Five Conclusions (Page 4)

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Gloversblog

It’s wasn’t to be on the sandy beaches of West Yorkshire for the Glovers, a 1-0 defeat to FC Halifax Town, here are Gloverscast Ben‘s big five takeaways from the game from the BBC Radio Somerset vantage point at The Shay.

It wasn’t as bad as Tuesday. I appreciate we’re starting with a fairly low bar here, but you’re only as good as your last game, and our last game was blummin’ rubbish! There’s no doubt that going 1-0 down gave all in green-and-white a dread of ‘here we go again’, but actually, there was a decent response to going a goal down. Plenty of players showed considerably more effort, gusto and fight than they did on Tuesday night and that was more than needed after a poor showing at Barnet. It wasn’t enough to secure even so much as a point – even if you could argue we may have deserved one – but it was far more pleasing on the eye.

We didn’t take our chances. Playing away at any top six side, pretty much regardless of form or fortune, is tough. That’s to be expected, but when opportunities to get that first goal, or equaliser come your way, you simply have to take them. Ryan McLean blazed a shot over when it looks easier to find the target, Brett McGavin hit the bar, Twamley, McGuckin, McGurk and even Lavinier all had shots that were either blocked or never really troubled Sam Johnson in the Halifax goal because of how wayward they were. I was delighted that we got into those positions, but without Aaron Jarvis in the side, we do look a little toothless in attack. As the season peters out I hope we do still have that desire to find a bit of cutting edge and really put a team to the sword sooner rather than later.

The newbies did alright. It’s easy to forget that Ryan McLean, Frankie Terry and Marcel Lavinier have all played approximately four and half seconds of football between them in the last couple of months and for them all to slot into a starting line up with minimal fuss says a lot about them as players and also one or two of the other lads on the team. Finn Cousun-Dawson spent noticeable amounts of time with Terry pre-match, warming up away from the group and really talking his new central partner through the ideas and plans. For the most part, I thought they worked well together. Lavinier was with the Forest Green Rovers’ side preparing for their game with York City 48 hours before he made his debut for the Glovers, but he made a few nice runs, wasn’t afraid to fling an early cross in and McLean did his best to stretch the pitch and get into good areas.  Small steps, but positive ones for all three.

The subs didn’t really affect the game. Maybe that’s a touch harsh on McGuckin who did get into some good areas down the right hand side, but he’s not a winger really, I want him on the end of those moments, not trying to create them, but it was good to see him back. But Sean McGurk’s cameo was all too fleeting and I wonder if it would’ve been better to leave Sonny on, he was making some lovely moves and really getting into good areas. I can’t make my mind up on Sims, I just don’t know what I’m seeing there, Bernard wasn’t able to connect the dots on the (ever changing) right hand side like Lavinier did and Twamley did a couple of nice bits of skill, one Marseille Turn in particular had me purring, but it was tough for him to get into good areas and be a real menace, he had one shot of note, which flew high over the bar.

On a pitch that sapped every ounce of energy from those who started, it was vital that players came on the make a difference. I felt that Owen Bray, Josh Emmanuel and Jamie Cooke in particular did just that for the home side, particularly on the break, ours just couldn’t replicate that.

Sort that pitch out. Seriously, it’s got worse since I last went there. It is, without question the worst pitch in the league – including the fake ones. I know it’s the same for both sides, blah blah blah, but it’s popped another hamstring, it’s not conducive to playing any kind of proper football, it’s honestly spoiled the spectacle. With a better pitch, that game would have had three goals more, certainly for both sides, so it’s not an excuse as to why Yeovil lost. But if the home side can’t trust a bobble or a back pass, it just becomes a rugby match. It’s practically unplayable, it’s almost certainly unsafe and every time I go there it makes me that little bit more wound up. If they get into the EFL through the play-offs, they’ll have to do something about it, but because it’s “just” the National League, it doesn’t matter. It’s a disgrace. 

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions

To be totally honest, Gloverscast Ben has been putting this off throughout Wednesday morning, but we have to get to it eventually.

The coffee is poured, DAZN has been logged back into to watch some bits back, and here are Ben’s Five Conclusions from Tuesday night.

We had turned a corner, into on coming traffic. After a trio of really positive results and some good performances, this game always felt like a tough one, but let’s get it right, Barnet were brilliant and took full advantage of their opportunity to really put a stamp on their title charge and run in. They saw a chance to really dominate a threadbare Yeovil and took it, and who can begrudge them? It was fast, free flowing, interchanging, the nine or ten Barnet camped in and around our box for 90+ minutes made it all look very , very easy. They’re by far the best side I’ve seen this season and should go up as Champions.

but…

We let Barnet look like Brazil. From the first minute on Tuesday night – actually from the 45th minute on Saturday – Yeovil Town tried to park a proverbial bus.  In shades of what the Parma Violet party poopers did to Notts County that one time, we set up on Tuesday night, with such little desire to attack that almost immediately the game was set out as a training session for the hosts.

Now, of course, we’ve got one fit or available central defender, it’s always going to square pegs in round holes, but when the home keeper is playing neat little one-twos on the half way line in the 20th minute of the game, I felt like it was going to be a long night. The first two goals are poor defending, the best part of 20 players in a penalty area and no-one thinks to stand somewhere near Callum Stead? or stick a boot in before Ryan Glover could poke the ball home after he reacted quicker to a brilliant save from Aidan Stone?

Frank Nouble said after the match, we went in with a game plan, it didn’t work and we never sought to ever really even try something different, that’s maybe what hurts the most.

The partnership between Williams and Wannell has been a key part of success this season. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Heads dropped. Actually, this hurts the most, not for me, sat in my comfy chair with a cuppa and hobnob watching the game, but for the supporters who were there. I know their support is always appreciated and it truly is, I know that for a fact. But, after Michael Smith’s injury, after the first two goals, after the only half chance of the first half fell to Harvey Greenslade, in those key flash point moments it just felt like no-one was able to galvanise the group.

Sonny played a few nice passes through midfield, Kyrell Wilson made some runs into the corner areas for through balls and Nouble did what he could to try and make the ball stick. But, where was the noise to get each other going? Where was the keeper demanding more from his defence each time another shot/cross/chance came and went – he kept it from being a cricket score by the way, he’s entitled to politely enquire for a little help.

What ever magic tricks need to happen to get Williams and Wannell back on the pitch need to happen quickly – someone call in Derren Brown or something. 

Paul Wotton.

We need the RIGHT signings. There’s almost no point putting a 19-year-old, who’s played four minutes of EFL Trophy football into this group right now, and given the nature of the season, the timing and the budget, it might be that we can only get access to those type of players though. I think of times where we’ve brought in Paul Wotton and Darren Ward in the past, those types players don’t grow on trees in March, with 12 weeks of the season still to go.

Mark Cooper spoke of players that know what it means to play for a club like Yeovil, and he’s absolutely right, but they’re not on benches or with the reserves of EFL Clubs, they’re not cheap either, leaders and “men” aren’t easy to find. We only have one loan-spot left, remember, so the next few days of recruitment needs to be diligent and not a knee jerk reaction to just stick a body in a shirt at Halifax.

Jordan Thomas. Picture courtesy of Iain Morland.

So what can we change for Saturday? I cannot for the life of me think we’re going to park another bus in West Yorkshire, what’s the point? We’re going to need cover on the right side of defence, that’s for sure, I wouldn’t be totally against a back four of Bernard – Cooper – FC-D – Whittle, but that leaves us little to no protection in front, so either we find a right back (Josh Sims? or a recall of Jordan Thomas?) or we sacrifice that vital level of cover that Cooper gives us. If we do that, then we have to spend more time in the opposition half. I thought Ryan McLean showed a nice turn of foot on a couple of occasions, as did Lewys Twamley, but nothing more than flashes. So maybe there’s something to work with there, especially if Ciaran McGuckin doesn’t his delivery of Holy Water in time.

See you in Halifax! 

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

Yeovil were so close to picking up the three points against Southend United at Huish Park yesterday. Ian was at Huish Park for it and here are his conclusions.

It couldn’t have been a worse start. Folks were barely in their seats before Southend opened the scoring. A move down the left and a simple cross in the box found Charley Kendall who had freedom of Huish Park to pick his spot. The visitors continued to press forward and could have scored two or three in the opening 12 minutes and you’d have been forgiven for thinking you were in for a long afternoon and Huish Park.

We showed tremendous character to turn it around so quickly. Many would have been fearing the worst after conceding so early, but this isn’t the Yeovil Town of January, this is the Yeovil Town of late February. The first was a bit of a gift after a raking forward pass from Charlie Cooper wasn’t dealt with by the Shrimpers’ defence. Kyrell Wilson showed composure to beat the goalkeeper and bring Yeovil level. Not long after the game had turned on its head with Ciaran McGuckin setting up Frank Nouble with the easiest of finishes to make it 2-1. The Guvnor clearly enjoyed scoring against his former club’s Essex rivals.

Charlie Cooper earned his man of the match award. He marshalled the central defensive three for an entire half yesterday. To perform at that level in a position he’s unfamiliar with was impressive. Like him or not, he’s vital to this team on the pitch and since the departure of Worthington, he has to step in as a standard-setter in the heart of the midfield…and in defence?

We couldn’t hang on. We shifted to a back five before half time and spent the entire second half repelling Southend. For all Southend’s possession, they barely tested Aidan Stone in the Yeovil goal and that was down to the hard work of Yeovil’s outfield players. The body language of those players when the equaliser goes in painted the picture of devastation. For a depleted group to work so hard to hang on to three points to only get one with barely a kick left must have been a real kicker. Clearly there’s an argument that when you sit back for half of a game you get what you deserve, but…

Injuries are taking their toll. There’s no Wannell, Williams, Jarvis, Maddox available and Ciaran McGuckin hobbled off with “tight calves”, to the annoyance of Mark Cooper. Cooper said he needs two in before Tuesday’s visit to Barnet and if someone can get them in, it’s him. It’s clear how important depth in the National League, and I feel like we had more depth last season than this. Clearly it costs more to maintain a squad that is capable of the National League rigours than in National League South, but with a mid-table finish looking likely, the promise of building on that next season will require greater depth in the squad.

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions

It was another W for Yeovil Town as a 2-0 win away at Maidenhead United saw them record back-to-back wins for the first time since the start of November. Dave was at York Road to see it unfold and here are his conclusions.


Seven days is a long time in football: Well, it feels very different to this time last week when we were all fearing the worst after our winless run extended beyond two months. It’s easy to mock and say that was an overreaction, but the reality was the defeat to Wealdstone was a low tide mark for the season both in the result and the performance. But, the second half at home to Tamworth on Tuesday night and the entire 90 minutes at Maidenhead proved those tides are rising. I don’t think we’re really doing much different, but the past 135 minutes has seen us offer a lot more going forward and that’s the difference. Things feel a lot more comfortable now and hopefully we can take the momentum we are building in to the coming matches.

Yeovil celebrate the opening goal from Frank Nouble – probably.

All hail the strikers: Who’s the new lad up front?! I joke, but Frank Nouble looked a completely different player to the one I saw at Dagenham & Redbridge just two weeks earlier. This was 90 minutes of hard running, goal-scoring Frank the leader and you love to see it. Whilst the record books may not credit the opening goal to him, he deserved his second in as many games. And, whilst we’re handing out credit, let’s give some to Harvey Greenslade for that finish. It’s not been easy for him having got himself in to the team back at the start of the season, suffering that shoulder injury and then being loaned out to Weston-super-Mare, but the way he took his goal was outstanding. It may not beat Brett McGavin or Sean McGurk for Goal of the Season but it will be pretty close.


Consistency crucial for the cleano: Let’s put this in to the correct context, Maidenhead did not offer much. In the first half they seemed to want to play the role of the away team, pack players behind the ball and hit on the counter, and that takes a lot to get past. In the second half they changed it up and started to push players forward. In the first half we worked hard to get ahead and in the second our defence stood firm and, much like the exact same four players did against Tamworth in midweek, defended everything. We can’t underestimate the value of that consistency in these back-to-back results, only one change (enforced by the absence of James Plant) and it made all the difference for a cleano.

It’s always Sonny: What a re-emergence Sonny Blu Lo-Everton is having. Having wandered in the wilderness for since the end of November, he returned in midweek to good effect and yesterday he was at the heart of a lot that was good going forward. With the back up on Charlie Cooper and Brett McGavin, he is able to show what a talented technician he is with the ball. 

Momentum not perfection: Let’s not get too high with the highs, any more than we should not get too low with the lows. The last two matches have delivered that crucial ingredient – momentum. League position is looking a lot healthier (not that it ever looked that unhealthy) than it was seven days ago, but more importantly we are playing with some swagger again. There are tougher tests to come starting with Southend United at home next weekend. Let’s keep on building to the magic 50+ points target and, be under illusion, that would be a very successful season. 

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions

2025 is off and running for Yeovil Town, a first win of the year secured on Tuesday night with a 2-1 win over Tamworth.

Ben was watching on the stream and here’s what he made of it.

….AND BREATHE.

“That is the sound of relief” (Prior, D, 2025, Yeovil Town Radio) on the highlights as the final whistle went on Tuesday evening.

He was not wrong either, that winless run has crept into ‘months’ rather that being referred to in terms of ‘weeks’ or ‘matches’.

Whilst, as I said on the podcast, I’m firmly ‘Cooper In’ and had been throughout this tough period, it was certainly a monkey that needed to be shaken off the back sooner, rather than later.

Even I, usually happy to bounce around the dining room upon the conclusion of a successful outing for the Glovers, just took a deep breath, slouched back in my chair, and quietly closed the laptop. I think this run has tested the emotions of everyone associated with the club; fans, players and staff all needed that. 

CHARACTER

…and boy did we have to earn it. It was an incredible game of two halves.

The first, whilst not ‘poor’ from the Glovers, was certainly wracked with nerves. You could see it, in every pass, every clearance, every bobble of the ball that went against us (or absolute stone wall penalty not given for us…).

That’s perfectly natural and understandable. It was a bold team selection, one that perhaps had to work for the better (more on that it a bit), but it provided the team with the players to react to the gut punch of going a goal down.

There were moments in the first half of genuine quality – mostly from Kyrell Wilson – even if some of his final decision making and execution left a little to be desired.

The second half was a whole different game. Jerry Gill said that he didn’t expect Mark Cooper to stick a rocket up them during the break, whether he did or not, only a select few will know. But whatever he did, it worked.

We came out of the box quickly in the second 45, started on the front foot, unlike against Rochdale and Dagenham recently, we kept the ball in the Tamworth half and soon the Thatchers Stand did it’s thing in response. 

It was attacking, fluid, brave, all the things that have deserted us in recent weeks. Yeah, the goals had an element of luck to them, but you make that luck with your own desire and threat.

EXPERIENCE

You may have heard me on the podcast saying we needed a ‘grown up’ in attack, and how we had to get the ‘Guv’nor’ back and in full pomp.

Well, like a broken clock is right twice a day, I think I may have been right on this one. 

Charlie Cooper is so key to the midfield, everything, and I mean everything, goes through him. That’s dirty work that McGavin, Wannell, Lo-Everton and the wing backs, just didn’t have to do, so they could spend their time concentrating on their own roles.

He needed a huge slice of luck for the goal, but he took the game – and that specific moment – by the scruff of the neck and said, ‘well, might as well’.

It was on target, it could have been a Glovers’ boot that deflects it beyond the keeper or a Tamworth one, I don’t care who it comes off, it went in. You miss 100% of shots you don’t take. (Gretsky, W, 1983) and having seen more than a few halves of football where we’ve recorded 0 shots on target. I love it.

The Guv’nor got his first Huish Park goal in over a year, but he did exactly what I wanted him to do, he got his legs pumping and got the Tamworth defenders turned facing their own goal.

His passes kept the attacks moving, his presence felt by all in green… and in white. More of that please Frank.

Of course Sonny gets his own mention too, I imagine he can’t move today, but for a lad that’s been out of the side for so long, 76 minutes was a cracking effort. He kept it simple, he kept things moving and hopefully we’ll see more of that to come over the next few weeks, we might have to…

HAMSTRUNG

There was a visceral noise that came from Jerry Gill as the clock struck 65 minutes, and off camera, James Plant hit the deck holding his leg.

Jerry knew, James knew, he’s going to be out for a while. Possibly a reoccurrence of a hamstring injury that curtailed his first loan short he might be out for a few weeks, maybe more.

Mark Cooper would have loved to have turned around and signaled for Kofi Shaw. But he couldn’t.

Shaw did come off the bench on Tuesday, but for Bristol Rovers away at Wycombe. That leaves us a little light in that area now, hopefully Sean McGurk’s problems won’t keep him out for too long, but with Sonny getting back to fitness and a little cameo from Harvey Greenslade which certainly impressed me, there might not be the panic to recruit, but there’s definitely room for a loanee now.

After the game, Mark Cooper said he’d be asking the Chairman – who was in the room – for some more money, suggesting there’s wiggle room to expand the squad a bit.

FOUNDATIONS 

‘Don’t get too high with the highs, don’t get too low with the lows’ (Obama, B, 2015).

It was just one game, one very good half of one game, actually.

That’s not to say we can’t enjoy it, of course we can, the relief was palpable, but I also appreciated the talk after the game of building on it to go again, on Saturday, then the following week and the following week.

We’ve been through a tough patch of results against some of the lesser teams, after Maidenhead on Saturday it’s a trio of play-off chasers in a row before we host Boston in mid-march.

Some of those games will need every bit of the character we showed on Tuesday night, maybe even more. Just six more home games are on the schedule, every ticket purchased is important, every win vital to encouraging sponsors to take up advertising boards next season and players to come to Fortress Huish, it’s vital we get it right at HP.

A much needed win at Huish Park under the lights, but also the catalyst to end the season strong – maybe upset a few big boys along the way? 

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

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

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions

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.
 

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Gloversblog

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!

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Gloversblog

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

By:
On:
In: Five Conclusions, Gloversblog

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.