Jordan Stevens returns to the Yeovil Town starting XI for today’s Good Friday fixture with Torquay United at Huish Park (3pm kick-off).
He replaces Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, who is named among the substitutes, from the team which began the 1-0 win at Braintree Town last weekend.
There’s even more news on the bench with striker Rhys Murphy returning for his first appearance in a matchday squad since January.
Yeovil Town return to Huish Park in triumphant spirits, off the back of their 1-0 win at Braintree Town last weekend.
The Glovers put an end to their indifferent run of form with the win, and they take on a troubled Torquay United. The two South West sides have clashed around the Christmas period for the last four years, with varying degrees of success between the two outfits.
The last time these two sides met in the league, it was the mighty Yeovil who were successful, goals from Frank Nouble, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and Jake Hyde handing us a 3-1 win.
Mark Cooper insisted that Torquay will still be a tough challenge for us, speaking midweek he said: “We know if they are fit they (Dean Moxey, Asa Hall, Kevin Dawson, Tom Lapslie) will play and they will be desperate to come here and get something, so we have to fully respect that and make sure we give everything we have got and get the result.“
There are no returns from injury for any of our injured stars, the gaffer also confirmed mid-week that the highly anticipated returns of Michael Smith and Rhys Murphy would have to wait until after Friday’s game at least, saying: “Murphy and Smith are back in training, but it will be too soon for them to come back in.”
Alex Whittle will not be seen again this season, with initial injury concerns having been eased somewhat, as Cooper confirmed the dynamic left back wouldn’t need surgery on his hamstring.
Interim Gulls manager Aaron Downes spoke to the media ahead of tomorrow’s clash, labelling his side as “rare underdogs”, stating: “It’s very rare that Torquay United in the National League South goes to a team, and is sort of looked at as underdogs, as far as the league position is concerned, so for once we’ll relish the opportunity to do that, but we know that if we play well and if we perform the way we can perform, then we definitely know we can get a result there”.
Downes also confirmed that starting striker Aaron Jarvis would miss Friday’s clash, with other injuries in the squad being assessed right up to kickoff, saying: “Marsh (Ross Marshall) and Daws (Kevin Dawson) both touch and go really, not 100% certain on them. Jarvs (Aaron Jarvis) will be out, he’s still not right; he was ill last week but he also got the knock at Tonbridge on his knee, and then he had to come off later in the second half. So Jarvs (Jarvis) will be out, and Daws (Dawson) and Marsh (Marshall) are both tight”.
The Devon side come into Friday off the back of a 1-0 win themselves, an Asa Hall penalty proving the difference between them and Hampton & Richmond. Torquay have also found themselves in spotty form, although still an improvement under interim boss Downes, following his appointment after Gary Johnson’s departure. The Australian has a record of two wins, two draws and two losses since being appointed near the end of February.
It’s the Easter weekend. That means two things, Easter Eggs and a Bank Holiday Football Bonanza. It starts at Huish Park today where Mark Cooper’s table-toppers welcome Torquay United. Ian, Ben and Dave welcome Chris Wade from the excellent TorquayTalk to talk about the ongoing shenanigans at Plainmoor. We’re not strong on maths (as you well know) so we give a very brief and amateur overview of the club accounts. Enjoy!
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.
The seagull botherers down the road have parted company with manager Bobby Wilkinson today.
A short statement on the website of the opponents on Easter Monday read: “W*ymouth Football Club and Bobby Wilkinson regret to announce that they have parted company by mutual consent.
The club would like to thank Bobby for his efforts in achieving “the great escape” last season and in progressing the team forward in National League South this season, and wishes him every success in the future.”
W*ymouth also confirmed the departures of Mike Percival, Lee Barkus, and Chris Humphries from the club and appointed Jason Matthews and Josh McQuoid as Interim Manager and Assistant respectively.
Yeovil travel to the seaside on Monday and it looks like there are still tickets available here.
Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper has said his table-topping squad are looking forward to an Easter of Westcountry action this weekend.
The Glovers take on Torquay United at Huish Park on Good Friday with more than 4,000 tickets already sold, before travelling to local rivals W*ymouth on Easter Monday in front of a huge away following.
They go in to the game seven points clear at the top of National League South following last weekend’s 1-0 win at third-placed Braintree Town knowing that nine more points will seal the title.
Speaking on Tuesday, the boss said: “It only works if you play well and it can work the other way if you do not. We need to be on the front foot and do what we do really well and give our fans something to cheer about. We are looking forward to it, they are two great games for us, we could not have picked them any better.
“There is loads riding on both games, certainly the Torquay one at both ends of the table. The W*ymouth one, they are safe, but they won’t be wanting to lose anything to their local rivals. The players will be up for it and I know the supporters will be up for it.”
On Friday, Torquay arrive in Somerset four places and four points off the relegation zone having been deducted ten points having stated their intent to go in to administration. But Cooper is under no illusion about the calibre of players in the Gulls’ squad.
He said: “If you are a player you just want to play, you want to get paid and play. The interim manager will have them well-organised like they were against Hampton (a game Torquay won 1-0 at home last weekend) when they had to withstand an awful lot of pressure and did it really well. When you look at their starting XI, it is a really experienced, solid one and they have Aaron Jarvis to come back in to it. We are really looking forward to it.
“Looking at their last couple of games, if they have them available, they will play those players. So we have an idea of a group of players that will play. You look at Dean Moxey, a fantastic player who has had a top career, Asa Hall, Kevin Dawson, Tom Lapslie, all these kind of players are really experienced. We know if they are fit they will play and they will be desperate to come here and get something, so we have to fully respect that and make sure we give everything we have got and get the result.“
W*ymouth are sitting comfortably in mid-table, ten points away from the drop zone, but with local rivalry at stake, Cooper is under no illusions that they will not be giving Yeovil any quarter.
He said: “I am sure their manager (Bobby Wilkinson) and players will be wound up to not let us win. That is football and how it should be. We are taking hordes of fans their and I am just looking at seeing that green-and-white and seeing the occasion. Professional head on, we just want to go and get the job done.
“You want to be playing in front of big crowds. I do not have to worry about players being up for it, when it is a little bit quiet it can be a bit laid back, so we know we cannot step off the gas. We know the fans will be driving us on, at W*ymouth there is going to be a massive following which will make it like a home game. We just want to do really well for them.”
Fans got excited by the sight of striker Rhys Murphy and influential full-back Michael Smith in training this week. Murphy has been missing since picking up an innocuous looking injury in the victory at Taunton Town in January whilst Smith has not featured since going off early in the 1-0 home defeat to Welling United earlier this month.
Cooper said: “Murphy and Smith are back in training, but it will be too soon for them to come back in. Alex Whittle is out until pre-season. If you took any teams two frontline full-backs and two strikers who you spent all your money on out of that team, people would get a pass and an excuse for not being as on form as they are expected to be. We don’t get that and we don’t moan about that, we just get on with it. We have had to find a different way to keep us competitive we might not have been as scintillating as we might have been, but we have lost four massive players. We have added a couple of players that have given us a bit of a lift.”
He also confirmed that the omission of winger Jordan Stevens from the squad at Braintree was down to form, not fitness. He said: “No injury concern. He just has not done enough. We look at who has performed well in training and in games and there were players in front of him that had done a bit more than him. Maybe it is a kick up the backside for him, he has got to get going.”
Left-back Alex Whittle has also been ruled out for the rest of the season through injury with Jay Foulston stepping in for the 0-0 draw at Slough Town and the win at Braintree. Cooper admitted he had been impressed with Foulston and Brooklyn Genesini, who has filled in for Smith since joining on loan from Swindon Town.
The manager said: “I have been very impressed with both of them and we have kept two clean sheets with them in the team. It still takes time to bed them in terms of how we play going forwards. Brooklyn is coming in to replace an international, a crowd favourite who is so calm in everything he does, but he has done great. But again we are just looking at getting them prepared for Friday.
“(Alex) has been a real stalwart at the back and a top player, but we are lucky to have Jay Foulston to step in as a calm replacement. Alex is a big miss, but luckily we have found out today that he does not require surgery and they are going to let it heal naturally. That is a real big bonus for us and for him.“
Frank Nouble has set his teammates the target of getting the nine points they need to secure the National League South title as quickly as possibe.
The front man, who scored the only goal of the game against Braintree at the weekend, was on pre-match press duties and said that the win in Essex puts a poor run of form behind the Glovers;
[It was a] good feeling, great win for the boys which in the main thing.
Everything is pretty much to bed now, results wise and performance wise, a couple of days later we analyse the game with the manager and coaching staff and then we move on swiftly to the next one, we enjoy ourselves on the day and we look back on it as an important win, I’m sure a lot of people expected us not to pick up points there,
It was a nice goal, like you say, I haven’t scored for a few games, hopefully that can inspire the next goals coming from all us attacking players.
Attention turns to an Easter Double header and the target is clear, get the points that are needed, and fast.
“Honestly, I just want to win the league as quickly as possible, I’m not going to shy away from that any more, I just want to win the league, I just want to win as many games as possible, six league games. If I score two or three before then, great, if I score five, excellent, but if I score none and we still win the league that’s the main thing.”
Ticket Sales have already topped 4500 for the Good Friday game at Huish Park and it’s a case of more the merrier for the striker.
“It’s good, it’s brilliant, it’s everything you wanted as a kid, you want to play in front of big crowds, I’ve been fortunate to play in front of big crowds in the past, it’s nothing new to me, but it’s also nice to have that at the club you’re currently at.”
As for the Glovers opponents, Torquay, Nouble respects them – as a former Gull himself – but says it’s on Yeovil to do what they do best.
“I know that they are going through a situation right now which is difficult, I’m sure as a club, we wish them all the best and hope they can come out of that,
I’ve spoken to a few of their players, I think they’re happy that we can’t win the league against them, but we expect a tough game, they’re going to be a team which is looking to ruin the party like a lot of clubs have been trying to do recently, we expect a tough game, if we didn’t get a tough game, we’d be disappointed.
These games take care of themselves in terms of atmosphere and what it means. “
“I think the last three games, we went away from the honesty of working hard before respecting our quality, considering the position we are in the league, sometimes you can forget that.
We’ve gone back to that, we look a bit more solid, more than being in rhythm but the rhythm will come back and I think we saw glimpses of that on Saturday and hopefully we can have more on Friday, but working hard for this team is the minimum requirement.”
Nouble’s goal came from a corner, against Braintree and Frank was happy to give assistant Chris Todd plenty of credit.
“Set pieces have been huge, Toddy has been brilliant with us all year, trying to create scenarios for us to get the advantage of the position, we watch clips of other teams of how they set up for set pieces, it’s important for us to know what we’re doing, it worked perfectly, to a tee – but the others didn’t work, so we need to keep working.
The older I’ve got, I’ve got more accustomed to the community, to understand what they feel and what they think, doing my football training on the side with Sonny Blu [Lo Everton] has been brilliant, some of the kids are a bit more cheeky than others, but they’re brilliant, they’re like a little family, and they let us know what the crowd are thinking. “
Finally, when asked what it was like to share a spot in the official Team of the Week with Torquay and W*ymouth players whom he’ll come up against this weekend, he said he was happy to be nominated but…
“it’s nice to be recognised, as for W*ymouth, I don’t know what they’re doing this season – couldn’t care less – we look forward to playing them and hopefully taking points off them”
We’re looking forward to it, Frank!
Yeovil Town’s Frank Nouble has been named in the official Vanarama Team of the Week after his winning goal against Braintree.
The only goal of the game was enough to put the Glovers within nine points of securing the NLS title.
Keep ’em coming, Frank, we’re nearly there!
After four without a win, Mark Cooper’s Glovers got the W at Braintree. Dave was there, Ben streamed it and Ian was listening on the radio. Here are their collective thoughts on a result and performance which puts Yeovil closer to the National League South title…
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On Non-League Day, it was Yeovil who triumphed in their top-of-the-table clash with Braintree Town, as they secured a massive 1-0 win away in Essex, and their spot in the playoffs! Let’s see how the rest of the division got on…
We begin back in Somerset, as Taunton played another home game (unbelievable, I know!) – they started well too, taking a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes, before conceding two late goals thanks to Charlie Ruff, of Chelmsford City. The visitors stole a 3-2 win at the death to keep the gap to the Glovers at 7 points. There was a heavy beating for Havant & Waterlooville on their travels, as they were dismantled on the south coast by a 4-1 scoreline at W*ymouth, while Welling United suffered a similar fate on their travels to Chippenham Town.
Aaron Kuhl finished his final appearance for Farnborough with two goals, as he’s been recalled to Dorking – his side went on to beat Dover 3-1, with Dover having relegation all but confirmed. Elsewhere in Essex, Aveley came from behind to secure a huge win for their playoff charge, beating St Albans City 2-1, while Tonbridge Angels left it late to come back for a win over Truro City by the same score line.
Dartford kept themselves alive in their relegation battle with a 1-1 draw against Hemel Hempstead, while Eastbourne Borough almost ended Slough’s unbeaten streak – ultimately the game finished as a 1-1 draw. Reiss Greenidge secured the three points for Maidstone to continue their playoff ambitions, with a 1-0 win over Weston-super-mare; and in the final game of Saturday, Torquay United took a huge step towards survival with Asa Hall’s penalty giving the Devon side a 1-0 win over Hampton & Richmond.
The final game of the weekend took place on Sunday, as Worthing hosted Bath City on TNT Sports. It was a spectacle for the cameras too, as two Danny Cashman goals levelled proceedings for Worthing, cancelling out goals from Scott Wilson and Jordan Dyer, as the game finished 2-2.
National League South results – in full
Aveley 2-1 St Albans City
Chippenham Town 4-1 Welling United
Dartford 1-1 Hemel Hempstead Town
Dover Athletic 1-3 Farnborough
Maidstone United 1-0 Weston-super-mare
Slough Town 1-1 Eastbourne Borough
Taunton Town 2-3 Chelmsford City
Tonbridge Angels 2-1 Truro City
Torquay United 1-0 Hampton & Richmond Borough
W*ymouth 4-1 Havant & Waterlooville
Worthing 2-2 Bath City
National League South table
The Glovers picked up three big ones away at Braintree on NonLeagueDay 2024, how about the other Glovers out and about.
Jordan Maguire-Drew was an unused sub for Barnet as the Bees gave Dorking a 6-0 walloping.
Will Buse has to wait until Sunday for his action this weekend, Bath play Worthing live on TNT Sports.
Benjani Jnr and Melksham didn’t have a game either, this isn’t going very well is it?
Right, onto those who did have a Saturday game…
Ollie Haste helped Dorchester maintain their fantastic recent form, they picked up a 1-0 win over high flying Salisbury, Haste started and was part of the back line that were heavily praised for their efforts in front of a bumper crowd.
On to Shepton, where it was something of a bad day at the office for the Mallet who last 2-0 to Bridgwater Utd, Charlie Bateson did start the game, but it was one to forget for them.
Aidan Skiverton started for Sherborne in a 1-0 loss to Petersfield Town.
Welton Rovers also lost, league leaders Helston Athletic got the better of a 2-1 score line, Jacob Shore put in a very positive performance at back with Mason Alden used from the bench,
Whilst at Gillingham they’ve had a double header week; in midweek, they were 3-0 down to Wincanton, dragged it back to 3-3 only to suffer last minute heart break and concede a last gasp goal.
In contrast, from a seven-goal fest to a snooze fest against Bishops Sutton. 0-0 the game ended.
Harrison Foster (who scored two of the goals in midweek), Jack Bareham, Josh Haskett, and Harry Lock all got plenty of game time across the two games.