Loan Watch: Greenslade injured in warm up
2024-12-22
Whilst the Glovers’ Men’s first team were battling miles and miles of motorway here’s how the plethora of loanees were getting on.
Firstly, as the headline suggests, Harvey Greenslade was originally listed in the Weston-super-Mare line up at 2pm, but before 3pm rolled around he’d been replaced by former Glover Reuben Reid.
After the match, Scott Bartlett said it was a ‘precautionary’ move after rolling his ankle, but with options dwindling in the Yeovil attacking line, someone like Harvey Greenslade up our sleeve might come in handy, let’s hope it’s nothing serious.
There has been a change to the original line up:
9⃣Reuben Reid replaces 2⃣0⃣ Harvey Greenslade.
1⃣9⃣ Brandon Bak makes the bench https://t.co/PiYq8wP118— Weston-super-Mare AFC (@WSM_AFCOfficial) December 21, 2024
Over at Yeo-quay United, the current Glover, Jordan Thomas, wasn’t named in the match day squad along with the plethora of former Glovers as the Gulls won 1-0 against Hemel Hempstead Town.
At the wrong end of the table, W*ymouth drew 0-0 with Chelmsford, a clean sheet for Will Buse.
Solid 🧱 pic.twitter.com/W0UeroTD1S
— Weymouth FC (@theterras) December 21, 2024
Into the local leagues and Josh Haskett came off the bench for Sherborne in their 3-1 win over Portland Utd.
Sol Padmore, who impressed for the Under 18s in midweek, was back in the starting line up for Bridport FC in their 1-1 draw with Honiton.
Jacob Shore, who captained the youngsters in the Somerset Men’s Premier Cup was an unused substitute for Tavistock AFC as they fell to defeat to Westbury.
Cover image of Harvey Greenslade C/O Mark Stainer Photography
Five Conclusions: Hartlepool United 2 Yeovil Town 1
2024-12-22
It was cold, windy and hardly one for the football purists, but with three play-off pushing points on the line, it was Hartlepool United that got the better of the first ‘local’ festive fixture.
Ben was there for BBC Somerset, here’s how he saw it.
The conditions played their part
It was ‘blowing a hoolie’ for the full 90 minutes and the temperature really plummeted in the second half, the on-off rain showers and all round tough conditions made it less of a game of football and more of a battle to see who could make fewer errors.
I believe it was the right call to go with a more experienced line-up and for the most part the Glovers’ senior men did their best to mitigate the weather and situation, but there were so many misplaced, misjudged, mistimed moments in the game from both sides that it was a really difficult game to judge.
Another referee fiasco
I’m bored of talking about them, you’re bored of hearing about them, it’s boring that once again they’re the centre of attention.
For me, it’s never a penalty, never in a million years is it a penalty.
Hartlepool defender Tom Parkes feels a finger tip on his back and hits the deck because the ball is going to fly way above his head and the official falls for it.
But all game, Aaron Jackson was desperate to make it an even greater stop-start fest.
Not everything is a foul, not everything needs an interference.
At one point he stopped Pools from taking a free-kick from the wrong place, only to have them move it… maybe a foot?
We created Rule 1 of the Gloverscast (All refs are rubbish at this level, get on with it, don’t moan about it and don’t let them be a defining factor) and I want to stick to it. But please, just one good one. Just one.
The perfect tens
The difference between the sides were the players playing in the bank behind the front man.
Emmanuel Dieseruvwe had so much support from Adam Campbell, Joe Grey, Anthony Mancini and Luke Charman interchanging at will and linking together so well.
Aaron Jarvis did not have that same support.
So many times he fought for the ball in the air and either won the header or caused enough hassle for the ball to break free. It all too rarely found a supporting Glover within touching distance of the former Torquay man.
That was the difference for me.
Frank Nouble is playing like a man low on confidence in desperate need of a goal.
Josh Sims came on and stuck to his flank just fine but never really bridged that gap, and Brett McGavin and Matt Worthington couldn’t fill the gap because they got dragged into a midfield battle with the ball just coming back at us time after time.
I am desperate for Jarvis to find a partner up there and it wasn’t until Kofi Shaw came on that he managed to find that space, fill it and do something with it.
Our record against the top half sides stinks
…and actually, as a newly-promoted side, that’s probably OK. But as a side with genuine ambitions to make that top seven now or in the future, it’s the only way to secure progression.
The side that came up last year is slowly being evolved, and I’ll be honest, I don’t mind what I’m seeing in terms of player departures, so long as there’s incomings. So long as it is with the aim of turning a squad of players who are good enough to not get relegated from the National League into a squad of players who are good enough to not get relegated from League Two.
85 heroes in the away end.
We can’t avoid this hardy bunch can we? Yeovil fans are a really special group of people.
I don’t always agree with their opinions, I don’t enjoy some stuff on social media, but I am continually impressed by the desire to follow their team, no matter what.
85 of you bonkers lot put Christmases on hold to travel 700 miles and support their team.
You’re a real credit to your team, to your club and whilst the result might not have gone our way, I think 85 of you have a rightful claim to ‘Player of the Match’.
Wright: It was not a penalty
2024-12-21
Goalkeeper Ollie Wright said he did not think the penalty which put Yeovil Town behind in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Hartlepool United should have stood.
The on-loan Southampton player said he thought match referee Aaron Jackson had given a foul against Pools’ defender Tom Parkes for a dive after the 6’2″ defender tumbled in the box under minimal contact just after the hour mark. Unfortunately, the official thought differently and top-scorer Emmanuel Dieseruvwe sent Wright the wrong way from the spot.
Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Chris Sykes, the 22-year-old said: “In my opinion, the penalty was not a penalty and the second goal was down to a few individual errors.
“I thought the referee had given a foul to us because it looked like a dive from my angle. The linesman said it wasn’t, but I am not going to make any excuses. We just have to focus on the next game (at home to Eastleigh on Boxing Day).”
Having fallen behind, the Glovers pulled level through a beautiful strike from substitute Kofi Shaw with ten minutes to go, only for veteran striker Gary Madine to grab the winner three minutes later.
The game was played in a strong, swirling wind on the North East coast and Wright admitted the conditions were a challenge for the visitors.
He said: “They were tough conditions to play in today which made it difficult, but I thought the lads dug in and we had a good effort.
“Both halves the wind seemed to be against me, I don’t know how that happens but it is all part of the game and you just have to get on with it.
“We got ourselves back in to it with an excellent finish, he is a good player Kofi. It was a catalogue of individual errors which led up to the (second) goal which is frustrating, but that is football for you.”
Cooper eyeing ‘a couple of additions’ for Boxing Day
2024-12-21
Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has said he is hoping to add a couple of new players to his squad ahead of the Boxing Day match at home to Eastleigh.
The boss was speaking after his side’s 2-1 defeat at Hartlepool United where he was only able to name five of the seven substitutes he is allowed which included goalkeeper Matt Gould and teenager Ollie Hughes.
The Glovers had sold winger Dylan Morgan to National League South leaders Torquay United the day before the game, loanee James Plant has returned to his parent club Port Vale with an injury, and were without injured duo Alex Whittle and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton.
Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Chris Sykes after the match, Cooper said: “We have got a bit of work to do, we need to sign a couple of players. Myself and the chairman (Martin Hellier) are working very hard to get value for money and I am sure there will be a couple of additions before Boxing Day.
“It has been a brilliant year for the club, stable ownership and we have restored a bit of pride and we just want to keep going. We cannot compete with the top clubs (financially) but we have a bit of spirit as a club, the fans and players and we want to carry on rebuilding.”
Referee Aaron Jackson was the target of the manager’s ire after seeing striker Aaron Jarvis have a ‘goal’ ruled out for offside after 53 minutes before Hartlepool were awarded a penalty ten minutes later. The highlights (watch 4:17:00 here) shows the home side’s 6’2″ central defender Tom Parkes go down very easily inside the box under the slightest of contact from Yeovil’s Frank Nouble.
Played in high winds which whipped the North of England all Saturday, the game was even delayed for 17 minutes in the first half after Mr Jackson adjudged a bit of loose advertising hoarding on the away end posed too much of a safety risk – resulting in a couple of blokes lying on the roof to rip it free. A difference in interpretation of Health & Safety rules in the two decisions, it would appear.
Speaking about the match official, Cooper said: “There was only one person today who wanted to be the star of the show and it was not any of the players. It was a battle, both teams scrapped and for me it was a 0-0 and the referee decided to give a penalty and when you see it back, if that is a penalty there are 50 penalties in every game of football up and down the country.
“We scored a good goal through Aaron Jarvis, his goal is clearly onside and would have been 1-0 up, then they score (the penalty) and we react and the second goal was just a toss of the coin. We have not had one penalty this season, full credit to our players and supporters, it is a game we should not lose. I have not had a chance to speak to him yet, I have another ten minutes. What you want is for them to put their hand up and say ‘I have cocked up’ because that is what decent people do.
“When the game is like it was and the weather is like it was, just let the game go, stop blowing your whistle. We could have been playing for 300 minutes today, there was that many fouls! The supporters are freezing, the last Saturday before Christmas, let them enjoy the game, it is not about you. Then he had to intervene and make two horrendous decisions.”
The decision to delay the game just before the half-hour mark left everyone inside Victoria Park baffled, but saw the referee take both sides off the pitch. Even Glovers’ assistant Chris Todd and former defender Carl Dickinson, now on the coaching staff at Hartlepool, came over to talk with the 85 supporters who made the 700-mile round journey from Somerset and were fearful they had wasted their time.
Cooper said: “There was a bit of paper blowing in the wind, that is the first time I have ever seen the game stopped because of the ball hitting a tea cup and then giving them the ball to put in our box! It has been a really ‘fun’ day, but I think the big winner in this is our fans – it was a tremendous turnout this close to Christmas and with the weather as it was.”
Man of the Match Voting: Hartlepool United (away)
2024-12-21
Who was your Yeovil Town man of the match for today’s match at Hartlepool United?
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.Match Report: Hartlepool United 2 Yeovil Town 1
2024-12-21
A late Gary Madine goal saw Yeovil Town go home empty handed from a long journey to Hartlepool United.
The Glovers looked to be heading home to Somerset with a point after substitute Kofi Shaw scored a stunning equaliser to cancel out a penalty Emmanuel Dieseruwerve awarded for a soft foul after 64 minutes.
The game will be best remembered for the game being stopped for 17 minutes in the first half after strong winds pulled an advertising board loose on the away end.
Here’s how Dave saw it among the frozen 84 supporters in the away end….
First half
Yeovil were playing in to an unpredictable wind in the first half with the seagulls circling above Victoria Park unsure whether they were coming or going. Got a feeling this one does not have the makings of a classic.
The first notable effort came five minutes in to the game when Brett McGavin had a free-kick was easily held by ex-Glover Adam Smith in the Pools’ goal.
A Luke Charman and David Ferguson both put efforts over the bar for Hartlepool before in the 25th minute good play by Aaron Jarvis to hunt the ball down led to Frank Nouble being released down the right. The forward got it in to the box, but could not get a shot away and Tom Parkes was able to clear the danger.
Possibly the most entertaining thing to happen came after half-an-hour when referee Aaron Jackson spotted an advertising board on the away end flapping in the wind and decided to stop the game for ten minutes whilst someone tore it down. Unbelievable Jeff!
The first effort after the restart fell to the home side after a game of predict the wind in midfield, Mancini got away down the right and hit a shot which Ollie Wright parried out as far as Dieseruvwe who put the follow up wide.
Half time: Hartlepool United 0 Yeovil Town 0
Second half
Dieseruwve had the first opportunity of the second half just two minutes after the restart, a ball clipped in to the box found the big striker at the box and he headed over.
Aaron Jarvis had the ball in the net on 53 minutes after sliding in to poke home a free-kick, but he was just the wrong side of offside.
Wright was in action again on 55 minutes making a superb full length stop to keep out a free-kick from Nicky Featherstone.
But on 64 minutes, the breakthrough came for the home side. A free-kick lifted in to the box was running away for a goal kick when Tom Parkes fell at the back post with Nouble in attendance and referee Aaron Jackson pointed to the spot. From the away end it was impossible to tell why the penalty had been given but watch the highlights and the contact is minimal. Emmanuel DIESERUWERVE made no mistake from the spot, sending Wright the wrong way. Both Worthington and Nouble were booked for their complaints.
Nouble had an effort blocked before Michael Smith found himself in space inside the box, found by a great pass from Charlie Cooper, and his effort well stop by Smith.
Mark Cooper rang the changes on 70 minutes with Josh Sims and Kofi Shaw replacing Smith and Worthington, before Pedro Borges came on for Dom Bernard five minutes later.
It was Kofi SHAW who got Yeovil back in to the game grabbing an equaliser from nothing ten minutes after coming on. The Bristol Rovers loanee smashed in a shot from the edge of the box which flew in to the bottom corner sending the 85 travelling fans in to raptures.
The joy proved short lived, however, as Hartlepool regained the advantage just three minutes later. Mancini curled the ball in to the box and picked out substitute Gary MADINE who made no mistake.
Yeovil made a push in the closing stages with Wright coming up for two late corners, but it was not to be. Defeat on the road and a long journey home for the travelling supporters.
Full time: Hartlepool United 2 Yeovil Town 1
Match Details
Venue: Victoria Park
Date: Saturday 21st December 2024 – 3pm kick-off
Competition: National League Premier Division
Scorers: Emmanuel Dieseruwerve pen 64 (0-1), Kofi Shaw 80 (1-1), Gary Madine 83 (1-2)
Pitch: Typical for the time of year
Conditions: A strong wind which made the ball completely unpredictable at times and threatened to tear Victoria Park apart at one point.
Attendance: 3,420 (84 away supporters)
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Matt Worthington 64, Frank Nouble 65
Hartlepool United: Jack Hunter 32, Luke Waterfall 72
Referee: Aaron Jackson
Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)
Substitutes: Josh Sims (for Michael Smith, 70), Kofi Shaw (for Matt Worthington, 70), Pedro Borges (for Dom Bernard, 75), Ollie Hughes (not used), Matt Gould (not used).
Hartlepool United: Adam Smith, David Ferguson, Tom Parkes, Luke Waterfall, Jack Hunter, Anthony Mancini (for Daniel Dodds, 80), Adam Campbell (for Joe Grey, 27), Luke Charman (for Gary Madine, 62), Nathan Sheron, Nicky Featherstone, Emmanuel Dieseruwerve.
Substitutes (not used): Brad Young, Billy Sass-Davies, Kazenga LuaLua, Matthew Bondswell.
Team News: Hartlepool United (away)
2024-12-21
Frank Nouble returns to the Yeovil Town starting XI for today’s trip to Hartlepool United (3pm kick-off).
It is an experienced looking XI with Dom Bernard back in on the left side of defence and captain Matt Worthington alongside Charlie Cooper and Brett McGavin in midfield.
There are only five players named on the substitutes’ bench including goalkeeper Matt Gould and youngster Ollie Wright.
Foot In The Opposition Camp – Hartlepool (A)
2024-12-21
Yeovil make the mammoth trip to Hartlepool today looking to avenge the opening day defeat. A lots changed since August, namely the Hartlepool manager. On today’s foot in the opposition camp, Ben chats to Robbie Stelling about today’s hosts.