David Coates (Page 34)

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Venue: Huish Park
Monday, 10th April, 3pm kick-off

Pitch: Maybe my green tinted glasses, but looking in good nick
Conditions: Sunny with a strong wind blowing towards the away end – until the second half when it tipped it down

Scorers: Josh Prior 73 (0-1)

Bookings: 

Yeovil Town: Chiori Johnson 10, Charlie Cooper 27,
Dorking Wanderers: Joe Cook 14, Josh Taylor 64, George Francomb 86

Sendings off:

Yeovil Town: Chiori Johnson 45 (two bookable offences)

Referee: Elliott Swallow

Yeovil Town (5-2-3)


Substitutes: Andrew Oluwabori (for Scott Pollock, 46), Callum Harriott (for Jordan Maguire-Drew, 62), Jordan Young (for Jamie Reckord, 74) Ryan Law.

Dorking Wanderers: Lincoln, Francomb, Cook (for Taylor, 21), Moore, Gallagher (for Kuhl, 55), Craig, Taylor, Muitt, McShane (for Seager, 67), Bowerman, Prior. Substitutes: Fuller, Ottaway.


Match Report

In a game which was billed as “do or die” for Yeovil Town’s hopes of surviving in the National League, any hopes of avoiding playing in regional football next season were all but extinguished by a 1-0 home defeat to Dorking Wanderers.

The script was a cut and paste from so many other performances which have led us to this point with some strong attacking intent across both halves leading to very little to test the visitors’ keeper and when Chiori Johnson was sent off on the stroke of half-time for a mindless second booking, the writing appeared to be on the wall.

Even with ten men, Yeovil kept up the pressure going forward but it was just waiting for the sting in the tail which came when Jason Prior turned in a parry from Grant Smith to get what turned out to be the winner for Dorking.

Like so many other performances this season, there will be hard luck tale told about this one, but – like so many other performances this season – it just was not good enough.

 

First half

It was a high octane start from Yeovil who were playing towards the Thatcher’s End against a strong wind blowing towards the away end, but a couple of corners thanks largely to the non-stop Matt Worthington were all there was to show in the opening exchanges.

On 10 minutes, Chiori Johnson’s full-blooded tackle on Dorking striker James McShane drew a yellow card from referee Elliott Swallow and four minutes later Joe Cook went in for an equally feisty challenge on Owen Bevan.

The wind was causing some issues – both positively and negatively – for both sides which misplaced passes and overhit balls all over the place.

In terms of attacking intent, it was all from Yeovil for the opening 20 minutes but (yet again) they failed to force visiting keeper Dan Lincoln in to a meaningful save. Malachi Linton looked to get involved up front, Worthington was everywhere, but there was nothing which constituted a notable effort. Same as Good Friday at Aldershot.

Whatever it was, Dorking manager/chairman/owner Marc White did not like it and after 21 minutes he replaced Cook with Bobby Joe-Taylor; to say that the defender – who was on a yellow card – was unhappy with the decision would be an understatement.

On half-an-hour, good play by Worthington fed Reckord whose ball in to the box found Jordan Maguire-Drew in space on the edge of the box, he tried to check back on to his right foot and only ended up dragging an effort wide. Then four minutes later, Lincoln was finally called in to action with Worthington’s shot from distance which he looked at best uncomfortable about.

At the other end, a quick break after a poor through from Jamie Reckord saw Jimmy Muitt hit on the break and get a ball in to the box which Josh Staunton put out for a corner with Dorking players lurking inside the box.

But, with the game ticking in to injury time at the end of the first half, it was another self-made disaster which cost Yeovil. Johnson went in for a heavy tackle in front of the Main Stand and collected his second yellow card of the game. In fairness, he received some leniency from the referee to not see red for his first bookable offence, but his luck ran out.

There have been times this season where the luck has not gone Yeovil Town’s way, but in the all too familiar shortcomings up front and then a moment of madness from Johnson which cost them. An uphill battle in the second half.

Chiori Johnson walks after his first half red card.

 

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Dorking Wanderers 0

 

Second half

The sending off meant a tactical change was required with Andrew Oluwabori coming on in place of Scott Pollock, with the formation returning to four at the back with Maguire-Drew and Oluwabori left and right respectively and Linton up front on his own.

Oluwabori was quickly in the action winning a free-kick with his first attack, from the ball in from Maguire-Drew and the substitute was there to poke the ball goalwards, only for it to be cleared off the line for a corner with 47 minutes gone.

On 51 minutes, a slip by a Dorking defender saw Miguel Freckleton surging forward down the left side – not the player you would have chosen to be that position – and the on loan Sheffield United defender’s shot was deflected aside for a corner. He’s not a striker, but another one of those ‘what if?’ moments for Yeovil.

Two minutes later, Luke Moore had two opportunities. The first was a bit of a scramble, but the second a good move from the right side saw the ball fall to Moore who dragged his shot wide.

Despite having a man advantage, it was Yeovil who had the better chances and none more so than on the hour mark when Linton burst down the left and drove in a shot which Lincoln turned aside – with Oluwabori screaming for the pass. Then on the opposite side Linton got the better of a mistake by George Francomb to burst in to the box but with no striker in the middle to pick out, he laid it back to Cooper who scooped an effort over.

Yeovil were certainly playing with some belief but – yes, I’m as sick of typing it as you are of reading it – still without that goal. Dorking were everything that Ben warned us about on the podcast – complete poophouses.

All that was waiting for this script was a sucker punch and it came on 73 minutes. Substitute Ryan Seager – yes, that one – did well to keep the ball alive on the right, found Moore on the edge of the box and his effort was parried by Grant Smith and Jason PRIOR was on hand to turn in the opener.

The entire Yeovil defence seemed more intent on calling for an offside decision against Prior which never came than trying to get to the ball ahead of him.

The deflation was palpable across Huish Park. You felt it in the crowd, you could see it in the Yeovil players and unsurprisingly Dorking had their tails up.

Nine minutes from time, a ball forward found Seager whose effort was turned aside by Smith and three minutes after that Seb Bowerman had an effort from the other side which Smith smothered.

There was still time for an appalling refereeing decision. No National League fixture is complete without one. Linton was shoved to the ground by Francomb with five minutes remaining, the defender was the only player between Mal and the goalkeeper and yet – despite being the dictionary definition of the last man – referee Swallow gave a yellow card.

The Easter period of games against our relegation rivals was supposed to be our opportunity to make a fight of National League survival – but we have managed one point from a possible nine.

It’s not just about those three games, it’s about so much more, but regional football in National League South is now seemingly an inevitability.

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 Dorking Wanderers 1

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Yeovil Town make two changes from the Good Friday draw at Aldershot Town with Jamie Reckord and Scott Pollock returning to the starting XI for the do-or-die match with Dorking Wanderers at Huish Park on Easter Monday (3pm kick-off).

Pollock replaces Jordan Young, who went off after an hour in Hampshire three days ago, and Reckord comes in for Ryan Law who is named on the substitutes’ bench.

 

Substitutes: Law, Oluwabori, Harriott, Clarke, Young.

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At 4.45am on Wednesday morning, a supporters’ club coach pulled in to Huish Park filled with 50-odd of the Yeovil Town supporters who were part of a travelling contingent of 141 at Tuesday night’s 4-0 defeat at Gateshead, a warped trick of the fixture machine that they had to do that midweek.

Here’s the morning after the night before thoughts of Dave, who made it back to his (northern) home at 1.30am, on what he saw from the other side of the athletics track….

That’s it then. We’re down. “We’ve been to Elland Road and Bramall Lane, Coventry away……now we’re off to Taunton, Taunton awaaaaaay…….Taunton awaaaay!” echoed (to the tune of Rotterdam by The Beautiful South) from away end at the International Athletics Stadium in the second half. A bit of humour in response to what we were seeing unfold in front of us. If I have seen a worse Yeovil Town performance than that (and I remember the last time we played in regional football) then I cannot recall it. That was a team* without commitment (sorry, Mark, you might not be able to question it but after that you must be blind), without quality or at least not showing it, and without any pride to play for the badge or themselves. It’s National League South next season, I just don’t see how it is anything but. Please just put us out of our misery now.
*- as ever, Josh Staunton and Grant Smith came out of it with some credit.

Even the defence has lost it. The blunt attack has been there all season, heck it was there last season as well. It doesn’t even count as a conclusion to say that we’re rubbish at scoring goals – but the defence was the one thing we had to hang on to. Just watch the goals that Gateshead scored on Tuesday night and tell me if you have seen worse defending? Owen Bevan (who I still believe has a very bright future ahead of him) was targeted and turned inside out playing at right back (I mean, he’s not a right back) but Gateshead were literally taking the mick by the end of it. Playing little one-twos inside the box whilst we floundered around trying to stop them.

Can it get any worse if Cooper goes? Mark Cooper looked like a beaten man after that. I get he’s not a particularly smiley guy when the cameras roll, that he feels he’s been let down by the wrong recruitment and (even if he won’t say it himself) by many of his players. It’s hard to argue with ‘if we had a decent striker, we’d not be in this mess’ argument and that comes down to recruitment which he obviously feels it is not of his doing. But, can it get any worse if he was to be given his P45 today? We have been poor all season (just look at the results) but now we have a team and a management utterly demoralised. Chris Todd stayed after Chris Hargreaves left and looked to be the only one trying to direct proceedings on the touchline at Gateshead – why not put him in charge for the rest of the season? Honestly, can it get any worse?

If you claim you love this club – show it! Our absent owner Scott Priestnall told us he was a fan, Matt Uggla speaks with passion about how he’s fallen in love with the club – but whatever glacially slow process is holding up the transfer of power from one to the other is killing the thing they both claim to love. There’s blame everywhere for that – with those two, the owners prior to them, South Somerset District Council, players, managers, directors, you name it. But the time for pointing fingers and saying “it’s their fault” has passed. Supporters will (barring a miracle) be watching regional football next season, there’s staff at Huish Park (on and off the pitch) who will be wondering where their futures lie next season and a very public civil war breaking out all over the place. It’s time for people to grow up, put their differences aside and show their allegiance to the only thing we all care about – Yeovil Town Football Club.

Spare a thought for JG-W. In a few weeks time we will mark the 20th anniversary of the club’s promotion to the Football League. It took 108 years to get there and now things have never felt bleaker. I thought back the other day to Jon Goddard-Watts, the founder of Screwfix Direct whose generosity created all of that. He invested to take us from part-time to full-time football, he invested to get us in to the Football League – he had no desire for minor celebrity status in fact I am not even sure how in to football he was. He wanted to do a good thing for the community which had served his business and when he resigned from the board in 2005, he wrote off a £1m loan to the club. I imagine he’d roll in his grave to see what those who followed him have allowed to happen.

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Yeovil Town striker Alex Fisher has thanked the club’s medical staff and supporters for their messages of support after he suffered a season-ending injury.

The frontman was stretchered off just 12 minutes after arriving as a half-time substitute in Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Southend United with a suspected broken ankle.

He was taken to hospital following the incident which occurred after a collision with goalkeeper Collin Andeng-Ndi at Huish Park and posted on his Twitter account on Sunday that he hoped to be out “in the next couple of days.”

Fisher said: “I am truly humbled by everyone who has reached out in the last 24 hours! Your messages of warmth and support have kept me going through a difficult time. I hope to be out of hospital in the next couple days with my focus turning to supporting the team and my recovery.

“I must also say a massive thank you to all the medical staff that looked after me during this whole process, from all involved at @YTFC to the staff at Yeovil hospital and everyone in-between.”

We are sure we echo the thoughts of all Glovers’ supporters when we wish Fish a speedy recovery.

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Yeovil Town (still) owner-in-waiting Matt Uggla has said that relegation from the National League will not see his SU Glovers consortium walk away from the club.

In his latest Twitter post, he described suggestions that the ongoing delay in the deal being finalised was down to the group waiting to see which division they were in next season was ridiculous.

He said: “I wish everyone would understand how complicated a transaction this really is. However no matter what division Yeovil find themselves in we are 100% behind them.

“The budget remains the same. We will be full time and in my head all a relegation does is set us back a year. This is a long, long journey and we love everything about Yeovil. We are down for the cause and always will be. However not having complete control has meant certain decisions haven’t been allowed to be made by us.”

In response (albeit not directly) to criticism levelled at his group by manager Mark Cooper after yesterday’s 2-0 home defeat to Southend United, which keeps the Glovers in the relegation zone and staring relegation to National League South in the face, he admitted it was “hard” to “justify spending 150K on a certain striker when at any moment the deal at that point could collapse and therefore we lose a huge amount on a single transfer.”

Uggla added: “We have had to have restraint in aspects like this and other areas. We have massive plans for the club but until the reins are off and there’s no issue with ownership it’s incredibly hard to sanction these things. We inherited bare bones.”

There is little doubt that the repeated timescales for completing the deal to purchase a majority shareholding in Yeovil Football & Athletic Club from (still) chairman Scott Priestnall has understandably stoked fears around the group’s commitment.

On Thursday, March 23, Uggla said the deal would be completed “within 48 hours“, and 48 hours later he said it would be completed the following Monday – all the deadlines came and went without any sign of it completing.

Now he says the deal is “very close“. We don’t blame you if you choose to believe that and we’re certainly not saying it is correct; even Uggla has told supporters not to trust his judgement on giving dates.

Add whatever level of salt you want to here, but he adds: “We did not expect the deal to take this long. But once those reins are removed, which is very close, we will begin laying the foundations for success both on and off the pitch. Until then we have one arm tied behind our back and can’t make all the decisions we feel should be made in the best interest of the club and laying these foundations.

“We are here to stay and love the club, this season also isn’t over. Yesterday was a tough result and in my opinion not a fair one. Their keeper made some incredible saves and fair play to him. But the leadership I saw from people such a (captain, Josh) Staunton shows me that this fight isn’t over just yet.

“We go until the end and if the end comes. So be it. We will come back stronger and with foundations and strategies in place to take this club back to where it belongs. We are a family and we will get up when we get knocked down. But we fight till the end and as our motto says – Achieve by Unity.”

The immediate responses on Twitter to the latest ‘Sunday Sermon’ – there was a similarly lengthy thread of posts the day after last weekend’s 1-0 home defeat to Bromley – suggest that at least some Yeovil Town supporters are grateful for the communication – and hopeful that this time “very close” comes to fruition.

As ever, we would invite you to leave your own thoughts – whether positive or negative – in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

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While the first team’s struggles in front of goal continued, there was one team at Huish Park on Saturday who could not stop finding the net.

Yeovil Town Under-18s romped to a 6-1 home win over Wimborne Town in the South West Counties Youth League fixtured played on the 3G surface at the club due to the wet weather.

With Tiverton Town’s fixture being postponed, striker Charlie Bateson was in the starting XI and opened the scoring after just seven minutes before adding a second after 18 minutes.

The visitors pulled one back two minutes later before goals from Under-16s’ striker Bobby Hilton, a third for Bateson and Aidan Skiverton saw the young Glovers lead 5-1 at half-time.

Substitute Joey Beckey, who along with Hilton is a product of the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust youth teams, added a sixth with six minutes remaining to complete the rout which keeps them in third place behind Bridgwater United and leaders Torquay United.

Yeovil Town Under-18s: Hollard, Archibald, Dyer, Nowak, Skiverton, Foster, Alden, Bareham, Bateson, Beale, Hilton. Substitutes: Hodges, Evans, Johnson, Beckey, Westlake.

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Manager Mark Cooper highlighted Yeovil Town’s failure to strengthen their forward line in the transfer market as he was dealt another both with the loss of striker Alex Fisher through injury.

The frontman, who is the club’s joint top scorer with five goals, suffered a suspected broken ankle in an innocuous looking collision with goalkeeper Collin Andeng-Ndi in the 2-0 home defeat to Southend United at Huish Park in Saturday’s late kick-off.

That leaves only Malachi Linton, who also has five goals to his name this season, and on loan Doncaster Rovers man Reo Griffiths, who was not in the squad, as the only recognised strikers in the squad.

Asked about Fisher’s injury by BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins, Cooper said: “I am being told it is a break, but until that is confirmed I am not going to speculate. He is on the gas and air and it is more about Fish again than anything else.”

He then added: “You look at all the other clubs down (at the bottom of the National League), they have all strengthened in that area and we haven’t.”

Cooper has not hidden his displeasure at the involvement of the club’s owners-in-waiting SU Glovers who have been public in talking about how they are getting involved in bringing players in. Recent arrivals Callum Harriott, who had a thigh injury, Zanda Siziba and Griffiths were not involved in the squad against Southend.

Asked directly about whether he was unhappy with the off-the-field interference in recruitment, Cooper said: “We have spoken about it before, we have to be better in all aspects, recruitment-wise, whatever it is, we have to be better. That was clearly shown today.”

The manager explained his decision to put defender Max Hunt on up front following the departure of Fisher on a stretcher, saying: “I didn’t think we were going to score by playing and cutting them open, I thought it was just going to come from a knock down in the box, try and create a bit of pressure in the box.”

If you were looking for anything to lift your spirits, you will not find it in this post-match interview but the manager did say he would not question the desire of his players.

He said: “The fight is the one thing I can’t question (about the players) and it’s one thing I can’t question. If you see the effort, the distance and sprints they have put in, we can’t question their fight. Can we question their quality? Possibly.”

The next game takes Yeovil on the long trip to Gateshead on Tuesday night. The Tyneside club booked their place in the FA Trophy final with a penalty shoot-out win over Barnet today and have now won their last three matches.

Asked about that, Cooper added: “They got to Wembley today so they will be cock-a-hoop and looking forward to playing for us knowing we are depleted but there is no feeling sorry for yourselves, you have to roll your sleeves up and get on with it.“

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Venue: Huish Park
Saturday, 1st April, 5.20pm kick-off

Pitch: Green
Conditions:  Dry and sunny

Scorers: Jake Hyde 24 (0-1), Rhys Murphy 90+2 (0-2),

Bookings: 

Yeovil Town: Miguel Freckleton 34, Malachi Linton 78
Southend United: Cav Miley 44, Nathan Ralph 45, Harry Cardwell 74

Sendings off:

Yeovil Town: Miguel Freckleton 84

Referee: Ed Duckworthj

Yeovil Town (5-2-3)


Substitutes: Alex Fisher (for Jack Clarke, 46), Max Hunt (for Alex Fisher, 58), Malachi Linton (for Jordan Young, 73), Reckord, Johnson.

Southend United: Andeng-Ndi, Ralph, Taylor, Scott-Morriss, Lomas, Hobson, Kensdale, Benton (for Fonguck, 70), Miley, Hyde (for Powell, 70), Cardwell (for Rhys Murphy, 90). Substitutes:  Mooney, Bridge.


Match Report

Yeovil Town’s relegation woes deepened with a 2-0 home defeat against Southend United – but the result was only part of the story of the day at Huish Park.

A first half strike from Jake Hyde and a late second from former Glover Rhys Murphy did the damage, but just five minutes after coming on at half-time top scorer Alex Fisher suffered a horrific injury after a collision with visiting keeper Collin Andeng-Ndi.

Then with seven minutes of the game remaining defender Miguel Freckleton was given a second yellow card and a the corresponding red. That rules the Sheffield United loanee out for Tuesday night’s trip to Gateshead. Lucky him.

We’ll not blame you if you don’t want to read this latest tale of woe…..

 

First half

Following a one-minute applause to mark the second anniversary of the passing of ex-Glovers’ captain Lee Collins, Yeovil attacked the away end in the first half.

The first chance fell to Scott Pollock, getting his first start for Yeovil, inside the opening two minutes as Yeovil got in down the left side, but the midfielder could not angle a shot past Collin Andeng-Ndi in the visitors’ goal. Squaring the ball to Maguire-Drew was perhaps a better option although he was shadowed by a Southend defender.

It was a bright opening five minutes for Yeovil and Andrew Oluwabori tested Andeng-Ndi from distance and at the other end a long ball forward almost found Harry Cardwell after eight minutes, but Owen Bevan did well to put him off his shot with only Grant Smith to beat.

With 21 minutes played, Maguire-Drew picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch and fed Jordan Young, but his effort was not troubling Andeng-Ndi from distance. A minute later, a corner came to Lomas who was found at the back post and his effort was stopped by the feet of Smith.

Three minutes later, the visitors were ahead. The Yeovil defence switched off from a throw and a ball in to the box from Nathan Ralph was nodded down by Gus Scott-Morriss in to a crowded penalty area. Cardwell reacted and got the ball back to Jake HYDE who lashed in the opener.

That gave the visitors a lift and on 28 minutes Scott-Morriss’ cross from the right found Cardwell at the back post, but he couldn’t angle his header on target.

After a bright start, the home side had started to quieten down and the goal and, other than a couple of runs forward by Oluwabori, there was little in the way of a response. Huish Park has fallen deathly quiet.

A deep cross to the back post from Maguire-Drew went towards Oluwabori at the back post with five minutes of the first half remaining, but as far as quality balls in to the box were concerned they were few and far between.

Another came from the same source as Maguire-Drew’s free-kick found Pollock inside the box and his header thumped against the base of the post and away for a corner. That’s a chance to book end the half from the midfielder, who had a reputation from scoring from his days at Boston United…..you can do the rest.

One or two boos met the half-time whistle. It certainly was not as bad as the previous performance against Bromley – but a lack of attacking intent barely even worth mentioning these days. Big second half required, but we seem to say that every week as well.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Southend United 1

 

Second half

Alex Fisher replaced Jack Clarke at the half-time interval and it was the club’s joint top-scorer – with just five goals, of course – who was involved in the first incident. A totally innocuous coming together between Fisher and Andeng-Ndi saw the striker go down with what was instantly obvious was a broken ankle. The television coverage caught Fisher scream in pain, a heartbreaking thing to see.

Just when you thought things could not get any worse – they did. All the best, Fish.

Max Hunt replaced him in the target man role, but having a centre half playing as centre forward perhaps summarises the attacking issues which have riddled us for the entire season – and last season!

Ironically, it was another defender, captain Staunton, who had a glorious chance in the 64th minute. A superb corner from Maguire-Drew saw the skipper get ahead of his opponent Nathan Ralph and Andeng-Ndi did superbly to make a one-handed save and turn it around the post.

A mistake by Pollock on the edge of his box gifted Southend a big opportunity after 69 minutes. His attempted forward pass was blocked and broke to Cardwell, but he lifted his shot over the bar.

On 74 minutes, Malachi Linton, who scored on his last appearance in the 1-1 draw at FC Halifax Town a fortnight ago, replaced Young. Difficult to see where the spark of inspiration was going to come from for the home side.

Bevan put a header over from a corner, won by some good play from Oluwabori, another good ball in from Maguire-Drew on a day when quality balls in to the box were sadly lacking.

Remember when we said about things not getting any worse? Well, on 84 minutes substitute Callum Powell’s burst forward and was checked by Freckleton, who had already been booked in the first half. Two yellows make a red. On first inspection it did not look like a bookable offence to me, on re-inspection (via television replay) it still didn’t. Sigh.

Three minutes from time, Pollock broke in to the box and got a shot in on goal which was stopped on the line by Harry Taylor. Pollock has looked lively, but sadly from his three efforts on goal, he has not converted any of them.

As the 11 minutes of injury time came up, Rhys Murphy replaced Harry Cardwell. You know what’s coming here, don’t you? Scott-Morriss’ ball in from the right hand side and Powell was completely unmarked in the middle of the box, inexplicably his effort came off the bar. The ball broke to MURPHY who showed the type of striker’s instinct so sadly lacking from his former club to smash home the second.

Two goals from two clinical strikers. That was the difference.

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 Southend United 2

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Striker Jordan Young returns to the Yeovil Town starting XI after a hamstring injury to face Southend United in front of the BT Sport cameras (5.20pm kick-off).

He is expected to be in a three-man attack alongside Jordan Maguire-Drew and Scott Pollock. On loan midfielder Jack Clarke, who has also been missing through injury, is also back and seems likely to pair with Charlie Cooper.

There is no place for recent arrivals winger Callum Harriott, who has a thigh injury, midfielder Zanda Siziba or striker Reo Griffiths.

For the visitors, ex-Glovers’ striker Rhys Murphy is on the substitutes’ bench with another former Yeovil Town man Nathan Ralph in the starting XI.