Lee Lee Lee Johnson! The midfield maestro pulled the strings in the middle of the park for the Glovers in those memorable seasons in the early 2000s. Dave spent over an hour reminiscing with Lee about his time in Green and White for our first Glovers Past of 2025! Enjoy this one!
It’s the last Gloverscast of 2024 and Ian, Ben and Dave chat about departures, signings, Boxing Day, Swansea, Forest Green Rovers, Darren Way and plenty more! Enjoy and thanks for all of your support this year! Here’s to 2025.
Merry Christmas from us all at the Gloverscast! Here’s to a playoff chasing prosperous 2025! Here’s a Christmas quiz for an extra Christmas Day treat.
Yeovil make the mammoth trip to Hartlepool today looking to avenge the opening day defeat. A lots changed since August, namely the Hartlepool manager. On today’s foot in the opposition camp, Ben chats to Robbie Stelling about today’s hosts.
It’s the last one before Christmas. Ian, Ben and Dave catch up on the week and preview our trip to Hartlepool and the Boxing Day visit of Eastleigh.
On this episode of the Gloverscast, Ian, Ben and Dave discuss the 3-1 win over Braintree and we take your #GCQs, Including a some very tricky Christmas choices. Enjoy!
Yeovil picked up an important three points to keep pace with the playoff pack yesterday. Here are five conclusions from my view from the Huish Park press box.
It was the result we needed after Tuesday. It was important that Yeovil reacted off the back of the disappointment of W*ymouth and pick up three points. While the performance over the entire 90 minutes wasn’t rip-roaring, three goals after lots of change before and during the match (on and off the the pitch) shows the resilience in this group of players.
The initial changes didn’t quite work. It was quite a radical adjustment following W*ymouth with the five changes, albeit enforced with injuries to Plant and Whittle, and it didn’t properly click. Yeovil didn’t enjoy the usual control of the game that we’ve become accustomed to. I thought we were quite compact centrally with Cooper, Worthington and McGavin all treading on eachothers’ toes and Braintree were able to control the first half.
The second half changes worked. The switch to the more familiar 3-4-3 was more comfortable for the players and they gained more of a foothold in the match. Ed James header forced Braintree to chase the game and when we switched to a 4-2-3-1 we were able to make the most of the space. Sims, Nouble and Morgan all made a difference from the bench, with Morgan being absolutely pivotal for Brett McGavin’s clincher.
Keep mavericks in football. Kofi Shaw enjoyed another afternoon at Huish Park (much like against Maidenhead) where he had a free role and covered every blade of grass. He’s brave on the ball and is happy to put himself about against bigger lads too. He’s the kind of player who thrives when given license to roam and pull strings. Consistency is the challenge here. Can he do it week in week out and will he get the opportunity to do it?
We’re keeping pace and in the playoffs. The reaction from Tuesday was justified and warranted. It should never have happened. But, in the league we are in the playoff positions again and I think we’re absolutely punching above our weight right now. I understand that the style isn’t to everyone’s taste and there is a split among supporters, but to be 7th with this group at this stage of the season is an achievement. Keep the faith!
Braintree come to Huish Park today and have gone through a fair bit of change in recent weeks. Ben caught up with Warren Muggleton, part of BBC Essex’s team that covers the visitors.
It’s been a couple of days since the Glovers lost to W*ymouth and the dust probably hasn’t quite settled. Ian, Ben and Dave chat about the defeat, the reaction to it and look ahead to Braintree and what has now become a big game this weekend.
It was a night to forget at Huish Park as Yeovil’s old rivals came to town and knocked them out of the FA Trophy. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions from a dreadful night under the lights.
It was not good enough. What more can you say? Early goals in each half from Brandon Goodship caught Yeovil off guard and left us chasing both halves but for a team that was looking to get back into the match in a fierce local rivalry, the quality in the final third was sorely lacking. At times it was ponderous and W*ymouth were able to prevent the Glovers playing through the lines. There were crosses a-plenty into the box in the second half but no one willing to take ownership and finish them.
We were found wanting in attack again. Ever since the Ciaran McGuckin returned to Rotherham, the attacking unit hasn’t clicked. Aaron Jarvis, Josh Sims, Frank Nouble, Kofi Shaw, Pedro Borges, James Plant, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Harvey Greenslade, Jordan Young and Sam Pearson have all had chances (albeit sparingly for some of those names) in the attacking end of the pitch this season and, for either through injury, suspension or lack of form, none of them have provided a consistent output in the form of goals and assists.
The derby feel off the pitch wasn’t matched on the pitch. Yeovil haven’t lost at home to W*ymouth since 1988. In that time we’ve moved to a new stadium, risen up the leagues and come back down find ourselves at the same level as our old rivals and last night the team that ended the night bottom of National League South were more up for it than Yeovil were. That’s a damning indicment on the players and the staff and a result they will have to live with. The celebrations at the end were painful to see but well-deserved. (He said begrudgingly.)
Our cup performances have been so disappointing. For a club that’s history is rooted in cup-exploits, it’s been a real frustration to see us whimper out of the FA Cup and FA Trophy at the first time of asking to clubs from the league below. We know better than anyone that you can’t take anything for granted in cup competitions but to miss out on a genuine chance of silverware (in the Trophy of course) leaves us hanging on to the hope of keeping pace with the play-off chasers and sneaking into that group come the end of the season.
We can expect more change. Speaking after the match, Mark Cooper said he needs to get ruthless and that means yet more changes on the pitch. Based on last night that could mean a number of players. But once again we’re looking the final third and wanting more from the attacking players. For all the combinations, the style and philosophy hasn’t altered so there’s an argument to make a change on that front in a bid to get the attack firing. Mark Cooper has already done his fair share of player trading and will know what’s out there to bring in, but moving players out to make room will be the challenge.