Ian Perkins

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I’m rule one-ing this one. What more is there to say about officials that hasn’t already been said? I’m not convinced they were penalties, though. Here are my Five Conclusions from the 1-1 draw with Woking.

We didn’t impose our game in the second half. I thought the first half was even, and we deserved to go in ahead. Everything was in our favour, 1-0, shooting towards the home end (which had been in good voice during the first half) I thought we’d push on and get those three points. But, we never got going. Woking controlled the second half and imposed their game on us. They’re a good well-organised team and far from the side we faced a few weeks ago, but, so are we. As the game wore, to me, it felt like it was more a case of trying not to lose, rather than trying to win until the dying stages of the game.

Sean McGurk. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

What a header from Jarvis. In the first half I thought we looked more likely to create something, especially from the wide areas with Nouble and Sims getting those “bits and pieces’ around the box. Aaron Jarvis had plenty to do with Charlie Cooper’s looping cross into the box from deep in stoppage time. There was only one way that header was finding the back of the net and it was perfectly executed by Yeovil’s number nine.

Dale Gorman, man. We know Gorman’s game well. He did it for us for a season and I think he was generally under appreciated. Now when he returns to Huish Park he gives the shithouse performance of a lifetime and keeps his teams ticking. Somehow he wasn’t booked and his antics saw Cooper carded in less than three minutes. He was at the heart of everything for Woking (alongside former Glover Jamie Andrews) constantly probing and once again left Huish Park being booed.

Dale Gorman. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown

We left it late to make attacking changes. At 1-0, with 20 minutes left and a Woking side that were gaining momentum and made a couple of attacking substitutes we opted to take out Nouble and bring in Michael Smith. Four minutes later O’Brien equalise. It wasn’t until the 83rd minute that we changes things further up the pitch and brought Maddox on for McGurk (my MOTM) and then 90+4 we bring on Greenslade. The tactical change didn’t pay dividends and I’m not sure it had enough time to. 

What is it about the home form? Yeovil have won just four out of the 14 home matches (including W*ymouth) this season, which after the form last season is surprising. I know we didn’t win, but on New Years Day we went to Forest Green and played brilliantly for 75 minutes against a top team. The ability to reproduce that consistently is why we’re in the middle. Last season ‘Fortress Huish’ was a big part of our success and for whatever we’ve not been able to reproduce that. With Gateshead coming to town on Friday, there’s a unique opportunity to give people an entertaining night out at the football and put on a show!

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All photos credited to Mr Gary Brown – Please contact him for permission to use any of the images below.

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Mark Cooper was left fuming, once again, with officiating following Yeovil’s 1-1 draw with Woking. Cooper, who was in the stands following his red card against Braintree, felt his side should have had two clear penalties in the final minute of the match.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman, he said: “I don’t know how many games on the trot now where the referee’s getting abused coming off the pitch. There’s two clear penalties in last minute. Clear penalties, one on Jacob Maddox and a rugby tackle on Josh Sims. Two in a minute, and then obviously, Ciaran’s clean through on goal and to not even get foul, let alone a red card, is I just don’t know. It’s pretty, pretty frustrating, really. The performance was okay, good enough to win. One mistake cost us a goal.”

“[In the] first half, we had some good bits and pieces around the box, Jarv got in a couple of times from balls over the top. Yeah, I thought it was going to be a 1-0.

“Like I say, we’ve not had a penalty yet. Plenty against us, but we’ve not had a penalty. Did the referee’s or the officials’ performance mean we didn’t win the game? No, because we should have made sure we didn’t concede the goal. We could have scored another goal to make it too much, but you saw the game, mate, it’s not for me to comment. You saw the game. I know the press’s job is to try and get me to slaughter the referee, but I’m trying to be diplomatic. I’m already sat in the stand today for telling the referee wasn’t having a jolly good game,” he added.

Cooper felt his side were comfortable in the game and that Aidan O’Brien’s equaliser came from poor defending.

“I thought we were pretty comfortable in the game. One poor defensive moment, ball over the top, let their guy inside and they equalise.

“I was pretty pleased in how we played and [I’m] struggling to get over what happened at the end, really with the last minute. It’s a game we should win, but it’s another point.”

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Frustration was the word of the day at Huish Park as Woking came from behind to salvage a point from a scrappy and bitty game.

The Glovers took the lead in first half stoppage time, but an impressive second half performance from the visitors saw them claim a goal to take a share of the spoils. Here’s how it went down.

First half

Ciaran McGuckin returned to the starting line up at the first time of asking on his second loan spell in place of Kofi Shaw with Chris Todd in the dugout and Mark Cooper in the stands.
 
The first half was an even affair with both sides enjoying spells of possession. There was an early booking for Charlie Cooper who collided with Dale Gorman in the 3rd minute.
 
Gorman was in the thick of the action again in the 15th minute with a low shot from the edge of the box helped wide by Ollie Wright via a Jake Wannell deflection.
 
The Glovers had moments in the attacking areas with Frank Nouble and Josh Sims finding space out wide to get crosses into the box. Sean McGurk was inches away from getting on the end of a Nouble cross before Dion Kelly-Evans’ diving header directed it out for a corner.
 
Woking enjoyed a spell of possession without doing as great deal with the ball and lacked quality with their deliveries into the box with Wright enjoying some catching practice.
 
Throughout the first half, Yeovil looked likely to get something from a cross or set piece, with the deliveries from open play causing Woking problems.
 
Eventually into first half stoppage time, the opener came. Charlie Cooper’s wonderfully flighted cross from deep was matched by an equally wonderful looping header from Aaron Jarvis. The route to goal was only over the top of Jaaskelainen to the back post and Yeovil’s number 9 met it with precision. 1-0.
 
Jarvis was in the wars moments later following a collision with Gorman which went unnoticed by the referee although it drew a fierce reaction from Chris Todd in the dugout. 
 

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Woking 0

Second half

With neither side making any changes, the game restarted in brisk conditions.
 
The visitors had the first half chance has Harry Beautyman and Inih Effiong combined to give Jermaine Anderson an opening, but the Glovers defence smothered out the chance.
 
Adam Chicksen gave Ollie Wright some catching practice on 48 minutes, and it wasn’t until the clock ticked 50 did the Glovers make their first foray into the Woking half, but Aaron Jarvis couldn’t latch onto a through ball originally aimed for Frank Nouble, but the Guvnor was in an offside position.
 
Charlie Cooper and Brett McGavin were linking up nicely and with the latter winning a free kick, nothing came of it though and the sides began a short exchange of giving the possession back to one another.
It was Frank Nouble who put his foot on the ball, despite nearly losing the ball, he got himself free and was brought down by Harry Beautyman, who found his name taken.
 
The set piece was dealt with by a Woking side defending on the edge of their box, Sean McGurk twisted and turned but couldn’t quite find a green and white head with a well placed cross.
 
A short break in play as Dion Kelly-Evans needed treatment, with Woking in the ascendancy it was possibly not at the best time for the visitors, the appropriately named Ben Wynter coming on his place.
 
The game was edging towards the scrappy nature, Finn Cousin-Dawson went down off the ball, and got booked on 51 minutes, when the football did get going again, the Glovers tried to get forward again, Josh Sims couldn’t find a cross, Dom Bernard’s effort was claimed by the Finnish Keeper, Will Jaaskelainen.
 
Sims was next to have his name taken, a challenge on Beautyman deemed worthy of more than just a ticking off.
 
With the hour mark coming and going, the game was still yet to really settle down; Woking sub Wynter tried a cross which came to nothing and Charlie Cooper managed a heart-in-mouth moment well with a calm clearance… (can you tell I’m struggling to really make a lot of this game!?)
 
What this game needed was an explosion of quality, and it almost came from Aaron Jarvis who was within touching distance of getting to a through-ball ahead of the keeper, what followed was a good free kick set up as McGavin laid the ball into the path of Nouble, but the Glovers number 10 could only offer a pea-roller towards goal.
 
Two changes for Woking with 65 minutes on the clock, Anderson and Francis taken off and Aiden O’Brien and Lewis Walker entering the fray.
 
They both were involved in the action fairly quickly, Walker’s shot forced behind for a corner. 
Gorman’s set piece was headed away, but another shot came in, this time from Beautyman was deflected over by the head of Jake Wannell, another corner, another chance to get the ball into the area for Woking. But this time, Effiong could only put it wide.
 
The first change for the Glovers saw Frank Nouble replaced by Michael Smith, Jacob Wannell taking the armband.
 
The change seemed to just give the Glovers a chance to get going again and with 72 minutes gone, Sean McGurk picked up a lovely pass from Charlie Cooper only to see his curled effort clip the post.
 
Up the other end, quick movement between Lewis Walker took the ball down and his shot seemed to flick in off the other sub Aiden O’Brien.
 
That evened the game up at one a piece. Both sides were now looking for a second goal with 15 minutes left.
 
A few minutes later, Ciaran McGuckin went down under a challenge from Cian Harries – nothing doing from the referee, the Rotherham loanee hobbling back to his feet.
 
With ten minutes to go, Woking were once again in the ascendancy, earning a corner after Effiong’s shot was skewed wide off Jake Wannell.
The resulting set piece, taken by the pantomime villain, Gorman, dropped kindly for a Woking fan only for some combination of Michael Smith and Dom Bernard, just about, doing enough to keep the ball out.
 

Momentum was well and truly with the away side now, Chris Todd choosing to bring on a Glovers’ debutant – Jacob Maddox in play of Sean McGurk for the final eight or nine minutes.

This brought a slight chance of formation, Bernard switching to left back and a flat back four for the Glovers.

 
Michael Smith won an 84th minute corner, which was only half cleared by the visitors, the hosts came back though and tried to create another chance through Josh Sims, but his one-on-one with Chicksen only trickling out for a harmless goal kick.
 
The clock ticked past 90 minutes and it’s fair to say that the possession was very much in favour of Woking, five minutes added on.
 
Could either side find a final chance? Yeovil held possession in and around the final third but without a final ball to really give someone, anyone a sight at goal.
 
One final change for Yeovil as McGuckin was replaced by Harvey Greenslade to try and squeeze something out of the final seconds.
 
Yeovil were still using the ball nicely, but when Jacob Maddox went down there were some half hearted cries for action from the official, nothing doing. When Josh Sims when down late on there were some half hearted cries for action from the official. Nothing doing again.
 
That, was, that. One all. Point each. 
 

Full time: Yeovil Town 1 Woking 1

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 11th January- 3pm kick-off 

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Aaron Jarvis ’45+1 (1-0), Aiden O’Brien ’74  (1-1)

Pitch: You wouldn’t have thought it had snowed on and barely above 0 this week.
Conditions: Dry and cold

Attendance: 3188 (213 Woking Fans)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Cooper, Cousin-Dawson, McGavin, Sims
Woking:  Beautyman

Referee: Paul Johnson

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes: F).

Woking: Will Jaaskelainen, Cian Harries, Jamie Andrews, Harry Beautyman, Dale Gorman, Inih Effiong, Adam Chicksen, Tunji Akinola, Jermaine Anderson, Dion Kelly-Evans (for Wynter), Francis Vincent

Substitutes (not used):  Jacob Jones, Aiden O’Brien, Lewis Walker, Dennons Lewis, Ben Wynter, Rohan Ince, Oliver Webber

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The return of Ciaran McGuckin will provide some much-needed firepower up front for Yeovil. His recall back to Rotherham in October left us short on support for Aaron Jarvis – and with Harvey Greenslade not fully fit and then loaned out to Weston-super-Mare – the attacking combinations have quite clicked like they did with McGuckin in the forward line.

Aaron Jarvis has toiled so far this season, dropping deep to bring other players into the game and generally warring with defenders to keep the shirt on his back. McGuckin’s return will take the pressure off Jarvis somewhat, and add another dynamic to an attack that has struggled to break down teams higher in the table.

Ciaran McGuckin scores his first Yeovil goal. Pic by Gary Brown.

Speaking of the top of the table, over the weekend York City completed the permanent signing of Josh Stones from League One side Wigan Athletic. The 21-year-old hasn’t played a lot of football but scored seven goals in 10 appearances over two loan spells for Oldham and the rumours are that the Minstermen have spent six-figures on the striker.

The signing adds to the mountain of evidence that it takes big money to get out of the National League. Stockport, Wrexham, Notts County, Chesterfield have all spent fortunes to get back to the EFL and with York City not afraid to splash the cash and Forest Green Rovers bankrolled by Dale Vince, who in 2022 had a net worth of more than £100m, it’s going to take something special to lay a glove on the top of the table.


It’s not like we’ve not been here before though. Think back to that 2012/13 season and Gary’s heroes. On paper we had no right to be in the conversation with Doncaster, Bournemouth, Brentford and Sheffield United at the top end of the table – half of those four have become Premier League stalwarts since. But, we managed it with a brilliant team spirit and a togetherness with the supporters that has the potential to be the difference-maker on the day. If the January reinforcements arrive and this run of home games returns some performances and points, I believe we can keep the pace with the play off chasers.

FOOTBALL GOVERNANCE BILL

In the broader picture of the game, the Football Governance Bill has passed its second reading in the House of Lords, with some phases still to go, but an email from the Fair Game organisation popped into my inbox on the 30th of December and they think there’s further to go still. If you fancy settling in for a read they have plenty of suggestions about adding more teeth to the bill here. We’re an associate member of the Football Supporters Association and they’ve provided five suggested amendments too. Two of which are specifically around engagement with supporters. One thing is for sure; robust supporter organisations and representatives will be crucial when the bill comes into effect.