Ben Barrett (Page 4)

James Daly’s two goals against Sutton United have done enough to earn him a place in the league sponsor’s Enterprise team of the midweek.

Penalty hero Brett McGavin hailed the spirit of Yeovil Town’s players as they grabbed a dramatic late victory to claim three vital points with a 3-2 win over Sutton United at Huish Park.

The midfielder, who arrived as an 80th minute substitute, stepped up to hammer home a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time at the end of the game and seal a win which puts eight points between the Glovers and the National League relegation zone.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins after the game, McGavin said: “We don’t do quiet nights here, do we? We always try to make it difficult for ourselves, but the lads showed great spirit this afternoon and we’re all buzzing for them.

“When it’s like that in the last minute there’s only one thing on my mind, just head down, hit the target. I’m not a fan of penalties that just stutter and try and play with the keeper, I just get your head down and strike through the ball, so that’s what I done.”

Going in to second half stoppage time it looked like Yeovil were going to stretch their run without a win to five matches with Sutton having come from 1-0 down to lead, before James Daly was popped up inside the box to grab an equaliser with five minutes of the seven added on gone.

Then, with Huish Park celebrating snatching a point from the jaws of victory, Tahvon Campbell went down inside the box and McGavin was the coolest man in the stadium as he hammered home the winner.

Having started the day five points and one place about the relegation zone, the three points move the Glovers up to 17th place with an eight point cushion going in to the weekend’s FA Trophy quarter-final at Southport on Saturday.

Asked about the significance of the win, McGavin said: “It’s massive. We could go all day about the turbulent season, but you can only deal with what’s in front of you and that’s what we’ve done tonight. So, massive win for everyone. We have been on terrible run there is no hiding it, but that is massive for us and we’re buzzing.

“Like I said, we make it hard for ourselves. the relief is just as good as the feeling of winning, it’s just such a good feeling to come away with three points and we are all happy for that.“

The match-winner was full of praise for two-goal hero Daly who started the match as the central striker of a front three alongside Harvey Greenslade and Terrell Works.

He popped up with the opening goal after Luke McCormick’s poor penalty was saved with four minutes of the first half remaining before arriving in the box to smash home the equaliser in stoppage time.

On Daly, McGavin said: “What an animal. He is an incredible athlete and a brilliant footballer, but on top of everything else he’s a great human being. Trains his best, plays his best like that, runs his socks off for this club, so I’m so happy for him.“

Yeovil Town goalkeeper Jed Ward has said that every game between now at the end of the season is a big game as the team look for league and cup success.
Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset’s Josh Perkins, he said he’s loved his time at Huish Park.

I’ve loved my time here. Like I say in every interview, the lads here are unbelievable. I knew a lot of them. Everyone who comes in slots in nicely. I think the management staff are great, welcoming the new lads in and also getting us sort of fit together. It’s been great.

I’ve just done what I’ve been told, really. I’m really loving doing everything I can to help the team out, whether that’s saving shots, coming for crosses, playing out, all that sort of stuff is which what I love doing. And when I love doing something, I’m obviously going to play to my best ability. So yeah, I really am enjoying it.

On Wednesday’s game;

“I think every game from now until the end of the season is massive, I think everyone’s got to have a sort of, motivation until the end of the season. Whether that’s personally or whether that’s as a team, I think everyone’s got to be motivated as a team together and then people can find their intrinsic motivation to do with their personal stuff. But I think if we all stick together, get going as a group, we can pick up some great results.

I think we were a different team then [vs Sutton in September] and they were, as far as I’m aware, were a different team then. So I think it’s going to be a completely different game, a lot like most of the games this season in the reverse fixtures. But I think it’ll be a good game, two good sides in positions where they need every point that they can get. So I think it’s going to be a great test for us.”

“I think we’re very good at not letting things get us down and not letting things get us up. I think we’re very level-headed as a group. I think as of late results haven’t really gone our way and we’re as much to blame as everything else. But I think if we keep sticking together, stay level-headed. If we lose, we lose, if we win, we win, but we’ve got to keep, like I say, level-headed and keep going.”

Against Carlisle, Ward followed in the footsteps of the likes of Nathan Baxter, Grant Smith and Aidan Stone as goalkeepers to wear the captain’s armband when Luke McCormick went off towards the end.

“Yeah, it’s a feeling you can’t describe. Macca shouted my name, came over and it just means a lot to me that people respect me and see me as someone that they can look up to onto the pitch. I am quite young but I’m learning that sort of side of the game as well and it’s amazing for me to be recognised by like Macca and yeah, put the armband on.”

… and as for what happens next season, would Jed Ward consider a longer spell with the Glovers?

“Well, the future, I can’t predict. So, we’ll have to see what happens. Right now we’ve got a, a task on our hands which is getting as many points as possible and keeping, um, keeping this football club in the division”

… so you’re saying there’s a chance?

Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley has said that he is approaching Wednesday night’s game vs Sutton with confidence and energy and has asked the Glovers’ fans to follow suit.

Speaking to the BBC’s Josh Perkins on Tuesday he said that he’s learned plenty from a tough run of fixtures and results and is backing his players to get the club back to winning ways;

“Naturally watched the game [vs Carlisle] back with Sam and Daz and taken a lot from it. I think it’s important every time you’re on the end of a defeat, you reflect. Firstly internally, look at yourself: How did you set the team up? Was it correct? Did we press correctly? Did we build correctly? All that boring coach talk, but sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes the answer is no. I think at the moment with the situation we’re in, we just need to make sure that our mentality is really strong, that we’re really together and united in what we need to achieve in these next few weeks. And that starts with me, bringing a lot of clarity to the lads of how we’re going to get the ball back, of how we want to play, and how we want to start games, for sure, a little bit better than we are.

[We’ve been] diving into Sutton and what their strengths and weaknesses are. This is the first time we’ve been able to be on the grass, really, for months because of the weather. So we were out on the grass today looking at the game plan of what we’re going to try and bring to the game tomorrow. I think when you’re at home in front of our fans, I think first and foremost you need to bring good energy, and that’s what we’re going to be trying to bring to this game.”

The squad remains unchanged going into this fixture with Aaron Jarvis and Jake Wannell serving the final game of their respective suspensions, with the manager confirming that some of the team suffering with injuries are closer to being involved.

[I have] spoke to a few of the lads that have just returned from injury today as well. They’re feeling fitter and sharper with every session, which is good to hear. Jake and Jarvis will be back on Saturday with us as well. Look, a week in football can become a very long time. So there’s been some teams in this division which is very tough, very grueling, all it takes is a win or two wins in a row and you suddenly find yourself in like 12th position. And, that’s not dreamland, that’s just literally a fact.

We’ve had a really, really tough run in these past few weeks, which is important for me to reflect on as well. We’ve had some really difficult opponents that are right at the top of the division. We’ve had a couple of red cards thrown in that mix and played against good teams with 10 players for a long period of time. It’s just a chance for us tomorrow night to play in front of our support and start fresh and get a win.”

“I was very fortunate in my last position at my last club where we didn’t lose a game at home for a year. So, you know, we built a very, very good team there. Spent a lot of hours on the training ground getting them to a point where I was very happy with how we played. And [I’m] pretty new in the job here. The boys, who I have a lot of sympathy for, have had their fourth manager this season, which is a lot of mixed messages. Not looking for any excuses here, we’re a work in progress. We are a work in progress, we know that. What we need to do is we need to stick together. We need to not get too low when we lose a game, and we need to turn up every week and every game ready to fight and run and back each other. And if we do that, we’ve got enough.

When asked if the game vs Sutton is a must-win, the response took a while to come…

“Um… yeah. Yeah, let’s say that. Let’s say it is. Um, yeah, let’s go with that, and we’re going to make sure that we are prepared to go and win that game, yeah.”

When asked about potential recruitment and support off the field, Rowley was clear in his answer – Yes, he’s being supported, but getting the right people through the door is tough.

“I’ve said this many times in interviews, at this time of year, you’re pushing up to March now. The players that are doing really well at their clubs are going nowhere. The players that have been injured for a long time might be available, but then you get a player that’s been injured for a while, they’re not ready to play week in, week out. You often get offered players who haven’t played football in months. So, business at this time of year is very difficult to do.

The time to do your best business is always in the off-season. So, the club have been brilliant with me since I’ve come in. They’ve been very, very supportive. I’m still backing these lads in there behind me to do what they need to do this year. They’ve obviously been all the way, they’ve played a lot of games. Some of them have a great connection and affinity with this club, and sometimes that means more than getting a new shiny toy from a different club on loan that doesn’t really care about the badge. So we need to be really, really diligent and we need to do our research into who we sign and who we bring in. And like I said, sometimes, the players you really, really want aren’t available at this time of year, and sometimes you just need to get 5, 10 percent more out of the lads you’ve got in the changing room already that are ready to run for the club.

When asked for a message for the fans ahead of the game on Wednesday

“I would like them to provide our players with as much energy as we’re going to provide them. We’re going to start the game on the front foot, we’re going to be running at 100 miles an hour to every ball, and let’s get behind the lads and make sure we’re at one tomorrow.”