Ian Perkins (Page 73)

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Max Hunt isn’t looking back after falling out of favour earlier this season. The towering centre-back, who has started every game under Mark Cooper, told BBC Somerset he is in enjoying life under the new boss.

Speaking after a clean sheet at Notts County, he said: “It’s always difficult [being out of the side]. You’re always going to have these spells as a footballer, it’s a game of opinions and sometimes you’re in favour and sometimes you’re out of it.

“It’s nothing personal you just have to get on with it [and] roll your sleeves up. I trained hard while I wasn’t involved and then since the new gaffer came in he decided to put me in against Maidstone and I’ve sort of made it my choice to not look back since.”

Hunt was at the heart of a Yeovil defence that became the first travelling side to keep Notts County out at Meadow Lane this season. He said knew it was going to be an ugly afternoon.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in, probably the toughest we faced so far. We had a set gameplan all week to come here and be hard to beat and it wasn’t pretty and the fans won’t have had much to cheer about today but you know how they supported us at the end [that] they understand the value of the point.

“We know how good a footballing side they [Notts County] are and it was important that with the occasion, the fans and everything, we’d come here and put a stop to it.”

Hunt also spoke about how the squad managed to stay together during the difficult period earlier in the season.

“It’s important that we made sure we kept that togetherness, because when your struggling and results aren’t going your way, if you get yourself down as well you’ve not really got a good place to go.

“We made sure we kept our foundation strong and the new gaffer has come in and showed a real confidence in us. He’s got a long-term plan of how he wants us playing and were just sort of building towards that.”

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Mark Cooper was ‘very pleased’ with the defensive efforts of his side this afternoon as they kept an impressive Notts County at bay.

Yeovil frustrated Notts County, who fell to 2nd after the draw, and Cooper said his side aren’t ready to compete in a street fight with a side like County just yet.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins, he said: “We chose to sacrifice the ball because we’re on the start of our journey. We’re not ready to compete punch for punch with Notts County yet. They’re a good football team and if we’d have to gone toe to toe we’d have got knocked out.”

Cooper admitted setting up that way wasn’t how he’d like to go, but revealed he’d told his squad to leave their egos behind to get a result on the road.

“I said to the boys at the start of the week, we need to leave our egos at the door. We all want to go and play pretty football, but the result and the team is more important than our egos.

“So I said to them, leave your ego there, we’re going to sacrifice the ball and were going to defend really well and were going to try and play counter attack, which is not really my forte, but we had to try and get something out of the game.”

Cooper switched it tactically in the second half in search of nicking a goal, and did say his side didn’t make the most of the corners they had. But ultimately, he was full of praise for his defence, and unapologetic for setting up the way he did.

“I’ve just said to the players, they’re the best I’ve seen at defending their own penalty area and they had to do that today.

“We cant apologise for setting up like we did, we’re near the bottom and we have to get points.”

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Venue: Meadow Lane
Saturday 19th November, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: Cold but dry
Pitch: Slick

Attendance: 16511 (452 away supporters)

Scorers: 

Bookings:

Yeovil Town: Reckord 70, Linton, 80
Notts County: 

Referee: Gary Parsons

Yeovil Town (4-3-3):

Substitutes: Will Buse, Lawson D’Ath, Malachi Linton (for Oluwabori 75), Anthony Georgiou, Louis Britton (for Fisher 90)

Notts County: Slocombe, Camerson, Baldwin, Brindley, Chicksen, Adebayo-Rowling, Palmer, Austin, Rodrigues, Scott, Langstaff.

Substitutes: Rawlinson, Bajrami, Francis, Castro, Mitchell.

Match Report

A record National League crowd witnessed a resilient Yeovil Town keep the League leaders out this afternoon in a 0-0 draw at Meadow Lane.

Mark Cooper’s Green and Whites held firm against Notts County despite being under pressure for the overwhelming majority of the game to take a point home to Somerset.

Here’s how Coatesie saw it…

First half

It took three minutes for Macauley Langstaff to get a sight of goal, a ball in from the right side landed to the Notts top scorer six yards out but his low effort was smothered by Grant Smith. The keeper will have been grateful the effort had power on it.

All the home sides play came down the right side in the opening stages with Jamie Reckord given a stern test, and it was a free-kick from that side which was volleyed over by hosts’ skipper Kyle Cameron after seven minutes.

The pre-match prediction of a compact formation from Yeovil proved correct, and for the first quarter-of-an-hour the home side prodded and proved without offering too much. At the other end, a run down the right side by Andrew Oluwabori after 14 minutes was about the only attacking effort at the other end.

There was certainly no lack of patience for the league leaders who played enjoyed ridiculous levels of possession and chance began to come. Smith was forced in to action to deny first Sam Austin and then Cedwyn Scott before Langstaff headed over.

It took until the 28th minute for Yeovil to have their first effort on goal, a slip in the middle of the part saw Oluwabori break away to the edge of the box bit his effort went over. Going forward the game plan seemed to be that, hope a mistake dropped to the on loan Peterborough man and he could outpace his marker. Is a 5-5-0 formation at thing?

The time it took Smith to take goal kicks seemed to infuriate those in the home end, who responded by throwing balled up pieces of paper at division’s best keeper (B.Barrett, 2022) leading to the referee to temporarily call a halt to proceedings to inform stewards.

Meanwhile, the rearguard action continue with Yeovil so deep they were almost sat in the Meadow Lane Kop at some points. Fortunately for them Langstaff was having an off day (or least an off 35 minutes) and his effort was blocked by Owen Bevan, and from the resulting corner Adam Chicksen’s long-range effort was turned over by Smith.

Smith was at it again three minutes from half-time when he dropped superbly to deny a low drive from Rodrigues before Morgan Williams hacked the ball away.

It wasn’t pretty but, for 45 minutes at least, it had been effective.

Half time: Notts County 0 Yeovil Town 0

Second half

On 47 minutes, Yeovil’s best piece of attacking play forced a save (yes, an actual save) out of Sam Slocombe in the hosts’ goal. Oluwabori put a ball in from the right and Fisher’s attempted flick at the near post was denied. Moments later, Oluwabori seized on a mistake in midfield and broke forward to play Chiori Johnson but he was denied by a fine tackle.

At the other end, Notts picked up where they left off patiently playing it around, hoping to find a gap in the Parma Violet wall. A ball in from Tobi Adebayo-Rowling was headed away as Williams before it found its way to Scott whose shot was weak and Chicksen’s follow up was over.

Rodrigues fizzed one over and substitute Quevin Castro had an effort deflected wide. If I hadn’t watched the same happen for 45 minutes, I would have been more worried. I was a little worried, but not as much as I would have been.

For every probing Rodrigues ball and long range effort from the home side, there was a block from Williams or a header from Max Hunt.

On 75 minutes, Smith was at it again, diving to his left to deny Cameron’s long ranger, before Worthington was in the right place on the back post to head Cameron’s goal bound header off the line.

Malachi Linton, on for the non-stop Oluwabori, was ruffling feathers at the other end. Picking up a booking for a soft foul, but almost finding himself through on goal.

A National League record crowd of 16,511 – including 452 away supporters – was announced and, even with discounted tickets, that is some achievement.

Probably the most inexplicable chance came with the last opportunity when Chicksen got ahead of Adebayo-Rowling but his header went over.

But, the roar from the away end at the final whistle told you everything about what that point meant.

Full time: Notts County 0 Yeovil Town 0

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The Glovers Trust is hosting its AGM on Tuesday 22 November at the Arrow (BA21 3TL) in Yeovil. The meeting starts at 7pm, and will give all supporters (not just Trust members) the opportunity make comments and ask questions of the Trust board and talk about the current issues facing the club.

 

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Goals from Alex Fisher and Malachi Linton saw Mark Cooper pick up his first win as Yeovil manager against basement club Gateshead yesterday. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions.

Alex Fisher is rejuvenated under Mark Cooper. Everything feels a bit fresher, but no one has had a bigger turnaround than Yeovil’s number 9 under the new boss. With another two goals yesterday (it should have been a hat trick), Fisher’s form might make it difficult for Louis Britton to make an early impact. Two fox-in-the-box type goals exemplify the simplicity with which Mark Cooper has asked his striker to play. Hold it up, move it wide, get in the box. Both of his goals came from crosses when he was inside the six yard box. It’s amazing what can happen when you play a number 9 as a number 9.

Alex Fisher celebrates a goal in the 3-1 home win over Gateshead. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Oluwabori built on his Tuesday night cameo. The right winger shone against Maidenhead and yesterday was no different. He’s the type of player to create something from nothing and has added so much to this squad. His confidence his high and you see it rubbing off on his new teammates. He doubled up nicely with Chiori Johnson, linked up with Matt Worthington and he and Fisher look to building a good connection. Oluwabori was constant thorne in the side for Gateshead, who surrounded him at every opportunity. We’ve got a talent here who can make a genuine creative difference for the Glovers.

Matt Worthington was my man of the match. I thought Worthy was fantastic yesterday. He’s gone from being the senior midfielder in a pair under Chris Hargreaves to playing in the number 10 role for Mark Cooper and given the licence to get forward by having Josh Staunton and Jamie Andrews behind him. He was relentless and making a difference in spaces where we’ve probably not seen him before, forcing the Gateshead defence into mistakes by triggering the press. Can he add goals and assists? That’s the next challenge.

The power of Huish Park was evident. Mark Cooper gave a bit of a call to arms on Tuesday after the volume picked up in the stands and a bright start got Huish Park up for it yesterday too. There was a lull in the middle of the first half but Yeovil were roared home in the second half. It feels like it’s been a while since a managers name was sung in the crowd, but it’s not taken long for “Mark Cooper’s Green and White Army” and “Heeey Mark Cooper” to make it to the terraces.

It feels like we’ve got the right man in charge. Mark Cooper has added his own personnel, simplified everyone’s jobs and it’s making a difference. We can’t get ahead of ourselves, this was a bottom of the league team that looked lower on confidence than we did. But, it was a game that we needed to win and we did so. Next we travel to top of the league Notts County where the pressure will be entirely on them in front of a big crowd. It feels like we’ve got a decent foundation to build on now though, and you can see what that first win meant to everyone yesterday. You can’t help but wonder where we would be if we’d be able to opt for him in the summer, but sure I’m glad we’ve got him now.