Ben Barrett (Page 46)

2025 is off and running for Yeovil Town, a first win of the year secured on Tuesday night with a 2-1 win over Tamworth.

Ben was watching on the stream and here’s what he made of it.

---

….AND BREATHE.

“That is the sound of relief” (Prior, D, 2025, Yeovil Town Radio) on the highlights as the final whistle went on Tuesday evening.

He was not wrong either, that winless run has crept into ‘months’ rather that being referred to in terms of ‘weeks’ or ‘matches’.

Whilst, as I said on the podcast, I’m firmly ‘Cooper In’ and had been throughout this tough period, it was certainly a monkey that needed to be shaken off the back sooner, rather than later.

Even I, usually happy to bounce around the dining room upon the conclusion of a successful outing for the Glovers, just took a deep breath, slouched back in my chair, and quietly closed the laptop. I think this run has tested the emotions of everyone associated with the club; fans, players and staff all needed that. 

CHARACTER

…and boy did we have to earn it. It was an incredible game of two halves.

The first, whilst not ‘poor’ from the Glovers, was certainly wracked with nerves. You could see it, in every pass, every clearance, every bobble of the ball that went against us (or absolute stone wall penalty not given for us…).

That’s perfectly natural and understandable. It was a bold team selection, one that perhaps had to work for the better (more on that it a bit), but it provided the team with the players to react to the gut punch of going a goal down.

There were moments in the first half of genuine quality – mostly from Kyrell Wilson – even if some of his final decision making and execution left a little to be desired.

The second half was a whole different game. Jerry Gill said that he didn’t expect Mark Cooper to stick a rocket up them during the break, whether he did or not, only a select few will know. But whatever he did, it worked.

We came out of the box quickly in the second 45, started on the front foot, unlike against Rochdale and Dagenham recently, we kept the ball in the Tamworth half and soon the Thatchers Stand did it’s thing in response. 

It was attacking, fluid, brave, all the things that have deserted us in recent weeks. Yeah, the goals had an element of luck to them, but you make that luck with your own desire and threat.

EXPERIENCE

You may have heard me on the podcast saying we needed a ‘grown up’ in attack, and how we had to get the ‘Guv’nor’ back and in full pomp.

Well, like a broken clock is right twice a day, I think I may have been right on this one. 

Charlie Cooper is so key to the midfield, everything, and I mean everything, goes through him. That’s dirty work that McGavin, Wannell, Lo-Everton and the wing backs, just didn’t have to do, so they could spend their time concentrating on their own roles.

He needed a huge slice of luck for the goal, but he took the game – and that specific moment – by the scruff of the neck and said, ‘well, might as well’.

It was on target, it could have been a Glovers’ boot that deflects it beyond the keeper or a Tamworth one, I don’t care who it comes off, it went in. You miss 100% of shots you don’t take. (Gretsky, W, 1983) and having seen more than a few halves of football where we’ve recorded 0 shots on target. I love it.

The Guv’nor got his first Huish Park goal in over a year, but he did exactly what I wanted him to do, he got his legs pumping and got the Tamworth defenders turned facing their own goal.

His passes kept the attacks moving, his presence felt by all in green… and in white. More of that please Frank.

Of course Sonny gets his own mention too, I imagine he can’t move today, but for a lad that’s been out of the side for so long, 76 minutes was a cracking effort. He kept it simple, he kept things moving and hopefully we’ll see more of that to come over the next few weeks, we might have to…

HAMSTRUNG

There was a visceral noise that came from Jerry Gill as the clock struck 65 minutes, and off camera, James Plant hit the deck holding his leg.

Jerry knew, James knew, he’s going to be out for a while. Possibly a reoccurrence of a hamstring injury that curtailed his first loan short he might be out for a few weeks, maybe more.

Mark Cooper would have loved to have turned around and signaled for Kofi Shaw. But he couldn’t.

Shaw did come off the bench on Tuesday, but for Bristol Rovers away at Wycombe. That leaves us a little light in that area now, hopefully Sean McGurk’s problems won’t keep him out for too long, but with Sonny getting back to fitness and a little cameo from Harvey Greenslade which certainly impressed me, there might not be the panic to recruit, but there’s definitely room for a loanee now.

After the game, Mark Cooper said he’d be asking the Chairman – who was in the room – for some more money, suggesting there’s wiggle room to expand the squad a bit.

FOUNDATIONS 

‘Don’t get too high with the highs, don’t get too low with the lows’ (Obama, B, 2015).

It was just one game, one very good half of one game, actually.

That’s not to say we can’t enjoy it, of course we can, the relief was palpable, but I also appreciated the talk after the game of building on it to go again, on Saturday, then the following week and the following week.

We’ve been through a tough patch of results against some of the lesser teams, after Maidenhead on Saturday it’s a trio of play-off chasers in a row before we host Boston in mid-march.

Some of those games will need every bit of the character we showed on Tuesday night, maybe even more. Just six more home games are on the schedule, every ticket purchased is important, every win vital to encouraging sponsors to take up advertising boards next season and players to come to Fortress Huish, it’s vital we get it right at HP.

A much needed win at Huish Park under the lights, but also the catalyst to end the season strong – maybe upset a few big boys along the way?