It’s time for the second annual Glovies! Voted for by you (and Morgan Williams’ mates!) we go through the results of the public votes and we sprinkle in a few of our own.
We do talk about Wealdstone, Boreham Wood and You Know Who too.
Charlie Lee joined the riders on Day Four and he spoke to Elliot about the challenging day and what it was like playing with – and against – Lee Collins.
On the May edition of the Glovers Past, Ben and Dave speak to Glovers goalkeeping (and scoring!) hero Chris Weale about his times at Huish Park.
We’ve got another update from the Get Pedalling 22 team on day three of their #milesforminds ride.
Elliot speaks to Nathan Lewis about why he’s taking part.
Charlie Lee credited Wealdstone’s defensive performance following Yeovil’s 0-0 draw at Huish Park.
Speaking to the BBC, Yeovil Town’s Interim Manager said his side just couldn’t find that little bit of magic to break the deadlock.
“As we say about this group, they run, they try, they give everything and today they just couldn’t unlock a team who, to be fair, were excellent with ten men. That was also a team (Wealdstone) who’s not given up on the season. They put their bodies on the line and they were really hard. Lots of teams have found it hard to play against ten men before, and they were very good at it, so you’ve got to give a lot of credit to them.”
Alex Reid was given a straight red card for a tackle on Sonny Blu Lo-Everton in the 37th minute and the second half saw a dominant Yeovil struggle to break through. Despite early attacking substitutions, a familiar pattern emerged against a team below the Glovers.
Lee said: “Everything that we tried it just didn’t work. It’s a day when you just need that little bit of magic to unlock and the game changes. We just didn’t find that today.
We had plenty of attacking threat on the pitch at numerous times [and] we went very attacking with our formations. We had two defenders on at the end and everyone else playing forward. We’ve got to unlock teams, you’ve gotta find a way and that’s what we didn’t do.
“We’re disappointed that we haven’t managed to score. It’s happened to us a few times, well quite a lot actually, throughout the whole season, so it’s something that I’ve got to look at and see what we can maybe do better.”
A growing trend for Yeovil this season has been the lack of goals from set pieces. The Glovers win plenty in promising areas but fail to capitalise on those opportunities. Lee, who was coy on the stats, said: “We haven’t scored enough from set pieces, that’s clear. A set piece today changes the game. They have to come out and you end up getting two and three because you can get them on the counter attack. It’s a group effort, you defend as a team and you score as a team, and we did one really well today and maybe not the other.”
With no midweek action, the Glovers host Boreham Wood this coming Saturday in the final home fixture of the season.
It’s time for the weekly YeoGov poll. This week we want to know if you think Yeovil have underachieved, overachieved (by Unity?) or are about where you expected them to be.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.Last week we asked if you supported the SSDC’s deal to purchase Huish Park.
170 people cast their vote with 118 (69%) saying no, 32 (19%) saying they didn’t know, and 20 (12%) saying yes. There are still things for SSDC and YTFC to clear up on that one then.
Yeovil didn’t have enough to find their way through ten-man Wealdstone on Bank Holiday Monday. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions from the John Lukins press box at Huish Park.
Up until the red card, Wealdstone looked in the mood. The North-London side took control of possession early on and carried themselves with purpose, zipping the ball around Huish Park. They looked comfortable in and out of possession and should have taken the lead in the first half after missing a flurry of chances in the six yard box. They showed that being part time can mean little in the National League and they played like a team well worth their spot in the division.
It was the same old story against a team below us. If Saturday was a similar story against a team towards the top, yesterday’s was the same against a team below us. Once again this Yeovil side couldn’t break down a resilient defence and failed to create anything meaningful. Half chances for Josh Neufville and Jack Robinson alongside pot-shots from distance never overly troubled Wealdstone and but for Grant Smith’s flying save from Jack Cook’s effort, the Stones could have taken all three points.
It was nice to see both fullbacks getting forward. Jack Robinson’s return from injury moved Morgan ‘Mr Versatile’ Williams to fullback and for what feels like the first time in a long time, we saw both Robinson and Williams get high up the pitch and give Wealdstone’s wingbacks something to think about. While we never found a winner, it felt like with fullbacks flying forward we caused more problems than we have in previous fixtures when we’ve been chasing a goal.
Despite throwing players forward, we never looked like we’d find a goal. After the red card, I felt like it was a perfect opportunity for Lawson D’Ath, Matty Worthington and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton to take control of that midfield battle and show what creativity they have to offer. Despite flashes of skill from Lo-Everton he wasn’t able to unlock the defence from his ‘number ten’ position. Sonny has definitely grown over his time at Yeovil and he’s come on leaps and bounds from his first outing and with experience he’ll find the right key in those positions. But for now, we’re left with the disappointment of ‘what could have been?’
Can we get this season over and done with? 2021/22 has dragged on and I couldn’t be more ready for it to end and the preparation for the next season to begin. There’s a hell of a lot to sort out in the boardroom, in the dugout and on the pitch and the sooner it’s sorted the better. The crowd at Huish Park was flat, the weather was dull and the football was about as mid-table as it gets. Let’s all get to the beach and figure it out over a Thatchers.
On Day 2 of #milesforminds, Elliot chats to YTFC’s Commercial Manager Mark Robinson about a tricky second day, plus Mark tells Elliot why he’s taking part in Get Pedalling 22.
You can donate to Mark’s JustGiving page here.
Listen to their chat below.
Morgan Williams admitted this afternoon’s performance at Halifax wasn’t Yeovil Town’s best, but is happy with how first season in mens’ football has gone.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sheridan Robins, the centre back turned left back said: “I thought we did well in spells. Today wasn’t our best game or our best performance as a team, but obviously teams don’t always perform to the best of their abilities. We just dug in deep and it was cruel at the end to concede that goal.”
He added that the afternoon followed a similar pattern to other fixtures this season.
“We’re a hardworking team, we’re a good team. In times this season it’s not quite fell for us. So like we concede in the last five minutes or whatever it was, I think that’s kind of been the story of the season. Conceding late goals and not getting that luck that you need to get in the top six or promotion sides.”
Williams has enjoyed a lot of time in the starting line up this season. Having initially been seen as centre back, he’s cemented himself as the club’s steadiest left-back with some strong performances in an unnatural position.
“I’m happy with my performances over the last few games. For a first season in men’s football, I’m happy with how it’s gone and hopefully next season I can play more games.”
Williams is the only contracted player (that we know of) for next season, and he hopes that some of his teammates stay with the Glovers next seeason and push on.
“We’re all close as friends, on and off the pitch. It would be good to keep the core of the team and push on next season and hopefully get playoffs and promotion.”
He’s a glass half full kinda guy isn’t he?
Despite some positives, Charlie Lee was disappointed with his side’s 1-0 defeat at Halifax this afternoon.
Speaking to BBC’s Sheridan Robins, the Glovers’ Interim Manager was proud of his side’s work ethic, but bemoaned their sloppiness on the ball. He also felt there was a foul on Dale Gorman in the build up to the Shaymen’s 83rd minute winner.
Lee said: “As ever I was proud of the work ethic. I think we’re all a bit disappointed with how we played on the ball, it was sloppy, especially in the first half. For long periods in the second half they [Halifax] didn’t know what to do and they didn’t look like creating any changes. If anything we looked like we was going to get them on the counter.
“I think its a foul on Gormo [Dale Gorman]. I think its quite an easy decision to be honest and obviously we’re completely open once he makes the foul, and for a refereeing decision to cost us a counter attack and a goal when we were really solid, we’re a bit disappointed. But, I feel like we probably should have made some of our counter attacks count and then it’s a whole different game anyway,” he added.
Of the penalty incidents in the first half, the manager admitted he didn’t see a foul on Luke Wilkinson, but felt that Reuben Reid should have had a penalty as it would have been a foul anywhere else on the pitch.
Lee said there were positives but he wont find happiness in defeat, adding: “I can tell you in the changing room, they’re not happy with how the game went.”
He also clarified that Grant Smith, who took a nasty tumble in the first half was ‘absolutely fine.’
