Gloversblog (Page 23)

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As Yeovil fell out of the FA Trophy at the first hurdle on Saturday, a total of 962 were in attendance at Huish Park to see the penalty shoot-out defeat by Dorking Wanderers. Given the circumstances around the club, that number was not totally surprising, but it has to be considered a disappointment.

Before recording Monday’s podcast, Ciderspace legend Huish Hugh asked the question when our last attendance for a first team fixture dropped below 1,000 and it’s actually pretty surprisingly rare to have less than 1,000 people at Huish Park for a first-team match.

Now, to clarify, this doesn’t include the Somerset (Men’s) Premier Cup, because the reality is that over the years we’ve used a mix of academy and first team players in the competition. Looking back over the years, including National League, FA Trophy, EFL, The League Cup, FA Cup, Johnstone’s Paint Pot Trophy (and it’s various guises) we’ve genuinely been well-supported.

Attendances below 1000

06.11.18 – West Ham United U21s – Check-A-Trade Trophy – 720
30.04.01 – Kingstonian – Nationwide Variety Club Trophy – 295
09.01.01 – Kettering Town – Nationwide Variety Club Trophy – 709
19.08.97 – Boreham Wood – ICIS Charity Shield – 873
26.11.96 – Yeading – Guardian Insurance Cup – 922
01.11.94 – Dagenham & Redbridge – Bob Lord Trophy – 719

Now, I think Saturday’s match with Dorking Wanderers was probably an anomaly. Given the cold weather, late notice of a pitch inspection, the festive period and the cost of living crisis, supporters will have certainly had a (not-so-difficult?) decision to make. However, aside from a cost-of-living crisis, these must have been factors the club have faced before. 

Malachi Linton fires in an effort. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

However, with supporters on Facebook deciding to boycott the FA Trophy fixture, and the growing unrest amongst sections of the supporters, there is a need to find a way to buck the trend of dwindling attendances. We’re currently on course to have our average attendance at the levels is was in the mid to late 1990s.

Average League Attendances

SEASONCOMPETITIONAVERAGEHIGHLOWPERCENTAGE CHANGE
2013-14Football League Championship661691084463+56
2014-15Skybet League One434668373509-34.3
2015-16Skybet League Two393660512954-9.4
2016-17EFL League Two356763062749-9.4
2017-18EFL League Two272137542205-23.7
2018-19EFL League Two295342232174+8.2
2019-20*National League295150562179-0.06
2020-21**National League149815001497-65.3
2021-22National League273839361260-7.4
2022-23***National League236028801906-14.8

*19/20 – season curtailed by covid
**20/21 – Covid season with two fixtures at limited capacity
***22/23 – Season so far (obviously)

Just how the club does it, who knows? Aside from the aforementioned SMPC, there’s no silverware left for the club to compete for this season. The tragic reality is that 2022/23 is now a battle for survival in the National League under Mark Cooper. The challenge for the club is how they can turn that into a compelling reason to get those undecided fans to part with their hard-earned cash to watch some gritty football for the rest of this season. We know there will always be a hardcore of supporters who will turn out regardless – but how do we attract others?

With the first annual rent charge due to SSDC in May (no-one is telling us how much that bill is – we’ve asked!), the club now need to find an extra wad of cash that they didn’t need to when they owned their home. The clock is ticking and for all we know (we’ve been told the square route of nothing), a few extra bums on seats – or feet on terraces – isn’t going to cover it. A sale of a contracted player might, mind.

There’s a difficult pattern re-emerging that were familiar with as supporters of Yeovil Town. After relegation from the Championship, attendances dropped, as we fell from League One they dropped, and as we circled the drain in League Two with uninspiring management and ownership the attendances dropped again. The result of this was less matchday revenue, less money to spend on players, lower-standard players, worse performances and relegation. 

the silent majority have been voting with their feet

After a season behind closed doors, you’d imagine a spike of people looking to return to a past time they loved pre-pandemic – things we’re pretty good before the season was curtailed in 2019/20. Alas, a fractured relationship due to broken communication and promises is resulting fewer people attending Huish Park. While there’s been little in the way of formal protest or action, the silent majority have been voting with their feet for many seasons now. 

Some will say there needs to be a change of owner. Some will say there’s not enough people in the town. Some will say people don’t have enough money to justify it. Some will say the matchday experience isn’t value for money. Some will say the football isn’t entertaining enough.

Perhaps is just a grim mash of all of the above. However you slice it, in 2023, something has to give.

Now, this has probably all felt a bit negative, such is the mood so let me try and offer a couple solutions which might go some way to helping mend fences.

  • I think a starting point would to give supporters the promised meeting and let them know what the future holds. Open the official, formal dialogue with the wider fanbase in an open setting. Broadcast it live on zoom, record it and make it 100% transparent for supporters who can’t attend as well. Only through this level of engagement will supporters feel they are listened to as a stakeholder of the football club.
  • Explain the nuts and bolts of the deal with SSDC. Who has the buyback? How much is the rent? If there’s nothing to hide, bring it out into the open. Bring the Chief Executive of SSDC or the Unitary Council along too.
  • Or for some, just sign a striker…

Note: After writing this, it was confirmed that the club had approval to move the marquee. A good step in the right direction for match day improvements for those who like a drink beforehand.

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Yeovil Town’s FA Trophy campaign came to an end in familiar fashion with an exit after penalty shoot-out for the second successive season.

Last season it was lower division Needham Market, this time around it was Dorking Wanderers – who are at least in the same division – but the result was the same, it’s concentrate on National League survival and the Somerset Men’s Premier Cup for Yeovil Town.

Here’s how Ian saw it…….

 

It wasn’t a game of quality in the final thirds. Yeovil were defensively strong (as per usual) and were barely troubled by Dorking going forward, whilst at the other end, Will Buse had a quiet afternoon stepping in for Grant Smith. Josh Staunton had Yeovil’s first attempt on target in the 70th minute with a header that was straight at the keeper. The Glovers rallied for a spell in the final stages, and thought they’d got it through Staunton but for an offside flag. We probably deserved the win on the balance of the second half, but without finding a goal we are always at risk of defeat.

We don’t like a penalty shootout. It feels like it’s becoming a bit of a thing now. We scraped through in the lowest quality shoot-out ever last season again W*ymouth in last season’s FA Cup, lost horrendously to Needham Market and yesterday we struggled again from the spot. The early work Mark Cooper did with building confidence will have taken a bit of a hit yesterday off the back of this, but what surprised me was who stepped up. Our usual takers Alex Fisher and Matt Worthington were off the pitch, but we had attacking players Malachi Linton, Charlie Wakefield, Andrew Oluwabori on for the shootout – but Jordan Drew Maguire, Max Hunt and Jamie Andrews took them. 

I’m not sure where the goals are coming from. We tried another combination in the attacking areas yesterday, with Chiori Johson in at left wing and Maguire-Drew on the right. Maguire-Drew looked like a player who hasn’t played a lot of football and although he added quality with his set pieces, he needs match fitness. Is a one-month loan enough to get it in? Alex Fisher, a mainstay in Cooper’s side so far, didn’t have his greatest afternoon and I wonder at what point we start Louis Britton. He’s been billed as a goal scorer who gets in the six-yard box which was what we were crying out for as the game wore on.

Alex Fisher battles for the ball. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The attendance yesterday has to be of concern. It was our first sub-1000 attendance for a first-team fixture for years. If we disregard SMPC and friendlies, the last time we played a first team fixture with less than 1000 supporters was in November 2018 against West Ham United Under-21s in the Check-a-Trade Trophy which was in the thick of a boycott of that competition across the country. Before that, we played Kingstonian in the Nationwide Variety Cup in April 2001 in front of 295. In the same season and competition we played Kettering in front of 709 supporters. In 1997, we played Boreham Wood in the ICIS Charity Shield with 873. Last season when we played Woking in the same round of the competition there were 1493 at Huish Park. Obviously, there were circumstances which would have led to that, the freezing cold, the late notice of pitch inspection, the last weekend before Christmas, but the level of drop off is a damning indictment of the progress (or lack of it) at the club.

Survival is all that’s left to play for. With defeat yesterday and no FA Trophy run on the cards now, all that’s left to play for next season is survival. On Friday’s podcast we spoke about how a cup run would give us a lift and something to get excited about in a season which has provided very little in the way of excitement. Alas, the “drama” of the penalty shootout put an end to it in the first hurdle and all we have now is to hope we have enough quality to remain a National League club.

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Back in August the Glovers confirmed the signing of Bournemouth striker Jake Scrimshaw. The 21-year-old signed for Yeovil from the Cherries on a two-year-deal and there was a fair amount of excitement around the signing.

He scored four goals in 19 appearances for Scunthorpe last season and had fleeting spells at Newport County and Walsall in the previous season. He had a prolific record for Bournemouth’s academy sides and came with a promising pedigree.

At the announcement of his signing, Chris Hargreaves said: “I’m really pleased to welcome Jake to the club. He’s a versatile forward who can offer us flexibility in the way we play and utilise him.

“Jake is the sort of player who will work his socks off for the team. He’s desperate to be a success here at Yeovil Town.

Scrimshaw in action for Bournemouth U21s ?AFCB U21 Twitter

Since his signing, Scrimshaw has made five appearances in the National League for Yeovil from the bench spending just over 13 minutes on the pitch on average. His last appearance was 8 minutes against Oldham Athletic in Chris Hargreaves’ penultimate match in charge.

Towards the end of September, Hargreaves did give an insight into ‘Scrimmy’s’ first months at the club: “It has been a tough position for him coming from Bournemouth to us, the National League has different elements to under-21s at Bournemouth. He’s fighting for his spot and there’s competition for places with Gime Toure who has scored and Malachi Linton, but Scrimmy certainly working hard to get that start.”

That start never came and since Mark Cooper took over from Hargreaves at the end of October Scrimshaw hasn’t been in a match day squad, although he was seen with the players at Woking.

It seems a safe assumption that all is not well there. Scrimshaw has largely been overlooked by two managers since his signing and in a side that has struggled to stick the ball in the net, he’s never been seen as the answer to the Glovers’ goal scoring woes. In truth, we don’t really have any idea what sort of player he is. When he joined Scunthorpe last season, then manager Neil Cox said: “He’s a centre forward who wants to play on the shoulder and run in behind, and wants to be in the penalty box to score goals. We’ll be patient with him and encourage him but I’m sure he’ll be an excellent signing for us.”

Cooper quickly recruited Anthony Georgiou, Andrew ‘the right winger’ Oluwabori and Louis Britton and gave Alex Fisher a clearly defined role in order to make Yeovil more productive in the final third. He has since let Hargreaves’ signings Ollie Hulbert and Will Dawes go out on loan.

The departure of Georgiou back to Leyton Orient to ‘balance the books’ raised eyebrows in the aftermath of Saturday’s 0-0 with Scunthorpe and if the scales still aren’t right, surely Scrimshaw will be high on the list of potential outgoings. The question is, with a two-year deal and just 67 minutes on the pitch this season, how on earth are Yeovil going to move Scrimshaw along if that’s the desire?

This isn’t the first (and won’t be the last) curious case at Yeovil Town, earlier this year we wrote about Alex Bradley…

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Well, streaming is here in the National League, and Gloverscast Ben has been exploring.

Ryan Reynolds and that other bloke who owns Wrexham, threw enough toys out of their pram and now, anyone in the world can dial in to watch their beloved National League side.

For the cost of a Motorway Services Meal Deal, I can, from the comfort of my own sofa, log into a site and watch the Glovers in action, and that’s exactly what I did on Saturday as Yeovil hosted Scunthorpe United.

I’ve long been a sceptic of streaming at this level, but I accept there are pros and cons to this, so I thought I’d jot a few down.

As ever, let us know what you think and how you think it’ll change (if at all) how you consume Yeovil Town matches.

The Pros

1) First of all, the entire process of signing up, pledging my allegiance to Yeovil and parting with my £4.75 via PayPal was all very easy.

2) The quality of image, audio and graphics were pretty good.

That’s a good start, we saw during the lockdown days that not every side has great coverage.

We at Yeovil had a ball tracking camera at one point which focused in on a bald lino’s noggin once or twice, but that isn’t the case here.

The camera operator might need a spirit level as it looked a little wonky at times, but there’s was some nice graphics, even a replay or two and at half time we were treated to an ‘as it stands’ table.

There’s clearly some sort of work going on externally, quite possibly a director and someone working on the games, which, is a pretty good effort from the National League.

3) I bought a ticket! That means that 60% of my £4.75 (£2.85) has gone into the club coffers. I wonder what they’ll spend it on?

In all seriousness, I wouldn’t have given the club a penny to consume that game before hand. All three Gloverscasters bought a stream. This will prove to be an extra revenue stream. (Hold that thought, we’ll come back to it later)

4) It got me thinking about who else might have purchased who may not have otherwise done so.

Friend of the pod, Elliot Watts said his grandad was set up with a stream, he wouldn’t have otherwise made the game and now he’s given the club £2.75.

How many grandads wouldn’t have fancied the cold today? How many are poorly and find mobility difficult? How many people miss out because of Somerset’s horrendous public transport systems in and around the towns and villages? How many exiles would have dialled in? How many people are working and finish too late to get to HP?

Those numbers might be difficult to quantify straight away, but I know those people listed above all exist and probably in not insignificant hoards.

Those people now need to be targeted, advertised to, helped, guided, shown how easy it is to access. For every Watts’ grandad, you need an Elliot to set things up. #BeMoreElliot

5) I was fearful of the audio. I didn’t know what we might get. Would it be something generic or just stadium ambience? It was actually really good to have BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins on commentary and ex-Glovers’ keeper Chris Weale summarising.

The audio was in sync too which was good.

I’ve been lucky enough to be part of the BBC Somerset team and both Ian and I know how much effort goes in to providing those without eyes on Huish Park good enough coverage on match days (and beyond).

It’s vital that a club like Yeovil has good local coverage from media outlets, we should protect it, support it and ensure we don’t let it become a secondary aspect of how we consume YTFC as a whole.

The Cons

1) I’m reliably informed it was really cold today. England were on the telly in the evening. Christmas shopping needs to be done. There was a chance the game might not be on. Fuel costs a fortune too.

That’s a lot of reasons to think…. nah, I’ll skip the game, watch online and go about other errands.

So if “Joe Bloggs” from just outside Yeovil likes to go to the game occasionally, but didn’t today… Yeovil Town have gone from getting 100% of an £18 ticket, plus maybe a sold programme, or a pie or a pint… old Bloggsy (as his mates call him) has now given the Glovers £2.75 rather than £27.50 ish… that’s quite a drop, multiply that equation by however many and that’s a massive shortfall.

It’ll take ten additional streams to make up for one Joe Bloggs…

That’s a massive challenge for every club at this level – what are you going to do to make a trip to Huish Park special?

Without trying to answer my own question (Hi CleaveO), the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust got 300+ kids at the game today, the England game was being shown in the Alec Stock lounge… there was a sense of ‘Match Day Experience’.

This has NEVER been more vital.

We can go deep into ticket prices, offers, loyalty schemes, quality of football, but, the crux of it is, should people stop physically going, this whole thing will be the end of football at this level.

I could ramble on here about people being physically present leads to a better atmosphere, a sense of belonging, helping your side earn a point, suck in the winner in the last minute, none of those things are tangible, but they matter.

What about getting volunteers? Who will volunteer to sell the programmes, or man the tea bars, or sell the golden gambles, or donate to the excellent Food Bank initiative if no one actually attends?

Physical presence matters. Big time.

2) Scunthorpe fans gave Yeovil Town next to nothing today.

The away crowds are an underestimated part of all this.

I’d bet that more Scunthorpe fans saw the game than would have done normally, ok, that’s cool. But how much easier do the excuses come for an away fan to not make the journey?

Scunthorpe is a long way from Yeovil. That’s a lot of fuel, a lot of time, a lot of effort… to watch a 0-0.

If even one Scunthorpe fan chose stream over travel, then Yeovil Town has lost out on 100% of that potential revenue. With just a tiny portion of a Scunny stream purchase going to be split among all 72 clubs.

Scunthorpe made their £2.75 (60% of the £4.75 stream fee), but with just 25% (£1.18) set aside for the big pot to be shared. And then taking that and splitting it 70/30 for National League/NL N&S… means Yeovil got… an equal share of 82 pence, which when divided by 23 other sides in the division gives Yeovil… 3.5 pence.

(I HATE MATHS)

Scunthorpe might be a long way away, but what about Torquay? What if they don’t sell 500 tickets, they only sell 400, because 100 would rather watch the stream?

I’m not going to do any more maths, but thats a lot of people to go from spending a minimum of £18 at Huish Park to 3.5 pence.

Now, this goes both ways of course.

I’ll watch the Barnet game on Tuesday, I wouldn’t have otherwise gone.

I’ll give Yeovil Town another £2.75. I’ll give Barnet 3.5 pence.

Will there be enough Gloverscast Bens to make up for the lack of Joe Bloggs? Only time will tell.

In conclusion

You can see the challenges that will occur, the pressure is now on clubs at our level to make sure the right people attend the game in good enough numbers whilst targeting stream viewers as extra revenue.

Can the club get a stream sponsor? Can they make sure those who have advertising boards REALLY appreciate how many extra eyes will see their product and their logo – look at the screenshots in this article, you can see, Westbury Packaging, Hellier Group, Garador, Jurrasic Fibre, Thatchers and more.

It’s worth noting that the stream figures above will double the other side of Christmas, the £4.75 fee is a half price offer to start things off.

It’s going to be a fascinating ride and I’m really not sure how it’ll all play out.

I’m fearful of the next big expected away crowd, if numbers start to drop, we could be in for a turbulent time, we’ve already heard the term ‘balancing the books’ from the manager.

The way the revenue is split, there are obviously a few clubs who will benefit more than most (Prynhawn da cefnogwyr, Wrecsam), the gap between top and bottom will only grow and those sides who get into the regional divisons below will have an even mightier task to provide a service.

There’s a huge lack of fairness here, especially half way through a season – I thought that every penny this season should have all gone into one pot to be split 72 ways.

If a side has already had its “big” days out away somewhere, those additional streams of fans who haven’t travelled have been lost.

How many Yeovil fans would have dialled into the game at Notts County for example, putting their couple quid into the pot at the same time?

Is streaming a good thing?

I’ll answer hypocritically – for me, yes, absolutely.

For Yeovil Town… I’m cautiously concerned.

 

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The stars aligned this weekend, a stomach bug combined with the launch of a National League streaming service meant Ian was able to stay warm and watch Yeovil’s 0-0 draw with Scunthorpe from the comfort of home. Here are his Five Conclusions…

That was a drab affair. This game won’t go down in history as the Notts County 0-0 will. With a heavily depleted squad, players on the pitch on antibiotics, two of the League’s poorer sides and an increasingly difficult surface, the quality was at a premium at Huish Park. In hindsight, a postponement of the match probably would have benefitted the Glovers. Mark Cooper said given the circumstances with the squad, it’s one of our best points of the season. But his comments after the match made it abundantly clear that…

The playing budget is tight, and that is an understatement. We knew it already right? Chris Hargreaves leant on the local loan network to bring in players and was definitely not shopping in Waitrose. Yesterday we named three subs, with only two outfield players, in a week where we let Gime Toure leave and had to let Anthony Georgiou return to his parent club to ‘balance the books’. The manager cited Jamie Reckord, Morgan Williams, Matt Worthington and Ben Richards-Everton as players missing, but Jake Scrimshaw has vanished, Will Dawes (our five-figure fee signing no less) has got back from whence he came on loan and Hulbert has gone out too. Parts of the summer recruitment has left a lot to be desired and a combination of factors left us really short yesterday. We’ve had two managers this season, who’ve both talked about the lack of budget, what exactly has the injection of taxpayers money done to the playing budget?

I think there should have been a red card for Scunthorpe. There was a heated 20 seconds in the second half where a great tackle gets penalised for a free kick to Yeovil and what followed was a blatant punch to the side of Ewan Clarke’s head. The referee’s intention was solely on sorting out the tackle (which ironically didn’t need sorting) so he misses the hit, if he keeps his eye on Clarke for a split second longer there’s no way he doesn’t give a red. National League refs, eh? What do you think?

Scunthorpe looked like they were there for the taking. There were moments in the first half where we seemed to have acres of space inside the 18 yard box, but rather than shoot we tried to over work it and the chance went away. Friend of the Gloverscast Chris Weale said on commentary that he thought the Iron’s defence was big, slow and narrow and that that Yeovil could get round them. Unfortunately we didn’t seem to do that enough and gave Scunthorpe their first clean sheet of the season.

And they probably should have won it. Scunthorpe grew into the second half as we tired and they looked much more of a threat. In a game that looked like it was going to be settled by one goal, they had the chance of the afternoon through a combination of Tom Pugh and Rob Apter, who somehow conspired to miss. It was the biggest chance of the afternoon and fortunately for the Glovers, Scunthorpe didn’t capitalise.

It was the kind of game where you’re grateful for the request to build a bug hotel during it.

On to Barnet…

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Was it pretty? No. Was it effective? Heck, Yes.

The Glovers’ Wall stood firm to hold off wave after wave of Notts County attack and take home a well earned point from Meadow Lane in front of a National League record, 16,500.

Gloverscast Ben joined Gloverscast Dave in the away end for this one, it’s conclusion time….

I think it’s worth putting some stats together to just understand just how good that result was.

Notts County have scored in every game this season, in every competition, regardless of eventual outcome.

49 goals in 19 games prior to the weekend, doesn’t take a genius maths wizz to work out that’s a seriously good XG return.

County had actually scored in every game since drawing a blank against Stockport County at the back end of last season. The last time Meadow Lane didn’t see a goal from their side in a competitive match…. April 17th 2021 when Eastleigh kept them out, 520 days between away clean sheets.

Notts County will be fine, on that evidence, they’ll finish top three, no question.

Their ability to find short passes through lines of players is second to none, every pass is quick, crisp along the ground and presented with pin point accuracy, which for me, only makes the Glovers’ rear guard action even more impressive.

Notts County are probably the best footballing outfit I’ve seen this season, or maybe even for a couple of seasons… and the Parma Violet Party Poopers gave them a good old dollop of ‘thou shall not pass’. 

The difference between this game and the Oldham shambles came down to a very simple gameplan.

Be. Organised.

A very flat back five, a central but very flat four in front of them, and at times a rather defensively minded frontman.

I don’t think Scott Wickens’ running tracker would have had too much of a tough task getting the numbers for this one, it wasn’t expansive.

But that’s okay, sometimes, you have to dig in and get it done, what I want to highlight is the levels of concentration needed. To stay switched on at the back for basically 95 minutes is tough, mentally.

Only for maybe twice could messrs Hunt, Bevan and Williams dare to switch off as the ball made a foray forwards, but they kept their cool. Block, Tackle. Head. Clear. Repeat.

One misplaced foot and a penalty would have gifted their hosts a chance to undo all that hard work, one flung out limb could deflect a ball beyond Smith, one lapse in concentration and your (very good) opponents have a yard of space and a free chance to ruin it all.

It never happened once.

The legs might not have done quite so much of the hard work, but the brains would have done extra.

Owen Bevan in particular for me was outstanding, but I truly believe that was one of the most assured defensive displays I’ve ever seen from Yeovil.

Owen Bevan heads away. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Now… there were a couple of moments where the County barrage broke through the wall, that’s to be expected, they’re a wonderful outfit, but what they got when their half chances came around happened to be…

The best ‘keeper in the National League.

It’s not even close, the levels of trouble we’d be in as a team without Grant Smith is astronomical.

He makes the easy ones look easy, because his positioning is always foot perfect, he makes the difficult ones look easy, because he is quick, agile with spring powered boots.

It’s the boring stuff like he always gets the parries AWAY from goal, he never stopped marshaling his back line, and I’ve never seen a man take a slower goal kick in my life!

I joked to Dave that the reason Will Buse was on the bench was in case Grant Smith got booked twice for time-wasting, in the end, he didn’t once, he got warned, but it turns out he can even charm an official to keep his cards in his pocket. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT MAN CAN’T DO!?

Can I ask about the contract situation? Are we able to make that a longer deal? He’s a genuine asset and with January fast approaching and EFL teams looking to shuffle the pack, he’s worth a few quid, I’d quite like that protected.

Grant Smith. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Our new additions have really added something – something we were missing.

Andrew “What’s the Story” Oluwabori was the brightest attacking spark in a performance which wasn’t very attacking, but I found myself really appreciating the little nuances of his performance.

More than once, he held a defender off on or around the half way line, kept the ball and won a throw in, free kick or made the simple pass to someone who can get the ball forward.

He’s rapid, and the Notts County left back didn’t stand a chance when they got in a foot race, he’s direct and will cause plenty of decent teams trouble, I’d like him to stay for the season please, thanks.

Jamie “Taller than you think” Andrews is another one who really shone for me. Again, I know I’m talking about a different style of performance, but I saw enough in his resolute sideways defensive formation to know he’s got something.

Towards the back end of the second half, Josh Staunton was really starting to feel the injury that has prevented him from training, he came to a bit of a standstill in the middle, so Andrews did his chasing for him. Harrowing, closing down, side to side like a crab at times, blocking one path, then shuffling to the next and so on.

There were glimpses of his ability to take a ball and go from back to front quite quickly, but this wasn’t the game for that.

And finally, it was mentioned after the game that the team “couldn’t apologise” for their approach to this game.

I don’t want an apology, I don’t need an apology.

I think every one of the 452 fans there appreciated that it might be the toughest point we get all season, the toughest clean sheet (Not a ‘Cleano’) we might have to fight for all campaign.

I said as we left that if this game was a month or two further down the line, then yeah, ok, I dont mind if people get a bit disgruntled, but not now.

You can just start to see the beginnings of a run; that’s unbeaten in three, that’s just one goal conceded in three. That’s a game which can set up potentially massive clashes at home with FC Halifax, Scunthorpe United and Torquay United before the New Year is rung in.

It was a top draw defensive masterclass, but maybe, just maybe, we’ll look back in a couple of months and pinpoint it as so much more.

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Goals from Alex Fisher and Malachi Linton saw Mark Cooper pick up his first win as Yeovil manager against basement club Gateshead yesterday. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions.

Alex Fisher is rejuvenated under Mark Cooper. Everything feels a bit fresher, but no one has had a bigger turnaround than Yeovil’s number 9 under the new boss. With another two goals yesterday (it should have been a hat trick), Fisher’s form might make it difficult for Louis Britton to make an early impact. Two fox-in-the-box type goals exemplify the simplicity with which Mark Cooper has asked his striker to play. Hold it up, move it wide, get in the box. Both of his goals came from crosses when he was inside the six yard box. It’s amazing what can happen when you play a number 9 as a number 9.

Alex Fisher celebrates a goal in the 3-1 home win over Gateshead. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Oluwabori built on his Tuesday night cameo. The right winger shone against Maidenhead and yesterday was no different. He’s the type of player to create something from nothing and has added so much to this squad. His confidence his high and you see it rubbing off on his new teammates. He doubled up nicely with Chiori Johnson, linked up with Matt Worthington and he and Fisher look to building a good connection. Oluwabori was constant thorne in the side for Gateshead, who surrounded him at every opportunity. We’ve got a talent here who can make a genuine creative difference for the Glovers.

Matt Worthington was my man of the match. I thought Worthy was fantastic yesterday. He’s gone from being the senior midfielder in a pair under Chris Hargreaves to playing in the number 10 role for Mark Cooper and given the licence to get forward by having Josh Staunton and Jamie Andrews behind him. He was relentless and making a difference in spaces where we’ve probably not seen him before, forcing the Gateshead defence into mistakes by triggering the press. Can he add goals and assists? That’s the next challenge.

The power of Huish Park was evident. Mark Cooper gave a bit of a call to arms on Tuesday after the volume picked up in the stands and a bright start got Huish Park up for it yesterday too. There was a lull in the middle of the first half but Yeovil were roared home in the second half. It feels like it’s been a while since a managers name was sung in the crowd, but it’s not taken long for “Mark Cooper’s Green and White Army” and “Heeey Mark Cooper” to make it to the terraces.

It feels like we’ve got the right man in charge. Mark Cooper has added his own personnel, simplified everyone’s jobs and it’s making a difference. We can’t get ahead of ourselves, this was a bottom of the league team that looked lower on confidence than we did. But, it was a game that we needed to win and we did so. Next we travel to top of the league Notts County where the pressure will be entirely on them in front of a big crowd. It feels like we’ve got a decent foundation to build on now though, and you can see what that first win meant to everyone yesterday. You can’t help but wonder where we would be if we’d be able to opt for him in the summer, but sure I’m glad we’ve got him now.

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It was another frustrating night in front of goal for Yeovil Town as they lived up to their billing as the division’s lowest goalscorers with an eighth blank of the season in the 0-0 draw with Maidenhead United at Huish Park last night.

But, as Ian concludes, there were some reasons to be cheerful about at least some parts of the performance, here’s how he saw it……

Confidence is key. The first half performance showed a real lack of confidence and belief. Mark Cooper’s team played safe, we’re reluctant to take risks and barely threatened the Maidenhead United goal. Midway through the second half things started to click though. There was energy, attacking intent and the Glovers looked more likely to get something from a game that often ends goalless. After the match Mark Cooper said it was all about rebuilding the Confidence in his players and I think the last 20 minutes was a good platform to build off.

Cooper’s signings look the part. We expected changes in the squad and Mark Cooper has wasted little time. Jamie Andrews has come straight into the midfield and put in a man of the match performance last night. Anthony Georgiou was forward thinking and once settled looks like he can make a good contribution and the lift that Andrew Oluwabori gave the team and crowd was the highlight. His dribbling and speed got supporters on their feet and Yeovil improved with him on the pitch.

Goals are still a problem. Despite a couple of positives (and boy do we need some of those) the lack of goals is a huge problem. There was no shots in target on the first half and just two all game. That comes from a lack of confidence but we’re crying out for a striker to put anything in the goal. After the match the manager revealed Louis Britton, a former Bristol City striker, hadn’t got international clearance yet but is incoming. He was optimistic he would add the goals we so desperately need, hopefully in time for Gateshead. We’re the lowest scorers in the league and if we don’t rectify that we’re in for a long hard slog.

It’s going to take time for things to click. Given our position in the league, it’s difficult to remain patient but we need to be patient again. There was criticism on social media of the performance but two weeks ago most of this team were at their lowest with anger directed at them and Chris Hargreaves. As confidence builds, hopefully the adjustments will click, the patterns of play will develop and results will turn. We kept a clean sheet, looked comfortable defensively for the majority of the game and the attacking intent got the supporters behind the team and we need to harness that.

It’s groundhog day off the pitch. As performances dwindled, the crowds have too. It was a grim night in Yeovil last night and you can forgive those for not deciding to venture out in those conditions, but the reality is 21st vs 16th in a match notorious for a lack of goals isn’t going to draw the punters in. Yet again we find ourselves in the midst of takeover saga that needs a speedy conclusion so that we don’t go through months of uncertainty for the second season in a row.

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In: Latest Yeovil Town News, Games That Changed My Life, Gloversblog

Everyone remembers their first match don’t they? I do. It wasn’t a big Hollywood clash, we’re not talking Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester United in the FA Cup. It turns out I didn’t need the show, the crowd or the pizzazz to get me hooked on green and white

On the 18th of July 1998 I stepped foot into Huish Park for the first time to watch a match. (I’d been dragged to the car boot sale in the car park plenty of times) Fresh off the back of France ’98 my interest in football was a critical mass and with no Zizou to watch, and my first heartbreak of an England penalty loss (cheers Becks), I needed something to fill the void.

Recognising my unhealthy enthusiasm for he beautiful game, my Grandad decided to give me a taste of real football. Yeovil were heading into their second season in the Vauxhall Conference under Colin Lippiatt and the game my Grandad felt was the one to whet my appetite was a pre-season friendly against Swindon Town.

We took up our seats in the then (always?) Bartlett Stand, in Block H for a summer’s afternoon of entertainment. Iffy Onura gave Swindon the lead, and from our vantage point and my inexperienced eyes, I was adamant it didn’t go in – it hit the advertising boards behind the goal and hit the back of the net. I was wrong on that, not for the last time.

My first taste of celebrating a Yeovil goal was an own goal. The Swindon right back has comfortable possession, and decided to knock it back to his goalkeeper. Unfortunately for him, he got a little bit too much on it and it went all the way over the keeper and into the net – up the might Glovers. And that was that for the game.

In hindsight, what a dull game to kick off supporting a club that’s taken up an unhealthy amount of time, money and commitment in life. My first taste of Yeovil wasn’t Fergie circling Huish Park in a chopper. It wasn’t Ian Wright scoring a hattrick. It wasn’t Nathan Smith wiping out Alexis Sanchez. It wasn’t Ed Upson heading us to Wembley. It wasn’t anything memorable in our history. We conceded first and our equaliser wasn’t even scored by someone in green – perhaps a perfect initiation for a life spent supporting Yeovil.

And you know what? I wouldn’t change it. Yeovil Town vs Swindon in July ’98 was a game that changed my life and shaped a future of supporting Yeovil Town FC.

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It was a first match up against Darren Sarll since he left back in March, and the Glovers’ former manager got one over his old team guiding Woking to 1-0 win in Mark Cooper’s second match in charge of Yeovil Town.

A late Padraig Amond goal was the difference between the two sides in Surrey but only after he had seen a penalty saved by Grant Smith.

Sheridan Robins from her usual vantage point watching Yeovil Town from the BBC Radio Somerset commentary box.

BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins was in the commentary box at Kingfield and here are her five conclusions.

It is plainly obvious the issues stem from not scoring goals.
Woking are a good side. They have goals all over the pitch, but Yeovil kept them at bay through some excellent one-on-one defending and a superb penalty save. But, when you have little up front, one mistake and the game is gone.

Sticking your centre back up front when chasing a goal tells you all you need to know about the lack of attacking prowess, but Mark Cooper was right, he was a threat. However, you don’t want to rely on that. The lack of natural goal scorers all over the pitch is the killer.

Grant Smith. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Grant Smith has had a superb season – but is not getting the plaudits he deserves.

And that is not a criticism of supporters, it is natural because the team are in the bottom four. However, he has continually kept the Glovers in games, and now saved two penalties this season. He did not deserve to be on the losing side last night – and that has been true multiple times this season.

Alex Fisher, Chiori Johnson and Max Hunt applaud the fans at Maidstone
? David Coates

Players will be given a chance under Mark Cooper and Max Hunt being back in the side showcases that.

He mentioned post match that there are still players vying for a place. I think this week is a big week for him to properly assess what he has at his disposal. He also said it is his job to get the best out of this squad which has been assembled. There will be changes and additions – I have no doubt about that – but it is also about instilling belief into the players currently wearing the shirt.

I think this is obvious and has been for a while but Yeovil are in a relegation battle. After Torquay’s storming win last night, things are getting tight at the bottom. The poor start to the season has put them in this position and a change has been made. The priority now has to be to pull away from that drop zone – experience is crucial in this division and the man in the dugout has plenty of that. I felt the fans were behind him last night – that can only be a positive. One game at a time, as they say!

We all wanted to be in the first round of the FA Cup, but maybe with everything that has happened a full week on the training pitch could be just what the Glovers need.

I will be commentating on MK Dons v Taunton, but I imagine Yeovil will be in a lot over the next week and it is a chance for new and fresh ideas.

With two home games in a row coming up – it might be just the reset they need to get results over the line.