Gloversblog (Page 2)

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It was a big old bump back to reality yesterday as Boreham Wood put Yeovil Town to the sword in a 3-0 defeat for the Glovers. Mike Hudson was at Huish Park and here are his Five Conclusions.

It was always going to be a tough one. Boreham Wood have readjusted to this level as if they never left, with Luke Garrard’s side scoring plenty of goals and winning plenty of games since returning to the National League. Meanwhile, we’ve been recovering from a turbulent start to the season with impressive wins against struggling Sutton, Altrincham, and Aldershot. This recent form has rightly created a lot of positivity over the last ten days. However, Saturday was always going to be a much bigger test, and give us a much clearer picture of where we are as a club. The answer was humbling. In truth, at times it looked like we were playing a club a level higher than us, rather than a few places in the table at the start of play. There was plenty of fast flowing, attractive and attacking football at Huish Park on Saturday, but it was coming from the away team.

Jed Ward
Pic Gary Brown

We had our backs to the wall from the outset. The warning signs came fast and early as we struggled to deal with the Boreham Wood press and attack. The boys in Green and White struggled to keep hold of the ball for any length of time, and we spent a lot of the game penned in our own half as a result. While there is much to say for not changing a winning formula, after the shift these players have put in of late, this game was probably the time to add some freshness. Of course hindsight is 20-20, but in a game in which we were always likely to spend large periods without the ball, legs were going to be important and unfortunately I think we were lacking them. As we neared half time, the huge positive was that we had somehow stayed in the game, but as the stormy conditions continued, their second goal on the stroke of half time knocked the wind out of our sails completely.

Too many players were off it. I’ll say it again… Boreham Wood are a good side. They are playing the type of football I dream that we one day might. But we won’t get anywhere by just admiring them as a superior team. We have to reflect on our own performance, and the reality was too many players weren’t at it. There were mistakes and poor decision a-plenty. It would have been a tall task with everyone firing at 100%, but with a lot of players below par and a few really struggling it was mission impossible. That’s not a criticism of this squad, who have been unreal of late. It was an almost an inevitable outcome of lots of games, lots of turmoil, a small squad, and two teams with seemingly different ambitions. They kept battling to the end, and we arguably had our best period in the last quarter of the match.

Jed Ward is ridiculous. I know it’s nothing new, but what a keeper we have between the sticks. It’s rare that you lose 3-0 and your keeper wins Man of the Match, but he deserved the accolade. Three goals did not flatter Boreham Wood at all, and without some brilliant stops and quick thinking, it could easily have been six. We were humbled at home, but Jed stopped it being an humiliation.

Jed Ward
Pic Gary Brown

This team need help from above. The games are going to keep coming thick and fast, and if we have any intentions of a much needed cup run, alongside remaining competitive in the League, this team will need some help. Charlie Cooper, Jacob Maddox and James Daly getting closer to a return, may just feel like new signings. The board tried to dampen the fan noise after Danny Webb’s departure by promising increased funds, but so far we haven’t seen that turn into scarf based social media posts. It would be good to see some fresh bodies through the door soon, especially with bookings piling up, and a couple of players picking up knocks on Saturday. We saw how quickly a season can ebb away in the second half of our last campaign, and we are going to be asking a lot of our paper thin squad to keep going through a busy winter period. More than that, it would be good to see some sign of intent from this new ownership, and plans that extend beyond the end of the season. Huish Park crowds are not growing back to the 3000 number at the moment, although they were in fine voice considering. Also I do have this nagging feeling of discomfort …  Yes, context is very important, and there is lots of that, but personally I don’t want this club to get too used to being content with home losses to ‘better teams’ at a level we should aspire to be getting out of. Not for long anyway.

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Two Three wins on the bounce for Yeovil Town. Tom was there for Green and White Radio on Tuesday, here’s what he saw from behind the mic.

Andrew Oluwabori. Wow. Wow wow wow. What a player we’ve got on our hands, even if he isn’t actually ours. The birthday boy ran riot on Tuesday, dancing past players like they were nothing. He reminds me of that kid at school who was so obviously better than everyone else cos he played outside of school too… he’s just mint! If I’m being super critical, his end product still needs a bit of work, but at just 23, there’s still a lot of time for that to develop. Late birthday wishes to you Andrew, and topping it off with a tidy finish was the best way to celebrate!

It’s early days, but we may have been wrong about Dryden. It’s three wins on the spin for the former assistant-come-interim-come-assistant-come-interim coach now, and I’ll be honest, I scoffed when I heard the words “attacking style of football” on the webpage of the statement following Danny Webb’s departure and Dryden’s subsequent appointment. I’m eating my words now, he has managed to turn the ship around very quickly, and employ a brand of football that Yeovil fans will actually want to come and watch! Of course we’re still early into this experiment, but I’m beginning to believe again!

We need to talk about Finn Cousin-Dawson. I want to start this point by stressing that Finn is a fantastic player, I’ve really enjoyed watching him settle into his spell here, and leading the backline last season through an injury crisis was admirable at such a young age. That being said… the “can FCD play in midfield” experiment has run its course for me. I lost count of the amount of times he was caught flat footed and out of position, and he just doesn’t have the awareness to play in that position for me, following a clumsy performance in which he worked his way into the referee’s book. Swap him and Wannell if you’re going to experiment again, but Finn is definitely a defender in my books.

Three in a row! It’s the first time we’ve won three National League games in a row since March 2022 (0-2 vs Dover, 2-1 vs Bromley, 2-0 vs Southend) – that’s a mind-boggling stat for a club the size of Yeovil, and now it’s time to try and make it four on the spin for the first time since September 2019. The performances are beginning to match the results, and I’m starting to feel that familiar tinge of excitement in my belly!

Let’s dare to dream… I know, I know – don’t get too far ahead of yourself Tom. But I think I can safely say that Yeovil fans are tired of not looking forward to anything. Let’s dare to dream, let’s look up the table and feel some kind of optimism now – we’ve got a talented, albeit thin, squad that will surely be strengthened in the coming weeks, a coaching setup packed with experience and new ideas, and a fanbase capable of powering the squad through any situation. Roll on Boreham Wood, it’s gonna be a tough one, but let’s dream of those three points…

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Two wins on the bounce for Yeovil Town. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions after a breathless afternoon at Huish Park.

There’s something about Richard Dryden. Clearly it helps winning back to back matches (and let’s not forget the Woking win too) but there’s something about Richard Dryden that I’m finding quite endearing. He talks plainly, there’s a touch a humour to him and I think – alongside the stress – he’s enjoying it. There was a moment towards the end of the match, when we were backs to the wall where he turned around to the supporters behind them and urged them to up the noise and the crowd responded to it. He may not have been anyone’s first choice, but in a short time he’s built a spirit amongst a squad that crumbled against Gateshead, and picked up four wins from six.

Andrew Oluwarbori was the spark. He’s probably the first player we’ve had that gets people on their feet the second he gets the ball since…himself. You could sense the fear in the Altrincham defence every time Oluwabori got the ball yesterday. His direct running kept the visitors backpedaling and it was a matter of time until he made an impact. His super strike cannoned of the bar (and was so close to sneaking under the bar) and he should have doubled the lead when he was through on goal. But, his deft cross after standing up an Altrincham defender was perfect for Morgan Williams to nod the Glovers ahead. A constant threat and he’s getting closer to scoring each time.

We defended for our lives. After a really exciting end to end first half, the second was very different. After Junior Morias and Josh Sims spurned chances to make it 2-0, Altrincham upped the tempo and started to knock the ball around as we know they can. Richard Dryden had to make changes with tiring legs and the players showed unbelievable spirit to dig in and repel wave after wave of attack by Altrincham. With the supporters roaring every clearance and singing in unison, when that final whistle finally blew the sense of relief was huge.

We still need reinforcements. These two wins have shown the quality of this group, but for the last half an hour yesterday there was only one team with the legs to attack. We looked dead on our feet by the final whistle even with the subs entering the fray. We had a genuinely strong bench yesterday and with Cooper and Maddox still to come back there’s will be even more available eventually, but we still need more. I still worry about our lack of depth at fullback/wingback. If there’s few suspensions or another run of injuries we could quickly be very light again.

You can feel the spirit in this team. After the most ridiculous of weeks, this group of players and staff has shown unity and character in spades. They have a point to prove after this week and appear to have really galvanised around Richard Dryden and Jerry Gill. With Sutton, down amongst the relegation zone, on Tuesday there’s a great chance to take another three points with this momentum.

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Yeovil Town pulled off a scintillating performance at Aldershot Town last night to pick up a vital three points just over 48 hours after the club was rocked by the news now former manager Danny Webb had quit after just 11 days in the hot seat. Here are Gloverscast Ben’s conclusions on a magical evening at The Recreation Ground. 

Where did that come from?

If ever there was a game the team could be excused for having a stinker this was it. The carnage of this week (see month, year or decade) would have seen lesser people throw the towel in and just write off a performance with a more than fair reasoning to go with it.

We could probably write 100 conclusions on the last week, but I really don’t think we should understate just how impressive it was for that group of professional footballers to put it aside and cut an Aldershot side open time and time again and do it with a massive smile on their faces. You’re a credit to yourselves, the football club and those who follow it. Thanks lads, we needed that.

Andrew Oluwabori during his first spell on loan at Yeovil Town. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Oluwabori has grown up

He is a different lad this time around isn’t he? We spoke on the podcast about how he was exciting and energetic but in the two boxes he lacked that extra bit of quality in his first stint, but with plenty of National League games and a few in the EFL under his belt, it does feel like we have got a slightly different player this time around.

He is making better decisions in key areas and has retained that eye catching ability to turn the edge of our box into the edge of theirs in a flash. He looks desperate for his first goal of his second stint and I feel like its not far away.

Penalty options

Remember when Yeovil getting a penalty meant fearing we wouldn’t have anyone capable of slotting a ball home from 12 yards?

Well, yesterday, with Messrs McGavin and Morias off the pitch, I was delighted to see not one, but two players race to grab a ball and march towards the spot.  Tahvon Campbell eventually got the nod after a little mediation from Luke McCormick to Oluwabori who looked just as eager to take it. 

Campbell scored, to make it 4-0 and put even the most tiniest Gateshead-based PTSD to bed. I like knowing we have spot kick options. 

Kyle Ferguson. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

The Kyle Ferguson conundrum

The simple act of showing Aldershot fans the four fingers as he waits on the sidelines, might have just tipped me over into DFILWF territory.  But here’s the thing, just about no Yeovil fan likes having a back three. So, how do you navigate this?

You can’t drop or shift either Williams or Wannell to a full back to accommodate, and you sure as anything can’t drop Ferguson right now. He’s playing as well as anyone in the team at the moment. Maybe… maybe we like wing backs now? *shudders* 

Avoiding an after the Lord Mayor’s Show

It’s been a frankly ridiculous (and yet somehow relatively normal) week and that response was absolutely brilliant. 

The 200 Yeovil fans there (and the rest watching on via the DAZN stream) are going to go home and tell people it’s excellent again. That might put some more bums on seats for the visit of Altrincham to Huish Park on Saturday, but whilst I’m reluctant to ask even more of this group, a home win to back that up would feel like it counts double.

We’ve done a bit of win one-lose one a bit recently, turning one of those into a positive run of form would do so much to alleviate some of the anxiety and worry the fan base has right now. 

We don’t do normal, do we?

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A stuttering start to the Danny Webb era for Yeovil Town, a scrappy 1-0 defeat at the hands of Tamworth.
Our resident artist, Alex “Distant Glover” Russell was in the ground for the game, here are his Five Conclusions.

Set-piece Fest
Maybe I have seen games where the opposition got more corners or throw-ins in the final third, but I don’t remember them.

However good you are at defending set-pieces, if you concede that many, the opposition will take advantage of one. And they did.

At the other end, our ability to make good passes seemed to diminish the nearer we got to Tamworth goal. Their defence seemed fairly comfortable dealing with long balls, but when we picked up the pace, hit an easy-on-the-eye shorter pass or took a player or two on, they looked more wobbly. Oh, and this isn’t just Yeovil, but older fans may remember a thing called crosses. They’re a bit like a set piece, but you don’t have to wait for the ball to go out of play, the defence don’t get time to turn the box into a mosh-pit and every now and then a goal happens.

Patience
As a famous man once said, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end”. And let’s face it folks, it’s just the beginning of the beginning. (That last sentence might not be word-for-word.)

Much as we’d all love it if Danny Webb could flip a switch and make everything Championship again by next week, Prabhu’s team are playing the long game and the appointment of Webb is part of that. There is lots of unwelcome stuff that needs changing: training near Birmingham, not owning Huish Park, maybe the crossed-out names and numbers on the back of the home kit. The proof will be in the pudding, but it looks like there’s a far more open approach to communication in place. Being open and honest with fans on a regular basis will make it so much easier to understand why we should be patient. Although we may be stuck with the ropey graphics.

What’s the story? (Nearly)
To paraphrase a slightly less famous man, that was nearly the best ten seconds of my life. Andrew Oluwabori’s previous stint with us wasn’t all that notable, but he fell into the category of “got a load better after he left us”. Webb has faith in him, and his return was nearly marked by what might have been a goal of the season contender. Nearly. Yes, he looked like a player who was having to find his way in a new squad in an actual match. But there was a mazy run past nearly 400 Tamworth players that hinted at the sort of quality that can change games. Nearly.

Them and us
Tamworth may not play pretty football and they have a terrible excuse for a pitch, but ten games in, they’re in the play-offs and ten places above us. Their rise has been remarkable and it’s all down to Andy Peaks, a manager who’s eked out something really special out of very limited resources. It was interesting to hear their fan Stuart on yesterday’s “Foot in the Opposition Camp” (look Ben – a plug).

The Tamworth model is to stay part time, and use their middle-of-the-country location to attract the cream of the want-to-keep-another-job crop of players. We’re not in the middle of the country and we’re full-time (thanks, Webb Senior), but we get waaaaay more than 1,199 (at least a quarter of whom were in green). This might sound like some dreadful corporate away-day workshop cliché, but I’d like to have a clear vision of what our model is now. Why are we special? What makes us unique? (Apart, you know, from all loving cider and the Wurzels.)

Weighing up walls
Webb is obviously assessing what he’s got to work with, and from his post-match interview, is going to shed players as well as bring them in. Time will tell if the small squad he’s inherited will favour the latter rather than the former, but he’s going to have to make some hard decisions as well as some canny signings.

(Can someone have a word, though, and tell him never to use the “worked their socks off” phrase again?) I always struggled with Cooper’s seemingly disposable approach to squad building.

Good teams are always more than the sum of their parts, characters who want to run through walls not just for the gaffer, but for each other and the club. Yes, there’s a balance – you can’t wait forever to see if the lummox actually is David Silva – but it’s hard to build that with a revolving door policy. If you want Huish Park to be a fortress, build a squad of regulars who make it impossible not to get behind. We won’t even mind if they demolish a few of the fortress walls.

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Yeovil grabbed their second home win of the season against Woking yesterday. Here are Ian’s conclusions from the Huish Park press box.

Huish Park needed that. After all the turbulence of the last few weeks the unveiling of Danny Webb before the match set the tone for what (eventually) ended up being a memorable afternoon at Huish Park. Richard Dryden said it in his post-match interview, and he’s right, the whole club needed that win. The players ran themselves into the ground and they earned it. The coaching staff who’ve been able to steady the ship and maintain morale amongst players earned it. The supporters who, especially at Huish Park, have been starved of moments. Luke McCormick’s late winner was one of those moments that will live long in my memory and can hopefully be the catalyst for this season under Danny Webb.

Trialist Luke McCormick runs past a Bristol Rovers player in a pre-season friendly match.
Luke McCormick on the move. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown

Don’t fall in love with footballers. It’s a risky business having a favourite, they inevitably leave and break your heart. The performances of Luke McCormick in recent weeks have been the kind that make you catch feels. He had another good game yesterday and his stoppage-time goal was well-deserved for those recent performances. He’s built a great partnership with Brett McGavin in midfield and, to me, comes across as a real organiser on the pitch, looking for runs, making runs and playing positively with intent. After the match he said how he ‘loves the club’ and if he continues to play like this, we’ll love him too.

The first half was poor. It was, as the cliche goes, a game of two halves. Woking had the best of a very poor first half. I didn’t think either side was particularly brilliant but the visitors had a bit more control albeit with chances from outside the box. Woking couldn’t handle the second half reaction from the Glovers who, by the full time whistle, we were well worth the win. I thought the subs made an impact on the game, Tahvon Campbell could have got the winner himself, Aaron Jarvis was the disrupter-in-chief making the Woking defence (and keeper) as uncomfortable as possible.

Thanks to Richard Dryden. In the last couple of weeks I feel like we’ve got to see more of Richard Dryden and get a sense of what he’s about. He and Chris Todd have kept this group motivated, happy and working hard. Off the back of Mark Cooper’s departure I think it was generally expected that Dryden would follow, but he’s kept morale high and while results haven’t been amazing, you can’t say the players have downed tools while the managerial situation has been in limbo. There was a sense of relief with Dryden yesterday with Danny Webb taking the reins now and you have to give him  some credit for keeping things steady.  He deserved the win yesterday.

That was a great result going into the new era. This squad of players, united in victory, goes into a full week of training with a new manager with new ideas. There is a feeling of freshness, optimism and energy about the club and, I think, a manager that everyone will unite behind. Danny Webb got a good ovation before the game, was scribbling notes throughout the match and was in the tunnel waiting for his new players after the game. It’s exciting to see what’s next and it all starts with Tamworth next weekend.

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Better late than never as they say. Ian was at Huish Park on Saturday and here are his Five Conclusions from a difficult afternoon in the sun.

We were outclassed. The gulf between two sides couldn’t have been more obvious. York’s squad has been very expensively assembled and the way they controlled the game was impressive. The way they passed at pace with one and two touch passes is everything we should aspire to be. We had no response for their runners as they methodically pulled green and white shirts out of position.

James Plant needed help. I get the back three with our current availability, but poor James Plant was left on toast by Joe Felix all day. It wasn’t until it was probably too late that Josh Sims moved over to the left to offer more protection than Junior Morias. Felix had the better of Plant repeatedly and Plant’s afternoon was summed up with the conceding of the penalty. Would we have been better as a back four with a left midfielder to double up on Felix? Probably. Would that have taken an attacking threat away? Probably. Would it have made any difference? Probably not.

James Plant
Pic – Gary Brown

We look tired. Clearly having a small squad with injuries to key players increases the work load on these players and its showing. I thought our substitutes looked like they’d played the full 90 when they were on the pitch. With no back up in the fullback positions we’re asking a centre-back to come in do a job at right wing back, we’re asking Josh Sims – our most impressive attacking player this season – to cover off defensively when we need his impact higher up. Without Alex Whittle, Charlie Cooper and James Daly, this small squad of quality needs a top up sharpish.

Luke McCormick is quickly becoming my favourite. Since moving to centre midfield we’ve seen what a player we have in McCormick. Energy, running with the ball and a brilliant finish on Saturday shows he has goals in his game too….ahem. We need to protect him though, because if he has to come out of the team our midfield really is weakened. With Charlie Cooper still out and Finn Cousin-Dawson in the unenviable position of utility man, there is a lot of pressure on McMidfield to play the full 90 if matches are in the balance.

Luke McCormick scrambles the ball home against York
Pic – Gary Brown

We need to get this appointment sorted. I am all for patience. Hell, I was waiting two and half years for us to produce the kind of football we saw undo us on Saturday. But these players need direction, new ways or working and a bit of a rocket to get out of this funk. The next three matches are what I would consider winnable. We won’t just these players on York and Forest Green Rovers but if we’re going to be looking up rather than over our shoulders, Woking, Tamworth and Aldershot are the teams we must be competitive against.

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Gloverscast Ben was at his second game in a row as the mighty green and whites held off an aerial bombardment to claim all three points at Solihull.

Here are his five conclusions.

We dealt with the physical side of the game

We knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, Solihull sit rock bottom of the league, without a win to their name and there was only one way they could really go about things. Physically.

Not dirty, they weren’t kicking lumps out of us – even if Kyle Ferguson’s left knee might disagree (ouch!) – but they had every trick in the book to give it right go.

It was fairly route one from the hosts and the back line must have headed 100 footballs between them throughout the 90 minutes.

Dan Creaney is an almighty handful and the units they can call up on at the back made it easy for the local air traffic control to keep tabs on the intended targets.

The long throw was dealt with and the defence should be chuffed with the clean sheet.

Kyle Ferguson. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

We still need a little more nous.

Against Halifax, I cried out for a ‘quarter-back’, particularly when things get a bit hurried in the latter stages, and whilst Brett McGavin did that to a certain extent, I did find myself getting frustrated at the amount of times we gave up possession needlessly in defensive situations.

Too many times, the ball was hurried when a calmer – but still positive – options were on, too many clearances were rushed which gave our front line a tough task to keep the ball and relieve the pressure.

We need to make a few better decisions, on another day, we can beat that Solihull side far more comfortably. I understand a little chaos and uncertainty may have set in after throwing away some leads of late, I hope the confidence of that win will do them the world of good.

It’s a thin squad

Charlie Cooper was at the game in his tracksuit, but no sign of Jacob Maddox or James Daly and it’s hard not to take a sharp intake of breath when a player goes down.

If Luke McCormick or Brett McGavin were unable to complete the game, the system and style has to change. The same applies in either full-back area. We’ve got forwards in abundance and that’s brilliant to be able to call up players like Jarvis and Campbell, but they’re not like for like switches with Sims and Morias. 

Whether or not Richard Dryden has that wiggle room given the uncertainty at a longer term manager right now, but the games come thick and fast and it looked and felt like a few tired, battered and bruised bodies walked off the Damson Park pitch. 

Junior Morias chats to the BBC’s Josh Perkins

We have the exciting players to make things happen

We have seen Junior Morias score three in three now, but I wanted to highlight the work that’s going on creatively in and around him.

Harvey Greenslade probably wasn’t at his most mobile best on Tuesday, the context of the game and conditions didn’t suit – he also came off nursing an ice pack with a wince on his face – but his pressing and endeavour must be a nightmare to defend against. 

We’re starting to see the best out of McCormick, I think after a slowish start. He’s far more suited to being one of the central midfielders that one of the attacking ‘bank of 10s’, he can be far more effective and really help turn defence into attack.

Morias’ pumping tree trunk legs are a sight to behold, when they get moving, you either foul him or you don’t stop him. McGavin’s range of passing and ability to spot the play before it unfolds needs to be brought out of it’s shell a bit, but it’s there.

Plant and Sims have been given the nod to express themselves, with a little more final ball quality, they’re clearly a real danger.

….and breathe.

We needed that win, didn’t we?

No matter how it came, no matter who got the decisive winner, no matter how much it was substance over style – or what blend of them both it was – it was a win.

A win each of the last two games SHOULD have garnered.

It will calm the nerves, it will settle everyone in the crowd – and the boardroom – and shows that we have got a group to grow from.

It doesn’t get any easier, a well rested York come to town on Saturday, but we have a foundation to hand over to the incoming manager, whoever and whenever that may be. 

Sihal Shrinavasan, Nicholas Brayne, Richard Dryden and Chris Todd chat post match

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Life after Mark Cooper began in West Yorkshire for the Glovers, but despite fighting back from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 at FC Halifax Town, Yeovil Town came away empty handed.

Gloverscast Ben was in attendance at The Shay and here are his Five Conclusions.

Confidence and mentality.

There’s no doubt in my mind that this group of players is good enough to win games of football at this level, plenty of them too.

But, from 3-0 up to lose 4-3 at home to Gateshead on Bank Holiday Monday and to fight back from a half-time sucker punch to lead 2-1 away at Halifax, and AGAIN come away with nothing has to sting.

Five goals scored in two games, but zero points returned.

Now, there was lots to like about the performance, you’ll read about some of those in a moment, but my overriding feeling is that we let a point (at least) fall by the way side.

In crucial moments, in the final 15 minutes, we don’t seem to be able to wrestle back control and dictate the play.

Who can be the one to put their foot on the ball and take charge, to be the quarter-back and let everyone else around them know it’s going to be okay, because they’re in charge? 

Find that quarter-back and we wont just be looking to control those key moments, but really turn the screw.

Harvey Greenslade and his missing match ball.

He was the first to admit it in his post-match interview, but he really should be taking home a nice new shiny football to play with.

I was really impressed with everything HG21 did on Saturday, ok, nearly everything.

I loved how he hung onto the central defender’s shoulder and spun off to create room, he can arch a run across the back line like the best of them at this level, his hold up play was good, his linking, particularly with Josh Sims was lovely and 100% deserved his goal.

But, he snatched at an early volley opportunity, he missed a chance to gamble from a Pendleton cross, had a one-one-one which bobbled the wrong way and slipped over after chopping the ball back onto his left foot with the whites of the ‘keepers eyes in his sights.

In a game of fine margins, these moments count and on another day, we’re out of sight by half time and Greenslade has a nice new shiny football for his collection.

Yeovil Town celebrate Harvey Greenslade’s goal to put the Glovers 2-1 up at The Shay.

The subs made a difference

Halifax had some real game changers to bring off the substitutes’ bench and they really shone when they came on after an hour.

Will Harris and Angelo Capello had half-an-hour to go at Yeovil and they totally changed the game. Capello, who isn’t an out and out left-back gave our right side all kinds of problems whilst Harris was a real handful and he and David Kawa were a really lively duo in attack.

Our subs, weren’t quite as impactful. I don’t think Tahvon Campbell was really suited to his wider role and Aaron Jarvis was deployed as something of a battering ram. Finn Cousin-Dawson was a make shift right back in place of Bryon Pendleton when he limped off.

I think that just shows the fragility of the depth, no obvious replacement for either full back or even the centre of midfield in case of emergency on the bench and I think FC-D is better than playing the role of the universal square peg for whichever round whole needs filling.

It would have been harsh to throw Ben Wodskou in, maybe, and Kyle Ferguson’s time will come, but we lacked that different option on the bench. Halifax didn’t; another fine margin that favoured the home side.

Overall, it was much better than we have seen of late.

Some of the things I enjoyed. Josh Sims dancing down the right whipping crosses in, Luke McCormick absolutely flying into tackles and travelling with the ball, Alex Whittle and Byron Pendleton with chalk on their boots forever being a proper outlet for an attacking pass.

There’s the link up play between the ‘bank of tens’ and there’s players not being afraid to try something, even if it doesn’t always come off. Aaron Jarvis hitting the post in the dying seconds, a McGavin free kick whistling just over a top bin and Junior Morias pumping his legs for 40 yards to chase down a 95th minute breakaway. 

We had a right go, and on another day, maybe with a bit more finesse and final quality, we win that game 3-2. 

There was an ‘easy’ out for the team today to defend and try and stifle a decent enough side but we didn’t, we rolled the dice and maybe found ourselves a little open.

But, so what? There was a sense that because it was entertaining, and at times brilliant, if one of those fine margin games goes the other way, so be it. 

Solihull is a glorious chance to get back to winning ways.

If the Halifax game showed that we can play with a bit of style, Solihull looks like a game for substance. 

The only team in the division without a win to their name – they lost 2-1 at home to Southend United in Saturday’s early game – and with 12 goals conceded, there’s a chance for more goalmouth action.

That’s the challenge now, against what will be a hugely physical side, can we find that quality to get out noses in front and stay there?

Can we control a big side in the aerial battles and make sure we stop the crosses coming in?

Can we find someone to replace Pendleton at right back if his injury in severe enough to not be able to feature on Tuesday? Can we find someone to play the role of midfield general? 

Let’s take the green shoots of the performance on the very green surface at The Shay and turn them into the perfect combination of style and substance. 

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Where to start with that? It was an unbelievable afternoon at Huish Park in a match that had it all. Here are Ian’s five conclusions from emotional rollercoaster that was Yeovil Town 3 Gateshead 4.

The first half was scintillating. I cannot recall us blowing away a team in that fashion in years. Everyone was in sync, the football was flowing and the chances were taken. The players were much more comfortable in a 4-2-3-1 and the roles were clear. The energy of the forwards and the high press stopped Gateshead from getting any flow whatsoever and we forced them into mistakes which led to goals for Josh Sims and Junior Morais. Williams and Wannell looked their imperious best at the back, with Whittle and Pendleton on the overlap. Everything clicked and it was exhilarating.

Josh Sims celebrates his goal at Huish Park.
Josh Sims celebrates putting Yeovil Town in front against Gateshead. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

I was a big fan of our McMidfield. After the Brackley Town match I said that I didn’t think we were particularly mobile in midfield and dropping Luke McCormick deeper to partner Brett McGavin felt like the solution in the first half. He was energetic, ran with the ball, played forward and showed that he’s, perhaps, better suited to a role deeper rather than one of the number 10 positions. His mobility and McGavin’s passing set us up well in the first half and when we lost McGavin to injury we lost that composure in the middle of the pitch.

The second half was abysmal. Everything that was good in the first half seemed to just disappear when the players emerged for the second half. Gateshead matches us up and reverted to a back four (wingbacks 🚮) took control of the game and got an early goal which immediately put the spooks on the players and Huish Park. You could almost sense the “here we go” murmur around the stadium. And boy, did it go. What was said at half time? How can a team go from being so confident to so withdrawn? The high press disappeared and we showed that age-old trait of sitting back and inviting pressure. Taking off a winger and bringing on a centre back 3-3 spoke volumes. 

The players must take some responsibility. It’s unacceptable to be in such a position of dominance after 45 and to then crumble in such a manner. We were missing leadership on the pitch as the 2nd half progressed. Legs tired with the schedule (although Gateshead didn’t seem to have a problem?) Finn Cousin-Dawson came in for McGavin and did the battering ram role in midfield. Ben Wodskou had a huge chance after great work by Tahvon Campbell to get Yeovil a fourth but couldn’t finish like he did against Brackley. He should have scored. But, in that 2nd half we were crying out for some Sarll-esque characters to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and we don’t have them. Is that down to the players or the recruitment? The irony of Frank Nouble leading the front line and dragging his new team over the line, months after leaving under a cloud, was not lost. Credit to the players, they did go round to the supporters and front up to those who remained to applaud their efforts. The supporters have never not been behind the players.

I’m not sure what happens next, but we all know what needs to. The outrage was palpable from the equaliser. Huish Park was clapping along in unison to “we want Cooper out” from the Thatchers. As soon as the fourth went in the manager was down the tunnel as fury erupted from the stands. The decision makers were all in town for this one and just five games into their tenure they have a decision to make. The mood amongst supporters is clear, and it can’t just be brushed off as ‘people online’. No club wants to be seen as a sacking club and I understand that rationale, but the relationship with the majority of the fan base is irrevocable. Shortlists need drawing up and a plan needs to be made for change before Matt Uggla’s York City visit on the 6th September.