Welcome to Yeovil, Jay Foulston!
There’s a new Glover in town, Jay Foulston has followed Jake Wannell from Taunton to Yeovil and it’s an exciting signing, Callum Hallett has taken a deep dive into the new man in town… here’s what we can expect!
In this analysis I will be explaining who Jay Foulston is and what sort of player he is using, prior knowledge as well as getting a point of view from @Jaakecruump, who has watched many of the Welshman’s games over the last few years! Finally I will be using stats from the brilliant @Hoopsss to backup my points to give people a clear understanding of what type of player Yeovil have signed.
Enjoy the read! It’s a lot of words!
We are delighted to announce the signing of Jay Foulston on loan from Taunton Town until the end of the season. ✍? https://t.co/AIrlprZe1f#YTFC ? pic.twitter.com/6rBwnyWDGp
— Yeovil Town F.C. (@YTFC) December 15, 2023
What sort of player is Jay Foulston?
Foulston is a player Yeovil have been crying out for in the last couple of weeks. A versatile, left footed defender who can play at left wingback in a 5, left back in a 4 or even left side of central defence in a 3 or 4! His quality both on and off the ball at such a young age (23) is why this is such a brilliant signing for Mark Cooper and his Yeovil side. This is vital for a manager like Cooper as we know he is always changing his formation game by game and even in games as well!
I spoke to former Taunton Town media assistant Jake Crump to get an opinion on the Glovers’ new signing from the eyes of someone who would’ve seen the talented defender player dozens of times for the Peacocks.
The way Jake described Jay is that “he was the first player you’d fall in love with when you watched Taunton”. This is always a good thing you want to hear after signing a player is that they fight for the badge and leave nothing out on the pitch. These words are backed up with some stats from Foulston so far this season:
• 4.71 Ariel duels per 90.
• 4.59 defensive duels per 90.
• 6.12 interceptions per 90.
As Jay is a defender, these 3 stats are massively key for him, 6.12 interceptions per 90 is the 29th highest out of any player in the National League South.
Mark Cooper is a manager who likes his defenders to be commanding and powerful when challenging for duels.
However, he is also a threat going forward as well, whether that be from a set piece, which is where he scored his only goal this season, or whether it is from distance in play or in a deadball situation. Jake said that Foulston has a “fantastic strike on him!”
As we know, Wannell and Williams both have 3 goals so far this season and (Wannell especially) loves to come out of defence and have a shot if he can
Yeovil Town fans… here is what you can expect from your newest addition?
? – @TauntonTownFC#YTFC? pic.twitter.com/Mpi1ewrENf
— The National League Look (@NonLeagueLook) December 15, 2023
It isn’t just his shooting that causes trouble for opposition defences, his passing is impressive as well! In a Taunton side that isn’t always looking to keep the ball for long periods, Foulston still manages to make 31 passes per 90, including 7.76 progressive passes per 90. A progressive pass is ”a pass that significantly advances the ball towards the opponents goal.” Despite playing the majority of his football this season as a left sided centre half, Jay Foulston still makes 0.71 deep completions per 90. A deep completion is where “a pass is completed within the penalty area of the oppositions goal.”
This is Cooper’s perfect style of centre half, someone who is confident on the ball, allowing his sides to progress the ball forward. Foulston will be able to show his skill set even more in a Yeovil shirt as we are a side who like to keep the ball.
How many times have we seen Jake Wannell bring the ball out of defence from that left side position, into the midfield to create a massive overload, allowing us to keep the ball?
This is exactly how Jay Foulston will thrive in this team, giving him the freedom to roam out of defence when we have the ball, giving us an extra body in midfield. So far this season, Foulston completes 1.76 dribbles per 90 and travels with the ball 2.43 metres per minute! To put that into perspective, Will Dawes does 2.5 metres per minute!
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.
How does Foulston fit in?
Cooper has made his intentions clear in many games this season, he is willing to change formation and player positions around on many occasions from game to game, or even sometimes minute to minute! For example, against Bath, we started in a back 5 but when Whittle got injured we changed to a back 4 or even a back 3 with Smith stepping into midfield. Personally, I believe Foulston is best suited at left centre half in a back 2 or back 3 as it allows himself a lot of time on the ball, where he can show off his quality, progressing the ball into midfield.
It will be interesting to see how Cooper sets up, and whether Foulston plays at all on Saturday. Good luck Jay!