How long ago does Alty feel now?
Man of the Match for the 42 who voted was Lawson D’Ath with 40.5% of the vote. In 2nd place was Malachi Linton and in 3rd place as Gime Toure.
The team performance was an average of 4.8 out of 7 so above average and entertainment value was 5.1, so those who went had an enjoyable afternoon, up until stoppage time!
Yeovil fell to a dismal 1-0 loss at the hands of York City at Huish Park yesterday. Here’s how Ian saw it from the press box.
We didn’t compete in the midfield battle. For a lot of the match it felt like we were playing with seven at the back and three up front. The gap between the midfield was so large that it was no wonder we resorted to playing it long from back to front and exposing our deficiencies. York City’s centre midfield were finding pockets of space (much like Dagenham’s did last weekend) and kept possession effectively. I can’t recall Sam Perry or Lawson D’Ath grabbing the game or getting us a decent few minutes of possession once. We missed Matt Worthington in their for sure, but our focus on recruiting attack-minded players and centre-backs has left us short in centre midfield.
I think it’s time to try something different tactically. The 3-5-2 worked well against Wrexham and was effective in holding firm against Dagenham but we really didn’t look comfortable with it at all yesterday. Alex Fisher isn’t the kind of striker who’s going to hold up the ball and bring others into it. Charlie Wakefield isn’t a wingback and, although I like Josh Staunton at centre back, yesterday wasn’t his greatest performance. I would have liked to have seen him brought forward into a deep midfield role yesterday to help us compete in those areas and switch to a back four. We tried to build up from the back, but it just didn’t happen. If we conceded the ball cheaply once, we did it a thousand times. Max Hunt and Ben Richards-Everton struggled to get us moving forward but they weren’t helped by their teammates offering to get the ball from them and had to resort to lumping it down the channels forcing our strikers to feed off scraps.
We looked tired. That was one of the managers observations yesterday adding that he’d review what they did in the week following the Bank Holiday double header, suggesting the preparation hadn’t been right for yesterday. We didn’t keep the ball, we weren’t offering to get take it from each other, we felt overrun on numerous occasions and we didn’t play like a team. Maybe we missed the legs of Matt Worthington in midfield, but it felt like most weren’t at the races at all yesterday. That fatigue led to poor decision making, a lack of willing runners and no execution of the manager’s plan. We can’t criticise these players for not looking fit, because we know they are, but yesterday something was off.
Credit has to go to York City, they played like a team that’s been at this level for a while. The Minstermen looked comfortable on the ball and didn’t give us a look-in in the second half. Lenell John-Lewis gave a complete strikers performance, winning aerial duels, getting into dangerous spaces in the box and causing our three centre backs problems all afternoon. John-Lewis was thwarted from the spot by Grant Smith, but he deserved his deflected winner. The pressed our defence and goalkeeper when the time was right and were really well organised. But for a couple of saves from their keeper, they rarely felt stretched by our attacking play.
We said last week had to be the low point of the season, and now THIS has to be the low point of the season. Boos rang out at Huish Park yesterday following the final whistle, whether you agree with that or not, the performance was straight out of the Darren Way-era so you could understand the frustration in the stands. It has to be an off-day. Although there’s more certainty off-the-pitch this season than last, the clouds from the climax of last season are still there and it feels like they’re gathering quickly again. People won’t forget about the talk of plans for new investment and concrete frameworks from April and here we are five months later with one additional director. If there are repeats of yesterday, the pressure will be on the owner again.
On today’s episode of the Gloverscast we talk about the 0-0 draw at Wealdstone, Lawson D’Ath and our reliance on him, our new signing Will Dawes and Dave’s got an answer on the latest Confirmation Statement on Companies House.
We hear from York City podcaster Simon from the Shooting Towards the Shippo podcast about our opponents tomorrow.
Enjoy!
According to Stratford Town’s official website, Yeovil Town have signed midfielder Will Dawes from the Southern League Premier Central Division side.
Speaking to Stratford’s official site, Dawes said: “I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be moving on to Yeovil and I can’t thank Jed (McCrory) enough for the work he has down for me and what he’s done to get this move and I’m really excited to get started down there.”
Dawes, who turns 22 next week is clearly highly thought of at Stratford and was given a glowing reference (in a very succint statement) by their chairman, Jed McCrory. We’ve heard that name before…
“Ok we have had three interested parties in Dawsey and he chose to got Yeovil, as it is close to his family home. We are saddened to see him go but delighted that we have moved a play on to a higher level again.
“Dawsey has been a delight for the few years he has been here and improved beyond belief.”
He continued: “Dawsey deserves his chance to move up the leaguess and I believe he will be a div 1 player quickly due to his desire and ability.
“Dawsey shows everyone at Stratford town and players in the community, join Stratford and see what can be achieved.
He concluded: “We are all so proud of Dawsey and sad we won’t see him on a Saturday but never say never as we strive to get to conference prem.”
We’ll await official confirmation from Yeovil Town on this one, but it sounds like Stratford have gone early. There’ll be a conversation at the next Max Mae Ltd board meeting one presumes.
Earlier this week, Ryan Reynolds kicked off on Twitter about not being able to stream Wrexham games in the US so that a new audience, off the back of their FX/Disney+ documentary which was released this month, can watch live.
The co-owner of Wrexham posted to his 20.1m followers: “After months of maximum effort, the decision (through inaction of the @Vanarama National League) to not allow domestic/international streaming of matches of Wrexham and the other clubs in the league is truly baffling. It deprives every team in our league of the chance to expand the fanbase, while adding to league revenue benefits everyone.”
Timing on this one’s all a bit odd isn’t it?
Anyway, the National League Board, on which YTFC owner Scott Priestnall sits, have issued a joint statement on the National League website today.
Many will be aware of the recent comments regarding streaming, and it is important we set out the current position of the Vanarama National League.
Firstly, it is important to remember that we already have a Broadcast Partner, in BT Sports, who currently have the contractual rights to all National League games in a deal that has served the whole league and all its 72 clubs well.
BT are keen to work with the National League to support opportunities for our clubs to generate extra income, as they did during the Covid Pandemic, in the form of streaming.
We have been working intensely for some months to finalise a proposal launch a centralised, fully tested Vanarama National League streaming platform. This proposal goes to the Board for consideration at their meeting on 15th September.
The proposal will recognise that we must respect and protect the status of the league and also BT Sport’s high production values and ensuring an approach which guarantees quality of service and the needs of all our clubs and their fans.
We understand the desire from some clubs, who find themselves in a position to stream independently and we respect that, however there is a requirement for the League to protect and provide a solution for all three divisions.
We will always take into account the views of individual clubs, but it is imperative that we look after the interests of 72 member clubs and doing as much as we can to deliver income, profile and support for all.
The commercial arm of the League have been simultaneously seeking partners for the delivery and commercialisation of a streaming platform. The League has the support of Vanarama and BT Sport in ensuring we deliver the needs of all our Clubs.
There are challenges in supplying a product that can be used by everyone, whilst ensuring compliance with Article 48.
The Board will consider the proposal in full, and that will include the timetable for its introduction.
Basically, we’ve got a partner, we’ve got a lot of clubs to think about, the quality needs to be the same across the three leagues, we’ll think about it.
Yeovil Town manager Chris Hargreaves has expressed a lack of ‘killer instinct’ in his side saw ten man Wealdstone hold the Glovers at bay for more than 80 minutes.
Yeovil, who actually extended a mini unbeaten run to three with the 0-0 draw, have been left wondering what might have been after a missed penalty and no fewer than four goal line clearances prevented a second win on the bounce.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game he said;
“They [Wealdstone] played with 10 men on Saturday and beat Gateshead so we knew that they’d be dogged.
I’ve played in those games myself as a player and its sometimes difficult to break a really tight formation down. We just didn’t have that creativity to do that today.
I showed my frustration to the players after the final whistle, but again I said that in the main they’ve done things we’ve asked them to do in facts of physicality and running and pressing and closing but just not quite enough creativity in that final third.”
Hargreaves made a positive changes throughout with Charlie Wakefield introduced at half time with Jake Scrimshaw and Callum Rowe also brought on in attacking roles, but it wasn’t to be.
“Charlie’s had a really good start to the season and then been frustrated with injury. It is sometimes difficult to make a mark against a really organised, tight two banks of four, but we didn’t mix the game up enough by drifting in and asking the fullback a question.
That’s the disappointment that we didn’t have that guile to ask them a question with 2 v 1s when that’s the whole reason we changed the shape.”
“The messages at half time were to switch play quickly, hope that someone turns off, which inevitably they do when they’re tired and then you’re either in on goal or able to cross the ball. It didn’t materialise and were disappointed, definitely”
Best chance of all though, fell to the feet of Malachi Linton, who put his penalty into the car park, Hargreaves said he was happy to back his striker from the spot.
“I always have in my mind that if you’re the most confident person on that pitch to take a penalty and you believe you’re going to score then you take it.
What I’ve said in the changing room will remain in the changing room, but for Mal he’s scored two fantastic goals already, he wont stop running, he’s brave as a lion and he didn’t mean to miss it.”
“I’ve got no proiblem with him missing chances and missing penalties, he’ll be the most disappointed out of anybody so he doesn’t need reminding of that. If we do score, we win the game but its a point that we reluctantly accept.
There’s been a few words in the changing room from the experienced lads because they want more and im pleased to see that. There’s been a bit of anger in there, no problem, that means they care.”
The Glovers host York City next weekend and will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run to four.
Chris Hargreaves is up and running!
After three points at home against Dagenham and Redbridge, Ben, Dave and Ian talk about Yeovil’s first victory of the season, build up to Wealdstone today and we take listener questions.
The first win is on the board for Chris Hargreaves. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t convincing, but who cares?! They all count. Here are Ian’s conclusions from yesterday’s 1-0 win.
We showed that we’ve got defensive resilience. Chris Hargreaves made some changes bringing in Alfie Pond and Ben Richards-Everton and it worked. The second half was an exercise in attack versus defence and marshalled by the impressive Josh Staunton, the Glovers kept free-flowing Dagenham at bay. They defended resolutely against a barrage of of corners. It was talked about in the build up to the game about the importance of seeing matches out and the players delivered for the manager, keeping a clean sheet and getting that all important first three points!
It was a captain’s performance from Josh Staunton. With Alfie Pond making his debut, and Ben Richards-Everton returning from injury after three matches out, all eyes were on Josh Staunton to be the rock at the back. His performance was probably the best of the season so far. He saw the danger that Josh Walker was causing in the first half and took it upon himself to make sure Walker wasn’t allowed to do it in the second half. When the Glovers had to defend successive corners, Staunton was in the thick of things, putting his body on the line ensuring that Dagenham didn’t get an equaliser.
We’ve got a player in Alfie Pond. There’s a long way to go in Alfie Pond’s career, and as an 18-year-old he will have bad games at some point, but yesterday he looked the part. He had an early duel against one of the League’s best strikers in Paul McCallum which set the tone for his day. He was calm in possession of the ball, won his battles in the air and looked more than ready for the rigours of the National League. Having kept a clean sheet with Max Hunt dropped and Morgan Williams at wingback, there is plenty of competition for places at Huish Park at the moment.
We seemed to show a lack of urgency at times. I’m not sure if it was our defensive focus, but we certainly sacrificed some of the Harg-Ball in favour of being secure. Before we took the lead through Jamie Reckord, there were groans at the lack of urgency and unwillingness to play forward, but our patience paid off and we got what turned out to be the winner. But in the second half, when we were really under pressure, I felt like we never got going and when we did have the ball we took our time to move it forward. It paid off in the end and we got the win but it would have been a little more comfortable…wouldn’t it?
It’s time to push on. We’ve got the first win in the bank now, on Friday we secured two new signings and we’re at a stage where we’ve got genuine depth and competition in each position. We travel to Wealdstone tomorrow and welcome York to Huish Park this coming Saturday and if we’re going to be a side that flirts with the playoffs, we should be getting six-points from those two games. We’ll have to deal with the absences of Charlie Wakefield, Sam Pearson and possibly Lawson D’Ath, but as we showed today we’ve got options. Hopefully we can get on a bit of run, build some confidence and some convincing victories on the way.
