It was a day that was all about new boy Sam Pearson, but don’t let us cloud your judgement. Who was your Man of the Match against Hemel Hempstead Town at Huish Park today?
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Sam Pearson made a dream start to his return as a Yeovil Town player with a hand in two goals as Yeovil Town maintained their 13-point advantage at the top of National League South.
The 22-year-old, who went straight in to the starting line-up having joined on a permanent deal in the week, opened the scoring against Hemel Hempstead Town when the acrobatically turned in a Charlie Cooper ball on 28 minutes.
Then, just seconds before he was replaced by Jake Hyde on 69 minutes, the youngster had a shot which was deflected in by a Hemel defender to make it 2-0.
With a strong wind in their favour attacking the away end at Huish Park, Yeovil Town started brightly. An early move saw a good ball from Sonny Blu Lo-Everton find Michael Smith inside the plenty area, the full-back tried to play it across to new signing Sam Pearson, but could not quite find him.
Smith and Pearson got a lot of joy down the right-hand side but despite a flurry of corners there were no efforts to force Hemel keeper Craig King in to real action. The first save from the visiting stopper came in the 18th minute when Pearson combined with Jordan Young and the new signing’s effort was held.
On 27 minutes, a long ball over the top from Joe Day caught the Hemel defence napping and Frank Nouble found himself clear through but the defenders got back to clear it. From the resulting corner the ball was cleared as far as the original taker Young, he laid it off to Charlie Cooper who played an exquisite ball in to the box where PEARSON acrobatically fired past King. It took 28 minutes for the breakthrough to come, but the pressure had been relentless.
But, despite the home side’s dominance, there was always the risk of the visitors causing a threat at the other end. With five minutes of the half remaining, Chris Smith had an effort well saved by Day and the ball squirmed under the keeper’s glove, but Tre Mitford failed to bundle the ball home allowing Yeovil to clear their lines.
The Glovers immediately broke with Young and Pearson two-on-two with the Hemel defence and it just needed a pass from Young, who ended up getting brought down by Josh Williams. The defender picked up a booking for his troubles.
There were few hairy moments in the Yeovil penalty area in those last five minutes, but for the majority of that half it was all the hosts.
It was Hemel who started the brighter with the wind behind them in this half and presumably a half-time rocket from their management team inside them. On 51 minutes, Day was called in to action to deny Mitford and the visitors enjoyed the majority of possession in the opening ten minutes.
There was a great chance for Yeovil to double their lead soon after following good movement through the middle from Cooper and Matt Worthington. That move found Nouble who fed Young and the forward made ground, but was denied the chance to shoot by fine defending from Kyle Ajayi.
On the hour mark, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton twice found himself in space on the edge of the box and was twice denied by great stops from King, before Michael Smith fired one over the bar three minutes later.
A terrible tackle saw Kombe Kawimbe lunge in with a high challenge on Cooper after 65 minutes. The Hemel man got the ball, but it was a dangerous tackle. You’ve seen red cards given for less – but he only got a yellow.
On 68 minutes, it was 2-0 to Yeovil. A throw from Alex Whittle found Pearson who made his way inside the box and his shot was on target but the last touch came off visiting defender Ajayi. The goal was given to Pearson, but that one is an OWN GOAL.
What a way for Pearson to finish his second debut. Having finished his goal celebrations, he was replaced by Jake Hyde.
With ten minutes remaining, Hyde was in the action threading a ball through to Young, but again the forward showed a bit too much of the ball to Josh Hill who back to deny him.
Hyde then came about as close as you can to adding a third when he made a brilliant header from a Cooper free-kick, but was denied by another superb save from King with five minutes of normal time remaining.
With two minutes remaining, George Williams had an effort well saved by Joe Day and a minute later the stopper was back in action as he made a flying save to deny Josh Williams.
Hemel showed more in the second half, but the Yeovil Town juggernaut rolls on. A comfortable victory and on to Truro (well, Plymouth) on Tuesday night.
Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 20th January – 3pm
Competition: National League South
Pitch: Green
Conditions: Cold, overcast and a bit blowy
Attendance: 3,591 (60 away supporters)
Scorers: Sam Pearson 28 (1-0),Kyle Ajayi o.g. 68 (2-0)
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: None
Hemel Hempstead Town: Tre Mitford 19, Josh Williams 40, Kombe Kawimbe 65
Referee: Craig Scriven
Yeovil Town (4-5-1)
Substitutes: Jake Hyde (for Sam Pearson, 69), Jay Foulston (for Jordan Young, 79), Dylan Morgan (for Charlie Cooper, 87) Josh Owers (not used), Will Dawes (not used).
Hemel Hempstead Town: Craig King, Josh Williams, Kyle Ajayi, Josh Hill, George Williams, Tre Mitford, Joe Re (for Bayley Brown, 71), Chris Smith, Michael Folivi (for Kaylen Hinds, 61), Kombe Kawimbe, Myles Judd (for Vladimir Paternoster, 71).
Substitutes (not used): Tarrelle Whittaker, James Taylor.
New signing Sam Pearson has been handed a start for Yeovil Town as they take on Hemel Hempstead Town in National League South today (3pm kick-off).
The former Glovers’ loanee, who joined on a permanent deal during the week, is in a forward line including Frank Nouble and Jordan Young and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton.
The one change from the win at Taunton Town in the last outing is therefore Pearson replacing Courtney Senior, who has returned to Barnet following the end of his loan.
On the substitutes’ bench, there is no place for top scorer Rhys Murphy, who limped off with a hamstring injury in the last game, with Jake Hyde joined by Dylan Morgan and Will Dawes as the attacking options available to boss Mark Cooper.
Hemel Hempstead come to Huish Park today, as the Glovers will be hoping to avenge their opening day defeat by the Tudors. Dave caught up with Hemel’s Head of Comms Dan Finill about their season since we last met.
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After 10 fixture-less days, Mark Cooper‘s table-topping Glovers return to Huish Park this Saturday to face Hemel Hempstead. The Tudors inflicted defeat on Yeovil Town on the opening day and the boss says his side have not forgotten that afternoon in Hertfordshire.
Cooper told BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah: “I know that they beat us in the game and really enjoyed their victory, which we remember, and they’ve got some good players. They’ve got one of the best players that I’ve I’ve ever coached in, George Williams, terrific talent, beset with injuries at a crucial time. But like I said, every week they [the opposition] have threats.”
Following the 1-0 win at Taunton last Tuesday, Cooper’s players had a break and the manager said after a busy schedule, they’ve returned looking refreshed.
“We gave the players a break to get their legs back. [We] didn’t want them to think anything about football, just wanted them to switch off and go and recharge, which they did. [It was a] really good time for them, I think, to go and have a break and they’ve come back really refreshed, [we’ve had] a really good full week’s training for us in preparation for a home game on Saturday.
“I just think mentally, you know, they had a really tough schedule, busy, busy schedule, the pressure to win every week and the bonus was that we went to Taunton and won, which meant that break was even sweeter for them,” he added.
The manager also said that he wasn’t talking about the 13-point (mind the) gap at the top of the league (no one is Mark, don’t worry!) and encourage everyone to get behind one big, final push.
“If I’m being really honest, we don’t talk about that [THE MASSIVE GAP]. We just talk about the next game now. So far, the season has been magnificent. Everybody in the club, everybody involved, top to bottom, supporters have been magnificent. Now we’ve got 20 games left. We need one final, final, big push from everyone and and the supporters have got a massive part to play to get behind the players.
“I think everybody turns up now to Huish Park expecting us to win but sometimes it’s gonna be difficult and I don’t think they realise how important they are to the players. Let’s get behind the boys from the start and keep behind them for for 95 minutes and you know, let’s not wait, let’s make sure we’re right behind the team.
Cooper also touched on recruitment, squad-building and the signing of Jay Foulston: “We’ve got a really good age to our squad in terms of the average age and the varying ages we’ve got. Certainly what we’re trying to do is build a squad that’s not just really good for now, but it’s really good for the years to come and we’ve got a lot of longevity and in people like Jay.
“That’s the way we’re trying to build the squad, more of a data-based way of recruitment with location in mind. Jay fits perfectly into that. He can play numerous positions, he’s got competition at left back. We’ve got a really, really good left back in Whittle. But Jay can play left midfield, play left centre back, so great signing for us.”
Cooper also spoke about the signing of Sam Pearson, which you can read here.
Jay Foulston said the move to Huish Park was ‘perfect’. The left back joined Yeovil on loan from Taunton Town in December and said it was always his dream to get back into full time football.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah about his transfer and the change, the Welshman said: “It’s a massive change obviously. Like it beats getting up and going to work every day, d’you know what I mean? It beats being at work with my old man and stuff. It’s really good. That was always my dream, to get back in the full time football. So when the opportunity came up, it was it was just perfect for me, really.”
Foulston talked about his time out with injury last year, and talk about the rigours of going through injury in a part time environment.
“I was out for six months in total. Obviously it was tough, because when you’re not in full time football, you don’t have full time, physios, etc. So it’s really down to yourself to get back, to get yourself back fit, to get yourself back out there and everything. So it was tough. It was a long period, obviously. You know, you have good times, bad times, but yeah, it’s just like it’s all worth it now when you come to a club like this and you’re back playing and everything. So it’s all it’s all worth it in the end.”
Ahead of the visit of Hemel Hempstead, Foulston was looking forward to getting back into the action after a period without a match: “Sometimes people might think you might get complacent if you have a weekend off, but the spirit is high here, everyone’s tight. Everyone’s pushing each other.
“Everyone’s just going for it. It’ll be good now to get back out in front of the home fans again this Saturday and it’ll be rocking again as well. But with the way that we’re going and the spirit and everything, it’s really good at the minute,” he added.
Ask about what he wanted to achieve between now and the end of the season, Foulston said: “Obviously, you want to just get on the pitch as many times as you can. You want to contribute to the team. You know? You want to get goals, assists, but you want to keep clean sheets as well. That’s first and foremost as a defender, you wanna keep clean sheets, no goals conceded. But yeah, it’s obviously nice then in possession if you can get forward, pick up a few assists, pick up a few goals, that’s the aim really.”
Courtney Senior has returned to parent club Barnet.
The winger joined the Glovers at the same time that Jordan Maguire-Drew went in the other direction but after a single month, the deal has expired and Senior heads back to the Hive.
With the addition of Sam Pearson, Senior was expected to drop down the pecking order.
Senior made four appearances for the Glovers.
Yeovil Town are back in action on Saturday, as they face Hemel Hempstead at Huish Park, after an impromptu winter break.
With Aveley competing in the FA Trophy last weekend, the Glovers squad had a well earned break, giving them time to recharge the batteries for the run in.
Hemel haven’t had the luxury of 11 days off, with them playing against Tonridge Angels last weekend. The game saw the Tudors run out 2-0 winners, with debutant Michael Folivi scoring.
New signing Sam Pearson is expected to go straight into the match day squad for this game with Mark Cooper saying pre-match that the Glovers have just 16 players at their disposal for the game.
Once you’ve finished with your fingers and toes, you might expect that only Jordan Stevens is a certain absentee for the game – the pacey winger expected back in the fold from the end of the month.
But there might be one or two other knocks and niggles which wont need to be rushed back into action ahead of plan.
Following the Glovers’ last outing against Taunton, both Jay Foulston and Dylan Morgan are back in contention after sitting out as part of the deals that took them from Wordsworth Drive to Huish Park.
Barnet loanee Courtney Senior has returned to the Bees following the conclusion of his one month stay at Huish Park.
As a point of note, Jordan Young is listed as having nine yellow cards, one more and he’ll sit two games out.
The Glovers have an unbeaten record at Huish Park to defend.
Hemel boss Brad Quinton gave his thoughts ahead of the game. He said: “Yeovil are where they are and they deserve to be, with their money and being huge club.
“We’re looking forward to it, the boys want to play and after performances like that (vs Tonbridge) it’s making my job harder, because who wouldn’t want to be playing against Yeovil Town.”
The former Welling man claimed his squad “Will be gagging at the bit” to “put in a performance like the last time”.
New signing Michael Folivi will be a name for Glovers to watch out for, the frontman has scored seven goals in seventeen appearances in the league this season.
Defender Montel McKenzie is suspended for the game which will be a miss for Hemel after his performance against the Glovers earlier in the season.
The previous fixture this season between these two was the first game of the season, which saw Yeovil lose 1-0.
In a game of two-halves, the first 45 minutes saw Yeovil dominate but they were unable to break the dead-lock. Both Rhys Murphy and Jordan Marguire-Drew had goals ruled out for offside.
The second-half was very much dominated by the Tudors, who had a chance to score through Joe Iaciofano but was denied by Will Buse. Monetel McKenzie had two efforts go over the bar, but a goal from hosts’ striker Iaciofano ten minutes from time was the difference. He capitalised on an error by Glovers’ keeper Will Buse who was involved in a calamitous mix-up with wing-back Zac Bell.
A lot has happened since the 5th August however, the Glovers have gone on a record winning streak taking them 13 points clear at the top of the league. Hemel have been relatively stable sitting mid table, but have picked up form in recent weeks winning four form five.
Here’s who else is in action – teams in bold are those that will start Saturday in the Play-Offs who we would quite like to lose… please.
Aveley v Chippenham
Bath v Dartford
Braintree v Taunton
Farnborough v Chelmsford
Hampton & Richmond v Eastbourne Boro
Havant & W v Weston-super-Mare
Slough v Maidstone
Tonbridge v Worthing
Torquay v Dover
Welling v Truro
Weymouth v St. Albans
After a week off, Ian, Dave and Ben are back to chat through the return of Sam Pearson and preview the visit of Hemel Hempstead.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Leave us a review and share the pod with a pal.
We’d love to welcome some local businesses into the Gloverscast family through advertising. If you’re a business that would like to speak to a dedicated audience of more than 1000 monthly listeners, please get in touch. Find out more about advertising with us here.
If you have an idea for the website, want to contribute or just want to send us a message, feel free to email ian@gloverscast.co.uk.
Former loanee winger Sam Pearson has signed for Yeovil Town on a permanent deal following his release by Bristol City.
The ex-Wales Under-21s international was let go from Ashton Gate earlier this month having started last season on loan at Huish Park and finished the campaign at League Two side AFC Wimbledon. His last appearance for the Dons came in a 1-0 defeat at Grimsby Town at the end of last season on May 8th.
He played 11 times, scoring twice, under former Glovers’ boss Chris Hargreaves and speaking ahead of Saturday’s game with Hemel Hempstead Town in National League South, manager Mark Cooper made no secret that he sees the addition as a long-term one.
He told BBC Somerset reporter Jack Killah: “Sam has always been on our radar because of where he’s been playing, he went in to the League with AFC Wimbledon and did really well there and we have been tracking him ever since.
“When we got the opportunity to bring him to the club, I spoke to the owner (Martin Hellier) and asked ‘can we do it?’ and I think he is a really good one for us.
“He is another one that fits with our recruitment plan of players who can help us, not just this season, at any level we get to. He’s a really good player, really sharp, and aligns with our forward players and one we are really excited about.”
Pearson adds to the Glovers’ attacking options with the likes of Jordan Young, Will Dawes, Dylan Morgan and Frank Nouble, not to mention top scorer Rhys Murphy, which Cooper believes will be required as the business end of the season arrives.
He added: “It gives us the chance to keep it fresh. The way we play in those wide areas or with a number nine and a number ten that we try and interchange, we have got a real variety there.
“If you take Jordan Young, Dawes, Dylan Morgan, Frank and Jordan Stevens to come back, it gives us a real freshness. Whilst we are playing Saturday-Tuesday, we can change things.”
The boss added he expects Pearson to go “straight in to the squad” for the weekend, and suggested there would not be an further outgoings in the near future. Strikers Alex Fisher and Malachi Linton are currently out on loan at Oxford City and W*ymouth respectively.
Cooper added: “We have still got a small squad. For Saturday, I think we have 16 players available, so we do not want to lose too many of them. So hopefully Sam will go straight in to the squad on Saturday.“
