Ben Barrett (Page 3)

Yeovil Town captain Brett McGavin admitted his side were “gutted” after a 2-1 home defeat to Altrincham brought their impressive unbeaten run to an end.

​Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Ian Randall after the final whistle, the Glovers’ skipper insisted Yeovil deserved far more from a match played in difficult, windy conditions.
​
​”We’re absolutely gutted in there because we feel as if we’ve created enough chances to win the game, and given them two really sloppy goals,” McGavin said. “So, yeah, we felt as if we could or should have come away with three points.”

​Yeovil controlled much of the first half with the wind at their backs and pushed hard after the break, creating a flurry of opportunities.

“When we’re on top, we have to score, because we really were on top,” McGavin reflected. “We probably had 10 shots in a row on target at their goal, and then we go and concede a really sloppy goal. So, yeah, devastating really.”

​The decisive moment came in testing, swirly weather conditions when a goalkeeping error from Jos Barker handed Altrincham the telling blow.

However, McGavin was quick to rally around goalkeeper Jos Barker in the dressing room.

​”He’s a great lad, so he’s apologised to the lads in there,” the skipper revealed. “He’s been brilliant for us, so we are not going to dwell on that because goalkeeping mistakes happen—it’s fine, we move on. Tough conditions for everyone today, so we’ll move on from it.”
​
​The defeat ended a fine run of form during which Yeovil had been scoring goals at will, McGavin feels the performance levels remain firmly intact.
​”You can’t win 6-0 every game, but we definitely create enough chances to score a few,”

“We’re not a bad team just because we lost one game. We’ve done a lot of things right, so we’ll stick to the script.”

​The midfielder also sidestepped questions about refereeing decisions despite visible frustration on the pitch during the second half.
​”I’m not going to comment on the referee,”

McGavin remarked, before commenting on the referee.

“It seems every week that they’re not up to the task, so every fan that was booing him off the pitch today, you can see what happened in the game—but I’m not going to comment because I’ll probably get in trouble.”

​With Yeovil sitting comfortably in the play-off positions, McGavin stressed that the squad must channel their disappointment into an immediate response.
​”That’s the beauty of football—there’s always another game to put it right,” he concluded. “Last time we lost here, we went on an unbeaten run. I’ve just said to the lads, that’s what we need to do now: just have a reaction and go again.”

Ahead of Yeovil Town’s fixture against Altrincham, manager Billy Rowley spoke to BBC Somerset’s Ian Randall to discuss his side’s impressive unbeaten run, recent tactical dilemmas, and the goal-scoring form driving the team forward.

​”It’s so difficult to pick a team,” Rowley noted, explaining that he’s had to leave players out of the matchday squad entirely for this game.

With players returning from injury, including Zain Westbrook coming back from a slight knock and the registration of new addition Seb Naylor, Rowley has plenty of options.

​Discussing the versatile Naylor, Rowley stated:

​“His upbringing and grounding at Man City and Bristol City has been superb… He adds a lot of depth to our squad.” Confirming that the youngster, who can play anywhere on the left side of defence or midfield had bee on their radar for a couple of weeks.

The Glovers have netted an impressive 20 goals in their last four games, a statistic Rowley attributes to a healthy combination of chance creation and clinical finishing.

“We’re working really hard every day to become a better outfit going forward… I do feel like the the chemistry and the relationships on the pitch are starting to form a little bit quicker than than I expected, which is which is obviously great. And I think it’s a credit to the lads’ hard work every day, but also their I don’t know, just the bonds they’re forming off the pitch

​Addressing the decision to name Brett McGavin as captain with Joe Gubbins as vice-captain Rowley emphasised that it is purely down to the exceptional form of other players like Jack Kingdon, Radcliffe, and Jordan Norville.

​”Gubbs is a top professional, an unbelievable player… [he] will play obviously a lot of football for us,” Rowley said. “It’s just one of those spells and periods where the other lads are playing so well and you’re just going to have to be ready.”

​Turning his attention to Altrincham, who have won eight of their last ten matches, Rowley expects a tough test against a fluid, possession-based side.

​“One of the possession-based teams in the league along with us, and probably, you know, five or six others that really value the ball,” Rowley noted.

“Stylistically, I’d probably rather be playing them in this weather than maybe like the team that values, you know, crashing the ball in the box every time they get it,” he added. “So we’re both a footballing team… we’re both going to have to deal with it and, you know, may the best team win.”

Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley has confirmed that Brett McGavin will step up as the club’s new permanent captain ahead of their upcoming National League fixture against Altrincham.

Speaking to Jack Killah from BBC Somerset, Rowley praised McGavin’s leadership qualities:

“Brett McGavin will step step into that position. I yeah, I can’t speak highly enough of of Brett as a as a bloke and as a lad. He’s top professional, he’s one of the sort of technically most gifted players I’ve ever ever seen really.” Rowley added that McGavin is “tactically really astute” and represents a “natural replacement” following the departure of Luke McCormick.

Addressing how McGavin has elevated his performances this season, Rowley noted:

“I wouldn’t say shocked me because I’ve seen how good he is for the last 11 months, um, but putting putting other profiles of players that maybe suit his style a little bit more… has brought him up a level.”

The Glovers head into this weekend’s game with fellow play-off hopefuls Altrincham after a thrilling FA Cup tie.

Reflecting on the pros and cons of the extra fixture in midweek, Rowley noted:

“Obviously more goals for the supporters to enjoy, um, a good run out for some of the boys that that needed it, [and] a great appearance from young [Liam] Nardiello from the youth team.” Rowley also credited Leatherhead for making both ties “really difficult” and helping Yeovil secure a record for most times qualified for a non-league club.

Looking ahead to Saturday, Rowley acknowledged that both sides had to navigate unexpected midweek replays, Rowley stated:

“They’re obviously really good in the form table, they’re really exciting to watch, they play a good style of football, and and it should be a good test.” He added that while Yeovil must go into the game “expecting to win, especially at home,” they must remain “really mindful that they are a top team.”

Preparations have also been complicated by an incoming weather forecast with Storm Austen expected to bring 40 to 50 mph gusts.
Rowley explained how this might alter their tactics:

“For us to be successful, we’re going to have to be, good in all weathers, good in all conditions, and good on all pitches.”

“You’ve got to be really good at adapting on the spot, and the players need to be given some freedom to understand that if we’ve worked on certain ideas and, certain ways to score, if there’s 40 mile an hour winds in their faces and you can’t play a ball in the channel, it probably changes the plan a little bit…the boys have to be intelligent, have to think on their feet.”

On the injury front, Yeovil emerged from the week mostly unscathed – “I can’t think of anyone that’s that’s on the physio bed today” suggesting that Zain Westbrooke will be back in contention, but a precaution was taken on James Daly this past Tuesday,

“James Daly had a slight scare, he actually injured his ankle in the last kick of the warm-up on Tuesday night… We decided to give it a go, he did his best that he could. We rested him at half-time, it was swollen up a little bit, but yeah, he’s training fully today, which is great news.”

As Yeovil look to maintain their position within the playoff picture, Rowley stressed the importance of staying grounded, saying.

My job along with the staff here and the players is to to keep our feet on the ground and not look too far ahead. If you look at the 10th hurdle in a race, you’re probably tripping over the first one, aren’t you? So, we’ve just got to concentrate on today, we’ve got to concentrate on tomorrow’s prep, we’ve got to play well against Altrincham and we keep doing that week-to-week, we’ll probably be all right.”