Gloversblog (Page 28)

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We have a strict(ish) set of rules at the Gloverscast. One is followed a lot more than others, and that one is Rule #2: Sleep on it. When a result goes against us, we try not to jump to a reaction of conclusion without reflecting on it.

Having slept on the statement released by Damien Singh on Sunday afternoon, I’ve got an overwhelming feeling of frustration.

Frustration that we were told there was ‘no money on the table’ only to read: “We unfortunately could not conclude our negotiations despite a series of recent offers with funds placed on our solicitors account.” 

Frustration that we were told the deal was dead in December, but that also we didn’t offer Darren Sarll a new contract in January because of the ongoing takeover. Which is it?

Frustration that someone of this magnitude was waiting in the wings while the relentless rumourmill caused turmoil amongst supporters.

Frustration that, three years after we missed a golden opportunity with Rob Couhig, we’re going to miss out on another.

It’s not every day someone the likes of the CFO of Canva (valued at $40bn in September 2021) decides to get involved in a small community club in Somerset. To have someone with very evident business and financial acumen and with very evident means knocking at the door, to find out they’ve decided to stop knocking is beyond frustrating.

So, how to channel that frustration? Boycott season tickets? Stop spending at the ground on a matchday? Stop matches? I can’t argue for that, because it would be hypocritical of me because I don’t have a season ticket, I will buy a drink at the ground and I want to watch matches. Other people will have their ideas and others will just want that to be that, and move on. We all want the best for the football club, we all have differing views of what would be best for the football club, but ask yourself: ‘would the CFO of one of the largest tech companies on the planet being part of the ownership at Yeovil Town be best for Yeovil Town?’ If your answer is no, I don’t know what you want for the football club.

I am happy that we’ve got a supporter on the board now, I’m happy we’ve got a manager and some certainty around which players we’ll have – even though the majority of the remainers could have been clarified months ago. But, after Sunday, we’ve got another ‘what could have been?’ situation.

The club’s most valuable (monetarily anyway) assets have been sold, albeit with a route to getting them back but one which sees us ultimately losing out because the value of that development could have gone on our bottom line rather than repaying debts the debt to SSDC.

Our recent polls have shown that opinion has turned. Out of 313 voters, 93% felt our future wasn’t bright under Scott Priestnall’s ownership. 65% of 234 people said they wouldn’t buy or were undecided on season tickets. This is not a vocal minority of internet hoodies. The sentiment has changed, the mood has swung and I don’t believe it will go back. We can polish as many triggered extensions as ‘new signings’ as we want.

I genuinely hope that Mr Singh’s statement is not the end. As a supporter, I think we have a duty to the club to ensure it isn’t the end. We’ve missed out on something in our very recent history, I think this opportunity has the potential to be something even brighter. Let’s not allow this to be over yet.

Do you have a view on this? If you’re happy for it to be shared on the website, please send it to us at gloverscast@gmail.com.

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With the news of SSDC completing their purchase of Huish Park emerging on Friday, it feels like a lifetime ago that Chris Hargreaves was announced as the new manager of Yeovil Town FC.

While he was not a favourite for the job in the eyes of supporters (58% of Gloverscast readers wanted Jamie McAllister) he was a name that was on the rumour mill in the middle of April.

Having left his role as Bristol Rovers Academy manager in February to pursue first team manager opportunities, it’s been reported that he was unsuccessful in applications for Oxford City and Woking before getting the Glovers job.

As he lines up his coaching team (a former Glover who’s “only gone and done it” is among the rumoured names), there’s a chance of some post-season freshness at Huish Park – in the dugout at least.

Hargreaves experience since ‘taking Torquay out of the football league’ (as the negative narrative is) has been largely focussed on youth football and the academy system at Exeter City, Bournemouth and Bristol Rovers. His history at this south/southwest triumvirate, within a commutable distance from Huish Park, is probably an indication of the ‘project youth’ strategy Yeovil be taking this season. And who can argue with it?

In his first interview with YTFC.net, Hargreaves said: “Youth development is vital. I said to the players that want to stay at the club, I want to improve them as all coaches and managers do. We want to help them go and play as high as they can. It’s something that is very important to me, they have to produce for the club but we hope to be able to help them along their footballing journey. We have to be as sustainable as possible, so we need to develop our younger players and if the rewards are right for the club and for the player, then brilliant. That has to be a major part of it because producing players is a big part of what a club is about.”

Despite the club’s ‘pretty healthy’ financial position mooted by the chairman, and the recent injection of circa £2.8m, (who’s laughing at the back?) with ever-dropping gates at Huish Park, it’s reasonable to expect the budget will not see signings like Darren Sarll’s first season.

If we’re in the market for young, hungry players who’ve been let go from Rovers, Exeter and Bournemouth we should try and get ourselves to the top of the pile. Hargreaves’ connection with these clubs will hopefully provide Yeovil with a good pipeline of loans and an opportunity to sign some free agents.

Yeovil Town captain Josh Staunton.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

As we await our released and retained list, we’ve secured the most important player in Josh Staunton. His leadership within the squad is obvious and as the standard bearer of the dressing room, he will set the bar for those remaining and those joining. If the core of Staunton, Grant Smith, Morgan Williams, Max Hunt, Tom Knowles and Matty Worthington stay, that’s a good base to build a squad from. 

While Hargreaves wasn’t everyone’s first choice, I was impressed with his first interview with the media. He spoke positively about the club and genuinely seems excited at the opportunity to manager our club. Despite the news which broke on Friday afternoon, I’m cautiously optimistic about the freshening up at Huish Park under his leadership.

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This morning Yeovil Town fans woke up in the knowledge that our club is no longer the owner of the ground on which Huish Park stands.

It may well have been the case for a number of days (weeks?) before 2pm on Friday afternoon when South Somerset District Council (SSDC) and the club announced that a £2.8m deal had been completed for the council to buy Huish Park and the land around it and rent it back to the club.

Nearly 32 years after we moved in, we are now tenants in the place we call ‘home’.

So what do we know about the deal? Well, the statement from chairman Scott Priestnall spoke about why the sale was required and what the money would be used for, and SSDC gave its views on the deal.

Their respective messages were consistent – the club lost huge amounts money throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it needs a cash boost and a way to unlock the land at Huish Park for development to safeguard its future.

Having read through it all, there’s a couple of comments on both sides I felt were worthy of further inspection:

Scott Priestnall: “The deal provides valuable funds to the club, in what has been a very difficult period financially and operationally. We utilised all government schemes available to us during the pandemic, but unfortunately those funds did not meet our ongoing cash requirement, never mind allow us to grow.”

There’s absolutely no question the pandemic was a hugely difficult time for all businesses and our football club was no exception. As the chairman rightly says, it furloughed a number of employees to cut its costs to the bare bones, took advantage of grants available to clubs, benefited from more than £50,000 raised by its supporters through a Crowdfunder and has borrowed almost £1m from Sport England. What is an interesting question though is the contradiction between the chairman’s statements from a little under a month ago that the club was in “a pretty healthy” financial position. If that is true, why do we need to sell our only true assets? As one supporter put it, on the face of it it’s a bit like selling your car to pay for the petrol.

Scott Priestnall.

Scott Priestnall: “The funds will help pay for costs incurred during the pandemic such as deferred payments with some of our key partners and deferred salaries to our incredible staff and players who accepted a reduction in wages during lockdown when the club could not operate.”   

If there are individuals or business the club owes money to, it can only be right that this ‘windfall’ enables these debts to be met. No question. However, what of the other debts? We know we owe Sport England £998,538 in monies that, only a couple of weeks ago the Chairman said the Sports Minister was “working to get written off“. So, unless his view on that situation has changed in just under a month, one assumes those debts will not be paid.

So what of the £1.35m the chairman borrowed from Poole-based lender MSP Capital to complete the purchase of the club back in 2019? In the words of Somerset Live back then, the move by Priestnall to secure the loan he took out against the club’s land assets “effectively acts as a mortgage against the stadium.” At that time, he spoke about the loan as “a facility to help us move forward with the land” – a similar reason to given yesterday to justify the sale to the council through the removal of “restrictive convenants” which have prevented land around Huish Park being developed – it all costs money, right?

Scott Priestnall: “When I first came into the Club, I saw the opportunity to grow this already amazing Club into an organisation off the pitch that could provide revenues all week, not just on match days. While I had very positive conversations with local planning, developers and funding partners, the pandemic delayed our options to grow, at the same time causing huge financial difficulties to our ongoing operations.”

There’s no doubt that Scott Priestnall, like his predecessors Norman Hayward and John Fry, see value in unlocking the value of the Huish Park site – and who could argue with the principle of developments which could create a long-term, sustainable income for the club? Certainly not me, it’s worked for clubs up and down the country and the lifting of covenants on the use of the land seemingly frees the club up to do so.

What could development look like? The simple truth is we don’t know and won’t know until the club unveils its “long-term vision for Huish Park” which the chairman says will happen “over the next year“. One insight came from the Glovers’ Trust back in March 2021 when it published a map showing a ‘Concept Plan’ of potential development of the land which showed the entire car park developed for flats and houses, accommodation for players alongside the current 3G pitch, alongside at least one shop, a sports clinic and a hotel.

I welcome the money raised by the sale enabling the club “to sensibly invest in required maintenance work and our playing squad” whilst paying down the debts it has incurred due to the pandemic, but if we are expected to pay an annual rent to SSDC, how is the development of the Huish Park site going to help us do this?

A hotel, shop or sports clinic paying a regular rental to the club or social facilities able to bring a seven-day-a-week income would achieve this. But simply building and selling property – whether houses, flats, shops, hotels or alike – is a short-term strategy which does not answer the question of – who pays the rent?

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

 

Councillor John Clark

“It is important to remember that it is not the council’s intention nor desire to play any part in the running of the football club, which will remain a matter for the shareholders. Our interest is to help with the club’s survival, generate a new rental income, while protecting our ratepayers from loss or excessive risk.”

Not the chairman’s words this time, but those of SSDC’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, John Clark, the councillor for Yeovil Summerlands.

A number of councils have pots of cash waiting to invest in schemes they will be profitable for them and, as organisations not seeking to make a quick profit, can invest for the long term. When its District Executive signed off the £2.8m investment in December 2020, the council confirmed it would “provide a yield of around 7%” which was “line with the approved target level of commercial returns.” Speaking at the meeting which decided the deal, then-Chief Executive Alex Parmley said: “We’re not spending money on a football club or giving them taxpayers’ money – we’re investing in the land. We’ll have a significant land asset with a value at the end of it.” To put it simply, this deal is good business for SSDC.

In his statement, Scott Priestnall spoke about how there would be “those that put a negative spin” on the deal. He – and maybe you – may think this blog is an attempt to do that. I would argue there is no more “spin” in his blog than in the club and council’s own statements. Questions are healthy in any democracy – the chairman himself said just under a month ago that he had “no problem with criticism” and therefore I am sure will have no issue with my questions. They are asked out of a desire to see the club thrive, that’s all any fan wants, right?

Gerry Lock, right, with manager Brian Hall as they collect the Isthmian League winners’ trophy in April 1988.
Picture courtesy of Tim Lancaster.

When I was first becoming a Yeovil Town supporter, the club made its move from Huish to Huish Park, under the stewardship of then-chairman Gerry Lock. It was a move which almost sent the club under due to long-running planning enquiries, the rising cost of land – many other things which have been the subject of podcasts, if you are interested- listen here. Lock’s vision was to create a stadium and facility which was the envy of clubs all over the country – and he did, but almost at a huge cost.

Is this decision Scott Priestnall’s ‘Gerry Lock Moment’?

In “the next year” we have been promised sight of the long-term vision for Huish Park and, if this ultimately benefits the football club, you’ll hear no complaints from me. Like so many things, we’ll just have to wait and see.

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Just one week ago, nearly 2000 Yeovil, Exeter and South West football fans came to Huish Park to celebrate the life of Adam Stansfield and raise money for his foundation.

In the build up to the game, the Gloverscast trio joined a host of local reporters, Yeovil fans and hugely respected YTFC people came together to put together a programme, however one article didn’t make the souvenir programme.

Below is my chat with Andy Lindegaard, who had amazing memories of the sides with which he played across many, many years of success.

Andy Lindegaard breaks up-field for Yeovil

It’s fair to say that being a Yeovil fan from 2000 onwards was a special experience, a decade of unprecedented success with the teams from 2002, 03, 05 and 07 all living long in the memories of a Glovers fans.

We can only imagine what it would have been like to have been on the inside through it all, but one player and one player alone did the best of both worlds.

Andy Lindegaard was a Yeovil born, Glovers fan who had been part of the local football from a young age and have been in the youth team under Stu Housley and Maurice O’Donnell before breaking into the first team in 1999 and playing for the next eight years through so many top teams, he spoke to the Gloverscast’s Ben Barrett about how it felt to be part of multiple teams who found success at Huish Park.

When Gary Johnson joined, he inherited a team that was close to success but hadn’t quite landed the big one, Lindy says a little sprinkling of quality was all that was needed.

“When Gary came in, he added a bit of quality, Lee Johnson came in, (Colin) Milesy and Steve Collis, those were the three I remember from the first day of preseason. They’d come from the Football League and had a little bit of experience, but it was more just the team spirit we had together. Anything we did, everyone wanted to win each time. It’s that attitude that helps bring success”

2001/02 culminating in a Trophy Final was a special occasion for Lindegaard, but it was just the start of the journey

“We were at the start of riding that wave, I remember going to Villa Park and the whole of Yeovil was there, it was something special.”

After that, the team conquered the conference and League Two with so many happy memories.

“It was a winning mentality, we had a lot of pace, it was attack, attack, attack, the fans were spoilt!”

“One of my best memories is playing in front of Huish Park when it was jam packed full, we used to get six or seven thousand every week.”

Lindegaard still has the match ball from his hat trick against Gravesend and Northfleet kicking about in the garden and the medals are framed up and on display for family and friends to enjoy, his only ‘what if’… not playing as a striker a bit more.

“I wish I played up front more, but we signed Kevin Gall so I didn’t get a look in.”

Fast forward to 2007 and things had changed. Johnson had left, Slade had come in and yet the success continued with the League One play-offs.

Slade, he says, was different to Johnson in the way they approached management but both got results.

“Gary was more of a shouter, he liked to encourage players that way, Russell Slade was more of school teacher-ish”

“Russell wouldn’t overload the players with information, but Gary had his own form of data analysis, it was ticks and crosses as we sat and watched the games back.”

Lindegaard was quick to take up the offer to come back and play in this game for the Adam Stansfield foundation, because of who Adam was, and he knew before most that Stanno would go on to be great.

“Stanno always had a smile on his face. I actually played in the game where Gary discovered him. For the reserves, against Elmore. It was a cold, rainy night, luckily I wasn’t playing in defence, so he didn’t run me ragged. I remember playing in that game and he turned up to training the next Monday”.

The rest was history.

From struggling to find somewhere to train with the reserve side to finishing his 8-year stint at Wembley Stadium in 2007, Andy Lindegaard saw it all happen around him and he hopes that for one more packed out Huish Park will wrap up the story nicely.

Lindy and his blonde locks ? Mike Kunz

“As soon as they mentioned this game, I wanted to get involved. I’m really looking forward to it, I haven’t seen a lot of the players in a while, I keep in touch with a couple of the lads, it’ll be good. Some of the lads who are coming back never got to play with Stanno so it’ll be good to see teams from across the generations”

When asked who would win between a 2003 Yeovil side and the 2007 Glovers team, it was close, but he reckons the Johnson side would have just about edged it.

“I’d probably say the 2003 team would win, but, the 2007 team was the highest we’d ever been. That team was full of quality, but my instinct says that Weasel (Darren Way) and Lee Johnson would make the difference”

Those sides come together today to take on the South West XI, the best of both worlds!

To donate to Andy’s blonde hair Just Giving page Click HERE

To listen to the Gloverscast’s Legends Game Special Click HERE

To take a look at the Gloverscast Photo Gallery of the day courtesy of Mike Kunz, Click HERE

To visit the website of the Adam Stansfield foundation and make a direct donation, Click HERE

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Yeovil huddle before Altrincham

…and breathe.

The 2021/22 season has come to an end. 44 league games, an FA Cup run, and a Somerset Premier Cup victory has made the campaign far from dull despite the 12th place finish. The final game saw an injury ravaged squad squeeze out a 1-0 win over fellow mid-tablers Altrincham. Debuts for Ollie Haste and Max Evans rightly took the post match headlines, but I wanted to highlight two other performances.

Sonny Blu Lo-Everton. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

I gave Sonny Blu Lo Everton my man of the match on the radio. He was fantastic in the first half, and gave us a glimpse into what we would have loved to have seen more of through the whole season. He glided effortlessly with the ball, had shots, a relaxed game brought out the best in him, how desperately we could have done with that on a more regular basis. His career lies higher than the National League and he’ll go onto good things, I’m sure.

Morgan Williams. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Much was made out of Morgan Williams’ controversial Glovies wins (by Ian mostly), but as one of those certain to be there on Day 1 of pre season next year, I for one am chuffed. He played centre half, he’s played left back, right wing back and for his first proper season adapted to all of them with ease. If he wants to show of the leadership and seniority he showed alongside Jack Robinson and in front of Max Evans that is absolutely fine by me. We’ve got a good one in Morgan Williams, that’s for sure.

184 Yeovil fans made the trip to Altrincham, maybe take a few off for some easy geography, but that is an incredible level of support. I wouldn’t have blamed any supporter for saying no thanks, for starting their summers early and listening on the radio, but so many felt like they needed to be there. To say goodbye? To say thanks? Because that’s just what weekends are for? I’m not sure, but whoever is on that press release as our new manager has a truly brilliant fan base to get on board with. I hope they harness the spirit of the 184, I hope they see the passion and support of the 1900+ at the Legends game and use that to their advantage, give us something to cheer and we are there ready to be on your side.

I have to mention Josh Staunton don’t I? Last summer he told us that last season he thought he might not kick a ball ever again. He did, he became an integral part of the side, then Charlie Lee’s right hand man, then… almost inexplicably, Manager. Find me a Yeovil fan who doesn’t think we should extend his contract? Find me a Yeovil fan who thinks he isn’t the person to build a side around next year? I’ve written in depth before about how I feel he’s the most important player we’ve had since Skivo, well, he became our first player-manager since the Glovers legend took over from Russell Slade. He deserves the upmost respect and a damn good contract.

So, I don’t like to address rumours, but there were murmurs of some players not being in the best frame of mind before the game and there were a number of absentees. I’ll say only one thing… if there’s any player that doesn’t want to be here, they’re absolutely fine to leave. It takes a special type of player to play for Yeovil Town, you have to show the commitment that 184 fans showed today, if you’re not willing to do that, despite all that’s gone on, you know where the door is. For what it’s worth, in every little snippet of conversation I’ve had with people, every game I’ve watched, every interview I’ve transcribed this season I’ve never doubted any squad member’s commitment, I just hope it’s still there at the same level next season.

It won’t exactly be a quiet week for Glovers fans, or a quiet summer for that matter, but I hope YTFC supporters can enjoy their summers. It’ll be time to play ‘Guess the Trialist‘ soon.

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Since Yeovil Town chairman Scott Priestnall announced three weeks ago that he had received “40 or 50 applications” for the vacant manager’s job at Huish Park, the rumour mill has been spinning over the identity of the new boss.

The unceremonious exit of caretaker boss Charlie Lee – who was confirmed as having left with immediate effect on Friday afternoon – was accompanied with confirmation that an appointment will be announced next week.

With only a couple of days left for wild speculation, Coatesie takes a look at some of the names in the frame, make sure you read until the end and cast your vote on which of this contenders you’d most like to see.

Chris Hargreaves

The former Torquay United manager’s name has been doing the rounds on the Huish Park rumour mill for the past few weeks.

His last job was as Academy Manager at League Two (soon to be League One) side Bristol Rovers which he quit in February after 18 months in the role, having been involved in coaching in the youth set-up at The Memorial Ground since summer 2019.

During that time he oversaw the development of a number of players who progressed on to the club’s first-team including  Kyrie Pierre and Brad Burrows, who both signed for Aston Villa last year, and Luca Hoole and Jed Ward.

His last (and only) managerial experience came at Torquay United, the club he represented as a player more than 100 times, where he took over in January 2014 with the club in serious risk of relegation out of the Football League.

Hargreaves was unable to stop the rot and the Gulls were relegated that summer and he was placed on gardening leave after rejecting a pay cut and eventually left.

More recently, he is a familiar face with National League supporters as a matchday summariser with BT Sport which you assume would give him some understanding of the division, at least.


Jamie McAllister

Jamie McAllister in action for Yeovil Town.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

A name who needs little introduction to Yeovil Town fans as the only Glovers’ captain to lift silverware for the club at Wembley Stadium when he captained the 2013 play-off winning side.

It is believed that McAllister has been interviewed for the job in recent weeks, putting his name in the frame.

Most recently, the former left-back was assistant to another Yeovil favourite, Lee Johnson, at Sunderland and left the Black Cats when the pair were sacked at the end of January.

Earlier this year, McAllister told the Gloverscast that he had considered the manager’s job at National League South side Gloucester City before moving to Wearside and when asked whether he was a future Yeovil manager, he replied: “No comment.” He was still employed at the Stadium of Light back then though – you can listen again – here.

McAllister would be a favourite with Huish Park supporters who fondly remember his two seasons as a player.


Michael Jolley

A bit of a curveball as someone with no connection to the club or even the South West, Jolley’s managerial outing saw him last just seven matches at League Two Barrow.

The former Cambridge University graduate, who has no professional playing record to speak of, spent around two months in charge in Cumbria before exiting with the Bluebirds’ chairman saying they had “differing visions for how the team should play.”

Prior to that he was in charge at Grimsby Town, then a League club, between March 2018 and November 2019, securing the club’s position in the League upon his arrival and then enjoying a moderately successful campaign in 2018-19.

Despite a strong start to the next campaign, he departed within three months by mutual consent and it was later revealed he had an “expletive laden” exchange with a BBC reporter over negative coverage of the Mariners. Something to keep in mind…..

Terry Skiverton

A bit of an outsider, however, following his departure from a first-team coaching role at League One Charlton Athletic, the Glovers’ legend has to be one for discussion.

Skivo’s two decades-long association with Yeovil came to an end back in January when he quit to take up a role in the Addicks’ coaching staff alongside Johnnie Jackson, but departed just over a week ago following the sacking of Jackson.

Speaking following his exit, the former captain, manager, and assistant manager said: “ I need to move on with my career, I have got all my qualifications – my B, A and my Pro Licence – and with all of those things, I really want to give this a crack and it’s time to move away from Yeovil.”

Given that, you would expect that a return seems unlikely, but chairman Scott Priestnall has said he is still in touch with “Tel” and spoke to him about appointing Charlie Lee as interim manager – so stranger things have happened.

Skiverton is certain to be back at Huish Park this weekend, albeit lining up for the Yeovil Town Legends against a South West Legends XI in the charity match in aid of the Adam Stansfield Foundation.

Tony Pennock celebrates the ICIS League title win in 1997. Picture courtesy of Tim Lancaster.

Tony Pennock

A former Glovers’ goalkeeper who turned out for the club more than 200 times in a six-year period left Championship side Hull City after eight years in the coaching set-up last weekend.

Speaking on his departure he revealed he wanted to “try and become a manager myself” having been part of the Tigers’ coaching set up which won their first title in more than half-a-century when they were promoted back to the second tier last season.

The Welshman was well respected in East Yorkshire having initially joined as academy manager in February 2014 before being promoted to the senior set-up in November 2016.

He had a short spell in charge at Welsh Premier League side Aberystwyth Town after Marco Silva was appointed at Hull in April 2017, only to leave and return to Humberside two months later when Silva departed.

Prior to that he had been a coach of the Wales semi-professional side and at Swansea City, but is best remembered for his time between the posts at Huish Park between 1995 and 2001.

He was part of Graham Roberts’ side which won promotion in to the Conference in 1997, and left to join Rushden & Diamonds after they beat the Glovers’ to promotion to the League.

Jerry Gill

The only member of this list of ‘maybe’ men who is actually currently employed by a football team.

Jerry Gill turning out for Yeovil Town in 1996-97. Picture courtesy of Tim Lancaster.

Gill is under contract with National League South side and defeated Somerset Premier Cup finalists Bath City (sorry, Jerry!) until next summer and therefore it would presumably cost money to release him – which naturally makes him an outsider.

Yet another former Yeovil player, he was a flying full-back in the team which won promotion back to the Conference in 1997 before joining on to join Birmingham City, he was rumoured to be in the running for the job when Darren Sarll took the job in the summer of 2019.

His managerial record saw him have a 44-day spell in charge of then-Conference South bottom club W*ymouth only to quit the cash-strapped seagull botherers before having roles in the Bristol Rovers youth team and then in the academy at Kidderminster Harriers.

Having spent two years he departed for a role in the youth set ups at first Norwich City and then Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he was Under-18s head coach. Having left Molineux in March 2017, he took up the first-team job at another of his former clubs, Bath City, in October of that year.

He extended his contract at Twerton Park by signing a two-year deal last summer having guided them to the play-off finals last season.

This year, the Romans had a disappointing campaign finishing fourth from bottom of the National League South.

So there’s some of the runners and riders, but who would you like to see next in the Huish Park hot-seat? Vote for your favourite……

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

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Somerset Premier Cup Winners 2022 ? SomersetFA

Remember where you were on the night Yeovil Town’s first team won their first silverware since 2013. Ian was at Huish Park to witness the 3-0 victory over Bath City, and here are his Five Conclusions…

We won a trophy!! Firstly, congratulations to Charlie Lee and his team. As the professional side, they had to get the job done against Jerry Gill’s Bath City. Morgan Williams early goal showed the gulf between the two sides early on, but as the first half wore on, Bath City certainly showed they were no pushovers. Lee’s side had work to do in that first half, with Tom Smith getting a lot of the ball and Bath had three decent chances to hit back. The early second half goal from Knowles really put the game beyond doubt, as the Glovers eventually clinched their 25th Somerset Premier Cup in comfort.

It was a shame to not see some of youngsters last night. Our younger players have had a lot of minutes in the SPC and have played a huge part in getting us to the final. I understand the desire to treat it as a first team game and make sure of the trophy, but it would have been nice to have seen Toby Stephens, Ollie Haste (who has signed professional terms), Max Evans get their chance. It was great to see them front and centre of the celebrations at the end as they played an important role in getting us to the final.

It wasn’t the best night for Reuben Reid. The halcyon days of March and Reid’s signs of ‘what could be’ in green and white seem to have long gone. At points in March he was unplayable but last night was one of those frustrating evenings which can give the impression of lack of effort and lack of quality. He didn’t win many (if any) headers, he was out of sync with his teammates, passes were misplaced and nothing seemed to work for the striker.

Morgan Williams. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

We can do worse than signing Ben Barclay in the summer. If we are to lose Luke Wilkinson (if you believe the social media rumour mill) and sweat on Max Hunt’s fitness – he was helped off with what looked to be a bad injury – we have a ready-made signing who will slot in perfectly in Barclay. His poise on the ball and reliability have shone through since his loan from Stockport. With Stockport on course for promotion to the EFL, you would presume he will be deemed surplus to requirements. Hopefully his time at Yeovil has made enough of an impression for all parties to want to extend it.

I’ll have what Morgan Williams is having. I said on Monday’s Gloverscast that I expected Morgan Williams to start because he’s a machine, and he proved it again. His signing last summer was met with cautious optimism, which quickly faded when it was revealed he was suffering with an injury and having to wear a special boot. What a season he’s had, however. Another 90 minutes last night, a goal, a solid defensive performance and a trophy to boot. After the season he’s had, it’s actually a bit of relief to know we’ll have him next season.

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Here at the Gloverscast we write a weekly column for the Western Gazette and if you haven’t had chance to pick up the paper yet, you can read this week’s ramblings below.

Ben takes a look at this Tuesday’s Somerset Premier Cup final and thinks it should be taken seriously…

Tickets for the final on Tuesday night at Huish Park are still available – click HERE to buy one.

The Somerset Premier Cup was probably not the silverware Yeovil Town set out to get this season.

A play off final win would have been ideal. The FA Trophy would have been one for the romantics, 20 years on from when Terry Skiverton hoisted it aloft at Villa Park and kicked off a decade of success for the Glovers.

But here we are, sat in mid table mediocrity and looking at a final few games that are nothing more than dead rubbers.

With the exception of that Somerset Premier Cup final. 

It might only be the county Cup, but, surprisingly, we haven’t won it since 2005.

This past week, we heard ambitions of making Huish Park and Yeovil the number one sporting venue in the county…and as the only professional football club in Somerset, we should probably be winning the County Cup more than once every generation.

For some players, it might be the best chance they get to put on a show for those handing out contracts for next season.

Max Evans. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

It has the only source of first team football for young keeper Max Evans, Toby Stephens and a number of the Under-18s who will want to try and bridge the gap to mens’ football in the coming years.

And what of Bath City, managed by former Glover Jerry Gill. The’re the second biggest side in the competition and 16th in the National League South probably wasn’t what they were hoping for. They’ll take this game seriously and will fancy something of an upset against their old rivals from the league above.

The team selections throughout have been very respectful and as strong as reasonably could be, but as legs begin to tire and motivation begins to wane, I hope Charlie Lee can get his players up for one more go at winning something.

And who knows, maybe it’ll be a bit of a catalyst for success too. 

 

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Yeovil wrapped up their home campaign with a 2-2 draw against Boreham Wood at Huish Park yesterday. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions…

We stuck with the plan and deserved the point, if not more. At half time, I expected to see Charlie Lee make changes, given how early he made them against Wealdstone. At 2-0 down, it felt to me like we struggled to find our rhythm in the 5-3-2. But, no changes were forthcoming from Charlie Lee and his team battled back when it all looked pretty bleak at half time. Fair play to Charlie, he stuck with the system that they’d been working on through the week and his team performed for him.

Luke Wilkinson fires home the equaliser. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

It was a relief to finally get something from set pieces. Our poor return from set pieces is no secret this season, but we finally managed to convert not one, but two. It feels like we’ve been waiting for a long throw to pay off since Charlie Lee was hauling them into the box in 2019. Finally, Morgan Williams (or was it Mendy?) put one in the net. And not long after that, Luke Wilkinson got his first of the season with an excellent freekick, aided by Ashmore taking a huge step to his right and leaving the left side of his goal open.

Dale Gorman had a game to forget. I think Gorman has had a decent first season at Huish Park. When he plays well, we play well. He keeps the ball ticking over and he has an eye for pass – just look at his assist for Josh Neufville against Southend. Yesterday, though, was one of his bad days. Having missed a penalty, which would have brought us level, he then got caught in possession and tried to claim a freekick as Dennon Lewis raced away to double Wood’s lead. Gorman’s frustration boiled over 10 minutes later he was booked for dissent. He improved in the second half, but he has had his moments this season.

 

I’d love Charlie Lee to still be with us next season. Considering he was brought in as Darren Sarll’s assistant until the end of the season at Skivo’s departure, Charlie Lee has had to make a hell of a step up in his short time back at the club. I think he’s been a breathe of fresh air as manager. We’ve played more adventurously since he’s taken the reins and I think the team look more relaxed – albeit with considerably less pressure. While I’m not sure he’s the right man to get us out of the National League, he’s a ready-made assistant whose relationship with the current crop (should a few remain) will be crucial to any incoming manager.

Huish Park hasn’t been a happy place this season, but yesterday had a different feel to it. The return of the Get Pedalling ride was a moment I won’t forget in a hurry. This group, who’ve shared their story of the week on our podcast feed, have been an inspiration with their efforts. To see them arrive at Huish Park led by Lee Collins’ partner Rachel, including club legend Terry Skiverton and cheered on by supporters, players and staff set a positive tone for the afternoon. Add to that, the more than 300 kids which the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust brought to Huish Park yesterday and there was a nice feel about the place. Let’s have more of those moments next season, with the community at the heart of their football club.

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Jack Robinson in action for Yeovil Town.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Yeovil didn’t have enough to find their way through ten-man Wealdstone on Bank Holiday Monday. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions from the John Lukins press box at Huish Park.

Up until the red card, Wealdstone looked in the mood. The North-London side took control of possession early on and carried themselves with purpose, zipping the ball around Huish Park. They looked comfortable in and out of possession and should have taken the lead in the first half after missing a flurry of chances in the six yard box. They showed that being part time can mean little in the National League and they played like a team well worth their spot in the division.

It was the same old story against a team below us. If Saturday was a similar story against a team towards the top, yesterday’s was the same against a team below us. Once again this Yeovil side couldn’t break down a resilient defence and failed to create anything meaningful. Half chances for Josh Neufville and Jack Robinson alongside pot-shots from distance never overly troubled Wealdstone and but for Grant Smith’s flying save from Jack Cook’s effort, the Stones could have taken all three points.

It was nice to see both fullbacks getting forward. Jack Robinson’s return from injury moved Morgan ‘Mr Versatile’ Williams to fullback and for what feels like the first time in a long time, we saw both Robinson and Williams get high up the pitch and give Wealdstone’s wingbacks something to think about. While we never found a winner, it felt like with fullbacks flying forward we caused more problems than we have in previous fixtures when we’ve been chasing a goal.

Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Despite throwing players forward, we never looked like we’d find a goal. After the red card, I felt like it was a perfect opportunity for Lawson D’Ath, Matty Worthington and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton to take control of that midfield battle and show what creativity they have to offer. Despite flashes of skill from Lo-Everton he wasn’t able to unlock the defence from his ‘number ten’ position. Sonny has definitely grown over his time at Yeovil and he’s come on leaps and bounds from his first outing and with experience he’ll find the right key in those positions. But for now, we’re left with the disappointment of ‘what could have been?’

Can we get this season over and done with? 2021/22 has dragged on and I couldn’t be more ready for it to end and the preparation for the next season to begin. There’s a hell of a lot to sort out in the boardroom, in the dugout and on the pitch and the sooner it’s sorted the better. The crowd at Huish Park was flat, the weather was dull and the football was about as mid-table as it gets. Let’s all get to the beach and figure it out over a Thatchers.