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.
Ahead of the bumper sell out clash with Notts County, Ian, Ben and Dave catch up on the week in YTFC and build up to tomorrow’s National League action.
A win! Three goals! All is right with the world.
Dave, Ian and Ben chat about the 3-1 win over Gateshead, plus we take your #GCQs.
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.
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.
On this episode of the Gloverscast, Ben and Dave grill Ian about why he’s feeling positive after yet another Yeovil draw. Dave speaks to Dave from the Heed Army Podcast ahead of the clash with Gateshead. We take your questions and John Oakes takes part in the Gloverscast Fans Five.
On this episode of the Gloverscast, Ian, Ben and Dave chat about the defeat to Woking and the aftermath of it. We look ahead to Maidenhead and take your GCQs.
Everyone remembers their first match don’t they? I do. It wasn’t a big Hollywood clash, we’re not talking Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester United in the FA Cup. It turns out I didn’t need the show, the crowd or the pizzazz to get me hooked on green and white
On the 18th of July 1998 I stepped foot into Huish Park for the first time to watch a match. (I’d been dragged to the car boot sale in the car park plenty of times) Fresh off the back of France ’98 my interest in football was a critical mass and with no Zizou to watch, and my first heartbreak of an England penalty loss (cheers Becks), I needed something to fill the void.
Recognising my unhealthy enthusiasm for he beautiful game, my Grandad decided to give me a taste of real football. Yeovil were heading into their second season in the Vauxhall Conference under Colin Lippiatt and the game my Grandad felt was the one to whet my appetite was a pre-season friendly against Swindon Town.
We took up our seats in the then (always?) Bartlett Stand, in Block H for a summer’s afternoon of entertainment. Iffy Onura gave Swindon the lead, and from our vantage point and my inexperienced eyes, I was adamant it didn’t go in – it hit the advertising boards behind the goal and hit the back of the net. I was wrong on that, not for the last time.
My first taste of celebrating a Yeovil goal was an own goal. The Swindon right back has comfortable possession, and decided to knock it back to his goalkeeper. Unfortunately for him, he got a little bit too much on it and it went all the way over the keeper and into the net – up the might Glovers. And that was that for the game.
In hindsight, what a dull game to kick off supporting a club that’s taken up an unhealthy amount of time, money and commitment in life. My first taste of Yeovil wasn’t Fergie circling Huish Park in a chopper. It wasn’t Ian Wright scoring a hattrick. It wasn’t Nathan Smith wiping out Alexis Sanchez. It wasn’t Ed Upson heading us to Wembley. It wasn’t anything memorable in our history. We conceded first and our equaliser wasn’t even scored by someone in green – perhaps a perfect initiation for a life spent supporting Yeovil.
And you know what? I wouldn’t change it. Yeovil Town vs Swindon in July ’98 was a game that changed my life and shaped a future of supporting Yeovil Town FC.
On this episode of the Glovers Past, Dave and Ben speak to former Glover Leroy Whale about his time at Huish Park in the mid-nineties. Enjoy!
