slough Town, and Muhammadu Faal scored his 2nd goal in 2 games since joining Maidstone as they were held to a tie by Braintree Town. In the final game of the night, a Cody Cooke goal handed Bath City the three points at Weston-super-mare.
National League South results – in full
Chelmsford City 1-0 Welling United
Chippenham Town 1-1 Torquay United
Dover Athletic 1-2 Tonbridge Angels
Eastbourne Borough 1-2 Aveley
Hemel Hempstead Town 2-1 Farnborough
Maidstone United 1-1 Braintree Town
St Albans City 4-1 Havant & Waterlooville
Taunton Town 0-2 W*ymouth
Weston-super-mare 0-1 Bath City
Worthing 1-1 Slough Town
National League tables
With the club already breaking the National League South attendance record twice this season and with only eight home games left, let’s look at what records or targets the club could be looking at.
Yeovil are currently averaging 3,710, the club only need to average 2,301 in their remaining games to break the record. I think this record is being broken with two games to spare (Torquay at home).
If we look North the record attendance in National League North is by York City FC at 7,488 (21 May 2022). It would be nice to beat that as well.
| Season | League | Number of Home League Games | Average | Total Supporters | 2023/24 vs Percentage Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | NLS | 15 | 3710 | 55653 | N/A |
| 2022/23 | NLP | 23 | 2730 | 62790 | 36% |
| 2021/22 | NLP | 22 | 2378 | 52316 | 56% |
| 2020/21 | NLP | COVID | COVID | COVID | N/A |
| 2019/20 | NLP | 18 (Covid) | 2951 | 53118 | 26% |
| 2018/19 | EFL 2 | 23 | 2952 | 67896 | 26% |
| 2017/18 | EFL 2 | 23 | 2941 | 67643 | 26% |
| 2016/17 | EFL 2 | 23 | 3566 | 82018 | 4% |
| 2015/16 | EFL 2 | 23 | 3935 | 90505 | -6% |
| 2014/15 | EFL 1 | 23 | 4346 | 99958 | -15% |
| Slough Town | 3500 |
| Havant & Waterlooville | 3500 |
| Weston-super-Mare | 4500 |
| Welling United | 3500 |
| Chippenham Town | 3750 |
| Torquay United | 7000 |
| Worthing | 4000 |
| Dartford | 5000 |
This would give Yeovil a total of 100,361 fans through the turnstiles this season and an Average League Attendance of 3931.
The club is going great guns. Much of the plaudits need to go to the new owner, bringing back the club to the community and making it feel connected again. The team winning on the pitch has meant more have turned up each week, people like winning teams. Finally the general supporter who have come cheered and helped the team to victory.
Lets get behind the team for the remaining eight games and help get the club over that 100,000 barrier.
Yeovil Town’s visit to Truro City in National League South has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at their Bolitho Park home.
A midday pitch inspection was called early on Tuesday to assess the surface which was feeling the effects of Storm Isha in recent days and currently getting the brunt of Storm Jocelyn today.
The postponement was confirmed by Yeovil shortly before 1pm.
Southern League side Plymouth Parkway, the landlords of the stadium which Truro share, played at home at the weekend, which presumably didn’t help either.
We await the date of the rearranged fixture.
