Ian Perkins (Page 84)

After opening day defeat at Scunthorpe, we’re back to bring joy to your Monday morning and revisit everything about Saturday’s 2-1 defeat.

 


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The National League season kicked off yesterday and there were some eye-catching results!

Dale Gorman made his debut for Barnet in a 2-0 win at the Hive against FC Halifax Town. A 90th minute equaliser from Junior Morias salvaged a point for Dagenham & Redbridge as they came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against League new boys Gateshead.

Chesterfield had two players sent off in their 2-2 draw at Dorking, and Boreham Wood won 1-0 on the road at Southend and had two players sent off too. Ten-man Maidstone earned a 1-1 draw against Altrincham. Torquay and relegated Oldham drew 0-0 at Plainmoor.

Two Yeovil old boys were on the scoresheet for Wealdstone in their 3-2 win against Bromley. Olufela Olomola and Rhys Browne both scored for the Stones. Omar Sowumni also scored for Bromley.

Darren Sarll got off to a losing start with Woking as the Cardinals fell 2-0 away at York.

Wrexham showed title-winning credentials coming back from 1-0 to earn an opening day 2-1 win at home to Eastleigh. 

Notts County and Solihull Moors might have set the bar, though. County comfortable despatched Maidenhead 3-0 and the Moors demolished Aldershot 4-1.

Chris Hargreaves’ first match as manager ended in defeat at Scunthorpe this evening and he was disappointed with the result but praised the bravery of his players – and reiterated the need for additions.

Speaking to the BBC’s Sheridan Robins, the manager said: “[I’m] disappointed, so are the lads, bitterly disappointed. I think we did enough. We changed the shape, maybe we were a little bit on the backfoot [in the] first half, just too protective. A lot of lads probably just on a fine line between being able to play or not. They did well to even be on the pitch a couple of them.”

The Glovers went 2-0 down before Jamie Reckord scored a consolation and they certainly created chances to find an equaliser. Hargreaves thought once his side were calmer, they improved.

“It was an okay performance, once we go the belief and once we were calmer on the ball and switched play and did what we’ve done in a lot of the pre season training sessions and games. We looked excellent, we looked a threat, we looked like we had width, we looked like we were going to score a second goal.

“I’m baffled as to why we couldn’t get on the end of one of the crosses, numerous corners, chances. It was front-foot football and I always reference the fans at the end of a game cos they usually tell you what they done and I have to thank them for their support today, they were absolutely brilliant.”

Jacob Butterfield’s second half strike was one that the defence will not want to watch back, and the manager admitted it was a poor goal to concede.

“I think the second goal was a killer, really, because of the backing off. We lost the ball when we probably think we’re in good possession. We’ve still got to react, we’ve still got to get back in numbers and some point someone’s got to transition to go and press and try and affect the ball and we didn’t, so that was really poor from us,” he said.


Following the departure of Tom Knowles on Thursday, there is a clear need for additions in the squad and Hargreaves is determined to add.

He said: “I’m still going to be on the phone all next week, because we want to add to what we’ve got, we’ve got to add to the quality we have, we just need a little bit more to be able to go into a full season with a squad of real depth.”

When asked by our very own Ben Barrett about if he was looking to add experience to his squad, Hargreaves said: “Experience costs a lot of money, in the main, and we have to cut our cloth to our own club and our own finances. And, I maintain that we cant be frivolous because you can’t exist as a football club because someone’s got to put the money in and it’s a lot of money to run a football club. I would love millions of pounds, everybody would. But, the reality is, we want to be competitive with what we have, and we were today.

“So we’ve got to get that recruitment right and try and get the players in. And I can assure you that 24/7 for the last six weeks I have tried to do that. Its fallen through a couple of times at the last minute which is disappointing, which happens, but lets hope it doesn’t fall through next week,” he added.


  • One notable absentee was Lawson D’Ath, who has had a reoccurrence of a previous injury. Hargreaves said he was hoping to get Lawson back training more intensely towards the end of next week.

Venue: Glanford Park
Saturday August 6th, 5:20pm kick-off

Conditions: Sunny Scunny – no seriously!
Pitch: Green….all over.

Attendance: 3,131 (141 away supporters)

Scorers: Andrew Boyce 25 (0-1), Jacob Butterfield 62 (0-2), Jamie Reckord (1-2)

Bookings: Grivosti 90+5
Sendings off: None

Referee: Scott Tallis



Yeovil Town
: (3-5-2)

Grant Smith

 Morgan Williams, Max Hunt, Ben Richards-Everton,

Charlie Wakefield, Sam Perry (for Sam Pearson, 66), Josh Staunton, Matt Worthington, Jamie Reckord

Alex Fisher (for Matt Grivosti, 83) , Malachi Linton

Substitutes (not used): Will Buse, Chiori Johnson, Oliver Craske.

 

Scunthorpe United: Dewhurst, Ogle, O’Malley, Boyce, Taft, Daniel (for Carver, 73), Whitehouse, Feeney, Butterfield, Beestin (for Gallimore, 80), Nuttall (for Wilson, 90+4). Substitutes (not used): Lewis, Rowe.

 


Match Report

Two pieces of defending which defied belief saw Yeovil Town fall to a 2-1 defeat at Scunthorpe United on the opening day of the National League season.

Having given giant Iron centre half Andrew Boyce the freedom of the box to head home the opener with 26 minutes gone, the Glovers gifted Jacob Butterfield the freedom of Glanford Park to smash home the second on the hour.

The first half was utterly abject from the visitors with a five-man defence with Charlie Wakefield and Jamie Reckord operating as wing backs repeatedly pulled apart by the home side, playing their first game since relegation out of League Two in May.

Glovers’ boss Chris Hargreaves responded with a change of shape with Wakefield and Reckord given more licence to go forward and, albeit with a low bar to reach, the second was an improvement with Reckord pulling a goal back on 74 minutes to set up an interesting finish.

Here’s how Dave saw it from his vantage point in the away end in Lincolnshire…..

First half

After a shaky opening few seconds, a long ball forward from Max Hunt set Malachi Linton away on two minutes, his ball in dropped to Jamie Reckord, up from left wing-back, to lash one wide from the angle.

Two minutes later, the hosts worked an opening down their left with Charlie Wakefield and Morgan Williams found wanting and the ball dropped to Alfie Beestin whose effort was tipped over by Grant Smith.

What could at best be described as half-chances fell to Linton and Reckord at one end whilst Beestin’s effort from the edge of the box did little more than warm Smith’s palms.

The back five certainly looked stretched at times with Wakefield exposed on a number of occasions and on 13 minutes Reagan Ogle got the better of him to whip a ball in from the right and Andrew Boyce had a free header which went just wide.

There was what can only be described as ‘a full and frank exchange of views’ between Wakefield and Smith following. Perhaps asking quite what Charlie was doing at right wing back!

Unsurprisingly, when Scunthorpe found a breakthrough on 25 minutes it was from the left albeit Wakefield was not in attendance. Instead a free-kick broke out to the flank where Mason O’Malley delivered in and BOYCE rose highest to head home. The visitors’ defence certainly couldn’t say they didn’t see the giant centre half coming!

In the words of Adam Virgo (Gloverscast #182): “If you can’t defend set pieces in this division, you are going to struggle.” I’m not saying we can’t, but we definitely didn’t this time.

Wakefield lashed one over and Beestin (loves a shot from outside the box, that lad) has another from distance, before Wakefield popped up further forward on 34 minutes. Linton’s positive play found him on the right side of the box but he dragged his effort wide. Good chance.

A Reckord header that was comfortably held after Josh Staunton scooped a ball in to the box with two minutes of the half remaining was as good as it got for Yeovil.

It is difficult to know quite what to say. Defence looked like it hadn’t played together. Midfield bypassed. Up front….well, Linton or Alex Fisher barely saw the ball. The only positive I can find is it is only half-time in the first game of the season.

 Half time:  Scunthorpe United 1 Yeovil Town 0

Second half

Having come out first after the interval (difficult to check for fleas in ears from this range) there was a change of shape and some more impetus from Yeovil going forward, though the hosts did seem to have less of a spring in their step.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the change in shape saw Wakefield further forward and looking far more dangerous with Williams offering more cover on the right side and therefore looking more solid. If that is the last we see if that experiment, I will be quite happy.

On 56 minutes, the ball was worked out wide to Wakefield who beat his man and got in to the box to put a ball across the six-yard box. There was no-one there to apply a finishing touch, but Reckord was on his backside protesting inside the box. Have to rely on VAR for that one.

Shortly after the hour mark the home side doubled their advantage. From my vantage point at the other end of Glanford Park, I watched Jacob BUTTERFIELD pick the ball up in midfield and proceed to run in a gap as wide as the pitch and unleash a thunderous effort past Smith. The defending (if I can call it that) was absolutely criminal.

On 66 minutes, Perry limped off after a hefty tackle and was replaced by fellow loanee Sam Pearson, whose first effort saw his left-wing cross land on top of the net.

The most frustrating thing about that weak second goal was that it came after a much improved performance from Yeovil. I know, it couldn’t have been much worse.

But on 74 minutes, Linton got the ball forward with real positivity and the ball broke to RECKORD who coolly slotted home his first goal for the club. It was nothing less than the visitors deserved.

Three minutes later Fisher stretched but could not quite get on the end of a Worthington ball across the box. Then, on 88 minutes a great free-kick in from Worthington found Hunt sliding in and his connection was turned aside by Dewhurst in the Iron goal.

With Yeovil pressing forward in search of an equaliser, space (yes, even more of it) was left for Scunthorpe and they nearly made the visitors’ pay when Feeney and Butterfield combined for the letter’s shot to be turned over the bar by Smith.

Although improved in the second half, there was still plenty to cause concern for those travelling back to Somerset – and, of course, boss Chris Hargreaves.

Full time:  Scunthorpe United 2 Yeovil Town 1


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Chris Hargreaves has named his first National League side of the season to face Scunthorpe United with a side that probably picked itself.

There are debuts for Ben Richards-Everton, Sam Perry, Jamie Reckord, Malachi Linton and Alex Fisher (again) and a very youthful looking bench of loanees and Chiori Johnson.

It looks like Charlie Wakefield and Reckord start at wingbacks with a back three of Richards-Everton, Morgan Williams and Max Hunt.

Grant Smith, Morgan Williams, Max Hunt, Ben Richards-Everton, Charlie Wakefield, Sam Perry, Josh Staunton, Matt Worthington, Jamie Reckord, Alex Fisher, Malachi Linton

Substitutes: Buse, Johnson, Craske, Pearson, Grivosti

The pre-reason promise, optimism and excitement has come to a head and we’re ready and raring to go for Saturday’s 5:20pm kick off at Scunthorpe United.

This is Yeovil Town FC, of course, so hours before our big season preview the news broke that we’d sold our best player (#DFILWF) 48 hours before the season opener. Needless to say, we had plenty to say, and so did our National League expert/former Yeovil Town defender, Adam Virgo!


Thanks for listening!

Remember to add Gloverscast.co.uk to your favourites and check the website daily for the latest news from Huish Park.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook and please leave us a review and share the pod with a pal.

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Throughout June we asked supporters of Yeovil Town FC to fill out our survey to share their views on the club and we’re delighted to share the results back with you on the slides below.

Thanks to Ben Sharpless for taking a look through the data and picking out some key points and thanks to the 499 of you who completed the first ever survey we’ve run. Here’s to next year and getting over 500.


 

[pdf-embedder url=”https://gloverscast.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/21_22-Survey-Findings.pdf” title=”21_22 Survey Findings”]

You can download the slides from here.

 

On today’s episode of the Gloverscast, Ian and Ben are joined by YTFC’s Strength and Conditioning coach Scott Wickens!

Scott takes us through what pre-season looks like at Huish Park, how his role has developed and gives us a fascinating insight into the level of detail that the club are going into with the squad’s preparation for the season ahead.

Plus, we talk Dorchester, Sam Pearson, Weston-super-Mare and take your GCQs.

Yeovil Town have confirmed the signing of Sam Pearson from Bristol City on an initial one-month loan.

The attacker has made five appearances for Bristol City in the Championship since debuting in March 2021 and spent time on loan at Inverness Caledonian Thistle earlier this year.

The 20-year-old Welshman has also been capped by by Wales at an U21 level.

Image courtesy of BCFC.co.uk

Speaking to YTFC.net, Pearson said: “I’m delighted to be here. I got a text the other week about coming here, now it’s about trying to play in as many games as I can and helping the team progress. 

“The first time I spoke to the manager was yesterday, he called me when I was having my haircut! He sounds nice and willing to help me progress, so that’s why I’m here!”

Chris Hargreaves adde: “Sam is an exciting young player who adds a new element to our squad. He comes from a strong background at Bristol City and already has first team experience under his belt.”

Pearson also made 17 appearances for Bath City in the 19/20 season, before a loan at W*ymouth at the start of 20/21 season which was cut short due to the travel between Cardiff and W*ymouth. (Of all the places to commute to!)

Speaking at the time, then ‘muff manager Brian Stock said: “He’s a young lad [he was 18 at the time], he lives in Cardiff. He’s found the travelling and commitment at his age a bit of a struggle. It’s proving too much too soon for him. He’s an exciting prospect and I’m upset to lose him.”

Good luck at Yeovil Town Sam – let’s hope we have you for more than a month!