Five Conclusions (Page 6)

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The second game of the National League Premier Division season ended in a 2-0 defeat for Yeovil Town at the hands of Forest Green Rovers at The New Lawn. The scoreline belied the dominance of the home side who spurned numerous chances to make it a more emphatic defeat for the Glovers. Ed Turnbull was among the 486 fans who made the trip to Gloucestershire and here are his conclusions.

The better team won. Probably stating the obvious when you look at the statistics, but it felt like only a matter of time before Forest Green were going to score. Five shots (2 on target, 3 off target) to our zero at half time and more than double that come full time highlights how dominant they were. We just got deeper and deeper and it felt like we were playing with ten men at times, when they scored their first it was game over. 
 
Super Jed Ward in goal. We said before the game that with the all out attack which Robbie Savage has spoken about bringing, Jed Ward was going to need to have a solid return to the club he started last season at. Thankfully he did. It could have been far more without him, some good last ditch blocks from his defence and wayward shooting from Forest Green. It was a decent rearguard action for 75 minutes and against lesser opposition (and there will be plenty lesser than Forest Green this season) hopefully that will stand us in good stead.
 
Jed Ward during his pre-match warm up.
Jed Ward. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.
 

Two up top, but I’m not sure it worked. I was excited to see Aaron Jarvis get some company in the forward line in Tahvon Campbell, but surprised we tried it away to one of the strongest sides in the division. Forest Green found it too easy to get the ball forwards around us, with a lot of space behind the front two. For two big strikers, neither particularly held the ball up well which meant we struggled to keep the ball. I was not too surprised to see Campbell substituted at half-time. Mind you, it certainly was not any better when we switched to playing one up top in the second half. We talk a lot about shape, but for me it’s 11 players on the pitch either way, and it’s about how good they are more than the formation they play in.

Who wants that sack of spuds? If anyone wants the sack of potatoes being offered to our first goalscorer of the season, a good first step would be to find a way of getting possession in the attacking half. We managed it in second half against Hartlepool on the opening day, but in the other three 45 minutes of competitive football so far this season we’ve failed. I’d hoped Luke McCormick would be that player to put his foot on the ball higher up the pitch and provide that vital connection between defence and attack, but he hasn’t managed that so far. I would like to see if Brett McGavin can do any better from the start of a match. For me, as solid as they can be defensively, a midfield pair of Charlie Cooper and Finn Cousin-Dawson lacks that attacking quality and leaves our strikers looking so disjointed from the rest of the team.

There’s no need to panic. I hope this one goes without saying, but we are only two games in to the season. So far we’ve played two teams we’d expect to be up and around the promotion places come the end of the season. Yes, we’ve only got one point but that’s one more point than we got from these same two fixtures last season. The upcoming run of fixtures looks much kinder starting at home to Brackley Town at Huish Park on Wednesday night. It is a great opportunity to kick-start our season. Keep the faith!

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Josh Sims holds off a defender.

The first point is on the board, but finding the back of the net looks like it may still be an issue for Yeovil Town after the goalless opening day draw with Hartlepool United at Huish Park yesterday. Mike Hudson was among more than 3,000 Glovers’ fans who turn up for the stalemate and here are his conclusions on what he saw.

It was good to be back. After all the noise of pre-season, it was good to be back at Huish Park for a competitive fixture. The pitch looked stunning, if not a little small, as the sun shone down on the 3,239 Glovers fans (and the 199 away ones too). New owner Prabhu Srinivasan and Chief Strategy Advisor Nicholas Brayne could be seen walking around the stands and talking to fans before kick off, and the supporters were in good voice throughout the afternoon. As the ref got the opening day underway there was a sense of optimism in the Somerset air.

Josh Sims goes down under pressure from the goalkeeper.
Josh Sims takes a tumble during a difficult first half against Hartlepool. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

The first half was a bit iffy. Throughout the game Yeovil looked defensively solid, but it was pretty hard to put to figure out what our game plan was going forward, particularly in the first forty five. In the first five minutes there were a few moments when James Daly and Luke McCormick linked up nicely, but then the game really passed them by. There was no fluidity in attack, and with all the talent and pace on the pitch, our tactics seemed to nullify the strengths I was looking forward to seeing. There was a lot of direct play to Aaron Jarvis who had his back to goal most of the game. While his hold up play was great as usual, no-one in green and white was ever near enough to our number nine to capitalise. We didn’t work their keeper at all in the first half, and in truth Hartlepool, who kept a lot of possession, had a few chances as the break approached and could really have been ahead.

The second half was better. We seemed to start the second half with more intent and looked dangerous. The changes were interesting. Removing McCormick and Daly for Tahvon Campbell and Junior Morias made it look like we would need to play even more directly. However, I thought both players made an impact and looked lively when they came on. You feel if the late chance that fell at the feet of Ben Wodsku had come to either Morias or Campbell we may have stolen all three points. Unfortunately the youngster rather panicked and snatched at his shot. It was far from a fluid second half, but it was an improvement on the first.

Jed Ward holds a shot during pre-match warm up.
Jed Ward looks a good addition. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Keep those potatoes on hold. After feeling before the game that he may have solved our goal-scoring issues, Mark Cooper may be reassessing. The sack of potatoes on offer to the first goal scorer of the season will remain the property of the greengrocer for now, as we try to figure out how to best utilise the players at our disposal. On a plus side, we did secure a clean sheet, and our back three looked mostly solid, with Jed Ward adding some calmness in goal. Our new keeper had one shaky moment in the first half, but was otherwise faultless and also showed his distribution quality when he launched a ‘fizzing’ kick for the pacy Byron Pendleton to run onto creating a dangerous moment for the home side. On balance, I’m not a fan of the training ground move, but it may just have secured us a real top quality keeper.

We’re off the mark. Yeovil are not known for their strong opening days, and coming up against a Hartlepool side managed by Simon Grayson, who we never seem to get the better off, was never going to be easy. We didn’t set the world ablaze, we didn’t quite put on a show at home, and on balance a point was probably a fair result. It did feel like a game that we would have lost last season, and there were moments on Saturday when we rode our luck against a team who may have similar ambitions to us this season. But overall, it’s not a bad start to proceedings. There are some reasons for positivity while also a number of things we will need to work on quickly. We have a point on the board, and a tricky first away trip to Forest Green to come. Onwards and upwards you Glovers.

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That’s that then? Yeovil Town’s season concluded with a 2-1 defeat at Aldershot Town on Bank Holiday Monday and Mike Hudson was among the 575 travelling supporters in the away end in Hampshire and here are his thoughts.

 We should have been ahead. If ever forty five minutes of football typified a season, then the first half was just that. How many times have we, or manager Mark Cooper, talked about the fact we should have been ahead in games this campaign? There were at least three glorious chances in the first half, one of them falling to Lewys Twamley and the other two to Ciaran McGuckin. At least one of those had to find the back of the net. We haven’t scored enough goals this season, and that cost us again on Monday.

Lewys Twamley drags his effort wide after 17 minutes – the first of three gilt-edged chances for Yeovil to pull ahead.

We were punished. Two Aldershot Town goals either side of the break made it a tall task for Yeovil at The EBB Stadium. They were both awful goals to concede in truth. The first came from us having the ball on the edge of Aldershot’s area, but after a host of players refused to cross the ball into the box or take a shot, eventually we ended up passing the ball to our opposition. From being in an attacking area, a few seconds later we found ourselves light at the back as Aldershot broke and scored. The second goal wasn’t much better either. We allowed Dejan Tetek to cut through the middle of our midfield relatively unchallenged, and a few passes later the ball ended up in the back of the net again.

Jack Barham opens the scoring for Aldershot.

The fans showed up in numbers. Considering Bank Holiday Monday was the definition of a dead rubber game, it was great that so many Yeovil fans made the trip to Aldershot (it’s just a shame one of them didn’t bring a lawn mower…). Those in the away end sung their hearts out throughout the ninety minutes. Even when the game wasn’t offering much to sing about, the noise was great. Watching Pete run from one side of the stand to the other to rouse supporters was like watching a great orchestral conductor at work! I’m not sure if the mystery third party bidders were at the game, but if they were, it was another reminder of the remarkable fanbase and potential this great club has.

On that note, all attention now turns off field. In recent years Huish Park has had more leaks than the Titanic when it comes to off field gossip. However, the rumour mill has been fairly subdued since Martin Hellier announced he would be selling the club. Most of us have assumed work has been going on in the background to make that change of ownership a reality, and it was good to get a short update from Stuart Robins telling us as much. Our chairman was understandably reluctant to offer any definitive timelines, but it’s clear that the sooner a sale can happen, and we can start planning for next season, the better. Of course until we know who the mystery third party is, and what their plans are for the club, we can only be cautiously optimistic.

Interim chairman Stuart Robins speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah.

It’s over for now. When the referee blew the final whistle to bring the game, and season, to an end, it gave us all an opportunity to look back and reflect on the season as we headed back to the South West. On paper, survival in our first attempt back at this level is good enough and in reality that still remains the case. There have been some good moments along the way too. However, I think the poor home form, some awful cup appearances, the high number of player turnover, and the off field shenanigans have left me feeling slightly subdued in my celebrations (losing the last three games probably doesn’t help!). Finishing four points above the safety line is a closer shave than I would have liked, although in truth we’ve been comfortable for a few weeks. Last season we finished fourteen points above Braintree, however this year we could only match their points tally. Tamworth ended up finishing as the highest newly promoted side, and Boston finished the season in staggering form having once looked doomed to relegation. We did what we needed to do this season, but we will need to do things differently next year to keep the club heading in the right direction. Hopefully, the ownership situation will be sorted before long and we can all start getting excited about having a real go of it when we kick things off in August. Enjoy the summer!

The Thatcher’s End. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

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Jake Wannell applauds the Yeovil Town supporters.

Behind the microphone this time, Tom Bailey is back with his Five Conclusions from Yeovil’s game against Sutton United.

Not the most enthralling game… it wasn’t a classic, was it? Yeovil were ok, Sutton were a bit better than ok, it was exactly what it was on the tin – two mid-table sides slugging it out, making sloppy mistakes and missing good chances. Sutton played it to perfection, two really well taken goals (the first admittedly was assisted by some shoddy defending, but still a solid header) were simply the difference in an otherwise average, but competitive encounter.

Harry Kite is some player. If we can somehow convince Harry Kite to stay with us next season, I think we’ll already be off to a great start, cos this guy is pretty good at this football malarkey! He controlled the midfield expertly, linking the defence to the attack effortlessly, and his vision is unrivalled in this team with Sonny Blu a very close second! A midfield of Kite alongside McGavin next season makes me excited to think of what may come next season!

Harry Kite celebrates with his teammates. Photo by Gary Brown.

The initiatives worked again! Kids for a Quid was in place once again today, and it’s continued to prove its worth – 3,566 were in attendance today, and since the K.F.A.Q. was put in place, attendances have risen above the season average, showing how important something like this is to a family-based, community driven club! The atmosphere was class once again, it’s just a shame the Thatchers Terrace didn’t get one more goal to enjoy, despite the Glovers’ best efforts. Maybe something for the new owners to consider putting in place more frequently…

Returns gave a flash of what could’ve been. We didn’t expect to see Jake Wannell or Aaron Jarvis again this season; these were the words of none other than Mark Cooper post-Eastleigh, however we got a glimpse of both this afternoon! While both clearly lacking match sharpness, their quality was starting to shine through, Jarvis demonstrating his excellent hold-up play, and Wannell continuing to demonstrate his exceptional passing and footwork. It makes you wonder what could’ve been this season, but hopefully a summer of rest and a full pre-season will give these boys the best preparation for a successful 2025/26 season!

Jake Wannell leads the full-time applause. Photo by Gary Brown.

Home season is done. And there have been plenty of highs and lows to take in – the Fylde and Oldham wins… the W*ymouth and Boston results, Huish Park has had its fair share of action this season. 7 wins, 7 draws and 9 losses in the league, while not a great record, is far from the worst – if we can re-capture that fortress feeling from the title season, and carry that into next season, the sky could well be the limit for this club. God I love Yeovil… onwards to Aldershot!

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In the stands for Monday’s game against Eastleigh was Yeovil Town Radio commentator Tom Bailey. Here are his conclusions.

We can be proud of the performance in the circumstances given. It was a fairly even first 35 minutes in my opinion, even with their goal coming in that timeframe; we looked really good going down the right hand side, and with eleven men on the field, I think we’d have stuck one of those chances away. The red card was absolutely warranted, no matter the provocation, you cannot react like that on a football pitch, particularly in the modern day. Eastleigh didn’t offer much else in the second half, sitting back and absorbing the attacks that Yeovil threw at them. 55 minutes being a man down away from home, I think we can be happy with the performance, despite the result.

Otis Khan heads down the tunnel after 36 minutes.

Yeovil are massive. The atmosphere generated by the travelling fans was awesome, my spot in the South Stand giving me the best of both worlds as I heard both seated and standing fans chanting and boosting the team. All season, the away support has been fantastic, and the 600+ in attendance on Monday was testament to that. I know that attendances aren’t everything, but they’re certainly something, and I’m sure the team feels that – keep it up you Glovers!

Fearlessness was a really welcome presence. We’ve heard Mark Cooper mention before about not wanting to turn games into basketball matches, which can lead to some safe football in order to effectively dominate teams and in turn beat them. However I want to give Mark and all the players some credit for the manner of the performance on Monday, and indeed over the last few weeks, where we have looked fearless. We were down a man, and could easily have retreated into ourselves and jumped to damage limitation, and instead we went for it. We brought on Josh Sims, Ciaran McGuckin, and later Lewys Twamley; all three gave us some width and pace up top, allowing us to pile the pressure onto the Eastleigh backline, and as mentioned in Conclusion 1, with 11 men I really do think we’d have left with a point at the bare minimum.

An estimated 800 Yeovil fans travelled to Eastleigh – these are just some of them.

Rule 1… this one won’t be a big one, due to said rule, but I don’t think he had a good game… sure, he let a lot go, but he also made many wrong calls, including a Sims shot being tipped over the bar by the ‘keeper for a… goal kick. While it didn’t directly cause our defeat, I think it certainly played a factor.

WE. ARE. STAYING. UP. SAY… I know that feels a bit “tinpot” to say, but I’m delighted that we’re staying up. A lot of us had mid table ambitions for the season, some even higher – a topsy turvy season has led to playoff hopes, and relegation fears, but in the end it all worked out ok – another season of National League football confirmed, the target has been achieved. Now the next step is to build, and grow, which I’m confident we can do with the right backing and recruitment. Let’s continue to back the boys, and get behind the club as a collective going into next season!

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Fresh from his debut on the Gloverscast podcast, Mike Hudson was back in the stands at Huish Park for the Good Friday visit from Forest Green Rovers. Here are his conclusions.

It was the late, late show again for Forest Green Rovers. It was late drama yet again at Huish Park, and I was gutted for the lads that we were on the wrong end of it. This isn’t the first time we’ve let a lead slip at home this season, but this one stung that little bit more because it felt like we had the game under control. The boys in green gave everything. They were full of fight, energy and desire. Keeping a promotion chasing Forest Green side at bay and looking the better team for the majority of the game. However, in added time it was that man Ryan Innis (again, he did it to us on New Year’s Day as well) that shattered Yeovil hearts with the late equaliser. The goal came from a set piece – perhaps not a total shock given the sheer physical presence of some of their players – but until that point, we’d handled their aerial threat brilliantly. Unfortunately there was a momentary lapse of concentration/organisation and it cost us dearly. Looking back at both games against Forest Green Rovers this season, we can feel very hard done by to have come away with only a point.

Yeovil Town celebrate Sonny Blu Lo-Everton’s opener.

We came out swinging. Similarly to the Oldham game, we exploded into the fixture with energy, commitment, intensity and purpose. With Forest Green’s recent dip in form, and their players potentially keeping one eye on the playoffs, a fast start was exactly what we needed. In tough conditions we took the game to them, and asked the question; ‘are you up for this?’ Our great start meant that our goal was fully deserved when it came. Ciaran McGuckin was superb once more, as was Sonny Blu who celebrated hitting the back of the net again with a composed finish. I’d also like to give a shout out to Harry Kite who is continuing to show us just what a player he is. Unfortunately, the story of the day would turn out to be just as much about the chances we didn’t take. Harvey Greenslade, who got a much deserved start, narrowly missed the target, and also saw a goal-bound effort cleared off the line (he probably should have done better). Add to that being denied a stonewall penalty (from my perspective), as McGuckin was denied a certain tap home goal, and the game could and should have been put to bed. Unfortunately it wasn’t, and we were very much made to pay.

You can still vote for your Man of the Match from the Good Friday game against Forest Green Rovers – HERE.

The subs changed the game. You always want your substitutes to have an impact on a game, and ours did. Sadly, it wasn’t the kind of impact Mark Cooper would’ve hoped for. To be fair, the changes had to happen. Our starting eleven included players still returning to fitness, and after 70 minutes of relentless graft, it was clear legs were beginning to tire. But there’s no denying it — after the substitutions, the momentum swung, and the goal we conceded came from a rare moment of defensive disorganisation. On the flip side of this, as we were making our changes, Forest Green showed off the depth of their squad with the likes of Joe Quigley and Tom Knowles (DFILWF) coming onto the pitch. There’s levels to this game!

Don’t fall in love with footballers (DFILWF). Tom Knowles in green-and-white. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Control conundrum. Mark Cooper has been forced to change his starting line up of late, which has also led to a change in set up and tactics. The manager mentioned again that with the change in personnel, we’ve had to sacrifice some of the controlled, possession based football we have become accustomed to. The problem? These players and this new approach has arguably been far easier on the eye, and more effective, particularly at home. There have been times at Hush Park this season where it’s been hard to figure out what our game plan has been. It’s felt like we’ve been afraid to lose the ball, and haven’t been able to strike the right balance between control and speed. This new direct approach, and aggressive pressing off the ball, caused both Oldham and Forest Green Rovers all kinds of problems. With players returning from injury, and a tight turn around in games, changes will need to be made, but I’m sure these last few positive home outings will have raised some questions for Mark Cooper.

It was a good day out. While it was frustrating not to come away with all three points, it was another entertaining afternoon at Huish Park, and another performance that the fans could really get behind. Of course, results are all that matters when it comes to the league table, but entertainment value will have an impact on attendances. I am sure there will have been some casual fans that will have been inspired to buy another ticket for our final home game of the season against Sutton United. And with season ticket decisions looming, performances like this one, can absolutely help sway those who are still on the fence. Of course, alongside that, many fans will need more clarity about the future of the club, following Martin Hellier’s decision to resign as chairman and sell up. It’s been a couple of weeks since Stuart Robins initial interview with BBC Somerset, and Mark Cooper again mentioned the off field situation in his post-match interview. It would be nice to think an update might be on the way soon.

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A double from Sonny Blu Lo-Everton saw off fourth-placed Oldham Athletic to earn Yeovil Town a win over one of the division’s top seven in their penultimate match at Huish Park. Glovers’ fan Mike Hudson was in the stands for see it and here are his conclusions.

We had to change things up. I must admit, I was gutted when I heard the news that Kyle Ferguson had been recalled by Rochdale. The central defender has been a rock for us since coming in, and has quickly built up a rapport with both the back four and the fans. His good form, mixed with a injury crisis, means you can’t blame Rochdale for taking their man back, however I can still be annoyed about it! Add that to Otis Khan being unavailable to play against his parent club, and Charlie Cooper being added to the injury list, and it was a much changed side facing the promotion chasing Latics. But credit to the team, and to Mark Cooper who got the tactics spot on. We nullified most of Oldham’s threat, while looking lively and dangerous going forward.

It felt like home. With the home form this season, and some of the off-the-field going ons, Huish Park has felt subdued at times since the turn of the year. But similarly to the AFC Fylde game I thought the home fans were fantastic. The team had plenty of energy on the pitch and the fans matched it in the stands. With the sun shining down on our council-owned home, there was a really positive feel in the air long before a ball had been kicked. With all the initiatives going on, Huish Park felt like a good and welcoming place to be. Long may that continue.

Two goal hero Sonny Blu Lo-Everton celebrates in front of the Thatchers Stand at the end. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Sonny, Sonny Blu. Sonny Blu Lo-Everton has been great since returning to the team, and once again he impressed on Saturday afternoon. Everything in the first half was going through him. He was causing Oldham all kinds of problems, finding lots of space, and linking up well with Ciaran McGuckin. He was energetic, positive, and clinical. Some deft passing, and great desire to be in the right place at the right time, made him my man of the match. He deserved his goals, and he took them well. I was amazed when Mark Cooper revealed he was unwell in the post match interview. It didn’t show, and I think it’s fair to say it was the Oldham defence that were sick of him by the time he was taken off part way through the second half. He’s earned a new contract for me … however, see my fifth conclusion as to why it’s my not be quite so straight forward…

You can still vote for your Man of the Match against Oldham Athletic in our poll – click here to vote.

There was commitment in spades. ‘Committed’ was the manager’s buzzword in the post-match interview, and rightly so. With the team well and truly safe, some may have worried that players might already be dreaming of summer holidays to come. With everything else going on off the pitch, who could blame them either. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. It was a full blooded and fully committed display. The minimum we want as fans is commitment and effort from those wearing the famous green shirt, and we weren’t disappointed. There was Alex Whittle donning the Terry Butcher-esque head gear to be involved, multiple players putting their bodies on the line to keep the ball out at times, and some players probably having to play more minutes than they’re ready for as they return from injury. The team ran, and they didn’t stop running. It’s sometimes said you don’t get the same commitment from loanees (and we have a few of them!), yet even those who have little reason to risk too much for us at this stage of the season were outstanding. Perhaps this was typified by Ciaran McGuckin who looked for all the world to have taken a much too heavy touch in the build up to the second goal, only to quite literally throw himself into a brick wall to set Sonny Blu up for his second.

A Terry Butcher-esque Alex Whittle celebrates with Dom Bernard. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

The park was packed… kinda. Okay, so perhaps we were never going to get a huge gate regardless of the ticket prices, and to be fair our attendance was boosted in part by a great away following – 3373 in total with 372 away supporters. But at least the club are doing something, and trying to entice people to Huish Park. My wife and daughter were able to take advantage of both the Blue Light Card discount and the Kids for a Quid, to join my son and I. Both kids enjoyed sitting on the blood bike, and practicing CPR (badly) outside Huish Park. Little things like that go along way for kids and families, so thanks to all involved. However, with a season ticket price freeze announced, if we want to ‘pack the park’ long term fans will need clarity over the future of the club. Clarity that those sponsors considering filling some of the many empty advertising hoardings around the pitch will soon need as well. Being comfortably mid-table, you’d hope thoughts were turning to plans for next season, but as Mark Cooper said pre-match, it’s hard to plan until the ownership situation is sorted. Likewise many fans and sponsors will want to see what the future holds, and what the vision will be, before committing their hard earned cash. Any takeover which drags too long into the summer is bound to start us off on the back foot next season. Hopefully there will be updates to come and a swift (but positive) resolution found.

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It was defeat for Yeovil Town in Altrincham yesterday as a they could not hold out against intense pressure from their play-off-chasing opponents. Distant Glover, aka Alex Russell, was among the 192 travelling supporters on the terrace at Moss Lane yesterday and here are his thoughts.

That felt like our whole season in one match. We started well, then struggled after key players got injured. We worked a lot harder than the scoreline might suggest. We didn’t make the most of our chances. We would have won if they’d been below us, but they’re a team above us, so we lost. Defensive lapses led to the opposition scoring. The pitch had more bobbles than Claire’s Accessories and was sufficiently sandy for no-one to have blamed any of the players for thinking they were already on the beach. The ref was notable for all the wrong reasons – have you seen Alex Whittle’s forehead/gorehead? (He didn’t endear himself to the Alty fans either.) At least a couple of our best players didn’t sign for other clubs at half time and I don’t remember seeing an opposition fan sporting a giant robin head anywhere else.

Aaaand breathe. At about four o’clock on Saturday 5 April 2025, a profound sense of calm fell over a south-westerly area of Greater Manchester. How very welcome it was to see the world seem to stop again, simply because Jake Wannell put his foot on the ball. Any doubts that it might take him a few games to get his composure back went out the window. It really was like he’d never been away. Okay, we didn’t manage to hold on long enough to get a point, but somehow it seemed more likely we might tease out a draw with him out there again. Oh, we’ve missed him.

Jake Wannell made his first appearance since the win at Maidenhead United in late Februrary. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. What might have happened over the winter if we’d been able to consistently field a largely unchanged team? It’s probably not a coincidence that our recent winning mini-run came with the same line-up, or that we started promisingly with them again at Altrincham (only to concede shortly after the enforced substitutions). The season’s not over yet, and I really don’t want to seem ungrateful about what a big deal it is to get promoted and finish mid-table-ish. (Insert cliché about biting your hand off last August here.) But last season rekindled a long-forgotten taste for winning and I can’t help wondering how things might have been if injuries hadn’t put paid to the same core group of players being available every game.

Solid Stone. The more I see of him, the more I like Aidan Stone. On a very bumpy pitch, he looked completely comfortable with back passes and it was telling that their attackers didn’t feel inclined to use up too much energy pressing him. We were stood right behind him in the first half; he was communicating (shouting) all the time, not just with defenders, but the midfield too. His distribution is great – he can kick a long way and it’s accurate. He pulled off a great save from Linney and couldn’t have done much about either goal. For the first time in a while, we’ll have a keeper for more than one season, and he’s a good one.

Aidan Stone has cemented his place as Yeovil Town’s number one. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

We’re not dull, are we? Lordy, what a couple of weeks. I’m going to put my positive hat on (despite what people may say, it was never off). Yes, there’s a barrow-load of unknowns right now, but at the risk of sounding like someone from HR who’s about to deliver some very unsettling news, there’s a load of opportunities too. It’s reassuring that Stuart Robins’ calmness and professionalism will be navigating us through whatever happens next. Rather than just write off the season marketing-wise, initiatives like Kids For A Quid will get bums on seats before the end of the season, and have an eye on the future. Finally, the relaunching of the Glover’s Trust gives us fans the chance to help shape the future of the club. Let’s not waste it.

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Mike Hudson was at Huish Park for the much-needed 1-0 win against AFC Fylde and here are his Five Conclusions.

It was a game that needed a moment. And boy did we get one! It wasn’t the most flowing of performances to say the least, and while we had large spells of possessions we struggled to impose ourselves on AFC Fylde, or create any moments of quality in the final third. Throughout the 90 minutes it felt like one of those games that just needed a moment of magic, a lucky bounce, or a controversial decision. But as the clock ticked into added time, it didn’t really feel like anything was coming. However, the boys didn’t give up and Mark Cooper in the technical area was encouraging them to keep going and speed things up during stoppages. A long ball from Aiden Stone was brilliantly controlled by McGuckin who played a lovely ball to the feet of Harvey Greenslade who finished superbly to send the Huish Park crowd into a moment of ecstasy. After the week we have all just lived through, it was a beautiful reminder of what football is all about and why we love this game so much.

McGuckin, Kite, Terry, Greenslade and McLean. Pic Gary Brown

Fair play to the team. Despite what anyone might say, Yeovil fans know all too well how matters off the pitch can affect performances on it. Mark Cooper said at the Fans Forum earlier in the season that players are hyper aware of what happens on social media, so no doubt they’ve seen it all this week too. However, the team showed a level of professionalism that has been painfully lacking from other areas of our club of late. It wasn’t the prettiest of performances, but the effort was there, and the result was deserved. It’s probably the points target we were all looking for at the start of the season, and we’ve achieved it with games to spare.

Ferguson deserved man of the match. AFC Fylde set up not to lose and to frustrate. After a shock win at home last time out against Forest Green, they looked every bit a team that have won only three times away from home this season and are fighting for survival. But credit to our defensive unit for ensuring they didn’t have a sniff. Ferguson, Terry and FCD were all superb for me, but I think the sponsors were correct in choosing Ferguson above the rest. With the instability of the club being advertised as for sale on Facebook a few hours before kick off, it seems pointless to talk about plans for next season just yet, but… if there’s any chance we can keep Ferguson. It would make me very happy.

Kyle Ferguson
Pic Gary Brown

The Yeovil Town fans showed up. I think that there has been an unfair amount of criticism and deflection towards the supporters of late. There is not a single person who walks through the turnstiles of Huish Park wanting the team to lose. No-one supports Yeovil Town for the glory, or expects us to win every week. I thought the fans that wanted to come, and were allowed to come, backed the lads to the end. The players and staff deserved that moment at the end absolutely, but so did the fans. We’ve only seen six wins at home all season, and after the previous seven days, drink up that moment you Glovers. You deserve it.

Something has to change. Just when you think you’ve hit rock bottom hey?! It’s been a rough week, which all began with some pointless comments in last weeks post match presser, and some completely unnecessary (and since deleted) social media activity. Since then we have had the financial accounts for last year released (eek), and then a number of fans being given two year bans for their social media activity (oh the irony!). Usually what happens in Yeovil stays in Yeovil, because let’s face it, no one else cares. However, we have made national news this week for all the wrong reasons. Martin Hellier has supposedly said he will be selling the club (again). Taking him at his word, hopefully this happens quickly. There is a growing and possibly irreparable disconnect. None of this will help to fill empty advertising hoardings or sale season tickets in a few weeks time. The next 12 months will be so important and we need someone at the helm with a vision to unite the land and the club, and just as importantly, the fans and the club.

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The positivity expressed in Friday’s podcast (listen again here if you need to) turned out to be well placed as a comfortable 3-0 win at Solihull Moors put ten points between Yeovil Town and the National League Premier relegation places. Dave was one of the 244 ‘proper fans’ in the away end at Damson Park and here are this thoughts.

What a win: I’ll be honest, it was not so much the departure of Frank Nouble announced pre-match that knocked the positivity, it was more the absence of Brett McGavin from midfield and no re-emergence for either Jake Wannell or Michael Smith in the squad. But, the positivity was well placed. From the off, we were the better side, the players showed commitment, energy and attacking intent. The result speaks for itself. Yes, Solihull were poor (to be polite) but our players stood up, whilst the home side’s folded.
 
Yeovil Town celebrate Ciaran McGuckin’s goal.
 
A big three points: Three goals, a clean sheet and a good performance, all will delight manager Mark Cooper. But make no mistake, the three points are the most important thing. We moved about Solihull who dropped down to 17th and, even though there is still a five point gap between them and Wealdstone in 18th, that is a big psychological blow. Meanwhile we’re one point off the magic 50 point mark. Solihull fans will be worrying about getting sucked in to the vortex at the bottom (read the comments on their social media posts screaming for the sacking of manager Matty Taylor – it’s not just Yeovil fans afterall) whereas we can sleep easier. You can dismiss that way of thinking as ‘negativity’ if you wish, but if we’re thinking it, players will be thinking it. This was a big three points.
 
Super Sonny. Just Josh: For me it was a dead heat in our Man of the Match between Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and Josh Sims. Everything came through Sonny who was at his imperious best in midfield making things happen with such energy. And Josh Sims looked the player we had hoped we had signed when he arrived earlier in the season. Driving runs, taking players on, I imagine Solihull’s defence will be having nightmares about him. That was what we needed to see from Sims and let’s hope there’s more where that came from. Don’t believe me? Look again at a the first two goals and it’s the two of them which make them happen, whilst the corner which led to the third was down to this combination as well.
 
 
Watch out Brett: Take a bow, Alex Whittle. If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch his finish for the third goal, make sure you do. An absolutely inch perfect finish over his old team-mate, Ollie Wright, in goal for Solihull. I wonder if he’d done that in training earlier this season, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing. If you thought our Goal of the Season competition was purely for the McG’s (McGavin and McGurk), think again. This one is a serious contender. Whilst I’m talking defenders, credit has to be given to the defence for keeping a clean sheet. Ten goals conceded in the past four games, they did what they needed to against a blunt Solihull attack, but they did it well.
 
Now to take it home: Next weekend’s game at home to AFC Fylde is another great opportunity. I have been lucky to see a lot of us away from home this season, but I appreciate that form at home has not been as great to watch. Again, dismiss it as negativity if that works for you, but the statistics do not lie. Fourth from bottom (19 games/21 points) for home form,  sixth (20 games, 28 points) away. Now we have a great opportunity to take the kind of positive play we saw at Solihull back to Huish Park. Fylde will be buoyed by their own impressive result – a 3-0 home win over Forest Green Rovers – and we need to be on our A game against them. Let’s take this positivity in to that game and get more crucial points on the board.