David Coates (Page 184)

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Defender Mark Little has been backed by manager Darren Sarll to be return from his injury sooner than the end of the year.

The right-back was the big name signing of the summer following his release by Bristol Rovers and picked up an injury in the pre-season friendly defeat to Forest Green Rovers at the end of July.

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

After that, the manager said he did not expect to see the former Bristol City and Bolton Wanderers player until at Christmas at the earliest.

Speaking ahead of the weekend’s trip to Boreham Wood, Sarll said: “Mark has one more consultation with his surgeon which might be today and then hopefully that will determine his progress from now.

“But once he is out of that boot and weight bearing again, he will fly, the man is a consummate professional with incredible standards.

“He is very different to a lot of other senior players I have worked with because he still sees so much in front of him, so much more to achieve.

“You can get senior players that hold on and hold on, but Mark never sees it like that, he is a real driving force.

“I think once Mark gets his foot down, he will probably exceed timescales (for his recovery).”

The manager suggested that Little’s recovery meant he was not yet back involved with the squad, but spoke about striker Reuben Reid‘s role in supporting the squad and his coaching team.

Reid is also expected to be out until the end of the year after picking up a hamstring injury in pre-season.

Sarll said: “Reuben is one of the most charismatic, influential people that I have worked with and has a huge impact on how people feel and think, even to the coaching staff.

“The first thing Reuben said to me after the game was ‘that is not a weekend ruiner’ and I thought that is a different way of looking at it, so we try and use what we have at our disposal.”

The boss added that the club’s supporters can also play an important role in helping his young squad through the campaign.

The squad has an average age of just 24.3 years, including the likes of injury victims Little, Reid and Luke Wilkinson, whilst their opponents on Saturday have the oldest squad in the division with an average age of 30.2 years.

Sarll said: “It is an important role that supporters play for us because if (the young players in the squad) get a sense of negativity in the ground, that is not going to help us this year.

“They are not Rhys Murphy who would just stick his fingers up and carry on playing, they have not seen that yet, so the role of supporters is huge.

“If I got any of those new, young players in and said what has been your best experience, they would undoubtedly say either Aldershot away or Stockport away.

“Because of the connection with the supporters and the love and affection they felt from that will stay with them, and they will thrive of those moments.”

 

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Yeovil Town will play a first-team fixture against an unnamed Football League club next Tuesday to make up for not having a match the following weekend.

We had been scheduled to visit Chesterfield on October 2, but a bit of fixture list musical chairs meant the Spireites visited Huish Park last Saturday instead of Altrincham, whose squad was struck down by COVID-19.

Speaking on Thursday, Glovers’ boss Darren Sarll said: “We’re playing a first-team game against a Football League side next Tuesday night to carry on getting minutes because we can’t get a game next Saturday.”

After the trip to Boreham Wood on Saturday, there is a ten-day wait until the next National League action when Maidenhead United are the visitors to Huish Park on October 5.

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Luke Wilkinson will be unavailable for this weekend’s trip to Boreham Wood – but manager Darren Sarll said he is waiting for clarity on how long he will be without his captain.

The centre-half went off after just 28 minutes of the 2-0 home defeat to Chesterfield last weekend with a hamstring injury.

Luke Wilkinson wins a header.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Speaking on Thursday, Sarll said: “I think it is a run of the mill (hamstring strain), we are just looking for a little bit of clarity from the specialist about time spans.

“It looks to be very similar to what Lee Collins had in his spell with us but recovery times differ.

“(Luke) definitely will not be available for Saturday. I wish I could say it is going to be four weeks, three weeks, two weeks, but I just don’t know right now.”

Following the defeat last weekend, the manager said he may have to look to recruit to plug the void left by Wilkinson – however, it sounds like he may have to go with what he has in his paper-thin squad.

Morgan Williams and Max Hunt both played in the Somerset Premier Cup tie against Bridgwater United in midweek and Sarll indicated that Josh Staunton could be an option to drop back from the midfield role he has adopted so far this term.

The boss said he would like to recruit “three or four” players with Football League experience, but said the situation around COVID-19 meant it was difficult to convince clubs to let players out on loan.

He said: “Centre halves are at a premium and when I have gone in to the market at the moment, a lot of Football League clubs are petrified of COVID.

“Therefore letting players out on loan where they could find themselves in a situation where two or three players have COVID, they are potentially leaving themselves short.

“So quite a few managers at the moment are looking at self-preservation and keeping everyone around.

“The most important thing when we’re trying to recruit is trying to get experience, someone who has Football League experience.

“In my time here, we are at the mercy of what is available and what we can afford, so it is a bit of a chancer’s market at the moment.

“You’ve got to be ready to strike and if there’s something out there and something that will benefit us then I think we’ll do that.”

“We’ve got a brilliant guy in Josh Staunton whose trade is in the centre of defence, so we have that option – but there’s so many ifs, buts and maybes you just have to be ready to strike when the iron’s hot.”

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Yeovil Town progressed to the second round of the Somerset Premier Cup with a 4-1 home win over Toolstation Western Football League side Bridgwater United at Huish Park.

The home side fielded a strong starting XI included defenders Morgan Williams and Max Hunt  and forwards Adi Yussuf and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton appeared having turned out in the National League against Chesterfield four days earlier.

The visitors went in front in the second minute as striker Jack TAYLOR fired home a 25 yard free-kick to stun the home side.

Yussuf came close soon after before WILLIAMS brought the sides level after 28 minutes when Yussuf’s effort came back off the crossbar and the defender was on hand to put in the rebound.

Hunt came close to putting Yeovil ahead on the stroke of half-time but his effort from Alex Bradley‘s ball in was cleared off the line.

Lo-Everton came close to putting his side ahead soon after the restart putting an effort just wide and then was denied by Jake Viney when he burst through shortly after the hour.

But the Watford loanee was not to be denied on 64 minutes when LO-EVERTON broke through to get the second.

Ollie Haste had a chance cleared off the line on 73 minutes before a special moment when Finlay Skiverton, the son of Glovers’ assistant, Terry, replaced Jake Graziano on the 74th minute.

Three minutes later, YUSSUF completed the scoring after being played in by Jack Robinson, playing making his first start since joining on loan from Middlesbrough.

But, the biggest cheer of the night came for Finlay SKIVERTON who made it four with two minutes remaining.

Yeovil Town: Evans, Graziano (for Skiverton, 74), Robinson, Williams, Hunt (for Andrews, 90), Worthington, Bradley, Lo-Everton, Haste, Stephens, Yussuf (for Borges, 90). Subs: Smalley,  Lye.

Bridgwater United: Viney, J. Llewellyn, Greenwood, Sturdy, Williams, Taylor, Woodrow, T. Llewellyn, King, Horton, Edwards. Subs: Armstrong, Jimenez, Hiroli, Brereton, Reed.

Attendance: 327.

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Yeovil Town have named a strong starting XI for the Somerset Premier Cup first round tie against Bridgwater United at Huish Park.

Defenders Morgan Williams and Max Hunt, midfielder Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and striker Adi Yussuf all start having featured in the 2-0 home defeat to Chesterfield in the National League at the weekend.

Finlay Skiverton, the son of Glovers’ assistant manager, Terry, is named on the substitutes’ bench.

Yeovil Town: Evans, Graziano, Robinson, Williams, Hunt, Worthington, Bradley, Lo-Everton, Haste, Stephens, Yussuf  Subs: Smalley, Borges, Skiverton, Lye, Andrews.

Bridgwater United: Viney, J. Llewellyn, Greenwood, Sturdy, Williams, Taylor, Woodrow, T. Llewellyn, King, Horton, Edwards. Subs: Armstrong, Jimenez, Hiroli, Brereton, Reed.

 

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Loan midfielder Lewis Simper should be back in training with Yeovil Town next week, according to Cambridge United first team coach Mark Bonner.

The Us’ boss confirmed the midfielder, who signed on a season-long loan in July, has picked up an injury after being one of a number of Glovers’ players who suffered COVID-19.

Speaking after his side’s EFL Trophy win over Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s on Tuesday night, Bonner said: “(Lewis) had COVID and he was off for a while with that, then he came back from COVID and picked up an injury which is quite common at the moment with people working too hard after 10 days of nothing.

“He had a small problem with knee so he is back in with us at the moment for treatment and rehab, so he trained on Monday and Tuesday and will train Thursday and Friday and be back with Yeovil next week.

“Hopefully he will be back in their squad for the following week.”

A big thankyou to Alex Jones of Prost International for asking the question on our behalf.

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The Under-12s team representing the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust picked up a win the Junior Premier League last weekend.

The three other teams which turned out for the Trust suffered defeats in their respective age categories in the JPL.

 

 

 

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Yeovil Town chairman Scott Priestnall has said the club are discussing ways to mark the club’s 125th anniversary.

The milestone passed last season but restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic meant it was unable to host events.

Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset, the chairman said: “We will try to do some things, there are discussions ongoing internally about what can and can’t be done.

Chairman Scott Priestnall, left, with manager Darren Sarll.

“Obviously although we are back playing in the stadium with supporters we are a bit hesitant to do anything than just play football games at the moment.

“Once the pandemic hopefully reduces over the next six to 12 months, we may look at doing something but at the moment we will just focus on the football side of things and try and commemorate it as much as we can.”

However, the chairman added that the club would be donating some of the children’s sizes of the kit designed for the anniversary to BBC Somerset’s ‘Kit Out The Nation’ campaign, which will give kit to young people in Somerset.

And, yes, that is all the interview was about…..

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Tickets can be bought in advance for Yeovil Town‘s Somerset Premier Cup first round tie with Bridgwater United at Huish Park on Wednesday (kick-off 7.45pm).

As you would expect, matchday prices have been dropped with tickets £5 for all age categories except under-16s which are £1.

All cup competitions are not covered by season tickets.

You can buy tickets online – here.

 

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Harry Kewell and Danny Searle have become the first National League managers to be relieved of their duties.

Barnet parted company with well-known diver Kewell after just seven matches after picking up just two matches in their opening seven matches, whilst Searle had lost five of his first seven matches including a defeat at home to Yeovil Town last month.

Kewell’s exit means Barnet are looking for their third permanent  manager in a little over a year having dispensed of Peter Beadle and Tim Flowers last season before diving in with Kewell in the summer.

Director of Football Dean Brennan, formerly in charge at Wealdstone, will take temporary charge and becomes the sixth person to take charge of the Bees in 2021. Paul Fairclough, Gary Anderson and Simon Bassey all had stints in caretaker charge.

Searle had spent two seasons in charge at Aldershot Town keeping them in the National League after the club had survived relegation due to Gateshead’s points deduction in May 2019.

If you were wondering why we are particularly gleeful about the demise of Kewell, read our interview with ex-Glovers’ defender Hugo Rodrigues – here.