David Coates (Page 2)

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Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley hailed the “togetherness” of his new-look squad as they came from a goal down to snatch a dramatic late 2-1 win at Barrow on Friday night.

With just 15 minutes remaining in Cumbria, the Glovers found themselves trailing, but pulled level when captain Luke McCormick netted from the penalty spot before substitute defender Joe Gubbins headed the winner deep in to second half stoppage time.

The win kept up an unbeaten start to the new National League Premier Division campaign and will send them on a long journey home in high spirits with Tamworth due at Huish Park on Bank Holiday Monday.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins after the game, Rowley said: “It is easy to get carried away and zoom in on these types of wins, but I think you have to at the time. It is only three points, but I am so thrilled for the lads. The togetherness of this group, even after only four games, I really feel it, so in that sense it is a really important three points.

“We work really hard as a management team, we are only a small team, but we put a lot of time and effort in to watching opposition and when you get those last minute winners, it makes it all feel worthwhile.”

Manager Billy Rowley celebrates with scorer Joe Gubbins at the final whistle.

Barrow came in to the game where they were marking 125 years as a club before kick-off still looking for their first win of the season after picking up one point in their opening three league games. The Bluebirds showed a high intensity style which was physical and undoubtedly had the better of the opening 45 minutes.

Rowley said: “Even though they have lost two games here, I do not see them losing too many games at home. They were a really hard opposition tonight, they had energy, they had a press, they were man for man all over the pitch and full of energy and my message for the boys at half-time was to try and find a bit of composure in those scrappy moments. Try and find three or four passes and we did it decently enough and we had one or two chances but so did they.

“That is where you defenders as so important. I felt Radders (Ben Radcliffe) was incredible, Jos in goal was again superb even if he was wearing the wrong studs from the start! Jordan Norville-Williams was incredible, Archie (Davies) has not put a foot wrong in his first four games, and in front of them, Brett (McGavin) and Zain (Westbrooke) were dogged and diligent in their defensive work. It was not a beautiful game, but it was never going to be, they are the highest pressing team in the league, they get in your face and put the ball in your box and it is really hard to play against.”

Yeovil made a triple substitution at the start of the second half with defender Joe Gubbins and wingers James Daly and Mason Obeng replacing Joy Mukena and Ryan Jones, who both picked up first half bookings, along with Barnsley winger Charlie Lennon.

Rowley added: “When you play against teams like this, you have to weather the storm probably for the first hour and hope they blow up a little bit. They obviously made five subs like we did and that leaves your team a little disjointed I think, the timing of their press was a little bit off and we found a bit more space. But naturally it comes down to energy and endurance. It was an incredibly hard game, but when you get those last minute winners it is a nice release.”

Luke McCormick celebrates his third goal of the season after levelling from the penalty spot.

It was another substitute who played a major role in the Glovers equaliser as striker Slavi Spasov was brought down inside the box with four minutes remaining and, after a long delay, captain Luke McCormick made no mistake to level and it looked like the game was heading for a draw until Gubbins nodded the winner.

The Yeovil boss joked: “Joy (Mukena) made a good comment at the end when he said ‘what a sub that was’ bringing Gubbo on, but Joy came off because he was on a yellow card and in a game of some many duels I could not risk (him getting sent off). I learnt the hard way leaving Gubbins on after a booking (in the 1-1 draw with Carlisle where Gubbins was red carded) to give the lad the benefit of the doubt. 

“Gubbo had a bit of a mishap when one of his contact lenses came out during the celebrations. I have never seen that before! He was scrambling and they almost scored when we were down to ten men, but sometimes the Gods are on your side and they were there.”

Just a minute after going ahead, the visitors were grateful to the brilliance of goalkeeper Jos Barker awho pulled off a stunning save to tip an effort from Barrow substitute Xavier Benjamin over the bar. Rowley said: “Jos is still 22 and has joined us from two leagues below and we found him another two leagues below that, so he has jumped four or five leagues in two or three years. I said it when we signed Jos, he had incredibly big shoes to will in Jed Ward and he is doing a decent job of that. I can’t speak highly enough of him, he’s been only been training full-time for eight weeks and he has taken to it like a duck to water and he is only going to get better.”

Having completed a 600-mile round journey when they returned home in the early hours of Saturday, Yeovil’s attention now turns to Tamworth who arrives at Huish Park having had their own late euphoria on Friday night. They scored twice in second half stoppage time to pick up a 3-2 home win over Worthing in a match which saw their opponents reduced to nine men.

Rowley concluded: “It is going to be a hard turnaround. I feel really sorry for all the teams who have made long journeys on a Friday night, we are probably going to get home at 5am (on Saturday) morning and then we have to play again on Monday when we do not have a massive squad. The boys finished on their backs tonight, but they are going to have to roll their sleeves up and go again on Monday and I am sure they will.“

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An injury time header from substitute Joe Gubbins saw Yeovil Town fight back from a goal down to grab a dramatic late winner at Barrow on Friday night.

The Glovers fell behind to a stunning strike from the hosts’ Keaton Ward with 15 minutes remaining and looked set to be heading for their first defeat before a foul on Slavi Spasov saw them awarded a penalty with three minutes remaining. Captain Luke McCormick stepped up to level from the spot.

Then, just as the visitors looked set to make the 300-mile journey home with a point, defender Gubbins snuck in between two defenders to meet a Brett McGavin free kick with a header and snatch three points at the death.

First half

Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley named an unchanged starting XI from the one which won 3-0 at home to Gateshead the previous weekend with defender Joe Gubbins and winger James Daly, who missed the last game through injury and suspension respectively, both on the bench.

The home side, who were looking for their first win of the season, started the brighter of the two sides and Yeovil keeper Jos Barker was called in to action within seven minutes. A corner found defender Kennedy Digie at the back post with a free header which Barker denied with an impressive instinct save before Ryan Jones blocked the rebound on the line.

Barrow’s early pressure continued as they pressed and outmuscled the Glovers on a number of occasions. Alex Reid put a header just wider before Barker had to get down smartly to deny Rekheem Harper’s effort after 12 minutes. Yeovil’s first opportunity came five minutes later after Zain Westbrooke picked out Jones on the right side, he cut in and dragged an effort wide.

Jos Barker comes for a ball in the first half at Barrow.

On 27 minutes, Jones was outmuscled by Danny Rose whose ball in from the left found Harper inside the box but the striker completely miscued his effort which took a deflection off Jordan Norville-Williams on its way out for a corners.

You can absolutely see why Barrow was making a name for their physical style of play this season and it is working for them with referee Ross Martin not listening to any protests from the Yeovil bench – or the away end. Love it or hate it, the home side had the better of the first half and will rue the chances they missed and the question is whether they can keep up that level of intensity in the second half.

Half-time: Barrow 0 Yeovil Town 0

Second half

Billy Rowley responded with three changes at the start of the second half with Joe Gubbins, Mason Obeng and James Daly replacing Mukena, Jones and Charlie Lennon. Both Mukena and Jones picked up bookings in the first half and there is no doubt that Gubbins and Daly add experience and, in the case of Daly, plenty of energy.

The response from Yeovil was much improved, not only proving themselves more willing to mix with Barrow’s more physical approach, but creating chances as well. On 54 minutes, a good move saw McCormick find Daly at the near post and the substitutes’ header was denied by a last ditch block from Danny Amos.

Slavi Spasov replaced Walker just before the hour mark and ten minutes later a move down the right saw Davies pick out Daly whose effort was blocked before falling to Westbrooke whose effort was over the bar. At the other end, former Yeovil loanee Ben Whitfield fired one just past the post.

But, with 15 minutes gone, the home side took the lead in spectacular style. A corner was punched away by Barker, but could not clear the danger and it fell to substitute Keaton WARD who showed great technique to fire in a shot which rattled off the underside of the bar and over the line. Barker did his best to try and clear it, but there were few inside Holker Street who thought it did not cross the line.

Despite being behind for the first time this season, Yeovil were not giving up with Obeng and Daly combining for the latter to have an effort denied by a smart stop from Ben Winterbottom. Then with four minutes remaining Spasov was brought down inside the box by Dan Amos and referee Ross Martin pointed to the spot. After what seemed like an eternity, Luke McCORMICK shrugged off the attempts from home fans behind the goal to put him off with mobile phone torches stepped up to sent Winterbottom the wrong way.

Luke McCormick celebrates his equaliser.

Then, just as we were all about to shake hands and settle for a point each, Brett McGavin swung in a free-kick in the fourth minute of injury time and Joe GUBBINS snuck in between two Barrow defenders to place an expertly taken header in to the net. That was the defender’s first professional goal and he will not score many sweeter.

After the euphoria of the players celebrating in the front of the travelling supporters, there was still three more minutes – plus whatever the referee added on for the goal – remaining. There was enough time for Barker to show his class when substitute Xavier Benjamin got on the end of a ball in to the box and the keeper made a stunning fingertip save.

This was far from the best performance from this team in the opening games, but for their desire for keep going and come back they deserved it.

The 84 fans in the away end, many of which endured a nine-hour coach journey up to Cumbria, will be smiling all the way to Somerset.

Scorer Joe Gubbins celebrates with manager Billy Rowley at the final whistle.

Full time: Barrow 1 Yeovil Town 2

Match Details

Venue: Holker Street
Date: Friday 22nd August, 7.45pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Keaton Ward 75 (0-1), Luke McCormick pen 87 (1-1), Joe Gubbins 90+4 (2-1)

Pitch: Well watered pre-match despite the heavy rainfall in Cumbria over the past 24 hours
Conditions: Dry

Attendance: 2,286 (84 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Ryan Jones 22, Joy Mukena 40, Luke McCormick 43,
Barrow: Scott Smith 48

Referee: Ross Martin

Yeovil Town

Substitutes: Joe Gubbins (for Joy Mukena, 46), Mason Obeng (for Ryan Jones, 46), James Daly (for Charlie Lennon, 46), Slavi Spasov (for Ste Walker, 59), Johl Powell (for Zain Westbrooke, 84), Loick Ayina (not used), Hayden Muller (not used).

Barrow: Ben Winterbottom, Kennedy Digie, Paul Kalambayi, Dan Amos, Marcel Oakley (for Xavier Benjamin, 72), Scott Smith, Issac Marriott, Thierry Latty-Fairweather (for Keaton Ward, 72), George Walker (for Ben Whitfield, 56),  Rekeem Harper (for Ben Jackson, 72), Alex Reid (for Innes Cameron, 60).

Substitutes (not used): Olly Crankshaw, Danny Rose.

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Yeovil Town are unchanged from last weekend’s home win over Gateshead as they take on Barrow in Cumbria tonight (7.45pm kick-off).

Defender Joe Gubbins and winger James Daly, who missed the previous match through suspension and injury respectively are on the substitutes’ bench.

There is no place for either defender Jack Kingdon or second-choice goalkeeper Matt Gould on the bench.

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Sahil Prabhu has spoken about his family’s takeover of Yeovil Town, this summer’s recruitment and the ambitions of the owners to reunite ownership of Huish Park with the football club.

The son of chairman Prabhu Srinivasan was appointed a director of the club as part of a boardroom reshuffle announced earlier this month which also saw solicitor Ian Scobbie join the board whilst Executive Chairman Stuart Robins stepped in to a non-executive role.

Speaking to the Gloverscast in our latest podcast episode, the son of chairman Prabhu Srinivasan revealed the club was just seven days from going in to administration when the family acquired it in May 2025.

He described the Huish Park finances as “a lot worse than initially anticipated” when the takeover was completed, adding: “It was a little bit of a twist to that because we had seven days till the club went into administration. So there were decisions which need to be taken in terms of ‘are we gonna commit to an exclusivity period’, which then adds probably two more weeks for us to make the decision of whether we want to buy the club. So it was definitely an interesting one.”

Sahil Prabhu, left, arrives at a match with manager Billy Rowley

The director spoke at length about the “blueprint” the owners had developed to improve first-team recruitment starting with the appointment of Head of Recruitment Jamie Hedges last November. This was followed by a major increase in the budget for manager Billy Rowley which was followed by a busy summer with 15 players arriving at the club.

Sahil added: “We looked at teams coming down from League Two and the teams coming back up from the National League North and South, and we thought it was a real advantage for a club like Yeovil. We think we can really put ourselves back out there, which is why we had a 30% increase in budget, and with that comes (the question) ‘have we justified the spend which we have?’ That’s my main objective and I think we definitely have done that, but I think only time will really tell with that.”

Having spoken to the new director about on-the-pitch matters, we discussed the important issue of the ownership of Huish Park stands and the land surrounding it. Owner Prabhu Srinivasan has spoken recently about how reuniting the ownership of the stadium remains a priority for the ownership, whilst admitting investment in the first-team was the current top priority.

Sahil Prabhu alongside his parents, chairman Prabhu Srinivasan and Bhavna Vohra, at Huish Park.

Sahil praised the work of his mother, director Bhavna Vohra, who he said had got into “a great place” in discussions about the long-term future of the land with current ownership, Somerset Council, but he admitted the financial realities of acquiring it in the short-term were very real.

He said: “Even before we came into the club, the majority of what we wanted to do long term included the stadium and the land coming back to the club.  However, the reality of the economics of what’s happened with things such as inflation and where the actual capital cost of acquiring the land back has gotten to for us right now, there needs to be plans in place right after you acquire the land.

“Even though it might not seem like there’s been any progress done, in the background, this has been one of maybe four key performance indicators which we have as an ownership group. So there is enough work going on, and we hope, and we are confident that there will be a solution within a given amount of time. I’m not gonna set a time limit on it.”

You can listen to Sahil’s interview in full on our latest podcast – here.

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Midfielder Zain Westbrooke has said the idea of helping Yeovil Town restore their Football League status was a project which appealed to him.

The 29-year-old was the Glovers’ first signing of a busy summer which has seen 15 new faces arrive at Huish Park and the former Doncaster Rovers man has impressed in the opening three National League fixtures of the campaign.

He was part of the Scunthorpe United side which reached the division’s play-offs last season having reached the League Two play-offs with Doncaster two years before and said he sees a lot of his former club’s ambitions in Somerset.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Richard Hoskins ahead of the trip to Barrow on Friday night, Westbrooke said: “I had chats with Jamie (Hedges, the Glovers’ Head of Recruitment) and the Gaffer (manager Billy Rowley) pretty early on in the summer and I really liked what I was hearing and kept that chat going. I did not really see an opportunity (at another club) which fitted me as much as this one, so I was glad to move.

“The last few clubs I have been at have all been in a process of getting back to where the club feels it should be and this is another one of those projects. Yeovil is a massive club with a big history in the League and the aim is to get the club back there and that was a journey I thought I could be part of.

“There is a lot of quality in the National League and a lot of players I was playing against in the League are here, it is very similar to League Two, there are some teams at the top which are playing football and others that are very aggressive and high pressing. We are trying to create a style of football which represents the Gaffer, the club and one that the fans can enjoy.”

Westbrooke has completed the 90 minutes in all of the Glovers’ three opening fixtures of the new season and already impressed supporters linking up well with the likes of captain Luke McCormick and Brett McGavin in midfield.

He added the quality in the squad will stand them in good stead throughout the season: “I think we have a squad of 22 really good players here who are competing for positions in the team and that competitiveness is a nice thing to have, everyone wants to keep the shirt.”

Having picked up five points in their opening fixtures, Yeovil make the 600-mile round journey to Barrow on Friday night to face a side relegated from League Two back in May, before readying themselves for the visit of Tamworth to Huish Park on Bank Holiday Monday.

Westbrooke admitted the long trip and spending the majority of Friday in a Cumbrian hotel would have an effect on his team-mates as they prepare for a tough test against the Bluebirds, who are celebrating their 125th anniversary this season.

He said: “When we face a side which has had a long journey, we see ourselves as having an edge and with (the game at Barrow) being an evening game, we will have a day in a hotel (on Friday) as well. It is just about getting your mind and body right and being as ready for the game as you can be.

“They are going to want to bounce back (after relegation from the EFL last season) which is never the easiest thing to do, but I am sure the players and staff there will have wanted a good start to the season. It might not have happened for them in the first three games, but a lot can change because when you look at the league table after 10 or 15 games, it can be a lot different.“

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Winger James Daly is available for selection as Yeovil Town prepare for a bank holiday weekend double header at Barrow tomorrow night.

The 26-year-old suffered a gash on top of his foot after a wild tackle in the dying seconds of the 1-1 draw with Carlisle United a fortnight ago which kept him out of last weekend’s 3-0 win over Gateshead.

The Glovers make the long journey to Cumbria to face Barrow on Friday night before taking on Tamworth at Huish Park on Bank Holiday Monday.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Richard Hoskins about the returning winger, the boss said: “He did full training for the last two sessions, so he’s back. The stitches came out of his foot wound which is all good and there is no infection. He’s ready for selection and looked really sharp today.”

Defender Joe Gubbins will also be available having served a one-match suspension for his sending off against Carlisle and Rowley said on loan Crawley Town defender Ben Radcliffe had got through a training session on Thursday having gone off against Gateshead with an ankle injury.

Ben Radcliffe got through a training session ahead of the trip to Barrow. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The Glovers made the 300-mile journey up to Cumbria on Thursday night before making the return trip to be ready to host Tamworth at Huish Park just 72 hours later.

Rowley is expecting a tough test against a Barrow side relegated out of the Football League in May. The Bluebirds lost their opening two matches before grabbing a draw at Harrogate Town courtesy of an injury time equaliser last weekend.

The Yeovil boss said: “They have got some really good players, got a top manager in Adam (Murray) so I think this is going to be a really tricky game for us in multiple ways. There’s obviously a lot of factors come into that, the travel, the weather there is not going to be perfect conditions, so there are a lot of factors for us to consider, but we’re on the back of a really good performance last week and the boys are in good spirits and ready.

“I don’t mind these long trips, they can get a bit tedious towards the end. (Barrow) is going to be an interesting one for us because we will wake up early in a the hotel there and  going to have to wait until 5pm to leave for the stadium. It is a lot of dead time there and we’ll have to think of some ways to keep the boys engaged and fresh. So that’s going to be the job of the staff on the way up, but it also gives us a good chance for us to watch some Tamworth stuff and get to work.”

Their next opponents, Tamworth, host Worthing on Friday night looking for their first win of the campaign having drawn with Boreham Wood on the opening day and then suffered defeats to AFC Fylde and FC Halifax Town. Rowley said he was “not overly focused” on Monday’s match with his full attention on Barrow.

With the EFL transfer deadline due to fall next Tuesday, the boss was asked about the potential of adding further to his squad through loans. The Glovers already have Radcliffe on loan from Crawley Town, defender Loick Ayina from Salford City and Barnsley winger Charlie Lennon, leaving two loan spots against the five National League clubs are allowed to include in a matchday squad.

Rowley said: “Some (EFL) teams will pitch their players to League Two and League One clubs, and eventually, when they run out of options, then they’ll try and contact some of us lower down the pyramid. In previous years, the loan system has benefited a lot because we ended up with some top loans at my previous club (Walton & Hersham) and last season. I’ve asked this question a few times and we’re really happy with the current squad, we don’t really need anything at the moment. We’re looking at improving in areas we can, so we’ll never say never, but at the moment, we’re pretty happy.“

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There was a Crittenden and a Skiverton in the Yeovil Town Under-19s’ starting XI for their 2-1 friendly defeat to Taunton Town at Huish Park on Wednesday night.

Ollie Crittenden, son of former Glovers’ winger, Nick, and Louis Skiverton, the son of legendary, captain, Terry, lined up in the first home match played under new boss Roy O’Brien, who was a team-mate of both their fathers.

The friendly was a warm-up for the upcoming National League Under 19s Alliance League season which gets underway at the end of September.

The Under-19s fielded much-changed XIs in each half and took the lead through Ollie Crittenden after 25 minutes before being pegged back on the stroke of half-time. Following a number of changes of personnel at the break, Taunton added a second in the 76th minute.

The friendly was also a first outing for the new floodlights at Huish Park. Now with new EFL-standard bulbs, there was a positive reaction to the new illumination from those at the match – which included proud father, Terry Skiverton, who was pictured with a number of supporters.

Terry Skiverton pictured with owner Prabhu Srinivasan and director Sahil Prabhu.

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Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley hailed captain Luke McCormick as the club’s equivalent to goal-scoring midfielder Frank Lampard after his two goals sealed a first win of the season at Huish Park.

The midfielder, who idolised the legendary Chelsea player when he was coming up in the Stamford Bridge academy, struck twice in the final ten minutes to seal a 3-0 win over Gateshead on Saturday.

The Glovers had taken an early lead through striker Ste Walker after just two minutes and could have added to their tally before the half-time break as they dominated the game.

Speaking about McCormick to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah after the game, Rowley said: “That is what he does, he plays like a second striker for us. When we talk to opposition managers after games they single him out as being a real threat because of his movement. He is constantly looking to find gaps in the opposition back line and no matter what game you are planning, he has a real knack for it. I know his favourite player is Frank Lampard and he is Yeovil’s Frank Lampard, the way he breaks the lines and gets shots away. It was another really good performance for him.”

Luke McCormick celebrates at the final whistle. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Having seen late equalisers at Scunthorpe United on the opening day and in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Carlisle United deny his side at the death, the boss admitted that he was still on the edge of his seat as the game pushed in to the closing stages.

He said: “Because of the events of the past couple of weeks, I was on edge just before we scored our second because I have seen it before in football. We’ve been really dominated, we should be scoring three or four goals but because you don’t, the opposition get one chance and score and your fans are sucking the wind out of you. Luckily it didn’t happen that way, we were really clinical and it finished 3-0 so I was over the moon with the lads. They trained so well during the week, it was something that Macca (captain Luke McCormick) said before the game, it was the best he has seen in training and I agree. The boys are hungry, playing well and deserved three goals.”

The boss added: “Everything was on point for us, in possession we were good, out of possession we were decent as well, set pieces we were really good and both sides of the transition we were decent. My only criticism of the boys at half-time was there are times when we feel games are slightly easy that edge comes out of us in the defensive transitions and two or three players think ‘we will be alright.’ I reminded them of that and we finished on our backs today, worked really hard and overall it was a really good performance all round.

“I am so pleased with all of them as a squad and a group of lads. Even though he is on the bench, Ste Walker was stood up on the bench towards the end there, screaming like a third coach for people to get back in and I love that, it shows a real togetherness and a passion for what we are trying to do.”

In defence, centre half Joe Gubbins was missing through suspension after his red card against Carlisle, with Joy Mukena coming back in to the starting line-up alongside loanee Ben Radcliffe, who has a spell on loan at Gateshead last season. Rowley said he was pleased with his defensive unit as they limited Gateshead to only a handful of opportunities throughout the 90 minutes.

The manager said: “Radders (Ben Radcliffe) has helped with a lot of communication, we missed Gubbs (the suspended Joe Gubbins) today. I would not say any of the guys back there are overly vocal, Joy (Mukena) is probably the best, but their understanding of football is really good. They are working in sync, they move together, so it does not look like they have only played a couple of times together, their personalities and what they have brought to this team has been exceptional.”

He confirmed that Radcliffe had “rolled his ankle” in the first half and needed to come off for Loick Ayina after 66 minutes.

The Glovers will assess the Crawley Town player’s fitness as they prepare for an August Bank Holiday weekend double header which sees them travel to Barrow next Friday followed by a home match with Tamworth just 72 hours later.

Rowley said: “It is going to be a really tricky game for us on Friday (at Barrow) and then we travel back here on Monday (to face Tamworth) which is going to be a quick turnaround. So Glen (Shephard, the Head of Sports Science) and the staff are going to have to be really on point with our recovery and team selection. We are going to have treat both games as one and have an eye on recovery times and that kind of thing. We feel a bit of relief having won a game after the last couple of weeks, so we will start planning for Barrow tomorrow and see how we go.“

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A second half double from captain Luke McCormick saw Yeovil Town pick up their first win of the season with a dominant performance against Gateshead at Huish Park.

The Glovers made a fast start and took the lead after less than just two minutes when striker Ste Walker coolly slotted home and should have been further in front at half-time having created multiple openings to add to the scoreline.

Having continued to control proceedings after the break, McCormick doubled the advantage when he latched on to a through ball from substitute Slavi Spasov to fire home with nine minutes remaining and wrapped it up with a second late on.

First half

The team news saw Yeovil boss Billy Rowley make two changes. The first was enforced with Joy Mukena coming in for the suspended Joe Gubbins whilst Barnsley loanee Charlie Lennon came in on the wing with Mason Obeng dropping to the substitutes’ bench.

In his pre-match remarks, Rowley said his side wanted a fast start and they got it. Great play down the right side saw Ryan Jones’ touch release Archie Davies down the wing, he laid it back to Ste WALKER who placed it coolly past the Gateshead keeper. As he showed last weekend against Carlisle, he is clinical in those positions.

Who gets a feeling we’re going to see a lot of Ste Walker doing this in front of the Thatcher’s? Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Less than two minutes later, a charge forward from Lennon down the left saw him pick out Jones who moved just inside the area and unleashed a shot which was straight in the midriff of Gateshead keeper Peter Jameson.

Looking so sharp, knocking the ball around quickly in midfield with the Jones-Davies combination down the right side looking dangerous every time they get on the ball. Luke McCormick seems to have a free role in the midfield, he is dropping deeper and then looking to make things happen at the top end of the pitch as well.

In the 23rd minute, Gateshead had a good chance to level when Michael Spellman’s ball found Luke Supyk with a free header, but luckily the visiting frontman’s effort was soft and Jos Barker made an easy save. Two minutes later, good play between Lennon and McCormick saw the latter pick out Jones on the far post, he tried to place a shot between Jameson’s legs but the keeper got enough on it to deny him.

With 32 minutes, more terrific play with Jones skipping in from the right side, he picked out Lennon bursting in to the box from the left and his ball went straight across the face of goal. Seconds later, Lennon picked the ball up inside his own half and left his defender in his wake, he clipped it in to the box but only found a Gateshead head and the ball dropped to Jones whose venomous shot rattled against the underside of the bar and away. Unbelieveable running from Lennon, Jones’ first touch was superb and so unlucky not to double the advantage.

Barnsley loanee Charlie Lennon showed his value during his 60 minutes on the pitch. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

This swift attacking football is a pleasure to watch but if there was a criticism of Yeovil it would be that we are not more than one ahead. Archie Davies was the next to have a go after another great forward charge down the right, he unleashed a shot which Jameson did well to get down and turn away for a corner.

Two minutes before the break, referee Richard Aspinall penalised Jameson for taking too long over his goal kick and awarded Yeovil a corner under new rules brought in this season. The resulting corner almost picked out Walker at the back post but former Glovers’ loanee Jack Robinson was there and got just enough on it to put the striker off.

It should be more than one at the break, but we were 3-0 up against Gateshead around this time last season – and no-one needs reminding how that worked out.

Half-time: Yeovil Town 1 Gateshead 0

Second half

Gateshead made two changes at half-time with David Egyuaibor and Fenton John coming on. No changes for Yeovil.

There were two glorious openings with seven minutes of the second half gone. First it was more great running from Lennon bursting in to the box and Gateshead did well to get it away for a corner from which McCornmick’s effort was well saved by Jameson, the ball pinged around inside the area and a ball to the back post dropped to Ben Radcliffe at the back post but his effort was over the bar.

A great run from Zain Westbrooke saw him find Lennon on the left side of the box, but the Barnsley loanee’s effort was weak and easily held by Jameson.

Just before the hour mark, Gateshead manager Lee Cattermole made another double change with Billy Chadwick and Josh Anifowose coming on.For Yeovil, Mason Obeng replaced the impressive Lennon, who has put in a shift and shown what he is all about. Minutes later, a mistake from Alex Lankshear saw Walker bearing down on goal, but the striker tried to take it on himself with McCormick tearing past him ready to go through on goal.

The summer signing has looked less lively in the opening 15 minutes of this half and it was no surprise when he was replaced by Slavi Spasov. More worrying was an injury for Radcliffe who went down off the ball and was replaced by Loick Ayina.

Huish Park is quieter in this half, probably due in part to the fact we are attacking the away end in this second half, but also maybe more than a little to do with memories of the late equalisers in the previous two games. Gateshead have slowed the game down and it took until 75 minutes for the next opening. A great ball forward from Brett McGavin picked out Jones down the right, he flashed a ball across the face of goal where Spasov was arriving, but the striker could not get anything on it.

On 77 minutes, there was a coming together between McCormick and his former team-mate Kyle Ferguson. The defender body-checked the Yeovil captain with absolutely no eyes on the ball. Luckily for the Scostman, neither referee Richard Aspinall or his assistants saw it.

Then with ten minutes of the game left, it was 2-0 to Yeovil. Spasov moved forward in midfield, played it through to Luke McCORMICK and the skipper coolly slid it past Jameson with Ferguson watching on. Fergie, what’s the score?!

Luke McCormick tussles with ex-Glover Kyle Ferguson – not for the first or last time. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The feud between McCormick and Ferguson continued to bubble and with five minutes remaining, McCormick picked up a booking for a hefty tackle on the defender. Ferguson definitely raised his hands to his former team-mate in the aftermath, but it is only one yellow card shown by the referee. Perhaps sensibly, Ferguson was substituted soon after.

Then, to rub salt in to the wounds, Luke McCORMICK added his second with a minute of normal time gone. Yeovil pressed the visitors to go back and Gateshead captain David Ferguson stumbled on the ball just enough to allow his opposing skipper to steal the ball off him and fire his second across Jameson.

Full time: Yeovil Town 3 Gateshead 0

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 22nd August, 12.30pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Ste Walker 2 (1-0), Luke McCormick 81 (2-0), Luke McCormick 90 (3-0)

Pitch: Pitch perfect
Conditions: Glorious summer’s afternoon

Attendance: 2,789 (49 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Ben Radcliffe 39, Mason Obeng 68, Luke McCormick 85
Gateshead: Jack Robinson 5, Alex Lankshear 55, Michael Spellman, Kyle Ferguson 83

Referee: Richard Aspinall

Yeovil Town

Substitutes: Mason Obeng (for Charlie Lennon, 59), Loick Ayina (for Ben Radcliffe, 65), Slavi Spasov (for Ste Walker, 65), Johl Powell (for Ryan Jones, 82), Hayden Muller (for Brett McGavin, 82), Jack Kingdon (not used) Matt Gould (not used).

Gateshead: Peter Jameson, Alex Lankshear, David Ferguson, Kyle Ferguson, Jack Robinson (for Fenton John, 46), Josh Home, Keon Lewis-Burgess (for Josh Anifowose, 60), Harry Chapman (for David Egyuaibor, 46), Michael Spellman, Luke Supyk (for Billy Chadwick, 59), Ashley Boatswain.

Substitutes (not used): Dan Cameron, Tom Lavery, Sam Bowen.

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Defender Joy Mukena and winger Charlie Lennon are both in Yeovil Town’s starting XI for the lunchtime kick-off against Gateshead at Huish Park (12.30pm kick-off).

Mukena, who appeared as a substitute in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Carlisle United, replaces the suspended Joe Gubbins in the back line, whilst Barnsley loanee Lennon comes in for Mason Obeng, who drops to the bench.

There is no James Daly in the squad after he suffered a gash on the top of his foot in the dying seconds of the game against Carlisle. But the Glovers are otherwise unchanged from last Saturday with Stephen Walker, who got his first goal for his new club against Carlisle, leading the line.

For the visitors, defender Kyle Ferguson, who was on the books at Huish Park last season, starts in defence alongside Jack Robinson, who had a loan spell with Yeovil whilst a Middlesbrough player in the 2021/22 season.