James Graham

Yeovil Town Bag NINE in Bideford Rout

Match Round Up

Bideford AFC 0-9 Yeovil Town Women

Yeovil Town Women recorded their first league win in devastating style, as they hammered Bideford by nine goals to nil to get their league campaign up and running. The match saw first goals for Orla East and Ava Beattie, as well as a hat-trick for Niamh Nicholls, a brace for Becky Miles and goals for Abbie Carslake and captain Jess Hodge.

Paul Knight made one change to the team who enjoyed FA Cup success the previous week, as last season’s top scorer Niamh Nicholls replaced Terri Will.

After an intense start Yeovil had to wait just ten minutes before opening the scoring, Abbie Carslake opened her league account to give the Glovers the lead, making it two goals in two weeks.

Ten minutes later Yeovil’s lead was doubled, courtesy of captain Jess Hodge, to strengthen the visitors’ grip on the affair.

A dominant first half concluded with Niamh Nicholls scoring her first goal of the season, giving Yeovil clear daylight going into the break.

The Glovers began the second half in a similar fashion to how they finished the first, as substitute Orla East scored her first goal for the club to make it four.

As the half progressed Yeovil refused to let up, as Becky Miles secured her third and fourth goals of the league season, as she struck a four-minute brace to rub salt in Bideford wounds.

Following this, Ava Beattie converted her first goal in green and white to give the Glovers seven after 75 minutes.

The final goals of the afternoon arrived in the final five minutes of normal time, as Niamh Nicholls scored twice to secure a hat-trick in her first league start of the season.

That’s what they said

Yeovil Town Women manager Paul Knight spoke after the victory.

Paul began,

“It was a good game from the girls, a bit more like our way of playing, the game plan today was just to get at them and get our league campaign going. The conditions have been awful here today for everyone, really high winds, a lot of rain which affects the play. The scoreline’s quite high and we got the job done.”

Paul expressed how he still wants more from his team in front of goal,

“We’re not quite there yet in all honesty, the girls will think that I’m being hard on them, it’s a big win today but as a coach you have to look at the areas which in the big games are going to cost us and not get us results that we want. This should have been a double figure game and we’re still missing opportunities in front of goal.”

Ahead of next week,

“We’re back on home turf, we like our home ground, the pitch conditions are good, which plays to our advantage. I said last week we’ve got the bit between our teeth, we just have to take it week by week and try and get results.”

Paul Knight answers the questions after a 9-0 win over Bideford yesterday afternoon #YTFC 💚 pic.twitter.com/seZkyuoPqN

— Yeovil Town Women FC (@YTWomenFC) September 30, 2024

Match Action

YouTube highlights haven’t yet been made available, if they do’ll we’ll pop them in here.

Up Next

Yeovil Town Women return to action next week as they host Weston Super Mare at Alvington 14:00 KO.

Yeovil Town Women Progress In FA Cup

Match Round Up

Yeovil Town Women advanced in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup after a penalty shootout triumph against Pucklechurch Ladies. The visitors overcame the Glovers in the same competition last season, however Paul Knight’s side made amends in this year’s competition.

Paul Knight made three changes to the eleven who lost last time out at Helston, as Charlotte Johnson started in goal, Jess Hodge returned to the side and Laura Wensley made her full debut for the club.
The first decent chance of the match came to Yeovil as Becky Miles crossed in for Hodge who was unable to steer her effort on target.
Despite the hosts’ early pressure, it was Pucklechurch who opened the scoring via their number 7, who converted following a cross.
Yeovil went in at the break a goal down.

Similarly to last week’s fixture, Yeovil desired a quick start in the second half and it took them 12 minutes to earn a goal back.
Midfielder Abbie Carslake fired the equaliser in for the Glovers, opening her account for the season.
Yeovil continued to push throughout the second half but were unable to find the winner against a well organised Pucklechurch outfit.
The tie would go straight to penalties, with the hosts winning 4-3 following the spot-kicks. Terri Will, Niamh Nicholls, Charlotte Johnson and Ava Beattie all scored their penalties, with goalkeeper Charlotte Johnson being the hero of the shootout, saving Pucklechurch’s fifth
effort.

Johnson’s penalty heroics earnt her the Player of the Match award.

Heart break in the @AdobeWFACup 💔

Good luck @YTWomenFC in the next round 💚 pic.twitter.com/FKQVNBEkDc

— Pucklechurch Sports Ladies (@puckleladies) September 23, 2024

That’s what they said

Paul Knight spoke after his side’s victory in the FA Cup and began by providing his thoughts on the tie;

“I thought the girls dug deep, played well, I thought they deserved the win. I think we could have taken the win in normal time, we’ve come back from a bit of a shaky few weeks, where on the pitch I felt that we won the games, especially the one two weeks ago. We commanded the game today, we were better in the second half, a lot of opportunities from a statistics point of view, it was just the final third where we were slightly lacking”.

On the penalty shootout,

“Penalty shootouts are never nice, we would have rather have gone to extra time, as we felt like we were about to pinch it any minute. We haven’t practiced it for a while so fair play to the players today”.

Ahead of next week Paul said,

“Our season started today quite simply, I said this to the team, it had to start today. We need to put everything behind us, all the little niggles, the backroom stuff, it’s crept in a little bit.

The players knew they needed to step up today, next week we’re back in league action, we’ve got the bit between our teeth and I think you’re going to see a bit more of the old Yeovil play”.

Paul Knight shares his comments after our penalty shoot-out win which sends us through to the next round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup#YTFC 💚 pic.twitter.com/3FK78WS43Z

— Yeovil Town Women FC (@YTWomenFC) September 23, 2024

Match Action

YouTube highlights haven’t yet been made available, if they do’ll we’ll pop them in here.

Up Next

Yeovil Town Women return to action on Sunday 29 th September, as they travel to Bideford AFC 14:00 KO.

Yeovil Town Women’s unbeaten league record brought to an end

Match Round Up

Yeovil Town Women suffered their first league defeat since the reformation of the team on Sunday, as Cornish outfit Helston Athletic overcame the Glovers 3-1

Paul Knight made three changes to the starting eleven who drew with Sticker on matchday one, as Emily Hall replaced Les Spearing in goal, as well as Georgia Coles and Terri Will replacing Ava Beattie and Becca McManus.

Yeovil’s outing in Cornwall did not get off to an ideal start, as the hosts opened the scoring within four minutes. Beky Storey was the goal scorer, with Sasha Sparkes providing the assist to give Helston a dream start.

Unable to produce a response to Helston’s quick start, Yeovil were punished for a second time two minutes later, as the hosts’ lead was doubled, courtesy of Roxi Cook.

Despite the Glovers beginning to grow into the game as the half progressed, Helston added a third on the half-hour mark to rub salt in the visitors’ wounds.

Yeovil’s first 45 minutes away from home in the Regen Arable Division 1 South finished with the score at 3-0.

With a meaningful response being a requirement in the second half for Yeovil, they could not have asked for a better beginning, as Becky Miles pulled one back after a minute in the second period. This was Miles’ second goal in as many games.

46 | GOALL! Becky Miles pulls one back for the Glovers!

🔵3-1🧤#YTFC 💚 pic.twitter.com/JPPoBe2gBC

— Yeovil Town Women FC (@YTWomenFC) September 15, 2024

Despite a gallant effort in the second half Yeovil were unable to retain their unbeaten league record since the reformation of the club. It must be considered that the away trip to Helston is the furthest of the season, and considerably further than the club have ever had to travel for a match since the team was reformed.

The result leaves the Glovers with one point from their first two games in regional football and consequently 5^th in the table.

South West Regional Womens Football League

HELSTON 3-1 Yeovil Town Women FC #COYB 💙💙💙 pic.twitter.com/67psanh3xa

— Helston AFC Women (@HelstonWomen) September 15, 2024

Match Action

Match Snaps

A huge thank you to JQ Photography who has allowed us permission to use a few photos from the game.

Up Next

Yeovil Town Women return to action on Sunday as their focus switches to the FA Cup. The Glovers host Pucklechurch in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Second Round Qualifying, the Bristol side knocked them out of the competition last season. 14:00 KO Alvington.

🏆 FA CUP – 2RQ 🏆

The tie has been drawn and in a repeat of last year’s FA Cup fixture we face @YTWomenFC

🆚️ @YTWomenFC
🏆 @AdobeWFACup
📍 Alvington Lane, BA22 8UX
📅 22nd Sept
🕑 2:00 PM

Pucklechurch love a cup run, come and get behind us as we enter the FA Cup 💚 pic.twitter.com/Q3iCQlkE0p

— Pucklechurch Sports Ladies (@puckleladies) September 4, 2024

Yeovil Town Women held to draw in first league outing of 2024/25

Match Round Up

Yeovil Town Women were held to a point in their season opener in the Regen Arable South West Regional Division One South.
The Glovers took on Sticker, a side based in St Austell Cornwall, who left Yeovil with a hard earned point, as the hosts struggled to capitalise in the final third.

Paul Knight’s first league lineup of the season saw a league debut handed to defender Katie Evans, as well as a first start for youngster Ava Beattie. New signing Orla East was named on the bench and Les Spearing started in goal for the first time in her Yeovil career.

The Glovers began life in a new division in perfect style as Becky Miles opened her league account and gave her side the lead. An impressive individual effort saw Miles bypass multiple players before converting to give Yeovil the dream start.

11 | GOALLL! Some great work from Miles who gets past players and fires the ball into the net to give us a lead.

🧤1-0🟡 pic.twitter.com/lWekjFQlOU

— Yeovil Town Women FC (@YTWomenFC) September 8, 2024

Despite this, the advantage lasted virtually no time, as Sticker equalised immediately, squaring it back up within seconds of Miles’ goal.

Yeovil responded positively and pushed to regain their lead, as the goal-scorer Miles had her next best effort of the game in the 21st minute, her long range strike fizzed wide of the post.

Soon after this the visitors completed a 12 minute turn around and scored again to put themselves ahead.

As the match edged closer to half time, Yeovil sought a response and nearly got one, as a headed effort resulting from a corner, was cleared off the line by a Sticker defender.

The Glovers thought their persistence in front of goal had been rewarded minutes before the interval, as last season’s top scorer Niamh Nicholls found the net, however the linesman’s flag ensured that Sticker went in at the break one goal to the good.

Yeovil continued to attack Sticker’s low-block throughout the second half, and were rewarded with an equaliser as usual goalkeeper Emily Hall converted a penalty. After last season’s consistent penalty woes, Hall has proved to be effective from the spot.

55 | GOALLL! Goalkeeper Emily Hall scores a penalty to draw us level

🧤2-2🟡#YTFC 💚 pic.twitter.com/mJ1Y6zL1el

— Yeovil Town Women FC (@YTWomenFC) September 8, 2024

Despite dominating possession and relentless attempts to break down a rigid Sticker block, Yeovil were unable to find a winning goal and the points were shared in the league opener.

That’s What They Said

Yeovil Town Women manager Paul Knight spoke post-match:

Paul began, “It’s not the ideal start to the season, we’ve drawn to a side which we should not have drawn to today in all honesty. Due to weather conditions we are not playing at our home ground, it’s a smaller pitch, I don’t want to make excuses but it’s just one of those. It’s very difficult to be negative about the side in terms of performance because  we’ve just pinned the opposition for 45 minutes, they haven’t come out and we scored the goal to give us a draw.”

Knight expressed the disappointment amongst his team to not take all three points,
“The players know that I didn’t want anything less than a win today, they’re disappointed, this is a positive side, there was some good football out there and we completely controlled it. We played against a complete block on a small pitch and to beat a block is quite difficult.”

The manager praised POTM winner Becca McManus, “I think there were moments of brilliance from a lot of different individuals. Becca McManus has won player of the match, I think the main reason for that is her discipline, as her level headedness shone through.”

Finally, Paul reiterated his frustration with the result in Yeovil’s first league match, as his side were not clinical enough, “Going forward, if you were taking stats today, without sounding rude, disrespectful or patronising, we should be in double figures. We can’t miss that many opportunities, it’s not good enough. It’s a good result for Sticker today, they had a game plan and set it out successfully.”

“We reset and we go again next week”.

Match Highlights

Up Next

Yeovil Town Women remain unbeaten in the league since the reforming of the team last season and will be looking to earn their first three points of the season next week, as they make the long journey to Cornwall to face Helston Athletic on Sunday 15^th 14:00 KO .

Our first Home Game of the season and we welcome Yeovil Town Women FC in the South West Regional Womens Football League.

Undefeated in the league since their reformation for the 2023-24 season this should be a good game as they make their ever first appearance at Kellaway Park pic.twitter.com/hDWb0KnA4c

— Helston AFC Women (@HelstonWomen) September 12, 2024

Yeovil Town Women’s rampant returning season was brought to a close in May as Paul Knight’s side confirmed the league and cup double, after Paulton Rovers forfeited the League Cup Final.

Following a season full of positives and notable scorelines, the Glovers will be seeking more success next season as they enter the South West Regional Division One South.

New Opposition… 👀

Following our promotion from the Somerset County League, we step into the South West Regional Division One South and Tier 6! #YTWFC 💚 https://t.co/HkSoxQDOQM pic.twitter.com/I21CPeIKkp

— Yeovil Town Women FC (@YTWomenFC) June 5, 2024

 With this being tier six of the women’s pyramid, a more competitive campaign can be expected next season.

A staggering 98 league goals were scored by Yeovil in the Somerset Division One, which saw them average over five goals per game, additionally, a mere five goals were conceded by the Glovers, with goalkeeper Emily Hall keeping eleven clean sheets in the league.

The worthy winner of the golden boot was Niamh Nicholls, who netted 22 league goals. Nicholls’ most prolific month was November, as she scored at least two in each fixture.

As well as this, Nicholls went on a run of four hat-tricks in a row, in which she also bagged four in a 9-0 triumph over Ilminster.
The Glovers also competed in the Somerset County Cup this season and reached the final, a huge achievement in itself, however they came out second best to higher-level side Keynsham Town.

Yeovil have been no strangers to high-scoring results over the course of the season, as they hit double figures on three different occasions – ten-nil triumphs over Wellington and Sydenham and the 12-0 hammering of Paulton.

There was another double at Yeovil Town Women as youngster Zoe Ball secured both players’ player and managers player awards, as a result of her staunch contribution to the team’s success this season, scoring seven goals.

As well as the successes of the first team in 2023/24, the development team under Ray Bloomfield have also had a taste of success, as they won the Somerset Division Two. Bloomfield’s side finished their campaign with 49 points from a possible 54 and won the league title five points clear of local rivals Pen Mill.

The golden boot was awarded to Sadie Cox, who scored an impressive thirty goals in sixteen league appearances. The development team’s players’ player was awarded to Claire Goodson and the manager’s player went to Lauren Fellman.

Congratulations to our Development Team after securing their league title this afternoon 🏆👏🏼

☑️ First trophy of the season for YTWFC 🤩 pic.twitter.com/3f1dINvpIs

— Yeovil Town Women FC (@YTWomenFC) February 11, 2024

Yeovil Town Women club captain Jess Hodge spoke to the Gloverscast following a successful season personally, despite some injury troubles in the new year.

Jess expressed how much she has enjoyed the season,
“This season has certainly been one to remember, from knowing each other for less than a year to winning 18/18 league games and lifting two trophies at the end is truly special, and us girls and coaches are proud to be a part of this journey”,

On captaining the double winners, Jess said,
“I have loved every second of it. I was initially nervous stepping into the role of captain due to not having a wealth of experience, however, I feel as though I have taken it in my stride, giving everything I can. I really care about the players both on and off the pitch”,

Looking ahead to next season, Jess explained that back-to-back promotions is the target and also explained her personal goals for the 2024/25 campaign,

“We as a team will be looking to get another promotion to continue our growth as a club. My personal goal next season is to increase the intensity around my game in terms of cardio and keeping my muscles healthy to prevent injuries which I have suffered with this season”.

Paul Knight and Ray Bloomfield now look ahead to next season, with both sides entering higher divisions, but with similar aspirations. It has also been announced that the women’s setup will have an under-18 team from next season, another example of the growing nature of the women’s set up at Yeovil Town Football Club.

All award winners:
First team:
Golden boot – Niamh Nicholls
Players’ player – Zoe Ball
Manager’s player – Zoe Ball

Development team:
Golden boot – Sadie Cox
Players’ player – Claire Goodson
Manager’s player – Lauren Fellman

Other awards:
Clubwoman Award – Emily Hall / Jenna Evans
Community Champion Award – Sarah O’Sullivan
The Lee Collins Award – Andrew Davenport
The Hellier Group Award – Tony Rich (goalkeeper coach)

The 2024 Womens Senior Cup runners up, Yeovil Town pic.twitter.com/8MzR1Noxgz

— Somerset FA (@SomersetFA) April 25, 2024

Final League Table – Yeovil Town Women 1st