Gloversblog (Page 32)

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Darren Sarll. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Darren Sarll has stepped away as Yeovil Town’s manager to take up the vacant position at Woking. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions from today’s shock announcement and Darren Sarll’s time in charge.

He was the man we needed when we were on our knees following relegation. When he came in to club in the summer of 2019, he picked up a threadbare club that had whimpered out of League Two. He brought Carl Dickinson and Craig Alcock back in from the cold after his predecessor’s abysmal decision to exclude them. He reinvigorated Courtney Duffus and turned him from profligate to prolific. And he brought in experienced players we could only have dreamt of recruiting the season before. 

He hasn’t had a fair crack. With just one month to build his first squad, he managed to build a squad of senior, experienced pros who made us dream in that first season before COVID-19 curtailed football. He admitted the recruitment pre-Christmas second season was poor and the only bright sparks were the discovery of Tom Knowles and the loan signing of Josh Neufville. With Scott Priestnall’s attempt to sell the club’s most valuable assets prevented, and his subsequent disappearance, Sarll was left with a shoestring budget to build a squad which has run itself into the ground, in what is now, his final season.

Like us all, he had his faults. When we’ve been in-form, our performances have been electric and results have followed. But when the form drops off, it really seems to drop off. Our run of six without a win after Christmas in 2019 saw us slip down into the play off spots after our bright start had us dreaming of an immediate return to the Football League. It took us 12 matches to pick up a league win in 2020/21 as we struggled repeat the start of 2019/20. Autumn 2021 saw an incredible run which was abruptly ended by Torquay on Boxing Day and with just one win from the turn of the year until March 19th, it was a bad start to 2022. At times supporters have criticised his lack of Plan B during these runs and his unwillingness to try different tactics, although this season he was left with little room for manoeuvre with his small squad.

You can’t blame him for leaving. With just three months left on his contract and a family to look after, he can’t gamble on his future. The uncertainty that wilts the football club off the pitch has infiltrated the dressing room. Certainty and clarity has been provided by Woking and he’s seen an opportunity to grab with both hands, rather than wait for any new regime to make a decision.

He carried himself immeasurably in the wake of Lee Collins’ passing. Darren Sarll’s reign at Huish Park can be split into two. Since the tragic passing of our captain, Sarll was the face and the voice of the club. He carried a grieving club on his back and dragged a team of young men to finish a season in unfathomable trauma. Lee’s passing will forever be a part of Yeovil Town and the way Darren Sarll picked us up in the aftermath will be too. You would not have blamed him for wanting to have a break at the end of last season, but he went about building a third squad in the three years, that embraced the club and memory of Lee Collins as a driving force. For all his faults, the way he carried himself as the ambassador of our club in this tragedy was exceptional and I’ll forever be grateful that we had him when we did.

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It’s three in a row for Yeovil Town and the Darren Sarll’s men put on a good show at home for the second time this week.

Here are Ian’s conclusions from a sun-drenched Huish Park.

This team appears to be out of its sticky spell. They proved that the performance against

Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Bromley wasn’t a one off. This was another confident and energetic from a team that have clearly turned a corner. The passes were slick, the one touch football was joyful, the defending was resolute. In the space of a couple of weeks we’ve gone from hopeless to maybe a tiny bit hopeful. Oh come on, you’re all thinking it. 

The early goals killed Southend off. We fell victim to it against Dagenham, and against Southend it was our turn. Goals from Reuben Reid after four minutes (fitting on the day we celebrated the life of Lee Collins) and then Tom Knowles four minutes later put the game to bed. It felt like we challenged Southend to break us down and they just couldn’t do it.

Ben Barclay. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Ben Barclay was imperious. From his crunching tackle on Matty Dennis to his chance to grab our third, it was a complete performance from the Stockport loanee. He’s developed a good relationship with all his defensive partners (and the ever-reliable Morgan Williams) and he had another stellar performance. Good with ball, timing on his tackle and was unlucky not to score. We’re lucky to have him for the rest of the season.

Lawson D’Ath. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Lawson D’Ath was the missing piece of the puzzle. We knew Lawson was good. We knew he was a cut above any other midfielder in the league, let alone the club. But I’ll admit that I’m surprised at how much he has improved us. The way he has helped our midfield bridge the gap between our defence and attack is abundantly clear. We look happier on the ball and our attacking players are freer knowing D’Ath will find them.

It was nice to feel some positivity around Huish Park. Yes, things haven’t been brilliant on the pitch up until last Saturday. Yes, things off the pitch are still uncertain. But on a glorious sunny afternoon, with a Disney-infused playlist chosen by the daughters of Lee Collins, there was positivity in the air. And a very timely reminder that there is more to life than football.

Goalkeeping coaching Craig Wight chats to Charley-Mae Collins, one of Lee’s three daughter of Lee, who w

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It’s been two years in the making, but the charity match in memory of Adam Stansfield is finally on.

A date has been set for the fixture between a Yeovil Town Legends XI against an XI made up from across South West clubs on Saturday, May 14.

If there’s one thing we can all enjoy as Yeovil Town supporters, it is our glorious past and one player who was there at the beginning was Adam Stansfield.

In many ways he embodied what the beginning of that era having been brought to the club from lower league Elmore by Gary Johnson as he built a squad which would go on to lift the FA Trophy that season – with Stansfield scoring in the final, of course.

Stanno at his finest scoring the second in the 2002 FA Trophy final at Villa Park.

A young lad, plucked from obscurity, given a chance and proved his worth; that is a description which could summarise many members of that squad.

It was so unfortunate that he suffered a bad leg break in the opening game of the following season and whilst it was fantastic to see him return to play League football the next year, he had slipped too far down the pecking order and eventually departed for Hereford.

Unsurprisingly, he went on to be a fans’ favourite at Hereford and then Exeter City with his non-stop running and goals.

The response to his death at the age of just 31 after a fight with bowel cancer summed up the feelings of every fan who cheered his name, and this game gives us all a great chance to remember him.

Of course, the game also provides an opportunity to recognise many other club greats who we have lost in recent years. Stuart Housley, Maurice O’Donnell, Bruce James, Tony Trott, Martin ‘Badger’ Baker and, of course, ex-captain Lee Collins.

It also provides an opportunity to unite Yeovil Town as well.

There has been a lot which has happened both on and off the field in recent seasons which has sewn the seeds of division.

Bringing together heroes of yesteryear is something we can all get behind, fill Huish Park and raise plenty of money for the Adam Stansfield Foundation, the charity set up in memory of the striker to help provide opportunities to young people and raise awareness of bowel cancer.

We hope that by the time the game kicks off – or preferably long before then – there will be clarity about the club’s off-the-field situation which continues to paralyse so much at Huish Park.

The ‘will it-won’t it?’ situation around a takeover of the club sadly seems likely to be the subject of many columns past and future – so let’s unite and fill Huish Park for Stanno!

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Reuben Reid. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Two goals and a win at Huish Park. We don’t see that very often. Honourable mentions to Lawson D’Ath for his first goal since returning from his injury and for Josh Staunton for quite obviously playing through the pain barrier. We try not to get too high with the highs, but after the last few outings at Huish Park, there’s some positivity in Ian’s conclusions from last night’s 2-1 win over Bromley…

This was some turnaround from the last time I was at Huish Park. It was important that we got going early and didn’t repeat the mistakes of the Dagenham and Grimsby games and we couldn’t have started any differently. Lawson D’Ath’s 10th minute opener got us going, but we’d had two or three shots before we’d scored. We had 14 shots at Bromley’s goal last night, which has to be a high for this season. Tom Knowles, Charlie Wakefield, Reuben Reid and D’Ath were all purring when we were on the front foot. Recent standards haven’t been high at Huish Park, but last night we saw a determined team who left everything out there to get past Bromley.

Where did that Reuben Reid performance come from? We’ve not even seen hints of that quality since Reid re-joined the Glovers in January 2021. Had he scored, and he deserved to, it would have topped off his most complete performance in this spell. He held the ball up, had plenty of efforts at goal and Bromley’s defence struggled to handle him. It was the display of an experienced-pro, the likes of which need to become the rule, not the exception.

Ted Cann had a rollercoaster game. Our new loanee keeper made a routine first stop but somehow let the ball through his grasp to gift Bromley their equaliser. His save before half time was huge, though. A save with his legs after making himself has big as possible for the oncoming George Alexander. He had a couple of shaky moments with the ball at his feet but on this night the game was won. Hopefully he’ll grow off the back of this and as those relationships build with the defence we’ll see a more composed, comfortable keeper.

Tom Knowles in action for Yeovil Town.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

It was great to see Josh Neufville back at Huish Park. Our star of last season returned to great effect last night. He’s a totally fearless footballer who plays like a kid who’s having fun when he’s on a football pitch. He’s so direct with the ball at his feet and his celebration in front of the Thatchers Stand showed how much it meant to him to set up Tom Knowles for the match winner. It’s too late to make a miraculous dash for the playoffs (isn’t it?) but I feel like were going to get a let of joy watching Neufville tangle up defenders for the rest of the season.

Tom Knowles looks to be back on form. We saw the version of Knowles that was full of running and getting shots away with his right foot and his left. He left Bromley’s left back for dead and delivered a great cross for D’Ath’s opener. He can’t go through a match without a couple of whacks where you think that’s his match over, but his resilience is impressive. His match-winner rounded off a great performance which makes you hope the necessary work is being done on renewing that man’s contract.

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After 810 National League minutes, Yeovil Town picked up three points again! Goals from on loan defender Ben Barclay and a free-kick from Dale Gorman secured a 2-0 win at Dover Athletic which in turn relegated our hosts. Supporter Ed Turnbull give us his conclusions from his spot in the away end in Kent…..

First things first: we won (first time in league since Woking away on January 29) and we scored more than one goal (first time in league since Wrexham away on November 30)! And,mid we scored from a set piece (first time in league since Dagenham on November 20, I think)! It was great to see Barclay tuck away a calm finish after coming close to scoring a couple times since he joined, and to see a Gorman free-kick that found the back of the net rather than the middle-man of the wall or the keeper’s midriff [or the car park – Ed!].

Charlie Wakefield

It’s a good job we did profit from set pieces because again our attackers failed to score. As usual Tom Knowles and Charlie Wakefield showed plenty of promise driving towards the box from the wings, but it didn’t lead to many clear-cut chances. I don’t think  Adi Yussuf had his worst game, but that really isn’t saying much, and, as always, he gave away countless silly fouls. Olufela Olomola had a good chance at the death – the sort of chance you could argue he needs to take if we’re to pick up a good number of points between now and the end of the season.

Ted Cann who has joined on loan from West Brom. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

It was fantastic to see Josh Neufville back after his horrible injury, but for me Ted Cann was the most impressive debutant. His distribution was generally excellent, with long and accurate kicks off the ground. One particular moment stood out when he came out of his area and instantly controlled a high ball before pinging an inch-perfect pass out to Knowles far-forward on the right. He did have one heart-in-mouth moment when he was beaten to the ball by Michael Gyasi, leaving the Dover attacker to pass the ball into an empty net, but Cann’s blushes were saved by the offside flag. Ted didn’t have much to do in the way of shot-stopping, so he couldn’t be judged too much on that.

The atmosphere at Crabble was very subdued. Maybe it was the sunny weather that resembled mid-May more than mid-March, but the match had a very end-of-season feel to it. This wasn’t at all echoed in the effort the two teams put in, but it was as though both sets of fans had given up on the season, with Dover relegated by virtue of the fact they didn’t win on the day, and Yeovil stranded firmly in mid-table. Nothing but respect to the hardy fans that travelled to southeast Kent, but I don’t know the last time Yeovil fans have celebrated a win with less enthusiasm.

However, I hope that this win can be a catalyst for a positive end to the season. You can only beat what’s in

Oh for a win which brings that celebration again.

front of you, and we did that quite comfortably. I think this is a group of young players who perform better when they have a buoyant crowd behind them, so hopefully this win will install confidence in both the players and fans that we can achieve similar results against teams higher up the table so that our season doesn’t completely peter out. Let’s get another win against Bromley.

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In the latest Western Gazette column for the Gloverscast, Ben decided to open the briefcase of stats once more to try and crunch the numbers surrounding our lack of goals this season…

So, read on if you dare, the numbers are not great…

Yeovil players celebrate Charlie Wakefield’s FA Cup winner in Round 2

To quote to the great striker, Thierry Henry… “sometimes in football, you have to score goals”.

He’s not wrong, and he certainly knew how to find the back of the net and whilst that quote might be taken slightly tongue in cheek on it’s matter-of-fact stance, it actually comes in quite handy for the Glovers.

Our lack of prowess in front of goal has been well documented but it’s only once you break down the numbers do you realise just how poor our strike force have been.

So, if you’re sitting comfortably, here are those all too gruesome numbers.

Adi Yussuf fires a shot in on goal.
?Mike Kunz.

28 goals this season is the second lowest in the league, only already relegated (and Yeovil’s next opponents) Dover have scored less.

28 is a full nine fewer than Barnet managed as the lowest scorers last season (37) can the Glovers score 10 in the last 12 games to at least break that barrier?

Of those 28, only 12 have come at home.

12 goals in front of your home supporters, that’s a pretty expensive season ticket if you go by the tried and tested goals-per-pound method.

Of those 12 home goals, 5 have come before the 15 minute mark… don’t turn up late to Huish Park.

We’ve scored 57% of our goals away from home this season, a divisional high.

Some light relief for those who travel away from home.

We’ve not scored twice in the league since the amazing win at Wrexham… in November, we’ve not scored at home in three.

We’ve only got two points from losing positions all season… let’s hope we don’t go behind.

Joe Quigley, still our top-scorer (7)
? Mike Kunz,

28 is at least seven less than Aleksander Mitrovic has this season, whilst at our level, its just four more than Kabongo Tshimanga has… and he’s not played since just before Valentines day.

Add together Paddy Madden’s 13 with Angelo Balanta’s eight and seven from Rhys Murphy and you’ve got a former YTFC strike force that matches Yeovil’s squad this season.

And here’s the cherry on top. When we crashed out the EFL we scored 41 goals in 46 games… that’s 0.89 goals per game.

Our current ratio is 0.88

It all makes for rather depressing reading. 

Goals win games… goals sell tickets… goals keep the season alive.

I don’t have the answers, we all know the context which surrounds our club right now, but with the season drifting to an end, the least the fans deserve are a few moments to savour.

Channel your inner Thierry Henry, lads, sometimes, you have to score goals.

Don’t forget to read our column in the Western Gazette every week, available in all good local outlets (and the rubbish ones as well)

 

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It was another tough afternoon for the Glovers on home soil, with Yeovil falling to a 2-0 defeat against play-off pushing Grimsby Town. Here are BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins‘ conclusions from the match.
It has been glaringly obvious the issues for the Glovers but the pressure on not being able to score means defensive errors are creeping in. When you know your strength isn’t up top, there is only so long you can be so impressive defensively. The defenders this season have certainly earnt their money and have done more defending than most teams – and eventually something has to give with the reliance on a strong back four becoming too much. Both goals were avoidable, with the second the most disappointing from a corner. There is no doubt if the team were able to find the back of the net, the defensive line would be a lot more comfortable – it is a team game after all.
The players are putting their bodies on the line. Reminiscent of last season when Lawson D’Ath played a full 90 when he really shouldn’t have, players are entering the business end of the season with a whole heap of minutes behind them and bodies which could do with a rest. Charlie Wakefield – for example – has racked up considerably more minutes than his last few seasons combined but must play every week. It cannot be an excuse, of course, but Grimsby were able to make five changes and keep their usual system – this is not possible for Yeovil and the manager knows they are putting everything in when their bodies are screaming at them. That commitment doesn’t equal points, but it explains why fans are still so fond of this team, despite the form.
Lawson D’Ath. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

I think it is fair to say there are few midfielders better with the ball to feet in the National League than Lawson D’Ath and it was a masterstroke to keep him around the club and support his recovery. His delivery from corners was just what Yeovil had been missing and his ball retention is unbelievable. Another 60 minutes in the tank yesterday and I hope we continue to see him shine in the next few weeks. There may be little to play for now, but for the purists watching him play is a joy – his anger at referees et al.

Yeovil are now solidly midtable and so Darren Sarll can and will mix it up. I liked the impact of the diamond early on and the back three was something we haven’t seen since the opening day. It might be something that can impact us and as the manager said after the match, if you keep things the same, the same things could keep happening. I will – of course – be at the games for the rest of the season and I would like to see us go for it, take games to teams and impact other team’s seasons. We had more possession than so many games this season against Grimsby and I enjoyed seeing Yeovil with the ball – but the key is punishing teams when we do. I expect a raft of changes over the next few weeks (within the constraints of the small squad of course).
Lastly, Huish Park has such potential but needs more. The Her Game Too dedicated fixture meant a lot to me personally and the players embraced what it meant, while young girls’ teams took to the pitch before kick-off and at half time. This is something the club need to do more of as it is so important – but the place needs some love. The staff are working as hard as they can, but they can’t do it all. As Geoff Twentyman said yesterday, BBC Bristol/Somerset are trying to talk to the hierarchy but to no avail. Certainty is needed for future fans, current fans and the players, manager, and staff. But, I am so proud the club has embraced the Her Game Too campaign so brilliantly – there are so many amazing women at the club working so hard and they deserve to be celebrated. I am sure I echo everyone’s views when I say seeing Pat Custard being on the front of the programme was a joy.

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It was another disappointing night at Huish Park as Yeovil Town collapsed to a 3-0 defeat against Dagenham & Redbridge to leave them third from bottom of the home form table over the last six National League games.

Ian was on BBC Somerset co-commentary duty for the evening and here’s how he saw it…

We were masters of our own downfall. The positive of our season so far has our security at the back and the strength of our defence. We let an in-form Paul McCallum have freedom of the six yard box and didn’t close down the cross with any determination after just 6 minutes of the match. That’s not a character-trait of this side so it was unusual. To then concede a 2nd goal and in such ridiculously poor circumstances quarter of an hour later meant the game was over before half time. We know we have issues in the final third, and we haven’t scored two goals in a game since November. We shot ourselves in the foot and it felt like the players on the pitch knew the game was gone.

Striker Olufela Olomola.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

We struggled going forward again. We welcomed Olufela Olomola back to the starting line-up, but it was that familiar story of a lack of service. Conceding so early meant we were chasing the game but we never seemed to have cohesion going forward. Charlie Wakefield and Tom Knowles seemed out of sync (and totally exhausted), the midfield trio of Josh Staunton, Dale Gorman and Alex Bradley looked like the new combination that it is and never really clicked. We brought Lawson D’Ath on at 2-0 to bridge that gap between the midfield and the attack and attempt to claw back the deficit. Unfortunately, three minutes later we’re asleep on a quick throw and Dagenham put the game beyond doubt, although it was already.

Dagenham & Redbridge nailed it tactically. From kick off they applied pressure to our defenders whenever we had the ball. It took us quite a few goal kicks to cotton on to the fact that they weren’t going to let us play out from the back. Every time Josh Staunton picked up the ball from a defender there we two red-shirts on him looking to force the mistake, and they did repeatedly. At 2-0 they knew their work was done and when we did have the ball in their half, they let us keep it, perhaps knowing that we’d struggle to break their solid back line down. All in all, it was a comfortable night for Dagenham.

I’m not sure where we go from here. The last three results have cemented that we’re definitely mid-table and any run on the playoffs would need a miraculous set of circumstances. A couple of weeks ago Darren Sarll said his side’s seasons don’t peter out, last night was the epitome of a team petering out though. Unfortunately it’s entirely understandable. This squad is slap bang in the middle, most of them are out of contract at the end of the season and the vision from the boss at the top of the club is non-existent. 

I’m not sure if we ever totally freed ourselves from it, but apathy has set in again. The early goal sucked any life the supporters at Huish Park might have had, but there was a real flatness last night. Like the players, the crowd never got going and were given very little to get going about. We slept walk out of the Football League, and if we don’t drastically improve in front of the home fans on Saturday against Grimsby, there will be a perception that we’re sleepwalking to the end of the season and after that who knows what? A statement in ‘due course’ means nothing. Seven day deadlines mean nothing. If the plan to be so distant and become so unaccountable that supporters just give up, we could be close to that point. We’ll continue to clamour for clarity and at this point we need it either way.

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The curse of the old boy struck again as former Yeovil defender Alex Lacey headed home an equaliser four minutes in to second half stoppage time to rescue a point for Notts County on Saturday.

Glovers’ boss Darren Sarll said his side were “magnificent”, Tom Knowles said we deserved the three points, but the history books will show we had to settle for one at Meadow Lane.

Here’s Coatesie’s conclusions from his spot in the away end…

Darren Sarll wasn’t gutted at what can only be described as two points dropped, but admitted his players were. I have to say I am siding with the players.

This was  another hard luck story for this Yeovil side.

Despite my disappointment, I found myself standing, applauding and cheering this team at the final whistle.

It is just impossible not to be impressed and heartened by the sheer tenacity of them, they just never stop working.

As the game ticked past the 90th minute, Charlie Wakefield appeared in the left back position to win a ball back and clear it. Yes, our winger-turned-striker Charlie Wakefield who has played so many minutes this season, he was tracking back and helping out his team-mates.

How can you do anything but admire that spirit? And be so, so frustrated that it was not rewarded with three points. I know, again. Ugh.

The disappointment stings more because this was another good performance against one of the National League’s top teams.

I’d have taken a point before kick-off, especially when I saw there was no Olufela Olomola in the squad. How we missed him.

This was a Notts County which “has not scrimped” on its budget, according to Magpies’ fan Paul Mace who we spoke to pre-match, with a team we were told would control the game with easy-on-the-eye football.

It didn’t happen and it didn’t happen because Yeovil Town did not let it happen. We hassled, we harried, we disrupted the rhythm of a team with quality and experience in abundance. If you saw the win at Stockport County earlier this season, this had a similar feel. We showed Notts County no respect, the difference between this and Stockport was players feeling the rigours of a season – and no-one in any kind of scoring form.

It did not make for a game of great quality, but with our team which is all about effort, that speaks more for our efforts.

On that point, my thoughts on last season’s Reuben Reid were clear.

This season, I was willing to give him a chance and take fully in to account the fact he had an interrupted start of the campaign to put it mildly.

But, Reuben’s mistake at the end of this match was simply not acceptable. A burst forward by Lawson D’Ath, fed the ball through to our experienced striker who we are told has incredibly high standards, and he allows the ball to run under his foot and away to safety.

This was moments after the Notts equaliser and was a golden opportunity to get a shot in on goal. Yes, it is one mistake for a player who was on the pitch for less than 15 minutes, but he is paid to get that shot away. If his standards are as high as we are told – and I have no reason to doubt they are – he will be equally infuriated at his mistake.

The fact we played three midfield players – one of whom, Jordan Barnett, started the season as a left back – tells you all you need to know about our scoring options.

Alex Bradley. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

So, it was pleasing to see a goal of great quality from Alex Bradley.

We’re told he sees himself as a midfield player rather than the right-back we thought we signed and if he carries on performing like he did here, he very well could be.

There was nice passes, quality runs forward, strong tackles. There was a lot to like about Alex Bradley’s performance.

Finally, it was pleasing to hear Sarll and Tom Knowles praising the travelling fans at Meadow Lane.

Even when we weren’t winning, they were making a noise in an otherwise quiet Meadow Lane.

Every one of those 223 people in that away end were magnificent – well, let’s say 222, it’s a bit big-headed to call myself ‘magnificent’! We are supporting a team which in reality has nothing left to play for with promotion out of our reach and relegation almost a mathematic impossibility, yet we still turn up and make a racket. At the final whistle, the vast majority stood to applaud the players’ efforts and chant the manager’s name. There’s a huge effort going in on the pitch, but it is being matched in the stands.

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Isn’t it amazing how just 90 minutes can define a season?

Yeovil Town had yet another ‘all guts, no glory’ performance against Chesterfield and came out on the losing side, with a first half stoppage time worldie changing the game and being the difference.

These conclusions are starting to feel like a broken record, but here are Ben’s five key takeaways from the Technique Stadium.

Ben Barclay
Pic: YTFC YouTube

Ben Barclay ‘gets it’ – he loves defending, he must be a joy to have in the defensive unit.

He’ll put his head in where it hurts and considering we love Luke Wilkinson and Max Hunt for similar traits, he’s quickly becoming a bit of a find for us.

At the time of writing, I’d like to know what his contract status is at Stockport, because if they go up, or deem him not to be in their plans, I’d certainly be looking to bring him in permanently.

Ben Barclay – he loves defending, and he loves defending for us.

At the other end… sometimes, you can’t do much more to score.

It’s no secret we’ve had our attacking problems this season, but at least yesterday it wasn’t for the want of trying.

Tom Knowles could have had a hat-trick, Luke Wilkinson should have had a least one, Adi Yussuf came close, Josh Staunton had a crack.

But sometimes, the fine margins don’t go your way.

On another day, Scott Loach in the Chesterfield goal doesn’t get his hand up, or Knowles’ wonder strike goes in off the bar rather than bounces out.

If the first half ends 3-1 to us, we go on and win the game. 

Those moments haven’t gone for us all season, but on Saturday evening it looked destined to never fall for us.

Striker Adi Yussuf fires a shot in on goal.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

… and on that… I’m done with Adi Yussuf.

Sorry, I don’t like calling out individuals, but I’ve gone from giving him the benefit of the doubt to really struggling to understand what he brings to the table.

He gave away free-kicks, he misplaced key passes in attacking areas which would have led to more chances, he managed to somehow not bundle the ball home from a yard out in the second half, he got in the way of others, and he constantly got caught offside.

Reuben Reid needs to be given a run in the side above Yussuf in the pecking order if Olomola isn’t fit. Reid looked brighter in that final 10 minutes.

Sorry Adi, nothing personal.

Lawson D’Ath. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz

I think, I’m looking forward to a Staunton, Gorman and D’Ath midfield.

Actually, I know I am, I quite excited by it.

Worthington, Barnett, Bradley and Lo-Everton have their place and in a squad environment they’ll all be very very handy, but, Josh Staunton looked he needed his mate, Gorman out there. Like Ant without Dec, Phil without Grant, it just looks a better fit for the team.

And as for D’Ath, he’s genuinely one of the best players in the league. 

He’s that good. It’s all so effortless for him to pick a pass and to have the composure on the ball that so many around him were lacking. 

If we can get those three on the pitch together singing from the same hymn sheet, that’s a bloody good midfield.

Sarll speaks to the media at Chesterfield

And finally, the manager made his clearest statement yet regarding the off-the-field future of Yeovil Town and it needs to be the catalyst for clarity.

Every word he spoke was correct, this is a team worth supporting, getting behind, enhancing, developing and moulding into a squad that can get Yeovil Town promoted.

If, as many now think, this season is over… next season must begin ASAP. That means clarity and plan of how we approach the medium to long term future of the team.

His own position included, either he needs to be told to go and get who he needs because he’s in charge, or told he won’t be allowing a new person to assess the squad. 

That sounds brutal, and harsh and I’m very much ‘Sarll In’ but the time for next season to start is coming… and it’ll be here far sooner than the end of this current campaign.