David Coates

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Midfielder Johl Powell has said he is ready to take his chance for Yeovil Town when the opportunities arrive.

The 25-year-old, who was one of three players to follow manager Billy Rowley from his former club Walton & Hersham in the summer, scored twice in a six-minute substitute appearance at the end of last Friday’s 4-1 home win over Solihull Moors.

He has started just once with his other seven appearances in green-and-white coming off the substitutes’ bench.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Ed Hadwin on Thursday ahead of the weekend’s trip to Kidderminster Harriers, Powell said he believes manager Rowley knows what he can offer.

He said: “I have known (the manager) for a while now and he knows what I can do and when I get the opportunities I have to keep showing what I can do, score goals and hopefully that will get me more game time. 

“It was a good win (against Solihull), we obviously had not won for a few games, so it was important we got that win and now we are looking ahead of to (Kidderminster) on Saturday. The boys are in good spirits and we are looking forward to it.

“When you look at our squad we obviously want to be in and around those play-off places come the end of the season, if we can stay there for as long as we can we give ourselves the best chance possible. Whether I am starting or coming off the bench, I am going to make sure I am ready for whatever minutes I get.“

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Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley has said his squad are “in a good place” as they go in search of back-to-back wins at Kidderminster Harriers this weekend.

The boss was talking to BBC Somerset reporter Ed Hadwin on Thursday with rumours circulating about the future of captain Luke McCormick who the boss spoke about being “unavailable for selection” due to “an internal matter” – you can read more about that HERE.

The Glovers picked up a 4-1 home win over Solihull Moors last Friday and followed that up with a 7-0 victory with a strong side featuring eight first-team squad members against Radstock Town in the Somerset Men’s Premier Cup on Tuesday night.

Rowley said: “It is weird waking up on a Saturday morning not having a game. [It] gave the boys two days’ rest and then we obviously we had the cup game this week, so schedule’s been slightly different. But spirits were high and I thought the training was excellent, we got through some of our prep for the weekend. We’re in a good place and ready for the game now.”

With McCormick “unavailable for selection“, defender Loick Ayina serving the second match of a three-game ban for his red card at Aldershot Town and fellow centre-half Joy Mukena missing through injury, the Glovers are missing a few members of the squad which has started the season.

Ben Radcliffe is available for Yeovil this weekend. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Rowley confirmed on loan Crawley Town defender Ben Radcliffe, who has not featured in the last two games through injury, would be available for the trip to Kidderminster. He also said that midfielder Joe Haigh, who has not featured after undergoing surgery having joined in the summer was now close to joining in full training now.

The boss said: “(Joe) is training hard and getting very close to joining in (with full training now), he is doing a lot of change of direction stuff.”

The midweek cup tie saw striker Ste Walker return with a goal while other first team squad members all picked up valuable minutes.

Rowley said: “That was exactly the reason why we wanted to go strong in that competition. It’s been a few years since we as a club have taken it that seriously and it just landed at a good time for us. We had probably six, seven, maybe eight lads that could have done with at least 60 minutes plus. Every footballer would agree they’d much rather do that than play a (behind-closed-doors) match with no support and no edge. Full credit to Radstock to make it a competitive game.

​”Sometimes when you’re not in the team, the first thing you think is, ‘What am I not doing right?’ But sometimes it’s just down to other players playing well. Jack Kingdon, for instance, Joy [Mukena] got injured, [Ben] Radcliffe got injured, Loick [Ayina] got suspended, and then Jack finds himself in. What a way to grab your chance and put yourself in team of the week (for his performance against Solihull).”

The weekend will see Yeovil face a tough test at newly-promoted Kidderminster, who came up through the National League North play-offs last season and have the best home record in the division after the opening five games. The Midlands side, who are managed by ex-Glovers’ midfielder Paul Wotton, have won three and drawn two of their matches at Aggborough this season.

Rowley said: “It’s not a place that I’ve played before, so I am looking forward to it. I have been very impressed with them, they have a good pitch, good manager, top players. It’s going to be a standard National League away game where we’re going to have to be a great version of us to get a result. As a group, as a management team, we expect and we want to win every game of football. I appreciate that doesn’t always happen, but that’s the aim and that’s the game plan.“

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A Yeovil Town side packed with first-team players cruised to a 7-0 win over Radstock Town in the first round of the Francis Hillier Somerset Men’s Premier Cup at Huish Park on Tuesday night.

The Glovers started with eight recognised members of the National League squad in the line-up alongside goalkeeping coach Matt Gould and Under-19s youngsters Archie Bryce and Liam Nardiello, with manager Billy Rowley in the dug-out.

There was no place for club captain Luke McCormick, the subject of much transfer speculation having been left out of last Friday’s 4-1 home win over Solihull Moors, but striker Ste Walker did start having missed the past two games through illness.

It took just four minutes for the Glovers to take the lead when Charlie Lennon played in Mason Obeng to open the scoring with James Daly, who had the captain’s armband from the off, adding a second when he ran past the Radstock defence to fire home on 16 minutes.

Mason Obeng first Yeovil Town in to an early lead. Picture courtesy of Jayden Tate/Tate’s Photography.

Ste Walker, back after a spell out with illness in the past couple of games, headed a third from Lennon’s cross two minutes later and the striker had an opportunity to get a second when he was fouled inside the area on 24 minutes. But the frontman will have been disappointed with his spot kick which was saved by visiting keeper Tom Crouch.

On loan Barnsley winger Lennon did at a fourth just before the half-hour mark when he was picked out by Johl Powell to turn home at the back post.

Yeovil made three changes at the break and did little to give their visitors any hope of respite with Joe Gubbins replacing Hayden Muller, Ryan Jones on for Daly and Ollie Crittenden, son of Glovers’ legend Nick, coming on for Jack Kingdon.

It took Jones just seven minutes after the restart to add a fifth when he beat the offside trap, rounded Crouch and slotted home. Shortly after the hour mark, first Jones and then Walker both saw efforts come back off the post before Johl Powell picked out Walker who looked certain to make it six only for Crouch to deny him.

Johl Powell in action against Radstock Town. Picture courtesy of Jayden Tate/Tate’s Photography.

Slavi Spasov replaced Walker, who will be disappointed not to have at least bagged a hat-trick, with 67 minutes on the clock and the Bulgarian headed home to make it 6-0 with 71 minutes played. Spasov became the latest Glovers’ player to have an effort come back off the post seven minutes later, before Under-19s’ midfielder Ashton Brown replaced Johl Powell with 80 minutes on the clock.

With five minutes remaining, Jones found Mason Obeng to add a seventh.

Yeovil Town: Matt Gould, Hayden Muller (for Joe Gubbins, 46), Jack Kingdon (for Jack Kingdon, 46), Loick Ayina, James Daly (for Ryan Jones, 46), Archie Bryce, Johl Powell (for Ashton Brown, 80), Mason Obeng, Liam Nardiello, Charlie Lennon, Ste Walker (for Slavi Spasov, 67). Substitutes not used: Zain Westbrooke, Seb Woods.

Scorers: Mason Obeng 4 (1-0), James Daly 16 (2-0), Ste Walker 18 (3-0), Charlie Lennon 28 (4-0), Ryan Jones 52 (5-0), Slavi Spasov 71 (6-0), Mason Obeng (7-0),

Attendance: 417

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Yeovil Town suffered their first home defeat of the new season as they were undone by National League new boys AFC Fylde at Huish Park on Saturday.

The visitors, who won National League North with 100 points last season, took the lead when midfielder Greg Olley who tapped in a cross before Luca Thomas added a second in first half injury time, set through by former Glovers’ loanee Millar Matthews-Lewis.

Thomas ended the game as a contest when he added a third goal six minutes after the break. Luke McCormick pulled one back with his sixth goal of the season on 75 minutes, but Olley danced through the Yeovil defence to set a seal on the result five minutes later.

First half

The Glovers looking to bounce back after their first defeat of the new season at Southend United last weekend, made three changes. Ste Walker replaced Slavi Spasov up front with Hayden Muller coming in to midfield in place of

From the off, Fylde showed they had no plans to park the bus at Huish Park as they came out flying with a high tempo start. When Yeovil got on the ball in the early exchanges, there was a yellow-and-black wall in midfield preventing the home side from playing it through.

The result was no real chances of either side with the first half-opening for the Glovers came after 14 minutes courtesy of a bit of Ryan Jones magic to pick out Archie Davies and his cross was well cleared by Fylde with Ste Walker lurking. Jones and Davies linked up again for a couple of impressive moves down the right in the next five minutes and that might be the key to unpicking the Fylde lock. Still nothing to test Zac Jones in the visitors’ goal.

With 25 minutes gone, Fylde lost full-back Adam Lewis and perhaps perplexingly replaced him with striker Millar Matthews-Lewis, the man who endured a goalless spell at Huish Park at the end of last season on loan from Burton Albion. It required a reshuffle of Harvey Broad, who switched from right wing to left-back, with Luca Thomas going on the flank whilst Matthews-Lewis took over from him up front. Within minutes of that change, Broad was booked for a foul on the dangerous Jones and five minutes later Ben Radcliffe went in to the referee’s book, his fourth of the season – one away from a suspension.

Ste Walker tries to find a way through Fylde. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The pre-match billing of this one as another game for admirers of football tactics is proving to be true, but it took until 35 minutes for either side to carve out a meaningful chance and it led to an opening goal for Fylde. Broad had time and space down the left wing and he fired in a wicked ball in and Greg OLLEY was there to turn it home. There will be questions about how Broad had such an opportunity to put even an impressive cross in.

Yeovil came within inches of levelling a minute before half-time as Archie Davies got away down the right and really showed his pace, cut inside and side-footed it towards goal, but his effort cannoned back off the post.

The Yeovil defence looked to switch off and allowed Matthews-Lewis to play a perfectly-time through ball to Luca THOMAS who finished coolly to double the advantage. There was maybe a minute between Davies’ chance coming off the woodwork and Thomas’ goal.

The two Fylde goals and Davies’ effort off the post were about all the goal-mouth action there was, but it is fair to say this has been a perfect away performance from the visitors who have held the hosts at bay and clinically taken their opportunities.

Half-time: Yeovil Town 0 AFC Fylde 2

Second half

Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley made a double substitution with Slavi Spasov coming on in place of Walker and Radcliffe was replaced by Johl Powell. Hayden Muller moved in to the backline to replace Radcliffe, who missed last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Southend United through injury, whilst there was clear frustration from Walker at the end of the first half.

The first chance of the second half saw the Yeovil midfield and defence carved part by another great move from the visitors as Matthews-Lewis went through, but the striker tried to lob Jos Barker in the hosts’ goal and he did well to claim it. A minute later, good wing play by Mason Obeng picked out McGavin inside the box and Zac Jones saved a weak effort before denying a follow-up from substitute Powell. Neither had enough power on it.

Johl Powell appeared as a second half substitute. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

But on 51 minutes, Fylde added to their advantage and it was so easy again. Olley found his way past Joy Mukena and played in Luca THOMAS whose effort took a wicked deflection past Barker. To add injury to insult, Mukena limped off immediately after to be replaced by Joe Gubbins adding to the departure of Radcliffe at the break.

Fylde are cutting through Yeovil at will with first Olley and then Thomas carving out further opportunities, whereas Yeovil have looked sluggish and devoid of ideas to get their way past Fylde who have completely dominated. Rowley tried to make a change with Muller pushing up in to midfield alongside McGavin with Gubbins, Davies and Jordan Norville-Williams making up a back three, whilst Powell and Jones took up the wide positions.

Charlie Lennnon replaced Mason Obeng on 65 minutes before Zain Westbrooke replaced McGavin on 71 minutes. With 15 minutes remaining, Yeovil got a goal back and it was a great goal with Jones weaving some magic with an excellent run before playing a pass through in to Luke McCORMICK who finished with a trademark cool finish from the edge of the box. It has not been a good day for the Glovers, but that is McCormick’s sixth goal in seven games this season.

But any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished as Greg OLLEY netted his second of the season. The former Gateshead man has dribbled through the Yeovil defence with ease, rounded Barker and slotted home. Great skill from Olley, but it is so soft from us. Huish Park is emptying and it is hard to blame any of the departees.

Full time: Yeovil Town 1 AFC Fylde 4

Billy Rowley. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 12th September, 3.00pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Greg Olley 35 (0-1), Luca Thomas 45+1 (0-2), Luca Thomas 51 (0-3), Luke McCormick 75 (1-3), Greg Olley 80 (1-4)

Pitch: Arguably the most impressive thing about Yeovil
Conditions: Dry, bright and cloudy

Attendance: 2,792 (34 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Ben Radcliffe 32, Joe Gubbins 54
AFC Fylde: Harvey Broad 27

Referee: Paul Marsden

Yeovil Town

Substitutes: Slavi Spasov (for Ste Walker, 46), Johl Powell (for Ben Radcliffe, 46), Joe Gubbins (for Joy Mukena, 53), Charlie Lennon (for Mason Obeng, 65), Zain Westbrooke (for Brett McGavin, 71) Loick Ayina (not used), James Daly (not used).

AFC Fylde: Zac Jones, Adam Lewis (for Millar Matthews-Lewis, 25), Will Lancaster, Corey Whelan, Aaron Drewe, Chris Merrie, Greg Olley (for Jack Morris, 85), Ethan Mitchell (for Luke Butterfield, 85), Theo Upton (for Tom Whelan, 71), Harvey Broad, Luca Thomas.

Substitutes (not used): Patrick Boyes, Max Taylor, Danny Mayor.

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Yeovil Town winger James Daly has said the club’s impressive start to the new season is down to its business in the transfer market over the summer.

The Glovers lost their first game of the new National League season with a 3-2 defeat at Southend United last weekend, but had been unbeaten in their opening five fixtures despite facing heavyweights including Carlisle United, Scunthorpe United and Barrow.

They take on newly-promoted AFC Fylde at Huish Park on Saturday looking to get back to winning ways ahead of a run of three games in six days. They travel to Aldershot Town on Tuesday night followed by a home game with Solihull Moors next Friday.

Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Jack Killah on Thursday, Daly said he believes the squad is capable of handling the rigours of a hectic schedule: “From the first couple of weeks of pre-season, I think the boys who have been here understood that the group we have this season is full of great characters, with a lot of work ethic, and boys who are really hungry to succeed. It’s been a breath of fresh air coming in this season and seeing the way the lads have taken to it. How well we’ve come together in the first few weeks has been really good to see.

“I think we have proven we have options all over the pitch. Our ability to bring players on to affect games now is a lot greater, and that comes down to the investment in the squad. Now, when we’re in games, we almost have a Plan B. We’ve got boys who can come on and affect the game even more, which is a massive relief, and it really brings the boys together as well.

“The boys who have come in have taken to it like a duck to water because (manager Billy Rowley and his staff have) profiled the positions so well. Everyone probably thought it would take longer to click, and I know it’s only early, but it’s clicked for a reason. They’ve profiled the right players for the right team and that’s why we’re winning. There’s a lot more to do, but we’re in a good spot.”

James Daly. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman – Indy’s Visuals.

Fylde will arrive in Somerset this weekend looking to maintain a good run of form of their own having returned to the Premier Division after a season away last year. They won the National League North title with 100 points under new boss Craig Mahon and have lost just once all season, matching Yeovil’s record of winning three, drawing two and losing one in their opening six matches.

Daly said: “They look a very high-energy, high-pressing team, so it’s another challenge for us. We’ve done our review pretty well and we’re working on a plan to beat them and hopefully use our strengths to our advantage. They’re high pressing and we’re composed on the ball, so it’ll be a good match down at Huish. It’ll be a clash of styles, but we’ve just got to take confidence and know that our style is good enough.

“We’ve started really well (at home). The boys have come out and the fans have been our 12th man. It really gives us players that added emphasis to do well there and create some special memories, which is what we’re trying to do.“

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Yeovil Town will go in to this weekend’s home game with AFC Fylde with a full strength squad as they look to bounce back from their first defeat of the season.

Manager Billy Rowley said that defender Ben Radcliffe midfielders Brett McGavin and Luke McCormick, who both left the field early in the 3-2 defeat at Southend United last Saturday, are available along with defender Joy Mukena who has been suffering with illness earlier in the week.

The only omission from the Glovers’ first-team is midfielder Joe Haigh who is in training having undergone surgery in the summer and is yet to kick a ball in green-and-white since signing from Dagenham & Redbridge in the summer.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Thursday, Rowley said: “Luckily, we’ve had a couple of boys back training today. Joy (Mukena) was sick, I think he might have caught something a couple of days after the Southend game. He was probably 85 or 90 per cent back today as well. So, touch wood, we’ll have a full selection and a really good squad to pick from.

“Brett (McGavin) had what I think was food poisoning or a virus. He was throwing up two or three times before the game and also threw up at half-time (at Southend). He did so well to stay on, but he looked a bit of a shadow of himself. Macca (McCormick) had some issues with his calves which blew up and he had to come off. (Radcliffe) pulled out on the day of the game, so it left us limping into that game a little bit. But we’re a little bit stronger this week.”

Brett McGavin will be available for Yeovil Town against AFC Fylde this weekend. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Rowley admitted he had spent the days since the defeat at Southend, where Yeovil led 2-0 before losing to an 85th minute winner from a rampant home side, looking at how he and his side could improve as they look to get back to winning ways at Huish Park.

He said: “What it does is really motivate me to improve heavily. When you win, you can sometimes just enjoy it for 24 hours but when you lose a game, as soon as you step foot on the coach home, you’re looking at the game back and figuring out how you can improve. It speeds up the process of trying to improve.

“We have had good meetings with some of the lads this morning, looking at ways to improve every week. Everyone’s fully on board and today was one of the better training sessions we’ve had in a while. 

“I’ve always been pretty good at that and try to stay as level-headed as possible. For young players to see that from the management team is also very important because it is a long season. We’re going to have so many ups and downs with this group. We’re going to have good spells and bad ones, and as long as we can stay consistent in our behaviours, how we train and what we’re working on, I think it will improve them much quicker.”

This weekend’s opponents, AFC Fylde, suffered their own late heartbreak last Saturday as they conceded an 89th minute equaliser to draw 2-2 at home to fellow new boys Worthing. The Lancashire club won the National League North with 100 points last season and Rowley is expecting a tough test at Huish Park.

He said: “I have been very impressed with Fylde and I’ve been talking about this all week with the lads. They press really high, they’ve got a high defensive line and they really get after the ball. We’re going to need to be a really good version of us. We’re going to need to be really clean and have some fantastic ideas about how we’re going to score, which is what we’ve been working on in training today and will continue tomorrow. I’ve got a lot of respect for what they’re doing there and we’re hoping for a really good test against them.

“They’ve got some really good individuals with a lot of talent, but they’re also really well coached. Marrying those two together forms a strong potion. They’re trying to play football the right way. They get it down and have some really good ideas in build-up, very much like us. So I think it’ll be a slugfest and a good toe-to-toe battle.”

The game is the start of a run of three games in six days for Yeovil who travel to Aldershot Town on Tuesday night before facing bottom club Solihull Moors at Huish Park next Tuesday night.

Rowley is expecting to have to utilise every part of his squad and is confident he has the quality to bring in to his starting line-up to compete.

He said: “Naturally in football, every player wants to play every game. But over the next 10 days or two weeks, there will be a chance for everybody to be used. In training today, everybody looked hungry to play, which is exactly what you want to see. They just need to be ready to be called upon, which I’m sure they will be.”

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Yeovil Town have confirmed that it has grown its partnership with Yeovil Town to include a “dedicated Women’s Football Performance & Development Pathway” which will start in September 2027.

The move follows the establishment of a partnership with the college for the men’s team which is described as being an “overwhelming success” just two months ago.

The partnership gives female students the same football-and-education pathway already offered to male players, allowing them to study for a Level 3 BTEC in Sport Coaching & Development at Yeovil College while receiving football coaching and playing competitive football through Yeovil Town. In summary, the same set-up as the men’s team has.

Mark Bolton, Principal & CEO of Yeovil College, said: “The response to our football partnership with Yeovil Town FC has been phenomenal and has clearly demonstrated the appetite and requirement for an ambitious football and education pathway in Somerset.

“It was always important to us that these opportunities extended beyond the men’s game. This next chapter reflects our shared commitment to equality of opportunity, raising aspirations and supporting the continued growth of women’s football.”

Nicholas Brayne, the club’s Chief Operating Officer, added: “We are equally ambitious for women’s and girls’ football. With Yeovil Town Women now firmly integrated into the club, this new programme will create a credible pathway for young women to combine an excellent education with high-quality coaching and the opportunity to progress towards representing Yeovil Town.”

Yeovil Town Women get their new season underway when they face Portishead Town at Huish Park on Sunday (2pm kick-off). The game is the team’s first in the fifth tier of the women’s game, the South West Regional Women’s Football League, Premier Division.

To listen to our Season Preview interview with manager Dave Court and captain Laura Wensley – CLICK HERE.

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Yeovil Town’s unbeaten start to the new season came to an end as they gave up a two-goal lead to suffer a 3-2 defeat at Southend United yesterday. Glovers’ fan Ed Turnbull was in the away end at Root’s Hall and here are his conclusions.

 

For a while it was textbook. For 65 minutes, that was a textbook away performance. We had to weather a storm or two, but we defended doggedly. Whenever Southend breached the first line of defence, there was someone in green on the cover, or a Super Jos Barker™️ in yellow making a solid stop. We didn’t have loads of chances up the other end, but we were clinical when they arose.

Yeovil Town celebrate Archie Davies opener at Southend.

That free-kick killed us. We wilted in the end though. As soon as Darren Oldaker’s expertly-dispatched free kick hit the net, it felt as though 5 and a half games of high-energy football caught up with us. The energy seaped out of our legs, and into Southend’s. You don’t take off the likes of Brett McGavin and Luke McCormick unless you have to, and without them we lacked that vital bit of experience and composure.

We didn’t look after business. Even before Rowley rang the changes, I felt we didn’t keep the ball as well as we’ve shown we can. That is just as much, if not more, down to Southend’s quality as it is a drop in our standards, but for me that is a difference between the strong play-off contenders we currently are, and a top 3 team. We did have good patterns of play at times, but there were too many times we lost the ball in our own half, and that ultimately made life difficult for us.

We struggled after the second half substitutions of Luke McCormick and Brett McGavin. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

There’s a silver lining. A loss always hurts, but I don’t feel as gutted as I normally would after seeing us lose having been 2-0 up. Maybe that’s just because following Yeovil over the last decade has numbed me to the pain, but I think it’s also because Southend were very good, and we still managed to get ourselves into a commanding position. I know it counts for nothing if you let it slip, but the scoreline at 65 minutes was further proof that we can really achieve something this season.

Onwards and upwards. My (our?) ludicrous dreams of an unbeaten season are over, but if you’d offered me 11 points after 6 games including Scunthorpe Carlisle Barrow and Southend, I’d have snapped your hand off. I’ve seen more than enough from this team to be confident that we’ll soon be back on a winning streak, with a kinder-looking run of fixtures now presenting a perfect chance to make a very good start an unbelievable one.

Picture courtesy of Ed Turnbull.

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For a moment Yeovil Town were top of the National League Premier Division before a 2-0 lead became a 3-2 defeat at Southend United on Saturday.

Our resident cartoonist, Alex ‘Distant Glover’ Russell, captures that (very) brief moment…..