Ben Barrett (Page 107)

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Yeovil Town have announced the signing of former Tiverton Town goalkeeper Lewis Williams.

An Ilminster-born player, the 24-year-old signs on to work alongside Will Buse and former Tiverton goalkeeper coach Phil Osborn.

Having started out in Exeter City’s academy, he went on to played 123 times for Tiverton in the Southern League Premier South before departing at the end of last season with the club announcing that he was departing to “go travelling” – we’re assuming Huish Park was always his end destination!

Speaking to the Glovers’ YouTube channel, the keeper said that signing for the club he watched as a youngster was a dream come true for him.

He said: “It is every kid’s dream, so I am absolutely over the moon and I am glad it’s happened to me!

“I was full time when I was at Exeter and ended up stepping away from a full-time environment, so I am excited to get back in to it and get a better feel for it, being older and a bit more wiser.

“Being at Tiverton really developed me as a player, I made about 130 appearances (almost Lewis!) for them so that has obviously helped massively.”

Williams is looking forward to working with Osborn, who he was together with at Tivvy, at the end of the 2021-22 season before he moved away and Phil arrived at Huish Park last summer.

On the ‘keeper coach, he added: “Phil has helped me massively. I was only with him for a couple of months before you guys snatched him away but Phil is unbelievable and everyone knows what he is like here.

“He was only there a month or two and my performances shot up, so I am really excited to get in to full-time football with him. I really could not be in a better place.”

Speaking to ytfc.net, manager Mark Cooper added: “I’m really pleased to welcome Lewis to the club. He’s worked with Phil, our goalkeeping coach before, and is ready for the step up into a full-time environment.

“He fits the profile of local, hungry players who are desperate to succeed for this football club. He bolsters our goalkeeping department and I look forward to working with him.”

Welcome to Yeovil, Lewis, may your sheets forever be clean.

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Former Yeovil Town attacker Charlie Wakefield has secured a permanent switch to National League side Wolking.

The silky winger, was apparently just what Darren Sarll needed this summer.

Wakefield was announced as leaving Huish Park at the end of the 2022/23 season.

The former Chelsea man played 57 games for the Glovers and spent the final stages of last season on loan at the Cards.

Thanks for everything at Huish Park, go well at Woking.

(any excuse to show that goal against Stevenage… Huish Park was rocking!)

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Former Yeovil Town Under 18s Captain Jake Graziano has signed for Dorchester Town on a permanent deal.

Graziano spent time on loan at both the Magpies and Sherborne over the course of last season and made a couple of appearances in the Somerset Men’s Premier Cup for the first team.

In the announcement article, Dorchester boss Glenn Howes thanks both Matt Percival and Chris Todd for their help.

“Jake is another one of last season’s loan players who has committed for the season ahead. In his short spell with us, Jake more than demonstrated his competency at Step 3 and played a vital part in reinvigorating the team to improve the sides form at the back end of last season.”

“Although tender in years, Jake’s attitude and understanding of the game supports his versatility and we’re thankful to Matt [Percival], Chris [Todd] and Yeovil Town Under 18’s for allowing this to happen.”  

Go well at the Magpies, Jake.

 

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The National League have confirmed a range of Key Dates ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Time to pop the following dates in the diary…

Fixtures will be released on Wednesday 5th of July (1pm), plenty of local derby fixtures for the Glovers this year and it’s on this date when we will find out which side gets the prime Christmas and New Year spots.

Speaking of which, alongside a Boxing Day clash, there will be a game on Saturday 23rd and for New Years’ Day (Monday 1st Jan)- however it is noted that teams are permitted to roll that fixture back 48 hours to Saturday 30th December should all parties agree.

The season starts on Saturday 5th of August and finishes 260 days later on April 20th 2024.

The play-offs kick off just three days later with the Eliminators with the Final of the post-season knockout competition on Sunday May the 5th for both the North and South divisions.

As an aside, the National League Play Off Final has already been declared for Wembley 24 hours prior, but no mention is given to a location for the NLS/NLN versions – there had been some debate about switching it from the home venue of the highest placed Play-Off contender to a neutral venue, but this has not been confirmed.

One assumes the open top bus tour around Yeovil will take place 24-48 hours after the final day of the regular season… maybe.

A full list of the 2023/24 Vanarama National League key dates are as follows:
• Fixture Release Day – Wednesday 5 July 2023, 1pm
• Opening Day – Saturday 5 August 2023
• Closing Day – Saturday 20 April 2024
• Play-Off Eliminator A (5th v 6th) – Tuesday 23 April 2024
• Play-Eliminator B (4th v 7th) – Wednesday 24 April 2024
• Play-Off Semi-Finals – Sunday 28 April 2024
• National League Promotion Final – Saturday 4 May 2024
• National League North/South Promotion Finals – Sunday 5 May 2024

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Yeovil Town striker Alex Fisher has said he’s aiming for a return to action in early 2024.

Speaking to the ‘My New Football Club‘ podcast, run by Exeter City fans Jon Beer and actor David Earl, he goes into incredible detail about his double leg break suffered live on BT Sport against Southend United in early April.

In a wide-ranging chat, he talks (in eye watering detail) about the moment it happened, how he had a three hour (!) wait in the Glovers’ physio room waiting for an ambulance and how his rehab is going.

Fisher remains under contract with the Glovers, but it might be the turn of the year before we see him at Huish Park scoring goals again.

On a possible return he said: “Given how bone grows and how it’s so different from person to person, the difference from when you could be back to when the worst case scenario is can be quite big, so, i’m budgeting for January.

“It’ll be October or September when I have the frame off, then it’ll be two more months to get – I can run, but because of the holes that are left from where the pins have been, I’ll be able to run, to do loads of stuff, but if I got hit on it, it wouldn’t have the same structural strength, because of where the pins have been.

“So I’ve got to wait for them to completely heal…”

The striker scored 5 goals in 38 games for the Glovers through the 2022/23 season.

Get well soon, Fish, see you in the new year!

The full Podcast is nearly two hours long, but is well worth your time…..

 

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Another day, another pre-season friendly in the books for Yeovil Town.

The Glovers will head to AFC Totton, who play in the Southern League Premier Division South, one tier below us, for a friendly on Saturday 22nd July with a 3pm kick off.

Full ticket details to follow, but this becomes the fifth friendly match scheduled with Tiverton Town, Buckland United, Plymouth Parkway and Wimborne Town already in diary.

The Glovers’ pre-season schedule to date is as follows:

Saturday July 8th – Buckland United (away)
Tuesday July 11th – Wimborne Town (away)
Friday July 14th – Tiverton Town (away)
Saturday July 22nd – AFC Totton (away)
Saturday July 29th – Plymouth Parkway (away)

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Another pres-season date for the diary.

Yeovil Town will face Southern League side Wimborne Town on Tuesday 11th July.

The Magpies will become the Glovers’ fourth scheduled pre-season game with Tiverton, Buckland Athletic and Plymouth Parkway.

Wimborne have recently installed a new 3G pitch, something which the Glovers will have to get used to a fair bit in the 23/24 season.

Wimborne will also face the Bermudan Under 23s national side, which sounds like a far more exciting fixture!

Full ticketing details to follow.

The Glovers’ pre-season schedule to date is as follows:

Saturday July 8th – Buckland United (away)
Tuesday July 11th – Wimborne Town (away)
Friday July 14th – Tiverton Town (away)
Saturday July 29th – Plymouth Parkway (away)

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Yeovil Town will travel to Plymouth Parkway during pre season for a friendly match at Bolitho Park.

Parkway, who had former Glovers midfielder Toby Stephens on loan last season, will host the Glovers on Saturday July 29th.

According to Plymouth Parkway, kick off time and ticketing details will be released in due course.

Yeovil will head to Bolitho Park to face Truro in the league this season as they continue to groundshare with Parkway.

This match is the third of the Glovers pre season schedule with trips to Tiverton and Buckland Athletic already in the book.

 

 

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Yeovil Town have announced the signing of former Welling United defender Jamie Sendles-White.

The ex-Torquay United man made 53 appearances for – and captained – Welling in National League South before announcing he would be leaving for a new challenge this summer.

Speaking to YTFC.net, in true footballer fashion, the new signing ‘can’t wait to get going.’

“I’m very excited. It’s a big club, a massive club for the level and I can’t wait to get going. I’m sure that the fans will be turning up in their numbers this year. I’ve played here before and the fans really get behind the team so I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.

“With it being such a big club, with the squad that’s building here, I think that as a collective there should only be one real target and I think that’s a realistic target.” Pre White presumably the target is pr*m*tion but no one will say it…

Sendles White has represented Northern Ireland up to Under-21 level and has played numerous times in the Football League for the likes of Crawley Town and Mansfield Town. At 29, he comes with plenty of experience that he feels will benefit the squad.

“I think it [experience] helps. I’m 29, I feel young but I’m more of an older head. So I think its good to have the older heads in the team to help the younger ones. I’ve been promoted with Torquay, I’ve played League One down, so I’ve got a lot of experiences and I feel that I can bring that to the team.”

He spent time on trial at Swindon under manager Mark Cooper at the start of the 2015-16 season and knows what the manager is about. On his discussions with the boss he said: “We had a good chat and I’m a big fan of the style of play that he implements in his teams. We spoke about that and I feel like I can fill into that really well. I like to play the right way. Obviously I’m a defender and I like to defend and do that side of the game. I want to play the right way, I want to get the ball down and play proper football and I know that that’s exactly what the gaffer here wants.”

He signs on an initial one-year deal with an option for a second year.

Manager Mark Cooper told the club’s YouTube channel he was pleased with the signing of Sendles-White.

The manager said: “I’m trying to make us nice and solid at the back. He is a bit of experience having played at (National League South) level and above that level.

“I have been aware of him for a few years, Jamie did really well at Swindon and he will be a real competent, solid signing for us and he can play a bit as well. It is important the blend of the team is right, it can’t all be something of one and not enough of the other.

“We are trying to get a blend of defenders who are really solid and can defend and have that attacking threat at the top of the pitch.
It is about putting a good squad together which is what we are going to need and Jamie adds to the defenders we have got with Josh Staunton, Morgan Williams, Ollie Haste, Will Dawes can play (in defence).”

Yeovil are of course known for signing one particular central defender from Welling back in 2000 – Terry Skiverton, if you were wondering – but we aren’t ready to put that kind of pressure on the new man just yet.

Welcome to Yeovil, Jamie!

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The National League have today tweeted a ‘reminder’ that the 2023/24 season is scheduled to get underway on Saturday August 5th 2023.

The irony here is, we can’t find any actual ‘key date’ announcement to actually be reminded of, but there we go…

We don’t yet have any further dates, like fixture release dates, play-off dates, or when the season is actually planned to finish. But I’m sure the National League will ‘remind’ us of them in due course.