Gloversblog (Page 26)

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Throughout June we asked supporters of Yeovil Town FC to fill out our survey to share their views on the club and we’re delighted to share the results back with you on the slides below.

Thanks to Ben Sharpless for taking a look through the data and picking out some key points and thanks to the 499 of you who completed the first ever survey we’ve run. Here’s to next year and getting over 500.

 

[pdf-embedder url=”https://gloverscast.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/21_22-Survey-Findings.pdf” title=”21_22 Survey Findings”]

You can download the slides from here.

 

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The after the night before with the historic win by England Women over Germany at Wembley and, to give this news a Yeovil Town twist, we asked BBC Somerset Glovers’ report, occasional Gloverscast guest and host and former Media Manager of Yeovil Town Ladies Sheridan Robins to give us her take on the moment.

It has been 24 hours since England Women did what has often felt like an impossible task.

They won a major trophy – and they did so by beating long-time rivals (and eight-time winners of the European Championships) Germany.

I could make many jokes about how if you want something done properly, make sure it is done by a woman (and I have), but this is about more than that. This is about the women’s game capturing the hearts of the nation and – crucially – being a product of immense quality.

The Lionesses were six minutes from exiting the tournament in the quarter finals and were dealt a blow when Germany equalised yesterday, but the talent, the game management, and the tactical substitutions of Manager Sarina Wiegman secured a precious victory which finally brought football home.

People will now always remember the names Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly – and rightly so. However, this is now the time to ensure attendances at grassroots level and beyond continue to rise.

I commentated last season on Ella Toone and Mary Earps as they beat Bridgwater United Women 2-0 in the Women’s FA Cup. It was a wonderful occasion with more than 2000 people turning out to support the Somerset team. But I will be honest – it was tinged with sadness.

As a lifelong Yeovil Town fan, it felt like we should have had that experience as Bridgwater were formerly our very own women’s team donning green and white. Yeovil Ladies were supremely successful and won the WSL2 (now the Championship) back in 2016 at Huish Park. Little old Yeovil in the Women’s Premier League! It was a huge achievement and one I was blessed to be a part of. I worked as the club’s Media Manager for ten months back in 2018, before being made redundant – and ultimately the club fell not long after.

The remarkable achievement of England takes me back to when Yeovil won their first ever top flight match against Everton. A hard fought 1-0 win with more than 1,000 people supporting them and I remember being as proud of the attendance as I was of the players.

Those memories are amazing but the way it ended (and there were a multitude of reasons for it) feels like an opportunity missed. I remember Matty Dolan creating content with Yeovil Ladies’ captain Annie Heatherson and I long for that connectivity again between the men and the women’s game – especially because of the progress which has been made in just a few short years.

I don’t play, I just speak about the game and for the past two seasons I have been focused on talking about the men’s game and minus a few choice comments (mainly at opposition grounds) my gender hasn’t been talked about. I credit the managers, players, and society for the fact it is changing. I feel I belong in this industry, and it feels like we (Yeovil) are missing a piece of the puzzle with regards to a women’s team.

I hope this changes soon. How great is it to see male players tweeting about the England match? Not to mention attending and joining in the celebrations. They know what it takes to win and considering the last trophy Yeovil Town won was won by the women, and now the same can be said for England – this is surely the time to capitalise on this growth.

Yesterday was an incredible day and one which should be looked back on with such pride. Don’t get me wrong, I am just as excited about Scunthorpe away on Saturday (yes, really), but let’s keep the conversation going about ensuring young girls can see they can play football, too. And what better place to do so than the beautiful county of Somerset?

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With pre-season now at an end, Chris Hargreaves’ next match day squad will be for the National League opener at Scunthorpe United. BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins was at the last friendly in Weston-super-Mare where the Glovers sealed a 1-0 victory. Here are her five conclusions…
We look to be enjoying playing a back three, but it can be fluid. This was the first time I have seen the Glovers play three centre backs and as was so clear last season, that area of the pitch looks very good indeed. Charlie Wakefield at wing back is an interesting prospect and, as ever, if you give him the ball, he is so dangerous. Jamie Reckord won the penalty getting high up the pitch on the left side and we looked dangerous – particularly in the first half. I am looking forward to seeing the system develop as we switched back to a four in the second period.
Ben Richards-Everton could be the experienced head we need. He was my man of the match against a stubborn Weston side who offered a lot going forward. He put his body on the line, had good positioning and was commanding. I also noticed Morgan Williams was much more vocal than I have seen before, and our new signing could really guide him through after what was a brilliant campaign last season for the centre back/right back/left back!
Striker Alex Fisher 
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.
We may need goals, but we have one ridiculously hard-working striker. The manager was honest about the lack of goals in the side currently, and we need not only more bodies but our midfielders and defenders to ensure they are chipping in too. However, Alex Fisher never stops running – and now I remember his first spell at Huish Park was very much about that tenacity. I try to forget about the 2017/18 season as much as possible, but he always played for the shirt. I hope his goal is the first of many because his attitude and endeavour is second to none and he had some nice layoffs too. Feed the fish etc…we all want to see that GIF again.
Lawson D’Ath. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.
We need a relatively injury free season. This may seem obvious, but for real success this season, management of players will be crucial. With Lawson D’Ath having his minutes managed, and a few niggles for our key creative players yesterday, it is apparent how much we need those star players. Any team which does well often has luck on their side injury wise. I think we are definitely due some!
Chris Hargreaves is so excited to be back in management. It was almost written in the stars that Chris Hargreaves’ first match would be on BT Sport after his punditry work for them. But it is infectious to see just how excited he is to be in the dugout for the opening competitive match. I am so pleased we got him in early, so he had time to get to know the players he inherited and add his own characters. Speaking to fans yesterday, there is no doubt they are supporting him, and I am sure he will get a fantastic reception at Glanford Park. Here we go again – let’s hope for a good start!

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What do you do when none of the Gloverscast trio are at a game? You put out a call to arms.

Thankfully, Elliot from our friends at WeLoveYouYTFC was there at the Avenue Stadium and he had five thoughts he’d like to share with you on the 0-0 draw.

Charlie Wakefield. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Signings are needed. It’s no secret we have a small squad, however we need more bodies, otherwise we may have a real issue with squad depth this season. Last night, for instance, we had a couple of injuries and all of a sudden players were having to play out of position, Charlie Wakefield a prime example of this. Which brings me to my next point..

Charlie Wakefield is wasted at right wing back. Charlie was at his best last season when given license to run at defenders, and in a way, neglecting any sort of defensive role. Which makes you question where he fits into a formation with 5 at the back? You’d imagine Hargreaves and co. have a plan for him, and hopefully that isn’t back up right wing back.

Josh Staunton modelling the 2022-23 kit. Picture courtesy of YTFC.net.

We look solid defensively. We may have a new manager this season, but the personnel defensively remains largely the same as last season, and it shows. We look very good defensively, it is clear to see the centre back trio of Morgan Williams, Josh Staunton & Max Hunt have played with each other for a while now.

Sam Perry is a very good signing. In previous friendlies against Exeter and Plymouth respectively, Sam Perry, alongside the majority of our team, hasn’t seen as much as the ball as he’d perhaps like, but tonight he excelled with the ball at his feet. Walsall fans evidently see something in him, and rightly so.

Sign up number 24 + 25 (Trialist b + c). Out of all the trialists we have seen in action over pre-season, these two, for me, have shown the most talent, and are the most deserving of a contract. Trailist b played at left wing back on Tuesday night, and showed pace and skill, as did trailist C. As previously referenced, we need more bodies, and I’d like to see these two signed up.

We’re you at the game? What did you think?

Thanks to Elliot for helping us out on these five conclusions.

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Charlie Wakefield holds off his marker

After a couple of draws in their opening two pre-season friendlies, Yeovil Town suffered their first defeat of the campaign at home to League One side Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

Having held their opponents at bay in the first half, Chris Hargreaves’ men were undone by two goals from the visitors’ Ryan Hardie and Finn Azaz in the opening 15 minutes after the restart, before Matt Worthington and Plymouth wing-back Bali Mumba saw red for a scuffle.

Here are Marcus Duncomb‘s conclusions on a difficult afternoon at Huish Park…..

 Max Hunt. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Our trio of centre-backs are very solid. It seems as though Chris Hargreaves is set on lining up with a back three/five, depending on which way you look at it. The three centre-backs of Josh Staunton, Morgan Williams and Max Hunt were all key players last season and know each other well. This showed against a very strong Plymouth side who struggled to break us down in the first half after putting six past Torquay United in midweek. I think these three will be important.

Don’t expect the cards to disappear. Under Darren Sarll, Yeovil were no strangers to cards – in fact we consistently had the most cards in the leagues. It seems like that might not change immediately. When Matt Worthington and Bali Mumba got into a scuffle the whole Yeovil team and dugout instantly went into defend their teammate – this was only a friendly! We also saw Chiori Johnson, who had a tough afternoon, foul tricky wing-back Mumba time after time and he almost certainly would have been booked if it weren’t pre-season.

Chris Hargreaves wants runners in his side. The midfield trio was made up of Worthington, Sam Perry and Tom Knowles slightly more advanced. Yeovil fans already know all about the work rate of Worthington and Knowles – they are probably the two Yeovil players who have clocked up the most distance over the past two seasons and Perry is no different. Up front, Alex Fisher never gives up and his work rate in that position has been much missed over the past few years while Malachi Linton’s quick pace and eagerness to press gave Plymouth defenders little time on the ball. Let’s see if they’re still doing this come Boreham Wood away in April..

Charlie Wakefield. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

We don’t really know where Charlie Wakefield fits in yet. Wakefield hasn’t been fully fit to start a friendly and the only position we’ve seen him play is right wing-back. Yeovil fans know that Wakefield can offer so much more than a wing-back. Last season while we mainly saw him operate on the wing, he did also feature up front and very occasionally at wing-back towards the end of games. There are no out-and-out wingers in Hargreaves’ current system and Knowles has been placed in the no.10 role while we are waiting to find out where Wakefield’s long-term future is. Surely he wouldn’t have signed the contract extension if he was told he’s going to be a backup wing-back?

It will be interesting to see how we play against weaker opposition. Our final two friendlies against Dorchester and Weston-Super-Mare are more likely to give us an idea of how we are going to play. Against Plymouth we probably had about 20% possession and so it was really an exercise of defensive structure. We barely saw Yeovil with the ball, but when we did it looked promising. One particular move in the first half started with Grant Smith and ended with a Knowles long shot going narrowly wide. But the ball never went in the air once and it was all played along the ground nicely through most of the team, beating the Pilgrims’ press.

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Striker Alex Fisher during his time at Yeovil Town.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

With the recent signing of Alex Fisher bringing back some memories of times gone by, it got Ben thinking… what ever happened to the side that slept walked out of the Football League?

…and because I know you have been thinking that too (right?) I thought I’d turn the clocks back to Saturday, 27th April 2019.

Avengers Endgame had been in cinemas less than 24 hours, Nick Krygios was celebrating his 24th birthday (by shouting at a line judge, probably) and the only people on the planet who were practicing ‘social distancing’ were the Glovers back four as Northampton turned around a 2-0 half time deficit to draw 2-2 and relegate Yeovil out of the EFL after a decade and a half.

This is how we lined up, and what they’re doing now.

(Oh and by the way, there were no fewer than four ex-YTFC players in the Cobblers’ starting line up that day, Dean Bowditch, Sam Hoskins, Andy Williams and Sam Foley… cheers lads)

12 Nathan Baxter

Water-bottle enthusiast Nathan Baxter has been enjoying loan spells from Chelsea ever since this stint with Yeovil.

He’s been at Accrington and Hull City twice. Very good goalkeeper

Matt Worthington in action vs Dover

8 Matt Worthington

Yeah, we had him at Right back that day.

And prior to Fisher’s return the only member of this squad still with us, well over a hundred games in green and white, a stalwart of our midfield, its safe to say we’ve got far more out of him since that season.

6 Omar Sowunmi

Club captain. His second half own goal started the second half crumble. He left that summer after a few choice words and disagreements with supporters on social media, went to Colchester, then Bromley and has signed a new deal with them.

5 Bevis Mugabi

Now a fully fledged international defender and SPL regular with Motherwell.

Left the club that summer for the top flight in Scotland and has gone from strength to strength ever since.

23 Tom James

Loved a free kick. Scored a couple of worldie, West Ham U23s and Notts County I seem to recall.

Also scored a magnificent Own Goal too.

Been around the block a bit, Hibs in Scotland, Wigan, Salford, Leyton Orient where he kept Dan Moss out the team in the second half of last season…

10 Jake Gray

I was never comfortable with him wearing the number 10, but after leaving us he went to Woking before moving to Hampton and Richmond where he still plays and runs the show there by all accounts.

20 Sessi D’Almeida

Not many players from Benin find their way to Yeovil do they?

He was alright, wasn’t he? Was he?

Hes played for Toneldo in Portugal and Valencienne and Pau FC in France since leaving Huish Park

17 Alex Pattison

Firstly, I was convinced he was called James. Apparently not.

Joined us on loan from Middlesbrough, looked lively at times. Do I recall some discontent after the now infamous ‘night out’ after the final day?

Now at Harrogate and has been linked to some Championship clubs this summer

Tristan Abrahams during his loan spell at Huish Park in 2019.

16 Tristan Abrahams

Scored a penalty in the game to get us all excited.

Newport, Leyton Orient, Carlisle all in the bag before helping Grimsby get promoted this season just gone.

Courtney Duffus in action for Yeovil Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

11 Courtney Duffus

A sore subject. Pushed out, pulled back in, part of the Non League reset with Rhys Murphy before departing to free up funds for *checks notes* Reuben Reid.

Bromley, then Morecambe, bit of time at Stockport too… shouldn’t have let him go should we?

25 Alex Dobre

Nope, me neither.

Turns out, he’s half decent. Went to Dijon in France for the best part of a Million quid from Bournemouth.

He has clearly cut the mustard (sorry) enough there to attract interest from Serie A sides… apparently

On the bench that day were…

Stuart Nelson

Stayed with the team for one season, left after play off defeat to Barnet, now at Dover.

Daniel Ojo.

Remember we released him mid season and were expecting him to show up at one of the London clubs… did that ever happen?

Gabby Rogers.

? We don’t talk about Gabby.

Francois Zoko.

Uncle Zokes, departed Huish Park that summer and called it a day from playing.

Yoann Arquin.

Scored that one worldie, then urm… didn’t do much else. Now plays for Le Havre in France.

Ryan Seager.

Scored 700 goals per game (give or take) in the Conference South and earned a move to Dorking this season.

…and Alex Fisher.

One of the few who actually seemed to give half a damn that we got relegated.

He’s back for the next two years at Huish Park after stints at Exeter and Newport and will be hoping those around him can ‘Feed the Fish’ a bit more this season.

What a story it would be if Alex Fisher, could right the wrongs of 2019 and take Yeovil back up to the EFL…

Alex Fisher. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

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Yeovil earned a 1-1 draw against Exeter yesterday on a hot summers day, Ian was there and here’s five things he thought of the game.

We’re definitely improving. Maybe it was the pitch, maybe it was my better vantage point at Huish Park compared to Taunton but we are progressing. A draw against League One opposition who are a week ahead of us training-wise is good in the grand scheme of things.

We’re organised defensively. But for a couple of moments against Taunton we never felt stretched it was the same yesterday. We reduced Exeter to shots from distance and our back five of Johnson (who looked much better yesterday), Williams, Staunton, Hunt and Reckord look like a strong defensive unit. 

We look fit. Chris Hargreaves told us on the Gloverscast that he’d have the players working hard and that was evident yesterday. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but it’s pretty hot at the moment and both sets of players didn’t stop for 90 minutes (but for a couple of drinks breaks). 

Tom Knowles scores goals ? Mike Kunz.

Tom Knowles is being given creative freedom. Playing behind the front two of Malachi Linton and Alex Fisher yesterday, Knowles was his trademark self, buzzing around defenders, winning fouls and causing problems with his direct running. His goal was a typical Knowles goal – picking it up out side the box, putting the afterburners on through the Exeter defence and slotting a left footed finish into the bottom right corner. It looks like we might see a bit more of him centrally this season and I’m all for it.

With all that in mind, there’s still more to do obviously. These games are all about fitness and building relationships on the pitch and we’re seeing that develop. Despite retaining players we still a new team with a new manager and we need to be patient. The manager still wants to add and there’s plenty of time to do that. Some of the trialists from Tuesday remained and there were a couple of extras included yesterday. Those that are still around must have something as we seem to have moved others on quickly

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It’s difficult to conclude anything from the first preseason friendly with so many changes through the game, but it’s been a while so why not try eh?

Matt Buse looked the best of the trialists. It’s not particularly a secret that one of our anonymous trialists is former Torquay midfielder (and local lad) Matt Buse. In the brief time he was on the pitch last night he looked calm in possession and probably the one trialist who looked ready to step up and be a part of the squad.

It was good that the owner was in attendance. We’ve had plenty of pops at Scott Priestnall for not going to games, but you can’t complain if he arrives in Taunton for a pre-season . There were plenty of conversations with Chris Hargreaves and both Stuart Robins and Martyn Starnes were in attendance too, so there was executive representation at the match which is a positive. Let’s just hope they saw enough to know…

…we need a lot more! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the squad isn’t where it needs to be yet. Equally, I’m of the mind that it’s still early days. We’re a bit of an unknown quantity, we don’t know what system the manager will prefer (although it was a back five with wing backs) and as he said when he spoke to the Gloverscast, managers will want to get a couple of weeks of preseason in before deciding on the futures, or lack thereof, of their contracted squads.

It will be interesting to see which trialists remain. Some of these may be back for Exeter and get another chance of for a run out but, as with last year, many will move on. (Come back Harlain!) The manager spoke intently to a couple of them after the match so he and his coaching staff must have seen something. Other than Buse and Chiori Johnson nobody stuck out.

I won’t read too much into this game. It’s fitness, it’s minutes under the belt and it’s avoiding injuries. We went into this match without two key players in Lawson D’Ath and Charlie Wakefield and I imagine Ollie Hulbert will be a starter too. Hopefully we see some additions in the coming days and we’ll get more of an idea about the style of play Chris Hargreaves wants to implement as we progress towards the big BT kick off at Scunthorpe.

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With pre-season training underway and a friendly (albeit behind-closed-doors) underway, the clamour for new signings to Yeovil Town’s squad is in full swing.

Other National League clubs have seen major exoduses and influxes, not least down the road at Torquay United and of course former Glovers’ boss Darren Sarll has been busy at Woking.

Ollie Hulbert ? Pic Courtesy of Sam Collard – YTFC.net

So far the summer transfer action was initially focused on retaining players from last season’s squad before the arrivals of strikers Malachi Linton and Ollie Hulbert and then full-back Jamie Reckord.

On the books at Huish Park for next season are 14 players including the three incomings, namely:

Goalkeepers: Grant Smith, Max Evans.
Defenders: Max Hunt, Morgan Williams, Jamie Reckord.
Midfielders: Josh Staunton, Lawson D’Ath, Matt Worthington, Toby Stephens, Ollie Haste.
Forwards: Malachi Linton, Ollie Hulbert, Tom Knowles, Charlie Wakefield.

This follows the departures at the end of the season of defenders Mark Little, Jordan Barnett and Alex Bradley, midfielder Dale Gorman and strikers Reuben Reid and Adi Yussuf. On top of this, loanees Jack Robinson and Josh Neufville returned to their parent clubs, Middlesbrough and Luton Town respectively.

In comparison, on July 9 2021 there were 14 players on the books – albeit one of those was Albi Skendi, AWOL in California until his release was confirmed in March 2022.

The players on the books then were:

Goalkeepers: Grant Smith, Max Evans.
Defenders: Luke Wilkinson, Max Hunt, Alex Bradley, Morgan Williams, Mark Little,
Midfielders: Albi Skendi, Josh Staunton, Toby Stephens.
Forwards: Tom Knowles, Reuben Reid, Joe Quigley, Charlie Wakefield.

Jimmy Smith in action for Yeovil Town.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

This followed the departures of defender Carl Dickinson, midfielders Jimmy Snmith, Charlie Lee and Emmanuel Sonupe, strikers Rhys Murphy and Chris Dagnall, and youngsters Gabriel Rogers and Alex John.

We also saw loanees goalkeeper Adam Smith, defenders Michael Kelly and Billy Sass-Davies and Neufville return to their parent clubs after their loans.

Once pre-season friendlies got underway with the first friendly taking place at Stratford Town on July 24, there was the usual influx of trialists.

Who can forget Deshane Dalling, Harlain Mbayo, Richard Afrane-Kesey or Zeli Ismail? What do you mean you’ve forgotten them already?!

One assumes that the presence of ‘A Trialist’ on the score sheet twice in the 4-0 win over Sherborne Town at Alvington on Friday night means the guessing games can start again at next Tuesday’s visit to Taunton Town.

One player who has been spotted at Huish Park (in a full training kit) is former Glovers’ youth team product and Torquay United midfielder Matt Buse, who spent the end of last season on loan at W*ymouth.

Matt Buse, one to keep an eye out for at Taunton.

It is not known whether he is just training to keep fit or whether Hargreaves and his assistant Chris Todd, who presumably know the 24-year-old from their time at Plainmoor, are considering offering him terms.

He played 15 times for Wealdstone, scoring twice, at the start of last season, before moving to our lower division seagull bothering neighbours at the end of March, playing eight times including starting the goalless draw against Yeovil on Easter Monday.

Here’s how the Summer 2021 went:

IN:

14 June: Morgan Williams – joined following release by Coventry City
18 June: Charlie Wakefield – joined following release by Bromley
23 June: Grant Smith – joined following release by Chesterfield
25 June: Mark Little – joined following release by Bristol Rovers
15 July: Lewis Simper – joined on loan from Cambridge City
20 July: Dale Gorman – joined from Glentoran
13 August: Sonny Blu Lo-Everton – joined on loan following a season-long loan from Watford
20 August: Adi Yussuf – joined following release by Blackpool
28 August: Dan Moss – joined on loan from Millwall
28 August: Jack Robinson – joined on loan from Middlesbrough

OUT:

11 June

Rhys Murphy – rejected a new contract and joined Southend United
Jimmy Smith – retired to take up coaching role at Chelsea
Carl Dickinson – retired to take over as manager of Hanley Town
Charlie Lee – departed to join Billericay Town.
Chris Dagnall – out of contract, joined Hanley Town
Emmanuel Sonupe – out of contract, released
Gabriel Rogers – out of contract, released
Alex John – out of contract, released

Adam Smith – returned to Forest Green Rovers after season-long loan
Michael Kelly – returned to Bristol Rovers after loan
Billy Sass-Davies – returned to Crewe Alexandra after loan

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The first ever Gloverscast End of Season Survey has closed and a huge thank you to the 499 (argh!) of you who took part.

Someone with much better numeracy skills has kindly offered to trawl through the data and make it digestible for our readers. The majority of the questions were statements on a scale of 1-7, giving participants the opportunity to score a 1 for ‘strongly disagree’ and 7 a score for ‘strongly agree’.

Here are Five Conclusions we’ve drawn from an early look at your answers.

Supporters don’t think there is a clear plan for the future of the club. With a score of 2.25 out of 7 and with 43.9% of respondents scoring 1 and 21.2% scoring 2, it is abundantly clear that supporters of the club don’t know what the plan for the club is. Granted, since the survey we’ve heard the goal is to get out of the National League, but what we’re putting in place to enable that, what the future of the land looks like, what the future of the facilities looks like is all a bit vague at the moment.

Supporters don’t believe YTFC will benefit from the SSDC deal. The SSDC deal to purchase Huish Park and the surrounding land remains controversial, and probably will do for some time yet. In response to the statement: Yeovil Town FC will benefit from the SSDC deal to purchase Huish Park, the average score was 2.59. To the statement: Scott Priestnall will benefit from the SSDC deal to purchase Huish Park, the average score was 6.0, with 52.9% strongly agreeing. In response to: SSDC will benefit from the SSDC deal to purchase Huish Park, the average score was 5.35 out of 7. There remains a demand for clarity and transparency about the shape of the deal and what the future holds, because as it stands, supporters thing the club is on course to lose out.

There has been quite the drop in season ticket holders over the last five seasons. Of the 499 responses, 59% have had season tickets in the past five years. 38% of respondents are currently season ticket holders. The trend is obvious, we’ve seen attendances dropping season on season since Darren Way was in charge. Personally, I think that final Way season was probably one of the most damaging in terms of getting people through the turnstiles. Last season’s challenge has been talked about ad nauseum, but something we’ve probably not spoken about much ahead of the forthcoming season is the cost of living crisis. People will be making decisions about their spending, especially come the winter and another energy price increase.

Communication should be a priority area. With a score of 2.01 on the statement: The Club has communicated with supporters well this season, there is work to be done to improve. This can be looked at in a couple of ways, a largely absent owner until April this year, with sporadic statements in between has left a feeling of disenchantment. But there are quick wins for the club to implement. To the statement: I know who to contact when I want to make my views heard the average score was 2.93. Give supporters an email address they know they can reach out to where they’ll be heard, because the survey shows us that most don’t feel valued as supporters.

The Supporters Alliance Group needs revaluating. With a score of 3.31, people slightly disagree that the SAG is effective as a means of communicating with the club. And if the SAG is the platform for supporters to make their views heard, most don’t feel they’re listened to and acted upon. Of the 499 responses we received, over 71% are not part of any of the organisations on the SAG. 22% are members of the Glovers Trust, and 7.6% are members of the Green and White Supporters Club. There needs to be room for more voices or a refresh which welcomes new people into the fold so that the group can be truly representative of supporters of the club.

While a professional crunches the data for us to share it, I’d like to say a big thank you to the readers of the Gloverscast for being part of our first survey of this kind. We’ll conduct another one at the end of next season so that we can continue to provide you with a platform for feedback.