Yeovil Town have named an unchanged starting XI for today’s trip to Wealdstone (3pm kick-off).
New signing striker Owen Dean is named on the substitutes’ bench in place of Zain Westbrooke, who is not in the squad.
“You’ve got no fans!” was the cry from one famous Wealdstone supporter, but in fact we have some very helpful and lovely Wealdstone fans to come on and chat about Gary Waddock’s side.
Leo Werin, part of the Stonescast team joins Dave to chat about this afternoon’s game.
Yeovil Town winger Ryan Jones has signed a contract extension which will see him remain at Huish Park until the summer of 2029.
The 24-year-old arrived for a reported five-figure sum from Aldershot Town in January and was a bright spark in an otherwise forgettable end to the 2025-26 season, and he has been in scintillating form this season with three goals and five assists in his first 12 matches.
Jones initially signed on a deal until the summer of 2028 and one assumes that this one-year extension is designed to ward off interest from other clubs after his start to the new campaign.
In a statement, Jones said: “I’m delighted to have signed an extension. It feels like I’ve found a home at this club and I’m so happy to commit my future here.
”I’m excited to see what the future holds and I’m confident we can build something special together.”
The club made on its social media channels on Friday night adding: “The new deal reflects the club’s confidence in Jones and its commitment to retaining key players for the future, ensuring he remains part of the Glovers’ plans until 2029.”
Bath-born Jones began his career in the academy at Bristol Rovers before having spells at Bromley and then Aldershot where he was part of the side which won the FA Trophy in 2025.
On the road again, this time to the outskirts of the capital as Yeovil take on Wealdstone on Saturday afternoon.
The Glovers’ form has them among the best in the league, with three wins and two draws from their last five fixtures. And it could be a case of missing those home comforts for the Somerset side, after dismantling Boston United 6-0 in their most recent outing.
It’s a far cry from where we were this time last year, when we were in the midst of searching for our fourth manager just two months into the campaign. This term, however, things are settled, and there is blue sky above Huish Park.
The football being played is second to none. The whole team seems to be chipping in with goals, while the defence has looked extremely solid, having gone three games without conceding.
Long may this continue for the Glovers.
Wealdstone have had a difficult start to the new season punctuated by some impressive results in their opening 12 matches including a 2-0 win at Sutton United on August Bank Holiday Monday and taking a point off both Carlisle United and Forest Green Rovers.
The Jekyll & Hyde start followed a dysfunctional summer which saw key players defender Deon Woodman (Bromley), midfielder Nathan Tshikuna (Tamworth) and winger Dominic Hutchinson (Worthing) all departing in the summer, whilst many new arrivals did not arrive until much closer to the start of the new season. In the Stones’ final pre-season friendly of the summer, they fielded seven trialists.
This was compounded by injuries to a number of key players notably defender Mason Barrett who suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in the 1-1 draw with Forest Green Rovers ten days ago. The 27-year-old had been an almost ever-present for Wealdstone this season, but is expected to be missing for the rest of the season.
Having picked up just two wins in their first nine games, the Stones’ form has picked up a little in recent matches with a 4-0 home win over struggling Gateshead in their last outing at Grosvenor Vale, followed by the draw at Forest Green and then a defeat at Barrow in their last outing. However, that loss in Cumbria came courtesy of a winner deep in second half stoppage time last Saturday.
The young goalkeeper has been unstoppable over the last three games. His defence has certainly played its part in securing three consecutive clean sheets, but ultimately, the buck stops with the keeper. When you concede too many goals, it’s the goalkeeper who often gets the pelters from the fans, so it’s only fair that they get praise when the clean sheets start coming.
To go three games without conceding is some feat, and it has built a foundation of trust throughout the team. The midfielders and forwards can go out and express themselves knowing they can rely on their teammates at the back to do a job. Equally, the defenders know they can have a tough afternoon and still have the reassurance that Jos Barker will more than likely be there to bail them out.
He’s a real presence in the area, gets down quickly and is a very good shot-stopper. What more could you want from your number one?
Former Yeovil loanee striker Olufela Olomola has been one of the few Stones’ players who has had a relatively fruitful start to the new season.
The 29-year-old, who has had three spells on loan at Huish Park, returned to Wealdstone last season having had a spell in the Football League at Bromley and managed just six goals in 38 appearances, but has already got four in his first 12 appearances this season.
At 64 years old, Gary Waddock has seen most things in football. As a player, he made more than 500 appearances in the Football League, predominantly for QPR at the start of his career and Luton towards the end.
As a manager, he has seen just as much. His career in management began at the same place as his playing career, Loftus Road, although he didn’t see out the 2005/06 season.
A two-year spell at Aldershot followed, before a three-year stint at Wycombe from 2009 to 2012. Since then, the former Republic of Ireland international has bounced around Oxford, Portsmouth and Aldershot, before finishing his time in management as caretaker boss of Southend in 2019.
A seven-year break from management followed before Waddock took up the Wealdstone job earlier this year.
Across the 11 times the two sides have met, the record is remarkably even, with both clubs winning three times and the remaining four games ending in draws.
The last time the two sides locked horns, back in March, the Glovers came away with a 0-2 victory at Grosvenor Vale.
On an early spring afternoon, it was Terrell Works who opened the scoring in the 38th minute. James Daly then doubled Yeovil’s advantage shortly after the break, securing all three points and sending them back to Somerset.
There’s only one player in the opposition ranks that travelling fans will recognise this week, and that comes in the shape of forward Olufela Olomola.
The 29-year-old had three spells at Huish Park, with his most recent coming on loan from Hartlepool during the 2021/22 season. He also featured during the 2018/19 campaign, again on loan, this time from Scunthorpe United. His first spell with the Glovers came in 2017/18, when he joined on loan from Southampton.
Across his three spells, Olomola made 57 appearances for Yeovil, finding the net 11 times.
Callum Jones is our match official for this one and you can find out more about him Ben’s article – here.
Farnham Town chairman Harry Hugo has said that Yeovil Town’s new striker Owen Dean has the potential to play in the Football League.
The entrepreneur who has been instrumental in the Surrey side’s rise up the footballing ranks knows the frontman better than most having seen him score goals during that ascent to the National League South.
That form earned him a move to Yeovil in a deal which was completed ahead of last weekend’s 6-0 home win over Boston United and the 22-year-old is expected to be in the Glovers’ squad for the trip to Wealdstone on Saturday.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Gloverscast, he said: “Owen is not your average number nine who is lazy until the ball comes into his area, he’s just not that player. He works his socks off, he’s incredibly physical despite his relatively small stature. He’s not a big, tall target man, but he’s brilliant in the air, great in the tackle, brilliant in duels and great at dribbling.
“The question mark over Owen is what full-time training will do for him. What lever does that pull? If he’s as good as he is now playing part-time, having trained just once a week until this season and twice a week this season, what happens when he’s training four or five times a week at Yeovil? Does that pull another lever?
“He’s got all the attributes you could want from a forward in the Football League.”
In August, an Asset of Community Value (ACV) registration covering Huish Park and surrounding land registered by the Glovers Trust expired.
You might remember the Trust activated this in January 2021 when former owner <NAME REDACTED> set wheels in motion to sell the stadium and surrounding land to South Somerset District Council (now Somerset Council).
That gave the Trust six months to make a counter offer – or find someone else who wanted to make one – and you may recall worked with a consortium, Simul Sports, led by former Cardiff City commercial director Julian Jenkins and backed by Canva Chief Financial Officer Damien Singh, in a deal which collapsed in May 2022. Cue the sale of the stadium to the council, an ultimately failed ‘stewardship’ by a consortium led by Matt Uggla, and the eventual takeover by local businessman Martin Hellier with the club on the brink of administration. In short, cue chaos.
Following the expiry of the Trust’s ACV, we at Gloverscast felt it was important it was reinstated and our status as a Community Interest Company gives us the ability to apply to register for one to run for the next five years. This week, Somerset Council has confirmed to us that our application has been successful.
An ACV means that if the owner of Huish Park or surrounding land – which today is Somerset Council – intends to sell the properties then the community have an opportunity to express an interest in being treated as a potential bidder. This does not mean the property owner is obliged to accept any offer from the community, but the community will have the opportunity to delay any sale proceedings by six months to prepare a counter offer.
In this instance, it is the Gloverscast CIC which is the registered party which would represent ‘the community’ – that’s all of us, Yeovil Town supporters – just as the Trust did back in 2021.
The club’s owners, Inflection Holdings which is headed by club chairman Prabhu Srinivasan and his family, has made its ambition to buy Huish Park and surrounding land back from Somerset Council clear, and we at Gloverscast believe reuniting the club with the stadium and land it calls home is of huge importance.
In September 2025, Somerset Council confirm the owners had extended its exclusivity period to buy back Huish Park until 17 May 2028.
This registration has not been made because the Gloverscast believes that Somerset Council has any imminent intention to sell the land. Indeed, its agreement of an exclusivity period with the club’s owners would seemingly prevent it from doing so.
This registration also does not mean that the Gloverscast believes the club’s owners have any intentions of doing anything which would not be in the best interests of the football club. To the contrary, we have no reason to doubt the public statements which they have made about any deal being for the benefit of the club.
However, as supporters of this club will know only too well, ensuring that we have even a small amount of protection and influence over any sale of Huish Park or surrounding land is critical. It is for this reason we have taken the action to reinstate Huish Park as an Asset of Community Value.
P.S. If you are interested in the long, murky history of how we got to this stage in the first place – check out our blog post from September 2021 – HERE.
After a quiet week at Huish Park, we return to preview the trip to Wealdstone.
Dave, Chris and Ben chat about our away day on Saturday as well as the FA Cup draw.
But we kick off the episode with a chat with Harry Hugo, Chairman of Farnham Town – he talks of his relationship with Billy Rowley and gives Glovers fans a chance to feel excited about new signing Owen Dean.
Firstly, thank you! A new record was set for the season with 175 votes cast for a Man of the Match. The second highest for a single game since we started doing these.
What’s more, how good is it to see a wagon wheel with quite so many large segments? Last season it was more often than not a Jed Ward shaped circle!
Johl Powell ended up claiming top spot with just over a quarter of the votes, with Jordan Norville-Williams and Ryan Jones on the podium.
A word for Brett McGavin who’s large pink segment, was only good enough for fourth!
Also, more than 100 of you gave the performance a perfect SEVEN OUT OF SEVEN!! Wow!
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESPONSES | 1ST (Votes / Percent) | 2ND (Votes / Percent) | 3RD (Votes / Percent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUGUST | |||||
| 08.08.26 | Scunthorpe | 130 | JORDAN NORVILLE-WILLIAMS (91 / 70%) | Mason Obeng (16 / 12.3%) | Jos Barker (12 / 9.2%) |
| 15.08.26 | Carlisle United | 152 | JOS BARKER (71 / 46.7%) | Jordan Norville-Williams (34 / 22.4%) | Zain Westbrooke (14 / 9.2%) |
| 22.08.26 | Gateshead | 168 | RYAN JONES (57 / 33.9%) | Luke McCormick (42 / 25%) | Archie Davies (24 / 14.3%) |
| 28.08.26 | Barrow | 174 | JOS BARKER (114 / 65.1%) | Jordan Norville-Williams (35 / 20%) | Luke McCormick (10 / 5.7%) |
| 31.08.26 | Tamworth | 156 | BRETT MCGAVIN (87 / 55.8%) | Luke McCormick (24 / 15.4%) | Jos Barker (10 / 6.4%) |
| AUGUST PLAYER OF THE MONTH | 780 VOTES | 🥇 JOS BARKER (8 PTS, 2 MOTM) | 🥈 JORDAN NORVILLE WILLIAMS (7 PTS, 1 MOTM) | 🥉 LUKE MCCORMICK (5 PTS, 0 MOTM) |
|
| SEPTEMBER | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| 05.09.26 | Southend United | 47 | JOS BARKER (12 / 25.5%) | Archie Davies (10 / 21.3%) | Luke McCormick (8 / 17%) |
| 12.09.26 | AFC Fylde | 88 | RYAN JONES (47 / 53.4%) | Luke McCormick (13 / 14.8%) | Archie Davies (10 / 11.4%) |
| 15.09.26 | Aldershot | 110 | RYAN JONES (49 / 44.5%) | Archie Davies (17 / 15.5%) | James Daly (13 / 11.8%) |
| 18.09.26 | Solihull Moors | 127 | RYAN JONES (52 / 40.9%) | Zain Westbrooke (18 / 14.2%) | James Daly (16 / 12.6%) |
| 26.09.26 | Kidderminster Harriers | 157 | JOS BARKER (80 / 51%) | Ryan Jones (17 / 10.8%) | Johl Powell (15 / 9.6%) |
| 29.09.26 | Worthing | 112 | BRETT MCGAVIN (38 / 33.9%) | Ryan Jones (35 / 31.3%) | Jordan Norville-Williams (21 / 18.8%) |
| SEPTEMBER PLAYER OF THE MONTH | 641 VOTES | 🥇 RYAN JONES (13 PTS, 3 MOTM) | 🥈 JOS BARKER (6 PTS, 2 MOTM) | 🥉 ARCHIE DAVIES (5 PTS, 0 MOTM) |
|
| OCTOBER | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| 03.10.26 | Boston Utd | 175 | JOHL POWELL (47 / 26.9%) | Jordan Norville-Williams (37 / 21.1%) | Ryan Jones (29 / 16.6%) |
| 10.10.26 | Wealdstone | 150 | BRETT MCGAVIN (136 / 90.7%) | Jack Kingdon (6 / 4%) | Johl Powell (3 / 2%) |
| 24.10.26 | Altrincham | ||||
| 27.10.26 | Hornchurch | ||||
| 31.10.26 | FC Halifax Town | ||||
| NOVEMBER | |||||
| 14.11.26 | Boreham Wood | ||||
| 21.11.26 | Forest Green Rovers | ||||
| 24.11.26 | Eastleigh | ||||
| 28.11.26 | Harrogate Town | ||||
| DECEMBER | |||||
| 05.12.26 | Hartlepool United | ||||
| 09.12.26 | Wealdstone | ||||
| 19.12.26 | Boston United | ||||
| 26.12.26 | Sutton United | ||||
| 28.12.26 | Woking | ||||
| JANUARY | |||||
| 02.01.27 | Altrincham | ||||
| 09.01.27 | Hornchurch | ||||
| 16.01.27 | |||||
| 23.01.27 | Carlisle United | ||||
| 26.01.27 | Eastleigh | ||||
| 30.01.27 | Scunthorpe United | ||||
| FEBRUARY | |||||
| 06.02.27 | Forest Green Rovers | ||||
| 13.02.27 | Kidderminster Harriers | ||||
| 17.02.27 | Worthing | ||||
| 20.02.27 | Solihull Moors | ||||
| 23.02.27 | Aldershot | ||||
| 27.02.27 | Gateshead | ||||
| MARCH | |||||
| 06.03.27 | Barrow | ||||
| 09.03.27 | Tamworth | ||||
| 13.03.27 | Southend United | ||||
| 20.03.27 | AFC Fylde | ||||
| 26.03.27 | Woking | ||||
| 29.03.27 | Sutton United | ||||
| APRIL | |||||
| 03.04.27 | FC Halifax Town | ||||
| 10.04.27 | Boreham Wood | ||||
| 17.04.27 | Hartlepool United | ||||
| 24.04.27 | Harrogate Town | ||||
Tickets for Yeovil Town’s FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie at Leatherhead will go on sale tomorrow (Friday 9th October) at 5pm.
We have been allocated 300 tickets for the trip to the Isthmian League Premier Division on Saturday 17th October and initially they will be available only to Yeovil Town season ticket holders.
Each season ticket holder can purchase a maximum of two tickets per season ticket.
Ticket prices for the tie are:
Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley says his squad returned to training in high spirits this week following a scheduled break, as the Glovers prepare for Saturday’s National League fixture away at Wealdstone.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah, Rowley reflected positively on the atmosphere in camp after granting the players time off following their previous outing.
“Yeah, it’s been really good,” Rowley said. “[We] had a good meeting this morning with the boys. It was good to see them after a couple of days off. Really positive training session today with, obviously, one eye on Saturday.”
Asked whether recent performances were helping the Glovers reach their potential peak, Rowley highlighted the naturally decisive nature of key moments in matches. “Football’s just such a moments game, and there are certain spells in games,” he noted. “I think we’ve probably been better than we were on Saturday, we just probably weren’t as ruthless. I think everything clicked from a finishing perspective—if you think about JD’s goal, it’s an unbelievable strike from 20 yards on the angle. Sometimes they fall for you, sometimes they don’t. In terms of our finishing positions and quality in the final third, Saturday was exceptional, but all of our build-up and control is looking that way most weeks.”
Addressing individual player form after being asked about the impact of the likes of Jack Kingdon and Brett McGavin vs Boston, Rowley praised the overall squad effort while acknowledging significant development in team chemistry.
“I could probably stand here for 10 minutes and talk about a lot of individuals,” Rowley said.
“Their attitude and application in training recently has been excellent. I feel like there are more and more penny-dropping moments happening within the team, within certain relationships, timings, and movements. For us as staff, it’s about trying to prepare for every game as best as we can, creating different scenarios for the boys throughout the week so they feel as comfortable as possible on a Saturday.”
Turning his attention to Saturday’s opponents, 19th-placed Wealdstone, Rowley insisted the Glovers will not underestimate the host side despite their inconsistent league form “They’ve got some good players and they have some really good moments in their team,” he explained. “At their place, they’re traditionally quite strong. I know we had a good result there when we were hanging on late last season with 10 players, so I’m sure they’ll be looking to right that wrong. But for us, we approach that game in a really confident place, very much looking forward to it, and hopefully we can go there, be a good version of us, and get a good result.”
Rowley also offered a squad fitness update; Zain Westbrooke is being monitored for a minor calf strain and was described as ‘touch and go’.
Long-term absentees Joe Haigh and Joy Mukena are also progressing well in their rehabilitation and could both be ahead of their original schedule.
Meanwhile, following the FA Cup fourth qualifying round draw which paired Yeovil with Leatherhead, Rowley acknowledged the fixture will present a stern test.
“It’s a club I know well, probably 15 or 20 minutes from my part of the world,” Rowley said. “A difficult place to go, but a nice club that has had a lot of success in the past year or two. Whenever you go away from home against a team in the league below, they’re going to give 110%, but we will go there trying to win.”
Billy Rowley clarified the ongoing situation involving midfielder Luke McCormick following a recent club statement.
“Nothing’s changed from my end… I’m not going to stand here and air people’s laundry on camera; it’s not my place to do that. Luke’s never asked to leave the club. It was a disciplinary problem within in-house, which I’ve dealt with, and that’s all it is.”
