David Coates

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The appointment of manager Billy Rowley as Yeovil Town manager on Tuesday morning probably took a lot of fans not plugged in to the Huish Park rumour mill by surprise. Dave gives his thoughts on what at least appears to be a man with a plan.

What a difference 24 hours makes. On Monday morning we were all feeling down in the dumps after a drab goalless draw at Morecambe last weekend stretched our winless run to eight matches in all competitions.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning and the appointment of Billy Rowley as manager has lifted the mood at Huish Park. In a way he didn’t have to do anything except be himself – energetic, excited about the challenge he’s taken on, and with a clear vision for what he wants to do.

The echoes of Danny Webb’s first interviews as manager are unmistakable. The face may be different, but the vibes are undeniable and you only have to look through fans’ comments on social media or even this website to see it’s changed perceptions in a stroke.

Let’s give it 11 days though just because……well, you know? But seriously, if vibes are the only difference between Tuesday morning (before 10.25am) and now, that feels a darn sight better!

What do we know about the new man? Honestly, unless you have been paying close attention to the Southern League, not much. But, from what I can see, Rowley has built a reputation of practicing what he preaches – he’s built a good, young squad there and they are playing good, attacking, winning football. He leaves them two points clear at the top of the Southern League South with 40 goals in their opening 16 matches of the season.

The Rowley revolution begins this Saturday.

Yes, it is two steps below the National League Premier Division and, as he says himself in his first interview, he is “going to have to learn this league” and there’s no doubt he will make mistakes. But, this feels like a direction of travel which simply has not been there – except for maybe 11 days in September – for a long time. 

I hope he is given time – by supporters (yes, the Gloverscast included), by the ownership and by his players – because if it comes off, it could be exceptional. A gamble, undoubtedly, but it feels a lot better than it did 24 hours ago – and vibes will have to do for now.

The video update from the owner Prabhu Srinivasan posted just half-an-hour before the announcement of Rowley’s arrival was made was interesting as well. He spoke about how his family had been reactive rather than proactive since taking over in May, something he says they are not used to being. This does feel like a proactive move rather than a reactive one. 

One of Walton & Hersham’s co-owners posted about Rowley’s departure on social media

In their short time in charge, the owners have made mistakes as much as they have been hit by bad luck, but credit where it is due for a thoroughly ballsy move. The future of Richard Dryden, who I still believe to be a thoroughly decent bloke put in an unenviable situation, and Jerry Gill remains to be ironed out following the arrival of Darren Simpson, Rowley’s assistant as Walton & Hersham.

For us as supporters, we need to carry the optimism we are feeling in to this weekend’s home game with Boston United, a team who are level on points with us in the table. Every minute, hour and day between now and then will be learning curve for the new manager as he meets his players, and this Saturday will tell him even more about the group he’s taken charge of and the club he’s at – let’s do our part to make it as positive an experience as we can.

Welcome to Huish Park, Billy, give us a reason to dream and we’ll be with you every step of the way. Up the Glovers!

Former Yeovil captain Josh Staunton posted about the arrival of Billy Rowley on social media on Tuesday.

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New Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley has said he wants to “excite” the club’s supporters as he begins life in the Huish Park hot-seat.

The former Chelsea and Fulham youth coach was unveiled as the club’s fourth manager on Tuesday replacing Richard Dryden who has taken charge of the first-team affairs since the end of September.

He takes over a side without a win in eight matches in all competitions ahead of the visit from Boston United to Somerset on Saturday.

Speaking to the club’s social media about his managerial style, Rowley said: “I want football to be played in the opposition’s half, I am a massive advocate of build-up play and controlling the game, but fans want to see goals, people shooting and running in to the box. One thing I really want to do is excite this tremendous group of fans and get some goals and hopefully that can start on Saturday.”

He added: “I just want the next few weeks to get the fans proud of watching the team play, play with a lot of energy and I want teams to come here and fear to play us for a few different reasons, what we do with and without the ball.”

The club’s announcement on Tuesday morning made no reference to the future of either Dryden or his assistant manager Jerry Gill, but Rowley said he had been told by the club’s owner Prabhu Srinivasan that he would be supported to bring in new players.

He said: “The aim is to get back in the Football League and both the owners and I believe this group of players are almost capable of that. I am looking forward to seeing the players up close and seeing what they are capable of. The owners have said they are happy to bring in some new faces, but I am a firm believer in providing a lot of clarity to players and giving them a real structure and identity of how to play.”

Billy Rowley’s Walton & Hersham side have scored 40 times in their opening 16 league games this season.

The Glovers’ rumour mill began linking the 43-year-old with the job after his departure from Southern League South side Walton & Hersham was confirmed on Monday afternoon. He has guided them to top of the Step 3 division, two below the National League Premier Division in the football pyramid, and earned high praise for his attacking style.

Walton confirmed an approach for their manager came whilst they were playing out a 0-0 draw at home to Hungerford Town on Saturday, at the same time as Yeovil were held to their own goalless draw at Morecambe. Rowley was handed a contract until the end of the 2027-28 season on Tuesday.

He admitted the rapid rise up the footballing divisions will be a learning curve, saying: “I am pretty sure we can start progressing up the table. It is going to be a challenge and I am going to have to learn this league and about this fan base very quickly. I feel I am a quick learner, I have experienced a lot of challenges in my time as a coach and manager, but the aim is to give these boys a real blueprint of how I want us to play, press and score and I look forward to getting out with them and helping to get us on an upward trajectory.”

He added: “I have been speaking to the owners for the past 24 hours and we very much aligned in everything I see and feel about football. It is a massively community-based club, the history of the club is incredible and I know a few boys that have played for this team down the year and they cannot speak highly enough of it. One of my best friends is from the town and he bleeds green-and-white, so it has been an incredible 24 hours and I am just looking forward to getting on the grass with the lads.

“I cannot speak highly enough of the people I have worked with at Walton, but when a club like Yeovil calls you up, it is incredibly hard to turn that down. When you pull up to the stadium you instantly get grabbed by the club and this is the type of team, club and ownership which I want to be a part of. I am excited and very humbled by this and I need to treat this job with an immense amount of humility but also with confidence in what I do and my management team can do.“

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Yeovil Town have appointed Billy Rowley as their new manager on a deal until the end of the 2027/28 season.

The 43-year-old has guided Walton & Hersham to the top of the Southern League South division and earned high praise for building a youthful, exciting side and left fans shocked when the club announced his departure on Monday.

Later on Tuesday, the club confirmed Rowley’s assistant Darren Simpson would be joining him at Huish Park after the club agreed a release feel for the pair with Walton.

In a statement confirming the appointment on Tuesday, Rowley said: “It’s a massive community club. The history of this club is incredible, I know a few boys who have played for this team and they can’t speak highly enough of it. I’m just looking forward to getting on the grass with the lads. When a club like Yeovil call you up, it is incredibly hard to turn that down.”

Rowley held coaching roles in the development centres at Chelsea and Fulham.

On Tuesday morning, Glovers’ chairman Prabhu Srinivasan posted a video revealing a new boss was set to be announced.

In the club statement which followed, the owner added: “Our focus is clear: progressive, attacking football, a strong identity, and a commitment to developing players at Huish Park. In Billy Rowley, we found exactly what we were looking for. I’ve watched his Walton side firsthand, the quality of his setup, the clarity of his ideas, and the intensity of his football are unmistakable. Speaking with him only reinforced that he was the standout choice. Billy is the manager we wanted, and we are delighted to bring him to the club.”

The statement announcing Rowley offered no insight in to the futures of either Richard Dryden, who has been in charge since the shock exit of Danny Webb after just 11 days at the end of September, or his assistant Jerry Gill.

The Huish Park rumour mill was filled with talk of Rowley’s imminent arrival on Monday night after Walton confirmed he had departed the Step 3 cub after 18 months in charge.

In a statement on Monday, the Surrey side said: “Following an approach received during our fixture vs Hungerford on Saturday, Billy Rowley has left his position as First Team Manager with immediate effect to take up a new opportunity higher up the football pyramid after 18 months in charge at Walton & Hersham FC.

“He follows a number of individuals who, during their time at the club, have been able to develop within our environment before moving on to roles at higher-level sides in recent years.”

Rowley held coaching roles in the development squads at both Chelsea and Fulham before spending almost three years as an academy coach in California before returning to the UK in May 2020 to take up a coaching role at Walton.

Walton was taken over by a group of seven friends, all aged around 19 years old at the time of the takeover in 2019, and in 2020 they appointed Scott Harris as manager with Rowley taking a prominent role in his coaching staff.

The takeover both on and off the pitch proved successful as the club Rowley was part of the dug-out team as Walton & Hersham rattled through three successive promotions, climbing from Step 6 in the Combined Counties League Division One up to Step 3 the Southern League South Division. That’s two football pyramid steps below the National League Premier Division if you were wondering.

Harris stepped down as manager in April 2024 with Rowley taking interim charge at the Surrey club, whose very name will stir up memories of Yeovil’s FA Cup exit there in the mid-1990s for fans of a certain age. A month later, he was confirmed as manager and in his first season Walton finished third in Southern League Premier South and won the Surrey Senior Cup, beating National League South side Dorking Wanderers in the final.

This season, Walton are top of the league, two points clear of second-placed Gloucester City having played one game less, with 13 wins in their 16 matches.

In a feature on the Southern League website from February, Rowley spoke about the young side he had assembled saying: “We have a possession-based style here; it’s high energy stuff with plenty of movement on the pitch. I want highly intelligent players who are adaptable and give their all.” You can read that article in full – here.

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Yeovil Town chairman Prabhu Srinivasan has revealed that the club will be announcing a new manager “very shortly.”

In a video posted on the club’s social media on Tuesday morning, the owner described the boss as “pure energy to do what we need to do.”

On Monday evening, the Huish Park rumour mill cranked in to gear with Billy Rowley, who has impressed at Southern League South leaders Walton & Hersham strongly linked with a move to Somerset. The Surrey club announced his departure yesterday to “to take up a new opportunity higher up the football pyramid.”

In his video, Prabhu said: “As a family we have been dealing with a lot of scenarios which are more outcomes of decisions taken in previous seasons, we have been very reactive and not proactive at all. That is not the way we normally operate.

“Please understand our core ethos is the same – Achieve by Unity and do the three Cs. Create calmness which I think we have, be competitive and do a lot for the community. The blueprint for community and calmness is already rolled out, but the blueprint for being competitive we have not seen.

“The blueprint for being competitive we have not seen on the pitch, what we want to see if playing progressive football with a lot of tactical synergies and getting the players united for what they need to do.

“I have personally gone scouting for managers in the past two weeks because I did not want to go on hearsay and data points, we needed to see for myself that we have a manager who will do what we need to do.

“I am happy to announce we have a new manager on board who will be revealed to you very shortly, he will bring pure energy to what we need to do. I am hoping you will support us through this decision, please keep an open mind. I am glad we had all the curve balls first up rather than later and now you can see what we want to do as owners for the club.”

In his update, the owner thanked Richard Dryden, who has taken charge of first-team since the shock exit of Danny Webb after just 11 days at the end of September, for “all he has done in the interim“. We wait to see what will happen to him and assistant Jerry Gill.

Watch this space and expect this news article to be out of date very quickly……

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Yeovil Town either ended their run of three straight defeats or extended their run without a win to eight matches with a goalless draw at fellow strugglers Morecambe on Saturday. Regardless of your perspective, the Glovers created enough chances to have come away from the gloomy Lancashire coast with three points and instead had to settle for just one. Dave was among the 110 supporters in the away end and here are his conclusions.

What’s the definition of insanity again? Turns out it wasn’t Albert Einstein who said “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result“, but Yeovil Town fans were left wondering if it was an accurate description having seen the starting line-up. The same eleven which failed to get a single shot on target against Southend United seven days earlier were starting again with strikers Tahvon Campbell, Harvey Greenslade and the forward-thinking Andrew Oluwabori left on the bench. Now, I may not have the coaching badges of Richard Dryden or Jerry Gill, but I have seen enough football to know James Daly is not a number nine. Yet he was expected to play it and, guess what? It was not until a change of shape and the introduction of Greenslade and Campbell that we really started to press Morecambe.

The first half was utterly forgettable. Those supporters in the away end who paid for the privilege climbed aboard a coach at 6.45am on Saturday morning must have been questioning their own sanity when the half-time whistle sounded. That said, I ‘only’ travelled 45 minutes each way and I began to question my own. It was the answer to the question we raised on Friday’s podcast of what would happen when a team which can’t score meets a team that concedes a lot. The result? Not very much.

110 fans were in the away end at Morecambe.

The second half was better – just. I have to add some kind of a positive (yes, this is the positive one), we did create more in the second half. The introduction of Greenslade in particular and Campbell to an extent had an impact and we created opportunities, but could not take them. That said, I could not believe I was seeing us pick up two yellow cards for wasting time over throw-ins when we were going for three points against a team below us in the table which had only kept two clean sheets all season before this match. Ah, I ended the positive one with a negative. Sorry.

Relying on a lottery. Tahvon Campbell will make the headlines for his second half penalty miss, but it is unfair to put the blame solely on this moment. Junior Morias, Luke McCormick and Josh Sims all had great opportunities to test Morecambe keeper Jamal Blackman with efforts and were off target with every one. It was difficult to judge whether it was a poor penalty or a good save from the angle the away fans were in at the Mazuma Arena on Saturday but, having seen it back on a replay, I’m going to give the credit to the keeper. 

If not now, then when?: This feels like we are sleep walking in to a real problem. Listening to Richard Dryden speak after the game and saying that “it’s not the end of the world” if we don’t get three points at home to Boston United next weekend, I feel very nervous. Is he doing what he can to take the pressure off his players or is he really naive enough to not realise the seriousness of our situation. Yes, it is only November, but if we don’t wake up to the problems we are seeing, we could do it in March and wonder why we didn’t act sooner. I have said on the podcast before that I am sure Dryden is a great coach but for me he is not a manager. Owner Prabhu Srinivasan was at Morecambe and at the home game against Southend United and if he is not starting to wonder if something needs to be done, I have to ask, when is he going to think that? If this is “all part of the blueprint“, I think we need a new plan!

The pie was decent – there, there’s a positive!

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Defender Morgan Williams said next weekend’s game with Boston United will be “massive” for his Yeovil Town team-mates after they saw their winless run extend to eight matches with a goalless draw at Morecambe on Saturday.

The Glovers spurned opportunities to take three points against an opponent sat in the National League Premier Division relegation zone, none less than a 79th minute penalty which substitute Tahvon Campbell saw saved by hosts’ keeper Jamal Blackman.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins, the centre half said: “Playing away from home is always difficult and we always work hard and I feel we could have got more than a point, but we take a point and it is a step in the right direction. With the position we are in at the moment, we will take any points, so we have to be happy with it but it makes next week’s game (at home to Boston United) big and we have got to win next week.

“It is a point better than we had last week, we have to take it and take the positives. The fans were incredible again today, they have always been incredible and we will need their backing for the rest of the season. A point away from home you would take that if you win your home games, so next week is going to be massive for us.”

Following a disappointing first half, the Glovers came out for the second half with a different formation with James Daly and Junior Morias playing as a front two and, following the arrival of substitute strikers Campbell and Harvey Greenslade, had opportunities to take the win.

In 78th minute, Campbell was felled by Morecambe defender Mo Sangare inside the area to win the penalty, but his spot kick to the keeper’s right was tipped on to the post by the 6’5″ frame of Jamal Blackman.

Williams said: “It was a very good penalty and those things are going to happen. We had enough chances to score today and it might be someone else next week, but we are a peno away from three points. But we pick ourselves up and go again next week.“

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Yeovil Town manager Richard Dryden said he felt his side should have come away with all three points as they stretched their run without a win to eight games with a goalless draw at Morecambe on Saturday.

The Glovers spurned a glorious opportunity to snatch the win on a miserable day in Lancashire when they were awarded a penalty, but striker Tahvon Campbell saw his effort turned on to the post by goalkeeper Jamal Blackman.

Asked if the run without a win played on his mind, Dryden told BBC Somerset reporter Josh Perkins: “The media push it in to my mind because I am ready for the next game. We have had a run (of three wins following Dryden’s permanent appointment) and now we are on a run of not winning. It is not through a lack of trying, I think the lads are giving it a go and we have come away here disappointed we have not won the game.”

Neither side impressed in a disappointing first half, but the Glovers did have opportunities to threaten the Morecambe goal after the break with the introduction of strikers Campbell and Harvey Greenslade – but spurned every one of them.

Dryden said: “We had chances to win the game and created more than we have done in the last couple of games, so we just have to keep going and creating and make sure when it comes to Boston in the next game we put the ball in the back of the net.”

Asked for his assessment of Campbell’s penalty, the manager retorted: “It is a penalty and he missed it, that’s it. The keeper has saved it, someone had to step up and take it and the keeper has made a good save. There are other chances as well, more in the second half than the first. We tweaked the system a little bit in the second half to be more attacking but still safe at the back because I think if you watch the game, they are not a bad side. They overran Brackley quite easily on Tuesday night.”

On loan Port Vale man James Plant was forced off after 71 minutes having taken a flailing arm to the face in a challenge with Morecambe substitute George Thomas. Dryden said: “He has got six stitches in his face, it is quite a deep cut. He might have to get his stitches redone because it is a little bit of a mess at the moment. It is one of those things, you do not really see it until he is on the floor. Whether it keeps him out for games or not, we do not know.”

Next up, Yeovil host a Boston United side which are level on points with them in the National League Premier Division table and Dryden insists they will be going for the win.

He said: “We are going to go for three points (against Boston) but it is not the end of the world if we do not get them. You have got to keep the standard of play we had today and hopefully that will push us on towards three points.“

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Striker Tahvon Campbell missed a second half penalty as Yeovil Town drew another blank to end a run of three straight defeats but extend their run without a win to eight matches at fellow strugglers Morecambe on Saturday.

With 11 minutes of normal time remaining, substitute Campbell fell under pressure from Mo Sangare inside the box and the referee pointed to the penalty spot, but the frontman saw his spot kick tipped on to the post by Shrimps’ keeper Jamal Blackman.

First half

The opening ten minutes suggested two sides who wanted to keep possession, but Morecambe seemed to have a clearer idea of what they were going to do with it when they had it. There was a distinct lack of willing runners when we had the all instead relying on Morecambe to making mistakes. James Daly, playing in the middle of a front three for the second match in a row, is still not a number nine.

On 22 minutes, corner from Jack Nolan in to a congested six-yard box created pandemonium inside the Yeovil penalty area with Jed Ward coming and not getting anywhere near it. Shots rained in, a claim for a handball from the Morecambe players after a shot from Yann Song’o and eventually it is Ward who hacks it clear.

It took half-an-hour to see some attacking intent from Yeovil when Luke McCormick won a challenge in midfield, played a one-two with Junior Morias, and the midfielder burst forward but his ball into the box was cut out by Ludwig Francillette before it could get to Daly. From the resulting corner, our first of the match, Josh Sims’ effort was effectively a pass to the opposition defender. Chance over.

On 33 minutes, another moment of Yeovil pressure saw a long free-kick in to the box drop to Jake Wannell on the edge of the box but his effort was blocked by the head of Francillette. Three minutes before the break, Ward came to the edge of his area to punch a free-kick clear and it dropped to Gwion Edwards who could only put his shot over the bar.

Goalless at half-time and probably one of the most nil-nil games you have seen in a long time. Both teams tried to play the ball, but there was very little threat on either goal in the opening 45 minutes.

Half time: Morecambe 0 Yeovil Town 0

Second half

Two minutes after the break, Morecambe’s half-time substitute George Thomas put a ball in from the left and it was just ahead of Harry Panayiotou who could have forced Ward in to action if he had slid in.

On 51 minutes, a great ball in from the left from James Plant found the head of James Daly, who has a remarkable leap and forces a great save out of Jamal Blackman who turns it around the post. The linesman’s flag was up for offside, but the goalkeeper did not know that. 

Two minutes later, Song’o brought the ball forward before laying it off to Nolan who drove in to the right side of the box and fired in an effort which Ward had to get down well to. The on 62 minutes, a ball down the right flank set Morias away, his effort could not find Daly but did find Sims whose effort was over the bar.

On 65 minutes, manager Richard Dryden made his first substitution with Harvey Greenslade coming on for Sims. A striker, thank goodness. The former Bristol Rovers’ striker went in to the middle of the front three but less than two minutes later Plant went in for a tackle with Thomas and the Port Vale loanee appeared to take a flailing arm to the face which led to him having to be replaced. Tahvon Campbell replaced him and Greenslade went out wide. Sigh.

With 77 minutes on the clock, another Yeovil opportunity as the ball found its way out to Morias who burst in to the right side of the box, but his effort was high and not that handsome. The striker went for glory and does not hit the tackle. What do we have to do to get a shot on target? Well, we found out a minute later as Morias played Campbell in to the box and he was pushed over by Mo Sangare inside the area. Penalty.

Morias, who scored a penalty at Halifax earlier in the campaign, asked about it, but the responsibility was taken by Campbell, who scored from 12 yards at Aldershot as well. The substitute stepped up and put it to the keeper’s right, but the 6’5″ frame of Blackman stretched out a hand and turned it on to the post. I ask again, what do we need to do to score a goal?!

There were opportunities for both sides before the final whistle with McCormick’s shot from distance with five minutes of normal time remaining looking like a poor decision when he could have fed Morias. Then, with two minutes of second half injury time played, Francillette almost broke Yeovil’s hearts with a back post header from a corner.

The final whistle was met by boos from both the home and away end suggesting that neither group of supporters were unhappy with the lack of quality going forward from either side. Having had a glorious opportunity to have taken all three points with Campbell’s penalty, this feels like two points dropped more than one gained.

Full time: Morecambe 0 Yeovil Town 0

Match Details

Venue: Mazuma Mobile Arena
Date: Saturday 22nd November, 3pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: None

Pitch: Slippery

Conditions: Misty and cold 

Attendance: 2,586 (110 away supporters)

Bookings: 

Yeovil Town: James Daly 41, Luke McCormick 75, Morgan Williams 90+4

Morecambe: Yann Songo’o 32, Harry Panayoitou 33

Referee: Declan Brown

Yeovil Town (3-4-3)

Substitutes: Harvey Greenslade (for Josh Sims, 66), Tahvon Campbell (for James Plant, 71), Andrew Oluwabori (not used), Brett McGavin (not used), Dan Ellison (not used), Leo Ramirez-Espain (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Morecambe: Jamal Blackman, Maldini Kacurri, Ludwig Francillette, Mo Sangare, Emi Sutton, Yann Songo’o, Jake Cain (for Miguel Azeez, 72), Gwion Edwards (for George Thomas, 46), Ben Tollitt, Jack Nolan, Harry Panayiotou (for Rolando Aarons, 86).

Substitutes (not used): Makel Campbell, Lewis Payne, Arjan Raikhy, Archie Mair.