As an affiliate member of the Football Supporters Association, we have been invited to a meeting of supporter groups on 3rd September to share what we think the priorities are for the FSA when communicating with the National League.
We wanted to put the questions to you so your input on this form so that we can share a good summary of YTFC views at the meeting, would be greatly appreciated.
How great was it to be back at Huish Park? On this episode of the Gloverscast, the Plebs discuss the boardroom changes at Huish Park and what that could mean going forward. We also go over the late heartbreak against Carlisle – but with reasons for optimism – and we take your GCQs.
With huge thanks to Tim Hubble, Dorset Jim and Stoney and Andrew for their voice notes.
Welcome to another edition of the Gloverscast’s mini matchday episode, Foot in the Opposition Camp! This week, we are looking ahead to Yeovil Town’s first match of the season at Huish Park against title favorites, Carlisle United.
To get the inside scoop on our upcoming opponents, we are joined by Lee from the Carlisle United podcast, the Brunton Bugle.
In This Episode, We Discuss:
So we recorded this one early. It was out of date before I’d even cobbled it together. So, as you’ll hear, we don’t speak about the news that broke yesterday evening but we will, of course.
We did talk about the first match of the season at Huish Park though. Bring on Carlisle!
& Happy Birthday Dave!
Five National League Premier League clubs have been placed under transfer embargo for breaching financial regulations.
AFC Fylde, Aldershot Town, Altrincham, FC Halifax Town and Hornchurch were all placed under ‘ongoing’ embargo yesterday for ‘non-compliance of league financial regulations’.
The National League website states:
The National League may place a Club under embargo if it meets one of the following criteria:
An embargo prevents the Club from signing a new player or changing the terms of an existing loan, except where the terms of the Embargo allow.
Of the clubs affected by embargoes, AFC Fylde are the first opponents which Yeovil Town will face with the Lancashire side due to travel to Huish Park on September 12th, closely followed by a trip to Aldershot Town three days later.
UPDATE: Altrincham has since had its embargo lifted after filing necessary paperwork and FC Halifax and AFC Fylde have also reassured their supporters that it they have both supplied required paperwork.
A point away at Scunthorpe United on the opening day is nothing to be sniffed at, but there was still disappointment from the Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley following his side’s 1-1 draw.
After am even first half, the Glovers took the lead when winger Mason Obeng stroked home the opener with 48 minutes on the clock and the visitors looked to have done enough to earn three points before Iron substitute Luke Brennan found a late equaliser.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman after the match, Rowley said: “When you come to Scunthorpe away, when you eat your breakfast this morning, you probably would take a point. But, having just watched and been part of this game, I feel like I think we’re a bit unfortunate not to win. They’re really good team – Andy (Butler, the Iron manager) does a great job here, home support was excellent – but we’ve had a couple of big chances.
“We’ve had two offsides given which I’ve been shown on freeze frame, that aren’t offside and I think Macca (midfielder Luke McCormick) goes on to score one of those and makes it 2-0, which makes the game very different, so I think there’s two sides of this. I’m happy with a point here, but I’m a little bit frustrated we didn’t win it.”
A new look starting XI saw nine debutants make their first competitive appearances in green and white, including an entirely new back line and Rowley was pleased with his defensive unit’s efforts despite the late equaliser.
He said: “Scunthorpe are really good at what they do, they put the ball in the on your back line and they’re great at running off you, they create little overloads out wide and we dealt with all that really well. I’m really happy with all the lads, in particular (goalkeeper) Jos (Barker), he’s young lad who’s come from two leagues below and made a made a (league) debut in front of 6,000 people. He’s not really put a foot wrong. I thought the goal was an unbelievable goal from them although I think we probably could have done a slightly better job of of closing off that lane and showing him outside.”
One man who is familiar to the Yeovil supporters was midfielder Brett McGavin, who replaced Hayden Muller at half time. Rowley was full of praise for the midfielder, saying: “Brett is elite at this level for technical ability to dictate games, he’s able to shape people off his back, he can receive the ball in tight spaces. The idea was to bring on Brett when the when their legs are a little bit tired and do that job for us and I think he did it really well and I think he matched defensively as well. I was really pleased with Brett when he came on and I thought he did excellently.”
After an even first half, the Glovers took the lead with just three minutes of the second half gone after Ryan Jones’ free-kick from way out on the right found Obeng at the back post. The winger showed great coolness and technique to confidently stroke the ball in to the net and celebrate in front of the 260 away supporters.
Rowley was pleased with the goal and all of the trio of players he brought from his former club Walton & Hersham – goalkeeper Barker, Obeng and midfielder Johl Powell, who appeared as a second half substitute.
The boss said: “Initially, I thought our goal was a bit lucky, but after rewatching it’s just an unbelievable goal. I am really pleased for Mason. I made a big point at the end of the end of the game with the boys in the dressing room, Jos, Mase and Johl, they are lads that have come from two leagues below to play in front of one of the biggest crowds they have done in a long time and I felt they all dealt with it superbly well. I thought the the goal from Mase, might make goal of the week this week in this league.”
There were 260 supporters who made the long journey up from Somerset for the opening fixtures and made themselves heard in a crowd of 5,111 on a sweltering day in Lincolnshire.
Rowley said: “The support was incredible. I was smiling throughout the whole warm up. Some of the staff that are new here as well, they were amazed by it. I can’t thank them enough and I know all the boys absolutely loved it as well, it made the warm up, made this whole day really special.”
It’s the first foot in the opposition camp of the new season! In this episode, we preview the long journey from Somerset to face Scunthorpe United in the opening game of the National League Premier Division. We are delighted to welcome back Barra from the Iron Hour podcast to get the inside track on the opposition ahead of the match.
It’s the start of the National League season tomorrow and we have asked you what you think of Yeovil Town’s chances for the new season.
A total of 122 of you gave your thoughts (and thanks to everyone who did) and now the 3 Plebs have shared their thoughts, hopes and dreams for this season – but even more importantly, what did you think?
If you prefer reading these things in graph form, you can find these below, and without further ado, here’s out expectations for the 2026-27 season…….
When have we ever been the club that’s got its business done early? To go into the first day of pre-season with an actual squad without the need for a massive amount of recruitment was a brilliant step change. We feel more ready. Everything’s felt quite strategic and whisper it, I think we might know what we’re doing. We’ve retained the ones I wanted us to, and based on what the ‘experts’ are saying, we’ve recruited really well.
To see a Billy Rowley and Darren Simpson team. Clearly we didn’t see that last year. Our management team inherited a burning building, a squad put together by multiple managers and we muddled our way through to the end of the season securing safety. So, with recruitment done early, a proper pre-season and ideas starting to come through, I’m most excited to see the ideas that Rowley and Simpson have, come through on the pitch.
Luke McCormick. Without his goals last season the picture would have been very different. We missed him when he was injured. He’s our captain, he’s fully fit and he’s going to be absolutely crucial to our success. Don’t fall in love with footballers…
There’s something about Mason Obeng that I like. He’s found some decent areas in matches during pre season and his goal against Merthyr was lovely. It’s a big jump for him from last season but I’ve got faith in the manager’s judgement.
If we can start strong and get points on the board early then we have to believe in a play off push, but its a new squad learning a new way and those ideas will take time to become instinctive so we’ll see some growing pains. I think we might fall just short, but it will be close.
It’s been really refreshing to have all the hard work of recruitment done early.
We have a couple of actual strikers, we have experience at the back and some class in midfield, quite how it all comes together remains to be seen, but it’s so nice to not head into the new season with so many unanswered questions and with at very least an idea of how we’re going to be going about things.
Believing again.
When we dropped to the National League South, a successful season was expected, but for the years either side, we’ve been forced to find hope and belief with the straws being clutched at on many an occasion.
We shouldn’t (!) have four managers again and we can believe, through everything we’ve been told that we’re going to give it a go. I can’t wait to believe.
Who is our key player?
Luke McCormick is too obvious, although we absolutely need him on the pitch.
Goals are the main difference between 17th and 7th and that means there is something to be expected of Walker and Spasov amongst others.
If Ste Walker gets going early, I’m really excited about his chances of scoring goals this season. It feels harsh to put any level of expectancy on his shoulders, but as our main goal scoring acquisition, he is, almost by default, our key player.
Jos Barker. Goalkeeper’s Union in full force here, but I wanted to get a bit of backing in early. Untried at this level, yes. Young, yes. But of all the goalkeepers in the mix this summer the manager could have gone for dozens more ‘obvious’ options, but he clearly backs his ‘keeper and that is all I need to get behind him too.
Wow! Getting our business done early is not something we have become accustomed to at Yeovil Town, but this season we did it. Even before we get started on the new arrivals, we have kept a lot of quality from last season in the shape of Luke McCormick, Brett McGavin and James Daly and that gives us a good base to build on.
The unknown quantity of what this team is what excites me about this season. I know every non-League expert with a social media account is tipping us for a top seven finish because of our transfer business, but the truth is there is a lot we have not seen many of these players. But, there is the potential to a side which can really leave a mark on this division.
We saw last season that dominating possession is at the heart of what a Billy Rowley team is all about, I just hope that we can get it out to the attacking talent that we have in the side. If we see attacking football, played with real purpose and coupled with a passion, I am happy for this season to be building for the future.
Stephen Walker is one of those unknown quantities which I mentioned just now – but what potential he has. YouTube scouting is one thing, but we have seen in pre-season that this lad has an eye for goal and with full-time coaching and everything that goes with it, he could be a special talent.
One player who have not seen play a second in green-and-white is Joe Haigh, but there is no doubt that there would have been plenty of clubs at our level and above who would have wanted to sign him this summer. If he can get back to full fitness and showing the type of form which made him such a hotly-rated talent, he could be the one we’re all talking about.
I’m not going to follow the non-League experts and say we fall short of the play-off places in ninth place having flirted with the play-offs for some of the season. For me, this would be progression from where we have finished in the past couple of seasons and set us up nicely for next year.
On the eve of our opening away day against Scunthorpe United, we are thrilled to welcome the Manager Billy Rowley and Assistant Manager Darren Simpson to the Gloverscast for the first time.
As we gear up for a highly anticipated National League campaign, Billy and Darren sit down with us to discuss everything from their tactical philosophy and summer recruitment to the importance of building a unified, ambitious dressing room.
Here is what you can expect in this week’s episode:
The Managerial Dynamic: Billy and Darren pull back the curtain on their day-to-day partnership, detailing how they divide training sessions, handle tough player conversations and if they ever disagree with one another…
Tactical Philosophy & Identity: A deep dive into the style of football the duo wants to bring to Huish Park. Expect insights on possession-based control, aggressive attacking, and the non-negotiable trait of being incredibly hard to beat.
Summer Recruitment Strategy: With 15 new faces in the squad, the management team discusses the deliberate strategy behind the overhaul.
Pre-Season Reflections: An honest assessment of the pre-season campaign. Billy and Darren discuss the physical demands, the challenge of embedding new tactical ideas, and the process of building team chemistry.
Building Character: Why assembling a squad of players with high ambition, character, and a genuine desire to climb the leagues is just as important as technical ability on the pitch.
We’re back from a month off over the summer – and we’re back with a bang!
If there is someone who has had a front row seat in Yeovil Town’s history in recent years, it is Matt Worthington.
Now you can hear it all in his own words:
From arriving on loan and quickly dropping out of the Football League;
Adapting to life back in non-League and the challenges of the COVID pandemic;
Off-the-field shenanigans – takeovers, failed takeovers, not getting paid and a managerial merry-go-round to make your head spin;
But also amazing matches, silencing the crowd at Weymouth, some special team-mates and, of course, THAT trophy lift.
It’s a long episode, but there was a lot to talk about!
