David Coates (Page 180)

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Darren Sarll believes that his Yeovil Town side are “where they should be” in the National League table after nine games of the season.

The Glovers sit in 14th following a 1-1 home draw against Altrincham on Tuesday night, but have lost three and drawn two of their last five having picked up three wins in a row prior to that run.

The manager said that his side’s failure to score more than one goal despite mustering 28 shots at Altrincham, who had left-back Connor Hampson in goal for 74 minutes due to an injury to their keeper, was an indication why they are in mid-table.

But, he said that without greater resources at his disposal he is having to “re-invent” his side with injuries to key players including defender Luke Wilkinson and midfielder Mitchell Rose.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Sarll said: “We have to reinvent ourselves every time something changes, because if you take Luke Wilkinson out of the team, it doesn’t just take Luke out, it take Josh Staunton out of midfield.

“Who then goes in midfield? Are the ingredients the same? Mitch Rose would have been perfect (against Altrincham) but he’s injured, so we are trying to re-invent all the time.

“We are where we probably should be because our expected goals goals for that game was six which for 32 crosses that is not surprising.

“We want to build on that, we want another 30-odd crosses and get those chances for Adi and Joe (against W*ymouth at the weekend).”

There were murmurings of discontent from the Huish Park stands at the final whistle on Tuesday night and the uncertainty on the future of the club driven by the absence of Chairman Scott Priestnall, it seems likely a poor start in the weekend’s derby could spark more anger.

Ahead of the tie, Sarll called for “positivity” from supporters and re-iterated his call for patience with his squad which is the second youngest in the National League.

He added: “Everyone know the (team we had in the 2019-20 season) was built for immediate productivity – this is not that team and it is going to take time.

“We just have to make sure we keep moving forward, it is going to be very up and down, this is not a group which is going to take hours.

“If player availability and squad depth is not good enough, it is going to take time.”

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Dale Gorman has promised Yeovil Town supporters that the club’s players understand the significance of the FA Cup derby with local rivals W*ymouth on Saturday.

The fourth qualifying round tie at Huish Park is the first time the two sides have faced each other in front of fans since 1999.

Dale Gorman.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Speaking ahead of the tie, the Northern Irishman said: “As a player, it does not matter who you are and what you know about the derby, it is important you present yourself well.

“Weymouth are going to come here and we will be at it and they will be at it. There is no-one in the dressing room not looking forward to it.

“The fans are important on Saturday, we will be looking for them to get right behind us and we will be looking to get one over on Weymouth.”

Neither side are going in to the tie in great form with the Glovers without a win in their last five matches whilst the Terras have lost their last four games.

But, Gorman said: “It doesn’t matter if we were top of the league and they were bottom, it’s a local derby and form goes out the window.

“It’s all about who turns up on the day and who wants it more and we’ll be making sure it’s us.”

The midfielder said he felt the performance in a 1-1 draw at home to Altrincham on Tuesday night was an improvement when they lost 2-0 at home to Notts County the previous Saturday without making a shot on target until the 85th minute.

He said: “Saturday (against Notts County) was not good enough and we know that as a team and Tuesday (against Altrincham) was a good chance for us to respond and it was important that we did because of the importance of the game coming up against W*ymouth.

“There was no-one out there who did not give 100% on Tuesday night, there’s a lot of positives to draw from it.

“There was a lot more creativity and it is definitely something we as a team are looking to improve and we showed glimpses of that trying to do that.”

 

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W*ymouth manager Brian Stock has said this weekend’s FA Cup tie against Yeovil Town is an opportunity to exorcise the ghost of their defeats at the hand of the Glovers last season.

The Terras were beaten 3-0 at the Wessex Stadium last January and then sunk 3-1 thanks to a Rhys Murphy hat-trick when they came to in February.

Speaking to the Dorset Echo, Stock said: “We owe them one, first and foremost.

“We’ve put in two disappointing performances in the league and we’re looking to rectify that.

“What an atmosphere that’s going to be. There’s no easy game but given the local derby at Yeovil it’s one I’m definitely looking forward to.

“Usually revenge isn’t necessarily spoken about when teams beat you in the past but I suppose it’s something slightly different here because it’s Yeovil.

“It’s one that means a lot to the supporters. I’m sure it will be the talk of the town at the moment. It’s an exciting time.”

 

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The latest Companies House filing appears to show that Yeovil Football & Athletic Club, the company which effectively owns the club’s football operations, has taken on the entire £801,538 loan owed to Sport England.

The latest filing appeared on October 13, albeit was registered on October 11, confirms that the loan has effectively transferred from Yeovil Town Holdings Limited, the company which owns the land around Huish Park.

On Tuesday night it looked as if some part of the club’s debt had been cleared, instead it simply appears that debt is being moved around.

Both companies have common active directors, club Chairman Scott Priestnall and Director Glenn Collis.

So the timeline of how Yeovil Town’s football operations company came to owe more than £800,000 goes like this:

  • 12 February: Yeovil Football & Athletic Club Ltd agree a loan of £689,538 from Sport England.
  • 17 March : The loan is created as a legal charge on the club.
  • 31 August: The club confirms it has borrowed an additional £112,000 from Sport England with a charge taken by Yeovil Town Holdings Limited.
  • 12 October: Yeovil Town Holdings Limited confirms it has satisfied the  £112,000 loan.
  • 13 October: A new charge filed against Yeovil Football & Athletic Club is registered which confirms it has taken on loan of up to £801,538.

We have contacted the club to seek clarification of the club’s financial situation and we are awaiting a response.

To understand the land in the ownership of both Yeovil Town Holdings Limited and Yeovil Football & Athletic Club, see our Gloversblog – here.

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It’s the worst kept secret in South Somerset and yet it still appears to be a secret.

The two consortiums bidding for the ownership of Yeovil Town are led by current club director Glenn Collis and another group led by Julian Jenkins, an ex-Cardiff City commercial director and CEO at Swiss side Servette for a spell.

The Huish Park rumour mill is fired on one side by a bizarre string of online articles and now YouTube broadcasts claiming to have knowledge on the Jenkins offer, and the other seemingly from conversations being had between Collis and supporters at matches.

A YouTube “banter broadcast” from earlier this week where it was claimed Julian Jenkins is in the running to buy the club.

As a result, on Tuesday the Supporters’ Alliance Group, which represents the club’s main fan groups including the Green & White Supporters’ Club and Glovers’ Trust, issued a public demand to owner Scott Priestnall to act.

The chairman and owner who bought the club from in the summer of 2019 has consistent in promising to do what is best for the club.

What he has been less consistent at is keeping to his commitments.

When we last heard from our AWOL owner, he promised improvements in the matchday experience, strengthening of the squad for a tilt at the play-offs and regular communication to with supporters.

To that end, we have seen a burger van appear behind the Thatchers’ End which was selling warm cans of beer, a squad filled up with young loan players in place of the experienced heads which departed in the summer, and a owner who no-one has seen or heard from in months.

The last public statement from owner Scott Priestnall from a video posted on the club’s YouTube channel in July.

On the pitch, manager Darren Sarll is under increasing pressure after less than convincing performances in the past three matches and a massive FA Cup tie with local rivals Weymouth coming up at the weekend.

In fairness to the boss, he has made mistakes tactically this season, but with the options he has he is doing his job with his hands tied behind his back.

And you can say that about just about every part of the club which feels both rudderless and taking on water, combination puts us in serious danger.

When it comes to  the owner’s promise of communication, this week supporters seem to be finding out more about/completely guessing at what is happening at the club from filings on Companies House.

With the club purchased with a loan secured against its own asset, and now seemingly being propped up by a Sport England loan (we’ve had no evidence of the contrary so how can we know?) it appears there’s a genuine possibility of a total catastrophe if a deal doesn’t get over the line.

The final line of the Alliance statement reads: “As a group of united supporters, we believe the time is now for genuine change and only one group at the table offers that hope for the future of Yeovil Town FC.”

It doesn’t take a genius to read between the lines and understand who the Supporters Alliance Group are in favour of.

The most galling thing of all is the sheer contempt which Yeovil Town supporters having to publicly call on those in charge of the club to have the decency to communicate with their supporters and their customers.

All those who put their hands in their own pockets to raise more than £50,000 for the club this summer, can rightly feel this complete lack of action from those who claim to be in charge is a slap in the face.

The voice of Alliance echoes that of supporters from all corners of the fan base – do what you’ve said you’ll do, Mr Priestnall, and do the right thing by OUR club.

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The latest filing from Companies House – which appears to fast be becoming the way for Yeovil Town‘s owners to communicate with fans – suggests the club has repaid at least part of its  £801,538 loan to Sport England.

Yeovil Town Holdings Limited, the company’s holding company which lists Chairman Scott Priestnall and partner Glenn Collis as its directors, filed a “statement of satisfaction in full or in part of charge” on Tuesday night as fans headed to Huish Park for the draw with Altrincham.

The latest filing by Yeovil Town Holdings on Companies House.

The filing offers very little in detail but relates to  “Charge 0711 3379 0004″, the reference for the latest loan taken out from Sport England to cover the costs incurred by a lack of income in during the pandemic.

The Charge linked to that reference is the additional £112,000 loan taken from Sport England in August.

The filing by solicitors Bates Wells, which represents Sport England, suggests the charge has now been satisfied “in full.”

However, the Charge relating to the other £689,538 loan taken out from Sport England remains on file with Companies House.

Whether our lender is satisfied we have paid our entire debt of £801,538 or just part of it is what is not clear – never mind who has paid it and why.

The Gloverscast  has contacted the club to seek clarification on what this means – we’ll update you as soon as we hear back!

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Venue: Huish Park
Tuesday, October 12 2021, 7.45pm kick-off.

Conditions: A clear night with a bit of mist
Ground: Impressive as usual

Scorers: Joe Quigley 57 (1-0), AJ Leitch-Smith 65 (1-1)

Attendance: 1,640 (30 away supporters)

Referee: Matthew Russell

Bookings:
Yeovil: Robinson 90+2
Altrincham: Hancock 35, Pringle 83


Yeovil Town : (4-3-3)
Grant Smith
Dan Moss, Max Hunt, Josh Staunton, Jordan Barnett
Tom Knowles, Matt Worthington, Dale Gorman
Ben Seymour Joe Quigley Adi Yussuf

Subs:  Charlie Wakefield (for Knowles, 75), Alex Bradley (for Moss, 86), Jack Robinson (for Worthington, 90), Sonny Blu Lo-Everton Max Evans.

Altrincham: Thompson (for Hampson, 16) , Hannigan, Moult, Jackson, Pringle, Senior, Mullarkey (for Furman, 23), Hancock, Kosylo (for Peers, 70), Leitch-Smith, Mooney . Substitutes: Densmore, Dinanga.

 

Match Report

Yeovil Town failed to win at Huish Park for the fourth consecutive game after being held to a draw against an Altrincham side who fielded a defender in goal for 74 minutes of the National League fixture.

Joe Quigley had put the Glovers’ ahead after 57 minutes only for the strike to be cancelled out by the old boy curse with former Glover AJ Leitch-Smith snatching an equaliser just eight minutes later.

The home side started brightly and had the first effort on goal after three minutes with Adi Yussuf drawing a good save from Tony Thompson in the visitors’ goal.

Max Hunt was fortunate not to put in his own net shortly after. Ex-Glover AJ Leitch Smith‘s effort towards goal struck Hunt’s hip and trickled past Grant Smith‘s post.

Tom Knowles in action against Altrincham.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Space opened up nicely for Tom Knowles in the seventh minute but his low effort skidded wide of the left-hand post.

Altrincham were forced into an early change with an injury to keeper Thompson. With no keeper on the bench they were forced to bring on  Connor Hampson in his place and it was not long before the left back was called in to action.

A scramble in the box opened up nicely for Yussuf who struck a low effort which Hampson was equal to with an impressive reaction from the stand-in stopper.

Altrincham were forced into another change in their backline in the 22nd minute with Toby Mullarkey going off injured.

In the 45th minute Altrincham had their first effort at goal through top-scorer, Dan Mooney. Good interplay between Leitch-Smith and Josh Hancock set up the winger who cut inside and curled a left-footed effort over Smith’s bar.

The half-time break came with Yeovil having the majority of the ball without doing a great deal with it.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Altrincham 0

he Glovers came out strong in the second half and Matt Worthington had a decent effort from the edge of the box which was deflected wide for a corner.

Yeovil Town celebrate Joe Quigley’s opening goal.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Just before the hour mark Yeovil opened the scoring after Joe QUIGLEY pounced on a free kick that was spilled into the six yard box by Altrincham’s (not) keeper. Yeovil’s top scorer finished with the goal gaping and raced off in front of the raucous Thatchers’ Stand.

LEITCH-SMITH equalised for Altrincham in the 65th minute – why wouldn’t he? He was alert after Staunton couldn’t clear his lines allowing The striker to out it into the roof of the net.

Yeovil reacted and came inches from retaking the lead shortly after. The Glovers piled on the pressure from a corner and Hampson in the goal. He saved a header from a corner but put it back into danger and Max Hunt’s head. Altrincham defenders were on the line to clear away from the goal.

In the hosts’ goal, Smith was forced into a reaction save in the 73rd minute, palming the ball over the line after a couple of ricochets.

Quigley nearly had a second moments later with a sharp turn and volley that went wide of the post. Ten minutes from time Quigley’s low header caused problems.

Altrincham were adamant they should have had a penalty a couple of minutes later when Leitch-Smith’s shot was blocked by Staunton. The Altrincham players appealed for handball but the referee awarded a goal kick in the resulting scramble.

Adi Yussuf in action against Altrincham.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Yussuf thought he’d given Yeovil a late lead in the 85th with a back post header that was blocked around the line. Altrincham were awarded a freekick as Yussuf appealed but there was nothing given.

Yeovil kept pressing and searching for a winner but couldn’t break down Altrincham’s back line who managed to earn a draw after defending a goal without a recognised keeper for 70 minutes.

The win moved Darren Sarll’s men up a place to 14th in the National League table, but with an FA Cup tie against local rivals Weymouth coming up at the weekend, Huish Park still expects.

Full time: Yeovil Town 1 Altrincham 1

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Darren Sarll has responded to a lack of attacking threat from his Yeovil Town side by naming three strikers to face in-form Altrincham at Huish Park tonight (7.45pm kick-off).

Adi Yussuf.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Top-scorer Joe Quigley remains from the 2-0 defeat at home to Notts County at the weekend with Adi Yussuf and Ben Seymour replacing Dion Peirera and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton. Peirera is not in the squad which presumably means an injury whilst Lo-Everton drops to the substitutes’ bench.

Jordan Barnett is recalled at left back in place of Jack Robinson. Mitch Rose drops out of the squad.

For the visitors, who have won six of their opening nine National League fixtures, former Glover Ajay Leitch-Smith in place of Marcus Dinanga whilst talented Ryan Colclough is not in the squad suggesting an injury.

 

Yeovil Town: Smith, Moss, Staunton, Hunt, Barnet, Worthington, Gorman, Knowles, Quigley, Seymour, Yussuf. Substitutes: Evans, Wakefield, Lo-Everton, Robinson, Bradley.

Altrincham: Thompson, Hannigan, Moult, Mooney, Hancock, Kosylo, Jackson, Pringle, Senior, Mullarkey, Leitch-Smith. Substitutes: Densmore, Hampson, Dinanga, Peers, Furman.

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The 220-mile trip from Greater Manchester to South Somerset will be a major challenge facing an in-form Altrincham side as they arrive at Huish Park tonight.

The part-time outfit are making their first midweek away trip – an anticipated eight-hour round journey – after many of the squad will have been at work, but they will arrive in good form.

The visitors have six wins and three defeats in their opening nine fixtures of the season and last time out they beat high-flying Dagenham & Redbridge on the road.

That has put the part timers one point off the play-offs with games in hand over many above them, one of which arrives against Yeovil as the only midweek National League fixture.

The only solace which it appears can be found is that two of their three defeats have come away from home with a 1-0 defeat at Wealdstone on September 11 and a 2-0 reverse at FC Halifax Town on August Bank Holiday Monday.

At home, the Robins are playing the type of creative, attacking football Yeovil fans are crying out for, but Glovers’ boss Darren Sarll will be hoping this open approach works against them on the road.

There’s no real stars in the Altrincham side although all-action midfielder Dan Mooney is top scorer with four already this season alongside the speedy Ryan Colclough.

One player in the visitors’ side formerly of Yeovil parish in AJ Leitch-Smith. Don’t even think it.

 

FROM THE MANAGER

Speaking to Alty TV after the 2-0 win at home to Maidenhead United on Saturday, Alty boss Phil Parkinson said the four-hour trip to South Somerset would be testing for his in-form side.

He said: “It’s so important we won (against Maidenhead) because we know everything is going to be against us.

“Even if you travel on the Friday to do the Saturday at Yeovil, the travel is sapping there is no getting away from it.

“But our lads will go there an acquit themselves brilliantly and we will go and do what we always do and try and get a win.

“There’s no point in being reserved with this team, we just have to unleash them and play in the right way.

“It is going to be a massive ask to go there midweek and get a result when our lads have been working before they are going.”

However, the manager has no doubts about his side’s ability to get a result at Huish Park having picked up six wins in their opening nine National League fixtures.

He added: “I have said to the players, if we want to be taken seriously we can’t go games without winning, I think we went five games last season where we didn’t win.

“We can’t do that if we want to keep pushing and the lads certainly stood up and were counted.

“It feels very similar to the other groups we have had in the past here where they can smell blood and they go and finish a team off.”

TEAM NEWS

Visiting boss Phil Parkinson has the luxury of naming the same team which picked up a 2-0 home win over Maidenhead United at the weekend.

There are no fresh injury concerns with striker Tom Peers, who scored as a substitute in the 4-3 win over the Glovers in Greater Manchester at the end of last season, staking a claim for a start having come off the bench on Saturday to net the second.

However, it seems likely Alty will stick Marcus Dinanga, who joined from Stevenage in the summer, seems likely to start alongside Matthew Kosylo, the scorer of his side’s other at the weekend.

Midfielder Connor Kirby is the only injured player for the visitors after he suffered a season-ending double compound fracture in the defeat at Wealdstone a month ago.

Another summer signing, experienced midfielder Ben Pringle who joined from Morecambe, has impressed so far this season and seems certain to start in the middle of the park.

A FOOT IN BOTH CAMPS

AJ Leitch-Smith has already been mentioned.  The 31-year-old forward spent the 2014-15 season at Huish Park before departing back to his native Cheshire to join Port Vale, and arrived at Moss Road from Morecambe in the summer.

He came off the bench at the weekend and seems likely to start as a substitute on his return to South Somerset.

Last season, central defender and now Wales under-21 international Billy Sass-Davies turned out for both sides whilst on loan from Crewe Alexandra and was in the patched-up Glovers’ side which went down 4-3 at Alty at the end of last season.

Full-back Mark Lynch, who played 31 times in green-and-white between 2006 and 2008, finished his career at Alty in 2012, but other than  that we’re struggling a bit.

How about inside forward Albert Foulds, who started his career in the youth team at Alty before playing a season at Yeovil in the 1949-50 season?

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Darren Sarll has said he will need to ring the changes to try and spark his struggling Yeovil Town side in to life after two drab performances.

The Glovers face Altrincham at Huish Park on Tuesday night on the back of a goalless draw against Maidenhead United in midweek and a 2-0 defeat at home to Notts County on Saturday.

Speaking after the loss, the manager said: “We are going to have to open the door for other opportunities which come in the squad depth and we have to look at throwing them around and see if we can spark a bit of attacking pulse out of someone else.

“Sometimes we are crying out for coming out of the team and just watching, and we need to spark something because that was nowhere near good enough.”

Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, who was replaced by Ben Seymour after 56 minutes.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The manager made three changes from the side which drew in the week with striker Ben Seymour, midfielder Mitchell Rose and winger Charlie Wakefield dropping to the bench in place of Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Matt Worthington and new signing Dion Pereira.

There was no place in the squad for loanee Lewis Simper who the manager said was continuing to struggle after coming down with COVID-19 and an injury, or defender Jordan Dyer, the two of Yeovil’s seven loanees to miss out.

Striker Adi Yussuf, who was available after a one-match suspension, and left-back Jordan Barnett who would both have been attacking outlets both remained on the bench against Notts whilst Alex Bradley did not even make the squad.