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New Yeovil Town manager Danny Webb speaking to the club's social media after taking his first training session.

The shock resignation of manager Danny Webb just ten days after his appointment as Yeovil Town manager, our Ian spoke to the club’s Chief Strategy Advisor Nicholas Brayne about the reasons behind the departure and what happens next at Huish Park. You can listen to his interview on our special podcast or read it in full here.

 

IP: What has the last 24 hours leading up to the resignation of Danny Webb as manager been like?

NB: Everyone has been bitterly disappointed and shocked. Danny was selected after a process which took several weeks and I think everyone got an idea of why he was selected, the way he came across, the way he interacted with the media, fans and the people here. He’s a very personable character and he has got a good track record in football, so it is easy to see why we felt he was a really good fit for Yeovil. He hit the ground running last week and then he has now decided to step away from the dug out for personal reasons.

I had a number of calls with Danny on Sunday to make sure he was okay to understand the process of how he had come to that decision. We talked about his welfare, his mental health, what he was thinking, so a lot of that was about making sure he was okay on a human level which I am pleased to say he is. Then we were trying to understand the rationale of how we got to this point which is a really difficult process.

Danny Webb speaks to BBC Radio Somerset after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Tamworth, his only game as Yeovil Town manager.

IP: Can you explain the decision behind the appointment of Richard Dryden as manager until the end of the season?

NB: I truly understand how fans react to things, so it is a very fair question. If we step back to Spring and you think about the disruption this club has faced with the takeover, the issues of last season with (the new ownership) coming in to the process very late, Mark Cooper’s departure, the Gateshead game and the process of identifying Danny and the real sense of shock that Danny was only here a week, then I think you can see that there’s a real sense of shock.

I left Norfolk at 2am to be here with the staff, Stuart (Robins, Executive Chairman) went to the training ground to be with the players. A lot of this is just about being with people at the moment and there is a real sense on a human level of shock, frustration, sadness and what we felt we needed was a period of calm and stability. It is a bit like being the captain of a shop which is listing, what is the first thing you do? Sometimes the best thing to do is stop and assess, so that is where we are at at the moment.

In the four games which Richard was in charge was a really good, stabilising factor behind the scenes, he is really good with people, really good with the board, really good with the players and that is what we need now. We need someone who is going to take time and give us time and that is why that Richard is taking the helm until the end of the season.

This whole process of trying to identify and get the right manager, we have just run that process. From the perspective of energy, focus and making sure we are running in the right direction, to run that process again you would be talking about another four weeks (of uncertainty). I think the fans and the players would get restless, so we are saying ‘let’s calm this situation down’, Richard is in charge, in him we are going to trust. I think it give everyone a sense of direction.

IP: You have said that Stuart has spoken to the players today, what has their reaction been to it?

NB: They are professionals and they are a really good bunch of lads. I have been here at Huish Park with the staff and Stuart has been with the players at the training ground and from my conversations with Stuart the players have taken the news as the professionals they are. They listened, they understand, and they know that the badge comes before anything else, so we go and fight for the badge at Aldershot and at Altrincham. There has been some honest soul-searching over the past 24 hours and the one thing that reaffirms the decision we have taken is that the players wanted certainty and this has given them a degree of certainty.

Richard Dryden will now be in charge for the rest of the season

IP: After the game at Tamworth on Saturday, Danny Webb spoke about wanting to recruit new players. Is his decision down to the level of support he got from the ownership to do that?

NB: Danny was very much supported, he knew there was money to spend, we had put a recruitment strategy in place with Danny and we were working through that. Andrew (Oluwabori) joined on Friday and there were other conversations going on led by Danny with all of us supporting him, I personally had a number of conversations with agents of players we wanted to bring in to the squad and there was money there for Danny to do what he wanted to do to make us more competitive on the pitch. That is exactly the same case for Richard.

To be clear, when you hear people say ‘has he walked away from the club because there’s been a disagreement?’ There has not been a single disagreement with Danny and he will say that the ownership group backed him every step of the way whatever he thought he needed for this club to succeed and as a human being with what he has gone through over the last 48 hours.

IP: There is obviously one fewer members of staff on the coaching side now, will you look at adding anyone else – possibly in a Director of Football role?

NB: The ownership group will do whatever it needs to do whatever it needs to do to ensure we have the right personnel and resources on the pitch and in the dug-out which is appropriate to the challenge we are facing now. That means another slug of investment capital coming in to the club, that was what was already agreed under Danny and that is exactly what we are going to do now.

IP: The mantra of the new ownership group has been built on three Cs – calmness, competitiveness and community – where do all of those stand now?

NB: In terms of calmness, I fully accept it does not feel calm from an external perspective in terms of how we have started the season and I get that. Internally apart from some of the frustrations we have felt, we have actually been very rational, calm and consistent in terms of the way we have gone about our business. But I definitely understand this does not feel or look calm.

The community stuff is going great guns behind the scenes in terms of what we want to do and I think in the fullness of time that will be a little clearer. I am not going to sit here and lie to you, what we have seen so far this season is not competitive, so that is an area we need to work on.

Everyone in football wants things to happen overnight, I want things to happen overnight. I had my family down here until the Gateshead game and I remember the feeling I had at the end of it. Just think of the week we have just had with that last minute winner against Woking and I remember driving up the M3 and thinking ‘this is brilliant’ and here I am now sitting here with you and feeling this is not so brilliant. I am feeling the same emotion as fans, I think the three Cs and our ownership will have to be judged over a longer period of time, we are in our infancy and it is going to take time to tinker to get the foundations right and that is what we are doing at the moment. But one of the things that I think is really important is to take stock, think ‘how have we got here’ not just in terms of our own tenure but what has gone before and how do we go about getting this big juggernaut going in the right direction and using that investment we have got to make sure all our energy is going in the right direction. There is a lot happening behind-the-scenes which would evidence we are heading in the right direction, but I can understand that fans think it is looking painfully show.

Yeovil Town owner Prabhu Srinivasan interviewed during a visit to Huish Park.
Yeovil Town owner Prabhu Srinivasan

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Yeovil Town chairman Stuart Robins has said the club will continue to strengthen the squad despite the shock resignation of manager Danny Webb this morning.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Monday afternoon, he admitted that the club’s owners and players had been “shocked” by the decision which comes just ten days after the new manager’s appointment.

He said that the budget which had been available to Webb would now be available to Richard Dryden, who has been handed the job until the end of the season, and added that Dryden is looking to play “a much more attacking style of football.”

Robins said: “We need some numbers and we need to bring some new players in, but they have to be the right players. That process has already started, additional budget was available to Danny and now it is available to Richard to make sure that we add to the squad so we can climb up the table.

“We are right behind Richard and we hope the fans will be behind him and we will see some new faces in Huish Park, they have to be the right faces in the right positions. Richard wants to play a much more attacking style of football than we have seen at Huish Park for some time, our responsibility is to make sure we can bring in the players that he and the coaching team want to make sure we can play that attacking style of football we would like to see.”

Executive Chairman Stuart Robins also issued a separate statement through the club’s own social media apologising to supporters for the club being in “a state of flux again.”

Robins said he and the club’s ownership spoke with Webb on Sunday and reiterated that personal and family reasons were behind his decision to step down. He visited the club’s players at the SGS Wise training facility near Bristol on Monday to break the news to them before the club issued its statement.

He said: “We had the phone call from Danny about 24 hours ago and our first concern was for him and his family, because in these situations that is what you have to think about first. We have spoken to him again today and he seems to be in a reasonable place and we want him to be well and whatever he does going forward, we hope it works out for him.

“We are shocked, but now our focus is on making sure we do what is best for the football club. I was very concerned about the players and the supporters who are the big stakeholders here. I spoke to the players this morning and they are fully behind us and what they have got to do is focus on getting three points on Wednesday, that is their focus, they will train well and they are looking forward to the game.

“We had to think about the ramifications for the football club, the supporters and the players. The very first thought was ‘is Danny okay?’ and that is what we wanted to make sure.”

He insisted the decision to appoint Dryden, who was brought to the club by former manager Mark Cooper in the summer, until the end of the National League Premier Division season was an attempt to bring stability to the club.

He said: “We wanted to make sure the players had some stability and unfortunately we have not had that for one reason or another and I was very concerned the players were protected. They knew what was going on as quickly as possible. The period where we were scouring the market for a new manager was unsettling for the players and I think they did a very good job in very difficult circumstances and won two games. I had a duty of care to the players to make sure they were stable and new what was going to happen as quickly as they possibly could.”

As some of you will have seen on our social media, Ian has been to Huish Park to speak to Chief Strategy Advisor Nicholas Brayne and we have been asked by the Executive Chairman to delay releasing this interview until after the BBC and ITV have broadcast their own interviews this evening.

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Yeovil Town has confirmed manager Danny Webb has resigned as manager just one game in to the job.

The Glovers released a shock statement on Monday morning confirming the decision had been taken “due to personal and family reasons” following the 1-0 defeat at Tamworth on Saturday.

In the statement, the club said that first-team coach Richard Dryden, who took temporary charge following the sacking of former boss Mark Cooper, would now take charge for the rest of the season.

The statement said: “He has expressed his personal sadness in having to leave the club but feels this is the right decision for him and his family. The time and the nature of this decision is met with disappointment from all of us and we have accepted his resignation with regret, but with understanding.

“We understand this news is disappointing, especially after the thorough recruitment process which brought Danny to the club. While we respect his need to put his family first, our priority now has to be the team’s stability and success.”

The news comes as a huge surprise after the boss spoke about his desire to bring new players to the club following his first game in charge at the weekend.

Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset after the match, Webb said: “I knew the magnitude of the job when I came in and having seen it with my own eyes. Sadly, we were missing actually, first half that little bit of quality when we won the ball back, and a real lack of pace and physicality in our team. I think we’re down to work straight away to recruit, get some players in.”

The Gloverscast has approached the club’s owners to ask for further comment in to today’s news. As soon as we have something, we will let you know.

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Danny Webb’s start as Yeovil Town manager ended with a scrappy defeat at Tamworth on Saturday.

The Glovers struggled to cope against a physical opponent on an unstable artificial surface in the first half and had to ride the storm with a barrage from their hosts who won the physical battle.

The introduction of new loan signing Andrew Oluwabori and striker Junior Morias brought some added impetus, but in the 75th minute Tamworth found a breakthrough when defender Kennedy Digie bundled home the winner.

Oluwabori had a great opportunity to get a leveller in second half injury time after a fantastic run, but his shot was wide.

First half

There was no midfielder Brett McGavin in the Glovers’ squad having jarred his back in training. Finn Cousin-Dawson replaced him in the middle of the park with Aaron Jarvis brought in to provide a physical presence up front alongside Harvey Greenslade.

The first chance of the game fell to the home side after nine minutes when Yeovil switched off from a Tom Tonks’ quick throw-in towards Tyler Roberts before the winger crosses the ball for Kennedy Digie whose effort was denied by a smart save from Jed Ward.

Five minutes later, Beck-Ray Enoru volleyed just wide before firing in a cross after doing superbly to beat Byron Pendleton. All the pressure was coming room the home side, but the Yeovil defence was standing firm against a barrage of attacks and several cannon ball throw-ins from the human rocket launcher in Tonks.

The first meaningful chance of goal for Yeovil did not come until half-an-hour in when Tonks fouled McCormick on the edge of the box. In the absence of Brett McGavin, the former Bristol Rovers man lifted the resulting free-kick just over the bar.

With three minutes of the half remaining, Yeovil were indebted to Ward once again after the dangerous Tyler Roberts caused issues down the right side before feeding Kwaku Donkor who effort was well saved by the feet of the keeper.

There was dogged defending from the visitors, but also a lack of creativity going forwards with nothing for hosts’ goalkeeper Jas Singh to deal with.

Half time: Tamworth 0 Yeovil Town 0

Second half

The start of the second half saw Andrew Oluwabori replace James Plant and within seconds of the restart Finn Cousin-Dawson was in referees’ book for an aerial tussle with Manny Duku.

Josh Sims had a shot off target in the 55th minute before Junior Morias came on around the hour mark replacing Greenslade. The arrival of Oluwabori and Morias certainly gave the Glovers’ more cutting edge, but the quality going forwards which was lacking in the first half was still absent after the break.

On 65 minutes, a big chance came when McCormick’s free kick met by Morgan Williams at the back post but he was superbly stopped by Singh. That was the first action the Tamworth keeper was called in to.

The home side had a very loud shout for a penalty on 67 minutes for what looked like a hand ball before substitute Oliver Lynch had a shot which was deflected on to Jed Ward’s crossbar.

You just got the feeling a breakthrough was coming for Tamworth and in the 75th minute it arrived. Having not dealt with a corner, Ben Milnes was able to put a ball in to the box and Kennedy DIGIE bundled it home.

It seemed that it was not until the fourth official put his board up for seven minutes of stoppage time that Yeovil’s attackers snapped in to gear. The best chance came from Oluwabori who picked the ball up inside his own half four minutes in to stoppage time and drove forwards but pulled his shot wide.

Full time: Tamworth 1 Yeovil Town 0

Match Details

Venue: The Lamb Ground
Date: Saturday 20th September, 3pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Kennedy Digie 75 (0-1)

Pitch: An appalling patchwork of plastic 
Conditions: Persistent drizzle 

Attendance: 1,199

Bookings: 
Yeovil Town: Finn Cousin-Dawson 47
Tamworth: Tom Tonks 30, Alfie Bates 90

Referee: Dale Baines

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes: Andrew Oluwabori (for James Plant, 46), Junior Morias (for Harvey Greenslade, 61), Tahvon Campbell (for Aaron Jarvis, 79), Alex Whittle (not used), Ben Wodskou (not used), Ollie Hughes (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

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New signing Andrew Oluwabori is named on the substitutes’ bench for Danny Webb’s first game as Yeovil Town manager at Tamworth today (3pm kick-off).

The winger, signed on loan from Exeter City until January, is joined by Junior Morias and Alex Whittle among the substitutes.

Striker Aaron Jarvis in the starting XI alongside Harvey Greenslade, Finn Cousin-Dawson starts in midfield with Byron Pendleton at wing-back.

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Captain Jake Wannell has said Yeovil Town’s players have got their “bite” back after the first week under new manager Danny Webb.

The defender said the intensity of training sessions had increased ahead of Saturday’s trip to Tamworth which will be followed by a a visit to Aldershot Town four days later.

Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Jack Killah on Friday, Wannell said: “It has been a new phase, new view on everything, he wants us to be fitter so early in the week we have had a few tough sessions. We had a session called ‘Murder Ball’ which was hell. I hope we never do that again! Then towards the back end of the week it has been more tactical, so we have seen that side of him as well. If there was a midweek game this week I think that would have slowed us down, so it has probably been good for the Gaffer to have a full week with the team.

“He has not flooded us with too much information, but the intensity has gone up and everyone has gone up a gear which is good with tackles flying in in training, people sulking when they lose, so we have got that bite back. I think he is the kind of manager who will talk to players individually, he has put his arm around a few people already and put his arm around the club which is most important and I think he will bring the best out of the players individually as well. I think we just need to be calm as an attacking unit and a defensive unit, I don’t think we have been miles off it this season, I just think if we tidy up in all departments as we did (against Woking) we will be okay.”

The return of Kyle Ferguson to the defensive unit alongside Wannell and Morgan Williams for the past three games has brought greater solidity to the Yeovil backline.  Having conceded seven goals in two matches against Gateshead and FC Halifax Town, the Glovers kept clean sheets in last Saturday’s 1-0 home win over Woking and the 1-0 victory at Solihull Moors, with a 3-1 loss to York City sandwiched in between.

With Alex Whittle’s fitness seemingly ruling him out of a start at Tamworth this weekend, it seems likely the Glovers’ defence will be unchanged and Wannell believes that will help.

He said: “It is important because the more you play alongside the same person, the more consistent you are going to be. We had a blip where we conceded seven goals in two games, but that is behind us now, we have got a new unit and hopefully we can build on that. Kyle had a slow start to pre-season, but he has looked really solid in the last few games so long may that continue.”

Webb’s focus on set pieces, a role he took on with defensive and attacking players during his time as assistant manager at Chesterfield, has been apparent in his first week training with his new players.

He was watching from the Huish Park stands as he saw his side scoring from a corner to grab the win over Woking in second half stoppage time. It was Wannell’s header from Brett McGavin’s corner which gave Luke McCormick the chance to lash home that winner and the Glovers’ captain knows set pieces will be vital if they are to get any success against a physical Tamworth side.

He added: “We had said as a unit that we want to score more goals as a defensive unit which we did in injury time against Woking which was nice. We did set pieces in training on Thursday and Friday, so hopefully we can take that in to the game on Saturday. Everyone knows that on an artificial pitch with the long throws (from midfielder Tom Tonks) and the directness of their game will be a challenge, we drew there last year, so we will go there with a game plan and hopefully get three points. We have four games in two weeks, so hopefully we can get a good understanding of what the manager wants us to do in the away games and then get back to Huish Park.”

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New Yeovil Town manager Danny Webb has said the loan signing of winger Andrew Oluwabori shows the calibre of player he is looking to bring to the club.

The 23-year-old, who had a spell on loan in Somerset in the 2022-23 season, has joined until January from League Two Exeter City and will be available for tomorrow’s visit to Tamworth, which will be Webb’s first in charge.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Friday, the Glovers’ boss said: “We have got him on loan from Exeter until January initially. I think he is a tremendous signing for the club, he was here before and was a bit of a fans’ favourite. He has pace, power and can play in numerous positions and that is an area we needed, pace. We needed a bit more pace to get people off their seats and hopefully Andrew does that.

“Andrew is the first of my tenure and I think he will be a good addition. You never sign players for the sake of it, you want players who will contribute, who will keep other players on their toes. Signing someone of his calibre will hopefully make the players sit up and take notice. That is the calibre we are looking to bring to the club.”

The manager said that injured duo defender Alex Whittle and midfielder Charlie Cooper have both returned to training this week and, whilst the trip to the Midlands might be too soon for them to start, suggested they could feature on the bench.

He added: “We are getting bodies back. It is important for lads to see a full bench, even if the lads are not quite fully fit, I think it is important for people to see we have a full set of players, good players, with a few more to add.”

Charlie Cooper is back in training for Yeovil Town. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Webb has been impressed with what he has seen from his players during his first week working with them on the training ground. He said: “There is a lot of positives here. There’s some good lads, characters, staff, good people and very good supporters. We have to stick together and do things as one, but that takes time. It’s a positive week, I’m not one who says how good training has been, what the supporters want to hear is whether the lads are up for it and dedicated and they certainly are that.

“I don’t think it’s about players adapting to a system, at this level it is about whether players are good enough and do they have good enough character to take players to where it wants to be and where it deserves to be? I have seen a lot of positives in their character, in their performance levels and their ability levels. It is early days, but I am not coming in to a car crash of a team. This is a good set of players for whatever reason have underperformed for a while and it is about turning that around, like a big ship it takes a bit of time, but the changes and progression has already started.”

The manager was pleased to see his side score from a set piece in last weekend’s 1-0 home win over Woking, a game he watched from the stands at Huish Park. A Brett McGavin corner headed down by defender Jake Wannell was smashed home by midfielder Luke McCormick in second half stoppage time.

Webb said: “We have got to score a lot more goals from set pieces because we have got some big lads in our team, that is something we need to focus on. Chris Todd has been working tirelessly with them (on set pieces) and it was a big relief to get that one against Woking and what a good set piece it was. We have got some big lads here, but so have Tamworth and so have most National League teams, it is like Land of Giants at times and we have to utilise that in our box and the opposition’s box as well.”

Tamworth will prove a tough opponent for Webb’s side having won three of their last four matches and the boss is aware they have another trip to Aldershot Town four days later.

He said: “Tamworth is a tough place to go, they have worked tirelessly to get to where they are and if they win tomorrow they are in the play-offs. We can’t think about that, we have got to think about our progression, it started on Saturday (against Woking) and it has got to continue. I am obviously ultimately looking for the result, but there’s more than that I am looking for. I want our supporters to leave tomorrow seeing a team that they are proud of.

“I have seen these Yeovil fans before, they travel and they get behind the side. Aldershot is one of our nearer games, as is Tamworth, so hopefully we can take a good few hundred and make some noise.“

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Exeter City winger Andrew Oluwabori has joined Yeovil Town on loan until January 2026.

It is a return to Huish Park for the 23-year-old, who joined the Grecians last season having impressed at FC Halifax Town, having had a loan spell with the club during the 2022-23 season where he made 24 appearances whilst on loan from Peterborough United.

His appearances at St James’ Park have been limited since arriving in Devon in February but prior to that he had been in impressive form with Halifax, scoring six times to earn his move to the EFL. He has featured just twice for Exeter this season.

Confirming the signing on Friday, new Glovers’ boss Danny Webb said: “Andrew is a player the fans know well and someone who can change games with his pace and ability to beat a man. He’s developed really well over the last couple of years, and we’re delighted to have him back at Yeovil.”

Speaking at the start of the week, Webb revealed that he was hoping to strengthen his squad as he prepares to take charge of his first match at Tamworth this weekend.

He told the club’s social media: “I have talked to a few people today and tomorrow in terms of managers and representatives of other clubs to see what we can do and sometimes it is just to help the lads (that are at the club), freshen up the dressing room and give everyone a lift.

“If you keep all 13 or 14 players fit for the whole season, you are alright but we all know football does not work like that and it bites you on the bum when you least expect it and while everyone is playing and training well sometimes the injuries come when you least expect them.

“So we have to make sure we do bolster the squad at some point whilst keeping the core of the squad happy and motivated because there are some good players there.”

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New Yeovil Town manager Danny Webb speaking to the club's social media after taking his first training session.

New Yeovil Town manager Danny Webb has confirmed he is looking to strengthen his squad as he gears up for his first match at Tamworth this weekend.

The Glovers’ boss took charge of his first training session at the SGS WISE Campus near Bristol on Monday having seen his players pick up a 1-0 win against Woking at the weekend.

Speaking to the club’s social media, Webb said: “I have talked to a few people today and tomorrow in terms of managers and representatives of other clubs to see what we can do and sometimes it is just to help the lads (that are at the club), freshen up the dressing room and give everyone a lift.

“If you keep all 13 or 14 players fit for the whole season, you are alright but we all know football does not work like that and it bites you on the bum when you least expect it and while everyone is playing and training well sometimes the injuries come when you least expect them.

“So we have to make sure we do bolster the squad at some point whilst keeping the core of the squad happy and motivated because there are some good players there.”

Alex Whittle grapples with a Hartlepool United player.
Alex Whittle is expected to return to training later this week. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

He revealed that he expected injured full-back Alex Whittle and midfielder Charlie Cooper to train on Thursday, but Yeovil are still expected to be without summer signing James Daly and Jacob Maddox for a further few weeks. Whittle has sat out the past two matches whilst Cooper has not featured since the 2-1 home win over Brackley Town almost a month ago.

The boss spoke positively about what he had seen from the team at the weekend when he was watching from the stands whilst interim boss Richard Dryden was in charge on the dug-out.

Webb said: “The standards have been set and the professionalism has been set by myself and the other staff and now it is for the boys to carry on. The fort has been held really well (since the departure of Mark Cooper) by Richard (Dryden) and Chris (Todd) and now it is a case of us as a group of players and staff to take this club to the next level.

“As I have already said many times, that takes time, but what I have seen (in training) today is that we have the core of a team that wants to push this club in the right direction. It was important that the players who played (against Woking) on Saturday had a lighter session because they put in a shift and when you put in a shift, you usually get the right result.

“The three or four left over did some harder, intense work with Richard and Chris to keep them topped up and a few lads after that had some box-to-box running. It is important we get everyone fitter, I want a team of machines that can play all different types of football to win games and there is a base to work with.”

The trip to Tamworth at the weekend will see Yeovil facing an opponent on an artificial surface and the manager said the players would be using the artificial surfaces at the training ground later in the week to prepare them for that.

He added: “It is not great for your joints and back. We know Tamworth have some threats and they work very well on a part-time model and we will go there probably as favourites. We have to make sure as a club, a big National League club, that we start turning up at these places. You are not always going to get the win, but we have to perform.”

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New Yeovil Town manager Danny Webb watched his new players pull off a dramatic late winner at home to Woking this afternoon.

The former Glovers’ player was in the stands at Huish Park to see midfielder Luke McCormick lash the winner in to the roof of the net with three minutes of second half stoppage time on the clock to seal a crucial victory.

First half

New manager Danny Webb was introduced to the Huish Park crowd before the game and he watched from the stands with Richard Dryden, who has been in interim charge since the departure of Mark Cooper, in charge from the dug-out for one more game.

It was Woking who started the game the brighter, but it took until the 12th minute for either side to carve out much more than a half-chance. That fell to Aaron Drewe who was picked out by Tariq Hinds’ ball in to the box, but his effort was deflected over the bar by Jake Wannell. Eight minutes later, Jed Ward had to get down quickly to keep out a long range effort from Jack Turner.

Neither side has done much to test either keeper, but Woking looking far more composed on the ball with a clearer game plan. Just after the half-hour mark, Harry Beautyman’s free-kick from the edge of the box needed turning around the box by Ward. Good save.

Jed Ward turns an effort around the post,

It took until ten minutes before half-time for Yeovil to create anything which came close to being a chance, James Plant won a header which dropped to Junior Morias whose effort was high over the bar. That’s about as good as it has got going forwards for Yeovil.

The most 0-0 45 minutes of football Huish Park has seen in a long time. If you forgot it was an early kick-off and missed it, you didn’t miss much. If Danny Webb did not know the scale of the job he was facing at the start of this half, he did by the end of it.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0  Woking 0

Second half

Two minutes in to the second half, Yeovil’s first opportunity on goal fell to Josh Sims. Brett McGavin’s ball found him on the right, he twisted his defender inside and out and flashed a shot across the face of goal. Better from Yeovil.

On 53 minutes, Greenslade got away down the right and fired a ball in to the box with Morias ready to convert at the back post, but Woking were able to clear. 

There’s been an improvement going forward from the Glovers (it honestly could not have been much worse) and Dryden introduced Aaron Jarvis off the bench on 65 minutes. He replaced Harvey Greenslade.

With 73 minutes played, Morgan Williams spurned a glorious opportunity to open the scoring. Plant’s ball from the right was met by a great header from Jarvis and landed to the defender who was unmarked on the far post, but lifted his shot over

Morgan Williams does not know how he has missed that.

There was a bizarre moment around 12 minutes from time when Jarvis and Woking keeper Tom Norcott tangled off the ball. The on loan Reading keeper went down like he’d been assaulted and there was even a visit from the Woking medical staff. All a bit bizarre and Jarvis got a booking for his role which was presumably Norcott’s intention.

Tahvon Campbell, who had probably the most prolific spell of his career as a Woking player, was introduced for Wodskou on 82 minutes. A minute later Campbell had a great opportunity to break the deadlock after persistent play from Luke McCormick poked a ball through to him, Norcott seemed to get enough on it to deny Campbell an immediate shot, he managed to hook it towards goal but it was cleared off the line. Just hit the bloody thing!

O’Brien put one over the bar with five minutes remaining, but just when it looked like this game was going to finish goalless – Yeovil took the lead. A minute in to five minutes of second half stoppage time, McGavin’s corner was headed down by Jarvis and it landed to Luke McCORMICK on the back post and the midfielder showed great composure to thrash it in to the roof of the net.

Luke McCormick celebrates his goal.

In the fifth minute of stoppage time there was substitute Josh Osude went down under a challenge from Ward, before the ball broke to O’Brien who was felled by a strong challenge from Ferguson. Ward’s challenge was clearly just a goalkeeper and striker challenging for the ball, the Ferguson one had a bit more on it. Seen those given.

There was a  long stoppage as Osude got treatment and that meant we actually ended up playing 100 minutes. If the first half was forgettable, the second was much better but there was plenty of commitment there and even more importantly three points.

Full time: Yeovil Town 1 Woking 0

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 13th September, 3pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Luke McCormick 90+3 (1-0)

Pitch: Looking good
Conditions: Mostly dry and bright with periods of intense rain in the first half

Attendance:  2,646 (259 away supporters)

Bookings: 
Yeovil Town: Junior Morias 61, Josh Sims 64, Morgan Williams 75
Woking: Jack Turner 45

Referee: Adrian Quelch

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes: Aaron Jarvis (for Harvey Greenslade, 65), Tahvon Campbell (for Ben Wodskou, 81), Byron Pendleton (for Josh Sims, 87),, Finn Cousin-Dawson (for used), Ollie Hughes (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Woking: Tom Norcott, Aaron Drewe, Tunji Akinola, Timi Odusina, Caleb Richards, Tariq Hinds, Jack Turner (for Jake Forster-Caskey, 59) Jamie Andrews, Harry Beautyman (for Josh Osude, 70), Aiden O’Brien, Josh Kelly (for Timmy Akinola, 70).

Substitutes (not used):  Chin Okoli, Matt Ward, Craig Ross.