David Coates (Page 9)

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There was a Crittenden and a Skiverton in the Yeovil Town Under-19s’ starting XI for their 2-1 friendly defeat to Taunton Town at Huish Park on Wednesday night.

Ollie Crittenden, son of former Glovers’ winger, Nick, and Louis Skiverton, the son of legendary, captain, Terry, lined up in the first home match played under new boss Roy O’Brien, who was a team-mate of both their fathers.

The friendly was a warm-up for the upcoming National League Under 19s Alliance League season which gets underway at the end of September.

The Under-19s fielded much-changed XIs in each half and took the lead through Ollie Crittenden after 25 minutes before being pegged back on the stroke of half-time. Following a number of changes of personnel at the break, Taunton added a second in the 76th minute.

The friendly was also a first outing for the new floodlights at Huish Park. Now with new EFL-standard bulbs, there was a positive reaction to the new illumination from those at the match – which included proud father, Terry Skiverton, who was pictured with a number of supporters.

Terry Skiverton pictured with owner Prabhu Srinivasan and director Sahil Prabhu.

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Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley hailed captain Luke McCormick as the club’s equivalent to goal-scoring midfielder Frank Lampard after his two goals sealed a first win of the season at Huish Park.

The midfielder, who idolised the legendary Chelsea player when he was coming up in the Stamford Bridge academy, struck twice in the final ten minutes to seal a 3-0 win over Gateshead on Saturday.

The Glovers had taken an early lead through striker Ste Walker after just two minutes and could have added to their tally before the half-time break as they dominated the game.

Speaking about McCormick to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah after the game, Rowley said: “That is what he does, he plays like a second striker for us. When we talk to opposition managers after games they single him out as being a real threat because of his movement. He is constantly looking to find gaps in the opposition back line and no matter what game you are planning, he has a real knack for it. I know his favourite player is Frank Lampard and he is Yeovil’s Frank Lampard, the way he breaks the lines and gets shots away. It was another really good performance for him.”

Luke McCormick celebrates at the final whistle. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Having seen late equalisers at Scunthorpe United on the opening day and in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Carlisle United deny his side at the death, the boss admitted that he was still on the edge of his seat as the game pushed in to the closing stages.

He said: “Because of the events of the past couple of weeks, I was on edge just before we scored our second because I have seen it before in football. We’ve been really dominated, we should be scoring three or four goals but because you don’t, the opposition get one chance and score and your fans are sucking the wind out of you. Luckily it didn’t happen that way, we were really clinical and it finished 3-0 so I was over the moon with the lads. They trained so well during the week, it was something that Macca (captain Luke McCormick) said before the game, it was the best he has seen in training and I agree. The boys are hungry, playing well and deserved three goals.”

The boss added: “Everything was on point for us, in possession we were good, out of possession we were decent as well, set pieces we were really good and both sides of the transition we were decent. My only criticism of the boys at half-time was there are times when we feel games are slightly easy that edge comes out of us in the defensive transitions and two or three players think ‘we will be alright.’ I reminded them of that and we finished on our backs today, worked really hard and overall it was a really good performance all round.

“I am so pleased with all of them as a squad and a group of lads. Even though he is on the bench, Ste Walker was stood up on the bench towards the end there, screaming like a third coach for people to get back in and I love that, it shows a real togetherness and a passion for what we are trying to do.”

In defence, centre half Joe Gubbins was missing through suspension after his red card against Carlisle, with Joy Mukena coming back in to the starting line-up alongside loanee Ben Radcliffe, who has a spell on loan at Gateshead last season. Rowley said he was pleased with his defensive unit as they limited Gateshead to only a handful of opportunities throughout the 90 minutes.

The manager said: “Radders (Ben Radcliffe) has helped with a lot of communication, we missed Gubbs (the suspended Joe Gubbins) today. I would not say any of the guys back there are overly vocal, Joy (Mukena) is probably the best, but their understanding of football is really good. They are working in sync, they move together, so it does not look like they have only played a couple of times together, their personalities and what they have brought to this team has been exceptional.”

He confirmed that Radcliffe had “rolled his ankle” in the first half and needed to come off for Loick Ayina after 66 minutes.

The Glovers will assess the Crawley Town player’s fitness as they prepare for an August Bank Holiday weekend double header which sees them travel to Barrow next Friday followed by a home match with Tamworth just 72 hours later.

Rowley said: “It is going to be a really tricky game for us on Friday (at Barrow) and then we travel back here on Monday (to face Tamworth) which is going to be a quick turnaround. So Glen (Shephard, the Head of Sports Science) and the staff are going to have to be really on point with our recovery and team selection. We are going to have treat both games as one and have an eye on recovery times and that kind of thing. We feel a bit of relief having won a game after the last couple of weeks, so we will start planning for Barrow tomorrow and see how we go.“

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A second half double from captain Luke McCormick saw Yeovil Town pick up their first win of the season with a dominant performance against Gateshead at Huish Park.

The Glovers made a fast start and took the lead after less than just two minutes when striker Ste Walker coolly slotted home and should have been further in front at half-time having created multiple openings to add to the scoreline.

Having continued to control proceedings after the break, McCormick doubled the advantage when he latched on to a through ball from substitute Slavi Spasov to fire home with nine minutes remaining and wrapped it up with a second late on.

First half

The team news saw Yeovil boss Billy Rowley make two changes. The first was enforced with Joy Mukena coming in for the suspended Joe Gubbins whilst Barnsley loanee Charlie Lennon came in on the wing with Mason Obeng dropping to the substitutes’ bench.

In his pre-match remarks, Rowley said his side wanted a fast start and they got it. Great play down the right side saw Ryan Jones’ touch release Archie Davies down the wing, he laid it back to Ste WALKER who placed it coolly past the Gateshead keeper. As he showed last weekend against Carlisle, he is clinical in those positions.

Who gets a feeling we’re going to see a lot of Ste Walker doing this in front of the Thatcher’s? Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Less than two minutes later, a charge forward from Lennon down the left saw him pick out Jones who moved just inside the area and unleashed a shot which was straight in the midriff of Gateshead keeper Peter Jameson.

Looking so sharp, knocking the ball around quickly in midfield with the Jones-Davies combination down the right side looking dangerous every time they get on the ball. Luke McCormick seems to have a free role in the midfield, he is dropping deeper and then looking to make things happen at the top end of the pitch as well.

In the 23rd minute, Gateshead had a good chance to level when Michael Spellman’s ball found Luke Supyk with a free header, but luckily the visiting frontman’s effort was soft and Jos Barker made an easy save. Two minutes later, good play between Lennon and McCormick saw the latter pick out Jones on the far post, he tried to place a shot between Jameson’s legs but the keeper got enough on it to deny him.

With 32 minutes, more terrific play with Jones skipping in from the right side, he picked out Lennon bursting in to the box from the left and his ball went straight across the face of goal. Seconds later, Lennon picked the ball up inside his own half and left his defender in his wake, he clipped it in to the box but only found a Gateshead head and the ball dropped to Jones whose venomous shot rattled against the underside of the bar and away. Unbelieveable running from Lennon, Jones’ first touch was superb and so unlucky not to double the advantage.

Barnsley loanee Charlie Lennon showed his value during his 60 minutes on the pitch. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

This swift attacking football is a pleasure to watch but if there was a criticism of Yeovil it would be that we are not more than one ahead. Archie Davies was the next to have a go after another great forward charge down the right, he unleashed a shot which Jameson did well to get down and turn away for a corner.

Two minutes before the break, referee Richard Aspinall penalised Jameson for taking too long over his goal kick and awarded Yeovil a corner under new rules brought in this season. The resulting corner almost picked out Walker at the back post but former Glovers’ loanee Jack Robinson was there and got just enough on it to put the striker off.

It should be more than one at the break, but we were 3-0 up against Gateshead around this time last season – and no-one needs reminding how that worked out.

Half-time: Yeovil Town 1 Gateshead 0

Second half

Gateshead made two changes at half-time with David Egyuaibor and Fenton John coming on. No changes for Yeovil.

There were two glorious openings with seven minutes of the second half gone. First it was more great running from Lennon bursting in to the box and Gateshead did well to get it away for a corner from which McCornmick’s effort was well saved by Jameson, the ball pinged around inside the area and a ball to the back post dropped to Ben Radcliffe at the back post but his effort was over the bar.

A great run from Zain Westbrooke saw him find Lennon on the left side of the box, but the Barnsley loanee’s effort was weak and easily held by Jameson.

Just before the hour mark, Gateshead manager Lee Cattermole made another double change with Billy Chadwick and Josh Anifowose coming on.For Yeovil, Mason Obeng replaced the impressive Lennon, who has put in a shift and shown what he is all about. Minutes later, a mistake from Alex Lankshear saw Walker bearing down on goal, but the striker tried to take it on himself with McCormick tearing past him ready to go through on goal.

The summer signing has looked less lively in the opening 15 minutes of this half and it was no surprise when he was replaced by Slavi Spasov. More worrying was an injury for Radcliffe who went down off the ball and was replaced by Loick Ayina.

Huish Park is quieter in this half, probably due in part to the fact we are attacking the away end in this second half, but also maybe more than a little to do with memories of the late equalisers in the previous two games. Gateshead have slowed the game down and it took until 75 minutes for the next opening. A great ball forward from Brett McGavin picked out Jones down the right, he flashed a ball across the face of goal where Spasov was arriving, but the striker could not get anything on it.

On 77 minutes, there was a coming together between McCormick and his former team-mate Kyle Ferguson. The defender body-checked the Yeovil captain with absolutely no eyes on the ball. Luckily for the Scostman, neither referee Richard Aspinall or his assistants saw it.

Then with ten minutes of the game left, it was 2-0 to Yeovil. Spasov moved forward in midfield, played it through to Luke McCORMICK and the skipper coolly slid it past Jameson with Ferguson watching on. Fergie, what’s the score?!

Luke McCormick tussles with ex-Glover Kyle Ferguson – not for the first or last time. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The feud between McCormick and Ferguson continued to bubble and with five minutes remaining, McCormick picked up a booking for a hefty tackle on the defender. Ferguson definitely raised his hands to his former team-mate in the aftermath, but it is only one yellow card shown by the referee. Perhaps sensibly, Ferguson was substituted soon after.

Then, to rub salt in to the wounds, Luke McCORMICK added his second with a minute of normal time gone. Yeovil pressed the visitors to go back and Gateshead captain David Ferguson stumbled on the ball just enough to allow his opposing skipper to steal the ball off him and fire his second across Jameson.

Full time: Yeovil Town 3 Gateshead 0

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 22nd August, 12.30pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Ste Walker 2 (1-0), Luke McCormick 81 (2-0), Luke McCormick 90 (3-0)

Pitch: Pitch perfect
Conditions: Glorious summer’s afternoon

Attendance: 2,789 (49 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Ben Radcliffe 39, Mason Obeng 68, Luke McCormick 85
Gateshead: Jack Robinson 5, Alex Lankshear 55, Michael Spellman, Kyle Ferguson 83

Referee: Richard Aspinall

Yeovil Town

Substitutes: Mason Obeng (for Charlie Lennon, 59), Loick Ayina (for Ben Radcliffe, 65), Slavi Spasov (for Ste Walker, 65), Johl Powell (for Ryan Jones, 82), Hayden Muller (for Brett McGavin, 82), Jack Kingdon (not used) Matt Gould (not used).

Gateshead: Peter Jameson, Alex Lankshear, David Ferguson, Kyle Ferguson, Jack Robinson (for Fenton John, 46), Josh Home, Keon Lewis-Burgess (for Josh Anifowose, 60), Harry Chapman (for David Egyuaibor, 46), Michael Spellman, Luke Supyk (for Billy Chadwick, 59), Ashley Boatswain.

Substitutes (not used): Dan Cameron, Tom Lavery, Sam Bowen.

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Defender Joy Mukena and winger Charlie Lennon are both in Yeovil Town’s starting XI for the lunchtime kick-off against Gateshead at Huish Park (12.30pm kick-off).

Mukena, who appeared as a substitute in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Carlisle United, replaces the suspended Joe Gubbins in the back line, whilst Barnsley loanee Lennon comes in for Mason Obeng, who drops to the bench.

There is no James Daly in the squad after he suffered a gash on the top of his foot in the dying seconds of the game against Carlisle. But the Glovers are otherwise unchanged from last Saturday with Stephen Walker, who got his first goal for his new club against Carlisle, leading the line.

For the visitors, defender Kyle Ferguson, who was on the books at Huish Park last season, starts in defence alongside Jack Robinson, who had a loan spell with Yeovil whilst a Middlesbrough player in the 2021/22 season.

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Winger James Daly is “touch and go” to be available for Yeovil Town as they prepare to take on Gateshead in a lunchtime kick-off at Huish Park this weekend.

The winger has been unavailable for training needed “a few stitches” in his foot after a horror tackle from Carlisle United’s substitute Jonah Lowes in the final seconds last Saturday. The wild challenge from the 18-year-old came in the ten seconds following the restart after the visitors scored an equaliser deep into second half stoppage time.

The Glovers will also be without defender Jake Gubbins who is suspended after his sending off last weekend for picking up two yellow cards, but boss Billy Rowley revealed that central defender Loick Ayina was “fine” having suffered a knee injury which has kept him out of the opening fixtures of the season.

Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Josh Perkins ahead of the weekend, the manager said: “JD came on, and I thought he helped us weather that storm we were dealing with with ten men, and he’s taken a blow to the foot. He’s missed training all week and he had to have a few stitches in his in his wound, so he hasn’t he hasn’t been out here. He just did a bit of running today, but I’m not sure if he’ll be available for the weekend, it’ll be touch and go.”

Carlisle substitute Jonah Lowes (he’s the pink blur) with a horrific tackle which left James Daly needing stitches in his foot.

There was also an appearance in training from midfielder Joe Haigh, the summer signing who has yet to appear having undergone surgery in the summer.

The 23-year-old, who joined from National League South side Dagenham & Redbridge in the summer, went under the knife for a “minor ankle injury” which the Glovers were aware of when he signed. He is now out of a protective boot he had been wearing since his operation and back on the grass at the club’s Bristol training ground.

Rowley said: “Joe is still recovering from his ankle surgery, so he’s been in the gym a lot. I think he might be out here doing some running next week, which is pleasing to see.

“You can see his spirits lifted as soon as that boot came off, so  we’re really looking forward to to seeing Joe back on the grass. I feel like it’ll be be like a new signing when he when he gets among the group, he’ll add his quality, so we’re really happy to see him out of the boot and hopefully we’ll see him on the pitch soon.”

Having been held to a 1-1 draw courtesy of a late equaliser at Scunthorpe on the opening day, the Glovers suffered further heart-break when Carlisle grabbed a point with just six seconds remaining last weekend having been with ten minute after Gubbins’ 65th minute red card.

Rowley admitted Lady Luck had not smiled on his side in either of their opening two games, but he was hoping for a bit more against Gateshead this weekend.

The boss said: “If you think back to Scunthorpe, the linesman has killed us (with an incorrect offside decision given against Luke McCormick) to go 2-0 up and then they score a great goal in the 89th minute which felt like a dagger to the heart for us.

“Then last week (against Carlisle) we do feel like both Joe’s yellow cards were justified, so we are not disagreeing with those. But, at 1-0 there are a couple of chances for us to get in the box and be a bit more clinical and then that game goes 2-0 to us at home and you would fancy us to hold on.

“So both those games are a little bit of a kick in the teeth, but it could be worse, we could be sitting here on zero points. In an ideal world we would have six points, but we have got two and we will be looking to get another three on Saturday.”

​Striker Stephen Walker got his first goal since his summer signing from National League North side Scarborough Athletic against Carlisle and Rowley said he was pleased with his side’s attacking intent in that game.

He said: “We’ve obviously got some really talented front players that are that are exciting, some good one-v-one players which are some of my favourite players to watch.  I think it’s just going to take some time for us to embed our ideas and feel really familiar and comfortable with what we’re asking the boys to do which is a bit of a process, but the early signs are good.

“I feel like we could get in the other team’s box a little bit more. We we should have threatened the opposition’s goal more, but I like  our control in the middle part of the pitch and our play the final third is a lot better. It’s just about putting icing on the cake now and trying to trying to get some goals.”

Stephen Walker fires Yeovil ahead against Carlisle. Picture courtesy of Jayden Tate/Tate’s Photography.

This weekend’s opponents, Gateshead, picked up their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory at home to Woking last Saturday before drawing 1-1 with Nottingham Forest Under-21s in the National League Cup on Tuesday night.

They have former tough-tackling Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole in the dug-out after he was appointed to replace Rob Elliot, who quit to take over at Carlisle having led them to a miraculous escape from relegation last season.

Speaking about his opposite number this weekend, Rowley said: “Anyone who plays Premier League football is an incredible thing for anyone to achieve, so I have nothing but respect for that. I think a couple of our lads have been part of his training sessions before and they speak very highly of him, so I am expecting him to be a very successful manager and I am looking forward to meeting him. Hopefully we beat them, but hopefully there will be a chance to have a chat with him afterwards and chat to him about football.”

One familiar face in the Gateshead squad will be defender Kyle Ferguson who played 21 of the 34 matches he featured in for Yeovil last season under Rowley. The Scotsman was one of a number of players released by the Glovers at the end of last season and signed a two-year contract on Tyneside – and scored the second goal in last weekend’s victory.

Rowley said: “I really like Fergie, he’s a top lad for us. I had a few calls in the summer about about managers asking about him and and gave him great character reference, so it’ll be good to see him.

“Sam (Curry, the club’s analyst) has been watching them in the past 48 hours, he saw them play Forest Under-21s on Tuesday and they looked like they have got some good ideas. I think they’ve got some some decent players, so it looked like Lee hastried to embed some some new ideas in the past couple of games. We’ve got to be mindful of that, but I think in terms of our preparation we’ll be pretty solid. Every game is in this league is going to be difficult and the worst thing we could do is turn up thinking we’ve won already.“

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The Green & White Supporters’ Club has published its plans for travel to Yeovil Town’s next four National League away fixtures.

They will be running travel to this Friday’s fixture at Barrow as well as the away matches at Southend United, Aldershot Town and Kidderminster Harriers in September..

Details are as follows:

Barrow – Friday 28th August

  • Member prices: Adults – £41, Concessions – £39
  • Non-member prices: Adults – £44, Concessions – £42
  • Coach departs Huish Park: 10am

Southend United – Saturday 5th September

  • Member prices: Adults – £35, Concessions £33
  • Non-member prices: Adults – £38, Concessions – £36
  • Coach departs Huish Park: 6am

Aldershot Town – Tuesday 15th September

  • Member prices: Adults – £24, Concessions – £22
  • Non-member prices: Adults – £27, Concessions – £25
  • Coach departs Huish Park: 3.15pm

Kidderminster Harriers – Saturday 26th September

  • Member prices: Adults – £30, Concessions – £28
  • Non-member prices: Adults – £33, Concessions – £31
  • Coach departs Huish Park: 9.30am

To book your place on the coach, message or call Paul Hadlow on 07736044570.

Payment can be made by bank transfer, please reference the match you are booking for and message Paul Hadlow to confirm the payment.

Account name: Green & White Supporters’ Club.
Account number: 8343 6772
Sort code: 20-68-15
Reference: Scunthorpe United

You may be asked to pay a £5 deposit to reserve your seat. No alcohol is allowed on the coach.

If you are travelling to any away fixture, make sure you check out our Huish Hugh Ciderspace Away Travel Guides to every venue – click here.

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The new season got underway at Huish Park in heart-breaking fashion yesterday as Carlisle United snatched a point scoring an equaliser with the final kick of the game. Dave paid a rare visit to Huish Park and here are his conclusions from his view on the Thatcher’s End.

Absolutely gutted: The first emotion I and I am sure everyone of a Yeovil Town persuasion felt at the final whistle was absolute heartbreak. It felt like it was going to be a tall order to keep out even a below par Carlisle side for 25 minutes with ten men following the sending off of Joe Gubbins. But it looked like our heroics had done it right up until Harvey Bunker’s equaliser in the sixth minute of stoppage time. It was de ja vu from last weekend at Scunthorpe, that mixed emotion of positivity at how we had played, but utter heartbreak that we had not got all three points.

The scoreboard at full time was full of ‘so close.’

Heroic defending: For the final 25 minutes with ten men we defending like absolute lions, but our good defending extend beyond that. Yes, granted Carlisle were not great, but our defence made players who are good even below their best, the likes of Regan Linney, David Ajiboye and Georgie Kelly, look average. That was the case last weekend at Scunthorpe as well and that is not just by chance.

Super Jos Barker in goal: We always needed to see Jos Barker in competitive action before we judged him and I’m liking what I see. He’s not afraid to mix it and comes for everything and gets it more often than not. It is only two competitive games, but from the a player who has jumped two tiers of the football pyramid, he has not looked out of place from anything I have seen.

Jos Barker – he came to claim a lot and he got more than he didn’t.

How good is it to have a striker again?: Did anyone else get Rhys Murphy vibes when Ste Walker picked up that through ball from Ryan Jones and coolly slotted it home? In his competitive debut for us, that is the mark of a true striker. I can only imagine what the strikers we had at the club last season would have done in that situation.

So much to be positive about: We are sat here a matter of minutes (seconds in the case of yesterday) away from six points against two sides who will be in the promotion mix come May, and we only have two on the board. But I can’t feel anything but positive about how we have started the season. Seeing us pass the ball quickly and look to move it forward when the time is right is like meeting an old friend after many years apart. Even when we had to move it sideways or backwards, I felt like it was all part of the plan. To hear so many cheers and applause at the final whistle, I know I can’t have been the only one.

Ste Walker celebrates his first league goal in green-and-white. Picture courtesy of Jayden Tate/Tate’s Photography.

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Yeovil Town suffered late heartbreak for the second weekend in a row as Carlisle United snatched a point with the final kick of the game at Huish Park on Saturday.

The Glovers had taken the lead through striker Stephen Walker’s first goal for his new club in the first half, but were reduced to ten men when defender Joe Gubbins picked up his second yellow card and got his marching orders after 65 minutes.

Carlisle, who are the bookmakers’ favourites for the National League title, pressed and it looked like heroic defending would keep them out until defender Harvey Bunker flicked in a header at the death.

First half

The headline for the team news was that striker Stephen Walker was handed his league debut having been an unused substitute against Scunthorpe United on the opening day of the season. Slavi Spasov was named on the bench.

Carlisle, who were beaten by newly-promoted Worthing in their first game last weekend, showed they were ready to press Yeovil whenever we had possession.

After just three minutes, it almost paid dividends with a cross from Kenton Richardson turned towards goal before Ben Radcliffe got a foot on it to clear the danger. At the other end, former Carlisle man Archie Davies tried an effort from just outside the box on seven minutes, but it sailed over the bar.

Having had to watch the visitors dominate possession for the opening exchanges, it was a quick break which saw Yeovil take the lead after 19 minutes. A stumble from Carlisle defender Ryan Galvin presented Ryan Jones with an opportunity to put Stephen WALKER through on goal and he made no mistake to open his account in green-and-white.

Stephen Walker celebrates his opener. Picture courtesy of Jayden Tate/Tate’s Photography.

The impetus was Yeovil’s having taken the lead on a number of occasions they broke dangerously with Jones and Davies linking up well down the right side. But, a Brett McGavin effort wide and a offside call which went against Walker was as near as it came to finding a second goal.

With three minutes remaining until half-time, McGavin bent a free-kick around the wall which keeper Adam Desbois got down to parry away.

Half-time: Yeovil Town 1 Carlisle United 0

Second half

The second half started in a similar fashion to the first with Carlisle enjoying much of the pressure as they probed the Yeovil back line, but a Richardson header over the bar after 54 minutes was as near as they came in the opening exchanges.

The first substitution of the match saw goal scorer Walker replaced by Slavi Spasov with 56 minutes played. In terms of efforts on either goal, Radcliffe pulled one past the post and at the other defender Tom Mullarkey headed on to the roof of the net.

Joe Gubbins disappears down the tunnel. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

But, with 65 minutes on the clock, Joe Gubbins hauled back Georgie Kelly on the ease of the area. Second yellow card and the defender was off and Carlisle had a dangerous free-kick on the edge of the box. Jos Barker did well to push out the resulting free-kick out and then pulled off a brave second stop to keep out the rebound.

The red card brought about a reshuffle with Joy Mukena and Johl Powell replacing Jones and McCormick. It feels like we are going to need to find a way to try and keep possession for the remaining 20 minutes with Carlisle continuing to probe for an opening.

Further changes from Billy Rowley saw defender Loick Ayina and James Daly replace Archie Davies and Mason Obeng.

The defending from the ten men in green-and-white was heroic but the with the final kick of the game, Carlisle found an equaliser. Brad Nicholson’s crows in the sixth and final minute of added time was met by a flicked header from Harvey BUNKER which found the net.

Utterly heartbreaking for Yeovil who conceded an 89th minute equaliser at Scunthorpe seven days earlier. Just two points from a possible six, but not losing to two teams who will undoubtedly be in the promotion mix come the end of the season.

Full time: Yeovil Town 1 Carlisle United 1

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 15th August, 3pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Stephen Walker 19 (1-0), Harvey Bunker 90+6 (1-1)

Pitch: Looking perfect
Conditions: Hot and sunny

Attendance: 3486 (345 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Joe Gubbins 45+1, Ben Radcliffe 49
Carlisle United: Regan Linney 49

Sendings off

Yeovil Town: Joe Gubbins

Referee: Lewis Sandoe

Yeovil Town

Substitutes: Slavi Spasov (for Stephen Walker, 56), Joy Mukena (for Luke McCormick, 68), Johl Powell (for Ryan Jones, 68), Loick Ayina (for Mason Obeng, 79), James Daly (for Archie Davies, 79), Hayden Muller (not used), Charlie Lennon (not used).

Carlisle United: Adam Desbois, Ryan Galvin, Toby Mullarkey, Harvey Bunker, Miguel Azeez, Cameron Harper, Leo Duru, Regan Linney, Brad Nicholson, David Ajiboye, Georgie Kelly.

Substitutes: Hayden Atkinson, Jack Ellis, Jonah Lowe, Archie Mair, Kenton Richardson, Luke Skinner, Josh Williams.

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Striker Stephen Walker has been handed his Yeovil Town league debut as he starts against Carlisle United in the first competitive fixture of the new season at Huish Park (3pm kick-off).

The frontman, signed from National League North side Scarborough Athletic in the summer, lines up in a forward line-up alongside Mason Obeng and Ryan Jones.

Brett McGavin is also given a start with Hayden Muller dropping to the bench.

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Yeovil Town has confirmed it has established the Yeovil Town Community Foundation it says will “create opportunities for people of all ages across South Somerset.”

The creation of the Foundation, announced in a statement on Friday evening, follows a split between the club and the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust last month in a move the relationship with the charity after 18 years.

In a statement, the club said it was working to “reactivate” the Junior Glovers section for younger supporters and bring walking football to Huish Park for those fans who may be slightly older.

The statement adds: “These are just the first of a number of initiatives being developed through the Foundation, with plenty more to come.

“The ambition is simple: to make Huish Park and Yeovil Town a bigger part of our community, not just on matchdays, but throughout the week.

“We want to work with local schools, charities, organisations, businesses and community groups to create opportunities around education, health, participation and football.

“This is just the beginning, and we can’t wait to share more of what the Yeovil Town Community Foundation will bring to our community.”

The statement clearly suggests the Foundation is the start of a journey rather than the end of it, but another sign of progress is the start of pre-season fixtures for the Performance Centres, which run from under-9s to under-16s age groups, announced by the club’s academy this week. Each age group will be playing a side from FC Wiltshire in home or away fixtures.

In addition to this, the club is hosting sessions for Under-7s and Under-8s players every Friday evening which it describes as “providing the perfect first step on the pathway towards Junior Premier League football.”

This all suggests the academy – or perhaps the Foundation – intends to field teams in the Junior Premier League (JPL), as the Community Sports Trust has done in seasons gone by.

As far as the creation of the Foundation is concerned, it seems a positive step towards recognising the ‘Community’ element of owners Prabhu and Bhavna Srinivasan’s ‘Three Cs’ promises, but still appears a project in its infancy. Its predecessor, the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust, was operated as a separate charity and this statement suggests the Foundation will be part of the club itself.

We will keep an eye on how this develops as it…..well, develops.