David Coates (Page 15)

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Mark Cooper speaks to the club's social media following the 3-1 pre-season friendly win at Bath City.

Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper said he was content to name just four substitutes for today’s 3-1 pre-season friendly win at Bath City.

The Glovers were without defender Jake Wannell, who was missing for “personal reasons“, and midfielder Brett McGavin and striker Tahvon Campbell meaning they had just 15 players in the squad.

Trialist striker Jevani Brown, fellow forward Harvey Greenslade and Under-18s’ defender Ollie Hughes all appeared in the second half at Twerton Park with only goalkeeper Aidan Stone, who was a first-team regular at the end of last season, not being used.

Speaking to the club’s social media after the game, Cooper said: “Jake Wannell has got a personal issue with a family member that is seriously ill, Tahvon Campbell is still not quite right and we are hopeful he will be back training on Monday and Brett McGavin has had a tight Achilles, so we did not risk him, but he will be back on the grass on Monday as well. So we have got three big players to come back in to the group which would have given us seven on the bench, so I am okay with (only having four substitutes).”

Trialist midfielder Teo Kurtaran runs down the wing in the pre-season friendly against Bristol Rovers.
Teo Kurtaran, who has featured in all Yeovil Town’s pre-season friendlies, has missing from the squad at Bath City. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Trialist midfielder Luke McCormick impressed with assists for all three of the Yeovil goals, but there was no sign of Teo Kurtaran, the midfielder who has appeared in all the previous friendly matches this summer, suggesting he is no longer in the manager’s plans.

Asked about the trialists, the boss said: “We are still monitoring the trialists and we want to get as much value as we can, but they are certainly not doing themselves any harm with their performances.”

Goals from defender Morgan Williams and midfielders James Daly and Josh Sims put Yeovil in to a 3-0 lead by half-time, but the manager said his side “lost a little bit of professionalism” after the break with Bath pulled a goal back late in the game.

The manager said: “The first half was outstanding, we looked powerful, energetic, really good on the counter attack and defended well, but when you are 3-0 up at half-time it is hard to replicate that again (in the second half) because the opposition half to change. (Bath) changed their shape, they made substitutions and it becomes difficult and we certainly did not replicate what we did in the first half and we got away from doing the things which had got us so much joy in the first half, we lost a little bit of professionalism and it ended up being a bit more of a game in the second half.

“The trialist (Luke McCormick) looked good in the first half and we looked powerful, quick and sharp around their penalty area, I was really pleased with that bit but, as always, there is loads to do. I have just said to the players there will be lots of National League teams which have lost to National League North and South clubs, and I said to them that today was about winning and make a statement with two weeks to go (until the first league game of the season).

“There was really good support here today, really big numbers and at least we gave them three goals to go away with.”

The ball runs out of play for Bath's Ewan Clark with Byron Pendleton and Morgan Williams in close attendance.
The ball runs out of play for Bath City’s Ewan Clark with Byron Pendleton and Morgan Williams in close attendance. Picture courtesy of Abby Carter.

On Friday, the manager called on supporters to “have a bit of patience” with summer recruitment and said he expected to bring in “two or three” permanent additions plus loan signings for the new campaign which gets underway on August 9th.

One player who impressed against Bath was young Birmingham City right-back Byron Pendleton, who joined on a season-long loan during the week. The manager said: “I have been asked why there are so many loan players, but I have been consistent, the loan players are going to give us that depth to our squad. When you bring in loan players like Byron, who looks a really good acquisition for us, it helps us with our budget and he did really well.”

The final match of the announced friendly fixtures takes Cooper’s men to Weston-super-Mare next weekend, but he revealed they will play a behind-closed-doors fixture against an unnamed Championship side on Tuesday night.

He said: “We are playing a behind-closed-doors game at a Championship club on Tuesday which will be a real tough one for us, so we need to get ready and recover for that.“

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The ball runs out of play for Bath's Ewan Clark with Byron Pendleton and Morgan Williams in close attendance.

Three first half goals from Yeovil Town saw them get their pre-season campaign back to winning ways with a victory at National League South side Bath City on Saturday.

The Glovers took the lead through defender Morgan Williams after 14 minutes before summer signing James Daly opened his goal-scoring account for his new side and then Josh Sims added a third with trialist Luke McCormick providing assists for all three goals.

A fairly uneventful second half saw Will Jenkins-Davies reduce the deficit for the hosts, managed by former Yeovil player and manager, Darren Way, with nine minutes remaining.

First half

The starting line-up gave the first talking point with just four substitutes, including youngster Ollie Hughes, named by manager Mark Cooper, who had told supporters concerned about the lack of transfer activity to “have a little patience” on Friday. There was no Jake Wannell, missing due to “personal reasons“, or Brett McGavin and Tahvon Campbell, both not being risked due to injuries. Campbell had looked to be struggling in the defeat to Bristol Rovers seven days earlier with a heavy strapping on his knee.

In the starting XI, goalkeeper/goalkeeping coach Matt Gould was named in goal with last season’s first choice, Aidan Stone, named on the bench. The visitors started with Finn Cousin-Dawson lined up in defensive midfield positions alongside Charlie Cooper and trialist Luke McCormick playing behind Aaron Jarvis.

James Daly had the first effort on goal with an effort from distance after just three minutes before former Glovers’ loanee Ewan Clark found Joe Raynes inside the box but his two efforts were blocked by Kyle Fergsuon. Clark forced Matt Gould in to the first save of the match after five minutes, the home side have dominated the opening exchanges.

However, it was Yeovil who opened the scoring through Morgan WILLIAMS after 14 minutes. Good pressure from Byron Pendleton found Josh Sims who could not release anyone until he picked out McCormick whose cross was met by a flick from Williams to put the Glovers ahead against the run of play.

Byron Pendleton and Ewan Clark eye each other during a break in play.
Byron Pendleton keeps a close eye on Bath City’s Ewan Clark. Picture courtesy of Mike Hudson.

Bath continued to dominate with Clark, who failed to get much action during his time at Huish Park, but Yeovil found their composure and doubled their advantage on 27 minutes. Pendleton and Sims linked up well down the right-hand side to get the ball to McCormick whose sliced shot landed on a plate to James DALY who slid home his first goal since arriving in the summer.

Just before the half-hour mark, a great ball from Cousin-Dawson found Pendleton whose cross from the right was towards McCormick who could not quite get to the ball. Good move, but the trialist did not quite have the legs for it.

McCormick was involved again in Yeovil’s third goal with seven minutes of the first half remaining. Nicely worked by McCormick on the left, he found Josh SIMS who turned his man and finished coolly to extend the advantage for the visitors. Having had to weather an early storm, Yeovil have taken this game by the scruff of the neck with McCormick at the centre of it whilst Bath looking unsure what to do.

Bath keeper Harvey Wiles-Richards had to scramble back after a clearance deflected off the knee of Sims just after and from the resulting corner Williams forced the keeper in to a save. But at the interval, get the open top bus booked – we’re winning the lot!

Half-time:  Bath City 0 Yeovil Town 3

Second half

Yeovil Town's four substitutes warming up at half-time in the pre-season friendly at Bath City.
“The depth” warming up at half-time at Twerton Park. Picture courtesy of Mike Hudson.

There were two changes for Bath with last season’s top scorer Scott Wilson entering the fray at the interval, he replaced former W*ymouth frontman Brad Ash. Unsurprisingly given the lack of options, there were no changes for Yeovil.

Bath came out the brighter but the nearest either side got to adding to the scoreline saw Jenkins-Davies try to chip Matt Gould under pressure from the Yeovil defence after 56 minutes. Not much end product from the home side here.

There were a couple of half chances for Raynes and then substitute Wilson around the hour mark, but nothing in the way of meaningful opportunities for either side.

The first change for Yeovil came after 71 minutes with Harvey Greenslade replacing Aaron Jarvis followed six minutes later by trialist Jevani Brown who came on for Daly.

It took an error from Williams to add to the goal-scoring tally. The defender’s attempted clearing header landed at the feet of Will JENKINS-DAVIES who rifled past Gould to reduce the deficit.

Charlie Cooper tried a spectacular effort which did not trouble Wiles-Richards who then kept everyone entertained with a bicycle kick outside his box with three minutes remaining.

Under-18s’ defender Ollie Hughes replaced Kyle Fergsuson in the 88th minute and then, as the game ticked in to injury time, a dangerous cross by Jordan Alves picked out fellow substitute and officially the Nicest Man In Football, Alex Fisher, whose header forced a good save from Gould to touch it over the bar.

Another good ball in to the box from Alves in the flying moments of the game was turned aside by Whittle with Fisher lurking again, but it was Yeovil who ran out winners.

Full time: Bath City 1 Yeovil Town 3

Teams:

Yeovil Town: Matt Gould, Alex Whittle, Kyle Ferguson (for Ollie Hughes, 88), Morgan Williams, Finn Cousin-Dawson, Byron Pendleton, Charlie Cooper, James Daly (for Jevani Brown, Trialist, 77), Josh Sims, Luke McCormick (Trialist), Aaron Jarvis (for Harvey Greenslade, 71).

Substitutes (not used): Aidan Stone.

Bristol Rovers: Harvey Wiles-Richards, Joe Raynes, Danny Greenslade, Ollie Tomlinson, Kieron Parselle, Will Jenkins-Davies, Ewan Clark (for Jordan Alves, 77), Brad Ash (for Scott Wilson, 46), Jordan Tillson, Mitch Beardmore (for Jack Batten, 46), Luke Russe.

Substitutes (not used): Massimo Sardo, Louis Sweeten, Owen Pritchard, Alex Fisher, Trialist, Trialist.

Scorers: Morgan Williams 14 (1-0), James Daly 27 (2-0), Josh Sims 38 (3-0), Will Jenkins-Davies 81 (1-3)

Attendance: 853

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper speaking to the club's social media from the training base in Bristol.

Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has appealed to the club’s supporters to “have a little patience” as he bids to strengthen the club’s squad.

With just two weeks remaining until the eve of the National League Premier Division season, the Glovers have 16 registered first team players following the exit of winger Lewys Twamley earlier in the week.

The latest arrival is young full-back Byron Pendleton, who joined on a season-long loan from Birmingham City on Thursday, and follows permanent signings defender Kyle Ferguson, winger James Daly and striker Tahvon Campbell.

Speaking to the club’s social media from its training facility in Bristol, the boss said: “We had to wait a long period of time for the takeover to go through and then when we had the chance to speak to the fans at the forum it was about (the fact that) I was going to be patient and get as much value for money as I could which is still the case. I know people will be panicking that we have not done this and that, but it is in hand and I always said we would plump the squad out with two or three loans. That is the case and Byron is one of them.”

Trialist Byron Pendleton takes on a Bristol Rovers player.
Trialist Byron Pendleton in action against Bristol Rovers. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown

Asked about the futures of trialist midfielders Luke McCormick and Teo Kurtaran and striker Jevani Brown, who have regularly featured in pre-season friendlies, Cooper said he was “monitoring” their situations whilst keeping tabs on targets for permanent additions.

He added: “We might have to wait to get our first choice players, but we are only talking two or three. It is a waiting game now, there are probably about 25 players of real quality that still have not got a club and they all want to play in the EFL. Not all of them are going to be fixed up and I certainly want to explore one or two of those which would be above our level.

“We have got enough players at the minute to make sure we can get good minutes in to games. I would just appeal to the fan base to have a bit of reality and a bit of calmness, we have had three or four owners in the last three years, we have had a promotion and consolidated (with last season’s 18th place finish) in the National League, and now with a new owner we are trying to step forward. Everything is in hand, there is no panic from us. I get that fans are frustrated we have not signed this or that player, but there will be fan bases all over the country saying that now, we just have to be patient.

“I could’ve got 150 players this morning to sign for us but I want to make sure they are the right players for Yeovil that are going to excite the fans and after two weeks they are not barracking them on social media and saying ‘why have we signed them?’ We have got an amount of money we have got to spend and I want to get as much value as I can to make sure we have a good season.”

Darren Way in the dug-out during his time as Yeovil Town manager in 2016. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.
Current Bath City boss Darren Way in the dug-out during his time as Yeovil Town manager in 2016. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Yeovil will be looking to get back to winning ways in their pre-season campaign on Tuesday following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Bristol Rovers and Cardiff City Under-21s as they travel to National League South side Bath City, managed by ex-Glovers’ player and manager, Darren Way. 

Cooper said he expected to give first-team squad members more minutes in the fixture and against Weston-super-Mare in their final friendly outing seven days later.

He said: “It has been a good week, a tough week in terms of the distances we have covered and the intensity. It is a good game to look forward to tomorrow where we will start seeing a lot of the players playing more minutes and from tomorrow there are two weeks to go (until the start of the season).”

You can read Jonathan Hooper’s Gloversblog assessment of Yeovil Town’s preparations for the new season – HERE.

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Young defender Corey Koerner has joined Southern League Premier Division South side Tiverton Town.

The 18-year-old posted a picture on his own X/Twitter account showing him turning out for the Ambers in a pre-season friendly against Willand Rovers on Saturday which suggests this is a permanent move rather than another loan deal.

The photo posted on Corey Koerner’s own X/Twitter account on Saturday evening.

The now apparently former Glover turned out for Yeovil as a second half substitute in the pre-season friendly against Cardiff City Under-21s last Tuesday night and had also featured against Chippenham Town, Sherborne Town and Exmouth Town.

However, it appears his time at Yeovil is now over. Best of luck in the future, Corey.

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Marcus Stewart is presented with a framed shirt by Yeovil Town Executive Chairman Stuart Robins ahead of kick-off.

Legendary striker Marcus Stewart has spoken of feeling “humbled” after seeing more than 2,000 supporters of two of his former clubs turn out to honour him at Huish Park.

His first-ever club, Bristol Rovers, picked up a 2-1 pre-season friendly win over the final club he played or coached with, Yeovil Town, on Saturday in the ‘Match for Marcus’ which raised money and awareness of Motor Neurone Disease, the condition he was diagnosed with in 2022.

Speaking to Yeovil’s social media following the game, the 52-year-old said: “It has been unreal, I need a week to reflect on it and come down from it because these days hit me more two or three days after the event. It is great 2,000 people turned up, it is humbling. I would rather it was not an event for me in these circumstances, I would have rather it be a normal pre-season game, but I was pleased and humbled by the support.

“When Wesso (coach Ian Weston) said to me about it at the end of last season, I said ‘are you sure?’ and he said he would speak to the chairman, which was Martin Hellier, at the time. Off the back of that, I let them get on with it and even though Martin has left (new Executive Chairman) Stuart (Robins) was here and he has done a great job today as well – the programme was brilliant, the hospitality we had was brilliant and there is even a framed shirt and picture of mine upstairs in the (Huish Park) foyer now alongside Skivo.”

The frontman began an illustrious career in the academy at Rovers in 1989 before going on to make his professional debut three years later at the start of a career which saw him score 19 Premier League goals to fire Ipswich Town in to Europe in 2000-01.

He arrived at Huish Park in 2006, initially on loan from Bristol City before making the move permanent, and scored the iconic goal which took an unforgettable League One play-off semi-final at Nottingham Forest in to extra time and eventually saw Yeovil book their first visit to Wembley. Having departed for Exeter City where he ended his playing career, Stewart returned to Huish Park as Head of Player Development under manager Mark Cooper in June 2022, just three months before his diagnosis with MND. He held that role until May when he stepped down.

Marcus Stewart celebrates his 87th minute goal in the League One play-off semi-final at Nottingham Forest in May 2007. Picture courtesy of Len Copland – www.lencoplandphotography.blogspot.com.

Over 500 travelling supporters were among the crowd of 2,236 which turned out for the match on Satyurday and Stewart revealed that he spent the second half in the Screwfix Stand.

He said: “I know Yeovil were putting the event on, but I felt in the second half that I had to go and sit with the Rovers fans. 500 of them have come down here and Yeovil and Bristol Rovers are my two favourite clubs in the South West, it is that simple. I wanted to show respect for the fact so many Rovers fans travelled down and I would have thought some of them would have travelled down regardless of it being my event. Yeovil have been brilliant, from the evening they had with me at the end of last season to today’s game, they have been brilliant.”

In his post-match comments, Cooper said he had enjoyed having “the micky taken” by former coaching colleague ahead of the match. On his plans for life after football, Stewart said: “I do enjoy coming back and having a bit of banter in the staff room, but I do not know what I will miss about the game yet, ask me in a few months after my life has settled down a bit.”

The match saw Yeovil go ahead after 21 minutes through an own goal from visiting keeper Brad Young before second half goals from former Glovers’ loanee Kofi Shaw and substitute Luke Thomas sealed the win for the League Two said.

Speaking about Yeovil’s performance, Stewart added: “I thought it was a pre-season game and we were stronger in the first half. The team changes when we brought players on in the second half and it disjoints the game. We had a lot of control in the game, but I think the difference in the second half was down to the changes. It is so important that the players are getting fit and you have a full squad ready for the start of the season, but I am sure Mark will have been pleased with the first half.”

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has said he is hoping to strengthen his squad within the next week having seen them go down to a 2-1 defeat at home to Bristol Rovers at Huish Park on Saturday.

The Glovers took the lead courtesy of an own goal from visiting goalkeeper Brad Young after 21 minutes and impressed before the break, but second half goals from former loanee Kofi Shaw and substitute Luke Thomas sealed the win for the League Two side.

Cooper fielded five trialists with two new faces in the starting line up, Birmingham City Under-21s captain Byron Pendleton and Bristol City Under-21s’ goalkeeper Josey Casa-Grande both completing the full 90 minutes on their first outings.

Ex-Rovers’ striker Jevani Brown, who has been with Yeovil all pre-season, started the match with midfielders Luke McCormick, who was released from The Memorial Stadium in the summer, and Teo Kurtaran appearing off the substitutes’ bench.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins, Cooper said: “We are still trying to build the squad, we are probably two or three players short. We are still looking and hopefully we can get that done in the next week. I do not want to be going in to the last week of pre-season when we are still trying to put everything together, but I have said we are trying to get as much quality as we can and if we have to wait a little bit to do that, that is what we will do because it is a long season.”

Asked specifically about the right-back position which has been vacant since the departure of Michael Smith at the end of last season and an impressive, the boss added: “We played with wing-backs today, whether they are a right-back or a right wing-back, it does not matter as long as they are a good player. We are on the look out for a couple of loans to give us the squad numbers, but we still have a couple of permanent (signings) we want to do. I am speaking with (Executive Chairman) Stuart (Robins) and (owner) Prabhu (Srinivasan) to hopefully get that done.”

Trialist Byron Pendleton fires a shot in on goal against Bristol Rovers.
Trialist Byron Pendleton, the Birmingham City Under-21s captain, who played at right wing-back.

In a joint statement published by the club on Friday, the owner and Executive Chairman said that they expected more players to arrive following the signings of striker Tahvon Campbell, winger James Daly and defender Kyle Ferguson.

The statement said: “We completely understand some of the frustration around the perceived lack of transfer activity – but please be assured, that Mark and his coaching team are working tirelessly to bring in the right players.

“Our approach this summer has been considered and deliberate. It’s about quality over quantity – building a competitive, energetic squad that fits Mark’s vision. So far, we’ve welcomed Kyle Ferguson, Tahvon Campbell and James Daly, and we expect more to follow.”

The statement went on to talk about the decision to move first-team training from South Somerset to the SGS Wise Academy, north of Bristol, which a reply to a supporter question on social media suggested has taken up a chunk of the budget available for to the manager.

Asked about his impression of the new training facilities, Cooper said that moving the training base had helped his recruitment this summer.

He said: “I have said all along, if there was a facility like (the SGS WISE Academy) in Yeovil, we would be training in Yeovil, but there is not. That is the long-term aim of the club, but at the minute we have got a good base. It helps our recruitment, we have got some players through the door that we would never have got if we were in Yeovil.”

Following an impressive first half display which saw Pendleton shine in the right back position, where recruitment is certainly needed, the Glovers struggled to cope with Bristol Rovers after the break.

Trialist McCormick and Josh Sims replaced Daly and Brett McGavin at the interval whilst their opponents replaced Young with first-choice keeper Jed Ward and summer signing Ryan Howley. As ever with pre-season their were multiple changes from both sides through the second half – see our match report for full details.

On his side’s performance, Cooper added: “I thought we were really good in the first half, but when you make changes it disrupts your rhythm and we lost our way a little bit in the second half. They bring on some really good players in the second half and they had an added zest to it, but we have to take the positives from it – a good day, a good crowd, the Thatcher’s Stand was in full voice, so it was really positive. We are a week behind Bristol Rovers in terms of preparation and that probably showed in the end.”

A crowd of 2,236, including more than 500 Rovers’ fans, turned out for the fixture which was played in honour of Marcus Stewart, the legendary striker who played for both clubs, and to raise money and awareness of Motor Neurone Disease.

The former frontman was diagnosed with the condition in 2022 shortly before he took up a role as Head of Player Development at Huish Park which he held until May.

Asked for an appreciation of Stewart, Cooper said: “He just takes the micky out of me constantly, but he is a top bloke, a top player and the game is going to miss him. He is moving away from the area to be nearer his family and it is going to tough not to come in and having to make him coffee and have him tell you how bad the coffee is. Sometimes when you have had a defeat, he is able to lift the mood and we are going to miss that.”

With no midweek fixture until the next pre-season friendly, a trip to take on National League South Bath City, managed by former Yeovil player and manager, Darren Way next weekend, Cooper said he plans to up the intensity in training.

He said: “I have told the players whatever bumps they have, they need to be ready to run hard on Tuesday because our intensity will go up over the next two weeks. We have broken ourselves in to (pre-season training) quite nicely and tried to make sure we do not have too many bumps and bruises, but they have got to be ready to run hard next week and for the weeks after.”

The scoreboard at Huish Park beamed a thankyou message to Marcus Stewart at the final whistle.
A crowd of 2,236 turned out for the match to recognise the contribution of legendary striker Marcus Stewart. Picture courtesy of Debs Curtis.

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The scoreboard at Huish Park beamed a thankyou message to Marcus Stewart at the final whistle.

Two second half goals saw Yeovil Town go down to defeat at the hands of Bristol Rovers in the ‘Match for Marcus’ pre-season friendly at Huish Park on Saturday.

A crowd of 2,236, including a healthy 512 from Bristol, turned out to recognise Marcus Stewart, the legendary striker who played for both sides. All gate receipts are being donated to raising money and awareness of Motor Neurone Disease, the condition which the forward was diagnosed with in 2022.

It was an impressive first half for the Glovers which saw them take the lead when Rovers’ goalkeeper Brad Young punched a Brett McGavin corner in to his own net after 21 minutes, but the League Two opposition moved up a gear after the break and goals from ex-Glovers’ loanee Kofi Shaw and Luke Thomas wrapped up the result.

First half

The Glovers lined up with trialist Bristol City Under-21s goalkeeper Josey Casa-Grande in goal with ex-Rovers’ striker Jevani Brown also named in the starting line-up alongside Birmingham City Under-21s defender Byron Pendleton, playing at right-back. Midfielders Teo Kurtaran and Luke McCormick, a former trialist and first-team player for The Gas, were the other trialists named on the substitutes’ bench for the match.

Pendleton is under contract at St Andrews until the summer of 2027 so would be a loan if he is the man Mark Cooper is looking to fill the boots of Michael Smith. 

Before kick-off, there was a one-minute silence in memory of  all those who were injured and affected by the coach crash which killed a ten-year-old boy near Minehead on Thursday.

The opening exchanges saw former Glovers’ loanee Kofi Shaw have a shot deflected away for a corner, but it was Yeovil who took the lead after 21 minutes. An in-swinging corner from Brett McGavin was punched in to his own net by Rovers’ keeper Brad Young. The goal was credit to Morgan Williams, but in reality is was an OWN GOAL from the keeper.

On 29 minutes, those in green-and-white thought Yeovil had doubled their lead when trialist Pendleton got away down the right with only Young to beat, but his shot went in to the side netting. The rippling of the net proved to be an illusion for those in the Main Stand and Thatcher’s End – but those away fans in the Screwfix Stand had a far better view of what had really happened.

Trialist Byron Pendleton, who captains Birmingham City's Under-21s, sinks to his knees after coming close.
Trialist Byron Pendleton sinks to his knees after hitting the side netting. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

At the other end, a quick move from Rovers saw Micah Anthony found in space on the left side of the box, he fired an effort in but it was well blocked by Williams after 32 minutes and the only other action in Yeovil’s favour saw Young have more problems with corners from McGavin. For the visitors Ollie Dewsbury almost took advantage of a lax header back to Casa-Grande, but put his header wide.

Overall, the first half offered many reasons to be impressed with for Yeovil. Pendleton looked a threat going forward down the right with McGavin impressing and Harvey Greenslade and Aaron Jarvis linking up well in the forward line.

Half-time:  Yeovil Town 1 Bristol Rovers 0

Both sides made two changes at half-time with James Daly and Brett McGavin replacing by trialist Luke McCormick and Josh Sims for Yeovil.

The visitors found an equaliser just three minutes in to the second half as Kofi SHAW was awarded the freedom of Huish Park’s midfield to stride forward and smash a shot from outside the box past Casa-Grande. A fantastic strike and it appears the curse of the old boy exists in pre-season as well.

Bryant Bilongo had a great opportunity to put them ahead after 56 minutes after a one-two with substitute Luke Thomas saw him saunter in to the Yeovil penalty area and flash a shot past the far post.

Yeovil Town striker Harvey Greenslade tussles for the ball against a Bristol Rovers player.
Harvey Greenslade tussles with a Bristol Rovers defender Taylor Moore. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

The warning signs were there and on 62 minutes Rovers went ahead. This time Shaw was the provider as he picked out Luke THOMAS who had the easiest job of tapping home. A simple goal for Rovers who have stepped up a gear after the break and Yeovil are getting pulled out of position and cut apart. 

There was the usual flurry of changes with trialist Teo Kurtaran appearing alongside Finn Cousin-Dawson, Kyle Ferguson, Lewys Twamley and Tahvon Campbell in the second half. On 75 minutes, Kurtaran forced a good save out of Jed Ward, who replaced Young at the break, with a free-kick from the edge of the box.

In the 82nd minute, we got a first look at the new rule of referees awarding a corner for a team holding on to the ball for too long, awarding Yeovil a corner kick. It has been a flat second half, so that could be among the highlights of this 45 minutes.

Williams’ flicked header was easily saved by Ward from a nice cross from Twamley as the game ticked in to injury time. A nice move from Yeovil, but Morgan did not get enough of a connection on it.

Reasons to be positive in the first half, but reasons to be negative in the second half.

Full time: Yeovil Town 1 Bristol Rovers 2

Teams:

Yeovil Town: Josey Casa-Grande (Trialist), Alex Whittle, Morgan Williams, Jake Wannell, Byron Pendleton (Trialist), Charlie Cooper, Brett McGavin,  Jevani Brown (Trialist), Harvey Greenslade, Aaron Jarvis (for Tahvon Campbell, 69).

Substitutes:  Luke McCormick (for James Daly, 46), Josh Sims (for Brett McGavin, 46), Teo Kurtaran, Trialist (for Charlie Cooper, 60), Finn Cousin-Dawson (for Alex Whittle, 64), Kyle Ferguson (for Jake Wannell, 64), Lewys Twamley (for Jevani Brown, Trialist, 64), Aidan Stone (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Bristol Rovers: Brad Young (for Jed Ward, 46), Joel Senior, Taylor Moore, Isaac Hutchinson, Luke Thomas (for Jack Sparkes, 63), Dan Ellison, Josh McEarhran (for Ryan Howley, 46, for Kamil Conteh, 73), Micah Anthony (for Ruel Sotiriou, 63), Bryant Bilongo, Kofi Shaw, Ollie Dewsbury.

Substitutes (not used): Alfie Kilgour, Shaq Forde, Promise Omochere, Connor Taylor.

Scorers: Brad Young o.g. 21 (1-0), Kofi Shaw 48 (1-1), Luke Thomas 62 (1-2).

Attendance: 2,236 (512 away supporters)

Referee: James Durkin (Portland, W*ymouth)

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Trialist goalkeeper Josey Casey-Grande warms up ahead of the match.

Yeovil Town are giving a trial to Bristol City Under-21s goalkeeper Josey Casa-Grande in today’s pre-season friendly against League Two side Bristol Rovers at Huish Park.

The 19-year-old, who is under contract at Ashton Gate until next summer, most recently had a one month loan spell at National League South side Chippenham Town at the end of last season, making four appearances without keeping a clean sheet.

His the Robins’ academy graduate’s other loan appearances came at Bath City (twice), W*ymouth and Tiverton Town. The Welshman played for that lot down the road when they knocked us out of the FA Trophy last season – wonder if he got a commemorative mug?

Trialist goalkeeper Josey Casey-Grande warms up ahead of the match.
Trialist Josey Casa-Grande. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

In the starting line-up as well was another trialist, Birmingham City Under-21s captain Byron Pendleton, who began the match at right back. The 19-year-old was a regular for the Brum youngsters in the Professional Development League last season.

The pair were among five trialists named in the Glovers’ squad for the ‘Match for Marcus’ which will see all proceeds go to the charity for Marcus Stewart, the legendary striker who played for both clubs, to raise money and awareness of Motor Neurone Disease.

The other three were are ex-Rovers pair Luke McCormick and Jevani Brown and midfielder Teo Kurtaran, who had a trial at the Memorial Stadium in the summer of 2023. All three have been regulars in the pre-season campaign to date.

Trialist Byron Pendleton takes on a Bristol Rovers player.
Trialist Byron Pendleton in action against Bristol Rovers. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper pictured speaking to the club's social media following the 3-2 pre-season friendly defeat to Cardiff City Under-21s.

Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper said he saw positive signs from his side as they went down to a 3-2 defeat against Cardiff City Under-21s in their first pre-season friendly at Huish Park.

The Glovers raced in to a 2-0 lead with goals from Josh Sims, playing at right wing-back, and striker Harvey Greenslade, but conceded immediately after going 2-0 up and then conceded two goals in the second half to go down to their first defeat of pre-season.

Speaking to the club’s social media after the game, Cooper said: “For large parts I was really impressed and happy, we went 2-0 up and were on the front foot and then we conceded at a horrible time straight after we scored the second goal. For 60 minutes, I was really pleased. We are still a bit behind, we have had three-and-a-half weeks (in to pre-season) and we have tried to make sure we try to reduce the risk to injury due to the pitches and the weather, so we need to increase the intensity now. You could see towards the end we were running on empty and we made the changes (with substitutions in the second half) and it disrupts the team and we end up on the wrong side of the result.

“We really wanted to be front foot and make it difficult for them to play their football which we did, we were quite aggressive which is where our goals came from and I thought we would go on to score a few more. But the goals we conceded was down to tiredness, when you are tired you can make poor decisions, but I am really pleased with large parts of that and I am sure we will be better for it (against Bristol Rovers in the next friendly) on Saturday.

“There were times tonight where we looked great, but then at 2-0 the ball comes through the middle of the pitch and they get an easy first goal. So there is loads that we can work on, but that is why we have these games, so we can have bits we can fine tune and I think when you get tired you start to make mistakes and we have to make sure that when we make mistakes it does not always lead to key chances and goals. If we make mistakes, we have to make sure we can see that pressure off, and that will come with the more work we do before the first league game.”

The manager also explained the decision to reduce the length of the playing surface at Huish Park. Ahead of kick-off there was widespread discussion among supporters about a sizeable gap which had sprung up at both ends of the pitch.

Cooper said: “We had the biggest pitch in the league by a long way, it was massive, so we wanted to make it a bit smaller to give us a chance to be a bit more front foot. We wanted to get ourselves in position, get in opposition team’s faces and that is it. It is so we can get a bit closer to the opposition.”

An image showing a sizeable decrease in the length of the Huish Park playing surface.
There is now a significantly bigger gap between the Thatcher’s Stand and the goal. Picture courtesy of Mike Hudson.

Defender Jake Wannell was an unused substitute against the young Bluebirds and striker Tahvon Campbell was absent from the squad, watching from the Huish Park stands. Cooper said both had been left out as a precaution, but he expected them to return for the visit of League Two side Bristol Rovers on Saturday.

He said: “We are probably two or three players short, but we are where we are. We were without (Jake) Wannell and Tav Campbell tonight which are big misses for us, so if you put them back in to (the squad) and if we can add another couple to give us some cover in key positions, I will be pretty content. Both flagged up little (injuries) from training yesterday, we probably could have played them but it is pre-season, so they have sat out tonight, they will rest tomorrow and they should be fine for training on Thursday and be available for Saturday. There is no point in them playing today, but they cannot miss too much because now our intensity really ramps up.”

One player who definitely will not feature in that match is midfielder Jacob Maddox, signed until the summer of 2026 in January, who has been missing since injuring his toe in the defeat at Rochdale shortly after his arrival.

Cooper said: “He had an operation at the end of June which was too late for me because it should have been done at the end of the season. He had an operation on his toe, but he will not be with us for a couple of months.”

A crowd of 1,226 was inside Huish Park for the match on Tuesday night and the club are hoping for a bumper attendance when Bristol Rovers visit on Saturday in the ‘Match for Marcus’, which will recognise the contribution of legendary striker Marcus Stewart, who played for both sides in an illustrious career.

The former frontman, who was on Cooper’s coaching staff until May, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2022 and the match will be used to raise awareness of the condition and raise funds for charities linked to it.

On the match, the Glovers’ boss added: “We will be playing against men on Saturday and they will be physical, so we are expecting they type of game we would encounter in the league. So that will be a really big step towards where we are trying to get to in terms of fitness and intensity for the (first league game on the) 9th August.”

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper  said he needed to “add a couple of players” after watching them grab a late win at Chippenham Town in their third friendly of the pre-season campaign.

The Glovers needed late goals from strikers Harvey Greenslade and Aaron Jarvis to see off National League South opposition with a 3-2 win in temperatures which topped 30 degrees Celsius in Wiltshire on Saturday afternoon.

Cooper started the game with trialists striker Jevani Brown and midfielder Luke McCormick, who have both featured in the previous two friendly wins over Sherborne Town and Exmouth Town.

It is not clear whether the boss was talking about these two players as he mentioned the need for new additions, as neither of the ex-Bristol Rovers’ duo has been formally identified by the club.

Speaking to the club’s social media after the game, Cooper said: “We are still trying to add a couple of permanent players to the squad, we are still a couple short. We are trying to work with the owner (Prabhu Srinivasan) and with Stuart (Robins, the club’s Executive Chairman) to see if we can push a bit and bring a couple of quality players in because we are short on numbers. We aimed to be a small squad with enough quality, but we need to add a couple now.”

So far, Cooper has recruited striker Tahvon Campbell, winger James Daly and defender Kyle Ferguson as permanent additions, but the absence of transfer business has left supporters questioning whether the club is waiting to make the right additions and the level of budget available to support recruitment.

Both Brown and McCormick were withdrawn on the hour mark on Saturday as Cooper made ten changes with only defender Morgan Williams playing the full 90 minutes. Among the changes included trialist strikers Abu Kanu and Kieran Edworthy and midfielder Teo Kurtaran, who provided the corners which led to the goals from Greenslade and Jarvis which earned the win.

Yeovil Town trialists Teo Kurtaran, back to the camera wearing number 15, and striker Abu Kanu, no number, in action in the 3-2 win at Chippenham Town on Saturday.
Trialist Teo Kurtaran (Number 15) and striker Abu Kanu (no number) both appeared as 60th minute substitutes in Yeovil Town’s 3-2 win at Chippenham Town on Saturday. Picture courtesy of Sophie Edon.

Next up, Yeovil welcome Cardiff City Under-21s to Huish Park on Tuesday night. The young Bluebirds played their first pre-season fixture on Saturday earning a 2-1 win at Cymru Premier side Barry Town United courtesy of a penalty from striker Luke Pearce.

Cooper said the first three matches of the pre-season campaign had been about building fitness, but confessed his side needed to “go up a notch” as they face Cardiff’s youngsters followed by a visit from League Two side Bristol Rovers next weekend.

He added: “We are in a position where we are two weeks in to pre-season and it was about trying to get through those two weeks being aware of the weather and the pitches and making sure that we get to this point.

“But we have to go up a level now and that is the chat I have had with the players (after the match), we have to be ready and go up a notch because we are going to be two really big clubs in Cardiff City and Bristol Rovers which will be a real acid test for us. So it is about getting a steady pre-season and making sure are ready for (the first National League match on) August 9th, but we need to go up a level now.”

Two goals in the final seven minutes of the match at Chippenham earned Yeovil their third win out of three friendlies, but they needed a winner from Jarvis which came with the final touch of the match. They had gone behind twice in the match and also saw summer signing striker Tahvon Campbell have a tame penalty saved in the second half.

Cooper admitted he was not happy with his side’s defending for either goal they conceded. He said: “We try and put a lot of bodies forward and press high, but when that ball comes forward we have to win the duels and we didn’t. we let lost those duels today and we let runners go. We had numerous chances to score, they took theirs and we missed a penalty, but we found a win to win again and that is (three wins in) three games now, you can talk about the opposition but it is three games and three wins and long may that continue.

“We are looking at minutes and data and which player needs want and trying to get some semblance of a shape to the team, and that will evolve over the next four weeks.”

There has been no sign of midfielder Jacob Maddox in the Glovers’ pre-season campaign, either in photographs from training sessions at the SGS Wise Campus in South Gloucestershire, or any of the three season friendlies.

There has been no mention of the absence from Cooper or the club’s official channels, but responding to a question from a supporter on its social media, the club confirmed the former Forest Green Rovers man underwent surgery at the end of the season.

A social media post from the club confirming that midfielder Jacob Maddox had surgery at the end of last season.

 

Tell us what you think of the Glovers’ performances in their opening pre-season friendlies and where you think the squad needs to strength ahead of the opening game of the National League season in less than a month.

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