Five Conclusions (Page 4)

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Yeovil fell to defeat at the hands of Wealdstone at Huish Park yesterday. I was under the H yesterday and here are my conclusions from a pretty terrible afternoon.

It wasn’t alright. A match between two poor, low on confidence teams didn’t make for the greatest spectacle. Usually we look technically sound and really in control of games (clearly that doesn’t guarantee victory) but I didn’t really feel that we were in control of any situations, especially defensively. Without Charlie Cooper we lose midfield control and without Morgan Williams we have to move Jake Wannell centrally and lose his input on the left-side of the back three. We struggled for any real cohesion going forward and the less said about the defending the better.

Photo: Gary Brown

It was yet another bad result at home. Yeovil have won just four of their National League matches at Huish Park this season. You could forgive those early defeats to Hartlepool, Rochdale and Solihull as adjusting to the new level, because they we were winning against the teams you’d expect to beat. Now, Yeovil are not winning those games and while the games are tight, we seem to find ourselves in a perpetual struggle to break down teams and find the back of the net. Our home points total accounts for only 44% of our total points and only 46% of the goals we’ve scored, compared to 57% for both points and goals last season. Fortress Huish has been breached.

We don’t feel like a team at the moment. Our league-winning team has been dismantled since that trophy lift with only Wannell and Whittle left from that team starting yesterday. From our opening match day squad of 18, there were just eight in the squad yesterday, including Matt Gould who’s yet to make an appearance. With a revolving door of ins and outs, is it any wonder they don’t feel like a team right now? There’s been talk about different types of leaders, but at this moment we are absolutely missing the Terry Skiverton on that pitch. We’ve let Worthington go, Nouble (TL?) has struggled to make an impact, Smith has struggled for fitness, there’s no Murphy, Hyde or Fisher type bring off the bench. In my opinion, we don’t have the multiple ‘characters’ you need to get out of a rotten run like this and that is a concern.

Photo: Gary Brown

The next two matches are huge. Last weekend’s point at Dagenham & Redbridge only looked good if we won yesterday. Now the visit of Tamworth and trip to Maidenhead have even more pressure on them. Tamworth could leapfrog us if they pick up the points on Tuesday and we don’t win at Maidenhead – I’m still trying to erase 2022/23 from my memory. Can this group handle the pressure? Our loanees are all under 22. We’ve got a new goalkeeper getting used to his defensive unit and – without Charlie Cooper – a lack of depth and pretty tepid midfield. Thankfully, Cooper will return and give us a bit of structure in midfield to control the game. We’re in must-win territory, especially at home.

The mood is dour. It’s been four weeks since the Friday night draw with Gateshead, so I expected a bit of a show. The Thatchers were certainly in good voice all afteroon, but come the final whistle yesterday the boos were as loud as they’ve been since the 2022/23 horror story. It was my first match as a punter yesterday – when you are on the radio you hear the vociferous grumbles in front of you but not the general mood as much. So yesterday was eye-opening. People are tired, again. People aren’t enjoying their afternoon out, again. And the atmosphere on social media – which is usually dialled up – feels like it’s in the stands too. We know from recent history that supporters of Yeovil will vote with their feet and not go to matches, which spells problems for a club that needs gate receipts. The playoff hopes are a distant memory now and with our current form, we should be looking over our shoulder at what’s creeping up behind us.

Photo: Gary Brown

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It was not a game for the ages, but it was another point on the road for Yeovil Town at Dagenham & Redbridge. Dave was among the 311 travelling fans at Victoria Road and here’s his thoughts on the match….

Now you’re gonna believe us……we’re going finish 12th. That was an ironic chant which came from part of the away support during a thoroughly forgettable second half. This was every inch a match between two sides out of form who were desperate not to lose again and it showed. For the opening 20 minutes we we looked like 11 strangers and you could tell confidence was at rock bottom. To be fair, 12th would be very decent finish.
 
The plan was a good one. In his post-match interview, Mark Cooper said the plan was to make a fast start and “make Dagenham face their own goal” from the off. Unfortunately, it seemed like Dagenham had that same plan and executed it much better. Their goal was a lovely finish but the throw-in which led to it was totally unnecessary from Jake Wannell.  From there Dagenham’s tails were up and we looked rattled.
 
Stone cold. I was a fan of Ollie Wright’s towards the end of his tenure, but I saw enough from Aidan Stone to make me think he will be a decent replacement. Made some great saves, good distribution and he can kick the ball a really long way.
 
Aidan Stone had a decent debut between the posts yesterday.
 
Nice one Kyrell, nice one son. Kyrell Wilson impressed me. He showed plenty of effort and does not look like he is afraid to chase for even the most lost or lost causes. There’s talent there as well, it doesn’t always come off, but he sticks at it. We’ve had plenty of loan players who have taken their chance of game time and he’s started two out of two games since arriving, so Cooper is clearly seeing something from him.
 
It’s another point. I’ll try to finish on a third positive note (I deserve a bloody medal for that), we have added another point to our tally against a Dagenham side who, despite their poor form of late, possess some good quality players. Plus we got our first penalty of the season – okay, we didn’t score it, but credit to McGavin for finishing it at the second time of asking. Hopefully the point can pick us up even a little and now we need to back it up with a performance next weekend at home to Wealdstone.
 
The Yeovil Town players salute the 311 away supporters. Fantastic effort.
 

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Gloverscast Ben was on the mic for BBC Radio Somerset at Spotland on Saturday afternoon to witness a second half capitulation send the Glovers back down south with the square route of nothing. 

Here are his five conclusions. 

Well, it was okay at half-time

During the half-time interval, I told Rich Hoskins and the team back at BBC Radio Bristol that whilst Rochdale had enjoyed far more of the ball in the first 45 minutes, Yeovil had begun to build into the game.

Chances for Sean McGurk and Ciaran McGuckin as well as flashes of pace and skill from Kyrell Wilson – who I thought showed enough to suggest he’s an exciting prospect for us – suggested to me that we were growing into the game.

It was always likely that we would give up plenty of possession and I thought it might take time to get into our full stride, which was the case. What I didn’t think would happen would be THAT second half.

Rochdale’s left side tore us apart

The combination of Leon Ayinde and Jid Okeke down the Rochdale left were, quite frankly, a joy to watch.

Time after time, wave after wave of Rochdale attack came down the Glovers’ right side and, while I don’t think Dom Bernard had his best game in green and white, he was certainly being outnumbered time and time again and putting up as best a fight as he could.

When Jacob Maddox went off injured in the first half, I felt that the introduction of Josh Sims might offer a bit more protection to Bernard at right back, but that simply didn’t happen. Okeke played the perfect wing-back role and Ayinde’s freedom to run at the back line and pull the strings just caused havoc for Yeovil who simply didn’t have an answer.

Playing against high, flying wing backs is tough enough, but we just had no answer to Rochdale’s main attacking fire starters.

We miss you, Michael Smith. 

Wright place, wrong time 

Ollie Wright’s improvement between the posts over the past few months has been nothing short of astronomical. He’s made points-winning saves, he’s been commanding and confident and decisive, and he’s shown us exactly why Southampton think so much of him in a goalkeeping department that is fairly stacked at St Mary’s.

But – and he’ll know this – two errors led to two goals which, by the time the clock struck the hour, rendered the game over.

His confidence took the first blow when he came for a corner, got nowhere near it, flapped, and saw the ball trickle in off a combination of Whittle’s backside and Devante Rodney.

The punch….

 

….the punchline

Then, eight minutes later, a split second of hesitancy cost him the vital half yard which allowed Kairo Mitchell to get to the ball first, penalty.

To his credit, he would go on to make a couple of impressive saves and blocks to prevent Rochdale from racking up a cricket score. He’ll know it wasn’t his best showing and I’m confident he’ll be able to get his mojo back after a little breather, but those two moments were big in the context of the game. 


We need to help the kids.

Ciaran McGuckin (21 years old, 16 career senior appearances), Sean McGurk (21 & 23), Kyrell Wilson (20 & 1), Kofi Shaw (18 & 17), Lewys Twamley (21 and 2).

Five young Glovers tasked with leading our line today – Harvey Greenslade (20 & 13) didn’t come on. 

The reason clubs send their talent out on loan, to make names for themselves… and to make errors and learn from them. At Rochdale there were plenty of moments, near misses, through balls which didn’t quite make their mark or split second decisions which didn’t go the right way.

That frontline needs some guidance and experience to help it. On a day-to-day basis, having the voice of Marcus Stewart around them will only help, of course, but in the thick of it, in the heat of the moment, who is going to be the cool, calm, reassuring voice in their heads?

Aaron Jarvis ( 27 & 212) isn’t around to do it, I think it’s time for us to ask about Frank Nouble (33 & 479) and how we can best use him going forward.

He started against Woking on January 11th, but has been in and out of the team for a while – still yet to score this season, I want to see someone of Nouble’s skill, calibre and leadership steer the ship front and centre.

There’s so much potential in the group, but it certainly needed some help out there. 

I left Spotland quite angry.

I’m one of the lucky ones, I only had an hour on a train to negotiate back to Leeds and I get to put in an invoice to the BBC that will reimburse me for the expenses incurred on Saturday.

But even I left the ground feeling a palpable frustration at the performance – particularly in the second half. I felt a sense of real injustice at a rare-as-rocking-horse-poop Saturday off work going that way. I missed out on a couple family events, because I love what I do and I love that club. 

As I say, I’m one of the lucky ones, there were people leaving the away end from Spotland with a five-hour, 240-mile journey back to Somerset to come having parted with their hard-earned cash for the privilege.

I’m not a fan of refunding supporters off the back of a poor showing, after all, you pay your money, you take your chance – I’m yet to ever hear of a fan paying twice for their ticket after a 4-0 win. So wouldn’t call for anything along those lines, the apology from both Mark Cooper and Brett McGavin post match were absolutely correct.

What I do want to see us take the chance over the next couple weeks to do what Mark Cooper says – reset. Realign our squad, to bring our natural leaders together and point everyone in the right direction. It is not panic stations, it’s just a chance to take a breather, before a big push to the end of the season.

We are still, somehow, only four points off the play-offs!

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Yeovil and Gateshead played out a goalless draw under the Huish Park lights on Friday night. Here are my Five Conclusions.

Ciaran McGuckin holds off the defender. Picture: Gary Brown

It was an improved performance. I thought we played with a lot more purpose and intent last night, especially in the first half. There was a concerted effort to get the ball forward more quickly and I enjoyed the way our defenders hassled Gateshead when they started knocking it around in our half. We enjoyed plenty of possession as well against a side who normally likes to have the ball themselves, but the visitors were set up to be defensively sound and get away with what they could and could have nicked it late on.

What a difference with a left-back. Oh how we’ve missed Alex Whittle. It’s quite the unlock having the left-back return from injury. Mark Cooper was able to return to a back four (prompting celebrations in Perkins HQ) and I thought we looked much more assured. There’s a place for the back three and wingbacks, we made it work for a bit when we needed to but I’m back four kind of guy. I thought our structure looked better and everyone knew what their job was. Charlie Cooper and Matt Worthington made it difficult for the Gateshead midfield giving Brett McGavin that deep playmaker role and in Sims and McGurk we had genuine width. Give me wingers!

Alex Whittle returned to the starting 11. Picture: Gary Brown

The Wright Stuff. Ollie Wright, take a bow for that save in the closing stages. That will be on the lad’s show reel for years to come. Moments after being saved by his post, Wright had to deal with a tremendous effort from McGowan to tip wide of his other post. The growth we’ve seen in Wright through the season has been great to see. He’s comfortable with the ball at his feet and in recent weeks has started to dominate from crosses and corners.

We need to build on this performance. The next match is a trip to seventh-placed Rochdale, which won’t be easy. There were still groans in the stands at full time, but this wasn’t Woking or Ebbsfleet levels. With the recent additions of Twamley and Maddox and the injury to Aaron Jarvis, we’re inevitably going to see a different kind of attacking play from here on out. I feel like I’ve said this before, hopefully it clicks and we start putting teams to bed.

Mr 250, Matt Worthington. I can’t finish without mentioning Matt Worthington. Back into the team and giving his typical performance in midfield. It’s a remarkable achievement at our level to reach 250 games and Worthy has seen it all. He joined us when we were an EFL club and has seen some dark days in between lifting the National League South trophy last season. I’ve no doubt the opportunities to leave Huish Park have come his way through the years but he’s stuck by Yeovil, and Yeovil by him. He has always given everything in a Yeovil shirt and is the standard-bearer with his work-rate. Congratulations Worthy!

Matt Worthington in his 250th match for Yeovil. Picture: Gary Brown

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It was a night to forget as Yeovil Town huffed and puffed without ever blowing down the house of bottom-of-the-table Ebbsfleet United in Kent last night. Dave was among the 150 who made the journey and here are his thoughts from the away end.

An absolute stinker: There’s no sugar-coating this one. Against a team which bottom of the league and playing with ten men for half-an-hour, to get 0 shots on target in the second half is unforgivable. Ebbsfleet were playing for a point from the first minute, but we showed no attacking intent for large parts of that game. The fact we’ve finished a game and no-one is saying a word about the referee for once tells you that he was favourable to us and he absolutely was. Truth is, we have no-one to blame but ourselves.
 
Rover The Dog’s expression summing up the feelings of those in the away end.
 
The moments came when we went direct: I feel like I have written this half-a-dozen times this season. I’m the wrong Pleb for nuanced tactical analysis, tune in to Friday’s podcast for that, but the moments a threatened were when we ditched the patient passing. I get that you need to be in control to find the moments to go direct but it just did not happen often enough. In ‘The 3 Loanees’ (Ciaran McGuckin, Kofi Shaw and Sean McGurk) we should have the quality to unlock the leakiest defence in the division. Another cross, another block, and rinse/repeat. It screamed of the need to try something else.
 
What has happened to our defence?: Another defensive error has cost us. We didn’t say that much last season, did we? But I will bet everything I have that Ebbsfleet are playing in National League South next season, and we gifted them one. The goal was a difficult one to see from my vantage point in the away end, but it looked like Jake Wannell got done. There’s so much quality in our defensive players, but their mistakes are killing us right now. See above for how our attacking play is also killing us right now.
 
Sean McGurk. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.
 
Sean McGurk, take a bow: Thank goodness for McGurk’s goal. Even from the distance of the away end, it looked an absolute beauty. The skill to spin away from the midfielder from a ball dropping from some distance was just mouth-watering, little nutmeg and then a superb strike in off the post. It was going to take something to threaten Brett McGavin (either the free-kick at Boston or the rocket at Woking) in the Goal of the Season contest, but that’s put the cat right among the pigeons. 
 
We’re still mid-table: Yes, yes, I hear you shouting at me. Hear me out. We go to football to be entertained and (McGurk’s goal aside) nothing entertained me about Yeovil’s performance last night. But I could say that about so many Yeovil sides down the years. I’ve wasted days of my life, spent thousands of pounds and burned thousands more miles for the pleasure and that is something I accept as a lower league football fan. I come to matches hoping to be entertained, but never expecting it. The reality is that this style of play has us where we should be this season, in mid-table. That is a statistic you cannot argue, the concern for me is we have got there getting results against other mid/lower table sides and last night was a golden opportunity to get one. Ebbsfleet are battling against almost inevitable relegation and yet they showed character, we need to summon some of that and show the undoubted quality we have – the players, the manager, everyone. Okay, you can carry on shouting at me again now.
 
I didn’t even get to talk about the heartbreak of finding out The Rose has shut.

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I’m rule one-ing this one. What more is there to say about officials that hasn’t already been said? I’m not convinced they were penalties, though. Here are my Five Conclusions from the 1-1 draw with Woking.

We didn’t impose our game in the second half. I thought the first half was even, and we deserved to go in ahead. Everything was in our favour, 1-0, shooting towards the home end (which had been in good voice during the first half) I thought we’d push on and get those three points. But, we never got going. Woking controlled the second half and imposed their game on us. They’re a good well-organised team and far from the side we faced a few weeks ago, but, so are we. As the game wore, to me, it felt like it was more a case of trying not to lose, rather than trying to win until the dying stages of the game.

Sean McGurk. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

What a header from Jarvis. In the first half I thought we looked more likely to create something, especially from the wide areas with Nouble and Sims getting those “bits and pieces’ around the box. Aaron Jarvis had plenty to do with Charlie Cooper’s looping cross into the box from deep in stoppage time. There was only one way that header was finding the back of the net and it was perfectly executed by Yeovil’s number nine.

Dale Gorman, man. We know Gorman’s game well. He did it for us for a season and I think he was generally under appreciated. Now when he returns to Huish Park he gives the shithouse performance of a lifetime and keeps his teams ticking. Somehow he wasn’t booked and his antics saw Cooper carded in less than three minutes. He was at the heart of everything for Woking (alongside former Glover Jamie Andrews) constantly probing and once again left Huish Park being booed.

Dale Gorman. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown

We left it late to make attacking changes. At 1-0, with 20 minutes left and a Woking side that were gaining momentum and made a couple of attacking substitutes we opted to take out Nouble and bring in Michael Smith. Four minutes later O’Brien equalise. It wasn’t until the 83rd minute that we changes things further up the pitch and brought Maddox on for McGurk (my MOTM) and then 90+4 we bring on Greenslade. The tactical change didn’t pay dividends and I’m not sure it had enough time to. 

What is it about the home form? Yeovil have won just four out of the 14 home matches (including W*ymouth) this season, which after the form last season is surprising. I know we didn’t win, but on New Years Day we went to Forest Green and played brilliantly for 75 minutes against a top team. The ability to reproduce that consistently is why we’re in the middle. Last season ‘Fortress Huish’ was a big part of our success and for whatever we’ve not been able to reproduce that. With Gateshead coming to town on Friday, there’s a unique opportunity to give people an entertaining night out at the football and put on a show!

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2025 didn’t quite kick off how Yeovil would have hoped with defeat at Forest Green Rovers. Here are my Five Conclusions from the 2-1 loss at The New Lawn.

I hate talking about the officials. At this point it feels like an inevitability that there will be contentious decisions at the heart of a Yeovil game. Interestingly, Steve Cotterill said after the match that Forest Green were due a penalty having had none all season, although I’m not sure that justifies it. Kofi Shaw’s first yellow card, a classic case of six of one, half a dozen of the other was harsh in my opinion. The penalty decision is a close call too, and it’s hard to say with the angles I’ve seen whether it’s inside the box or not. However, once again we’re left complaining about the officiating in a match and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s bored of it. 

Ref, Referee, Match Official
Pic Gary Brown

I thought we were excellent. The first half performance from the Glovers was what you’d have wanted away at one of the top sides in the division. Only once did the defence get really stretched and Yeovil stuck to their principles and moved the ball calmly and patiently. The opening goal from Kofi Shaw shows some real bravery from Ollie Wright to throw it out to Shaw over the Forest Green midfield and the 18-year-old took it from there. We had a couple of overloads where, on another day, we could have taken advantage of.

The nippy fellas are key. I thought Josh Sims had the best match of his time at Yeovil so far. There was a lot to do on our left both defensively and offensively and but for a couple of misplaced passes in the final third, he did really well. Kofi Shaw continued doing Kofi Shaw things – the kid’s a maverick and we should celebrate and encourage that in football. I was also impressed with Sean McGurk – nippy, technical and not afraid to shoot – it’s early days but he appears to be an upgrade on Dylan Morgan in that part of the pitch. We know we need to do more in the final third and with some help for Aaron Jarvis, I think we can find it.

We are so close. The first half performance showed me that this group are so close to being a team that flirting with the top end of the table. We’ve clearly got the quality in the team and when it clicks we look comfortable defensively and really assured on the ball. Forest Green were always going to be a bit more open than sides we’d play at home as they’re gunning to get out of the league straight away, but until they brought on two giants in Cardwell and Quigley we handled everything they threw at us. Once again though, it was the attacking moments that we didn’t take advantage of.

Kofi Shaw. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Reinforcements are much-needed. It was reassuring to hear Mark Cooper talk about freshening up the squad in the next ten days. With two youth players on the bench (and two goalkeepers) the depth is sorely lacking at the moment. I thought Aaron Jarvis had another tough task in the second half, especially after the red and substitution of McGurk. The energy that Sims and Worthington brought in the first half wasn’t there in the second, naturally. I actually thought the game could of have done with Frank Nouble from the bench, just to see if something stuck and took the pressure of the back line as Forest Green bombarded the Yeovil box. 

 

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It was late, late heartbreak for Yeovil Town as a 90+3 minute goal saw Eastleigh share the spoils in what turned out to be a Boxing Day goal bonanza at Huish Park yesterday.

Dave was in the Thatcher’s Stand to watch it all and here are his conclusions on it all….

Two sloppy mistakes cost us: At the time of writing, I have not seen the highlights of this one, but on first viewing that is such a frustrating result. Eastleigh are a side only one point below us in the National League Premier table and yet at times we looked far the better team and the biggest annoyance is that it is our own defensive sloppiness that cost us three points we deserved. How a player who is the same height as me (5’7″ish) wins a header against our defence for the first is annoying and the second equaliser looked like it might be offside on first viewing which would be irritating, but not as irritating as I suspect it will be on the highlights.

Two goals, but it should have been more: The statistics (courtesy of a well-known gambling firm which Gloverscast Ben works for) show we had seven shots on target and three off target and yet only managed two goals. The story of our season, I know, we’ve heard it all before, I get it. It’s not a revolutionary thought to say we are desperately crying out for a partner for Aaron Jarvis……but, my goodness, we are crying out for a partner for Aaron Jarvis.

Kofi Shaw. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Chip in for a cup of Kofi?: Kofi Shaw again looked unplayable at times. You could tell Eastleigh knew who he was by the way they had three defenders on him from the off and it is a massive compliment to him that he did not let that put him off. Never afraid to try something, never afraid to have a shot, I love that about it. The biggest concern is that his initial loan spell, advertised as “until January” when he joined in October, from Bristol Rovers may be about to come to an end. There’s a new manager in charge at the Memorial Ground, ex-Brighton & Hove Albion coach Indigo Calderon, and he might want to have a look at this teenage talisman. 

The (not so) green, green grass of home: The one group of people I felt the most for on Boxing Day was the Huish Park ground staff, at half-time they could only do the most minor of running repairs to a heavily-sanded surface. They are the victims of some horrendous bad weather in recent weeks (months?) and it is impossible to think when it was not rainy and lacking in sun in Somerset. That team are doing their best to do what they can, all they (and we) can do is pray for more merciful conditions in 2025.

2024 – you’ve been a blast: Boxing Day 2023 was a great day with a 4-1 home win over Taunton Town and if you had told me the 12 months which followed would have panned out like it did, there’s not much would change. Maybe this season’s FA Cup and FA Trophy results, but if we’re honest, who would not have taken tenth in the National League Premier at this stage? It’s the start of a long road back to where we should be and there will be more ups and downs along the way – but 2024, you’ve been great. 2025? Let’s see what you’ve got!

Champions, every one of you
📸 Gary Brown

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It was cold, windy and hardly one for the football purists, but with three play-off pushing points on the line, it was Hartlepool United that got the better of the first ‘local’ festive fixture.

Ben was there for BBC Somerset, here’s how he saw it.

The conditions played their part

It was ‘blowing a hoolie’ for the full 90 minutes and the temperature really plummeted in the second half, the on-off rain showers and all round tough conditions made it less of a game of football and more of a battle to see who could make fewer errors.

I believe it was the right call to go with a more experienced line-up and for the most part the Glovers’ senior men did their best to mitigate the weather and situation, but there were so many misplaced, misjudged, mistimed moments in the game from both sides that it was a really difficult game to judge.

Anyone got a ladder?

Another referee fiasco

I’m bored of talking about them, you’re bored of hearing about them, it’s boring that once again they’re the centre of attention.

For me, it’s never a penalty, never in a million years is it a penalty.

Hartlepool defender Tom Parkes feels a finger tip on his back and hits the deck because the ball is going to fly way above his head and the official falls for it.

But all game, Aaron Jackson was desperate to make it an even greater stop-start fest.

Not everything is a foul, not everything needs an interference.

At one point he stopped Pools from taking a free-kick from the wrong place, only to have them move it… maybe a foot? 

We created Rule 1 of the Gloverscast (All refs are rubbish at this level, get on with it, don’t moan about it and don’t let them be a defining factor) and I want to stick to it. But please, just one good one. Just one.

The perfect tens

The difference between the sides were the players playing in the bank behind the front man.

Emmanuel Dieseruvwe had so much support from Adam Campbell, Joe Grey, Anthony Mancini and Luke Charman interchanging at will and linking together so well.

Aaron Jarvis did not have that same support.

Aaron Jarvis thinks he’s scored….but looks across to see the linesman’s flag raised.

So many times he fought for the ball in the air and either won the header or caused enough hassle for the ball to break free. It all too rarely found a supporting Glover within touching distance of the former Torquay man.

That was the difference for me.

Frank Nouble is playing like a man low on confidence in desperate need of a goal.

Josh Sims came on and stuck to his flank just fine but never really bridged that gap, and Brett McGavin and Matt Worthington couldn’t fill the gap because they got dragged into a midfield battle with the ball just coming back at us time after time.

I am desperate for Jarvis to find a partner up there and it wasn’t until Kofi Shaw came on that he managed to find that space, fill it and do something with it. 

Our record against the top half sides stinks

…and actually, as a newly-promoted side, that’s probably OK. But as a side with genuine ambitions to make that top seven now or in the future, it’s the only way to secure progression.

The side that came up last year is slowly being evolved, and I’ll be honest, I don’t mind what I’m seeing in terms of player departures, so long as there’s incomings. So long as it is with the aim of turning a squad of players who are good enough to not get relegated from the National League into a squad of players who are good enough to not get relegated from League Two.

85 heroes in the away end.

We can’t avoid this hardy bunch can we? Yeovil fans are a really special group of people.

I don’t always agree with their opinions, I don’t enjoy some stuff on social media, but I am continually impressed by the desire to follow their team, no matter what.

85 of you bonkers lot put Christmases on hold to travel 700 miles and support their team.

You’re a real credit to your team, to your club and whilst the result might not have gone our way, I think 85 of you have a rightful claim to ‘Player of the Match’.

 

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Yeovil picked up an important three points to keep pace with the playoff pack yesterday. Here are five conclusions from my view from the Huish Park press box.

Matt Worthington and the team celebrate Aaron Jarvis’ goal.
(Pic C/O Gary Brown)

It was the result we needed after Tuesday. It was important that Yeovil reacted off the back of the disappointment of W*ymouth and pick up three points. While the performance over the entire 90 minutes wasn’t rip-roaring, three goals after lots of change before and during the match (on and off the the pitch) shows the resilience in this group of players. 

The initial changes didn’t quite work. It was quite a radical adjustment following W*ymouth with the five changes, albeit enforced with injuries to Plant and Whittle, and it didn’t properly click. Yeovil didn’t enjoy the usual control of the game that we’ve become accustomed to. I thought we were quite compact centrally with Cooper, Worthington and McGavin all treading on eachothers’ toes and Braintree were able to control the first half.

The second half changes worked. The switch to the more familiar 3-4-3 was more comfortable for the players and they gained more of a foothold in the match. Ed James header forced Braintree to chase the game and when we switched to a 4-2-3-1 we were able to make the most of the space. Sims, Nouble and Morgan all made a difference from the bench, with Morgan being absolutely pivotal for Brett McGavin’s clincher. 

Kofi Shaw (Pic C/O Gary Brown)

Keep mavericks in football. Kofi Shaw enjoyed another afternoon at Huish Park (much like against Maidenhead) where he had a free role and covered every blade of grass. He’s brave on the ball and is happy to put himself about against bigger lads too. He’s the kind of player who thrives when given license to roam and pull strings. Consistency is the challenge here. Can he do it week in week out and will he get the opportunity to do it?

We’re keeping pace and in the playoffs. The reaction from Tuesday was justified and warranted. It should never have happened. But, in the league we are in the playoff positions again and I think we’re absolutely punching above our weight right now. I understand that the style isn’t to everyone’s taste and there is a split among supporters, but to be 7th with this group at this stage of the season is an achievement. Keep the faith!

It’s mine! Ed James celebrates his first Yeovil goal! Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.