Billy Rowley’s winning start to life as Yeovil Town manager came to an end with a 2-0 defeat at home to Forest Green Rovers on Saturday night.
Ever one to find humour in everything, our resident cartoonist Alex ‘Distant Glover’ Russell has been inspired once again.
Billy Rowley’s winning start to life as Yeovil Town manager came to an end with a 2-0 defeat against an impressive Forest Green Rovers side on a miserable night at Huish Park. Dave finally managed to make a home match and was among those in the Thatcher’s Stand at Huish Park, here are his thoughts.Continue Reading
Defender Kyle Ferguson did not feel Yeovil Town showed enough of themselves in their 2-0 home defeat to Forest Green Rovers on Saturday night.
The 26-year-old, who was named the sponsors’ Man of the Match on a rain-soaked night at Huish Park, agreed with his manager Billy Rowley that the Glovers were not brave enough to take on the visitors who played the final 25 minutes with ten men.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah after the game, Ferguson said: “I don’t think we gave a good showing of ourselves and what we can do especially when you compare it with the last three games, but that is something that is going to happen, there is going to be bumps in the road. It is still a relatively new team, still teething really, but now we just need to bounce back in the next game.
“I think we could keep the ball a bit better, me included, be a bit more calm, be braver. The conditions were not great, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse because it is the same for both teams. Sometimes this happens and as players we just need to have to make sure it does not happen again next week.”
Yeovil fell behind after they were cut apart by Forest Green’s wide players and striker Temi Babalola slotted the opener after just quarter-of-an-hour, before an unfortunate own goal for goalkeeper Jed Ward on the hour mark sealed Rowley’s first defeat in charge.
The visitors had midfielder Harry Bunker dismissed for a second yellow card five minutes after extending their lead, but comfortably saw out the final minutes.
Ferguson added: “Everyone knew at half-time that we had not been good enough, the Gaffer came in and had words with us and that lit a fire under us, and we came out wanting to prove a point. Then they get the second goal and it is a lot harder, once they got a man sent off, I think we could have pushed a bit harder and kept the ball a bit better, but it was just one of those days, we could have played for ages and still struggled to score.”
The Scotsman has been an ever present since Rowley came in as manager having missed the previous two matches after an apparent fall out with the previous manager.
Asked about his return to the side, he said: “When the new Gaffer came in it was a clean slate for everybody which I was happy about because I had missed out previously, but that is football. I just kept my head down and kept working hard and then gone straight back to work to show what I can do and with a few games on the bounce now I am enjoying my football again.”
Yeovil now travel to bottom side Truro City, who had a long trip for a 4-0 defeat at York City on Saturday, before back-to-back league home games against Eastleigh on 30th December and Braintree Town on 3rd January.
Ferguson added: “It is a great chance to bounce back, we are lucky that the games at so close together because everybody just wants to play football when you have just lost. It is a quick turnaround because we can get back in and put things right.“
Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley said it was “tough to watch” his side fail to put their mark on the game as they went down 2-0 at home to Forest Green Rovers on Saturday night.
The Glovers went down to a first half strike from visitors’ striker Temi Babalola and then goalkeeper Jed Ward scored an unfortunate own goal with an hour gone to hand three points to the visitors, who were reduced to ten men when Harvey Bunker got a second yellow card on 65 minutes.
But, despite playing 25 minutes with a one-man advantage, Yeovil never threatened to reduce the deficit and Rowley admitted their attacking play needs work.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah after the evening kick-off, he said: “It was a tough watch for a lot of it. I was obviously respectful of Forest Green coming in to the game and we focused on us trying to imprint our style on to the game, but I didn’t think we did that. I thought we were poor on the ball, I don’t think we were brave enough in certain moments.
“We value Aaron Jarvis a lot here, he’s tremendous in the air and I think at certain moments it is really important that we do use that strength, but I think at times we over-use that and there are too many bodies around him and it becomes a bit predictable and easy to defend against. Aaron gets three men against him and he battles and gives away fouls and it kills momentum, it kills the rhythm of the game. That is something we are going to have to learn so we use that at certain times. It was a tough game tonight but one I felt we should have played better in.”
The defeat ended a run of three wins for Rowley since taking over at Huish Park and he identified the lack of attacking threat carried by his side as a weakness – but insists that the answer does not lie in the transfer market.
He said: “I don’t think we can ever doubt the passion and desire of this group of players, they wear their heart on their sleeve and they give everything and you can see that. It is now Darren (Simpson, assistant manager) and my job to try and provide them with the training, ideas and clarity to help them score more goals because that is obviously something we are lacking.
“It would be obvious for people to say ‘sign a centre forward’ but I do not think that is the problem, I think we need to create better chances and use the ball better in certain moments and understand what we are trying to do. I think that is just a bit muddy at the moment, I am not sure we have a lot of clarity in the final third or the opposition’s half and that is something we are going to have to work hard on.”
The Glovers travel to bottom club Truro City on Boxing Day followed by a home match with Eastleigh four days later and then a visit from Braintree Town on 3rd January.
Rowley said he would not allow the defeat to trouble him too much over the festive period, and focus on the upcoming opportunities to pick up points.
He said: “I am not someone who gets too down when we lose or massively up when we win. I have always said ‘when you lose you end up learning a lot about people’ and about styles of play we want to work on, so it gives me a lot of fuel about what this team needs and what we need to work on in training. We will take this one on the chin, we have a busy period coming up and we need to prepare for that, so we are not going to be too down about this result. (Forest Green) are a team which are second in the league, and 20 points ahead of us in the league so it was always going to be a tough test, but I am just disappointed we did not show our qualities.“
Striker Harvey Greenslade has said he is enjoying life under new Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley and is looking forward to a busy festive period in the next few weeks.
The former Bristol Rovers player has started the last two matches and played the first hour of last weekend’s FA Trophy third round win over Maidstone United before being replaced by loanee Andrew Oluwabori ahead of the game’s penalty shoot-out.
Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Jack Killah on Thursday, he admitted he is enjoying the style of play being implemented by Rowley and believes it will give him more opportunities to score. The 21-year-old has not netted since scoring in the FA Cup defeat at Hemel Hempstead Town back in October.
Greenslade said: “We made it hard for ourselves against Maidstone, they are a tough team and a bit different to what we normally play in the National League, but three on the bounce is nice.
“In possession we are getting on the ball more, the Gaffer has got a new way of playing which we like and I feel like we will only get better. I think the fans can see that progression from the first game he came in (the 2-1 home win over Boston United) to the last one, I feel like it has improved massively. It has been very good and we have enjoyed coming in to training.
“I feel I will get more opportunities. For me it has always been about scoring and creating goals and the new way we are trying to play, I feel like there will be more chances for players like me, Macca (Luke McCormick), get on the half-turn and feed Jarv (Aaron Jarvis) and JD (James Daly) down the line and I feel like the goals will come – and hopefully soon.”
Yeovil face their biggest test since Rowley’s arrival when big-spending Forest Green Rovers come to Huish Park this weekend for an evening kick-off with the match being broadcast on DAZN. The Gloucestershire side, who are managed by former Wales midfielder Robbie Savage, have not lost in the league since October.
Asked about what he expected the atmosphere to be like, Greenslade said: “I think it will be rocking! Three wins in three, I feel like the fans can see we are turning a corner in terms of the way we play. I like coming to Huish under the lights and I feel like we can put on a good show for them.
“They may be undefeated (since October in the league), but we are still Yeovil Town – we are still a good team, still a big team. Why can’t we be the ones to beat them? We played there at the start of the season and they are obviously a very good team, but I feel like now we are also a good team.
“We need to be calm and ready for the challenge, we know it is going to be a test, but so was Hartlepool. We are excited to play them because you always want to play against the better teams and prove what you have, so all the lads are excited to have that test.
“Winning at home is the best feeling for a player, it certainly is for me anyway! It needs to be a fortress, we need to say ‘this is our house and no-one is coming here and getting three points’, we should be insulted if that does happen and in the past it has been easier for teams to come to Huish Park and pick up a few points.“
Midfielders Josh Sims and James Plant have both been back in full training for Yeovil Town ahead of the visit of high-flying Forest Green Rovers to Huish Park this weekend.
The pair have both missed the last two games through injury, but manager Billy Rowley confirmed they had both trained all week and would be available to face Robbie Savage’s side.
He also confirmed forgotten man midfielder Jacob Maddox, who was signed from Forest Green Rovers by former boss Mark Cooper almost a year ago, would be back in full training next week having not featured since February due to injury.
Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Jack Killah on Thursday, Rowley said: “I think (Alex Whittle) is the only one who has not trained this week, so we are in a decent and we are happy with where we are at squad-wise. I have said a couple of times we may look to add one or two here and there but that is not something I am actively looking at.
“Whitts will be available over the Christmas period, I imagine he will go out on the pitch and do some bits on Saturday and will be back in full training and available next week.”
Forest Green Rovers arrive in Somerset for an evening kick-off in second place in the National League Premier Division, tied on 46 points with leaders Rochdale and third-placed Carlisle United albeit with Rochdale having played three games fewer.
Managed by former Wales midfielder Robbie Savage, the Gloucestershire outfit have spent big again this season as they look to return to the Football League and Rowley is under no illusions that it will be his toughest test since arriving in the Huish Park hot-seat.
He said: “They are obviously a very good team with some serious talent in their roster. We have watched them all week and seen a lot of their work and it is something we are trying to focus on. We want to be respectful of the qualities of our opposition, but we also want to try and imprint our style on the game, so it is about trying to find that balance at the moment.
“They are a good side and have some serious talent, so we are going to have to defend well for spells but we also want to look at trying to cause them some problems in their half as well. Sometimes you can be too respectful of your opponents and sometimes in the week building up to a game, you end up talking too much about the opposition. They are a great team and Robbie (Savage) has done a great job and they are right up there for a reason, but we want to be focusing on how we can hurt them and score some goals and excite our fans.”
Loan signing midfielder Josh Tobin made the perfect start to life in green-and-white coming off the bench in last weekend’s FA Trophy third round win over Maidstone United at Huish Park last weekend. The Bromley player, who signed until the end of the season ahead of the match, came off the bench to score an 89th minute goal on his debut.
Rowley said: “He is a great character and it is just like him to come in and slot straight in with the boys from a personality perspective and I had no doubt he could step up to the level. He has been through a few injuries this season with hamstrings and tendonitis in his knee, but he seems fine and he’s trained brilliantly. It might take him two or three weeks up to speed, but his talent is obvious.”
But, the Glovers have lost the services of Watford loanee Leo Ramirez-Espain who impressed against Maidstone, but was recalled by his parent club. The manager admitted the decision was a surprise to him despite that appearance being the only minutes he had got since joining.
Rowley said: “It was a little bit of a surprise. I had some good chats with Leo last week and he is a great lad, he always trained well, it was just difficult to get him in. I felt Maidstone was a good chance to bed him in and he did really well, he was composed and helped us build up the pitch and then out of the blue he was called back. We wish Leo well, we have some cover in that position with Josh (Tobin), so the timing was good for us.“
Yeovil Town will host Southern League Premier Division Central side Alvechurch in the fourth round of the FA Trophy next month.
The Midlands side put out National League North side Alfreton Town after a penalty shoot-out in last weekend’s third round and will head to Huish Park on Saturday 10th January.
The Worcestershire-based side sit just above the relegation zone in their division, which is two steps below Yeovil in the football pyramid, having played a few less games than some of the teams around them.
Former Premier League winning goalkeeper Tim Flowers resigned as manager at the end of November following a seven-gaming losing run, with ex-Solihull Moors midfielder Kyle Storer taking over in interim charge. They have midfielder Sam Perry, who played for Yeovil 12 times on loan from from Walsall during the Chris Hargreaves era at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, in their squad.
If the game goes to penalties again, be warned that Alvechurch have some pedigree. They have won all their three Trophy ties in shoot-outs this season, dispensing of Real Bedford and Worcester City as well as Alfreton Town.
The Glovers needed spot kicks to progress to the fourth round after seeing off National League South side Maidstone United with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win at the weekend.
Yeovil Town penalty hero Jed Ward has said he had done his homework on Maidstone United’s spot kick record ahead of today’s FA Trophy win at Huish Park.
The on loan Bristol Rovers’ goalkeeper had information from the club’s analyst Sam Curry about his opponents’ penalty takers which paid dividends as he saved two spot kicks in a 4-2 shoot-out win to book their place in the fourth round.
Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Mark Stillman after the game, Ward said: “I said to the lads said I will definitely save one. But as much as I saved two penalties, they have scored four, so all in all we are in the next round. I had my water bottle, so I made sure that I had that ready this morning and credit to Sam (Curry, the club’s analyst), he sends me a big .pdf of all the penalties and it is down to me to choose where they are going to go – and I was correct twice today.”
The Glovers looked to have sealed the win in normal time when on loan midfielder Josh Tobin, signed from League Two side Bromley during the week, scored in the 89th minute, but then a defensive lapse allowed the visitors’ substitute Hamzad Kargbo to equalise two minutes in to second half stoppage time and force the shoot-out.
Ward said: “We want to dominate the ball every game, that is what we want to be. I think we could have threatened more in the final third, but a win is a win however we do it. That is what we want to be, we want to be a group of winners. It is one of the few games this season where I did not feel I had much of an effect on the game and that is credit to the lads in front of me, they prevented balls coming in to the box and me having to make saves. Unfortunately the last couple of minutes we conceded the goal, but we never thought the game was done.
“They do not concede many goals so we did well to get the goal we did and we were gutted to concede one late, that is something we are going to have to work on as a group. We have conceded too many late goals this season, but you can see things are turning. The train is ready to go.”
Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley was relieved to be in the next round of the FA Trophy after a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win over Maidstone United at Huish Park.
The Glovers looked to have snatched the win in normal time when substitute Josh Tobin bundled home an 89th minute goal, only for a defensive lapse to gift visiting substitute Hamzad Kargbo an equaliser two minutes in to injury time at the end of the game to take it to spot kicks.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman after the game, Rowley admitted the 90 minutes had turned out to be exactly as he had expected it to be.
He said: “It was definitely how I expected it to be and credit to George (Elokobi, the Maidstone manager) and his side for making it difficult, they were a really tough, organised side to play against. I felt like some of our build up play was decent and we were getting in to their final third quite often, but the last pass or the last choice was slightly off today. But it is our third game (as manager) and we have three wins, it is not going to be pretty every game but we are going to work hard to make sure it is next week.
“Penalties are a lottery but when you have good technicians in the team and a great goalkeeper, that adds to your chances of success a little bit. It is about the boys trusting their technique, picking their spot and not letting the whistle bring anxiety before they strike the ball and they did that, so full credit to them.”
The boss was full of praise the contribution of Tobin, signed on loan from League Two Bromley during the weekend, after he came on in the 63rd minute for fellow loanee Leo Ramirez-Espain. Rowley said: “I thought he had a good debut, he has been out for a while so he is not fully match fit either. He is brave, he will take the ball in tight spots and look to play it forward and often he will pick out the final pass, today it happened to be the goal that he has contributed. It is a shame we could not hang on to the result to highlight his goal even more, but it is a team game and we have come up trumps in the end and credit to Jed (Ward) in goal, he was massive for us.”
Goalkeeper Jed Ward saved Maidstone’s first two penalties in the shoot-out whilst Brett McGavin, Luke McCormick and Tahvon Campbell all converted from the spot before substitute Andrew Oluwabori sealed the win in front of the Thatcher’s End.
Rowley added: “We spoke to the referee before the game and he told us if it was going to go to penalties, the shoot-out would be at (the Thatcher’s) end which we were delighted about. I thought the fans were excellent today, we had two sides of the stadium empty today for security reasons, but I thought the fans were top class. I said it last week and the week before, we are going to work really hard to put on some excellent performances for them to give them something to shout about.
“We knew it was going to be tough today, we knew we would have to win duels, fight for second balls and probably go more direct at times than we wanted to but that was the game today and we were just thankful that we came out on top of it. I think it shows we can win in a couple of different ways.“
Goalkeeper Jed Ward was Yeovil Town’s hero again as he saved two penalties in a shoot-out against Maidstone United to book a place in the fourth round of the FA Trophy.
The Bristol Rovers loanee saved the first two spot kicks he faced from Antony Papadopoulos and David Sesay and saw his team-mates convert all their efforts to seal the victory after a thoroughly forgettable 90 minutes at Huish Park.
The game did not burst in to life until one minute from the end of normal time when substitute midfielder Josh Tobin, signed on loan during the week, headed home a James Daly cross and looked to have sealed the win, only for a defensive lapse from the Glovers to gift visiting substitute Hamzad Kargbo an equaliser to force the shoot out.
With ten minutes gone, Aaron Jarvis got his first sight on goal. James Daly showed good persistence to keep a lost cause alive, but Jarvis could not get enough power on it to trouble Lenny Holden in the visitors’ goal. Daly has had a lively started and is repeatedly screaming at his team-mates for the ball.
The ‘press’ adopted by Maidstone was evident from the off as they regularly tried to press the Yeovil backline as they continued to play the ball out from the back. There is a noticeable patience for a patient start from the home side in the Huish Park stands which would certainly not have been there with a different manager in the dug-out – but the opening half-an-hour has been…..quiet! Get McCormick on the ball, Yeovil!
On the half-hour mark something happened. Alex Whittle, who appeared to have taken a knock in a collision earlier in the game, was replaced by Michee Efete with Daly swapping from the right to the left.
The best move of the game (not that that is saying much) came shortly after. Efete knocked the ball inside, Luke McCormick back-heeled it to Brett McGavin who hit it left-footed towards goal, it took a deflection and went out from a corner. From the resulting corner, grappling inside the box led to a free-kick for Maidstone.
Aaron Jarvis got a booking in the 38th minute and then seemed to want to ‘get involved’ with the Stones’ defence for the remainder of the half. Referee Lewis Sandoe did not exactly cover himself in glory either breaking up an already bitty first half and that gave the home crowd something to shout about – or shout at, really – until the half-time whistle sounded. A very 0-0 0-0.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the second change of the game came at the start of the second half as Tahvon Campbell replaced Jarvis, who was one tackle, grapple or comment away from getting his second booking.
Campbell was almost gifted a goal when the Maidstone defence, which had been organised and solid throughout the first half, allowed the ball to box inside the 18-yard box and the striker almost got in. The visitors managed to scramble it away. A brighter start to the second half.
Things have definitely picked up from Yeovil this half – and the Thatcher’s End has responded – and just before the hour mark Kyle Ferguson headed wide from a McGavin free-kick. On 63 minutes, manager Billy Rowley made two changes with loanees Andrew Oluwabori and Josh Tobin, signed on loan from Bromley during the weekend, replacing Harvey Greenslade and Leo Ramirez-Espain.
On 64 minutes, James Daly had a good run and flashed a shot from the edge of the box just past the post. There’s still not been a meaningful chance from either side and, as the game rolls on, the spectre of a penalty shoot-out is looming. No extra time in this one.
Neither Oluwabori or Tobin have really made any kind of impact on this game, it all been not quite there and lacking some positivity against an opponent who appears to
Then on 85 minutes, chances at either end. Hamblin got a good ball in towards substitute Hamzad Kargbo who could not get his header on target and the ball broke to Jephte Tanga who went down under a tackle from Ferguson. Shouts for a penalty, nothing given. At the other end, McCormick was picked out by an Efete ball but his shot went wide.
Then suddenly a breakthrough and a goal with one minute of normal time remaining. A great run down the left from Daly who put a high cross in to the back post and there was Josh TOBIN whose header bundled its way past a couple of Maidstone defenders on the line.
That’s it right? Wrong. Two minutes in to five added on at the end of the game, the Yeovil defence switched off at the back post and a good ball in from Maidstone found Hamzad KARGBO who could not miss from inches out. Ugh.
After 90 minutes of basically nothing, all the action came in the final six minutes of the game. Penalties. Double ugh.
Here’s how the penalties went…..
Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 13th December, 3pm kick-off
Competition: FA Trophy, Third Round Proper
Scorers: Josh Tobin 89 (1-0), Kargbo 90+2 (1-1)
Pitch: Holding up well considering the recent bad weather
Conditions: Dry but cool
Attendance: 1,691 (88 away supporters)
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Aaron Jarvis 38,
Maidstone United: Dajon Golding 38, John Gilbert 57
Referee: Lewis Sandoe
Yeovil Town (3-5-2)
Substitutes: Michee Efete (for Alex Whittle, ), Tahvon Campbell (for Aaron Jarvis, 46), Josh Tobin (for Leo Ramirez-Espain, 63), Andrew Oluwabori (for Harvey Greenslade, 63), Dan Ellison (for James Daly, 90), Josh Sims (not used), Matt Gould (not used).
Maidstone United: Lenny Holden, David Sesay, Leo Hamblin, Lexus Beeden, George Fowler, TJ Bramble (for Hamzad Kargbo, 71), Jephte Tanga, John Gilbert (for Sam Corne, 64), Dajon Golding (for Deon Moore, 64), Riley Court, Antony Papadopoulos.
Substitutes (not used): David Agontohoma, Taylor Foran, Nathan Harness.
