August 2026 (Page 4)

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Gloversblog, Latest Yeovil Town News

Ian was at a resplendent Huish Park for the lunchtime kickoff as the Glovers carved through Gateshead again and again. Here are his Five Conclusions…

The first half was as complete a performance as I can remember. The Glovers were scintillating from the off. Breaking forward at pace, perpetual motion from the forward players and it took just 2 minutes for Ste Walker to bag his second goal in green and white. In truth, it should have been four by half time. Ryan Jones hit the bar, Walker couldn’t get his feet untangled, Charlie Lennon caused all sorts of problems and the Glovers had 8 shots on target in the first half. It was probably the first time since Gateshead at home last season that we’d seen such a performance…

Who gets a feeling we’re going to see a lot of Ste Walker doing this in front of the Thatcher’s? Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

The midfield duo are finding their feet. Brett McGavin, who Gateshead clearly hadn’t watched, was given the license to dictate all afternoon. When McGavin is given the sort of time he was afforded he will control the tempo and pick out pass after pass after pass. But, he has had the perfect partner in Zain Westbrooke. Westbrooke is the ever-willing runner who quietly goes about his business. He’s one of those that may go unnoticed during a game, but lose him and it’ll leave an almighty hole.

We’ve got fantastic depth. It’s a testament to the recruitment and the ownership group that we’ve got the most depth I can recall us having in National League, if not further back. The be able bring on Loick Ayina, Mason Obeng, Hayden Muller, Slavi Spasov and Johl Powell and have the levels not drop shows how far we’ve come. They’d be starters in previous seasons and there’s still the likes of Jack Kingdon, Joe Gubbins, James Daly and Joe Haigh that weren’t available or didn’t get on the pitch.

Luke McCormick
Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Super Luke McCormick. It’s only taken three matches but the skipper looks to be back to his mercurial best. His goals yesterday were calmness personified, in those moments he was the coolest head in Huish Park we needed that to finally put a game to bed this season. We saw that sort of performance so many times before his injury last season and to see it this soon is promising. Chants of ‘Super Luke McCormick’ rang out of the Thatchers yesterday, the chant solly reserved for Super Gav has been passed on.

What is this feeling? Is it confidence? Is it comfort? Have you ever seen such a one-sided highlight package in our favour? There was a moment yesterday where we had Gateshead chasing shadows and it reminded me of us, and how teams come to Huish Park and give us the run around. Yesterday, we were the dominant team and we have set a benchmark now for what we are capable of. Next weekend will be another challenge with two fixtures so close together but for the first time in years, I’ve got confidence in the Glovers.

By:
On:
In: Distant Glover, Latest Yeovil Town News

We’re starting to think Distant Glover has a bit of a crush on Bonnie Tyler… or Luke McCormick… or both!

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News

Following Yeovil Town’s 3-0 home win over Gateshead on Saturday, BBC Radio Somerset’s Jack Killah spoke with Yeovil chairman and owner Prabhu Srinivasan about the Glovers’ start to the new National League season.

Here is the Q&A in full:

Jack Killah: Prabhu, three points, a 3-0 home win, an undefeated start to the season. This has been a good, positive first few weeks for the club.

Prabhu Srinivasan: Exactly what we wanted to see. I would say the 90 minutes on the pitch is exactly what we wanted to see away and at home. All the hard work we did in the summer to get the team right with Billy, and Sahil you’ll get to see him sometime, my son. They do a lot of recruitment together. Exactly what we wanted.”

JK: It feels like, and I said this to Billy pre-season, with the length of contracts being given and the players you’re going after, there’s a vision now for where you and he see the club, and a real trust between you and Billy.

PS: Absolutely. The good thing about Billy is we have open and honest conversations with him and we might have a difference of opinion, but it’s okay, we just sit down and talk it through. Last season things were a little odds and ends, but this season we got a proper spine of the team. The spine was very important to build in the summer. Now we know we have contracts with people who truly believe.

Prabhu Srinivasan. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown

JK: And on the pitch you can see a noticeable difference. From your side of things, when you came in, it was a squad made up of a lot of players from several different managers over last season, now can you see with Billy’s vision the type of football you’re hopefully going to get at Huish Park?

“He’s got a perfect orchestra. That’s what I liked about Billy when I saw him first.”

PS: He’s got a perfect orchestra. That’s what I liked about Billy from when I saw him first, he knows what he wants to do with the team, and he plays forward, front-foot football. That’s all there is to the game.

JK: From a Huish Park perspective, you’ve had two home crowds now, both sounding in good, full voice. You’d obviously love a few more people through through the turnstiles, but are you hopeful that if the football continues to be good, then actually the attendances naturally pick up anyway?

PS: Like I tell all the fans, we’re just custodians of the club. When I talk to the fans, the amount of positive vibes they give us is very heartwarming.

JK: On the Huish Park front, we’ve got the the pitch looks amazing, considering the drought we’ve had here in the UK this summer, it looks incredible. You obviously discussed the future of the stadium multiple times. Are you still optimistic that the stadium will come back under under your umbrella in the near future?

PS: Like I’ve always said, that’s the hope. We have to just prioritise what we need to do right now. First thing we had to do is get the team right. That’s hopefully out of the way. We need to focus on what we need to do for owning the club.

JK: So it’s basically the priority at the moment is on-pitch and then off-pitch?

PS: Fully on the pitch until December.

JK: And then and then hopefully, when you’re top of the league after December, that’ll be a good turn to switch your attention?

​PS: Why not? That’s the hope we all live in.

JK: Behind the scenes, what are the big things that you feel the club are really working on at the moment?

​PS: The one big thing we’ve done is, from an education perspective, we’ve worked with now tied up with Yeovil Town College. We want to make sure the education, both in Somerset and international, comes to the fore.

JK: You’re trying to grow the women’s side of the game and the academy side of it. How key is it from your future vision of where you want this club to be in two, three years that the academy grows and pulls in the best talent from this region?

PS: Very important for us and this is what I’ve done all my life, set up youth academies. Find a pathway for these people to get to the first team is very important for us, and the girls team coming on board is very important for us, too.

Yeovil Town Women celebrate winning the South West Regional Division One South title last season.

JK: I was going to say for the future of women’s football in this neck of the woods, to have a successful Yeovil team like they did a few years ago would be brilliant.

PS: That’s the hope. We have got a really good team now for the girls team. Again, we’re doing what we need to do for that team as well.

​JK: What would make a happy Prabhu come the end of the season?

PS: End of the season, obviously go up to League Two. That’s the hope. But I like to see what I saw today as often as I could.

​JK: Are you enjoying football ownership a bit more now than you were at the start?

PS: Absolutely, because we know we’re now in full control of what’s going on. Llast year was about learning and cleaning up the skeletons in the cupboard, which we’ve done. This is exactly what we wanted to do.

​JK: It feels a long time ago that that loss to Gateshead last August Bank Holiday Monday, doesn’t it?

​PS: I know, it seems like a long time ago. That’s all in the past.

JK: Well, fingers crossed the next few weeks go go go brilliantly. You’re obviously in the UK now for a visit at the moment. What are your priorities while you’re here? What are you trying to to nail down?

PS: Fundamentally, get the performance centre going, the education programme going and be there for Billy on what he wants to do. Nothing else.

JK: Well, hopefully, by the time I see you in maybe a couple of months, we’ll be talking about a promotion push.

PS: That’s the hope we all live on.

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News

Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley hailed captain Luke McCormick as the club’s equivalent to goal-scoring midfielder Frank Lampard after his two goals sealed a first win of the season at Huish Park.

The midfielder, who idolised the legendary Chelsea player when he was coming up in the Stamford Bridge academy, struck twice in the final ten minutes to seal a 3-0 win over Gateshead on Saturday.

The Glovers had taken an early lead through striker Ste Walker after just two minutes and could have added to their tally before the half-time break as they dominated the game.

Speaking about McCormick to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah after the game, Rowley said: “That is what he does, he plays like a second striker for us. When we talk to opposition managers after games they single him out as being a real threat because of his movement. He is constantly looking to find gaps in the opposition back line and no matter what game you are planning, he has a real knack for it. I know his favourite player is Frank Lampard and he is Yeovil’s Frank Lampard, the way he breaks the lines and gets shots away. It was another really good performance for him.”

Luke McCormick celebrates at the final whistle. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Having seen late equalisers at Scunthorpe United on the opening day and in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Carlisle United deny his side at the death, the boss admitted that he was still on the edge of his seat as the game pushed in to the closing stages.

He said: “Because of the events of the past couple of weeks, I was on edge just before we scored our second because I have seen it before in football. We’ve been really dominated, we should be scoring three or four goals but because you don’t, the opposition get one chance and score and your fans are sucking the wind out of you. Luckily it didn’t happen that way, we were really clinical and it finished 3-0 so I was over the moon with the lads. They trained so well during the week, it was something that Macca (captain Luke McCormick) said before the game, it was the best he has seen in training and I agree. The boys are hungry, playing well and deserved three goals.”

The boss added: “Everything was on point for us, in possession we were good, out of possession we were decent as well, set pieces we were really good and both sides of the transition we were decent. My only criticism of the boys at half-time was there are times when we feel games are slightly easy that edge comes out of us in the defensive transitions and two or three players think ‘we will be alright.’ I reminded them of that and we finished on our backs today, worked really hard and overall it was a really good performance all round.

“I am so pleased with all of them as a squad and a group of lads. Even though he is on the bench, Ste Walker was stood up on the bench towards the end there, screaming like a third coach for people to get back in and I love that, it shows a real togetherness and a passion for what we are trying to do.”

In defence, centre half Joe Gubbins was missing through suspension after his red card against Carlisle, with Joy Mukena coming back in to the starting line-up alongside loanee Ben Radcliffe, who has a spell on loan at Gateshead last season. Rowley said he was pleased with his defensive unit as they limited Gateshead to only a handful of opportunities throughout the 90 minutes.

The manager said: “Radders (Ben Radcliffe) has helped with a lot of communication, we missed Gubbs (the suspended Joe Gubbins) today. I would not say any of the guys back there are overly vocal, Joy (Mukena) is probably the best, but their understanding of football is really good. They are working in sync, they move together, so it does not look like they have only played a couple of times together, their personalities and what they have brought to this team has been exceptional.”

He confirmed that Radcliffe had “rolled his ankle” in the first half and needed to come off for Loick Ayina after 66 minutes.

The Glovers will assess the Crawley Town player’s fitness as they prepare for an August Bank Holiday weekend double header which sees them travel to Barrow next Friday followed by a home match with Tamworth just 72 hours later.

Rowley said: “It is going to be a really tricky game for us on Friday (at Barrow) and then we travel back here on Monday (to face Tamworth) which is going to be a quick turnaround. So Glen (Shephard, the Head of Sports Science) and the staff are going to have to be really on point with our recovery and team selection. We are going to have treat both games as one and have an eye on recovery times and that kind of thing. We feel a bit of relief having won a game after the last couple of weeks, so we will start planning for Barrow tomorrow and see how we go.“

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News

Yeovil Town goal hero Luke McCormick was delighted to get his first goals of the season and see the side keep a clean sheet with a 3-0 home win over Gateshead at Huish Park on Saturday.

The captain netted the Glovers’ second with nine minutes of the lunchtime kick-off remaining and then rounded off a dominant performance with a third as the game went in to second half stoppage time.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah after the game, he said: “I think we we deserved it today. I thought we we played really well from minute one and then to score three goals at home and keep our first clean sheet is fantastic. At half-time, we were saying he needed more of the same stuff but maybe to go for the throat a bit more, but I just said to the boys in (the dressing room), when you haven’t had lots of opportunities and been into the the final third as much as we did in the first two games it was almost like ‘Oh my goodness, we’re here, and we’re here quite a lot.’ I think the more the more we keep playing like that and the more comfortable we get with having the ball in the final third, we’re only going to score more goals.”

The midfielder played the full 90 minutes and was full of praise for his team-mates including the quality of performances from those who came off the bench.

He added: “The boys today really put a shift in and the substitutes were bench incredible. We haven’t always had that since I have been here and when we make a chance the level and the quality doesn’t drop, if anything, it goes up.”

Charlie Lennon. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Debutant Charlie Lennon was singled out for praise as one of the brightest sparks in his first Yeovil appearance having joined on loan from Barnsley. The 20-year-old impressed down the left wing in the first hour against Gateshead before he replaced by Mason Obeng.

McCormick said: “He’s a character and he’s a lovely geezer, I get on really well with Chaz. He’s been brilliant, he’s slotted right into the group as have all the boys. The work that the Gaffer asks the the the wide players to do, out of possession is tough and they’re not always going to score the goals and set the goals up, but they’re the unsung heroes of the team at the minute.”

The first win of the season was also the Glovers’ first clean sheet of the season and McCormick had praise for goalkeeper Jos Barker, who has not looked out of place having filled the sizeable gloves of last season’s Player of the Year, Jed Ward.

The captain said: “Jos has been incredible, filling the boots of the keeper we had last year was always going to be toughand I think he’s slotted in seamlessly. He gives probably a different profile than Jed [Ward] did, but he’s been incredible and I’m really pleased for him with a clean sheet. Obviously having players like Joy [Mukena] that can step in when when Joe Gubbins has been suspended is just is brilliant.”

Jos Barker. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Fans watching or listening in may have heard some…shenanigans going on between McCormick and former Glover Kyle Ferguson, a bit of back and forth that will be dealt with by way of a good old fashioned cuddle.

The Glovers’ skipper laughed off any suggestion of a problem his former team-mate: “Fergie’s a really good friend of mine. He’s a top bloke, he plays the game on the edge, similar to me, but in a different way. He caught me and I caught him and that was it. We hugged it out, and I’ll catch up with him after.”

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News, Match Reports

A second half double from captain Luke McCormick saw Yeovil Town pick up their first win of the season with a dominant performance against Gateshead at Huish Park.

The Glovers made a fast start and took the lead after less than just two minutes when striker Ste Walker coolly slotted home and should have been further in front at half-time having created multiple openings to add to the scoreline.

Having continued to control proceedings after the break, McCormick doubled the advantage when he latched on to a through ball from substitute Slavi Spasov to fire home with nine minutes remaining and wrapped it up with a second late on.

First half

The team news saw Yeovil boss Billy Rowley make two changes. The first was enforced with Joy Mukena coming in for the suspended Joe Gubbins whilst Barnsley loanee Charlie Lennon came in on the wing with Mason Obeng dropping to the substitutes’ bench.

In his pre-match remarks, Rowley said his side wanted a fast start and they got it. Great play down the right side saw Ryan Jones’ touch release Archie Davies down the wing, he laid it back to Ste WALKER who placed it coolly past the Gateshead keeper. As he showed last weekend against Carlisle, he is clinical in those positions.

Who gets a feeling we’re going to see a lot of Ste Walker doing this in front of the Thatcher’s? Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Less than two minutes later, a charge forward from Lennon down the left saw him pick out Jones who moved just inside the area and unleashed a shot which was straight in the midriff of Gateshead keeper Peter Jameson.

Looking so sharp, knocking the ball around quickly in midfield with the Jones-Davies combination down the right side looking dangerous every time they get on the ball. Luke McCormick seems to have a free role in the midfield, he is dropping deeper and then looking to make things happen at the top end of the pitch as well.

In the 23rd minute, Gateshead had a good chance to level when Michael Spellman’s ball found Luke Supyk with a free header, but luckily the visiting frontman’s effort was soft and Jos Barker made an easy save. Two minutes later, good play between Lennon and McCormick saw the latter pick out Jones on the far post, he tried to place a shot between Jameson’s legs but the keeper got enough on it to deny him.

With 32 minutes, more terrific play with Jones skipping in from the right side, he picked out Lennon bursting in to the box from the left and his ball went straight across the face of goal. Seconds later, Lennon picked the ball up inside his own half and left his defender in his wake, he clipped it in to the box but only found a Gateshead head and the ball dropped to Jones whose venomous shot rattled against the underside of the bar and away. Unbelieveable running from Lennon, Jones’ first touch was superb and so unlucky not to double the advantage.

Barnsley loanee Charlie Lennon showed his value during his 60 minutes on the pitch. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

This swift attacking football is a pleasure to watch but if there was a criticism of Yeovil it would be that we are not more than one ahead. Archie Davies was the next to have a go after another great forward charge down the right, he unleashed a shot which Jameson did well to get down and turn away for a corner.

Two minutes before the break, referee Richard Aspinall penalised Jameson for taking too long over his goal kick and awarded Yeovil a corner under new rules brought in this season. The resulting corner almost picked out Walker at the back post but former Glovers’ loanee Jack Robinson was there and got just enough on it to put the striker off.

It should be more than one at the break, but we were 3-0 up against Gateshead around this time last season – and no-one needs reminding how that worked out.

Half-time: Yeovil Town 1 Gateshead 0

Second half

Gateshead made two changes at half-time with David Egyuaibor and Fenton John coming on. No changes for Yeovil.

There were two glorious openings with seven minutes of the second half gone. First it was more great running from Lennon bursting in to the box and Gateshead did well to get it away for a corner from which McCornmick’s effort was well saved by Jameson, the ball pinged around inside the area and a ball to the back post dropped to Ben Radcliffe at the back post but his effort was over the bar.

A great run from Zain Westbrooke saw him find Lennon on the left side of the box, but the Barnsley loanee’s effort was weak and easily held by Jameson.

Just before the hour mark, Gateshead manager Lee Cattermole made another double change with Billy Chadwick and Josh Anifowose coming on.For Yeovil, Mason Obeng replaced the impressive Lennon, who has put in a shift and shown what he is all about. Minutes later, a mistake from Alex Lankshear saw Walker bearing down on goal, but the striker tried to take it on himself with McCormick tearing past him ready to go through on goal.

The summer signing has looked less lively in the opening 15 minutes of this half and it was no surprise when he was replaced by Slavi Spasov. More worrying was an injury for Radcliffe who went down off the ball and was replaced by Loick Ayina.

Huish Park is quieter in this half, probably due in part to the fact we are attacking the away end in this second half, but also maybe more than a little to do with memories of the late equalisers in the previous two games. Gateshead have slowed the game down and it took until 75 minutes for the next opening. A great ball forward from Brett McGavin picked out Jones down the right, he flashed a ball across the face of goal where Spasov was arriving, but the striker could not get anything on it.

On 77 minutes, there was a coming together between McCormick and his former team-mate Kyle Ferguson. The defender body-checked the Yeovil captain with absolutely no eyes on the ball. Luckily for the Scostman, neither referee Richard Aspinall or his assistants saw it.

Then with ten minutes of the game left, it was 2-0 to Yeovil. Spasov moved forward in midfield, played it through to Luke McCORMICK and the skipper coolly slid it past Jameson with Ferguson watching on. Fergie, what’s the score?!

Luke McCormick tussles with ex-Glover Kyle Ferguson – not for the first or last time. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The feud between McCormick and Ferguson continued to bubble and with five minutes remaining, McCormick picked up a booking for a hefty tackle on the defender. Ferguson definitely raised his hands to his former team-mate in the aftermath, but it is only one yellow card shown by the referee. Perhaps sensibly, Ferguson was substituted soon after.

Then, to rub salt in to the wounds, Luke McCORMICK added his second with a minute of normal time gone. Yeovil pressed the visitors to go back and Gateshead captain David Ferguson stumbled on the ball just enough to allow his opposing skipper to steal the ball off him and fire his second across Jameson.

Full time: Yeovil Town 3 Gateshead 0

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 22nd August, 12.30pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Ste Walker 2 (1-0), Luke McCormick 81 (2-0), Luke McCormick 90 (3-0)

Pitch: Pitch perfect
Conditions: Glorious summer’s afternoon

Attendance: 2,789 (49 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Ben Radcliffe 39, Mason Obeng 68, Luke McCormick 85
Gateshead: Jack Robinson 5, Alex Lankshear 55, Michael Spellman, Kyle Ferguson 83

Referee: Richard Aspinall

Yeovil Town

Substitutes: Mason Obeng (for Charlie Lennon, 59), Loick Ayina (for Ben Radcliffe, 65), Slavi Spasov (for Ste Walker, 65), Johl Powell (for Ryan Jones, 82), Hayden Muller (for Brett McGavin, 82), Jack Kingdon (not used) Matt Gould (not used).

Gateshead: Peter Jameson, Alex Lankshear, David Ferguson, Kyle Ferguson, Jack Robinson (for Fenton John, 46), Josh Home, Keon Lewis-Burgess (for Josh Anifowose, 60), Harry Chapman (for David Egyuaibor, 46), Michael Spellman, Luke Supyk (for Billy Chadwick, 59), Ashley Boatswain.

Substitutes (not used): Dan Cameron, Tom Lavery, Sam Bowen.

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News

Defender Joy Mukena and winger Charlie Lennon are both in Yeovil Town’s starting XI for the lunchtime kick-off against Gateshead at Huish Park (12.30pm kick-off).

Mukena, who appeared as a substitute in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Carlisle United, replaces the suspended Joe Gubbins in the back line, whilst Barnsley loanee Lennon comes in for Mason Obeng, who drops to the bench.

There is no James Daly in the squad after he suffered a gash on the top of his foot in the dying seconds of the game against Carlisle. But the Glovers are otherwise unchanged from last Saturday with Stephen Walker, who got his first goal for his new club against Carlisle, leading the line.

For the visitors, defender Kyle Ferguson, who was on the books at Huish Park last season, starts in defence alongside Jack Robinson, who had a loan spell with Yeovil whilst a Middlesbrough player in the 2021/22 season.

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News, Foot In The Opposition Camp, Podcasts

Welcome back to another Mini Matchday Edition of The Gloverscast! With a grueling lunchtime kickoff looming this Saturday, we’re getting the inside track on our upcoming opponents, Gateshead FC, straight from the foot in the opposition camp.

To help us make sense of the Heed’s incredibly chaotic summer, we are joined by Dave from the Heed Army Podcast. From boardroom drama to massive squad turnover, Dave walks us through a rollercoaster offseason and breaks down exactly what Yeovil Town can expect to see on the pitch.

  • A Summer of Upheaval: Dave details the off-pitch turbulence at Gateshead, including delayed takeovers, severe budget constraints, and the managerial carousel that left fans reeling.
  • The Mass Exodus: A candid look at the departure of key players and backroom staff, plus the lingering frustrations of missing out on major summer transfer targets.
  • Fresh Faces: An introduction to the new, young talent brought in to patch the squad, featuring names like Jack Robinson, Kyle Ferguson, and loanee Tom Lavery.
  • Tactical Breakdown: Despite the chaos, find out why Gateshead is still committed to a regimented, possession-heavy shape and a squad willing to run through brick walls.
  • Match Expectations: Dave gives a realistic, if slightly pessimistic, prediction of how the Heed might fare against the Glovers after a brutal 700-mile round trip.

Whether you’re braving the early start or following along from home, this episode gives you everything you need to know about the opposition before the referee blows the whistle.

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News, Match Previews

Saturday lunchtime football is back with a Gateshead side who have a 700-mile round trip to Somerset to contend with the visitors to Huish Park this weekend.

FORM…

YEOVIL TOWN

The Glovers have been in good nick to start the season. Two games against very good opposition which includes the title favourites, has given fans something to talk about and the potential this squad has against similar opponents to themselves. 

In a the first game back to Huish Park it looked to be all rosey as Yeovil took the lead through Stephen Walker. The game got a lot harder for the when defender Joe Gubbins was given a second yellow, and the Glovers couldn’t hang on once again in stoppage time when Harvey Bunker equalised in the sixth minute of added on time. The game finished 1-1.

Now I’m not one to dismiss the obvious parallels of Yeovil’s first two games, with two late goals being conceded. And of course we can look at it and talk about how we could be on six points instead of two, but we would also have bitten someone’s hand off if we had been offered two points after two games against opponents who dominated us last season. 

What has really impressed is the style of football that has been implemented, and if that continues this team will only become more dangerous. 

GATESHEAD

The story of Gateshead’s summer is very similar to that of our last opponents, Carlisle United, at Huish Park. The Tynesiders got the rough end of that stick with manager Rob Elliot leaving in the summer and taking his entire backroom staff and the heart of the defensive unit with him to Cumbria.

His replacement in the manager’s office is former Sunderland tough-tackling midfielder Lee Cattermole and results in their opening fixtures have not been too disastrous considering the upheaval. An opening day defeat at Eastleigh was followed by a 2-0 home win over managerless Woking last weekend – with ex-Glover Kyle Ferguson on the team-sheet – and then a 1-1 draw with an impressive Nottingham Forest Under-21s side in the National League Cup on Tuesday night.

In terms of style, there’s a bit less of the risk-taking of playing out from the defence which was a hallmark of Elliot’s reign which ended with a miraculous escape from relegation last season, and an injection of the steel which personified Cattermole as a player.

With so many outgoings at the International Stadium, the new manager has had to work quickly to get bodies in the door this summer. Winger Michael Spellman, formerly of Sunderland’s academy, is one who impressed against Woking last weekend. He made 40 appearances for Newport County in League Two last season.

KEY PLAYERS…

YEOVIL TOWN – STEPHEN WALKER

With the start of a new season, come getting to know new players and Stephen Walker is one of them. The forward came with a reputation of scoring goals and that’s what the Glovers have missed since Rhys Murphy’s first stint. 

Not to put any pressure on Walker but that’s the sort of striker he needs to follow if Yeovil have any chance of making the playoffs, and after last week’s showing he looks more than capable. It was in the 1-1 draw with Carlisle, that the former Crewe man showed what he can do, as he latched onto a Ryan Jones through ball and converted comfortably. Now that might not seem a lot to most, but to a Yeovil fan it’s like seeing rain for the first time after a two month drought.

Stephen Walker celebrates his opener for Yeovil Town
Stephen Walker celebrates his opener. Picture courtesy of Jayden Tate/Tate’s Photography.

GATESHEAD – ALEX LANKSHEAR

With last seasons defence being ripped apart, Gateshead needed to reinforce the backline, and they have done more than reinforce it with Lankshear. A product of the Arsenal academy, the left-back has made a big impact since going the side from Boston United. Not only did he score last time out, but more importantly for a defender he kept a clean sheet. Now that might not be amazing to some but he did all that on his debut.

In all aspects, the 23-year-old performed well, from his defensive duties, winning all his aerial duals, to the more attacking side of the game with 67% accuracy on his crosses. The Glovers will certainly have their work cut out keeping him quiet at both ends of the pitch. But if they can handle him, they may stand a chance of getting something out of the game.

THE GAFFER…

Gateshead’s new coach Lee Cattermole will be no stranger to watchers of the Premier League over the past 20 years. One of the most robust of defensive midfielders, he started his career at Middlesbrough but is best known for his time at Sunderland where he made more than 200 appearances.

This is his first frontline managerial role having had a spell coaching the Under-18s at Middlesbrough and then a very brief spell on the coaching staff at Bristol Rovers at the end of 2024. He joined under Matt Taylor who was sacked by The Gas four days later with Cattermole and fellow coach David Horseman given the caretaker managerial role, but he left the club before he had the chance to take charge of a match with Indigo Calderon being appointed.

His initial comments suggest Cattermole is keen to build on the foundations left at the International Stadium by Rob Elliot, but expect there to be an added feisty-ness to his side – and on the touchline.

LAST TIME WE MET…

How can we forget the last time these two sides faced each other at Huish Park. Bank Holiday Monday last August and Mark Cooper’s Glovers found themselves 3-0 up at half-time and seemingly cruising, but when the visitors’ Kyle Hurst pulled one back a minute in to the second half, there was a sense of dread among Yeovil fans. The capitulation in the second half was the stuff of nightmares with Gateshead coming back to win 4-3 deep in to second half injury time.

Josh Sims celebrates his goal at Huish Park.
It all started so well last August, Josh Sims celebrates Yeovil’s opener against Gateshead. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

The return fixture on Tyneside back in March also ended in defeat with the Glovers on the wrong end of a 2-1 final scoreline. Second half goals from Gateshead’s Keaton Ward and Yeovil old boy Mark Beck did the damage that day.

DON’T I KNOW YOU?

There is likely to be two faces in the Gateshead defence on Saturday who are likely to be remembered  by Yeovil supporters. Central defender Kyle Ferguson made 34 appearances for the Glovers last season before being one of a number released from Huish Park in the summer. The Scotsman warmed up for his return to Somerset with the second goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Woking. Don’t say it.

Don’t even think it… Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

The other ex-Glover in the visitors’ squad may be less well known. Jack Robinson made 19 appearances during a loan spell at Huish Park in the 2021/22 season whilst still in the Middlesbrough academy. He has since turned up at both Carlisle United and Hartlepool United before missing the whole of last season through injury. The 25-year-old turned up at Gateshead in pre-season and earned a one-year contract having impressed on trial.

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE…

Richard Aspinall will be taking charge of the lunchtime kick-off in Somerset this weekend. He has some interesting connections with our opponents, check out Ben’s article – here.