As fate would have it, Ian, Ben and Dave are back chatting after a vintage England performance. We talk about the signing of Ollie Wright, the surprise departure of Rhys Rosser and talk through the latest YeoGov survey.
It’s the summer of polling it seems, and once again, at the Gloverscast we’ve completed the most comprehensive survey of Yeovil Town FC supporters out there. For the third year in a row we asked supporters to score how they feel about issues on the pitch and off the pitch on a scale of 1-7.
This year, 387 supporters completed the survey – down on the 552 and 499 from the previous seasons. More than half of respondents (54%) were over 45 years old and 90% were male.
One of the major developments at the club since Martin Hellier’s takeover last summer has been the improvement to the facilities and match day experience, and that is coming through clearly in the data. We’ve seen a jump of nearly 2 points on the match day experience, customer service and atmosphere and a nearly 3 point jump in Huish Park being ‘well looked after’.
There’s also been an improvement in the perception of the food and drink offering and value for money. With the quality of food increasing to 4.47 vs 3.15 and drink to 4.85 from 3.53. Supporters also think they’re getting better value for money than previous seasons, with the average score 4.34 out of 7, compared to 3.15 and 2.88 in 2022/23 and 2021/22.
In other areas off the pitch, supporters have recognised the improvements made. Supporters feel communication has significantly improved, feel more valued and proud of the club. There is also a recognition that the club has made more effort in the community in the last 12 months.
Areas where there has been improvement, but the score is average is around listening, and who to contact.
Of course, it was a championship winning season for the Glovers and that is reflected in the scores with support for the job Mark Cooper and the job he did.
And if any wasn’t sure, Jake Wannell was voted as player of the season – again.
Looking to the future of the club, supporters are narrowly more optimistic than they were last season (we surveyed just after Martin Hellier took over.)
When we surveyed in 2023, the Glovers Trust had just hosted the meeting at Johnson Park about the creation of a supporters group that represented all supporters. In the survey last year, the support for a group that represents all supporters scored 5.76 out of 7 and that support has held up this year with a score of 5.38.
78% of supporters surveyed aren’t part of any group and those who aren’t also support the idea of one group with a score of 5.32.
We are a much happier bunch than we were in the last two seasons and with good reason. On the pitch we’ve won the National South at the first time of asking and off the pitch, the match day experience is night and day compared to previous seasons. Huish Park has had investment which has seen the creation of The Ciderspace, the upgrading of the Alec Stock Lounge and corporate facilities and those changes are clearly impacting how people feel about the club.’
I am most surprised that the support for a single supporters group has held up, showing that even in these good times the supporters of the club would welcome an organisation that represents them and they can be a part of.
As Yeovil head back into National League after one season, the strides the club has taken has made it nearly unrecognisable from the club 12 months before and that is clear in the numbers.
The plebs return to chat about the Glovers’ new signings and a little bit about the England game. Enjoy!
Martin Hellier took to X to share that he had ‘rightly’ received a two-match ban and a £500 fine for his reaction to Yeovil’s defeat against Worthing in April.
The Yeovil Town owner and Chairman reacted angrily following the 3-1 defeat, throwing his hat at the referee in a heated confrontation.
#YTFC pic.twitter.com/JnpeFf2ETW
— HellierGroup / Martin Hellier (@GroupHellier) June 20, 2024
Yeovil Town have confirmed the signing of striker Aaron Jarvis who departed Torquay United at the end of the 2023/24 season.
The 26-year-old spent much of last season injured at the Gulls but scored 9 goals in 19 league games. In the National League season prior, he scored 15 goals as the side followed Yeovil to National League South.
Jarvis, who has EFL experience with Luton and Scunthorpe, as well as a stint in Scotland heads to Huish Park despite rumoured interest from Cheltenham Town, where his ex-Gulls’ manager and former Glovers’ boss Gary Johnson recently arrived as Director of Football.
Speaking to the club’s YouTube channel Jarvis said: “After the success last season here, obviously that was a big attraction to me. I think listening to the Gaffer’s [Mark Cooper] words and his plans for next season, I think the club’s got a great potential of back-to-back promotions – which is something I’d like to be a part of. Hopefully I can help out.
“The Gaffer has explained my role in the team to me and I think I will be able to do a good job at that and I am hoping to bring a lot of success this season and any way I can help on the pitch, I am going to do so.”
When the Gloverscast spoke exclusively to Frank Nouble last week, he said he had spoken to the former Torquay frontman, but that there were other conversations to have.
The pair linked up with great success last time Jarvis was playing at National League level. When Nouble arrived late in the 2022-23 season when Torquay (and Yeovil) were relegated, the pair scored six goals in eight games but could not complete a great escape.
Jarvis admitted his old team-mate was a factor in signing: “He’s been like a fly on the wall, pestering me for weeks now and obviously it has worked out and I am sure he will be getting a bit of commission from this deal!”
Looks like Agent Frank worked his magic and a highly sought after frontman is heading to the Glovers.
Welcome to Yeovil, Aaron!
Yeovil Town Women FC have confirmed that fixtures for the 2024/25 season will be played at Alvington, returning the club to Yeovil after playing its inaugural season at Somerton Recreation Ground.
Following an unbeaten League season, the Women earned promotion from the Somerset County League to the South West Regional Division One South – Tier 6 of the Womens’ game. They’ll welcome the likes of Bideford, Helston, Weston-super-Mare and W*ymouth to Alvington next season.
The double-winning side have also confirmed their pre-season schedule below:
Our Pre-Season Schedule 2024/25 🗓️
21/07 – Plymouth Argyle – Away
28/07 – Budleigh Salterton – Away
04/08 – Bath City – Away
11/08 – Honiton Town – Home
18/08 – Purton – Away
25/08 – St Vallier – Home#YTFC 💚 pic.twitter.com/d77fhTwRb4— Yeovil Town Women FC (@YTWomenFC) June 12, 2024
Yeovil announced the signing of Harvey Greenslade this week, a 20-year-old forward who had just been released from Bristol Rovers after plenty of loans – including at National League Oxford City last season. Greenslade’s signing was the kick off of the club’s summer incoming, but there’s still plenty to press on with.
It’s an annual tradition for a the onset of mild (sometimes major) panic amongst pockets supporters. “Oh they’re doing a lot of business…why aren’t we signing them? We’re doomed!” Seeing clubs like Barnet, Forest Green and even York City completing signings shouldn’t panic us. Those clubs will be shopping in very different aisles to us for various reasons, including their locations and budgets.
I understand some of the concern, though. In 2022, we spoke to then manager Chris Hargreaves who spoke about having his 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice targets. He whetted the appetite with talks of Ed Uspon and Josh Neufville as players he’d spoken to. Clearly, for circumstances outside of his control (if you categorise believing a charlatan as that) he wasn’t able to recruit nor attract the players he anticipated with the budget he was given and the season ended disastrously. (For a plethora of reasons, obviously!)
Clearly it’s important to get some business done early if you can, but it has to be right. Last season Yeovil moved early to sign Jamie Sendles-White (31st May) Rhys Murphy (9th June), Josh Owers (12th June) and Jake Hyde (14th June) . Then when the season got underway, we moved to sign Joe Day and Michael Smith.
Greenslade’s arrival was a surprise, the rumour mill has been speculating that Aaron Jarvis from Torquay was all but done – and has been for a while. With Gary Johnson’s appointment at Cheltenham confirmed, now it looks like Jarvis could be joining his old boss at the Robins in League Two.
Last season, Cooper had more hits than misses with his signings and you could say, until the stewardship set sail, he’d done okay with next to no resources. As Martin Hellier said on Episode 340 of the Gloverscast, the whole club has to find efficiencies, including the playing side. Cooper will have to spend wisely and sell the project to prospects – as he did last season – and maybe hope for another Day – Smith style availability once the season is up and running.
Yeovil aren’t going to be every player’s first choice, but when I look at our core and current squad, I don’t think Cooper needs to reinvent the wheel – if our ambitions are to stabilise in the National League. The back four is set (providing Whittle recovers from the injuries he suffered at the end of last season), there’s a good base for a midfield. Clearly the priorities are in the striking department, in goal and then squad players to provide cover. I would like a ball carrier in midfield if one can be found, though.
Plenty of clubs in the National League haven’t brought anyone in yet, and when you look at the released lists across the country, there is a dearth of players out there. I trust the manager to find them.
Former Yeovil boss Gary Johnson has been appointed the Director of Football at League Two side Cheltenham Town, following the departure of Darrell Clarke.
Johnson, who left Torquay in February when the club announced it was entering administration, managed Cheltenham to EFL promotion in 2015/16 with a points haul of 101 before his departure in 2018.
Gloucestershire Live reports that a new DoF was to be appointed whether Clarke – who was appointed as Barnsley manager yesterday – remained at the club or not. The paper also reports that Cheltenham is now “set to return to a ‘player trading’ model, with young players recruited with the intention of improving them and selling them on.”
Yeovil Town have confirmed another preseason friendly with a trip to National League South side, Farnborough, on Saturday 27th July.
Kick off is 3pm at Cherrywood Road.
It’s that time of year where we ask Yeovil Town supporters for their thoughts on the season that’s just gone. This year was a pretty good one actually, promotion at the first time of asking, huge improvements off the pitch and some great performances too.
As with the previous surveys, thisis on Google Forms and is a mix of multiple choice and linear scale (1-7 of course) questions about issues on the pitch, off the pitch and the future. There is also an optional section about the Gloverscast that we’d be very grateful if you’d complete it.
The survey will be open for four weeks and will close on Tuesday 18th June. We’ll go through the responses and share them on the website like we did for last year’s survey.