March 2025 (Page 10)

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Ref, Referee, Match Official

Yeovil Town head to Halifax on Saturday and joining the Glovers in West Yorkshire will be referee, Dean Watson.

Mr Watson hasn’t been used in the National League Premier so far this season, but he has been mainly the National League North.

In seven games so far, he’s dished out 33 yellow cards (… and one of those games saw none!) and two red cards.

We’ve seen him once before, also in Yorkshire (or Derbyshire, depending on who you ask) when we drew 1-1 with Chesterfield a couple of years ago.

He booked Josh Staunton and gave the Spirites a penalty in a game where a Ryan Law header secured the visitors a point.

He has officiated three Halifax games, a win, a loss and a draw for the Shaymen.

Mr Watson’s assistants are Ivan Stankovic, Simon Clayton and Johnathan Maskrey is standing by, just in case.

FC Halifax Town (First Team) v Yeovil Town FC (First Team)
National League – Premier    
Referee: Watson, Dean
Assistant Referee: Clayton, Simon
Assistant Referee: Stankovic, Ivan
Fourth Official: Maskrey, Jonathan

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To be totally honest, Gloverscast Ben has been putting this off throughout Wednesday morning, but we have to get to it eventually.

The coffee is poured, DAZN has been logged back into to watch some bits back, and here are Ben’s Five Conclusions from Tuesday night.

We had turned a corner, into on coming traffic. After a trio of really positive results and some good performances, this game always felt like a tough one, but let’s get it right, Barnet were brilliant and took full advantage of their opportunity to really put a stamp on their title charge and run in. They saw a chance to really dominate a threadbare Yeovil and took it, and who can begrudge them? It was fast, free flowing, interchanging, the nine or ten Barnet camped in and around our box for 90+ minutes made it all look very , very easy. They’re by far the best side I’ve seen this season and should go up as Champions.

but…

We let Barnet look like Brazil. From the first minute on Tuesday night – actually from the 45th minute on Saturday – Yeovil Town tried to park a proverbial bus.  In shades of what the Parma Violet party poopers did to Notts County that one time, we set up on Tuesday night, with such little desire to attack that almost immediately the game was set out as a training session for the hosts.

Now, of course, we’ve got one fit or available central defender, it’s always going to square pegs in round holes, but when the home keeper is playing neat little one-twos on the half way line in the 20th minute of the game, I felt like it was going to be a long night. The first two goals are poor defending, the best part of 20 players in a penalty area and no-one thinks to stand somewhere near Callum Stead? or stick a boot in before Ryan Glover could poke the ball home after he reacted quicker to a brilliant save from Aidan Stone?

Frank Nouble said after the match, we went in with a game plan, it didn’t work and we never sought to ever really even try something different, that’s maybe what hurts the most.

The partnership between Williams and Wannell has been a key part of success this season. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Heads dropped. Actually, this hurts the most, not for me, sat in my comfy chair with a cuppa and hobnob watching the game, but for the supporters who were there. I know their support is always appreciated and it truly is, I know that for a fact. But, after Michael Smith’s injury, after the first two goals, after the only half chance of the first half fell to Harvey Greenslade, in those key flash point moments it just felt like no-one was able to galvanise the group.

Sonny played a few nice passes through midfield, Kyrell Wilson made some runs into the corner areas for through balls and Nouble did what he could to try and make the ball stick. But, where was the noise to get each other going? Where was the keeper demanding more from his defence each time another shot/cross/chance came and went – he kept it from being a cricket score by the way, he’s entitled to politely enquire for a little help.

What ever magic tricks need to happen to get Williams and Wannell back on the pitch need to happen quickly – someone call in Derren Brown or something. 

Paul Wotton.

We need the RIGHT signings. There’s almost no point putting a 19-year-old, who’s played four minutes of EFL Trophy football into this group right now, and given the nature of the season, the timing and the budget, it might be that we can only get access to those type of players though. I think of times where we’ve brought in Paul Wotton and Darren Ward in the past, those types players don’t grow on trees in March, with 12 weeks of the season still to go.

Mark Cooper spoke of players that know what it means to play for a club like Yeovil, and he’s absolutely right, but they’re not on benches or with the reserves of EFL Clubs, they’re not cheap either, leaders and “men” aren’t easy to find. We only have one loan-spot left, remember, so the next few days of recruitment needs to be diligent and not a knee jerk reaction to just stick a body in a shirt at Halifax.

Jordan Thomas. Picture courtesy of Iain Morland.

So what can we change for Saturday? I cannot for the life of me think we’re going to park another bus in West Yorkshire, what’s the point? We’re going to need cover on the right side of defence, that’s for sure, I wouldn’t be totally against a back four of Bernard – Cooper – FC-D – Whittle, but that leaves us little to no protection in front, so either we find a right back (Josh Sims? or a recall of Jordan Thomas?) or we sacrifice that vital level of cover that Cooper gives us. If we do that, then we have to spend more time in the opposition half. I thought Ryan McLean showed a nice turn of foot on a couple of occasions, as did Lewys Twamley, but nothing more than flashes. So maybe there’s something to work with there, especially if Ciaran McGuckin doesn’t his delivery of Holy Water in time.

See you in Halifax! 

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In the 1970s, a name feared by every defender visiting Huish was John Clancy. Signed as a 20-year-old in 1969, he went on to make an incredible 563 appearances, scoring 78 goals. On our latest episode of GloversPast, speak to this true club legend.

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Frank Nouble spoke to BBC Radio Somerset’s Josh Perkins following the Glovers’ 5-0 defeat to Barnet on Tuesday.

Josh Perkins: Frank, just like I said to Mark [Cooper], it was never going to be easy tonight.

Frank Nouble: No, but you have to give credit to the team we played tonight, I thought they were outstanding, we’ve come with a game plan, but that goes out the window when you concede, on our part, softish goals, it’s difficult to recover from there.

JP: You did a lot of running out there, it’s difficult out there when you do go two, three, four goals down to continue to lead the line and chase things down.

FN: It’s our job, it’s what we’re paid to do, the score line, obviously, looks terrible, and it’s a bad night for all of us. The supporters have come down and we really appreciate that, we know they do that every week for us, they spend their money and all we want to do is give back a good performance and tonight we didn’t do that overall. We have to hold our hands up, and go back to training and work hard again. And give credit to Barnet, they’re top of the league for a reason, last year we knew what that felt like, being top of the league, you can just win games by just turning up sometimes, and it felt like that for them today. We give credit to them, there’s some good players out there and we found it tough. 

JP: You came up against such a tough opposition today, they are a future League Two side.

FN: They’re a good team, a really good team and they’re strong at home, give them their credit, but we could have done better, we’ll look back at the goals, and just take responsibility. In life, you can’t dwell over spilt milk, just keep going. At the end of the day, if they go on to win the league it’ll be well deserved, because they’re probably the best team we’ve played this season.
I think we’ve been really competitive most games, but tonight, we weren’t, obviously the score line tell that. We’ve just got to go again, we’ve got another game on Saturday, we’ve got to really apologise to the supporters for our performance overall, it wasn’t good enough.

But we’ve got a game on Saturday, we’re lucky in football, we’ve got another opportunity, to go out there and prove yourself again, you’re only as good as your last game, we heard that again tonight in the changing room, we’ve got to move on and be better.

JP: What is it that you can do now ahead of Saturday, is it a mental thing or physical training?

FN: We’ve got to recover, we couldn’t fill the bench today, the players that are out there have just got to give it everything, simple as that. If we defended a bit better as a team, we might not have conceded as early today, there’s no-one to blame, it’s all of us, we’re all in it together, there will be no blame game, the supporters will go home upset, the people that watched it online will be upset as well, but we’ve got a game Saturday and we have to react. 

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Mark Cooper spoke to BBC Radio Somerset’s Josh Perkins following the Glovers 5-0 loss to Barnet on Tuesday night.

Josh Perkins: “Mark, it was never going to be easy was it?”

Mark Cooper: “You kind of know what’s coming with the squad as it is at the minute, when you look back at home, who is sat back at home and then we lose another one after so many minutes, Michael Smith – he said he was alright to play, we lose that, then we have to play a right winger, who has probably never played as a right back, at full back.

You can’t come to places like this, where they’ve got a team full of men, and be as depleted as we are. We have to put that one out the way, we’ve had a good little run, we have to put that one away now and we have to try and get two or three players in before Saturday. 

We’re relying on the same three or four players every week to be a nine-out-of-ten and scrap and fight and tonight that was men against boys, some of ours need to look at that… men against boys.

JP: 3-0 down at the break, against a team top of the league, it’s always going to be difficult to gee your players up, but what were the words to the boys at half time?

MC: Let’s try and get a goal, let’s try and get an early goal, we changed the shape a little bit, but we’re scrambling, because we haven’t got a dominant centre-back, we didn’t have a right back and we’ve probably got half of our team sat at home watching Love Island or whatever they’re watching. 

But, like I say, we can talk about it until the cows come home, it was men against boys tonight, but we kind of knew what was going to happen. [They’re] physical, big, they can play, they can be direct, and that’s a yard stick for us next year and learn about how we go about our recruitment, what kind of player we need to sign to try and compete at the top end of the league, all it’s done for me is make things more and more clear. 

Dust that one down, great support, great turnout on a Tuesday night, coming to London, backing the team, thank you to them, we’re going to strive again, non stop to try and get some players in.

JP: When you say ‘It makes your job more clear’ what exactly do you mean by that? 

MC: What do you think I mean? In terms of recruitment, it makes it clear in terms of what type of player we need to sign.

JP: In terms of signings, and getting players back ahead of Saturday, Michael Smith went off, I don’t imagine you’ll have him back, a word on Jake Wannell potentially and Ciaran McGuckin.

MC: We wont have any of those players, the only one who might have an outside chance is Ciaran McGuckin, if he maybe drinks a little bit of Holy Water he might have half a chance.

Listen, the boys in the last three games have had a right tear up, some of them have run themselves into the ground, to show what it means for them to play for the club and we need three or four more like that to add to the squad and that it the key to try and attract those kind of players to Yeovil.

 

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Yeovil Town were blown away by table topping Barnet on Tuesday night.

The injury-ravaged Glovers’ defence was under pressure from start to finish and three first half goals, including a special effort from the Barnet skipper Anthony Hartigan rendered the game over at the break.

A second half pair of penalties added salt to the wounds, it was a night to forget for the Glovers (not Ryan’s family, they probably had a lovely time).

Ben parted with his hard earned to watch on DAZN, here’s how it went down.

First half

The opening exchanges were, perhaps predictable in terms of dominance, Barnet having plenty of the ball and plenty of opportunities to get the ball into the box.
A third minute corner was one of a number of chances falling the way of the Bees, but, Aidan Stone, didn’t have anything of any note to actually do in the opening few minutes.

With just 11 minutes gone, Ben Coker and Ryan Glover were interchanging passes with ease.

Everyone of the visiting side was within 20 yards of their own goal line and still Glover had time to blaze over the opening shot of the fixture.

On 15 minutes, Zak Brunt found space after sending both Kyrell Wilson and Alex Whittle for a dummy, his cross was dangerous but unable to find a Bees head.
But it was only a matter of time and on 17 minutes, Idris Kanu put in a delightful cross met by Ben Coker. His header was wonderfully saved by Aidan Stone, but Ryan GLOVER made no mistake from the rebound.
 
Skipper Anthony Haritgan tested Aidan Stone from distance on 20 minutes, Stone couldn’t keep the initial save contained and he had to react well before Callum Stead pounced to double the lead.
 
The game was nearly 25 minutes old before the Glovers got within striking distance of the Barnet goal; Frank Nouble and Sonny Blu Lo Everton linked up well 20-yards from goal, before Harvey Greenslade found room on the right side of the area and fired a shot narrowly wide. 
 
The defensive injury crisis was about to get worse, Michael Smith signaled to the bench whilst grabbing his hamstring, a first change saw Josh Sims replace the Northern Ireland international.
 
Sims initially dropped in as a straight replacement for Smith at right back.
 
Kanu was causing all kinds of trouble down the Barnet right hand side, he played a wonderful, long range one-two with Callum Stead, but Kanu’s right footed effort went narrowly past Stone’s right hand post.
 
Two minutes later, the Bees were opening up down the left hand side, Coker found Brunt who turned on the edge of the area and fired just wide. 
 
 
With ten minutes to go, Coker was once again in far too much too space on the left hand side, he could take his time to pick out Callum STEAD who was had time and space 10 yards from goal to pick his spot to double the home side’s lead. 
 
If Yeovil fans were looking for something to cheer, they NEARLY had one on 40 minutes, Barnet keeper Owen Evans found himself under huge pressure in the six yard box from Frank Nouble.

Evans though showed some fancy footwork to nutmeg the guvnor and clear his lines. 

The ball was soon back down the other end though, Kanu down the right, Coker down the left, time and time again.

 
Danny Collinge was next to have a pop, 25 yards out, picked his spot and again only Aidan Stone’s big right mit got in the way.
From the resulting corner though, there was nothing Stone could do from Anthony Hartigan’s effort.
 
Hartigan took the corner short, got the ball back and whipped a viscous effort into the top corner, some effort.
 
It’s been attack vs defence for 45 minutes, the half time whistle a sweet relief for the Glovers’ back line.

Half time: Barnet 3 Yeovil Town 0

Second half

Yeovil made their second change in the break, Sean McGurk replacing Kyrell Wilson.
The second half began in much the same way the first one ended, but Josh Sims had gone to left back, Sonny in at right back with a central three of Bernard, FC-D and Whittle.
 
Callum Stead was sniffing around everything and Hartigan was in shooting mood, he had Stone scrambling down to his right hand side after 50 minutes, thankfully the ball squeezed just wide.
 
A goal mouth scramble on 55 minutes somehow saw Barnet fail to add to their tally, some good defending and wayward shooting keeping the score at a respectable level.
 
Finn Cousin-Dawson was in the book shortly after, the only fit centre-back available to us was now on thin ice.
 
Ben Coker’s effort from the resulting free kick was high, wide and not so handsome.
As the clock struck the hour, Stead had chances, Ndlovu had chances but again, some good goalkeeping from Stone kept the Bees at bay.
 
Dean Brennan took the chance to make a couple of changes with Dom Telford and Harry Chapman entering the fray.
Whilst Mark Cooper played the only two other changes he could make, a debut for Ryan McLean in place of Lo-Everton and Harvey Greenslade making way for Lewys Twamley.
 
Not long after, a Chapman run was brought to an abrupt end by Charlie Cooper, who made his way into the book.
 
Ryan Glover was replaced by a former Glover, Billy Clifford. The mass substitutions proving to be, as ever, good at breaking up the flow of the game.
With 20 minutes to go, Ryan McLean was well placed after a neat Brett McGavin pass to run into the area, some good defending pushed the loanee wide though and his effort went wide from a tight angle.
 
At the other end, Dom Telford got a shot off which forced Stone into yet another save.
 
Twamley was next to put in a nice move, he exchanged passes with McLean, before trying to find Nouble, but the Welshman’s through ball was just too heavy.
 
 
On 76 minutes, Yeovil got their first corner of the game, Twamley and McLean teamed up with Nouble, but the number 10’s cross was nudged behind, the following set piece resulted in a Cousin-Dawson header which which harmlessly wide.
 
With ten minutes left, Dom Telford twisted and turned in the box, and Ryan McLean left his boot out for tripping over, penalty to the Bees.
Harry Chapman stood with the ball in his hands and proceeded to add a fourth to the score line, sending Stone the wrong way.
 
Five minutes left, it can’t get worse can it? It can.
Another surging run into the box, another rash challenge, another penalty, another goal. Dom Telford from the spot.
 
There was time for more carnage, Harry Chapman channeled his inner roadrunner and took on half the Glovers side, but almost inexplicably, put his shot wide when it looked easier to score. 
 
Frank Nouble did find a little time and space to fire a shot low and wide into added on time, but that was about all the visitors had to talk of in the second period.
 
After four additional minutes, the referee mercifully blew his whistle. 

Full time: Barnet 5 Yeovil Town 0

Match Details

Venue: The Hive
Date: Tuesday 4th March, 19:45

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Ryan Glover (1-0 ’17), Callum Stead (2-0 ’37), Anthony Hartigan (3-0 ’44), Harry Chapman (4-0 ’82), Dom Telford (5-0 ’86)
Pitch: Perfect Bus Parking Grass
Conditions: A bit fresh

Attendance: 1596 (180 Yeovil Fans)

Bookings: 
Barnet:
Yeovil Town: Finn Cousin-Dawson ’57, Charlie Cooper ’66

Referee: Andrew Miller

Yeovil Town (4-2-3-1)

 

Substitutes: Matt Gould, Lewys Twamley (For Lo-Everton ’64), Josh Sims (for Smith ’27), Sean McGurk (for Wilson ’46), Ryan McLean (for Greenslade (’64)

Barnet: Owen Evans, Ben Coker, Danny Collinge, Lee Ndlovu (for Telford ’60), Callum Stead, Idris Kanu (for Cropper ’74), Ryan Glover (for Clifford ’66), Zak Brunt (for Chapman ’60), Anthony Hartigan, Nikola Tavares (for Grimwood ’74), Myles Kenlock

Barnet (not used): Gio Bellagambi (GK), Adebola Oluwa.

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Mark Cooper has said that he “hit the post” on a number of occasions trying to bring in a defender this week.

With only Finn Cousin-Dawson fit and available as a natural centre back, Dom Bernard and Charlie Cooper have been filling in and after Saturday’s game against Southend the manager said he’d be working to bring in a defender.

Ryan McLean has joined from Wimbledon, but he’s very much an attacker and Cooper explained how his last couple of days have gone in the transfer search.

Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset’s Josh Perkins he said; 

“[Ryan] met us today on the coach, he gives us an outlet with frightening pace, on one of the sides,

He’s coming back from an injury, but he’ll be good for us because he’s rapid.

Of course, we wanted a centre back, but, I’ve spent two and a half days, non stop, trying to get one, I’ve hit the post so many times. 

The thing is people don’t want to let their best players go, or their good players go at this stage of the season. 

We’ll keep looking, but no-one in tonight.”

Cooper confirmed that Ciaran McGuckin is missing following his early departure from Saturday’s game and admits that the fixture against table topping Barnet is something of a free hit.

“Listen, we know all too well the pressure off being at the top of the table and having to win, if you don’t win everyone says you’re having a wobble.

So, we have to try and use that, where we are at the minute in terms of bodies that we haven’t got – we aren’t able to play our free flowing stuff as well as we can, we have to dig in and play against a really powerful team.”

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Harvey Greenslade is named in the starting line up for the Glovers in the sole change from Saturday’s outing against Southend.

Greenslade replaces Ciaran McGuckin- who misses out altogether- after being replaced before half time on Saturday with concerns over his calves.

New loanee Ryan McLean is one of just five subs, four attackers and a goalkeeper.

We’ve used a back four in the graphic, but it could easily be a back five with Charlie Cooper impressing in the defence on Saturday.