March 2024

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Yeovil Town could win the league away to W*ymouth on Easter Monday if they take all three points and Chelmsford City lose to Dover.

After an emphatic win on Good Friday against relegation threatened Torquay, the Glovers have the chance to end their stay in regional football after one season. New signing Jahmari Clarke showed glimpses of what he can offer in the run in with two well taken chances, Jordan Young also got back on the score sheet.

The team from South-Dorset will be looking to spoil the party of their rivals with a win. The Terras have bigger issues, after Manager Bobby Wilkinson left the club last week. Interim boss Jason Matthews got a point in his first game in charge with a 1-1 draw against Bath City last time out.

Yeovil Town News

Manager Mark Cooper is only interested in what his team can do on Monday. He said: “We have to focus on what we’re going to do. We have to respect them and their players but it’s important we concentrate on we can do.”

The former Forest Green boss did have some words to say about the departure of Wilkinson. He said: “What I will say is Bobby has done great job there in the last few weeks, getting the safe.”

Mark Cooper speaks to Sheridan Robins after the 3-0 home win over Torquay United.

In terms of injuries for the Glovers there isn’t any new ones to worry about. Rhys Murphy was on the bench Friday so could be in for some minutes against W*ymouth.

W*ymouth Team News

Jason Matthews wasn’t shy in hyping up the game on Monday. He said: “There is no bigger game for W*ymouth than Yeovil. I’m sure my boys will give me their best shot on again on Monday.”

Matthews feels that the short time in-between games will be “best used for recuperation” as his team is a part time outfit.

A familiar name to Yeovil fans is Brandon Goodship who had two underwhelming spells at the club before moving onto the South Dorset side.One player to keep an eye on for the traveling away fans is Ezio Touray, the Italian striker has netted eight times for the Terras this season with two in his last two games.

 

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Yeovil Town Striker Jahmari Clarke has been named in the official Vanarama Team of the Week for Good Friday after his brace of goals against Torquay.

In that same team is Glovers’ loanee WIll Buse who is currently with Bath City.

The Romans drew 1-1 with Yeovil’s Monday opponents, W*ymouth and Buse was in top form.

Good work both!

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Whilst the Glovers were giving Torquay a bit of a battering at Huish Park… some (but not all) of our loanees beat the weather, here’s how they got on.

Firstly, Jordan Maguire-Drew was an unused sub in Barnet’s 2-2 draw with Solihull Moors.

Bath City drew 1-1 with W*ymouth, Will Buse was in goal for the Romans and played well.

Melksham drew 1-1 with Malvern, Benjani Jr was named on the bench, but information on if he came on is hard to come by.

Dorchester play on Saturday, away at Winchester, Gillingham didn’t play at all due to the weather, and it was a similar story for Welton who were also beaten by the weather.

So, onto our headline and Charlie Bateson and Shepton Mallet, who played Street in something of a derby clash,

Despite being named on the bench initially, Bateson came on to score the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win.


Bateson in action for Shepton v Street – Pic Daniel Holt

 

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Yeovil kicked off the Easter weekend with a stonking 3-0 win over Torquay United on Friday! Let’s see how the rest of the division got on, with the fate of another team sealed.

There were goals aplenty today, making our win look average in comparison (it certainly wasn’t average!) – we begin with two relegation threatened sides being hammered at home by playoff challengers. 9-man Eastbourne Borough lost 5-1 to Maidstone, including a Lamar Reynolds hat trick; while Havant & Waterlooville fell to Worthing by the same score line, Ollie Pearce taking his league total to 36 goals with a double.

Three sides hit four goals today, one of them being Aveley, who played out a thriller with Hemel Hempstead, a Charlee Hughes hat trick giving the visitors a 4-3 win. Chelmsford City ensured the title celebrations would have to move until at least Saturday, as they easily dealt with a poor Dartford side, a double from both Charlie Ruff and George Alexander sealing a 4-1 win for the hosts. Elsewhere in Somerset, Weston-super-mare hit four without reply, as they dismantled Taunton at home, the game ending at 4-0.

The final game with “goals, goals, goals” came at… Gloucester, as Truro City recovered from Slough Town’s two late goals in two minutes to score a late winner themselves, the game finishing 3-2 to the “hosts”. Ahead of Monday’s clash, W*ymouth come into the game off the back of a solid 1-1 draw away to Bath City; a playoff battle ended in victory for Braintree Town, as they got back to winning ways against St Albans City, while Welling United finished as 1-0 winners at home to Dover Athletic, confirming the visitor’s relegation from the National League South with 5 games to go.

A 0-0 draw was played out between Hampton & Richmond and Tonbridge Angels, while Farnborough and Chippenham Town never got going, and will have to be rescheduled.

 

National League South results – in full

Bath City 1-1 W*ymouth
Chelmsford City 4-1 Dartford
Eastbourne Borough 1-5 Maidstone United
Farnborough P-P Chippenham Town
Hampton & Richmond Borough 0-0 Tonbridge Angels
Havant & Waterlooville 1-5 Worthing
Hemel Hempstead Town 3-4 Aveley
St Albans City 0-1 Braintree Town
Welling United 1-0 Dover Athletic
Weston-super-mare 4-0 Taunton Town
Truro City 3-2 Slough Town

National League South table

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Six more points, folks. That’s what Yeovil Town need to finish their first season in National League South as champions after a 3-0 win over Torquay United in front of a league record crowd (yes, another one). Dave was in the Thatcher’s to see it and here’s what he made of it.

 

We were in total control: From minute one to minute 90+7, we were thoroughly in control. Our defence looked assured, the midfield never looked flustered or overrun, and going forwards we always looked like we had the better of a Torquay side who, admittedly were not at full strength, but still had players quite capable of causing problems. We dominated them in every department. How nice was it to spend the last 20 minutes just enjoying being in complete control? 

He’s the Somerset Cannavaro……just don’t mention his second half ‘free kick’. Sorry, Jake. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Clean sheet #17: Let’s take a moment to appreciate our defence. With our two first-choice full-backs missing, we did not miss a beat. Everything Joe Day needed to do, he did well, I thought Genesini and Foulston both looked every inch worthy replacements for Smith and Whittle, now that really is saying something. But what a performance from Jake Wannell and Morgan Williams, they will be shaking the Torquay frontline out of their pockets.

It’s Jahmari: I gave Jahmari Clarke some criticism at Braintree where he was pretty ineffective and I don’t mind admitting for the first 20 minutes against Torquay I was thinking the same. He’ll not get a much easier finish than his first goal, but he was in the right place to turn it home and that is a what a good striker does. That second goal showed exactly what he can do though. He did what he had been threatening to do at Braintree and the first half yesterday, spun his man and showed a composure in front of goal to finish. Plus he threw in some poophousery with his celebration  and who doesn’t love that? More to come from this kid. Maybe not with us, but there’s something there.

Huish Park did its bit: Huish Park has come in for not being overly supportive when our play has been about controlling the game, but yesterday it did its bit. I’m not get talking about another record-breaking attendance, I’m talking about the supportive noises which reverberated around the place for the entire game. The Thatcher’s was absolutely bouncing and you could see the players fed off it. When we’re good, boy are we good. 

I believe: It’s taken me until now to shake off ten years of hurt, but I’m a believer. That performance today showed this team has its mojo back and, when I look at our remaining games, they have enough (more than enough) to get the six points we need to seal the title. Now I’m gonna believe you, WE’RE GONNA WIN THE LEAGUE!

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Pictures courtesy of Gary Brown. Please ask for permission before using.

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Two-goal hero Jahmari Clarke could not stop smiling as he spoke about his part in a 3-0 home win over Torquay United at Huish Park today.

The 20-year-old, making his first home appearance in front of a league record crowd, poked the Glovers in to the lead in front of the Thatcher’s Stand after 40 minutes before sealing the win with a coolly-taken second on 63 minutes.

Asked if he could have done better on his first home outing, the on-loan Reading striker said: “A hat-trick maybe! It feels good to get two goals, I think I started off quite slowly but then I got in to the game and took my chances well. It just dropped for me and I reacted first, but that is how it goes inside the penalty area, you just have to be ready for anything.

“Being in the right place comes with playing and obviously I have not been playing much, but obviously now I am starting to play more I can get more match fit, so the more I play, the better I will be.”

It was the third appearance for the powerful frontman, who had a five-game spell on loan at Boreham Wood in the National League Premier earlier this season, having come off the bench in the goalless draw at Slough Town a fortnight ago and then started last weekend’s 1-0 win at Braintree Town.

He said he was happy with the reception he had got in the Huish Park changing rooms: “Everyone has been great, they have welcomed me well and being up here has been good. They are really positive in the changing room. We just need to get over the line! But definitely it is easier to come in to a winning team. I am a bit too young to be in this position before, but everyone is buzzing and happy.“

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Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper believes his side have their confidence back as they cruised to a 3-0 home win over Torquay United today.

A brace from on loan Reading striker Jahmari Clarke and another goal from Jordan Young sealed the three points on the day the Glovers’ broke their own league attendance record with a crowd of 6,462 inside Huish Park.

The win means we need six more points to seal the National League South title with a trip to local rivals W*ymouth next up on Easter Monday.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game, Cooper said: “I watched Leicester today and they were 17 points clear (at the top of the Championship) on Boxing Day and now they are behind (first-placed Leeds United) and look like they have gone. So, every person in the game I speak to tells you it is not easy to get over the line, and we have had said all season ‘just deal what is in front of us’. Today we looked like we have got our confidence back, we had some good intricate passing and I thought we were really good.

“We have taken the best two full-backs (Michael Smith and Alex Whittle) out of the team, we have taken two of the best forwards (Rhys Murphy and Jake Hyde) out of the team and we have had to find a different way. This late on in the season, clubs are not going to give you their best players, so we have had to take a gamble on two young lads in Brooklyn (Genesini) and Jahmari (Clarke). They have fitted in really well and found a different way, but now we look like we have our confidence back and we are marching on.”

Jahmari Clarke celebrates his opening goal after 40 minutes.
Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Clarke, who had an uncertain start to the game which saw him blaze an effort in to the Thatcher’s Stand after 20 minutes, was the headline maker after stabbing home the opener on 40 minutes before wrapping up the win with a composed finish on 63 minutes.

Cooper said: “He is raw, rough around the edges but he has something, I’m not quite sure what it is yet, but he has something that we like. He occupies defenders because of his size and his pace and you can see what he does with that second goal, he turns and got himself a good finish. He started off a bit rusty, but he is a young lad and he can be pleased with his two goals today. I think that first effort put a few windows out! But, he kept going and he was there for the first goal and the second was a great finish.”

Yeovil had to show composure against a Torquay side which fulfilled expectations by coming to Huish Park with a game plan to break up play leading to three bookings (two of the away side) in the first half-an-hour and numerous breaks in play.

The physicality of his side was a major plus for the manager who had praise right across the pitch, saying: “There was some big performances out there, we dominated the middle of the pitch, the two centre backs, the two midfield players and Frank, they physically dominated. That gives you a platform to go and play. Youngy has had some indifferent performances but he knows why and it is just a case of showing him why he is not quite at it if he is not quite at it. If he works really hard, even if it is just for 60 or 70 minutes he ends up playing well. He did that today.

“We can be physical if we need to, all the best teams can mix it and you can see clearly Torquay had come to try and kick us and rattle us. I thought we might throw a rugby ball on after ten minutes, but we stood up to it and played off the back of it.”

Jordan Stevens.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Jordan Stevens was recalled to the starting XI just a week after he was left out of the squad for the 1-0 win at Braintree Town with his manager said he had not seen enough of the midfielder in training to warrant a place. But, the boss was full of praise today, saying: “He is the best presser that I have seen at this level. If a ball goes square to the full back and they have got their head up, he is on top of them and he nicks so many balls off the full-back before they have a chance to play it. We just thought his pace down the side would exploit Torquay and I thought it did.”

The crowd surpasses the 6,301 which turned out for the Boxing Day win over Taunton Town at Huish Park and means Yeovil have now set the record for the league three times in one season.

Cooper’s praise extended to the fans, adding: “I said to the boys before today ‘it is a brilliant crowd in here, let’s keep them with us’, we didn’t want to let the place go quiet, we had to make sure they were with us and the only way you can do that is to show a real intent to dominate the opposition. I thought we did a bit of everything and the fans could see that and appreciated that, and we certainly appreciated them being with us.”

Next up is a trip to managerless W*ymouth, who sacked Bobby Wilkinson in midweek with his managerial highlight still being losing 2-0 at Huish Park in October, on Easter Monday, with more than 2,000 away supporters expected to make the journey across the Dorset border.

Asked whether he would make changes for that game, Cooper said: “We will see. It is like a Saturday-Tuesday, the players get a day off tomorrow and we are back in Sunday. They are all in the ice baths now recovering which they love! We will see how they respond and we will go again Monday.”

 

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Yeovil Town went within six points of the National League Premier with a 3-0 thrashing of Torquay United, two goals from Jahmari Clarke and one from Jordan Young separated the sides in a feisty encounter in the Somerset sun.

First half

Matt Worthington lost the toss to kick start the Bank Holiday weekend, it meant the Glovers were attacking the Thatchers End first up and the first coming together was just seconds in.

Jordan Young was subject to a tough 50/50 in the opening seconds, a Torquay player seemingly falling on to the winger who needed medical attention and a concussion test.

Young was booked… for getting a headache.

Tom Lapslie gave Charlie Cooper a clattering, and Jude-Boyd earned himself a booking for barging through Morgan Williams… the game barely four minutes old and the Gulls had set their stall out early.

Brad Ash and Jake Wannell tried to swap shirts as a long ball cleared them both, eight minutes on the clock and very little actual football had actually broken out. Cool heads from the Glovers needed, Torquay out to ruffle feathers as much as play football.

It took as much as 11 minutes before some football happened, ironically, from a free kick too, Torquay lofted the ball into the box, Jake Wannell dealt with the first ball before Joe Day took care of the rest.

Torquay found themselves into the attack with 15 minutes gone, but their move down the right was thwarted.

The Glovers quickly countered with Charlie Cooper who played the ball right to Brooklyn Genesini, his cross was just out of reach of the on rushing Jordan Stevens, the first glimpse of the attacking YTFC we’d all been hoping for.

Cooper gave away a free kick in the right back area with less than a quarter of the game gone, the ball, whipped in right footed never troubling anyone other than the away fans in the open terrace.

The Glovers were comfortable in possession, Frank Nouble popping up on both sides of the pitch trying to get the game going. 

Jahmari Clarke, who hadn’t really got much of a touch was finally in the game on 20 minutes, he got on the end of a long ball forward from Morgan Williams, but Clarke’s knock down couldn’t quite find Nouble in a good position.

Nouble, a former Torquay man, was proving instrumental. The referee played an excellent advantage when Cooper was clattered in the Glovers’ area with Nouble and Young linking up down the right hand side, the ball squirmed away, but shortly found its way to Clarke.

Clarke wound up a shot from distance… it might still be in orbit… do let us know if you see it.

More scrappy football in the middle, more unpunished Torquay challenges and more lumped balls forward from the visitors, finally lead to Austen Booth being given a booking for a rugby tackle on Clarke. 

Some lovely football between Genesini and Young led to the ball falling to Matt Worthington on the edge of the box, his shot was deflected wide and Young’s corner evaded everyone.

Yeovil were started to up the ante, Frank Nouble twisted and turned into a shooting position but his effort was blocked, Nouble then laid the ball right to Genesini who saw the headlines as his shot rose just too high.

Clarke and Stevens were next to team up down the left hand side, Stevens’ cross couldn’t find a green shirt.

No sooner did that happen did Torquay find themselves with their first sight at goal, but Brad Ash was muscled away from goal by Morgan Williams as Joe Day mopped up the ball.

Brad Ash had another flop about on the floor to win a free kick with just shy of 45 minutes on the clock, the resulting free kick was almost misjudged by Jay Foulston, who ended up flicking the ball out for a corner.

Brett McGavin’s looping header causing no danger for Joe Day.

The final five minutes became quite breathless with both sides making opportunities, Morgan Williams stretching to clear a cross, Jake Wannell breaking out some yoga move to stop an attack whilst Frank Nouble and Jordan Stevens was causing havoc.

Charlie Cooper benefitted from a great run from Stevens, his shot was blocked but fell nicely to Jahmari CLARKE who tapped home into an open net.

1-0 to the Glovers!

Jahmari Clarke opens the scoring – Pic Gary Brown

Yeovil weren’t switched on from the restart though and Tom Lapslie was inches away from equalising, Joe Day managing to get enough on Stobbs’ cross to force a corner. Nothing came from the resulting set piece. 

The scrappiness continued – Brad Ash scuffed a shot goalwards after Charlie Cooper was bundled off the ball. 

Genesini continued to find space down the right hand side, he and Nouble combined to whip a ball in, but Jordan Stevens couldn’t rise highest.

The visitors fizzed a shot wide as the game entered four minutes of added on time in the first half, 

It was feisty, scrappy, at times a little naughty, but the half ended with the Glovers a goal to the good… and Jake Wannell rattling the Torquay players.

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Torquay United 0
Second half

No changes by either side at the break, but the visitors had started with a new formation, a more traditional back four and a two-man front line.

Torquay started the game in the ascendancy, a throw in found it’s way to Ash in the box, but his effort was never going to trouble anyone as the ball trickled out.

Yeovil’s first attack was once again the product of a smooth passage of play down the right hand side, Genesini and Young combined to earn a number of attacking throw ins, one of which found it’s way to Frank Nouble who’s smashed cross went right across goal.

The Glovers were back in possession soon enough, the Jordans were teaming up on the edge of the box, and it was Stevens who had the chance to fire a cross in, but Clarke couldn’t quite get to the ball ahead of the visitors goalkeeper.

Torquay, to their credit, were playing some football this half and Boyd’s cross caused a moment of danger, but with the Glovers back on the front foot with Young, Cooper and Genesini all trying to get into the game from an attacking point of view.

Frank Nouble was on a mission, he locked onto a long ball, skipped past another reckless challenge and gets his head up, to see Jordan YOUNG flying towards the edge of the area, his left footed strike cannoning off the bar and into the back of the net to double Yeovil’s advantage.

Huish Park was now rocking, another National League South attendance record announced and every one of them were enjoying their day out in the glorious sunshine.

Jahmari CLARKE was back in the action, a quite sensational turn saw the Reading loanee close down on goal and slot the ball under the on rushing keeper to give the Glovers a third – a really lovely goal – and one that might have prevented him from being taken off, Olly Thomas was ready to come on and had to sit back down!

He got a couple of more minutes before making way for the Bristol City man.

He was soon into the action, causing trouble in the box as Cooper whipped a free kick in, the ball bobbled to Jake Wannell’s left foot, his traction engine of a shot was blocked for a corner.

The corner was defended well, but the Green shirts were all over the ball, possession back with the home side within seconds. 

Thomas and Young were interchanging some very nice passes and Thomas was hauled down by a defender 20 yards from goal… Jordan Young territory.

Apart from the fact that Jake Wannell stood over the ball, not the most likely taker. 
There was a mix up, and another free kick, which was once again set up for Wannell – it didn’t work, move on, let’s not worry about that.

Jordan Stevens was next to try his luck, benefitting from more good work by Olly Thomas, he struck a ball towards towards the top corner, rising just too far.

With 15 minutes gone, Jenkins-Davies was booked for another foul on Charlie Cooper, the possession was once again with the Glovers, the Jordans were causing all kinds of bother with Wannell, Morgan and Day mopping up everything at the other end.

With the clock ticking down, the game had a bit of a lull.

Jordan Young got another clattering, he was replaced by Dylan Morgan with 12 minutes left. 

Olly Thomas was determined to get in on the goal scoring, chasing down lost causes and having a shot blocked with ten minutes to go.

Jake Wannell got booked for slowing the game down – I’m pretty sure a few worse things went unpunished.

Thomas was again causing all kinds of chaos, he nipped into the area down the left hand side, his shot was blocked for a corner, when the slightly better option might have been to find Jordan Stevens in the six yard box.

The resulting corner saw Dylan Morgan have a shot blocked, everyone was in on the act.

At the other end, Archer made progress down the left and fired a shot at goal, Joe Day was well placed, but it was nodded behind by Worthington nonetheless.

Jay Foulston was being treated for a knock, with only six minutes left.

Torquay continued to have  possession in key areas, but set pieces and final balls weren’t causing the Glovers any trouble.

Yeovil were happy to see the game out by this point, winning possession at regular intervals and marshalling the game, 

In a final change, Sonny Blu Lo Everton came on to give Charlie Cooper the chance to put his feet up.

The referee decided SEVEN additional minutes were required, Jake Wannell and Lo Everton were still happy to show their quick feet in the middle of the park, the Glovers were enjoying themselves.

It was some lovely simple passing from the Glovers to finish the game off, the ball moving far more than any Torquay player, both sets of players happy to wait for the ref to blow his whistle, 

Full time: Yeovil Town 3 Torquay United 0

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Friday 29th March, 3:00pm

Competition: National League South

Pitch: Amazing considering the weather
Conditions: Beautiful Sunny Day with showers.

Attendance: 6,462

Scorers: Clarke 39 (1-0), Young 57 (2-0), Clarke 62 (3-0),

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Jordan Young 1,

Torquay Uniteds: Jude-Williams 4, A Booth 26, A Hall 68, J Davies 74.

Referee: Matthew Norton

Yeovil Town

Substitutes: Dylan Morgan (for Young 78), Sonny Blu Lo Everton (for Cooper 89), Sam Pearson, Rhys Murphy, Olly Thomas (for Clarke 65)

Torquay United: M.Halstead, A Jude-Boyd (for Tomlinson 76), T Lapslie (for Ofori-Acheampong), A Booth, A Hall (C), B Ash, B McGavin, W Jenkins-Davies, D Moxey, J Stobbs (for Collins 79), E Archer.
Substitutes (not used): , R Lovett,