Ben Barrett (Page 5)

No sooner has one season finished, the next one starts getting put together.

Yeovil Town will head to Melksham Town of the Southern Premier League South on Saturday 11th of July – 3pm Kick Off.

A regular part of the pre-season schedule in recent years, including a 5-1 win in the summer of 2024.

No ticket news just yet, but get the calendars out, it’s time to start planning the 2026/27 campaign!

Yeovil Town have announced their released and retained list following the conclusion of the 2025/26 campaign.

A number of players are departing Huish Park including National League South Champion Alex Whittle, as well as other regular first teamers Aaron Jarvis, Harvey Greenslade and Finn Cousin-Dawson.

Kyle Fergsuson also departs after one full season as a permanent member of the squad whilst Josh Sims also leaves the club, the former Southampton winger scored the Glovers’ first goal of the season and notched up 35 league appearances.

Brett McGavin has been confirmed as staying for another two years whilst Matt Gould will continue in his dual role next season too

The midfielder ended the season as captain in the absence of Jake Wannell and Luke McCormick.

Both Wannell and McCormick remain contracted to the Glovers for next season as do Joy Mukena, Dan Ellison, Ryan Jones and James Daly.

The option attached to the contract of Jonathon Page has not been taken up and as such he will also be heading to pastures new.

Jacob Maddox, Charlie Cooper and Tahvon Campbell will leave after spending the latter part of the season out on loan.

Speaking of loanees, Jed Ward, Dak Mafico, Troy Perrett, Will Merry, Delano McCoy-Splatt, Terrell Works, Josh Tobin and Millar Matthews-Lewis officially see their temporary spells come to an end and we wish them well in their careers.

Two new deals in as mamy minutes at Huish Park.

Matt Gould, has penned a new deal with Yeovil to continue his dual role as player and Goalkeeper coach.

Gould has made two competitive first team appearances, one in the SMPC and the other coming on in the final minutes of the final game of the season against Solihull.

Yeovil Town midfielder Brett McGavin has signed a new two-year deal at Huish Park.

McGavin’s contract was initially going to come to an end this summer, but Billy Rowley has sought to extend the deal for the next two campaigns.

McGavin won the Glovie for Player of the Year in the 2024/25 season and finished this current campaign as captain with both Jake Wannell and Luke McCormick missing through injury.

The former Torquay man is closing in on 100 league appearances in Green and White and will surely cross that threshold soon enough.

Congratulations on the new deal, here’s to a few more worldies!

Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley has said he’s already looking to the future after the Glovers finished off their 2025/26 season with a 4-1 defeat at home to Solihull.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman, the gaffer wasn’t overly worried about the scoreline and instead wanted to look foward.

“It is a really disappointing [result]. I think we just spent 45 minutes with the supporters there and walking around and talking to so many. I just want to massively thank them again.
It’s been what, four or so months that Darren and I came in and yeah, the first day or so I felt a real, you get a real buzz when you come into Huish Park, it’s obviously a special place and and the supporters matched that. I’m massively thankful and grateful for what they’ve given us in terms of their support this season.

“But today, we’ll we’ll try and try and erase that from our memory really. We actually didn’t play as badly as the scoreline suggests, I don’t think.
Sam the analyst told me that they had five shots in the first half and scored four, which is a bit of a rare thing in football and then at the end of the game, I think we almost doubled their shot count and we’ve scored one, so, sometimes these results happen.

“A few weeks ago, I saw Hartlepool losing 7-0 to Wealdstone and you know, these freak games do happen. It’s just a real shame that we’ve received our one on the last game of the season in front of our supporters. So, it is what it is, we’ll try and erase that from our memory and just look into the future now.”

Speaking on the support from Yeovil’s supporters, Billy Rowley said thanks…about a million times!

​“It really means a lot to me. It’s so easy as a supporter, I’ve been there, where it’s easy now losing a game 4-1, you could stand there and maybe boo and and say some some bad things to players and and management and nobody did.

“They were clapping, they were beating the drum, they were asking for the lads’ autographs and it’s a very special special feeling to be appreciated, even though after such a bad loss.

“So I cannot commend them enough, you know, I’m giving them all a massive massive round of applause again and, just massively appreciate that.”

Rowley confirmed that discussions had already taken place with those who will be departing Huish Park this summer, but wanted to pay tribute to their efforts in a season of ups and downs.

“All of the lads that will be leaving us know now. I said pre-game to all of them and this will go on record, I have got nothing but positive things to say about all of the lads that I’ve worked with this season. I still have to take into account quite often that I’m the fourth manager that’s stood in front of them this year and and given them a different message and a different shape and a different this and a different that.

“I said it in front of the supporters a minute ago, what we’ve achieved here, getting 51 points is no mean feat. It’s not special, it’s nothing that we should be like hanging up on our trophy cabinet, but it gives us a chance to to go again.

“So I massively thank everybody that’s put on a on a shirt this year and given their all. And we’ve got to a stage now where, I think part of my job is to realise that I need to maybe rebuild and and introduce some new ideas and fresh faces. But that’s football, that’s nothing personal. That’s just part of my job and I need to do what I see fit. But again, I can’t speak highly enough of those boys that have that have run around this season and got us 51 points.”

Of course, thoughts turned to Jed Ward to cleaned up in the end of season awards, when asked if there was a chance we could see him back next year… it’s Huish Park or the Bernabeu!

​“Well it’s either us or Real Madrid I think, so hopefully it’s us. Jed is – I’m trying to think of a of a description for him really. He’s like the perfect model professional. The way he trains, he’s out early, he stays late, he eats right, he gets in early, he talks to everybody, he supports players, he gives great information, he’s intelligent and he’s an unbelievable goalie, so that tops it off really. I don’t know where Jed will end up in his career but I envision it will be very high.”

When asked to reflect on his time as Yeovil boss, Billy Rowley said that he was proud to be given the chance to lead this club into the future.

“I said this the other day. I’m very proud and honoured to work for this club, I appreciate Prahbu, Sahil, and Bhavna for giving me this opportunity.

And all I want to do for the supporters is give a display every Saturday here which which makes people proud. That’s going to be the aim. We’re going to be looking for players that fit our criteria and our and how we want to play and how we want to look on the pitch.

But most importantly, I want them to be, you know, proper good human beings and and all our supporters to be proud to be associated with these lads.

That sums it up, a whirlwind. I’ve gone from obviously winning most weeks to like struggling to score goals, in the same season.

I think it’s always difficult as well when you come into a team in the winter period, it’s something that I’ve heard on multiple podcasts and I’ve heard, top managers talk about this, world-class managers, when you come in November, December, January it’s it’s arguably the hardest time because you don’t get as much time to train as you want.

The pitches aren’t great. Probably the buzz to be out on the training pitch because of the weather is maybe slightly less than it would be in pre-season. You get less time with the boys. It was really hard to kind of effect as much as I wanted to from a playing perspective.

This gives us a real clean slate now. We’re safe, we’re up. We can now start really building a team and hand-pick players that we think suit our style and how we want to look on the pitch and then we’re going to have a good chunk of pre-season to really embed some of those ideas. And from experience, you can get decent work done in the first few months, but it will always probably kick in around November-December time. So, you know, that’s that’s going to be the plan. We’re going to try and build a squad and a team that can compete at the at the top end of this league.

We’re going to try and play a style of football which excites our supporters and players want to be a part of and by the new year we want to be we want to be in a good place and I think we will be.

​I’m going to put some put some music on now and have a beer with with some of the staff and and, just relax.

Yeovil Town’s Jed Ward has thanked his team mates and fans after sweeping the vast majority of the end of season awards following the final game of the 2025/26 season.

Speaking to Mark Stillman after the game he said the result of the game could be forgiven, given the overall nature of the campaign.

“[It was a] terrible start, we weren’t at it, but again, we’ve had such a long season, such a draining season that I think the fans wouldn’t be too disappointed that it went like that.

We’ve had some tough times this season, but also some very good times, so I think we look at the season as a whole to be back in this division next season is massive for this club and I definitely think that things are definitely going to turn next year and going to be even more exciting.
​You’ve got lads out of position and all that sort of stuff, hot day. They’re all excuses. I still think we should have started better but again, like I said, tough season, worked hard for a long long periods of this season and to finish it today, um, still in the league is a big achievement.”

The Bristol Rovers loanee was subbed off with a minute or two to go to a standing ovation, with over half a century of appearances to his name this season, he then took home FOUR end of season awards after the game.

“​To to come off as I did with the the applause that I got, it was such a surreal feeling. We’ve been through the trenches like I said and to come off today in the sun in front of all of them it’s a nice feeling. They were immense throughout the game and and if you keep that up next season it’s just going to help the lads massively.
​
​We joked about it throughout the week but, I didn’t think I would and then I saw Gouldie getting ready so, yeah that’s when I found out!
I think it’s 50 starts in all comps which is amazing for me, great achievement, so yeah I’m really happy with that.

It’s such a like I said surreal feeling to be recognised by this football club, by the fans, by my own players, it’s such a nice feeling and yeah I could have given it to every single one of those players, player’s player. I think they’ve been amazing with me and amazing throughout the season.
I think the cup run that we run on was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the Hartlepool game away. I thought that that summed us up as a team and when we went and fought for each other. Most of the wins have been been amazing this season.”

The awards aren’t done yet, the Glovies are yet to be crowed and surely the ‘keeper will be front and centre for those gongs too…