David Coates (Page 2)

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Yeovil Town captain Luke McCormick was taking a balanced view about seeing his side’s unbeaten start to the new season come to an end with a 3-2 defeat at Southend United on Saturday.

The skipper netted his fifth goal of the season shortly before the hour mark in Essex to put the Glovers 2-0 ahead before three goals in just 19 second half minutes saw them fall to a loss.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman after the game, McCormick said: “Obviously we’re devastated with the result, being 2-0 up here and then ending up losing the game. I think the goals are avoidable, but how we deal with it, we’ll review it. We won’t get too high or too low, and we’ll go again.

“This is probably one of the toughest places to come in the division and I thought we deserved to be 1-0 up at half-time in terms of the chances and the box entries that we had. Then we’ve obviously gone 2-0 up and whilst I think the free-kick is a brilliant finish, the other two goals  were avoidable.

“I think today gives us a real sniff and a real taste of what it’s like to be right at the top of this division and I don’t think we’re far off it. We don’t want to get too carried away, but we’re not far off it.”

Luke McCormick celebrates putting Yeovil 2-0 up at Southend. Picture courtesy of Andy Craig.

Having gone 2-0 ahead after a swift counter attack after 58 minutes, Yeovil conceded a free-kick on the edge of the area eight minutes later and Southend midfielder Darren Oldaker stepped up to fire home a stunning goal. Then 13 minutes later, forward Leon Chambers-Parillon drew the game level before substitute Promise Omochere, the striker on loan from Bristol Rovers, shrugged off a challenge to smash home a winner with five minutes remaining.

McCormick said: “The free-kick was the free-kick and then their fans get right behind them. They got booed off at half-time and then, when they flip the switch and start getting behind the boys, obviously it’s a really tough environment to play in and you saw it at 3-2. I just said in the dressing room that we started (the match) showing for the ball, we started playing and we looked a threat and we needed that when we went 2-0 up. But, like I said, there’s no name-calling, there’s no blame.

“Obviously, being 2-0 up makes it feel a lot worse, but it’s three points. I think if we were to play them again, on another day we could’ve come away with three points. It’s all about moments in football and they had more moments than we did, so we go back to the drawing board and we go again.“

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Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley said his side would learn from the experience of losing their unbeaten start to the new season after surrendering a two-goal lead to go down to a 3-2 defeat at Southend United.

The Glovers were leading 2-0 at Root’s Hall with an hour on the clock courtesy of a first-half strike from Archie Davies and then a quick break which led to captain Luke McCormick grabbing his sixth of the season.

But, when hosts’ midfielder Darren Oldaker fired home a stunning free-kick to reduce the deficit, Southend turned the screw and late goals from Leon Chambers-Parillon and substitute Promise Omochere sealed Yeovil’s fate.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman after the game, Rowley said: “It is heart-breaking, we did the same to Barrow the other week and this is the league we are in. All these teams have some top players, you only have to look at the free-kick (from Oldaker), not many players in this league are scoring that and their winner (comes from a player who has joined from) the Football League.

“If we zoom out on this game, we were hopeful today of getting a good result and that would’ve looked like us scraping a win maybe, or getting a good draw. In the context of the game you’re 2-0 up and you always expect to get at least a point at that moment – but it wasn’t our day today.

“I just have said to the boys inside, we’re off the back of a really good start to the season, the group’s been really good and I think it’s important that we all stick together in the changing room. We understand one loss isn’t the end of the world. It’s a good chance for us to learn, to review, to improve, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.”

“We’ve got a very young group, some of the boys are not used to playing in this type of environment, even small things like trying to get information onto players to press certain players is really difficult, so you’ve got to rely on some of the senior lads, who are absolutely knackered. So there is loads to learn, loads to improve on, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.”

Luke McCormick celebrates putting Yeovil 2-0 up at Southend. Picture courtesy of Andy Craig.

The boss admitted his side were fortunate to find themselves 2-0 ahead with an hour gone, but admitted that his side could have done better defensively against a Southend side playing with their tails up after Oldaker pulled a goal back with 24 minutes remaining.

Rowley said: “The first goal was a bit of a rash tackle from Jordan (Norville-Williams), who I thought was excellent today. I’ll have to watch back the foul, but maybe he doesn’t need to make it. Oldaker has got a tremendous right foot, one of the best in the league. He’ll do that multiple times this season.

“I think the second goal (from Chambers-Parillon) was poor from us. We managed to regain the ball up high and we just didn’t keep it. We tried to dribble into pressure, turned it over and then they went down the other end and scored.

“For the third goal, we jump out on the press and (defender Joe Gubbins is) left one-on-one in the box. Again, I’ll have to watch that one back, but the lad that scored is an incredible athlete and he’s taken his goal well.

“We probably didn’t deserve to win the game today and a draw would have been fortunate for us. Southend were the better team today for me. They probably deserved to win the game.”

Brett McGavin was replaced after an hour suffering with sickness. Picture courtesy of FMJ Sporting Visuals

The game was the Glovers’ third in eight days having played two games in three days over the Bank Holiday weekend and on loan defender Ben Radcliffe was missing with a hamstring injury. Rowley admitted he had to take influential midfielders McCormick and Brett McGavin off in the second half at Southend and the changes cost them.

He said: “We had bad news this morning when we woke up at the hotel, (Radcliffe) ruled himself out. He’s had a bit of a niggle all week and didn’t want to risk anything, so he had to drop out of the squad.

“Brett McGavin was actually throwing up during the warm-up and just before he came out to warm up. He’s just told me inside that he’s thrown up five times since we took him off, so he’s obviously got food poisoning. Brett was really good with the ball, but I could tell he lacked energy because of that.

“Then we had to make changes because of bringing Brett off and (McCormick’s) calf has blown up as well, he said he was getting cramp. So all the changes were enforced really.”

The defeat means Yeovil have 11 points from their opening six matches and now have a week to recover before AFC Fylde are the visitors to Huish Park next weekend.

Rowley concluded: “I think two months ago in pre-season, if you’d told me this and shown me the start we’ve had I probably would’ve taken it. Naturally, as probably every single supporter who’s travelled today and anyone associated with the club will be, you’re still disappointed to lose. I hate losing. But what it does is make me hungry to not lose as often, and that’s the message to the boys. We’re going to have to turn up (to training on) Monday, review, recover and keep getting better.“

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Yeovil Town’s unbeaten start to the new season came to an end as Southend United grabbed three goals in the second half to take the points at Root’s Hall on Saturday lunchtime.

The Glovers looked to have pulled off a perfect away performance as they led 2-0 in Essex courtesy of a first half goal from Archie Davies and a second on the counter attack from captain Luke McCormick with an hour on the clock.

But, when midfielder Darren Oldaker lifted in a superb free-kick eight minutes later. That upped the volume levels inside Root’s Hall and the home side grabbed the three points through Leon Chambers-Parillon and then substitute Promise Omochere, the striker on loan from Bristol Rovers.

First half

Yeovil boss Billy Rowley brought defenders Jordan Norville-Williams and Archie Davies and midfielders Zain Westbrooke and Ryan Jones were all in to the starting XI, having started the quartet on the bench for the 3-2 home win over Tamworth on Monday. There was no place in the squad for on loan Crawley Town defender Ben Radcliffe, who was taken off early in the second half earlier this week, and defender Jack Kingdon returned to the squad. For the home side, former Glovers’ winger Lewys Twamley started for Southend with on loan Bristol Rovers striker Promise Omochere on the bench.

Yeovil started with what appeared to be a flat back four with Norville-Williams and Davies on the left and right with ex-Southend man Joe Gubbins and Joy Mukena in the middle. The opening 15 minutes lived up to Rowley’s pre-match prediction of “a chess match” of an encounter with Southend enjoying the better of the territory and possession, but neither side doing anything to force either keeper in to action.

The first meaningful chance for either side saw Yeovil take the lead with their first shot on target after 25 minutes. A good run forward from Archie DAVIES saw him run on to a Westbrooke pass, beat Southend defender Harry Taylor and lift the ball over keeper Joe Duncan.

Yeovil Town celebrate Archie Davies opener at Southend.

That seemed to spark Southend and Ryan Colclough had the first chance which caused Yeovil keeper Jos Barker to have to make a save. The 20-yarder from the edge of the box was well caught by the visiting stopper.

Leon Chambers-Parillon had a good run and shot which warmed the palms of Barker just after the half-hour mark and the forward had another effort which he hit in to the ground and the keeper had to dive for although the ball went wide without the keeper’s help. Southend are getting in behind Yeovil quite easily wide Colclough down the left and Twamley down the right having some joy.

It’s not been the end-to-end basketball match which we saw against Tamworth in the previous game, but, as predicted by Billy Rowley ahead of the game, this has been a game for admirers of the technique with two sides who want to play the ball around.

Half-time: Southend United 0 Yeovil Town 1

Second half

Southend started the second half like they had got a flea in their ear from manager Kieron Dyer and took just three minutes for Colclough to try another effort from the edge of the area which Barker had to turn wide. Moments later there was a huge shout for a penalty as Colclough went down under a tackle from Norville-Williams. Referee Tolu Sangowawa was unmoved, with my green-tinted spectacles on it looked like a good tackle, but fair to say the majority of Root’s Hall disagree with him.

Chambers-Parillon dragged a shot wide from the edge of the box on 54 minutes and there are some loose passes from Yeovil which is giving Southend the opportunity to attack us. A minute before that opportunity Ste Walker replaced Slavi Spasov.

On 57 minutes, the hosts should have levelled, a ball lifted in to the box deflected off Mukena and Chambers-Parillon totally fluffed his header. Yeovil broke and the Ryan Jones picked it up on the right side, skipped in to the box and laid it off to Luke McCORMICK who placed a beautiful effort past the keeper. It has been complete one-way traffic this half with Southend in complete control, but this has been a textbook away performance from Yeovil up until this point.

Yeovil Town’s celebrations after Luke McCormick’s goal, as seen from the away end at Root’s Hall. Picture courtesy of Ed Turnbull.

Twamley had an effort tip over the bar by Barker and that turned out to be the ex-Glover’s last action of the game as Southend made a triple substitution on 63 minutes. On loan Bristol Rovers striker Promise Omochere was one of those arriving as the home side looked to get back in to this game. For Yeovil, James Daly and Hayden Muller replaced Ryan Jones and Brett McGavin.

They did exactly that three minutes later. A free kick just outside the penalty area and Darren OLDAKER did superbly to get it over the defensive wall and in to the far corner. You have to take your hat off to that type of quality. Root’s Hall is awake again.

The wasteful finishing from the home side continued when Harry Cardwell spurned a great opportunity with a header from a cross on 77 minutes, but two minutes later they pulled level. Good play from substitute Omochere saw Southend break in to the box and the ball got laid back to Leon CHAMBERS-PARILLON and he placed an effort through a crowded penalty area and past Barker.

The comeback was completed with five minutes to go. A great ball in to the box found Promise OMOCHERE who rolled Joe Gubbins and absolutely smashed a strike in to the net. It has been all Southend this half and they have pulled it back.

With three minutes to go, Yeovil had a huge shout for a penalty when Johl Powell was caught by a wild kick from Vontae Daley-Campbell inside the area. There will be no sympathy from the home fans given their ire against the referee, but that was a stonewall penalty.

Having been 2-0 up with 30 minutes to go, even against a side who will undoubtedly be pushing for promotion places come the end of the season, will be hugely frustrating for manager Billy Rowley and the travelling supporters.

For probably the first time this season, the second half substitutions seemed to disrupt us more than they helped us and the loss of McGavin and McCormick in midfield in particular had an impact.

Full time: Southend United 3 Yeovil Town 2

Match Details

Venue: Root’s Hall
Date: Saturday 5th September, 12.30pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Archie Davies 25 (1-0), Luke McCormick 58 (2-0), Darren Oldaker 66 (1-2), Leon Chambers-Parillon 79 (2-2), Promise Omochere 85 (2-3)

Pitch: As you would expect so early in the season, looking in good nick
Conditions: Dry and bright, warmed up as the afternoon progressed

Attendance: 8,246 (295 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Zain Westbrooke 61
Southend United: Harry Taylor 45, Dan Cox 73, Promise Omochere 90+3

Referee: Tolu Sangowawa

Yeovil Town

Substitutes: Ste Walker (for Slavi Spasov, 53), James Daly (for Ryan Jones, 60), Hayden Muller (for Brett McGavin, 60), Charlie Lennon (for Mason Obeng, 74), Johl Powell (for Luke McCormick, 74), Jack Kingdon (not used), Loick Ayina (not used).

Southend United: Joe Duncan, Vontae Daley-Campbell, Harry Taylor (for Rayan Oyebade, 63), Daniel Cox, Kyle McAdam, Oli Coker (for Promise Omochere, 63), Darren Oldaker, Lewys Twamley (for Josh Popoola, 63), , Leon Chambers-Parillon, Ryan Colclough (for Anthony Hartigan, 87), Harry Cardwell (for Sam Austin, 88).

Substitutes (not used): Jack Sims, Zavier Massiah-Edwards.

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On loan defender Ben Radcliffe has ruled himself out of Yeovil Town’s fixture at Southend United after feeling a re-occurrence of a hamstring injury which has troubled him in his career.

The 22-year-old has impressed since signing joining from Crawley Town on a deal until January and was taken off early in the second half of the 3-2 home win over Tamworth on Monday.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman ahead of kick-off in Essex on Saturday, Yeovil manager Billy Rowley said: “Sadly Radders pulled up with an injury a couple of days ago. We were unsure if he’d play, and this morning that he’s kind of ruled himself out. He’s had some hamstring issues in the past, so he knows the feeling it gives him and we’ve decided not to take that risk on him.“

The Glovers have brought defenders Archie Davies and Jordan Norville-Williams back in to the starting line-up after they began on the bench on Monday. Defender Jack Kingdon, who has not featured in the squad for the past couple of matches, is named on the bench at Southend.

The lunchtime kick-off sees two sides who have started the season well face off. Southend have lost just one of their opening five fixtures whilst Yeovil have made an unbeaten start to the new campaign with three wins and two draws in their start.

Asked what kind of a game he was expecting, Rowley added: “I think there’s gonna be a lot of good footballers on show, a lot of talent. There are plenty of players that can hit different types of passes – diagonal passes, rapped balls into strikers – so So I think for a supporter that likes the tactical side of the game, I think it’s gonna be a really enjoyable watch. I don’t know if it’s gonna be super end-to-end, I think it’ll be a little bit more, little bit more chess than cat and mouse but with a lot of technique on show. 

“We’re playing against a team that finished in the play-offs last season in front of their home support, but why not come here and try and spoil the party and play our way? We don’t want to come here and just survive and sit in and be boring. We want to try and get after them and upset them.“

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Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley has returned to a more recognised starting XI as his side travel to Southend United in the National League on Saturday (12.30pm kick-off).

The Glovers has brought defender Jordan Norville-Williams and Archie Davies back in from the start along with midfielders Zain Westbrooke and Ryan Jones, the quartet started Monday’s 3-2 home win over Tamworth on the bench. There is no place for defender Ben Radcliffe in the squad after he went off early in the second half in the last game,

Defender Joe Gubbins and striker Slavi Spasov remain in the line-up as they make their first return to Root’s Hall since departing Southend to join the Glovers in the summer. In the hosts line-up, ex-Yeovil winger Lewys Twamley is in the starting XI with striker Promise Omochere, signed on a season-long loan from Bristol Rovers this week, on the bench.

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Yeovil Town striker Slavi Spasov has said his team-mates will not be getting carried away with their unbeaten start to the new National League season.

The Glovers picked up maximum points over the August Bank Holiday win courtesy of a 2-1 win at Barrow last Friday night and a 3-2 home win over Tamworth on Monday and are one of only three sides to not be defeated in their opening five fixtures.

Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Jack Killah on Thursday, Spasov said: “Performance-wise we maybe could have been better in certain games because the first two games we let a lead slip both times, but we are not getting carried away because we know we are only five games in to the season.

“We know we are due some sort of adversity at some point and it is about how we react when that does come, so we are not getting carried away we are just looking forward to the next game and putting on another good performance.”

The next game takes the 24-year-old to familiar surroundings as he returns to Southend United, the club he joined Yeovil from in the summer. Spasov was not a regular starter for the Shrimpers last season but still managed seven goals in 28 appearances as they reached the division’s play-offs last season.

He said: “Because of what they have been through as a club is what makes it a special club, they are a tight knit group, the fans get right behind them and travel all over the country for away games and the stadium will be rocking when they are at home. I had a great season there last year and enjoyed my time there, but I felt it was the right time to move on. 

“We can expect them to start fast and expect the fans to get on top of you, but the rest of what I have told the boys I will keep quiet for the time being and see how it plays out on Saturday.”

Southend appointed former Newcastle United player Kieron Dyer followed the sacking of Kevin Maher, the boss who guided them to an FA Trophy win last season. Spasov only had a brief amount of time under the new boss before his move to Somerset.

He said: “I only spent a week or ten days with (Dyer) when he joined in the summer, so I am not too familiar with exactly how they will play. But we will do our analysis and see how we can counteract their strengths and impose our style of play.“

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Manager Billy Rowley is expecting a different test for his Yeovil Town side as they travel to one of the division’s promotion favourites Southend United this weekend.

The Glovers came out of the August Bank Holiday weekend with six points after picking up a win at Barrow last Friday and then edging past Tamworth at home on Monday and held on to their unbeaten start to the National League season.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Thursday, Rowley said his side would not be getting carried away with their early season as they take on the Shrimpers, now managed by former Newcastle United winger Kieron Dyer.

He said: “I said to the lads after training this is one of the games which motivates you so much. I think Southend are a brilliant club, I think Kieron is going to be an incredible manager, stylistically they have some really good ideas. So it is going to be a really good test for us. We have started well, but the message to the lads today has been ‘let’s not get too comfortable’, we will keep doing what we are doing, training hard and go to Southend and do as best as we can.

“They are more possession-based, they play with wingers now and they are really exciting to watch, so this is going to be very different test to any we have had so far in an incredible stadium with a great set of fans. I am very much looking forward to this game, I don’t want to say it is going to be ‘a free hit’ because it is not, but we are going to a team that is expected to go up – but why not go there and have a go?”

Yeovil Town are unbeaten in their opening five games of the season. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Southend were held to a 1-1 draw at Woking on Monday having lost 3-1 at home to newly-promoted Kidderminster Harriers on Friday night, but Rowley said that he was reading nothing in to either result. The Shrimpers completed the signing of Bristol Rovers striker Promise Omochere on Wednesday and the 25-year-old will be available to face the Glovers.

Rowley said: “If you look at their early chances, the results were probably undeserved. They had moments and chances and it is just typical of football, if you don’t take those chances you end up ruing it. We have been there, we had some of those situations last season, so I will not look in to the scorelines of those last two games too much.

“We have a really good group which is willing to step in when called upon and deliver. I don’t think it was our best performance against Tamworth, but the fans got their money’s worth. I have learnt we have a great squad, some decent depth and a great set of lads, so from a selection perspective it is good.

“It is a relentless division, we have been on the end of a couple of moments of fortune and if those games both ended in draws it does not look as good. But, there are so many reasons fans love this division, anyone can beat anyone, every team has match-winners, so nothing surprises me. I know we have a good set of lads who are ready to attack any game.”

The boss also revealed that summer signing midfielder Joe Haigh is expected to be training with the ball at his feet in the near future. The former Dagenham & Redbridge man underwent surgery on an ankle injury in the summer and Rowley says it will take longer for him to get involved in full contact training.

He added: “Joe is seeing a specialist today, so we should have some news after that. In terms of being in training with the ball I would think he is close, but he is probably three or four weeks away from being out there and getting tackled. We have all been impressed by Joe, he is such a talent, and we have to make sure we get this right. We do not want to rush him back, we do not need to rush him back, and it is just about trying to introduce him when he is ready.“

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Gloverscast Fans' Quiz #14

Welcome to the September Gloverscast Fans’ Quiz, where once again we’re putting your Yeovil Town knowledge to the test.

We’ve got all the usual rounds – Golden Oldies, Facts & Stats, The Day Today and Fans’ Favourite – with plenty of questions where an educated guess might be your best bet.

And to finish, there’s a quickfire three questions on former Yeovil Town player, captain and (briefly) manager Josh Staunton.

No Googling, no cheating and no complaining about the questions. Probably.

Let’s get quizzing!

1 / 12

At the start of the 2002/2003 season, Yeovil Town ground-shared whilst Huish Park’s pitch was relaid, but which stadium did they play at?

2 / 12

In the 1988/89 season, Yeovil Town midfielder Jimmy Quinn had a reputation for his combative style and picked up six bookings and a sending off before September. But how many matches did he miss through suspension that season?

3 / 12

Name the striker who Gary Johnson brought to Huish Park from Doncaster Rovers in the summer of 2002 and went on to score the opener in the FA Trophy final that season.

4 / 12

When Leeds United clinched the League One title in April 2008, Huish Park set its record attendance, but how many fans were in the ground that day?

5 / 12

Arguably the club’s most famous FA Cup giant-killing over Sunderland in 1949 attracted the club’s biggest ever attendance to the old Huish ground – how many were there that day?

6 / 12

Yeovil Town have played Manchester United four times in the FA Cup, how many goals have the Red Devils scored against us?

7 / 12

Who was the goalkeeper signed on loan from Southampton that joined Yeovil Town at the start of the 2024/25 season?

8 / 12

There were 16 different loan players on the books at Yeovil Town during the 2025/26 season, which of them scored the most goals?

9 / 12

Name the striker who joined Yeovil Town from Bristol City at the start of the 2023/24 season.

10 / 12

Josh Staunton signed for Yeovil Town in 2019, but which club did he join us from?

11 / 12

Against which team did Josh Staunton did score his first goal for Yeovil Town?

12 / 12

Following the departure of Charlie Lee as interim manager, Josh Staunton managed – and won – a single game for Yeovil Town. Which team did his side beat that day?

Your score is

The average score is 61%

0%

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Substitute and goalscorer Ryan Jones paid tribute to the strength of Yeovil Town’s squad after contributing to a 3-2 home win over Tamworth at Huish Park on Bank Holiday Monday.

The winger came off the bench in the 54th minute of the game and put his side 3-1 ahead just 12 minutes later before they had to endure a nerve-jangling ending with the visitors having a late ‘goal’ ruled out for offside.

Manager Billy Rowley made seven changes to his starting XI as the Glovers started their second game in under three days having made a 600-mile round journey to Barrow on Friday night.

Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Mark Stillman after the game, Jones said: “In a squad that wants to achieve something having competition for places is one of the most important things. You can’t become complacent in your position and think that you’re going to play every minute of every game, because that’s just not the case.

“Obviously, we had a lot of travelling to do at the beginning of this weekend, so I think it was expected there would be some changes to rest a few bodies. All the lads that started, they came into the team and they all did brilliantly.

“The togetherness of the group is really good. So even if we’re not starting, we’re getting round the lads, supporting them, making sure that they’re ready to go.“

Jones said he was given the instruction to “come on and be positive” when he replaced James Daly nine minutes in to the second half. He did exactly that soon after his arrival when he pressed down the right side and hit a shot which took a deflection off a Tamworth player on its way in to the net.

He said: “I think the ball came out to me on the right and I just kind of took on a couple of players, ended up in the box. I think it was deflected anyway, but I think it was on target, so I think it would go down as mine anyway. It was really good to score, get my first one of the season, so hopefully I can kick on now.“

The visitors Kieren Donnelly reduced the advantage just three minutes after Jones had made it 3-1 and there was a heart-in-mouth moment late on when it appeared Tamworth had equalised. Yeovil keeper Jos Barker came to claim a ball in to the box and was beaten by a header from Morgan Roberts allowing Hayden Hollis to head in to an unguarded net. It looked to everyone inside Huish Park that the scores were level before referee Matthew Scholes ruled the goal out for offside with Hollis having been behind the keeper when he scored.

Jones admitted he was a little unsure about what happened, saying: “I could kind of see it, but I was not really sure, I don’t really know what the rules is – there’s so many changes! It looked offside because of where Jos had come out but I’m not sure. I’ll have to watch it back.“

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Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley insisted that there are still things to improve on despite seeing his side close out the Bank Holiday weekend with their unbeaten start to the new season intact.

The Glovers came out on the right side of a five-goal thriller with a determined Tamworth side in front of a crowd of almost 4,000 at Huish Park. They went 3-1 up before visitors pulled one back and then looked to have got a late equaliser before it was ruled out for offside as both sides appeared ready for the restart.

Rowley praised the efforts of his side who were coming off the back of a 2-1 win at Barrow less than three days earlier which include the small matter of a 600-mile round journey to Cumbria.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman after the game, he said: “It’s very rare that on a Bank Holiday weekend a team wins two of these games. I think we’re apparently one of two that have done it this weekend. Credit to Tamworth, I thought it was a really tough fixture for us and they’re really good at what they do, but we did we did make a little bit of hard work of it ourselves. We got back at 5am from Barrow, we’ve had a couple of days, not really much prep on the game, so to come out three days after that and get another win, I think it’s really important for us.

“We all love coming here and playing, the pitch is great and I had goosebumps when the fans were singing in the Thatcher’s at the end. I am not over-the-moon with the performance today, but I am not going to dive in to that too much because that is for the staff and the players to review and keeping trying to improve. But I was pleased with the energy in the stadium, we scored another three goals, so I am really pleased for the fans as well.”

Rowley made seven changes to his starting XI from the dramatic late win at Barrow on Friday night with all seven substitutes in that game given a start against Tamworth. He insisted that the decision was driven by sports science with a number of players at risk of picking up injuries.

He said: “It was always the plan (to make changes) today, it might have been a little dependent on our result at Barrow, but all of the boys in this squad deserve to play. We have left two out of the squad today that also could play and those decisions are always results-driven. If we lose today, the first thing people will say is ‘why are we making so many changes?’, but if we win it is ‘great rotation and a sign of how good the squad is’ – and I’m glad it is the second. All the boys are training really well, forming a great bond and I was just really happy we were able to make changes and keep a strong side on the pitch.”

Luke McCormick celebrates his opener against Tamworth. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Captain Luke McCormick put Yeovil ahead after just 17 minutes when he stabbed home a beautiful move from the hosts before the visitors Jake Hutchinson levelled just after the half-hour mark following a swift counter attack. The boss admitted the first half performance did not get his blood pumping as much as he would have liked.

He said: “We want to be a team that has a lot of the ball. We want to be possession-based. We want to try and create opportunities to progress certain ways. But I think what that can end up looking like sometimes is just a lot of safety and just passing to the guy that’s closest to you, nearest to you. It becomes quite easy for the opposition and it also becomes pretty boring for the supporters to watch.

“I think there’s certain times, there’s certain players, where you just have to risk the ball. You have to try and break a line. You have to try and take someone on and carry the ball into the box, which is just something we’re going to have to look at and try and improve on. We have to understand that when you try those things, you turn the ball over. So we’ve got to be really good in those turnover moments as well. It’s just something else for us to keep working at and keep improving. But I think the boys have performed excellently in these last two games, so full credit to them.”

Thank goodness for the offside rule – whatever it is!

Rowley pleaded ignorance when it came to the heart-stopping moment at the end of the match when it appeared Tamworth had grabbed an equaliser. The moment saw goalkeeper Jos Barker beaten as he came to claim a cross in to his box and the ball dropped to the visitors’ Hayden Hollis who headed in to an unguarded net. That fell foul of the offside rule which says because Hollis was behind the keeper when he scored, he was in an offside position.

The Glovers’ boss said: “It’s another one I am going to have to watch again. Daz (Simpson, assistant manager) had the iPad next to me and he said it was offside. I have to credit the officials in these moments, it is a big decision which has gone our way and there were quite a few that didn’t today. I remember a handball on the edge of the box when we played some combination play, which should’ve been given. I don’t know, that might’ve been a penalty or just outside.

“But full credit to (the officials). They’re not able to go and check VAR like they are on the TV, so credit to them for actually reversing that moment in their head and replaying it and I think, from what I have heard, making the right decision.“