December 2025 (Page 5)

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Yeovil Town will host  Southern League Premier Division Central side Alvechurch in the fourth round of the FA Trophy next month.

The Midlands side put out National League North side Alfreton Town after a penalty shoot-out in last weekend’s third round and will head to Huish Park on Saturday 10th January.

The Worcestershire-based side sit just above the relegation zone in their division, which is two steps below Yeovil in the football pyramid, having played a few less games than some of the teams around them.

Former Premier League winning goalkeeper Tim Flowers resigned as manager at the end of November following a seven-gaming losing run, with ex-Solihull Moors midfielder Kyle Storer taking over in interim charge. They have midfielder Sam Perry, who played for Yeovil 12 times on loan from from Walsall during the Chris Hargreaves era at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, in their squad.

If the game goes to penalties again, be warned that Alvechurch have some pedigree. They have won all their three Trophy ties in shoot-outs this season, dispensing of Real Bedford and Worcester City as well as Alfreton Town.

The Glovers needed spot kicks to progress to the fourth round after seeing off National League South side Maidstone United with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win at the weekend.

Sam Perry, remember him? Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

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Green and White Radio’s Tom Bailey was in the stands on Saturday, as Yeovil Town defeated Maidstone United on penalties to progress in the FA Trophy. Here are his conclusions from the victory.

Cup progression at last!

For the first time since the FA Cup journey to Wrexham during the title season in 2023/24, Yeovil Town have progressed in a cup competition!

Fans have been clamouring for a cup run of some kind, and while we have no idea where we may go on this run, it’s giving us all some further hope, and further reason to buy-in to the Rowley regime.

Billy Rowley watches on | Pic by Gary Brown

Substitutions were played to perfection

Okay, maybe not the Michee Efete introduction, as that was clearly unplanned following the injury to Alex Whittle (he still played very well) – but Tahvon Campbell being brought on for a booked Aaron Jarvis, who seemed on a collision course for a red card on Saturday, was the smart call to keep 11 men on the field.

Clearly bringing on Josh Tobin was a great move, given he scored the goal that almost put Yeovil in the hat within 90 minutes, while Andrew Oluwabori gave Maidstone defenders some extra problems to handle on the right hand side.

All in all, Rowley and Simpson read the game well, and responded accordingly; proactive subs to finish the stubborn opposition off is so refreshing to see, long may it continue!

Michee Efete | Pic by Gary Brown

Leo Ramirez-Espain is real… and he’s good!

I think I was among many in raising my eyebrows when I saw Leo Ramirez-Espain’s name in the starting XI for Saturday’s game.

None of us have had any idea on how good (or bad) he may be, considering he’s only made two benches since he joined on loan from Watford in November.

As it turns out, we have another talented midfield option to add to our rotation, as he moved the ball nicely throughout his hour on the field, linking up with McGavin effortlessly.

Knowing we have McGavin, McCormick, Cousin-Dawson, Jolliffe, Tobin and Ramirez-Espain, with Cousin-Dawson as another option if required, is a great sign of the strength in depth we possess in midfield now!

Leo Ramirez-Espain on his debut. Picture courtesy of Tom Bailey.

Penalty shootout? Never in doubt…

Okay, I say this in jest, of course when the final whistle blew, every Yeovil fan naturally feared the worst, considering our recent history with penalties – the Campbell miss at Morecambe, the losses to Taunton and Needham Market to name but a few… and yet, every single player stepped up when it mattered most.

Most plaudits deservedly went to Jed Ward, who made two fantastic stops to give Yeovil the advantage, but all four takers (Brett McGavin, Luke McCormick, Tahvon Campbell and Andrew Oluwabori) deserve their flowers too for their courage to step up, and coolly slot home four spot kicks.

Jed Ward saves | Pic by Gary Brown

Who do we want next?

It’s a great feeling to not dread whatever is next, isn’t it?!

Nearly half of the National League sides have already been knocked out, and I’d fancy us against most opposition with the way things are going thus far with Rowley and co.

With the draw taking place on Monday evening, Yeovil fans will be sat eagerly anticipating whoever is drawn against the Glovers!

Josh Tobin celebrates with the fans | Pic by Gary Brown

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Yeovil Town penalty hero Jed Ward has said he had done his homework on Maidstone United’s spot kick record ahead of today’s FA Trophy win at Huish Park.

The on loan Bristol Rovers’ goalkeeper had information from the club’s analyst Sam Curry about his opponents’ penalty takers which paid dividends as he saved two spot kicks in a 4-2 shoot-out win to book their place in the fourth round.

Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Mark Stillman after the game, Ward said: “I said to the lads said I will definitely save one. But as much as I saved two penalties, they have scored four, so all in all we are in the next round. I had my water bottle, so I made sure that I had that ready this morning and credit to Sam (Curry, the club’s analyst), he sends me a big .pdf of all the penalties and it is down to me to choose where they are going to go – and I was correct twice today.”

The Glovers looked to have sealed the win in normal time when on loan midfielder Josh Tobin, signed from League Two side Bromley during the week, scored in the 89th minute, but then a defensive lapse allowed the visitors’ substitute Hamzad Kargbo to equalise two minutes in to second half stoppage time and force the shoot-out.

Ward said: “We want to dominate the ball every game, that is what we want to be. I think we could have threatened more in the final third, but a win is a win however we do it. That is what we want to be, we want to be a group of winners. It is one of the few games this season where I did not feel I had much of an effect on the game and that is credit to the lads in front of me, they prevented balls coming in to the box and me having to make saves. Unfortunately the last couple of minutes we conceded the goal, but we never thought the game was done.

“They do not concede many goals so we did well to get the goal we did and we were gutted to concede one late, that is something we are going to have to work on as a group. We have conceded too many late goals this season, but you can see things are turning. The train is ready to go.”

Jed Ward saved two penalties in the shoot-out win over Maidstone United. | Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

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Photos courtesy of Gary Brown

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Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley was relieved to be in the next round of the FA Trophy after a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win over Maidstone United at Huish Park.

The Glovers looked to have snatched the win in normal time when substitute Josh Tobin bundled home an 89th minute goal, only for a defensive lapse to gift visiting substitute Hamzad Kargbo an equaliser two minutes in to injury time at the end of the game to take it to spot kicks.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman after the game, Rowley admitted the 90 minutes had turned out to be exactly as he had expected it to be.

He said: “It was definitely how I expected it to be and credit to George (Elokobi, the Maidstone manager) and his side for making it difficult, they were a really tough, organised side to play against. I felt like some of our build up play was decent and we were getting in to their final third quite often, but the last pass or the last choice was slightly off today. But it is our third game (as manager) and we have three wins, it is not going to be pretty every game but we are going to work hard to make sure it is next week.

“Penalties are a lottery but when you have good technicians in the team and a great goalkeeper, that adds to your chances of success a little bit. It is about the boys trusting their technique, picking their spot and not letting the whistle bring anxiety before they strike the ball and they did that, so full credit to them.”

Josh Tobin opens the score | Pic by Gary Brown

The boss was full of praise the contribution of Tobin, signed on loan from League Two Bromley during the weekend, after he came on in the 63rd minute for fellow loanee Leo Ramirez-Espain. Rowley said: “I thought he had a good debut, he has been out for a while so he is not fully match fit either. He is brave, he will take the ball in tight spots and look to play it forward and often he will pick out the final pass, today it happened to be the goal that he has contributed. It is a shame we could not hang on to the result to highlight his goal even more, but it is a team game and we have come up trumps in the end and credit to Jed (Ward) in goal, he was massive for us.”

Goalkeeper Jed Ward saved Maidstone’s first two penalties in the shoot-out whilst Brett McGavin, Luke McCormick and Tahvon Campbell all converted from the spot before substitute Andrew Oluwabori sealed the win in front of the Thatcher’s End.

Rowley added: “We spoke to the referee before the game and he told us if it was going to go to penalties, the shoot-out would be at (the Thatcher’s) end which we were delighted about. I thought the fans were excellent today, we had two sides of the stadium empty today for security reasons, but I thought the fans were top class. I said it last week and the week before, we are going to work really hard to put on some excellent performances for them to give them something to shout about.

“We knew it was going to be tough today, we knew we would have to win duels, fight for second balls and probably go more direct at times than we wanted to but that was the game today and we were just thankful that we came out on top of it. I think it shows we can win in a couple of different ways.“

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Goalkeeper Jed Ward was Yeovil Town’s hero again as he saved two penalties in a shoot-out against Maidstone United to book a place in the fourth round of the FA Trophy.

The Bristol Rovers loanee saved the first two spot kicks he faced from Antony Papadopoulos and David Sesay and saw his team-mates convert all their efforts to seal the victory after a thoroughly forgettable 90 minutes at Huish Park.

The game did not burst in to life until one minute from the end of normal time when substitute midfielder Josh Tobin, signed on loan during the week, headed home a James Daly cross and looked to have sealed the win, only for a defensive lapse from the Glovers to gift visiting substitute Hamzad Kargbo an equaliser to force the shoot out.

First half

With ten minutes gone, Aaron Jarvis got his first sight on goal. James Daly showed good persistence to keep a lost cause alive, but Jarvis could not get enough power on it to trouble Lenny Holden in the visitors’ goal. Daly has had a lively started and is repeatedly screaming at his team-mates for the ball.

The ‘press’ adopted by Maidstone was evident from the off as they regularly tried to press the Yeovil backline as they continued to play the ball out from the back. There is a noticeable patience for a patient start from the home side in the Huish Park stands which would certainly not have been there with a different manager in the dug-out – but the opening half-an-hour has been…..quiet! Get McCormick on the ball, Yeovil!

Aaron Jarvis doesn’t get the decision | Pic by Gary Brown

On the half-hour mark something happened. Alex Whittle, who appeared to have taken a knock in a collision earlier in the game, was replaced by Michee Efete with Daly swapping from the right to the left. 

The best move of the game (not that that is saying much) came shortly after. Efete knocked the ball inside, Luke McCormick back-heeled it to Brett McGavin who hit it left-footed towards goal, it took a deflection and went out from a corner. From the resulting corner, grappling inside the box led to a free-kick for Maidstone. 

Aaron Jarvis got a booking in the 38th minute and then seemed to want to ‘get involved’ with the Stones’ defence for the remainder of the half. Referee Lewis Sandoe did not exactly cover himself in glory either breaking up an already bitty first half and that gave the home crowd something to shout about – or shout at, really – until the half-time whistle sounded. A very 0-0 0-0.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Maidstone United 0

Second half

Perhaps unsurprisingly the second change of the game came at the start of the second half as Tahvon Campbell replaced Jarvis, who was one tackle, grapple or comment away from getting his second booking.

Campbell was almost gifted a goal when the Maidstone defence, which had been organised and solid throughout the first half, allowed the ball to box inside the 18-yard box and the striker almost got in. The visitors managed to scramble it away. A brighter start to the second half.

Things have definitely picked up from Yeovil this half – and the Thatcher’s End has responded – and just before the hour mark Kyle Ferguson headed wide from a McGavin free-kick. On 63 minutes, manager Billy Rowley made two changes with loanees Andrew Oluwabori and Josh Tobin, signed on loan from Bromley during the weekend, replacing Harvey Greenslade and Leo Ramirez-Espain.

On 64 minutes, James Daly had a good run and flashed a shot from the edge of the box just past the post. There’s still not been a meaningful chance from either side and, as the game rolls on, the spectre of a penalty shoot-out is looming. No extra time in this one.

Neither Oluwabori or Tobin have really made any kind of impact on this game, it all been not quite there and lacking some positivity against an opponent who appears to 

Then on 85 minutes, chances at either end. Hamblin got a good ball in towards substitute Hamzad Kargbo who could not get his header on target and the ball broke to Jephte Tanga who went down under a tackle from Ferguson. Shouts for a penalty, nothing given. At the other end, McCormick was picked out by an Efete ball but his shot went wide.

Josh Tobin opens the score | Pic by Gary Brown

Then suddenly a breakthrough and a goal with one minute of normal time remaining. A great run down the left from Daly who put a high cross in to the back post and there was Josh TOBIN whose header bundled its way past a couple of Maidstone defenders on the line.

That’s it right? Wrong. Two minutes in to five added on at the end of the game, the Yeovil defence switched off at the back post and a good ball in from Maidstone found Hamzad KARGBO who could not miss from inches out. Ugh.

After 90 minutes of basically nothing, all the action came in the final six minutes of the game. Penalties. Double ugh.

Full time: Yeovil Town 1 Maidstone United 1

Here’s how the penalties went…..

  • Maidstone United – Antony Papadopoulos – SAVED by Jed Ward (0-0)
  • Yeovil Town – Brett McGavin – SCORED (1-0)
  • Maidstone United – David Sesay – SAVED by Jed Ward (1-0)
  • Yeovil Town – Luke McCormick – SCORED (2-0)
  • Maidstone United – Deon Moore – SCORED (2-1)
  • Yeovil Town – Tahvon Campbell – SCORED (3-1)
  • Maidstone United – Hamzad Kargbo –  SCORED (3-2)
  • Yeovil Town – Andrew Oluwabori – SCORED (4-2)

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 13th December, 3pm kick-off

Competition: FA Trophy, Third Round Proper

Scorers: Josh Tobin 89 (1-0), Kargbo 90+2 (1-1)

Pitch: Holding up well considering the recent bad weather

Conditions: Dry but cool

Attendance: 1,691 (88 away supporters)

Bookings:

Yeovil Town: Aaron Jarvis 38,
Maidstone United: Dajon Golding 38, John Gilbert 57

Referee: Lewis Sandoe

Yeovil Town (3-5-2)

Substitutes: Michee Efete (for Alex Whittle, ), Tahvon Campbell (for Aaron Jarvis, 46), Josh Tobin (for Leo Ramirez-Espain, 63), Andrew Oluwabori (for Harvey Greenslade, 63), Dan Ellison (for James Daly, 90), Josh Sims (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Maidstone United: Lenny Holden, David Sesay, Leo Hamblin, Lexus Beeden, George Fowler, TJ Bramble (for Hamzad Kargbo, 71), Jephte Tanga, John Gilbert (for Sam Corne, 64), Dajon Golding (for Deon Moore, 64), Riley Court, Antony Papadopoulos.

Substitutes (not used):  David Agontohoma, Taylor Foran, Nathan Harness.

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On loan midfielder Leo Ramirez-Espain has been handed his Yeovil Town debut in today’s FA Trophy third round tie with Maidstone United at Huish Park (3pm kick-off).

The Watford youngster, who has not featured since joining on loan until the end of January a month ago, is one of two changes from last weekend’s 2-0 win at Hartlepool United  with Alex Whittle also coming in.

Michee Efete drops to the substitutes’ bench whilst Morgan Williams is missing having been sent off after the final whistle seven days ago.

Defender Dan Ellison, signed from Bristol Rovers at the end of October, is on the bench as his wait for a Glovers’ debut goes on.