David Coates

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Yeovil Town has confirmed it has established the Yeovil Town Community Foundation it says will “create opportunities for people of all ages across South Somerset.”

The creation of the Foundation, announced in a statement on Friday evening, follows a split between the club and the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust last month in a move the relationship with the charity after 18 years.

In a statement, the club said it was working to “reactivate” the Junior Glovers section for younger supporters and bring walking football to Huish Park for those fans who may be slightly older.

The statement adds: “These are just the first of a number of initiatives being developed through the Foundation, with plenty more to come.

“The ambition is simple: to make Huish Park and Yeovil Town a bigger part of our community, not just on matchdays, but throughout the week.

“We want to work with local schools, charities, organisations, businesses and community groups to create opportunities around education, health, participation and football.

“This is just the beginning, and we can’t wait to share more of what the Yeovil Town Community Foundation will bring to our community.”

The statement clearly suggests the Foundation is the start of a journey rather than the end of it, but another sign of progress is the start of pre-season fixtures for the Performance Centres, which run from under-9s to under-16s age groups, announced by the club’s academy this week. Each age group will be playing a side from FC Wiltshire in home or away fixtures.

In addition to this, the club is hosting sessions for Under-7s and Under-8s players every Friday evening which it describes as “providing the perfect first step on the pathway towards Junior Premier League football.”

This all suggests the academy – or perhaps the Foundation – intends to field teams in the Junior Premier League (JPL), as the Community Sports Trust has done in seasons gone by.

As far as the creation of the Foundation is concerned, it seems a positive step towards recognising the ‘Community’ element of owners Prabhu and Bhavna Srinivasan’s ‘Three Cs’ promises, but still appears a project in its infancy. Its predecessor, the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust, was operated as a separate charity and this statement suggests the Foundation will be part of the club itself.

We will keep an eye on how this develops as it…..well, develops.

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Former Hartlepool United director Ian Scobbie has been appointed to the Yeovil Town board with Executive Chairman Stuart Robins stepping down to become a non-executive director.

The Glovers announced on Thursday evening that Scobbie, an insolvency solicitor who left Hartlepool in 2020, will become a director alongside Sahil Prabhu, the son of owners Prabhu and Bhavna Srinivasan, subject to approval from the Independent Football Regulator.

Scobbie was part of the deal which saw the Srinivasan family complete the purchase of the club from former owner Martin Hellier in May 2025 with the club’s statement at the time name-checking him and his employer, Black’s Solicitors, as having “assisted in the transaction.” He has been a regular face in the director’s box at games and was spotted at the opening fixture of the season at Scunthorpe United last weekend.

Robins, who has been on the board since 2022, will now become a non-executive director with his recent appointment to the National League Board suggested as the reason behind his departure.

In a statement, the club said the changes made been made to “strengthen its governance and football expertise to support its long-term ambitions.”

It added: “Ian brings significant experience from across the football industry, having previously held senior football and governance roles at clubs including Hartlepool United and Scarborough Athletic. He was part of the Hartlepool United leadership team that secured promotion back to the English Football League in 2021 and will provide valuable strategic and football expertise to the Board.

“The Club is also pleased to announce the appointment of Sahil Prabhu to the Board of Directors. The son of Yeovil Town Football Club owners Prabhu Srinivasan and Bhavna Vohra, Sahil, has been involved with the Club since the initial due diligence phase ahead of the takeover. He has just completed a Sports Management degree at New York University (NYU). Alongside his studies, Sahil has gained experience in academy football across India, the Middle East and Europe. Across the close season he has been working closely with Billy Rowley on the First Team rebuild and sport operations. He now joins the Board as he takes on a more active role in supporting the Club’s continued growth and development.”

Ian Scobbie, right, was spotted at the weekend’s opening fixture at Scunthorpe United and has attended a number of fixtures in the North.

Scobbie’s involvement in football dates back to the mid-2000s when he was chairman of Scarborough when the former Football League club when it collapsed in 2007. It appears his insolvency experience was being his position on the board and, after the Seadogs’ collapse, he was among those looking to reform it working alongside the supporters’ trust.

He reappeared at Hartlepool in 2018 when they were bought out of a financial hole by businessman Raj Singh. He stuck around in a non-executive director capacity in the North East until November 2020. He resigned his position, but not in particularly acrimonious circumstances with “work commitments” given as the reason for his exit. He is known to be a friend of former Hartlepool president and broadcaster Jeff Stelling.

In both instances, Scobbie’s professional background as an insolvency specialist seems to be the reason for being involved in financially distressed football clubs. As far as our amateur financial expert eyes can see, there is nothing to suggest Yeovil Town are in any kind of distressed position, but with the ownership making development of land at Huish Park a clear ambition, his arrival is interesting.

Scobbie has a background of being involved in the governance of football clubs, restructuring businesses, insolvency and, during his attempts to salvage Scarborough in 2007 he made a deal with a local developer to sell its McCain Stadium. Speaking at the time, Scobbie made clear this deal was a last ditch effort to clear the club’s debts and have enough cash leftover to find it a new home. His attempts to launch a phoenix club failed with Scarborough being reformed as Scarborough Athletic with by its Supporters’ Trust which gave its thanks to Scobbie for trying to save the old club.

Returning to Huish Park, the Srinivasan’s confirmed that they had extended their exclusivity on the buy-back of the stadium and surrounding land with owners Somerset Council until 17 May 2028. In April, owner Prabhu Srinivasan insisted reuniting the football club with ownership of the stadium remained a priority.

There is no suggestion that either Scobbie or Sahil will take on the Executive Chairman role occupied by Robins, who it seems retains a role at Huish Park.

Stuart Robins, who will now become a Non-Executive Director at Huish Park. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown

The statement adds: “The Club would also like to congratulate Stuart Robins on his appointment to the National League Board of Directors. Stuart’s experience, knowledge and passion for the game will be a tremendous asset to the National League, and everyone at Yeovil Town wishes him every success in his new role. Following his appointment, Stuart will step down as Executive Chairman of Yeovil Town Football Club and assume the role of Non-Executive Director.”

The club added that the appointments may take “several weeks” to clear the Independent Football Regulator, adding: “Once approval has been received, the relevant statutory filings will be made and the appointments formally recorded at Companies House.“

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With more than 130 years of history, there is plenty of amazing stories to tell about our club. That is why we have teamed up with the Yeovil Town FC Heritage Society to bring you one monthly memory from our past.

If one is not enough, you can join the Society’s Facebook page, run by Glovers’ fan Michael West, which is a treasure trove for green-and-white history. If you are on Facebook, follow them by – clicking here.

We kick off this new feature with the story of how our club began 131 years to the very day…..

Today, August 12th, holds significant importance for Yeovil Town Football Club. On this day in 1895, precisely 131 years ago, Yeovil Casuals were established, laying the foundation for the club that has evolved into what we know and support today.

Naturally, association football had been a part of the club’s activities prior to that time. Historical records indicate the earliest documented match of a Yeovil FC, took place in November 1880, resulting in a decisive 9-0 loss to Dorset County School in Dorchester. Following a hiatus, by 1888, the association club was established and operating on a weekly schedule. Initially engaging in friendly matches, it eventually joined the Somerset senior league in 1891, alongside prominent teams such as Wells City and Street FC. Throughout this period, the football club served as the junior counterpart to the Rugby club, which held the primary spotlight in the town’s sporting scene.

Moving forward to August 5th 1895, at the AGM of Yeovil Football Club where a dispute emerged over a £25 debt the club had incurred. The rugby and association branches, coexisting within the club, clashed over the responsibility for this debt. The rugby faction pointed fingers at the association side, accusing them of not generating equivalent funds. At this juncture, farmers son Fred Bond, just twenty-one-year-old and captain of the Yeovil association , stepped up. He quickly calculated and voiced that there were a much higher number of rugby matches played compared to association matches, leading him to conclude that rugby had generated more revenue naturally. Moreover, Bond’s calculations revealed that on a per-match basis, the association side had contributed more significantly to the club’s finances. Following a lengthy and occasionally heated debate, the two branches of the club ultimately decided to part ways. Both sides agreed to share accountability for half of the debt, marking the conclusion of the dispute.

Fred Bond wasted no time, quickly taking action by securing a pitch at Pen Mill within days. Organised a sub committee. He also travelled to Shepton Mallet and engaged with the Somerset FA, gaining their approval to join the senior league. Equally impressive, he managed to convince two influential local clubs to align themselves with the new team: Yeovil Rovers, originating from the Pall Mall Tavern, and Congregational Swifts FC, affiliated with the Congregational church in Princess Street. Although the ‘Rovers’ request to name the new club Yeovil Rovers was declined, the new club’s reserves would graciously adopted the Rovers’ locally iconic blue and white colors.

On August 12th, 1895, a mere week after parting ways with the rugby club, a meeting took place at the Victoria Hall on Union Street, Yeovil. The purpose of this assembly was to ratify the proposed initiatives that Fred Bond had worked tirelessly putting together and officially adopt the cherished club we hold dear today. The attendees reached a consensus to shoulder fifty percent of the rugby debt and designated captains and sub-captains for the two initial teams, with the potential addition of a third team in the future. This pivotal moment also marked the establishment of the club’s committee. The name was also adopted ‘The Casuals association football club’. And lastly as the Western Chronicle reported it:

‘…. the question of the teams colours were discussed it was decided that the first teams colours would be green & white‘

After 131 years, the enduring presence of those green and white colors remains, and may their legacy carry on. If your sipping on a Thatchers today take a moment to raise your glass to Fred Bond and the Yeovilians of 1895. Without them, we wouldn’t have had one of the most important parts of our lives.

God bless ’em all!

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Defender Joe Gubbins speaks at pitchside after the 1-1 draw with Scunthorpe United.

Yeovil Town vice-captain Joe Gubbins said his side’s 1-1 draw at Scunthorpe United was a fair reflection of the Glovers’ efforts on the opening day of the new season.

The centre half, one of nine new summer signings who made the starting XI in Lincolnshire, was part of the visiting backline which controlled the attack of a side which reached the play-offs last season.

Having taken the lead through a cool Mason Obeng goal three minutes in to the second half, Yeovil had to put in a dogged defensive performance as Scunthorpe pushed for an equaliser which eventually came through Luke Brennan with a minute of normal time remaining.

Talking to BBC Somerset reporter Mark Stillman after the game, Gubbins said: “I think we really dug in and deservedly got a point and it probably could have been more. We’re all we’re really happy with the start, but we need to keep going and take it to next Saturday (at home to Carlisle United).

“At half-time we knew they would come at us, this is a hard place to come and I thought we stood up to them well and deserved our point.”

Gubbins played the full 90 minutes in defence alongside loanee Ben Radcliffe with Jordan Norville-Williams and Archie Davies alongside them, with Hayden Muller and Zain Westbrooke providing calmness when it was needed from midfield in front of them. There was also a National League debut for goalkeeper Jos Barker, who made one impressive stop to deny Scunthorpe winger Pat Jones in the first half, and Gubbins was full of praise for his keeper.

He said: “(Scunthorpe) is not an easy place to make your debut, so he was brilliant and it was a really commanding performance from him. It was good to have him behind us and he really helped us out. All the boys are getting on really well and I think you could see that out there.

“We are a new group and communication is massive especially with crowds like we had today. We are a new group and we need to talk to each other and I felt like we did that today.

“I felt we held them at bay really well and had the better chances and I am not sure about some of the offside calls (against McCormick), I felt we looked threatening on the counter attack and I thought it was a really good performance.”

Vote for your Man of the Match from the opening day draw at Scunthorpe in our poll – click here.

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A late equaliser saw Yeovil Town have to settle for a point from a trip to Scunthorpe United on the opening game of the season.

After an even first half, the Glovers took the lead when winger Mason Obeng stroked the ball home three minutes in to the second half.

Scunthorpe, who finished in the National League play-offs last season, pressed hard for an equaliser and eventually found one when substitute Luke Brennan lifted the ball in to the net with a minute of normal time playing.

Despite the tinge of disappointment at not being able to hold out for three points, there was plenty to feel positive from Yeovil about in their first competitive outing of the season.

First half

Manager Billy Rowley gave a league debut to nine players with captain Luke McCormick and Ryan Jones the only members of the starting XI who were at the club last season. One of the recent arrivals Slavi Spasov was preferred to Stephen Walker up front whilst Hayden Muller started in midfield in place of Brett McGavin. Both Walker and McGavin were named among the substitutes.

The opening 15 minutes did not create a chance worthy of a mention but a definite desire from both sides to play the way a beautiful surface at the Attis Arena deserved. The joy Yeovil found came mostly down the right side with Archie Davies delivering a couple of crosses from the box and a jinking run from Ryan Jones leading to an effort which Scunthorpe keeper Louis Jones needed to be sharp to get down low to deny.

On 33 minutes, McCormick ran on to a ball forward and looked to be through on the Iron goal, but lifted his effort over the bar. The linesman flagged him as offside although the Yeovil bench’s protests would suggest the call was closer than it looked from the away end.

First half action at Scunthorpe.

The first meaningful chance of the game fell to the home side a minute later. Winger Pat Jones skipped past Archie Davies and found himself one-on-one with Yeovil keeper Jos Barker who stuck a strong left hand to make an impressive stop to deny him. That save will give the young keeper huge confidence.

Then with five minutes of the first half remaining, another good chance for Scunthorpe. Declan Howe got a ball in from the left, it clipped off the heel of Joe Gubbins and landed invitingly to Jordan Richards but his effort over the bar.

The half-time whistle sounded with the home side having had the better of the opportunities to go ahead, but Yeovil acquitting themselves well. There’s definitely a fans’ favourite being made in Jordan Norville-Williams who has not given an inch against Howe whilst Gubbins and Ben Radcliffe in the middle have managed to keep Scunthorpe danger man striker Danny Whitehall nullified.

Half-time: Scunthorpe United 0 Yeovil Town 0

Second half

The half-time break saw Brett McGavin replace Hayden Muller in the heart of midfield.

A Ryan Jones free-kick from out in the right found its way to Mason OBENG on the far post and he was the coolest man inside the penalty area to confidently stroke Yeovil ahead. The away end of 260 travelling supporters erupted as the players celebrated in front of them.

Mason Obeng puts Yeovil into the lead with just three minutes of the second half played

Just five minutes after going ahead, McCormick found himself through on goal again but (again) was denied by the offside flag. The skipper, much like the visiting bench in the first half, had serious questions about the call. VAR might have had a different opinion – but we don’t want that at this level of the game…….right? Soon after that Ryan Jones forced his namesake Louis Jones in the Scunthorpe goal in to a fine stop.

As we reach the middle of the second half, the home side are turning up the pressure as they search for an equaliser. Archie Davies does well to block an effort from Pat Jones and Ryan Jones took a heavy blow scrambling a Tyler Denton effort off the line from a corner. Jones needed to come off and was replaced by Johl Powell whilst James Daly replaced Slavi Spasov in the forward line with 64 minutes played.

Scunthorpe made changes on their own bringing on winger Luke Brennan, experienced midfielder Jacob Butterfield and striker James Gale as they looked for an equaliser. On 70 minutes, Whitehall had his first opportunity but his header from a Butterfield free-kick was blocked by a Yeovil shirt. The Glovers are standing up well to intense pressure and defensively looking impressive.

With 20 minutes left to play, Billy Rowley made his final two substitutions of the permitted five changes and it is a defensive change. McCormick is removed in place of Joy Mukena whilst Jack Kingdon replaces Archie Davies in the right wing-back position.

In the 73rd minute, a long ball forward from Barker is helped on by Obeng in to the path of James Daly. The substitutes powered in to the box and was only denied by a superb tackle from Tyler Denton. The Iron defender picks up an injury for his troubles.

Scunthorpe were dominating possession and continuing to press and we found ourselves dropping deep to try and repel the danger. Then with a minute of normal time, Joe Gubbins tries to clear a ball in from the left but can only as get it as far as Luke BRENNAN on the left left of the box and he lifts the ball over the head of Jos Barker to snatch a draw.

Full time: Scunthorpe United 1 Yeovil Town 1

Match Details

Venue: Attis Arena
Date: Saturday 8th August, 3pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Mason Obeng 48 (1-0), Luke Brennan 89 (1-1)

Pitch: Like a snooker table
Conditions: Sunny in Scunny

Attendance: 5,111 (260 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Ben Radcliffe 72
Scunthorpe United: Pat Jones 31, Callum Howe 54,

Referee: Michael Barlow

Yeovil Town

Substitutes: Brett McGavin (for Hayden Muller, 46), Johl Powell (for Ryan Jones, 64), James Daly (for Slavi Spasov, 64), Joy Mukena (for Luke McCormick, 70), Jack Kingdon (for Archie Davies, 70), Jack Lennon (not used), Stephen Walker (nor used).

Scunthorpe United: Louis Jones, Ross Barrows, Alfie Beestin (for James Gale, 64), Tyler Denton (for Branden Horton, 76), Will Evans, Callum Howe, Declan Howe (for Luke Brennan, 64), Pat Jones (for Kyle Hurst, 83), Jordan Richards, Joe Rowley (for Jacob Butterfield, 64), Danny Whitehall.

Substitutes (not used): Maison Campbell, Jean Belehouan.

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Yeovil Town’s first line up of the season at Scunthorpe United features full debuts for nine players. Luke McCormick and Ryan Jones are the only two familiar faces from last season in the starting line up. There’s no spot on the for Matt Gould and Salford City loanee Loick Ayina misses the squad entirely.

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Yeovil Town’s manager Billy Rowley and his assistant Darren Simpson have spoken to the Gloverscast about their plans to build a side capable to making a return to the Football League.

The pair joined us on our latest podcast – to listen click here – as they prepare to get the National League Premier Division season underway with a trip to Scunthorpe United on Saturday.

In a wide-ranging conversation they spoke about their summer signings, how they want the team to entertain fans at Huish Park, their hopes for this season and, if promotion proves a step too far this season, build foundations for a team which will be feared in 12 months time.

Rowley said: “This season is going to be about us winning as many games as we can and figuring out which players we want to keep on this journey with us. If we are in this division this time next year, we will be very, very good. We are a bit unknown at the moment, but based on what we see every day in training, we will be a far more exciting team, we will be definitely creating more chances. 

“I want to finish as high as possible in the league this year, I want to get as many points as we can possibly get, but with it being a new group I think we are going to learn a lot in the next six months as well. We want to make the play-offs this year and hopefully in a years time we can be talking about travelling to teams in League Two. But whether we do that or not, we want to build a team that is together, united and everyone else is a little bit fearful of. And whether that takes a year or two, I believe in us, the staff and the players, I know that if everyone else is not fearful of us now, they will be in a year’s time.”

The pair have brought in 15 new faces over the summer ranging from talents from the lower leagues including goalkeeper Jos Barker, midfielder Johl Powell and winger Mason Obeng, who all played for them at Walton & Hersham, through to more experienced heads with National League experience including defender Joe Gubbins, midfielder Zain Westbrooke and striker Slavi Spasov.

Rowley said: “If you look at the players we have signed, we have signed mostly from a league or two below us with a handful of proven players at this level. We tried to find a balance of hungry players that want to kick on and train their hardest every day and the boys we have from this level are top characters that act like captains on and off the pitch. We feel it is a good mix.”

He added: “The style of football we want to play, we want to dominate the ball more, we want intelligent, creative footballers that can run and boys that turn up that want to play for this club but also want to push on. I think it is important that they want to be the best. Experience is important but so is the experiences you have had, we could get a 32-year-old that has played in the League, but he has not got much interest in playing for us and is just looking for a retirement home and I don’t really want those players around us. A lot of the boys we have brought in are hungry to do well for this club and for themselves and that is really important.”

Zain Westbrooke is one of the more experienced new arrivals at Huish Park this summer. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The 15th new arrival was Barnsley winger Charlie Lennon who joined on loan until January during the week and Rowley said he thinks the latest arrival will be a player who will excite crowds at Huish Park.

He said: “It only came about in the past few days, so that is the answer to why we didn’t do it earlier. Charlie is someone we watched back in November or December, he is a very exciting winger. I love top level comparisons in football and I think Charlie is a bit of an Anthony Gordon. He is a left-sided winger who loves the touchline, he can glide with the ball, go left and right, he can score, he’s quick and exciting. We have known about him for a while and he can play anywhere across four positions in the frontline. He comes in to add a bit more quality in wide positions, I love players that get you off your seat and Charlie is one of those, he will take risks and if you give him the ball he will do something with it.”

To hear Billy Rowley and Darren Simpson talk about their ambitions in full search ‘Gloverscast’ wherever you listen to podcasts – or click here.

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New Yeovil Town captain Luke McCormick has said he is feeling stronger than he did when he picked up the injury which ruled him out of the final two months of last season.

The midfielder required surgery on a groin injury which he sustained in March and was a notable absentee as the Glovers fought against getting sucked in to a relegation in the National League Premier Division last season.

Having returned with three goals in pre-season when he wore the captain’s armband in every match he started, the 27-year-old was confirmed as the skipper for the upcoming season earlier this week.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Thursday, McCormick said: “I feel fit, I feel like my body is in a really good place, probably better than it was before the injury. I have had a lot of time in the gym and a lot of time rehabbing, so I feel 100% if not 101%. I feel strong and the boys are fit and ready to go, it has been a really positive pre-season.

“I had an issue for seven or eight weeks which turned out to be a hernia which I was playing with, so I was very restricted. When your team is struggling and we were trying to pick up points, I was always going to want to play whether that was at 50% or 100%. I didn’t think I was going to (get the injury) I did, but that is football. I am looking forward to starting the season strongly and hopefully continuing that throughout the season.”

Luke McCormick wearing the captain’s armband in Saturday’s pre-season friendly against Newport County. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

He admitted that he was proud to have been named captain with defender Joe Gubbins appointed as vice-captain, but said that he believes there are plenty of other strong characters in the squad this season.

He said: “It is a very proud moment in any players’ career, we have a lot of leaders and a really good group of players, so it is not just me, I just wear the armband which is a huge honour. It is something that I have wanted to do and I am getting to an age now where I am one of the older boys in the group with a lot of experience, so if I can help, I want to help. I think I always lead by example, I am not always a big shouter and screamer unless I get a little bit emotional. I want to lead on and off the pitch and I just want to help wherever I can.

“We have kept a strong core of players that were here last year and pre-season has been positive with getting to know all the new boys and that can only get better. I think it is a really exciting time to be a Yeovil Town player, but also to be a Yeovil Town fan. When there is a big overhaul like this there is always a lot of excitement and, from what I have seen, the fans can be excited and I certainly am. There has not been one stand-out player, but when the real stuff starts people will see there are a lot of good players in this squad.”

The season gets started with a long trip to Scunthorpe United on Saturday. The Iron finished fifth in the division last season and made it to the play-off semi-finals when they lost to eventual winners, Rochdale, and McCormick said this is something Yeovil are aspiring to achieve this season.

He said: “That is where we want to be, we want to be in and around those play-off places come the end of the season. We can take a lot of confidence from the pre-season we have had, obviously respect Scunthorpe for what they have done, but we are going there to impose ourselves and get three points.”

If you are heading to Scunthorpe this weekend, be sure to check out our Away Travel Guide for all the information you need – click here to view it

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Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley talking to BBC Radio Somerset ahead of the trip to Scunthorpe United on Saturday.

Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley has said he sees the development of his squad as “a two-year project“, but insists he wants to go and attack the National League Premier Division this season.

The Glovers kick off their campaign with a long trip to face a Scunthorpe United side which made the division’s play-offs last season with 15 new recruits in the squad.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Thursday ahead of the game, Rowley spoke about the importance of tying many of the new faces down on to two or three year contracts as he looks to build a side capable of challenging at the top of the division.

He said: “I think it is important that the players feel that stability as well and they feel the buy-in from us as a management team and ownership. There is nothing worse than trying to play a certain style and coach a group of players that changes every six months or every year, because it is really difficult. We saw it with Rochdale last year, it took them maybe 18 months or two years to really click and they managed to keep most of their squad and we saw what that did for them last season. There is a lot of excitement around the team and the club at the moment, I am sitting here and thinking this is a two-year project, of course, we want to finish as high as we can this year and win every game, but it might be six months or nine months until you really see this team hit top gear. If that happens, it happens, if it happens sooner, that is great.”

The boss added: “I did a podcast last night with the Gloverscast guys and we spoke about this at length.” That might be worth a listen…..

New Yeovil Town loanee Charlie Lennon being interviewed during his time at Barnsley.
Winger Charlie Lennon became the 15th summer arrival at Huish Park this week.

Winger Charlie Lennon, whose arrival on loan from Barnsley until January was announced on Wednesday, became the latest new recruit with the Glovers expected to hand out a number of club league debuts at Scunthorpe on Saturday.

The incomings followed the exit of a number of first team regulars from last season, including defenders Kyle Ferguson, Alex Whittle and Finn Cousin-Dawson, midfielder Josh Sims and striker Aaron Jarvis, departing back in May. Since then, club captain Jake Wannell has also been allowed to join National League South side Torquay United.

But Rowley said he felt it was a change that was required, he said: “I felt like it was needed. I have got a lot of time for the boys that played here last season and gave their all, it is very difficult to play for four managers in one season with a lot of mixed messages and probably a bit of disillusionment in the group and I felt there needed to be a bit of surgery on the team. From above (in the Huish Park boardroom) that was echoed and I feel we have done a really good job over the summer, I think there is still a lot of us to do in terms of becoming a cohesive unit and learning about each other, but that is part of the process. We think we have been doing some good work (during the pre-season) in recent weeks.

“Every management or recruitment team will build a team for a certain style or shape, so we want to play a more ball dominant game, we want more energy on the pitch and to be able to get after the ball a bit more and probably lower the average age a bit. We have worked really hard to select the profile of characters who fit that style and we feel like we have done that with the lads we have got in over the summer. We missed out on a couple of targets, but most of the boys we spoke to about what we are trying to do here, they fully bought in and it was nice that most of the targets wanted to come and play here.”

The fixture computer has handed Yeovil a tough start with the opening day trip to Scunthorpe, who finished fifth last season, followed by the visit of a Carlisle United side which finished third to Huish Park seven days later.

Unsurprisingly, Rowley is expecting a tough opening day. He said: “Andy (Butler, the Scunthorpe manager) has done a great job with them last year and I know exactly what they are about, they are a really difficult team to play against. They will be aggressive, great at winning second balls, getting first contact, so we are going to have to go there and roll our sleeves up and run hard first. From what I can see, their pitch is looking decent, it will be a decent game of football on the opening day of the season. We are going there to try and put our imprint on the game and try and get three points. I have had enough of pre-season now, it has served its purpose in getting the boys fit but we want to go and play for points now.”

The Glovers are being tipped for a play-off push by many of the non-League experts (insert speech marks, if you think they are required) on social media, but whilst the manager understands the excitement, he confesses his own prediction is somewhat less interesting.

He said: “It is just about the day-to-day processes of how we get there, what that looks like for us starts here on a Monday morning, eating properly, sleeping properly, training properly, putting together a good game plan on a Thursday and Friday and then delivering on a Saturday. If you do that enough times and the processes are good, you are probably going to be alright come the end of the season. Do I think we are going to be up there? I don’t know. Have we got some good players this year? Yes. We will take it game by game and see how we do.”

Friday morning episodes of the Gloverscast are back tomorrow, make sure you listen wherever it is you pick up your podcasts – find all our episodes here.

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Yeovil Town have confirmed that Keith Emmerson has been appointed the club’s new Performance Centre Manager.

The former Dorchester Town and Taunton Town defender will lead the development of players from Under 7s to Under 16s working alongside former Glovers’ player Roy O’Brien, who is in charge of age groups aged 16 years following the establishment of an “elite football and education pathway” between the club and Yeovil College in June.

Emmerson was previously Head of Performance at Huish Park having previously held a coaching role at the club and the appointment was described as a “promotion” in a statement announcing his appointment on Friday.

In the same statement, club chairman Prabhu Srinivasan said: “Keith’s appointment is another significant step in our commitment to developing a sustainable football pathway at Yeovil Town.

“His experience, professionalism and passion for developing young people make him the ideal person to lead our Performance Centre. He understands what we are trying to build as a football club and shares our vision of creating an environment where players can develop, enjoy the game and reach their potential.

“Developing our own talent is central to the future of Yeovil Town. By investing in outstanding people like Keith and creating clear opportunities for progression, we are building foundations that will benefit the club for many years to come.”

Emmerson added: “The club has strong foundations, a fantastic culture and a proud history, and I’m excited by the opportunity to help shape the next generation of players.

“Our ambition is to create an environment where young people can develop not only as footballers but also as individuals. Working alongside our excellent coaching staff and with a clear pathway into post-16 football and education, we want every player to feel they have an opportunity to progress.“

Keith Emmerson, who has been appointed Performance Centre Manager at Yeovil Town