Gloversblog (Page 32)

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It’s Day 36 since the passing of the seven-day deadline to complete a takeover of Yeovil Town set by Scott Priestnall, our chairman, owner and even more shockingly spectator.

We’re all bored of hearing the ‘in the know’ anonymous social media accounts (I always preferred Rocky) tell us what’s happening or when it’s happening, we all just want some kind of certainty, don’t we? Let’s not go back over the reasons why.

Could it be magic……?

But, if Mr Priestnall was present to see the best part of 8,000 people inside Huish Park (with thanks to the couple of thousand making the trip up from the Dorset coast) for Saturday’s FA Cup third round tie with AFC Bournemouth, I wonder what he thought.

We tweeted some pictures of a packed Thatcher’s stand after the match and made the point the ‘magic’ of the FA Cup may have brought them here, but it really doesn’t need magic to achieve this, does it?

In the summer, Scott Priestnall promised “a more inviting a more inviting and entertaining offer” for supporters; it’s an obvious improvement, but it’s one he’s failed to deliver.

There’s a group of hard-working staff behind the scenes who are doing everything they can, often with their hands tied behind their backs, and then there’s a group of volunteers without whom the operations of the club would literally grind to a halt.

If you don’t know who they are, they will be the people selling the lottery tickets and programmes, sweeping the stands, handing out cans from the makeshift bars.

There’s a lot of things which need to change from top to bottom, but here’s a few things that could make things better pretty quickly…..

  • Give the place a tidy up: Behind the Thatcher’s terrace looks like a dumping ground with landfill strewn all over the place, but the entrance to Huish Park is like an assault course – water hazards, little lighting, plastic drums blocking the entrance/exit nearest to Abbey Manor. It’s a bad look, potentially very dangerous and could be fixed. Hire a skip (or three!), mobilise an army of volunteers and make the place look a bit tidier. Yes, there will be things which require more permanent work – but there’s a few things which can be done to make things look better quickly.
  • Keep the doors open: The opening of the Alec Stock Lounge for supporters has been a good move (we assume the marquee has been left to rot?) but surely keeping it open longer would pay dividends. There was a captive audience of nearly 8,000 people there on Saturday, if you can keep even a small percentage of them after the game – it will begin to pay for itself. In the temporary bar behind the home and away terrace (presumably the bright vision of a “new bar area” the Chairman promised in the summer) staffed by volunteers, why isn’t there pints poured or cans available at a reasonable price ready to go? Again, not a criticism of those who are doing something, they are doing the best with what they have.
  • Contactless payments: The past two matches have seen long queues at the ticket offices and yet there’s no sign of any kind of e-ticket offer from the club – unless we’ve missed it? Surely the cost of printing thousands of tickets season after season must be greater than getting some QR Code scanners for each turnstile? And while we’re at it, why is there no card payments in the tea bars? Even a sole trader can get a simple, cheap card payment service – so why not for the tea bars?
  • Communicate better: It sounds like the simplest thing to do and you’ll never please all the people all the time, but regular communication with people is a great place to start. We’ve all spent the last 18 months communicating virtually with people and this would be a great way to get started and then commit to a regular forum for doing it.

Of course there are other things, like helping out the dwindling members of staff on the club’s books right now, getting some of our star players tied down to new contracts, there’s lots more than can be done and these are just a couple quick, free (or inexpensive) fixes.

For too many years we have got by doing what we always did off-the-field whilst exceeding expectations on it, but if our dream of a return to the Football League is to become a reality, we have to do things differently.

None of this is rocket science and you could probably all think of many other simple fixes; they won’t achieve getting us back to the League, but they might encourage a few hundred floating fans who turned up on Saturday to return.

If they do, that’s a step in the right direction and a direction we should be travelling.

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It wasn’t quite a magic night at Huish Park, but there is always something about Yeovil Town in the FA Cup. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions from the 3-1 defeat.

It was fantastic to see a crowd. Not since Manchester United’s visit in 2018 have we had such a turnout. Despite Bournemouth not being a ‘superclub’, Huish Park was packed and full of anticipation of more FA Cup history. While the result wasn’t what we’d have wanted, seeing supporters in their volume to watch the match was a pleasant remind of what Yeovil Town FC can be on its day. Let’s just hope the mud bath surround the stadium didn’t put people off attending less glamourous matches in the future.

Bournemouth’s quality was clear to see. But for the keeper’s mishap, we didn’t cause them any major issues. Their technical prowess allowed them to totally control the game and keep us at arm’s length. Emiliano Marcondes was everywhere for the Cherries and he earned his hattrick with his clever runs and positioning. Jamal Lowe showed what a talent he is with his dizzying runs and electric pace. We performed admirably, but Bournemouth showed why they are three points clear at the top of the Championship.

Max Evans should have got his chance. Dillon Barnes has had two disappointing performances in his loan spell for us. The corner at Torquay was bad and I felt he had another poor game in the FA Cup. He pushed the ball back into the middle of the goal for Bournemouth’s third goal and he seemed to struggle with crosses and corners again. There’s a lesson to be learned for Grant Smith, don’t mouth off at officials again. He’s missed two big games for Yeovil and we’ve really suffered for it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I think giving Max Evans an opportunity in these two games would have been a good thing. It couldn’t have gone much worse.

We looked tired. Playing against Bournemouth is totally draining, obviously. But we looked like a side which hadn’t had a proper week of preparation. Tom Knowles and Charlie Wakefield aren’t at the energetic levels they were, Matt Worthington isn’t getting forward like he was and our threat was diminished. I’m not sure having Worthington and Dale Gorman on yellow cards for the majority of the match made it trickier for us to take any risks. On the plus side, we had nine substitutes and seem to have some genuine depth in positions. Without downplaying Needham Market, we could do with playing Needham Market after these last three games. Instead, we’ve got a quick turnaround and a trip to Southend having not left the South West since November.

Scott Priestnall decided to grace us with his presence, albeit under the radar. That there’s even speculation about whether or not the owner of the football club will attend a match is appalling enough in itself. We can only guess as to the reason why this match was worth a visit, perhaps it was to see what a proper occasion at Huish Park can look like. Perhaps it was to sort out some contracts for players and the manager. Maybe we’re days away from seeing his long-term plan. Hopefully he was there to clear out his desk. Plenty on the terraces let him know their feelings last night.

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Come the end of this season, there are just two Yeovil Town players still in contract.

Let that one sink in for a minute. We could legitimately be left with defender Morgan Williams and striker Joe Quigley by the time we reach the end of the current campaign.

Now we are into 2022, the situation becomes even more hairy with the possibility of clubs sniffing around some of our crown jewels with the form of Charlie Wakefield, Tom Knowles, and others unlikely to have gone unnoticed.

Even manager Darren Sarll only has six months left on his contract and, in the words of the manager himself last week, it’s down to “a level of uncertainty” which hangs over Huish Park.

The uncertainty exists because of the off-the-field situation with a ‘will they-won’t they?’ situation around a possible takeover.

Assuming the situation is not resolved between the submission and publication of this column, we will be just shy of four calendar weeks since the expiry of a seven-day deadline to complete a deal was set by chairman and owner Scott Priestnall.

For supporters that is frustrating and concerning, but let’s take a step back and think about what it means for those people employed by the club.

The vast majority of players and coaching staff are without any certainty. As Darren Sarll said last week: “Do I have to tell the people living in my house to find somewhere else to live? Do I have to start looking for new schools for my children?”

And it’s not just those involved on the pitch, there is an ever decreasing number of people employed to ensure the off-the-field operations at the club as well – what of their futures?

For many of us, football is a passion, but for many others it is literally their lives.

For their sakes as well as ours, let’s hope the “level of uncertainty” which has hung over our club for months does not remain much longer.cts

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

Josh Staunton is the most important player to the future of Yeovil Town Football Club since Terry Skiverton.

That’s a statement isn’t it? I’ve said it, heck I’ve written it down for you the humble reader of the Gloverscast.

You’ve read the headline, you’ve taken the click bait and now you’re waiting to see what I have to say for myself.

Well, I stand by it.

Skivo hung up his playing boots in 2010.

Since then, the Glovers have been okay, been very good and been utterly rubbish sometimes all at the same time.

We hung around in League One, got out of League One, fell back through League One before treading water in League Two and eventually well, here we are a non-League club again.

During that time, there are maybe only a couple of standout moments and teams, the main one of course being winning promotion to the Championship.

I’d argue that, of course, the 2013 team was full of these incredible players, but for me, it felt like a team who had won the Lottery. Marek Stech in goal, Ed Upson, Paddy Madden, Luke Ayling, Joe Edwards, Sam Foley, Jamie McAllister and so on and so forth.

How many of those players, honestly, at that point in time had their next five years planned out at Huish Park? Arguably, none.

We’d have wanted them all to stay but they were snaffled up, pushed out, on too much money, sold for big bucks, given opportunities at clubs they could only dream of playing for just a few months before that group got together.

Josh Staunton rises highest to a header. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

My argument here is that if you said to me, Josh Staunton has signed a deal at Huish Park until the summer of 2026, I’d not only believe you and I’d know we’d be able to build maybe more than group around him. The last player we could honestly say that with… Terry Skiverton.

Skivo marshalled our 2003 side out of non-League, he led the rampage through League Two, and even that incredible 2007 side to the League One play-off final against all odds..

The Yeovil sides that dropped out of League One with a whimper or sleep-walked out of League Two had a couple of good players and maybe if I’d have written this at the moment of relegation in 2019, this blog would have had a similar feel to it about Carl Dickinson – but he wasn’t exactly reaching his peak years.

Then there’s that first non-League side.

I’m still staggered Darren Sarll found the group he did in less than a month after being appointed, but knowing that group as we now do, I’m not surprised he galvanised them to a play off spot.

It wasn’t to be for Stuart Nelson, Luke Wilkinson, Dicko, Lee Collins, Charlie Lee, Rhys Murphy and Co., and, of course, only one of those names still plays for us.

Yeovil Town defender Luke Wilkinson.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Wilkinson isn’t exactly old at 31, he’s got a few more seasons left in him at this level, he could probably give the EFL another crack if the chance came along.

But, here again, Josh Staunton is just 26.

His best five or six years are just starting now.

He’s a leader, a midfielder, a central defender, he’s fronted up to the media after losses, and is right now the first name on the team sheet as something of standard setter.

Gloverscast CEO Ian spoke of how his arrival off the bench in the FA Trophy game against Woking from the bench– to protect the already booked Luke Wilkinson – helped change the game. We noticeably missed him in the only 45 minutes he wasn’t on the pitch.

His comeback story from being given a “20% chance of playing again” last season is, quite frankly ridiculous – even our Hollywood friends in North Wales wouldn’t write that script.

The idea of loyalty in football to the level Skivo has shown Yeovil is all but gone, it would be bonkers to think any player from this generation would be with this club until 2042 in some way, shape or form.

But in the following scenarios at the end of this season, with the next four or five campaigns in mind, does this current Josh Staunton not make every single one of them better?

  • We don’t go up, we fall short by 15 points finish 12th and have to rebuild with most of the squad leaving this summer.
  • We don’t go up, we lose the play-off final on penalties, we have to pick up this dejected young squad who would have never felt football anguish like it before.
  • We do go up, (yay!), but our best players are snapped up by rich non-League clubs and those more geographically suitable to their families.
  • We do go up (yay, again!) and we keep the bulk of this squad together.

In each of those four scenarios, Josh Staunton provides the on or off the pitch leadership we haven’t really seen since… you guessed it, Skivo.

So, yeah, sure we’ve all made fun about how much I think of Josh this season and how much we clearly missed him last season.

But if we turn the year with a new owner, or start to plan for 2022-23 counting every penny in just the same way we have this campaign, the first signature we should aim for is that of our number 32.

Not just short-term either, let’s set our stall out early as he is likely to be the mainstay of this side well beyond Wilkinson, Reuben Reid and Mark Little – the three elder statesmen of the group.

Staunton has (at time of writing) played just 24 league games for us, he’s about half way to playing more games for us than any other side in his career.

He can lead this side for 100 more games easily, maybe into the Football League and certainly through rocky patches ahead.

There will not be many 26-year-olds at this level with 150 games already behind them and playing at the level where 150 more are perfectly feasible.

Sign him on. He’s the present and future of our team, we cannot throw this chance away.

It has always taken a certain type of player to play for Yeovil. We’ve heard the stories of Staunton joining the other injured players last season in playing a key role in getting the side through the end of the campaign and we’ve seen him don the captain’s armband on a few occasions this term too.

Qualities are not always easy to define, but you know what I mean. We’ve had loanees that ‘get it’ and some that don’t, we’ve had plenty of permanent signings come and go without so much as a shrug of the shoulders, we’ve had short term flashes of brilliance… we haven’t had all those positive attributes wrapped up into one person, one leader who can shape what this football club looks like for the next generation… since, you know who.

I cannot stress this enough, Josh Staunton is the most important player to the future of Yeovil Town Football Club since Terry Skiverton.

Editor’s note.

I have gone back and forth with writing and publishing this, I’m fully expecting a level of ridicule and outrage, but the reason I’ve gone with it, is that, I want to start the chat about getting contracts sorted beyond this season and quite how our squad looks in the medium to long term and I believe Josh Staunton has every attribute Skivo had and we should everything in our power to harness that.

If Staunton isn’t the most important player to YTFC, why? Who else has affected us (or will affect us) on the pitch in that same time frame?

Let us know! 

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It wasn’t the best afternoon at Huish Park yesterday, but there were positives sprinkled amongst the defeat. Here’s Ian’s Five Conclusions…

Darren Sarll has some decisions to make up front. Adi Yussuf started yesterday, and it was one of those games where nothing lands right for him. He never really got hold of the ball, didn’t win many headers and was out muscled on most occasions. Joe Quigley returned from the bench after his injury and caused issues for Torquay and was an instant upgrade. The arrival of Reuben Reid was also promising, he got the ball under control and held off Torquay defenders well too. For the first time this season, Sarll has three out-and-out striking options and decisions to make.

Morgan Williams is becoming Mr Dependable. When we signed Williams in the summer after two decent loan spells, I though we were getting a good centre back option. A young player who would improve with us and either progress with us or move on for a nice fee. Not only is he all of those things, but he’s also becoming a trusted, versatile member of the squad who’s filling in at both left and right back. I think there is a question to ask about Alex Bradley’s absence, and what he gives us going forward compared to Williams. But, defensively Williams is proving that he’s dependable across the back four.

I think that’s enough of Dale Gorman’s speculative shots from distance. When Gorman lined up a freekick from forty yards yesterday, I thought he it was just a decoy run up. I anticipated a delicate lob or a disguised pass to a sneaky full back on the run. Instead, Gorman opted to attempt the unlikely spectacular and belted the ball into a two man wall allowed Torquay to break and force the corner from which they equalised. Now, we should have dealt with the corner, but we shouldn’t have gone from that position with an attacking free kick, to an exposed defensive situation in under a minute. He had another attempt later in the match, where he was tackled cleanly and tried to claim a foul as Torquay broke and but for a shirt pull, could have scored again on the counter. Gorman is great at breaking up play and keeping our possession ticking over, but the frequent attempts at worldies are letting him down.

I felt we lost our width. It may have been (and probably was) a tactical plan to get narrow, but as we chased the game we didn’t seem to get players in the wide areas to make a difference. We didn’t see Charlie Wakefield didn’t get to areas where we’ve seen him cause teams problems, Knowles didn’t get wide to cut back inside. With Quigley and Reid on the pitch, we could have got more crosses in the box and caused Torquay more problems.

We don’t need to panic. Two losses on the bounce isn’t great, but it’s not the end of the world. The late withdrawal of Luke Wilkinson meant we had to shuffle the pack even more than we thought we’d have to with Dan Moss and Grant Smith suspended. A back five that might have just had a couple of changes had four. This group has plenty of credit in the bank and this is part of the journey.

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Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Happy New Year!

We roll into 2022 with an exciting game tomorrow against Torquay United and the chance to redeem ourselves after Boxing Day disappointment. 

Yesterday at Darren Sarll‘s pre-match press conference he spoke about a number of topics, including contracts, loanees, Sonny Blu’s overturned suspension and more. He also talked about covid and the impact it’s having on football.

I don’t know about you, but I have found it deeply frustrating to hear managers at the top of the game complaining about lack of players, squad depth and the like. For me, it’s a perfect example of how out of touch the top division in this country is with the the rest of football. It’s difficult to have sympathy with the likes of Tuchel, Klopp and Rangnick when they’re organisations who have had hundreds of millions of pounds (and in Chelsea’s case, more than £1bn) pumped into them over years and access to the best young talent across the globe. My heart bleeds for these teams who need more players and need to make five substitutions. We’ve been happy to name five subs this season.

Darren Sarll talked about his frustration with the top of the game and the attitude it’s showing to youth development and their academy systems in this time of need.

He said: “I find it quite frustrating when I listen to Premier League managers because I have been a Premier League academy manager and I have sat in a meeting with the other 19 Premier League clubs.

The millions that goes in to youth development at Premier League level and they are moaning about not having any players – what is the point of having an under-23 team?

If players are in the under-23s and they are not ready, why are they in the under-23s? We have some top coaches in this country, why are they not using the youth teams?”

Sarll is, of course, no stranger to youth development at the top of the pyramid, having been Watford’s Academy Manager in 2018/19. He talked about his experience of the finances, and the disparity of finances with the the bigger sides and their peers.

“The biggest budget I have ever had was when I was academy manager at Watford, it wasn’t massive and in comparison to top Premier League sides [about] 5% of what the top clubs spend on youth development. I’m talking about PL academies having bigger budgets than clubs in the top end of the Championship. But if they are spending multiple millions of pounds a year, why aren’t they ready? If I’m the Chief Executive (of a Premier League team) and my manager is not using young players, I would be asking a question – why aren’t those young players ready?”

Sometimes, the top of football feels so detached from the rest of the pyramid. When they have an embarrassment of riches and complain about a lack of personnel when you’re struggling to scrape together a squad regardless of COVID, it makes it even more detached.

I thought the manager summed it up quite nicely with this: “COVID does not exempt any team from having COVID, so the integrity of the game is consistent because everyone can get COVID.”

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As we close out 2021, I just wanted to write a thank you to everyone who’s supported the Gloverscast on our journey this year.

It’s been a hell of a year for us as Yeovil Town supporters, whether it’s the ongoing takeover saga, trying to get answers out of an absentee owner or the deeply tragic passing of Lee Collins, as supporters of our beloved club it feels like we have all been through the ringer this year.

In April, myself, Ben and Dave decided we’d make the Gloverscast more than a bi-weekly podcast of us talking nonsense. We missed Ciderspace. We missed proper, dedicated coverage of Yeovil Town FC. We felt we could (and needed to) do something to start informing supporters again in a responsible, formal way. 

The response has been phenomenal, and validates the time and energy we put into the Gloverscast outside of our day jobs.

So, I want to say a thank you to the readers, listeners, commenters, question-askers, clickers and trolls (you know who you are) for helping us grow the website, podcast and social media pages. We couldn’t do it without your support.

I’d also like to thank:

Everyone who’s contributed to an episode this year, Tim Lancaster and Hugh for their fantastic chat about Badger, Will Ranner, Marcus Duncomb, Elliot Watts, Jimmer, Dave Prior, Sheridan Robins, Sam Collard.

The current and former players who’ve lent their time to us this year to talk about their time playing for the club we all love.

All the quizzers – our listeners love the quiz and without you folks stepping up to take a shot it wouldn’t be a thing. Thank you for putting yourself up for public embarrassment. As many of you have discovered, it’s a lot easier when you’re listening than when you’re on it!

The Historical Oracle, Nigel Dyson, for his brain-melting spreadsheets.

Chris Angulo for his weekly Throwback Thursdays. I’ve got to say I’ve loved reading his take on moments from our past and the time and effort he puts into it.

Mike Kunz for letting us use his photography from Huish Park this season and previous seasons. Thanks Mike!

Huish Hugh for bringing back the Ciderspace Away Travel Guides and providing travelling supporters with everything they need when hitting the road.

Dave for transcribing Darren Sarll interviews inhumanely speedily (I’m certain there’s some sort of AI in there) and for carrying most of the news without even skipping a beat. And being willing to be dragged on this journey.

Ben for his unwavering(ish) optimism and positivity which has dragged me through plenty of miserable spells in 2021, and pissing off a few Stockport and Wrexham fans with his typical BBC-bias commentaries.

Thanks again for supporting us, here’s to a smashing 2022.

Come on you Glovers!

Ian

Shhhh, don’t tell Ian, but Dave and Ben just wanted to hijack the end of this article to thank IAN for all his hard work.

The Gloverscast is his brain child and he just dragged us a long for the ride.

His help, support and guidance as to what he wanted all this *grand gesture* to look like is why you see the finished product as you do.

That means, editing, tweaking, asking questions, freedom of information requests, recording at 8am or 8pm to suit our (my) schedule – a whole bunch of stuff our readers and listeners don’t actually see.

The Gloverscast is something special for Yeovil fans, and we just wanted to add our thank to Ian for making it all happen,

Cheers, Ben and Dave.

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Does anyone have a clue what day it is?

It’s actually bin day today, so that’s good. Apologies to SSDC for all of the Paw Patrol packaging and bottles of Sheppy’s (we could still do with some sponsorship if anyone from Sheppy’s is reading – your cider is stupendous!)

Who’s watched the Torquay highlights? I’d imagine none of those who went. It was disappointing to see Sonny react to some classic shithousery, hopefully he’ll learn from it and won’t get caught up in anything again. We’ve done a reasonable job of avoiding getting into trouble for silliness so far this season (Yussuf’s Boreham Wood brain fart aside) but with Sonny’s dismissal, Dan Moss’s 5th yellow and Grant Smith’s red after the final whistle, we’ve really shot ourselves in the foot. We’re always going to pick up cards, we’re into season three of Darren Sarll’s management and it’s been a constant, but if we can pick them up for tackles rather than dissent or head loss going forward, it’ll be easier to stomach.

In the aftermath of our Boxing Day loss at Plainmoor, Torquay United issued a statement regarding abhorrent chanting that some of their “so-called supporters” took part in during the match regarding our tragic captain Lee Collins. A video was circulated on Twitter from the Weymouth end during the FA Cup match at Huish Park where you could hear shouts of a similar ilk.

It’s a stark reminder of the work that still needs to be done on the terraces. Whether it’s racism, sexism or any other discriminatory behaviour, there are channels to report it and people should feel able to do so. We should be (and are being) careful not to throw stones, as there have been occasions this season where our supporters have acted like idiots, although not in such a distasteful manner. I’m not sure what the answer is, and I know most self-respecting humans would never partake in such hatred dressed up as banter.

We’ve been through a lot as a club over the last 12 months, there’s no excuse for such bile on any terrace, social media platform or anywhere for that matter – especially Yeovil Town Football Club. Let’s be better.

Sheridan and Coatesie have shared their thoughts on our goalkeeping situation in the absence of Grant Smith. Have a read and let us know your views. For what it’s worth, I’m actually on the fence. Max Evans is around the club and his fellow teammates, it’s only two games, give him the chance. That said, I wouldn’t turn down my nose at an experienced EFL keeper for a month’s loan if the circumstances were right. Luckily, it’s not up to me.

After a week off, we’re actually recording a podcast tonight. If you have any questions you’d like answered you know what to do.

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With the FA now confirming that Yeovil Town’s  number one Grant Smith will be out for the next two games after his sending off after the final whistle in the 3-0 defeat at Torquay United on Boxing Day, manager Darren Sarll has a choice to make.

Max Evans has been the back-up keeper for the past two years with his starting appearances limited to the Somerset Premier Cup and then the recent FA Trophy win over Woking, and is the obvious choice to fill in for Smith – but there’s also the option of bringing in a loan keeper.

We got BBC Somerset’s Yeovil Town reporter Sheridan Robins and Gloverscast regular David Coates to put forward the arguments for both options…

Max Evans

 

Going with Max

Nineteen-year-old Max Evans has been in and around the first team for two full seasons now, under the watchful eye of excellent goalkeeping coach Craig Wight and has worked with some excellent goalkeepers in Adam Smith and Grant Smith.

His professional debut against Woking in the FA Trophy was uneventful, but as a goalkeeper that is all you can really ask for. He has been consistently on the bench in the National League, and with how many sides do not even use a substitute spot for an additional goalkeeper, he is clearly well sought after.

In my view, if he is good enough to be the backup, he is good enough to take to the field for an FA Cup match and National League clash.

Grant Smith has been outstanding this season, but I am sure he would be the first to say his actions on Sunday fell short of his standards. A loan signing might be sensible to provide cover, but with the loans we already have in, and the bodies we have cover for elsewhere in the side, I am not sure it is necessary.

They always say a goalkeeper is better for having competition – and if Max Evans plays these games and impresses then Smith will have to force his way back into the team and that can only be a good thing for this ever-improving Yeovil side.

I was struck by Darren Sarll’s post-match comments about how he doesn’t think we are short for next week. A few weeks ago, that would not have been the case.

I do hope we see Evans take to the field – and impress. What a moment it would be for him to start against the Championship winners-elect in the FA Cup.

And if the worst did happen and Evans got injured, there is always Luke Wilkinson who can come in to save the day…. ?

Sheridan Robins, BBC Somerset 

Getting in a loan

In Max Evans we clearly have a goalkeeper of some promise and his selection in the FA Trophy tie recently makes it clear Darren Sarll has faith in him.

Yeovil Town goalkeeper Grant Smith. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

But – you knew one was coming – I do not believe that Darren Sarll has it in his DNA to write off matches as lose-able and therefore chucking Evans in feels like a risk.

We’re still smarting from a loss at Torquay on Boxing Day and the Gulls made it clear that they have the gamesmanship (let’s be polite about it) you need a bit of in this division.

The likes of Danny Wright will undoubtedly target an inexperienced keeper.

In the FA Cup tie with AFC Bournemouth in the second match of Smith’s suspension, there will be some very good players in opposition and a Red Button audience watching on.

Should things start to go against us, the last thing Max needs for his confidence is to be repeatedly picking a ball out of the net.

Let’s assume for the sake of this scenario that the finance is in place to get a loan keeper in, and his parents club (assuming they are still in the competition) are willing to let him be Cup tied.

For his own protection, my view is we should look to bring a more experienced keeper in on loan even if it is just for a couple of matches.

We are at the midway point of the season and undoubtedly there are some good number two (and probably number three) goalkeepers kicking their heels in the Football League.

There will be chances for Max Evans in the near future and I have no doubt he’s capable of challenging for the number one jersey – but is now really the time for a novice?

David Coates – Gloverscast

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Ahead of what was an ultimately disappointing Boxing Day trip to Torquay United, it was Terry Skiverton who was up in front of the media to answer the question.

He was stepping in for manager Darren Sarll who was missing due to a family bereavement and it brought home exactly what we have in Skivo.

Sarll and Skiverton
Terry Skiverton, right, alongside Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The club’s website currently names him as Assistant Manager, but there’s little doubt he’s much more than that. He’s Skivo – club legend, Darren Sarll’s right-hand man, someone has the respect of anyone with any association to Yeovil Town, and a very decent coach to boot.

Let’s not forget that having joined in the summer of 1999 and making more than 300 appearances including many as captain, he stepped forward in 2009 after the departure of Russell Slade and became manager, keeping us in League One for three consecutive seasons and then stepping aside when Gary Johnson returned in 2012.

Make no bones about it, I don’t think there’s ever been someone more engrained in our club’s history than the man from Mile End – he quite literally is Yeovil Town.

Having previously held a role as manager of the club’s now defunct Academy, he will have been pleased to see the likes of Toby Stephens, Ollie Haste, Jake Graziano and obviously his own son, Finlay, playing a part in the first-team squad.

But, it sounds like he is really enjoying working with Darren Sarll – despite being a target of the manager’s banter, often referencing his hair colour. We know it’s Strawberry Blonde, Skivo!

Talking about his relationship with the Glovers’ boss to the media last week: “When he arrived he said to me ‘Tel, we’re going to work really hard, it’s going to be intense but one thing we are going to do is have fun along the way.’

“He’s delivered that and everyone gives in 100% and you can see that on the pitch. The players are fighting to be part of it.

“It’s been an enjoyable experience through some of the toughest times of my life with COVID, with (the death of club captain) Lee (Collins), with everything that’s gone on in the last two years.

“He’s been a shining light and the way he handled those situations has been credit to him because he went through some dark times.

“He lets everyone have a voice and an opinion, it doesn’t mean he goes with your opinion, mind you! He’s very charismatic and the staff give him his best.“