David Coates (Page 3)

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Mark Cooper is trying to block out the noise of expectation that Yeovil Town could be National League South champions with a draw against Truro City on Thursday night.

The Glovers missed the opportunity to seal the title as they lost 3-1 at home to Worthing in front of another bumper crowd at Huish Park on Saturday, but know just one point will be enough to seal it in Gloucester this week.

He revealed that midfielder Jordan Stevens would be available for that match and said he was keeping a watching brief on influential full-back Michael Smith, who is back in training. But, he confirmed the season is over for both Will Dawes and on-loan striker Jahmari Clarke due to injury.

Speaking on Monday, Cooper said: “The occasion got to some of our players and some of our best performers did not have their best games on Saturday, that is pressure. As much as I try and dampen that down, it will be built up in to ‘this has to be’ and we have to make sure we drill in to the players what happens on Saturday can happen.

“So let’s get the performance right first and then the rest will happen. That is our work for this week, keeping everyone level-headed and looking forward to Thursday. We have to be really cold and calculated, forget the noise and make sure we get a performance on the pitch.

“We can enjoy everything that comes with (winning the league) when it is done. We know the fans are with us and we have to make sure we give them the performance, we have to focus on our performance and give them everything.”

Jordan Stevens will be available for Thursday’s match. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

On Saturday, Smith and striker Jake Hyde, who has not featured this year, were involved in the pre-match warm-ups. But Cooper confirmed there was the potential for Stevens to return having been withdrawn late in the first half in the abandoned match at W*ymouth on Easter Monday.

The manager said: “Jordan Stevens came off as a precaution with a tight hamstring at W*ymouth. With his history we had to be careful with him and he was not right for Saturday. He is such an explosive player and we can’t take any risks, but he will come back in to the squad on Thursday. Jahmari Clarke is out for the season with a big strain on his thigh muscle. Michael Smith trained again today, so we will see how he is on Wednesday.”

On Hyde, he added: “Jake is back in training, he will not play on 3G, so that rules him out of Thursday.”

Truro, managed by ex-Glovers’ midfielder Paul Wotton, have two more matches to play before the Glovers come to town (well, the City of Gloucester) on Thursday night. They host Torquay United on Monday night before facing Eastbourne Borough on Wednesday night, just 24 hours before Yeovil’s visit.

The match will be played on another artificial surface with the Cornish side having to travel almost 200 miles from their home town to get their fixtures played after making the decision (which looked ridiculous then and even more so now) to ground share at Taunton at the start of February.

Cooper said: “We will train on Wednesday on the 3G at Huish Park. At the start of the season, you are told who you have to play against and where you have to play and then when it comes to that game, they are playing at a different place at a stadium which is in a different regional league, on a different surface. I am not sure it is right, but that is the way it is and we have to obey by the National League rules.”

The boss said he would be attending the match against Torquay, adding: “They have a really tough schedule with the travelling as well – fans, players, staff. It is a tough ask for them, but they are doing it quite well.”

The moment that could have been. Picture by Gary Brown.

Last weekend, the Glovers found themselves 2-0 down at half-time as Worthing marksman Ollie Pearce netted from the penalty spot before Brad Dolaghan added a second after a defensive mistake. Glovers’ substitute Rhys Murphy then saw his 50th-minute penalty saved, before Alex Fisher pulled one back with seven minutes remaining.

The breathless encounter then almost served up a fairytale ending as Murphy ran clear to lift the ball over Worthing keeper Ollie Wright just seconds after news came through that second-placed Chelmsford City had conceded against Slough Town, meaning a draw would have been enough to win the title. Sadly, the linesman’s flag had other ideas. Pearce then wrapped up the win with his second with the final kick of the game.

Asked about the game on Monday, Cooper said: “I thought we played well and could have been two or three-nil up before they even got out of their half. When you look back at the game, key moments went against us. I am not sure it is a penalty, the second goal was a mistake and a bit of a killer, and the third goal they catch us on the break. But in between that we felt in control of the game, but we just did not get it right at key moments. It would have been a fairytale at the end, wouldn’t it? But it just was not to be.

“For me, the penalty (miss from Murphy) was the defining moment. If that goes in, we win the game, because we would have had the momentum. That took the wind out of our sails, but we then score and I thought their goalkeeper should have been sent off when he rushed out of the penalty area, blatant handball and pulled the ball away from Murphy and a foul was given against Murphy after that. When we got the goal, we thought that with the amount of pressure we are putting on we were going to create a chance and we had a couple of great chances.”

Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

On the offside decision, he added: “I have seen it back numerous times and I don’t think it is offside, with a game of this magnitude with what is at stake, you have to be really sure if you are going to flag. If you are not sure, the advantage should go with the forward. It was as if it was not meant to be our day.”

Despite his penalty miss, the manager has no doubts about Murphy, he said: “When we put the squad together we wanted characters who could deal with high pressure situations, because we have had lots of them because of the size of the club at this level. Murph is a great character, the players love him, he’s great in the changing room and he is just another experienced player we know is not phased by playing in front of big crowds. He will be frustrated he missed the penalty, but penalties get missed. That’s the way it is.

Asked whether the striker could start on Thursday, he added: “It’s a fine balance between making sure we do not injure them again with three games to go. As desperate as we are to play them, we are mindful there is a timeframe from the specialists that says if you start him, there is a risk.”

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Captain Matt Worthington has spoken about his pride at being handed the Yeovil Town armband this season as he looks to lead his side to the National League South season.

The 26-year-old was handed the captaincy after the departure of former skipper Josh Staunton at the start of this season and has repaid the faith of manager Mark Cooper by playing more games in a single season that he has managed in the rest of his career.

Having been part of the squads which took the club out of the Football League in 2019 and the National League Premier last season, he admits he wants to get the title secured as soon as possible. He could do it this weekend with the Glovers needing just three more points to be crowned champions when fifth-placed Worthing visit Huish Park on Saturday.

Speaking on Thursday, Worthington said: “I am massively proud to be captain of this football club. I was really grateful for the Gaffer for giving me the opportunity, it is a massive personal achievement.

“It would be a massive achievement personally but more importantly for the club because we need promotion. We will be looking to get that done as soon as possible.

“I can’t describe the feeling I get when I walk out with the armband on, I have been here so long, so it is a dream come true. There is a lot of lads in there that are leaders, I wear the armband but with the likes of Coops (Charlie Cooper), Frank (Nouble), Smudge (Michael Smith), Joe Day, Morgs (Morgan Williams) there are plenty of characters in there.
When we all come together and help the team out there, it is important we help the team out.”

He admitted he had questioned his own future at Huish Park following last season’s relegation with the club in a state of flux as former ‘stewards’ SU Glovers, the group operated by now-York City owner Matt Uggla, abandoned their takeover plans. But, the takeover by local businessman Martin Hellier and the decision to keep Cooper as manager convinced Worthington to sign a new two-year contract in June.

The midfielder said: “It was a very tough few weeks in the summer, I did not really know whether it was time to move on but I made the decision to stay after conversations with Martin and the Gaffer. I am really thankful I did now and hopefully we can get the job done.

“It was tough last season and it was difficult to see a light at the end of the tunnel with the way the club was going. Thankfully Martin (Hellier) took over, kept the Gaffer which was massive for us, and signed some really good players.

“It comes down to the complete change we have seen that from top to bottom and it is important that we finish the job.”

Matt Worthington. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

In his press conference, Cooper was full of praise for the player who he signed on loan as manager of Forest Green Rovers in the 2018-19 season before taking charge of him again when he arrived in Somerset.

The manager said: “He is a winner, he does not even like losing at five-a-side or even games of Tiddlywinks. He is a good character and I think Matty before was a midfield player who was just going to run all over the place with his energy.
We have tried to give him a structure and a discipline to his play which allows him to show off his qualities and I think he has shown us this season.”

The ex-Bournemouth academy graduate scored the first of his four goals this season at Worthing in the 2-1, sealed by an injury time winner from Morgan Williams, and is expecting a tough game from the visitors to Huish Park on Saturday.

He said: “They had a bit of a dip in form when they lost their manager (Adam Hinshelwood to York City in February), but they seem to have picked up now. They are a good footballing team and everyone knows that. They play total football.

“It was a tricky game at their place on an artificial surface which is always tough, but we are at home so we are full of confidence that we can put on a good performance and get the win.

“Previous to the Torquay game (which the Glovers won 3-0 on Good Friday) we lacked a bit of confidence and it is natural that at some stages of the season you have more confidence than you do in others, but Friday was a really good performance. We looked back to ourselves and we have to take that in to Saturday.”

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Manager Mark Cooper has said his Yeovil Town players will treat this weekend’s potential title decider with Worthing as “just another game.”

The Glovers know they need just three more points to be crowned National League South champions with five more games remaining – depending on the decision on whether the abandoned derby at W*ymouth is replayed. Second-placed Chelmsford City will have to be perfect to overtake them and host Slough Town this weekend.

With 4,000 tickets already confirmed as being sold, there is certain to be another big crowd inside Huish Park, but Cooper has banished any thoughts of being champions from his players’ minds.

Speaking on Thursday, the boss told 3 Valley Radio’s Adi Hopper and Si Thyer: “It is very rare you get an opportunity to win a league with five games to go and it shows well the players have done.

“With the amount of expectation that is on us and having to be everyone’s cup final every week, so it is important we just see it as another game. It has to be like that.

“I have no fear that the players will be up for it, I have no fear about the atmosphere, because what we are playing for will take care of that.

“But we are playing against a really good team and we will have to be really on top of tactically, it is important we give them a problem with the way we play. We play really good, structured football, so it is important we carry a real threat which we did last Friday (in the 3-0 home win over Torquay United).”

Whilst Yeovil were 1-0 behind when the game at W*ymouth was abandoned with 75 minutes on the clock on Easter Monday, there was a shock defeat for Chelmsford at bottom-placed Dover. But whilst all that was going on, Worthing picked up a 2-0 home win over fellow play-off hopefuls Hampton & Richmond, having won 5-1 at second-from-bottom Havant & Waterlooville on Good Friday.

Cooper is under no illusions about the quality of the visitors, who sit in fifth place in the table ahead of the weekend, especially the division’s top scorer, striker Ollie Pearce, who has got 36 goals in 40 appearances this year.

The Glovers’ boss said: “They are the best pure football team in the league in terms of the way they play, but it is high risk football. They are deep in their own third at the back to try and hit you in really dangerous areas in behind.

“They are a really dangerous opposition to play against, you can see why they are top scorers in the league because they have some good, young players who have no fear and the top marksman in the league who has done really well.

“They have a good young interim manager in Arran Racine who I managed at Forest Green, who was a really good footballer and he has carried on the good work of Adam Hinshelwood (who quit to join National League Premier side York City at the end of February).”

In his pre-match press conferences, you will often hear Cooper refer to teams changing their playing style when they come to Huish Park, but he is not expecting that from Worthing.

He said: “Worthing will not change, they will try and play their game and full credit to them for that. It is a really good model they have down there and whoever is in charge they play the same way and that is why they are producing some good, young players.

“They will fancy their chances and we have to make sure we are really aggressive in our structure and the way we play.”

During the interview on Thursday, Cooper was repeatedly asked about his plans for beyond being crowned champions and admitted there were processes in place for if they secure an immediate return to the National League Premier, but steadfastly refused to be drawn on them.

He said: “Of course I have things in my mind like players’ contracts, potential transfer targets, but you have to have a certain organisation.

“With the analysis we have at the club, there are certain (transfer) targets that are hitting those, but until we get to where we need to be, we cannot think of that.

“I am fully focused on getting the job done, it is a long way from being done. We respect totally Worthing and there will be no mention of anything other than us trying to put a solid performance in on Saturday.

“If and when that happens, we will deal with that afterwards. We have to get three points. If we do that on Saturday, we will treat every game with the utmost respect because other clubs have their futures at stake.”

On his own future beyond this season, he added: “I have another year on my contract, so I would love to do another year, for sure. I am really happy here. Last year we had a brilliant start, then we had some people come in that were a bit wet behind the ears in terms of recruitment, but under the new owner this year I have been given the chance to build a new squad and full credit to him and I have really enjoyed it.”

Rhys Murphy came on for Olly Thomas in the 39th minute of Monday’s match at W*ymouth. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Cooper said there was “nothing new” about his injury concerns with full-backs Michael Smith and Alex Whittle and striker Jake Hyde all certain to be missing. One assumes this answer means there is no return for on loan Reading striker Jahmari Clarke, who was not in the squad at W*ymouth with a quad injury, or midfielder Will Dawes.

However, he did speak about the importance of having striker Rhys Murphy back to match fitness.

The frontman, who has 13 goals this season, came off the substitutes’ bench in the 39th minute of the abandoned game at W*ymouth, his first appearance since picking up at injury in early January.

The manager said: “It is always good to have Murph in and around it. He is a good character and a good player, so it was great to see him back.”

He said the club was still waiting on a decision from the National League about whether the derby match would have to be replayed, but admitted having minutes left in his players legs was important.

Cooper added: “It is in the hands of the National League. We viewed it that we had minutes left in their legs, so we have saved that in the tank and hopefully we can use that to our advantage on Saturday.

“(The defeat for Chelmsford at Dover on Monday) shows you have to look after your own business first and keep doing what we are doing, if we do that then hopefully we get the right results. Of course the players want to look (at other results), but we just try to focus on what is in front of us.“

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Chairman Martin Hellier has targeted a return to the Football League as he looks to take the club back in to the National League this season.

The local businessman, who took over at Huish Park in May, said he had spent “a disproportionate amount” of money on the playing budget to assist manager Mark Cooper with getting out of National League South.

Going in to this weekend’s home fixture with Worthing, the Glovers need three more points from their remaining fixtures to secure promotion at the first attempt.

Speaking to Radio Ninesprings’ Steve Haigh, the chairman said: “We have got to be measured and the pace has got to be right. There are always going to be financial implications to any of it and we have to continue to optimise it.

“I would say we put a disproportionate amount of money towards hopefully getting us out of this league, I don’t mind that and I would always have done that, but (if we go up) we have to do it right and take stock.

“I would like to get out of the (National League) as soon as possible because there is more financial rewards from getting in to League Two. The 3G across the road, the academy and all of that, we would receive funding for and if we hang around for a few seasons in League Two, I could live with that and I reckon fans can as well for a while.

 

Chairman Martin Hellier. Picture courtesy of Iain Morland.

“We need to try and drive the club towards sustainability, we need to consider what we are doing with the land surrounding the stadium which is sympathetic to the club.

“Whatever I would do with that (land) would be to create lifelong income streams in to the club. You cannot have a footprint the size of this and base everything on what happens on a matchday, it is not enough.

“Keith Weston, our Head of Stadium Operations, has really brought on the room hires and hospitality in leaps and bounds, and even my boy, Jack, has done so much with the bars, food and hospitality and, of course, the volunteers and all the staff have all played their part.

“I would like to try and keep the same trajectory. It is football, so we have to be realistic, but hopefully we do not spend more than one season in the National League Premier – it might be two, who knows? But League Two is where I want to be.”

“It is football, so we have to be realistic. But League Two is where I want to be.”

He said that the long-term success of the club relied upon a solid business model behind it and claimed it Yeovil Football & Athletic Club, the club’s football operations business, was being “financially mismanaged” when he acquired it from former owner <NAME REDACTED> almost a year ago.

The latest accounts for the club published last month show the club lost £1.5m when it was relegated from the National League last season and was being funded by the owners and a loan from the Sports Council.

The chairman said that, even if they secure promotion this season, he did not see the playing budget increasing next season.

He said: “We will put everything in to maintaining the same trajectory as we are now but, if we go up, you will have 11 better players playing against us. I certainly do not anticipate the player budget being any higher, we all have had to make efficiencies, that goes for player budget, staffing budget and everything.

“You can sustain that number of people, but where it could fall apart is who is running the business. A football club needs great players, but if it has terrible business people running it, it doesn’t matter. I am aware of our ascent up to the Championship and all the way back down again and there was millions of pounds coming in then. In the Championship, you are talking about £6.5m coming in to this club. Well, I have looked everywhere and I can’t find it. When I came in to the club, it was being financially mismanaged beyond any business I have ever looked at when

“You have to have some astute people behind the scenes and therefore I have to assume there wasn’t those people. I believe if the model is right, it will work but there are so many cogs and if one of those is broken, it effects the whole machine.”

Huish Park is currently owned by Somerset Council.

He also reiterated his intention to buy back the land surrounding Huish Park from Somerset Council, which bought it from the previous chairman <NAME REDACTED> for £2.8m.

The owner holds the exclusive buy-back on the stadium and surrounding land at the site which runs until 17th May 2026, and will pay £195,000-a-year in rent until he activates that option.

He added: “There is no point in me buying that land back when I have not planned what I am doing with it. I am quite happy for it to be in the ownership of the council now, but it is my ambition to reunite that land with this club.

“It should never have been separated. It was separated to sell to someone to build houses on and that is fine if the income from that sale came in to the club, but it never would have.

“One of our biggest achievements was getting the buy-back rights on the land. If you can imagine the kind of effort which goes in to turning this club around this season has taken, you barely have time to think about it.

“But I am certainly not going to continue to rent a load of fields and watch people walk their dogs on them every morning.

“I don’t think there is much negotiation to do on that. The last chairman sold it to the council for £2.8m, the rent we pay represents 8% of what that would be, the land was index-linked so that £2.8m is probably £3.2m now.

“You also have a council in term freefall in terms of finances. If only they ran councils like businesses, you wouldn’t have five blokes on a roundabout looking at a daffodil!“

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The Yeovil Town supporter who was taken ill at the Easter Monday derby at W*ymouth had “a comfortable night” in hospital, her sister has told fans.

The National League South match was abandoned with Yeovil trailing 1-0 after 77 minutes following a delay of more than 40 minutes as the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance landed on the pitch at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

The supporter was taken by ambulance to Dorchester County Hospital and her sister posted on the Ciderspace Facebook to thank fans for their good wishes on Tuesday morning.

In the post, Louise Goodland said: “The lady in the emergency at Weymouth yesterday was my sister, she is in the Intensive Care Unit, she has had a comfortable night. Thank you for everyone’s help and good wishes.”

In a statement posted on Tuesday, the club said it was talking with the National League around the outcome of the fixture and thanked the Air Ambulance Service for responding so quickly.

The statement said: “It is moments such as this which place fixtures into perspective. We are extremely proud of the way in which the fans and staff conducted themselves in light of the emergency.

“We would also like to express our gratitude to the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance who reacted so promptly in order to ensure the proper medical treatment was delivered in a timely fashion.

“We are in correspondence with the National League and the FA regarding the outcome of the fixture which is currently unknown. We will provide an update on this as soon as we are able. 

“Once again, the thoughts of the Club are with the supporter, their friends and family who we understand remains in intensive care and is receiving the best possible treatment.”

We are sure we speak for everyone when we wish the supporter the best in her recovery and hope to see her back at Huish Park at some point in the future.

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Six more points, folks. That’s what Yeovil Town need to finish their first season in National League South as champions after a 3-0 win over Torquay United in front of a league record crowd (yes, another one). Dave was in the Thatcher’s to see it and here’s what he made of it.

 

We were in total control: From minute one to minute 90+7, we were thoroughly in control. Our defence looked assured, the midfield never looked flustered or overrun, and going forwards we always looked like we had the better of a Torquay side who, admittedly were not at full strength, but still had players quite capable of causing problems. We dominated them in every department. How nice was it to spend the last 20 minutes just enjoying being in complete control? 

He’s the Somerset Cannavaro……just don’t mention his second half ‘free kick’. Sorry, Jake. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Clean sheet #17: Let’s take a moment to appreciate our defence. With our two first-choice full-backs missing, we did not miss a beat. Everything Joe Day needed to do, he did well, I thought Genesini and Foulston both looked every inch worthy replacements for Smith and Whittle, now that really is saying something. But what a performance from Jake Wannell and Morgan Williams, they will be shaking the Torquay frontline out of their pockets.

It’s Jahmari: I gave Jahmari Clarke some criticism at Braintree where he was pretty ineffective and I don’t mind admitting for the first 20 minutes against Torquay I was thinking the same. He’ll not get a much easier finish than his first goal, but he was in the right place to turn it home and that is a what a good striker does. That second goal showed exactly what he can do though. He did what he had been threatening to do at Braintree and the first half yesterday, spun his man and showed a composure in front of goal to finish. Plus he threw in some poophousery with his celebration  and who doesn’t love that? More to come from this kid. Maybe not with us, but there’s something there.

Huish Park did its bit: Huish Park has come in for not being overly supportive when our play has been about controlling the game, but yesterday it did its bit. I’m not get talking about another record-breaking attendance, I’m talking about the supportive noises which reverberated around the place for the entire game. The Thatcher’s was absolutely bouncing and you could see the players fed off it. When we’re good, boy are we good. 

I believe: It’s taken me until now to shake off ten years of hurt, but I’m a believer. That performance today showed this team has its mojo back and, when I look at our remaining games, they have enough (more than enough) to get the six points we need to seal the title. Now I’m gonna believe you, WE’RE GONNA WIN THE LEAGUE!

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Two-goal hero Jahmari Clarke could not stop smiling as he spoke about his part in a 3-0 home win over Torquay United at Huish Park today.

The 20-year-old, making his first home appearance in front of a league record crowd, poked the Glovers in to the lead in front of the Thatcher’s Stand after 40 minutes before sealing the win with a coolly-taken second on 63 minutes.

Asked if he could have done better on his first home outing, the on-loan Reading striker said: “A hat-trick maybe! It feels good to get two goals, I think I started off quite slowly but then I got in to the game and took my chances well. It just dropped for me and I reacted first, but that is how it goes inside the penalty area, you just have to be ready for anything.

“Being in the right place comes with playing and obviously I have not been playing much, but obviously now I am starting to play more I can get more match fit, so the more I play, the better I will be.”

It was the third appearance for the powerful frontman, who had a five-game spell on loan at Boreham Wood in the National League Premier earlier this season, having come off the bench in the goalless draw at Slough Town a fortnight ago and then started last weekend’s 1-0 win at Braintree Town.

He said he was happy with the reception he had got in the Huish Park changing rooms: “Everyone has been great, they have welcomed me well and being up here has been good. They are really positive in the changing room. We just need to get over the line! But definitely it is easier to come in to a winning team. I am a bit too young to be in this position before, but everyone is buzzing and happy.“

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Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper believes his side have their confidence back as they cruised to a 3-0 home win over Torquay United today.

A brace from on loan Reading striker Jahmari Clarke and another goal from Jordan Young sealed the three points on the day the Glovers’ broke their own league attendance record with a crowd of 6,462 inside Huish Park.

The win means we need six more points to seal the National League South title with a trip to local rivals W*ymouth next up on Easter Monday.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game, Cooper said: “I watched Leicester today and they were 17 points clear (at the top of the Championship) on Boxing Day and now they are behind (first-placed Leeds United) and look like they have gone. So, every person in the game I speak to tells you it is not easy to get over the line, and we have had said all season ‘just deal what is in front of us’. Today we looked like we have got our confidence back, we had some good intricate passing and I thought we were really good.

“We have taken the best two full-backs (Michael Smith and Alex Whittle) out of the team, we have taken two of the best forwards (Rhys Murphy and Jake Hyde) out of the team and we have had to find a different way. This late on in the season, clubs are not going to give you their best players, so we have had to take a gamble on two young lads in Brooklyn (Genesini) and Jahmari (Clarke). They have fitted in really well and found a different way, but now we look like we have our confidence back and we are marching on.”

Jahmari Clarke celebrates his opening goal after 40 minutes.
Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Clarke, who had an uncertain start to the game which saw him blaze an effort in to the Thatcher’s Stand after 20 minutes, was the headline maker after stabbing home the opener on 40 minutes before wrapping up the win with a composed finish on 63 minutes.

Cooper said: “He is raw, rough around the edges but he has something, I’m not quite sure what it is yet, but he has something that we like. He occupies defenders because of his size and his pace and you can see what he does with that second goal, he turns and got himself a good finish. He started off a bit rusty, but he is a young lad and he can be pleased with his two goals today. I think that first effort put a few windows out! But, he kept going and he was there for the first goal and the second was a great finish.”

Yeovil had to show composure against a Torquay side which fulfilled expectations by coming to Huish Park with a game plan to break up play leading to three bookings (two of the away side) in the first half-an-hour and numerous breaks in play.

The physicality of his side was a major plus for the manager who had praise right across the pitch, saying: “There was some big performances out there, we dominated the middle of the pitch, the two centre backs, the two midfield players and Frank, they physically dominated. That gives you a platform to go and play. Youngy has had some indifferent performances but he knows why and it is just a case of showing him why he is not quite at it if he is not quite at it. If he works really hard, even if it is just for 60 or 70 minutes he ends up playing well. He did that today.

“We can be physical if we need to, all the best teams can mix it and you can see clearly Torquay had come to try and kick us and rattle us. I thought we might throw a rugby ball on after ten minutes, but we stood up to it and played off the back of it.”

Jordan Stevens.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Jordan Stevens was recalled to the starting XI just a week after he was left out of the squad for the 1-0 win at Braintree Town with his manager said he had not seen enough of the midfielder in training to warrant a place. But, the boss was full of praise today, saying: “He is the best presser that I have seen at this level. If a ball goes square to the full back and they have got their head up, he is on top of them and he nicks so many balls off the full-back before they have a chance to play it. We just thought his pace down the side would exploit Torquay and I thought it did.”

The crowd surpasses the 6,301 which turned out for the Boxing Day win over Taunton Town at Huish Park and means Yeovil have now set the record for the league three times in one season.

Cooper’s praise extended to the fans, adding: “I said to the boys before today ‘it is a brilliant crowd in here, let’s keep them with us’, we didn’t want to let the place go quiet, we had to make sure they were with us and the only way you can do that is to show a real intent to dominate the opposition. I thought we did a bit of everything and the fans could see that and appreciated that, and we certainly appreciated them being with us.”

Next up is a trip to managerless W*ymouth, who sacked Bobby Wilkinson in midweek with his managerial highlight still being losing 2-0 at Huish Park in October, on Easter Monday, with more than 2,000 away supporters expected to make the journey across the Dorset border.

Asked whether he would make changes for that game, Cooper said: “We will see. It is like a Saturday-Tuesday, the players get a day off tomorrow and we are back in Sunday. They are all in the ice baths now recovering which they love! We will see how they respond and we will go again Monday.”

 

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Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper has said his table-topping squad are looking forward to an Easter of Westcountry action this weekend.

The Glovers take on Torquay United at Huish Park on Good Friday with more than 4,000 tickets already sold, before travelling to local rivals W*ymouth on Easter Monday in front of a huge away following.

They go in to the game seven points clear at the top of National League South following last weekend’s 1-0 win at third-placed Braintree Town knowing that nine more points will seal the title.

Speaking on Tuesday, the boss said: “It only works if you play well and it can work the other way if you do not. We need to be on the front foot and do what we do really well and give our fans something to cheer about. We are looking forward to it, they are two great games for us, we could not have picked them any better.

“There is loads riding on both games, certainly the Torquay one at both ends of the table. The W*ymouth one, they are safe, but they won’t be wanting to lose anything to their local rivals. The players will be up for it and I know the supporters will be up for it.”

Frank Nouble will be up against his old employers when Torquay come to Huish Park on Good Friday. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown

On Friday, Torquay arrive in Somerset four places and four points off the relegation zone having been deducted ten points having stated their intent to go in to administration. But Cooper is under no illusion about the calibre of players in the Gulls’ squad.

He said: “If you are a player you just want to play, you want to get paid and play. The interim manager will have them well-organised like they were against Hampton (a game Torquay won 1-0 at home last weekend) when they had to withstand an awful lot of pressure and did it really well. When you look at their starting XI, it is a really experienced, solid one and they have Aaron Jarvis to come back in to it. We are really looking forward to it. 

“Looking at their last couple of games, if they have them available, they will play those players. So we have an idea of a group of players that will play. You look at Dean Moxey, a fantastic player who has had a top career, Asa Hall, Kevin Dawson, Tom Lapslie, all these kind of players are really experienced. We know if they are fit they will play and they will be desperate to come here and get something, so we have to fully respect that and make sure we give everything we have got and get the result.“

W*ymouth are sitting comfortably in mid-table, ten points away from the drop zone, but with local rivalry at stake, Cooper is under no illusions that they will not be giving Yeovil any quarter.

He said: “I am sure their manager (Bobby Wilkinson) and players will be wound up to not let us win. That is football and how it should be. We are taking hordes of fans their and I am just looking at seeing that green-and-white and seeing the occasion. Professional head on, we just want to go and get the job done.

“You want to be playing in front of big crowds. I do not have to worry about players being up for it, when it is a little bit quiet it can be a bit laid back, so we know we cannot step off the gas. We know the fans will be driving us on, at W*ymouth there is going to be a massive following which will make it like a home game. We just want to do really well for them.”

Fans got excited by the sight of striker Rhys Murphy and influential full-back Michael Smith in training this week. Murphy has been missing since picking up an innocuous looking injury in the victory at Taunton Town in January whilst Smith has not featured since going off early in the 1-0 home defeat to Welling United earlier this month.

Cooper said: “Murphy and Smith are back in training, but it will be too soon for them to come back in. Alex Whittle is out until pre-season. If you took any teams two frontline full-backs and two strikers who you spent all your money on out of that team, people would get a pass and an excuse for not being as on form as they are expected to be. We don’t get that and we don’t moan about that, we just get on with it. We have had to find a different way to keep us competitive we might not have been as scintillating as we might have been, but we have lost four massive players. We have added a couple of players that have given us a bit of a lift.”

He also confirmed that the omission of winger Jordan Stevens from the squad at Braintree was down to form, not fitness. He said: “No injury concern. He just has not done enough. We look at who has performed well in training and in games and there were players in front of him that had done a bit more than him. Maybe it is a kick up the backside for him, he has got to get going.”

Left-back Alex Whittle has also been ruled out for the rest of the season through injury with Jay Foulston stepping in for the 0-0 draw at Slough Town and the win at Braintree. Cooper admitted he had been impressed with Foulston and Brooklyn Genesini, who has filled in for Smith since joining on loan from Swindon Town.

The manager said: “I have been very impressed with both of them and we have kept two clean sheets with them in the team. It still takes time to bed them in terms of how we play going forwards. Brooklyn is coming in to replace an international, a crowd favourite who is so calm in everything he does, but he has done great. But again we are just looking at getting them prepared for Friday.

“(Alex) has been a real stalwart at the back and a top player, but we are lucky to have Jay Foulston to step in as a calm replacement. Alex is a big miss, but luckily we have found out today that he does not require surgery and they are going to let it heal naturally. That is a real big bonus for us and for him.“

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A Frank Nouble flicked header was enough to seal three pints at Braintree Town yesterday. Dave was in the away end in Essex and here’s what he made of it all….

What a win: Do not underestimate the importance of the three points we picked up in Essex. With many questioning whether we were wobbling and Braintree in fine form – 14 unbeaten having not lost since New Year’s Day – getting our first win in three matches cannot be underestimated. Yes, it could have been even better had Taunton not screwed up against Chelmsford, but just think how things would have looked if we hadn’t won. 
 
Frank deserved that: If there was one player who deserved to be the hero yesterday, for me it was Frank Nouble. He’s looked out of sorts during our recent stumble, but he was absolutely everywhere against Braintree. He never gave them a moment’s peace and his goal was a masterpiece straight off the training ground.
 
Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.
 
Genesini looks a gem: The loss of Michael Smith is huge and not even Brooklyn Genesini’s biggest fan would claim he is a like-for-like replacement but, on this performance, he is not a bad one. Thought he looked energetic and rarely beaten by his man. An honourable mention for Charlie Cooper (yes, I hear you call me a ‘fanboy’) but yet again he was there to do the dirty stuff and we controlled things as a result.
 
Clarke never got in to it: Jahmari Clarke has all the attributes to be an effective striker. Tall, powerful, obvious skill on the ball, but this really was not his day. For someone of his stature he did not ruffle too many feathers in a very diminutive Braintree backline which looked to struggle with balls in to the box. Olly Thomas on the other hand looked a real handful when he came off the bench. With so many games coming up in a short space of time, we are going to need them all.
 
It was an anonymous performance from Jahmari Clarke.
 
Just keep grinding: This was not pretty, it didn’t need to be pretty, it needed to be three points. Nouble’s first goal in two months, another clean sheet and a big W, all this against a Braintree side whose form before Saturday cannot be underestimated even if they seemed off colour yesterday. Six games left, nine points needed to seal the title. Just keep grinding them out, boys.