Five Conclusions

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Latest Yeovil Town News

Yeovil Town bounced back from the disappointment of a home defeat at the weekend with a battling 2-1 win at Hornchurch on Tuesday night. Abby Carter was one of the 267 travelling fans straining their eyes in the away end and here are her conclusions.

It’s always nice to visit a new athletics track

I cannot remember the last time I went to a ground where neither team had “an end”. We turned out well, but it felt like football at an athletics track with VERY bright lights. We’ve been to a lot of athletic tracks over the years, we’ve also been on a lot of “new” away days, Bridge Avenue might not be the best we will visit this season. What I will say is, they’ve certainly know how to make that ground and more importantly surface work for them. The fact we were only the third team to score a goal there in this season, only the second to win there and we doubled the amount of goals they conceded at home in their previous six matches in just six minutes shows what an important three points this was.

The ‘view’ from the away end
The first half took a long time to get started even longer to finish
Two home substitutions in the first 22 mins, three injuries and nine minutes of time added on, that is a lot of start-stop (then start again). After Saturday’s home defeat to Altrincham it felt like the squad needed a shake up and six changes to the starting XI certainly did that, but between the changes and the stoppages we didn’t really get going. Despite this, first half possession felt strong and going in at the break we were the dominant of the two. We also got a little insight into what’s to come with Seb Naylor and there’s likely to be 267 excited travelling fans this morning – plus plenty who watched in on the DAZN stream.
Text book impact subs

Hornchurch were all over us at the start of the second half and by that point we had already seen it was going to take something special to get through their defence – but boy did Billy time his substitutions to perfection. You will struggle to find a stronger bench than that this season and yet again, last night was proof that when we ask this team for a response, they do not let us down. The arrivals of first Ryan Jones, Mason Obeng and Slavi Spasov and then James Daly changed the game and bought out the best in the lads left on the pitch. I’ve said it countless times, but this team understand what it is to deliver, grind out a result and the subs made all the difference just when we needed them. As the away end serenaded at the final whistle: “Daly, Yeovil can’t play without you“.

“….and it’s breaking my heart, when you don’t start…..DALY….!!”
Stick with Jos Barker 
If there’s any Yeovil player with a point to prove last night, it’s our determined and hungry keeper. Jos has been dividing opinions of late, there’s been some “important” mistakes over the last 15 games, but this wasn’t one of them. Was it a 7/7 performance? No, but did he make important saves and command his area, absolutely, as he has all season. A goalkeeper I am not, but if I was, I wouldn’t want to follow in Jed Ward and at 22, with the step up he’s made, his future in green and white looks bright to me and we’ve got to stick with him. In his first few months, Jos ranks third out of 35 goalkeepers in our division for goals prevented this season for a reason.
Those goal-scoring Glovers  
50 goals in all competitions, beating previous season goal tallies weekly, golden boot chats, countless names on the score sheet, pinging them in from all over the park, scoring in every game this season, who is this Yeovil town team!? Well, let me tell you, it’s a Yeovil Town team that is a third of the way through the season and sits in fourth in the table. I’m trying not to get too excited given the Christmas lights are still in the loft, but the smell of it, is getting stronger. Can you smell it?

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Gloversblog, Latest Yeovil Town News

It was a stormy afternoon at Huish Park, on and off the pitch, as the Glovers fine run came to an end at the hands of Altrincham. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions.

Yeovil Town team huddle before the Altrincham match | Photo by Indy Pitman

The conditions were dreadful. We’ve had some rotten matches played in dire weather and this one was up (down?) there with Wealdstone last season, or the infamous match against Leeds in the Championship. As it was, I thought both teams handled the conditions quite well in the first half, but in the second half Yeovil probably deal with the weather as well at Altrincham did in the first and the visitors definitely utilised it more than we did when they had the wind with them.

It was another good day for Johl Powell. Powell has been so impressive in recent weeks and he earned himself yet another goal. His desire to chase down lost causes and beat his opponents to the ball are the reason everything’s going so well at the moment. He had a duel with Otis Khan all afternoon and he outmuscled Khan to calmly slot home the opener. I felt Yeovil lost a bit of his directness when he was replaced in the second half and that says a lot about the form Powell has got himself into.

Johl Powell opens the scoring against Altrincham | Photography by Indy Pitman

Mistakes were costly. We know there are fine margins at the top end of the National League and the mistakes are where it cost Yeovil yesterday. Their equaliser comes from uncharacteristic sloppiness from Ben Radcliffe who doesn’t put enough on his pass which allows Altrincham to break and Jos Barker will have had nightmares about the winner last night. Better keepers than Jos have struggled in the wind at that end of Huish Park and I’m sure there will be clips of keepers having weather-assisted clangers across the country all weekend, but it’s a big error that’s cost Yeovil a point.

The wingers were nullified. The recent impressive form of Ryan Jones and James Daly came to an abrupt halt at the hands of Altrincham’s wingbacks too. You can probably count the amount of times Jones and Daly got into dangerous areas on one hand. Neither of them were given the time or space to get going and has a key part of how the Glovers have taken teams apart, Yeovil willl need to find a way to step it up and impose themselves against the top teams they want to compete with.

Ryan Jones in association with rain | Photography by Indy Pitman

S**t ref again, ole ole. As officiating goes, that has to be one of the worst I’ve seen in recent memory. I know we’ve shattered rule #1 (don’t moan about the ref) of the Gloverscast plenty of times but when have such an impact on a fixtures as Michael Scholes did it’s inevitable. From the 2nd minute when he didn’t book someone for a late tackle on Radcliffe you felt something was up. Slavi Spasov could have had two penalties that he just gave nothing for. James Daly was booked for his first tackle on anyone. It was inconsistent, indecisive and he lost control of the pitch and the benches. Yet again, another example of National League refereeing which didn’t match the professionals on the pitch.

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Gloversblog, Latest Yeovil Town News

The FA Cup threatened drama, but a professional performance from the Glovers saw them reach the first round proper for the first time in three seasons. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions from Huish Park.

We got the job done. After all the excitmenent and cup magic of Saturday, coming back to Huish Park and putting on a professional performance showed the genuine gulf in the teams was imperative. Despite the early hiccup, Billy Rowley’s team did what we’ve come to expect and executed the plan. The style, tempo and ruthlessness in front of goal ensured Yeovil dominated the game, entertained and bagged another five goals to add to this seasons ever-growing tally.

Jumping for joy. Charlie Lennon celebrates his goal. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

It wasn’t without drama. Over the course of 180 minutes this has to be one of the more dramatic cup ties in recent memory. Leatherhead took the lead in the 2nd minute silencing the Glovers faithful and giving the travelling 198 supporters a great moment. There was a point, where after conceding a sloppy second goal, Leathered had a chance to make it 4-3 and really spook Huish Park. The visitors were already struggling with Yeovil’s dominance and that task was made even harder when a reckless challenge by Charlie Kennett was punished with a red card.

Spasov’s back in the goals. Slavi Spasov is slowly becoming the ultimate poacher. He made up for his mistake on Leatherheads opener by scoring a great header to level things up and was a nuisance in the box. He pounced on Johl Powell’s saved effort to make it 3-1 before half time and earned himself the sponsors man of the match. He’s an interesting player, who seems to go from wandering about and looking somewhat ineffective to suddenly coming alive. Billy Rowley waxed lyrical about the strikers performance and Spasov himself said how his fellow strikers are always pushing eachother to do better.

Slavi Spasov salutes the home fans having netted twice against Leatherhead. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Liam Nardiello got his moment. There’s nothing purer than ‘one of your own’ getting some first team action at Huish Park. Since the days of the Green Machine in late 90s those moments are few and far between in modern Yeovil Town, but for Nardiello to get a good chunk of time on the pitch and get an assist to his name was a great moment. Even better was Brett McGavin ensuring Nardiello took the plaudits from the Thatchers and made the most of his input to this cup match.

We’ve got a real test in the next round. If we put aside the Danny Webb narrative, there’s a huge footballing test here for this group and a chance to live up to our giant-killing history. While it’s not the most glamourous draw as we’ve recenlty been at the same level, it is a chance to show where we are as a team and an opportuity to rekindle the fire of those famous cup upsets against Blackpool, Northampton, Rotherham and have this group produce their own FA Cup Magic. Bring it on!

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Latest Yeovil Town News

Yeovil Town and Leatherhead will do it all again in an FA Cup fourth qualifying round replay at Huish Park on Tuesday night after a frenetic first encounter yesterday. Dave was in the away end at Fetcham Grove and here are his conclusions.

That’s a different kind of six: When we said “we want six”, this wasn’t quite what we meant! I think the “magic” of the FA Cup is as near as I can get to explaining that one. We looked like we were cruising to a comfortable win, suffering a giant-killing and then clinging on for a draw all in the space of 20 second half minutes. We did not deserve to lose that tie, but fair dos to Leatherhead, they played their part in proceedings to perfection. I bet the photographers who snapped their celebrations after the third goal thought they had got the story – thank goodness for Johl Powell.

We lost control after the changes: With an hour played, I think we had controlled at least 50 minutes and looked to be cruising comfortably in to the First Round Proper. But four changes including withdrawing Ryan Jones, James Daly, Ben Radcliffe and, perhaps most importantly, captain Brett McGavin, on 58 minutes was a lot of change all at once – and then we put a central defender in the middle of the park. We never quite got in to our rhythm again after that and once the home side got one back, their tails were up and our fragilities were exposed.
We needed to be more clinical: That sounds ridiculous when you side we won our previous two matches 6-0, I know, but this game could have been dead and buried by the hour mark if we had taken our opportunities. There were chances for Archie Davies and Mason Obeng just before Leatherhead pulled a goal back where both players looked like they were going for the spectacular, when the simple was an option and let’s not forget McGavin’s penalty miss. We dominated so much of the possession (our passing game really was a joy to watch again) that to be four up with an hour gone would not have flattered us. That finishing almost cost us.
Stick with us Prabhu: It was great to see chairman Prabhu Srinivasan in the away end again, he has been a regular sight at recent matches and I know a lot of fans appreciate how accessible he makes himself. But to see him in amongst it at 2-0, but then making a swift exit at 2-2 did not go unnoticed. Stick with it through good times and bad, Mr Chairman, that’s the way we do it.
We’re still in the hat: It’s a cliche, I know, but Ball 68 of the draw for the First Round Proper of the FA Cup is still Leatherhead or Yeovil Town. A replay on Tuesday night is not ideal, but our next league opponents, Altrincham, also face a replay with FC United of Manchester in midweek. Leatherhead performed absolute heroics to run us this close yesterday and they will have to be almost superhuman to do that again on Tuesday night at Huish Park. Dust ourselves down and go again, we should have enough to get through – but they haven’t lost away in 2026!
Not your average football fare, but steak and chips was on the menu at Leatherhead.

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Latest Yeovil Town News

12 goals in two matches, back-to-back clean sheets, in the top four with 13 matches played, it’s a lot of fun to be a Glover at the moment. Dave was at Wealdstone yesterday to watch the latest demolition and here are his thoughts on it all.


6-0 again, ole, ole: It is crazy to think the last time we turned up at Grosvenor Vale in March we picked up a win which secured our safety in the National League. Fast forward fewer than 200 days and we’re talking about a side which literally steam-rollered Wealdstone to pick up back to back 6-0 wins. That is what Billy Rowley and Darren Simpson have done with this team and it is a genuine pleasure to watch them play football at the moment. Forget the league position, it’s too early for that, just enjoy that we are good to watch for the first time in a long time.

Brett McGoalvin: The likes of Ryan Jones, Jordan Norville-Williams and Johl Powell have taken the plaudits up until now (and rightly so), but this was Brett McGavin’s day. Have you seen a better striker of the ball in a Yeovil shirt? I’m not sure I have. His goals at Wealdstone seemed to get better and I just wish I had been closer and not shielding my eyes from the low October sun when his third went in. A thing of beauty and he makes it look so easy.
Three of the best from (Super) Brett McGavin.
A shout out for the boys at the back: That is now three clean sheets in the last four matches. No, I’m not counting the Somerset Men’s Premier Cup – but if you want to, it’s four in the last five. Jos Barker was imperious again and how good do Ben Radcliffe and Jack Kingdon look in the middle of defence at the moment? That defence is contributing going forwards as well, it is that good.
Even the half-time drills look better: A nod to Former Gloverscast Quiz Champion Rob Manley for pointing this out, but it is so refreshing to see our substitutes doing an actual warm-up at half-time. Our six subs were being put through their paces by Head of Sports Science Glenn Shepherd. How often have we seen them aimlessly kicking balls between each other with no staff member anywhere near? Is this what having professionals in charge is like?
Now let’s get up for the Cup: It’s been amazing over the past two matches, but I was pleased to hear Billy Rowley speak about keeping our feet on the floor in his post-match interview. I know I say it all the time, but we’re only in late October and there’s still plenty of football to play. One thing I would love for us to do this season is have a good run in a cup competition, and where better to start than Leatherhead in the FA Cup next weekend?
The smile on your face…..

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Latest Yeovil Town News

Huish Park was a special place yesterday as Billy Rowley’s Yeovil Town side blistered through Boston United scoring six goals. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions…

That was emphatic. Once Ryan Jones put Yeovil ahead, the Glovers tore through Boston United like they weren’t even there. Brett McGavin’s goal was sensational, expertly assisted by Slavi Spasov. It took just three passes for the third with McGavin to Jones to Daly who rifled home. Johl Powell beat the haphazard offside trap to make it four goals in 13 first half minutes and game over before the break. Mason Obeng bust a gut to get the Glovers fifth before Powell coolly slotted a penalty away after being felled in the box. Each goal was different, it could have been even more but it was a marker laid down by a team full of confidence.

Yeovil Town celebrate Brett McGavin doubling the advantage. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

It did take time. Yeovil were relatively in control from the opening whistle without being cut throat. Ryan Jones was doubled up every time he got the ball and struggled to get into his free flowing best up until he’d scored. Boston offered next-to-no threat although they did force Jos Barker into a good safe low to his left before the onslaught began.

Everyone played their part. We’ve talked about ad nauseam this season, the depth is great, the squad is great and yesterday was another example of every single player playing their part. The subs all came in and made an impact. This has to be the most complete squad we’ve had, maybe ever? When we’ve been successful before we’ve had a good core 11 with players you’d definitely consider bench players, that is not the case this season.

Johl Powell. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

More firepower has arrived. Prior to kick off the club unveiled is new signing, Owen Dean. It feels absurd to say this after a 6-0 win, but Dean will add something different to the front line giving us a bit more variation up top as well as adding more pressure to Ste Walker and Slavi Spasov. He sounds like a forward who will send from the front – chasing things down and one whos consistently scored goals. Exciting

It was an historic day. It’s not very often your team wins 6-0. It’s a spooky turn of fate that on the same weekend 24 years ago Yeovil tore through Southport 6-0 with an Abdoulai Demba first half hat trick in a season that went on to be historic. That game lives long in the memory and this one will too. Will we repeat history? Who knows, but let’s enjoy the ride.

Mason Obeng celebrates in front of the Thatchers | Photography by Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Make sure you vote for your Man of the Match in our post-match poll – click here to vote.

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Gloversblog, Latest Yeovil Town News

A thrilling encounter at Huish Park saw Yeovil Town and Worthing share the spoils in a 1-1 draw. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions…

We didn’t take our chances. There was some blistering football on display at HP. Both teams went toe to toe in a proper football match but I felt Yeovil had the better of the opportunities. Johl Powell had two good chances in the first half and I lost count at the amount of times Ryan Jones got into spaces where he is capable of doing damage. Just as the Glovers seemed to be on the verge of breaking the door down, Jos Barker- who made a big safe on the first minute – let a soft effort slip through his gloves and Worthing went ahead. Brett McGavin’s chaos theory free kick got the Glovers back level early in the second half, but Yeovil were unable to find the winner.

Johl Powell. Picture by Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Johl Powell looked the part. After scoring three goals in two substitute appearances Johl Powell earned his starting spot and I felt he looked comfortable and confident. If you can be critical of his early performances you can maybe say he’s been too safe, but last night there were flicks, tricks and efforts at goal and a confidence that comes off the back of a nice scoring run.

We’re using the squad. One of these conclusions could have been around how we missed a certain box crasher in moments last night, but what were seeing is the quality in depth. While the subs didn’t necessarily make the desired impact last night, Hayden Muller, Johl Powell, Jack Kingdon and James Daly looked worthy of spots in the starting line up. Ben Radcliffe has been in and out. Spasov toiled while Ste Walker returns to fitness. Zain Westbrooke, Charlie Lennon and Mason Obeng were all utilised. Before the depth was a bit of an unknown but now we’re seeing contributions at a level that there is expectation.

Both teams left it out on the pitch. By the time the final whistle went both teams were flat out after an intense (and entertaining) match. Billy Rowley called it a good advert for the league and you’d have to agree. Even going in behind at half time, the supporters at Huish Park applauded and that appreciation was there at the end too. It was a tactical battle but one where both sides wanted to go for it and find the winner and in doing so, left open spaces which made for an entertaining match.

Photo by Tates Photography

The start has surpassed my expectations. The Green Day rule has been in effect at GCHQ and with September ending, the start to the season has been impressive. At the time of writing the Glovers sit in 6th after 11 games and everyone at the club has to be pleased with that. A new team, new relationships (not without it’s bumps in the road) and the team have put together some great results, some good performances and – you’d hope – we’re only going to get better. We’re just under a quarter through the season and it’s been a start to build on.

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Gloversblog, Latest Yeovil Town News

It is back-to-back wins for Yeovil Town after a hard-fought win at Kidderminster Harriers yesterday and, whisper it quitely, but as September comes to an end, we’re inside the play-off places at the top of the National League Premier Division table.

Abby Carter was among the almost 500 Glovers fans at Aggborough and here are her conclusions on the performance.

It’s nice to add a new away day

21 years since we’ve been to Kidderminster and Aggborough is a very welcome addition back to the National League, that felt like proper away day with a great atmosphere in the away end. We travelled well with 481 Glovers’ fans in attendance, and and for those of you wondering if the tea bar is still good after all these years – you will have to ask Dave and Foxy!

We still have one game left in September, but I’m calling the Green Day Rule early

Two months of football and we’ve barely left the play-off places in the National League Premier Division table and even had ten minutes at the top of the league earlier this month. With performances like these, it’s easy to forget this is a two-year project.

You will struggle to see a team playing more attractive football than us in the National League this season, or many more exciting players to watch than Ryan Jones.

Yet again he was a cut above in the first half, he ran the show at Aldershot a few weeks ago and he was in great form at Kiddy yesterday, but after the last week we have to remember – don’t fall in love with footballers.

Brett McGavin and Hayden Muller celebrate with goal-scorer Johl Powell. Picture courtesy of Jayden Tate/Tate’s Photography.

This team is special.

It’s hard not to feel excited about this season and this team and yesterday was yet another complete team performance. The football is a joy to watch and they are playing like a team that have been together for years, even though the majority were not together last season.

In previous seasons we’ve struggled for leaders and what’s clear is Billy and Darren are building a team of them. This side is full of character and accountability, togetherness, communication, friendship and fight. The relationship between fans and players feels as strong as I can remember and wounds of seasons past are healing.

Johl ‘Goal’ Powell

Ryan Jones, Zain Westbrooke and Brett McGavin all could have seen their name on the scoresheet yesterday (not score board because Kiddy don’t have one), but the job fell to super sub Johl Powell who made it look easy. If this is the sort of player you sign in nightclubs Billy and Jamie, you best get yourselves on a few more nights out because that finish was absolutely fearless.

Johl Powell slots home at Kidderminster.  Picture courtesy of Jayden Tate/Tate’s Photography

We probably need a bit more upfront

Whatever has happened between the manager and Luke McCormick, only they will know the truth, but one thing is clear, with our top-scorer rumoured to be on the transfer list, we are going to need to replace those goals.

Impact subs are important and the response since the home defeat to AFC Fylde has been everything we could have asked for – the midfield is magic, Jos Barker has been outstanding in goal, the defence feel like they’ve found themselves and now we need our strikers to join the party

After all defences might win leagues, but goals are going to be needed for the play-offs and now we’re here, it would be really nice to stay there.

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Gloversblog, Latest Yeovil Town News

Four goals, top seven (for a few hours) and more than a fair share of entertainment on show at Huish Park.

Ollie Marsh was at the home of football, on Friday night, with the fancy new floodlight and fluid football to brighten it all up further.

Here are his four conclusions on the game… and an important one on the teamsheet!

Where’s Macca?

No matter what happened on the pitch tonight, the main talking point was already decided an hour before kick-off. For Yeovil Town’s talismanic captain to be absent from the squad entirely was a puzzler, and Billy Rowley’s classification of the decision as “tactical” didn’t quell the confusion. It was somewhat comforting to see him watching from the main stand, but the lack of Mac was undoubtedly the evening’s big question mark.

Luke McCormick. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.

Our wingers ran the show
The sub-plot around McCormick did at least open up the opportunity for our other attacking talents to take centre stage, and boy did they. I thought Flyin’ Ryan Jones was outstanding – a constant threat even during the moments we didn’t look at our free-flowing best. James Daly also deserves credit – he seemed to constantly get a good few yards on whichever Solihull defender was unlucky enough to chase his shadow, and he used his pace to perfection.

Spasov again olé olé

Fresh from his first Yeovil goal against Aldershot in midweek, Slavi Spasov was back leading the line, with Ste Walker still absent. I thought it was a difficult game for the Bulgarian, who was struggling to get involved. But it’s two in two (from two… yards) and I don’t mind having a striker who gets in the habit of scoring tap-ins at all. Let’s keep getting behind him, keep singing his song and hope the goals keep coming. I think he has the makings of a bit of a cult striker.

Spasov celebrates – Pic C/o Indy Pictures.

Patience paid off

I was already planning to give Jack Kingdon a line, following the defender’s first run-out since the 20 minutes he got on the opening day at Scunthorpe. Rowley praised him as a model professional, and I thought for a young defender who’s received such little game time, he looked completely on top of the Solihull attack. Then Johl Powell popped up, and turned what should have been a routine cameo into a starring role. His first goal was a McCormick-esque controlled finish that he took beautifully, and he was on the mark to get his second moments later. Another one who’s had to bide his time, I enjoyed seeing him get the post-match fist pumps.

Johl Powell pic c/o Indy Visuals

That’s entertainment.

Another 4-1 scoreline at home – this time with the Glovers on the correct end of it – and another throughly entertaining showing at Huish Park. I thought there were times when we looked a little reluctant to get out of first gear, but when we switched the on button, we ran rings around an almost stunningly uninterested-looking Moors back line. It was such an unfortunate goal to concede and Jos Barker will be fuming to lose his clean sheet in that manner, but the reaction to turn the screw and chuck a couple more on the scoresheet was *chef’s kiss*. DAZN should swing a couple extra quid our way for the entertainment we’re providing.

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Gloversblog, Latest Yeovil Town News

A 1-1 draw against the stingiest defence the league doesn’t tell the full story of another rollercoaster evening for the Glovers, Andy Craig was in the away end, here are his Five Conclusions.

We gave it one hell of a go with 10 men. You wouldn’t have seen us deliver that kind of performance from the past couple of seasons.

We probably wouldn’t have even tried to win the game either when Aldershot drew level. But this is a new Yeovil Town side now. We win that game 11 v 11 and were electric until the red card. Then, with one less player, there were periods during the second half you didn’t know which side was playing with 10. We asked for a reaction after last weekend and without a shadow of a doubt got one.

James Daly. Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman – Indy’s Visuals.

Apparently James Daly is still running.
I don’t know what the guy eats for breakfast, but as we saw so often last season, what a serious motor JD11 has on him. He completely embodied the fight in this team to ensure we came away with something on Tuesday evening. As well as putting in a superb performance as a makeshift left back, he crucially got us up the pitch on so many occasions too – where he was also robbed of an assist when setting up Super Luke McCormick. Cheers, ref.

Luke McCormick celebrates with James Daly. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Big moments have killed us recently.
For the third consecutive game we’ve failed to score from a big chance and then our opponents have made us pay by going up the other end and scoring. Ste at Southend to make it 3-1, Archie Davies in front of the Thatchers to make it 1-1 against Fylde and now Brett McGavin, perhaps a tad unfortunate, to make it 2-0 at Aldershot. If we converted these key chances into goals we’d be looking at more than 1 point out of a possible 9. On a more positive note, the buildup for all three chances were delightful passages of play. Liquid Football.

It’s important to remember this is very much a Two Year Project.
You don’t see many National League sides finish 16th one season and get promoted the next. Billy Rowley, Darren Simpson and the vast majority of their new signings are all under contract until summer 2028. Whilst we can all get carried away this season, I’m confident even if we don’t reach the Top 7 come May, we’ll be in a very good position to go for it in 2027/28. However, after an encouraging start to the season it can be difficult to stop us from dreaming… (yes, I have visualised Macca scoring the winner under the Arch).

Long live the cowshed away ends.
Over recent years English football has lost too many of its traditional ‘proper’ grounds, but in our last two away fixtures at Southend and Aldershot we’ve visited the Old School Colosseums. Our travelling support has been excellent at these games – helped by the big barrel roofs to create a rocking atmosphere at both Roots Hall and the EBB Stadium. As the best away ends in a many a league, it’s something The Shrimpers and The Shots need to desperately hold onto for as long as possible.