Ben Barrett (Page 69)

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We will have at least one Yeovil Town debut this Saturday with referee James Bancroft taking charge of his first ever Glovers game.

Bancroft has been, almost exclusively, seen in the north over the last couple years and has taken charge of plenty of games across Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Which means, he’s yet to get an appointment as a Yeovil Town official.

He has refereed Fylde thrice in his career, with our weekend opponents winning all three.

Including against Blyth Spartans in 2022 where he sent off Spartans’ Toby Lees in the dying moments.

He was also the man in the middle for the National League North Play-off final between Brackley and Boston last season, awarding Boston a (pretty blatant) penalty as they earned promotion.

Mr Bancroft will be assisted by Mark Ryder and Lewis Raper, with Rob Claussen adding up the injury time.

Toby Lees sees red for Blyth from referee James Bancroft.

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In what is absolutely no surprise to anyone who saw the Glovers win 3-1 at Boston – Brett McGavin has been named in the official Vanarama Team of the Week.

But, there’s a second Yeovil Town player in the mix too, with Dylan Morgan making the National League South version for his Man of the Match performance for Weston-super-Mare on loan debut from the Glovers.

Congrats to Brett and Dylan on their inclusions in this week’s mythical line ups.

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Yeovil Town picked up three points on the road with a 3-1 win at Boston United yesterday and Gloverscast Ben was back behind the mic for BBC Somerset.

Here are his five key takeaways from the game in Lincolnshire……

Red Cards Change Games.

Both Jordan Richards and Jake Wannell can have little-to-no complaints about their red cards. Wannell had a rush of blood to the head, made a silly decision and will now sit out next weekend’s game at AFC Fylde.

I won’t be throwing him under a bus for it, the reigning Glovies’ Player of the Year has got us out of far more sticky situations than the ones he’s got us in during a season and a bit. Don’t do it again, Jake. 

I was amazed that so many people in the Boston crowd (which I was sat amongst) did not think the Richards challenge warranted a red. It’s a bog standard reckless challenge for me and it’s a red card all day long. The amount of contact is almost irrelevant, if Charlie Cooper’s foot is planted in the ground at point of impact you’re looking at a leg breaker. The Boston manager said they’ll consider appealing the three-match ban. I’m fairly confident in saying he’ll sit those games out. 

Red cards do change games, and both of Saturday’s certainly did, it was a chaotic affair which was only exaggerated by a couple of crazy moments.

Jake Wannell sees Red

Anyone got any defenders?

Raphael Araoye has a dead leg and went off yesterday, Morgan Williams has a concussion from Monday, and now Jake Wannell has next weekend off.

Alex Whittle was in Boston, in kit, but not named on the bench, Finn Cousin-Dawson looked good for the most part and Michael Smith was.….well, he’s Michael Smith, of course he’s spectacular.

But we had, at different points in the game, Matt Worthington, Charlie Cooper, Sam Pearson (!) and from the bench, Jordan Thomas as part of the defensive unit. It might just be one game were we look eye-catchingly short, but I don’t fancy going to Fylde with a Thomas-Smith-FCD-Pearson back four.

We have seven days to find a defender or two, maybe just for a month. We need some bodies at the back, preferably someone who can play left back too in case Whittle isn’t quite ready to do a full 90 twice in a couple of days. 

Does it end up being ex-Glover and now Cheltenham Town defender Tom Bradbury who was linked with us this week? I don’t know, but I do know, we need some depth in there and it needs to come from someone with some experience and quality.

We played the game, not the atmosphere.

I really liked the fact that – aside from Jake Wannell’s “moment” – we didn’t fold under pressure against a physical and riled up Boston.

Charlie Cooper was the perfect player to play pantomime villain in the game. He took the shocker of the challenge which led to the red card and then proceeded to walk around with a target on his back where the number 24 once was.

Cooper was cool headed throughout, he took the kicks and knocks and play acting from those who he so much as breathed too heavily in the vicinity of and let it all brush past him and I really think we’re going to need more of that as the season goes on.

He has the nous, experience and je ne sais quoi in the tough moments and he led the way with that yesterday. Cooper was my Man of the Match, we’ve spoken about needing a bruiser in the middle of the park to compliment McGavin and Worthington, and Cooper can do that.

Furthermore, I was impresssed with the way that some of the younger players handled those moments, not afraid to put their body on the line, in harms way and get it done a touch ugly. Harvey Greenslade, Jordan Young and Sam Pearson will all have bumps and bruises on Sunday morning, but they kept their heads and that, I think, was vital in seeing the game out.

Urgency, Urgency, Urgency.

Eurgh, I hate to do a negative one when we’ve won a game, but I have to mention something which I spotted against Gateshead and Rochdale… and then again against Boston.

Get. On. With. It.

I like the fact that we keep the ball so well, I don’t mind that sometimes the ball goes backwards, I don’t mind that it goes sideways.

What I do seem to mind, is that when the ball goes dead, it can take 30-40 seconds for someone to trundle over, pick the ball up and think about maybe throwing it to a friend.

In that same 30 seconds, every one of the opposition players have tracked back, got into position and immediately cut off the routes to goal which our players are more than capable of going through. That then leads to the ball going backwards or sideways as we look to find another way through.

I do wish we’d hurry up a bit when the ball stops. Free kicks, get it moving, get someone running down a line and be brave enough to get the ball up there. Throw ins, go and grab the ball and be ready to get going – ideally forward – quickly. I truly believe it will give us better positions to get that final ball right more often. 

We’ll end on a positive though.

Brett McGavin Saturdays.

When Yeovil were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box, I proclaimed on air, it was “Charlie Cooper Territory”, I’m afraid there’s a new Territorial Kingpin in town.

Brett McGavin has a famed long shot on him as his YouTube reel will testify. We saw that with his second goal later on in the first half, but the free-kick goal was one of the purest strikes, I think I’ll ever see of a set piece.

It could not have been placed any better, any more fierce or any more pin point perfect.

Boston’s Cam Gregory is not a small goalkeeper, he had a large wall, and he got nowhere near it, on his side of the goal. Absolute “Top Bins” (that’s what the cool kids say, right?). I feel like we’ll watch that goal a few times this season, it’s probably already earned its spot in the Glovies’ Goal of the Season nominations.

My challenge to you Brett is… before the end of the season, score an even better one. I dare you.

We’ll be here watching this clip on loop until you do. Cheers.

 

 

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For the first time this season, we get to unlock the FA’s “Naughty Portal” as they have confirmed the suspension of Jake Wannell after he saw red at Boston United on Saturday,

The central defender was booked in the 60th minute for a foul before a bizarre second yellow card with five minutes remaining.

After losing the ball, he seemed to reach out a trip up a Boston striker Jacob Hazel with his hand. 

The former Taunton Town player knew his mistake almost immediately that he was headed for an early bath and walked off with his head in his hands.

Wannell will miss Saturday’s trip to AFC Fylde has he serves a one-match ban. He’ll be available for the home against Solihull Moors the following Tuesday.

Jordan Richards of Boston has three games on the sidelines ahead of him, he was shown a straight red for a reckless challenge on Charlie Cooper in the first half and has been handed the triple-match whammy on a count of “Serious Foul Play”.

Jake Wannell sees red at Boston 

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We have plenty of Glovers out on loan at the moment including two at Weston-super-Mare, here’s how they all got on.

Goalkeeper Will Buse has been joined by midfielder  Dylan Morgan and both were in the starting line-up for Weston, they got the better of Hornchurch in a five-goal thriller, with Morgan on the scoresheet inside the first five minutes.

The former Taunton Town man also picked up the Man of the Match award as he started his three-month loan stint in some style.

That result backs up a 1-0 win over Maidstone on Bank Holiday Monday and ‘cleano’ for Buse on that occasion, the Seagulls have now won four in a row and sit in sixth  in the National League South Table.

Down at Plymouth Parkway, last Monday Corey Koerner made his first start in a 0-0 draw with Tiverton Town in the Southern League Premier Division South.

Onto Saturday’s action and Parkway were in the FA Cup, with a fairly comfortable win over Baffins Milton Rovers. Koerner came off the bench with 20 minutes to go.

Yeovil Town loanee Corey Koerner (R) in action for Plymouth Parkway
PIC C/O Viv Curtis – Tiverton Town

With the Under 18s having a slightly different schedule this season (more on that to follow in the coming weeks) there are a number of youngsters looking to get some senior experience at a range of different local clubs – We can’t promise to keep tabs on them all, but if anything of note happens, we’ll do our best.

Will Howard, a young goalkeeper who has trained with the first-team and was named on the subs bench during pre-season, is playing for Cullompton Rangers, who have been on a decent run in the South West Peninsula League, which is the tenth tier.

Josh Haskett continues to get minutes for Sherborne – he and some of the Under-18s’ second year lads are getting game time in their first and reserve teams.

Central defender Jacob Shore has recovered from an injury sustained in first-team action in pre-season and is now playing with Street FC – he came off the bench for them on Saturday in a 2-1 win over Torpoint. Krystian Woods, who appeared for the first-team in pre-season, was a second half substitute whilst Sol Padmore was also on the bench for the Cobblers.

Midfielder Mason Alden is back at Welton Rovers here he spent time last season and started their 3-1 defeat at St Blazey yesterday, whilst Max Dyer is with the Oldland Abbotonians who beat 3-1 Shepton Mallet on Saturday in game where former Loan Watch regular, Charlie Bateson was sent-off and Benjani Jr was a substitute.

Nansimir Nanev was a second half substitute for Sturminster Newton United who won 3-0 at home to Hengrove Athletic.

If you’re going to a game with one of our local loanees are in action, let me know if they do anything of note.

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has praised his sides’ character after getting a 3-1 win over Boston United on Saturday.

Two goals from midfielder Brett McGavin and a second half strike from substitute Jordan Young secured the points for the Cooper’s side, in game with two red cards and plenty of talking points.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins the manager said how the game was more interesting than it needed to be.

“It was a dramatic, it shouldn’t have been like that, we should have controlled [it] once their man got sent off, we were comfortable, we should have just controlled the game, we just move the ball about the pitch, but we just made so many wrong decisions today and players making poor decisions with the ball and turning it over and giving the ball away cheaply, we don’t need to.

“Probably because we’ve lost a couple of games and the whole world is going to end, that anxiousness creeps in, they just want to try and bash the door down straight away and it’s not on and we play into their hands with ten men and make it interesting.”

On the goal-scoring exploits of McGavin, the boss said how the former Torquay man offers his side something different to what the Glovers previously had.

“His record is that he scores goals, that’s why we brought him in, he’s got that gift, you have to have a bit of everything, you can’t have all top, top technical players in the midfield, you have to have one who can dog about and upset things and keep things ticking along and you have to have one who can contribute like that and we’ve got that now with Brett – two great goals from him.”

Onto the red cards, Cooper has said Boston could – in his opinion should – have had more than just Jordan Richards’ dismissed on 16 minutes for a reckless tackle on Charlie Cooper after in an ill disciplined affair, which also saw visiting defender Jake Wannell sent off late in the second half.


“It’s a horrific tackle [on Cooper], there’s an even worse one straight after, for me it was even worse. I don’t think the referee protected the players today, I thought he let some dangerous tackles go and I was a little bit worried to be honest.

“Once we got to 2-1, we saw the first half out comfortably, but the second half, we made so many poor decisions with the ball and we made it interesting, when it should have been really comfortable.”

“Ridiculous decision [from Wannell], we’re winning 3-1, he can kick the ball up to Frank (Nouble), we’ve got four against four at the top of the pitch and he tries a Cruyff turn, when we’re 3-1 up and then brings him down. He’s just got a flea in his ear for that, because he’s better than that. 

“It’s just compounded our issues, because we’re struggling for centre backs and we lose him for next week.”

With Morgan Williams already missing with a concussion picked up in the Bank Holiday Monday defeat against Rochdale and left-back Alex Whittle out with a hamstring injury, a bruising encounter was not what Cooper needed – but he gave a round-up of his walking wounded following the game in Lincolnshire.

The boss said: “Harvey Greenslade has dislocated his shoulder, that’ll be him not available for a few weeks. Alex Whittle will be back for (the trip to AFC Fylde on) Saturday, Wannell is out, Morgan Williams is out because of the concussion protocols, (Raphael) Araoye got a dead leg in the first minute, he had to come off, so it was a bruising day but we managed to get through it.

“The most pleasing thing is we showed character to get it done and get the three points.”

Ahead of the trip to Boston, former Glovers’ defender Tom Bradbury, now with League Two Cheltenham Town, was linked with a return to Huish Park. The centre-half was not in the Robins’ squad for their 2-1 defeat at Walsall on Saturday.

Asked if he could comment on the speculation, Cooper said:“No”, but did follow up saying: “We are trying to sign a centre back, we’re trying, but we’ve got to get the right one in, now the [EFL} window is shut and things are settled down, we will see which players are available who can’t go into the league, but can come to the National League.”

Here’s hoping for defensive reinforcements at some point before next weekend’s trip to AFC Fylde.

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Two-goal hero Brett McGavin has told BBC Somerset that he was more than happy to hop back on the coach to Somerset with three points in the bag.

The former Torquay midfielder scored twice in the first half as the Glovers won 3-1 at Boston United on Saturday and whilst it wasn’t all plain sailing, it was more than enough.

McGavin told reporter Josh Perkins: “It was busier than it needed it be from our end, when a team goes down to ten men, you’d like to think we’d have more control, but we’re coming away from three points, so we’re very happy.”

McGavin’s first goal was a pin-point free-kick from just outside the box (watch the clip below) and his second with his left foot came eight minutes before the break.

“I practice [free-kicks] a lot, because I know those situations can win games, I recognise how important they are, so if you have time to practice, them then why not?

“Obviously, I’m very happy to see the free kick fly in.”

“I know I can score goals, I always feel confident enough that I can get in and around the box and score, it’s something that i’ve improved on as I’ve got older in my career, recognising when to go forward and when to shoot, credit to the gaffer as well, for allowing me to be able to do that.”

Boston made the game physical with Jordan Richards seeing red after 16 minutes for a shocker of a challenge on Charlie Cooper, whilst the referee Neil Hair spent a fair bit of time stopping the game for cynical fouls. 

McGavin added: “Every game is hard, every game you’re going to have to put in the hard yards, we probably made it harder than it needed to be, we know we can perform better, but at the end of the day, three points is three points. We’ll take them home with us.”

Speaking about the need to be more ruthless, something which has cropped up this week after good performances – but poor results – over the bank holiday weekend, the midfielder said the group had spoken about it and were working to improve their killer edge.

“It’s something we addressed earlier in the week, we feel as if we’ve played well in most games and created enough chances in most games, so today, to score three goals away from home, is always enough.”

The Glovers head to AFC Fylde next Saturday for another short away day!

 

 

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Finn Cousin-Dawson is handed his first Yeovil Town start of the season as the Glovers take on Boston United this afternoon (3pm kick-off).

The centre-half replaces Morgan Williams who is missing for a minimum of seven days after suffering concussion in the 1-0 home defeat to Rochdale on Monday.

There is no place for injured left-back Alex Whittle, who has travelled to Lincolnshire, with on-loan Bristol City man, Raphael Araoye, starting.

The Glovers, who sent midfielder Dylan Morgan out on loan to National League South side Weston-super-Mare on Friday, name just six substitutes of the seven allowed.

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Yeovil Town winger Dylan Morgan has joined National League South side Weston-super-Mare on a three month loan deal.

The 21-year-old, who arrived at Huish Park from Taunton Town in January, Morgan, has only made two appearances in the Glovers’ opening five National League Premier matches, having picked up a knee injury during pre-season. 

Speaking about the signing on Friday, Weston boss Scott Bartlett said the arrival would fill a void in his squad left by an injury to midfielder James Waite.

He said: “I signed Dyl from Southampton to FGR when he was 15 so he is well known to me.

“He has done brilliantly and earned promotion from this division last season. He can play anywhere across the front four and is powerful, can dribble and will make things happen. It’s an exciting signing and one that makes a lot of sense given the recent injury to James.

“We are very fortunate to be able to have him in on loan and delighted to welcome him aboard.”

He started the opening day defeat against Hartlepool United before being substituted after 56 minutes, and appeared as a 61st-minute substitute at Gateshead last weekend.

Weston already have goalkeeper Will Buse on loan from Yeovil and it seems likely Morgan will join him in the squad for tomorrow’s home match with Hornchurch.

All the best with the Seagulls Dylan!

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Yeovil Town have been linked with a loan move for Cheltenham defender Tom Bradbury.

Jon Palmer, Cheltenham Town Journalist for Gloucester live has said on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) this afternoon that a move could be on the cards.

Bradbury has already played for the Glovers with 19 appearances in green and white in the 2019-20 season under Darren Sarll.

The defender, who went on to sign for Halifax after leaving Huish Park, has been out of favour with Cheltenham Town and minutes have been at a premium.

Mark Cooper has made no secret of his desire to add to the group and with Morgan Williams missing for at least the trip to Boston, Bradbury would offer defensive cover.

Jon Palmer, the journalist who broke the story has suggested it could be a loan deal for the 26 year old.

It’s worth noting that while the EFL has a transfer deadline in place for Midnight on Friday 30th August, this does not apply to the National League.