Ian Perkins (Page 12)

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Mark Cooper has said that he is hopeful that he will be able to call upon four or five of his most experienced players in the coming weeks after injury,.

Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset’s Josh Perkins ahead of the game this weekend, he said he was grateful to how the younger, newer players were adapting to life in Green and White, but that he hopes more players will be available soon.

“Well, I spoke about this, [the new recruits ] are all young lads that bring something different, so they’re trying to make their way in the game. So for us to try and replace Jake Wannell, Aaron Jarvis, Morgan Williams. Michael Smith, James Plant, Sean McGurk, to try and replace those players like for like, is impossible at this stage of the season in terms of experience. So the only other route is to try and get younger players that are making their way in the game, desperate to get some game time, and they bring something different, but at the moment, they’re learning the game, so they will make mistakes, and sometimes they’ll be better coming off the bench.

Through circumstance, they more or less all that to play last week against Boston and and it was a tough environment for them to play in, not a nice nice environment, and that knocks their confidence.
Then Boston go to a team in the playoffs and score three there. So it’s a tough environment. So we have to be careful with them, but until we get more frontline players back, we have to give them all the  support we can and trying to put them in the right position, in the right times, so they can really help too.”

Jake Wannell. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

As for when we might expect players to return, we are now into waiting “weeks” rather than “months” before we get players back from the physio room.

“It’s day to day, really, where you know, every time the physio rings me, I’m frightened to death to answer it, because you know somebody else is going to be up for six weeks. This is just a moment in time. It happens at certain teams, in certain seasons that you look at Tottenham all of their top players were injured. And that affects, it really affects and we just got to ride it out, and hopefully Wannell and Smith may be back in the next few days. Then we’ve been looking at Jarvis and Williams probably within a couple of weeks. So yeah, so hopefully there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

On Solihull,  who the Glovers come up against on Saturday, Mark Cooper said that they, like us, had been through plenty of change this season and that it is guaranteed to be a tough fixture.

“They’ve had lots of change, obviously, change of the Manager [who] went to the EFL to Barrow, done a great job.
They brought in Matty [Taylor] from Wealdstone. It’s always tough, when you go into a team that are used to a manager’s way, you have to try and change and adapt to the way you want it.
They’ve had a turn around of players, they’ve had some injuries, so it’s been tough, but they’ve had a little run, I think, three unbeaten. Like I always say, there’s never any easy games at this level, never. And we’re expecting a really tough game, but I’m sure they would have watched us against York, and they’ll be expecting a really tough encounter as well.”

Dan Burn scores at Wembley (pic Mike Kunz)

This Saturday marks Non-League day in the UK and few managers have had the level of success outside the EFL than Mark Cooper and he said that it represents the ‘lifeblood’ of the game in this country.

“If I give my experience, Dan Burn was a non-league player at Darlington, when I was a manager, I gave him his debut at 16, and I actually did an interview saying that he would play for England one day. I didn’t actually probably mean it at the time, but we were trying to raise his fee for when we sold him.
But that the game is littered with stories like that, of how many players have gone into non league to get some experience or have started in on me? So it’s vital that that it is celebrated. It’s just a shame that there’s not, there’s not as much funding coming down the pyramid as probably there should be, when you see how much money there is at the top end of the game with the Premier League and the wages.
I know once you’re once you’re in there, turkeys are not going to vote for Christmas are they? You know, they’re not going to vote to drip down more money down the pyramid. But I think we have to look at it and say, you realise where the actual lot of talent does come from. I give you actually.”

 

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It’s time the March edition of the YeoGov Survey (here’s a reminder of the results from February) and once again we want your thoughts about the four weeks that have just been.

In those four weeks, the Glovers turned form around to beat Tamworth, Maidenhead and draw with Southend before defeats against Barnet, Halifax, Boston United and York City this past weekend.

It’s the usual questions around performance around the club and the optional matchday experience one and this month we want to know if the club are performing as you expected for the first season in the National League. 

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The results of February’s YeoGov survey are in. Thanks to the 252 supporters who shared their thoughts.

As always we have the usual questions with the scores out of 7 below..

How do you think Mark Cooper is doing? 2.80
How do you think the players have performed? 3.04
What would you score the ownership/board? 3.15
What would you score the communication from the club? 3.54
What would you score the match day experience this month? 3.42

We also asked the question,  How important is it to you that Yeovil Town FC owns the land at Huish Park? to which the result was overwhelming with a score of 6.37 out of 7. The land has always been seen as a key unlock to secure the long term future of the football club and, clearly, it remains of vital importance to supporters.

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Ian was at Huish Park for Yeovil’s narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of York City. Here are his conclusions.

Picture by Gary Brown

It was a tight game. The two sides, neither of which is particularly in form didn’t make much of a spectacle in Somerset. Many Glovers feared a bloodbath after Boston, but it was far from that. Yeovil set their stall out early and allowed York to dominate the ball while holding their nerve to try and repel them. For all York’s possession, they didn’t stretch Aidan Stone that much. Doesn’t that sound familiar? There were crosses into the box that we dealt with well but it wasn’t surprising that it was settled with a set piece. It was a massive improvement from the midweek defeat to Boston United in the week and the challenge now is to maintain it and ensure it’s not a false dawn.

Kyle Ferguson added some fight. I thought our latest loanee had nastiness and a bit of bite that we’ve been lacking recently. He won his headers and gave Josh Stones a rough afternoon. The son of Rangers legend Barry Ferguson certainly looks like he’s up for a scrap and if were looking over our shoulder, someone of that character is what we need. He was at fault for the penalty which Ollie Pearce converted, but I thought we looked stronger with him in the back line.

Picture by Gary Brown

Another Sonny shout out. I love watching Sonny play football. When he’s on the pitch and given the freedom he’s great to watch. He’s the type of intelligent player who can get you out of a hole. I think our biggest chance fell to him on the edge of the box after he set Kyrell Wilson away before receiving the ball back but he lost his footing at a pivotal moment. With Sonny (and a lot of our players) it’s always been the case of finding that final product, but keeping him further forward in behind  the striker is key in my mind. The extent of the injury to Brett McGavin will probably dictate how that goes.

What a week Frank’s had. To go from being on your way out of the club to being back in the starting line up and captaining within less than seven days is some story. We’ll probably never know the full picture of what’s happened here, but, in my opinion, I don’t think you can blame a 33-year-old for wanting to secure his future when he’s been transfer-listed earlier in the season. Nouble is a popular figure with supporters and for Mark Cooper to put him back in as skipper shows that, right now, Nouble is needed. Clearly, it was mutually beneficial to get over this hurdle.

Frank Nouble was back in the starting line-up and wearing the captain’s armband again. Picture by Gary Brown

It was another slow afternoon. Since the powers that be have decided the Gloverscast are no longer allowed to do media at Huish Park I’ve been able to watch Yeovil as a supporter rather than having to think about what I’m going to say and I totally understand the grumbles. Yes we have injuries, yes we’ve got had a lot of player turnover and the rest of this season will be an exercise in self-preservation. But it can’t continue like this at home next season. I’ve had conversations with plenty of rational, reasonable and real supporters who are so disenchanted with the football that they’ll do other things with their weekends if this is the status quo.

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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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An Ollie Pearce tap in penalty saw Yeovil Town fall to a fourth straight defeat at the hands of promotion-chasing York City at Huish Park.

It was a game with few opportunities for either side which was decided by a 56th minute spot kick after debutant Kyle Ferguson felled the speedy Joe Felix inside the box and Pearce stepped up to fire it home.

Substitute Ciaran McGuckin headed Yeovil’s best opportunity over the bar late in the game, but it was another defeat.

Here’s how Ian saw it under the H at HP…..

First half

Both sides exchanged possession in the opening ten minutes with neither gaining much control.

A late challenge from Alex Hunt on Marcel Lavinier earned a deserved booking for the visitors.

The first proper opening came in the 26th minute as Junior Luamba surged forward on the left side but his pass (if that is what it was) was poor, with Josh Stones free on the penalty box.

The next action of note involved a fracas on the edge of the box. A low cross into the Yeovil box was half cleared by about four players before Charlie Cooper was fouled while he had the ball under his legs. Stones was booked for the handbags in the aftermath.

Sonny Blu Lo Everton on the run. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Stones nearly gave the visitors the lead moments later but was denied by the combination of Aidan Stone and Kyle Ferguson, with Yeovil’s latest loan signing enjoying the battle with York’s expensive centre forward.

Yeovil held their nerve at the back while York dominated possession without ever really testing Stone in the Yeovil goal.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 York City 0

Second half

 
The visitors appealed for a penalty minutes later when Ferguson felled Ollie Pearce. They didn’t have long to wait though as a minute later Joe Felix tripped over a Finn Cousin-Dawson’s leg to earn the visitors a penalty that man PEARCE tapped in. 0-1.
 
 
Aidan Stone denied York a sensational second goal on the hour mark. The Glovers’ keeper was at full stretch to deny a spectacular Tyrese Sinclair bicycle kick.
 
Captain Frank Nouble, back in the starting line-up having been seemingly on his way out of Huish Park in midweek, was on the line to clear away from the result corner too as York looked to turn the screw.
 
Yeovil brought Ciaran McGuckin in the hunt for an equaliser and shortly after Nouble had a couple of headers that were easy for the York keeper to handle. Yeovil were forced into a change in the 76th minute as Brett McGavin went off with an injury. The midfielder needed to be helped off the pitch, a worrying moment given the “war zone” in the Huish Park medical room.
 
Brett McGavin is helped from the pitch. Picture courtesy of Debs Curtis.
 
Substitute Ryan McLean had a decent effort at goal from the edge of the box which had all the sting taken out of it by a couple of a ricochets.
 
Yeovil supporters were in their feet with nine minutes left after speedy run from Kyrell Wilson who found Sonny Blu Lo-Everton on the edge of the box, but the midfielder sliced his effort. York failed to clear and gave away a corner. McGuckin nearly headed in from the corner as Yeovil tried to get level.
 
Even Stone went forward for an injury time set piece and hooked one goalwards from the edge of the box, but it went over the bar and that was that for Yeovil.
 

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 York City 1

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 15th March, 3:00pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Ollie Pearce pen 56 (0-1)

Pitch: Firm and bobbly in patches
Conditions: Overcast and chilly

Attendance: 2,862 (277 away supporters)

Bookings: 
York City: Alex Hunt 9, Josh Stones 35
Yeovil Town:  Kyle Ferguson 56

Referee: Aaron Farmer

Yeovil Town (3-5-2)

Substitutes:  Ciaran McGuckin (for Marcel Lavinier, 63), Ryan McLean (for Josh Sims, 71), Kyrell Wilson (for Brett McGavin, 77), Harvey Greenslade (for Alex Whittle, 88), Frankie Terry (not used), Jahmari Clarke (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

York City: Harrison Male, Callum Howe, Alex Hunt (for Ryan Fallowfield, 76), Ollie Pearce, Lewis Richardson (for Tyrese Sinclair, 46), Dan Batty, Cameron John (for Adam Crookes, 62), Joe Felix, Josh Stones (for Lennell John-Lewis, 76), Malachi Fagan-Walcott, Junior Luamba (for Billy Chadwick, 84).

Substitutes (not used): Rory Watson, Ashley Nathaniel-George, Billy Chadwick.

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Striker Frank Nouble is back in the Yeovil Town starting line-up and wearing the captain’s armband as the Glovers prepare to take on big-spending York City at Huish Park today (3pm kick-off).

The 33-year-old, who manager Mark Cooper said had asked to leave the club before Tuesday’s 3-0 home defeat to Boston United, replaces Ciaran McGuckin, who drops to the bench along with forwards Kyrell Wilson and Ryan McLean and Frankie Terry, the defender on loan from Colchester United.

In their place come defenders Kyle Ferguson, signed on loan from Rochdale yesterday, and Dom Bernard and Josh Sims, who appeared as a substitute in the midweek defeat.