Gloversblog (Page 5)

Ian was in the Torquay Press Box for Yeovil’s 3-1 win last night. Here are his Conclusions from an enjoyable night in the English Riviera.

We got to show off our attacking depth, again. The contrast in the two sides couldn’t have been clearer from the starting line ups. Torquay are ravaged by injuries and missing key players and Mark Cooper was able to bring Jordan Young and Sonny Cox back into his line up, with Jake Hyde, Jordan Stevens and Will Dawes ready to come off the bench. Last night we got to see Cox in left-midfield rather than centrally and he gave a battling performance up against Shaun Donnellan. He faded as the game wore on, but showed another string to his bow in the green and white shirt. Frank Nouble had another good performace, Rhys Murphy should have bagged and Young was at his mercurial best again.

It was a man of the match performance from Sonny Blu Lo-Everton. That was probably Lo-Everton’s best performance in a Yeovil shirt. He was diligent defensively, certain in possession and full of energy. His first half goal was brilliantly struck, showing that when allowed the space Torquay did, he’s able to punish teams. He’s had to wait for his chance, much like Josh Owers did, but there’s so much competition in centre midfield at the moment and anyone who does get dropped will feel harshly done by right now. 

Torquay didn’t really lay a glove on Yeovil. For all the talk about Torquay being our closest rivals this season (and their good home record) we’ve definitely faced tougher tests this season. They’ve got their injury woes, and have added loanees in the past couple of weeks but we kept them at arm’s length for most of the game and for a spell in the first half they couldn’t get near us. There is a long way to go still and we have all the momentum. If, as many predicted, the Gulls are to be our title rivals this season, they have a lot of work to do.

The run continues. This unfathomable, unbelievable run of wins keeps going and off the back of dismal lows of April (and the decade prior) it feels so much sweeter. BBC Devon’s commentator asked if ‘Yeovil always play like that?’ after the match and my answer was ‘yeah, pretty much.’ The performances has been remarkable in these past few weeks, different game plans for different opponents from different levels have shown how prepared Mark Cooper is for any challenge. The supporters are well and truly on board and each game feels more winnable than the last. The connection with players gets closer with each victory too. I don’t think you can underestimate how much closer the HP Source series makes you feel to the players too. Seeing those moments where people’s guard is down, and they appear more relaxed makes such a difference.

Mark Cooper still wants more. Even with 12 wins in a row, it feels like Cooper knows there’s even more to come from this squad. But for a lapse on their goal, Yeovil were pretty dominant throughout at Plainmoor, but you can sense that Cooper really wanted to make it a statement victory. Murphy could have, probably should have scored two. Nouble cuts it back to Worthington when he probably should have smashed it goal, Jordan Young has a great 1v1 in the second half and a couple of better final balls could have seen even more chances to score. I think he wants to really put a team to the sword and Saturday’s visitors are second from bottom, Dover Athletic…

Yeovil Town’s 11th win in a row came against National League opposition yesterday, as the Glovers despatched Gateshead in the FA Cup. Here are Ian’s conclusions from Huish Park…

It felt pretty comfortable, despite the scoreline. As with the Southend game in the previous round, the early goal (sorry Rhys, it looks like an OG) got us off to the best possible start and it could have been 4-0 at half time. Stevens misses a sitter before he scores and Matt Worthington should have scored form close range too. There was no doubt about the third goal though as Murphy fired in after a slip from a Gateshead defender in the box. Gateshead’s two goals came from the softest of soft penalties and a lucky ricochet and while it was nervy in the stands, the players looked composed to see it out. For all the talk about Gateshead’s style, there was lots of style but they didn’t produce much substance against our defence.

It’s Michael Smith’s world and we’re just living in it. If he blocked one cross yesterday, he blocked one hundred. The impact he’s made on our performances and our right side is huge. Morgan Williams, who was already solid, has excelled with Smith outside of him. Jordan Steven’s attacking movement is better with Smith’s ability to pick out those runs. He’s composed under-pressure and yesterday was another quality performance. Does anyone else still feel like he’s in third gear?

Jordan Stevens is starting to show he’s a difference maker. Despite Mark Cooper saying he wanted to take him off after five minutes, Stevens showed his quality throughout. His pace is undeniable, just when you think he’s going at full-tilt he shows another level and leaves opponents behind. He took his goal well, when you watch it back he had a lot of time and gives it the subtlest Peter Dinklage of Mair’s leg. Without getting too Football Manager, he’s getting in all the right areas in an attacking sense, if he continues to improve as he has since returning from injury, we’ll have suitors to warn off.

We have so many attacking options. We left out Jordan Young yesterday. Just think about that. He’s arguably our most in-form player and he didn’t start. There was room for Will Dawes who impressed again. We reverted back to Nouble and Murphy up front too, which is my preferred pairing up top. We’ve seen how important partnerships are up front, Madden and Hayter, Jackson and Gall, Jevons and Tarachulski, Forinton and Patmore. If you get one that works you can become unstoppable. 

The supporters were out in force once again. 3241 were at Huish Park yesterday, many of whom would have had to negotiate some iffy roads after the storm. This wasn’t a part of any ticket deal or included in season tickets, but there’s a feeling building around the club. Each win brings more confidence on the pitch and that is now translating off the pitch. The grumbles about the quality of the football feel like they were a lifetime ago. If I said in April that Mark Cooper would lead Yeovil to 11 wins in a row by the end of 2023, I think most would have questioned my sanity, but here we are. And I like it…

Yeovil Town picked up their 10th win in a row on an afternoon where more than 3,700 showed up in the pouring rain to Paint the Park Pink. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions from the press box.

This one was quite the tactical battle. Yeovil’s first half plan seemed to involve drawing the Braintree forward-line out, beating their press with a ball into Jordan Young who was given acres of space to work his magic. While the goal – a composed finish from Matt Worthington – came from a goalkeeping error on a set piece, there were plenty of occasions where Young was given freedom in between the midfield and defence of Braintree, however the final ball was lacking. Before half time, Braintree made the change to match up the Glovers in a 4-2-3-1 and then put four up top in the second half forcing Yeovil to revert to a back five and just get out of the game with the points. While we struggled with the pitch in the second half, Braintree seemed to control the ball well and showed what a credible outfit they are.

We have an unbelievable defensive unit. If you’d told me at the start of the season that we’d settle on a back line that didn’t include Josh Staunton I wouldn’t have believed you. But, such is the quality of the partnership of Morgan Williams and Jake Wannell that Staunton wasn’t even afforded a place on the bench yesterday afternoon. We’re running out of wax and lyrics for Michael Smith, but he was given sponsor’s man of the match for his performance. Alex Whittle had another excellent game. He’s quietly gone about his business so far this season, putting in consistent performances week after week and I think yesterday was probably his best given he started at left-back and had to play centre-back in the second half. And, where would be without Super Joe Day in goal?

It was another match where Mark Cooper got to show off the depth of his squad. In any other season, taking out Josh Owers, Rhys Murphy and Frank Nouble in their vein of form would prompt cries of derision amongst supporters. However, given Sonny Cox’s cameo against W*ymouth, the technical ability of Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and recent heroics of Will Dawes no one can begrudge them getting an opportunity. Cooper said he felt Jake Hyde wasn’t ready, but when he and Nouble did enter the fray they combined well for the goal – albeit after struggling to get into the game at all. This was a fixture where Rhys Murphy was rested, Jordan Maguire-Drew and Josh Staunton missed out altogether and Charlie Cooper was still unavailable.

The Huish Park pitch is in need of a rest. The downpour was relentless yesterday. From before the kick off, through the entirety of the match and after the final whistle it absolutely p*ssed it down. By the time the referee blew the final whistle, players were struggling to stay on their feet, the ball was getting held up in the water and the surface was tearing up with every kick of the ball. With Gateshead visiting next Saturday and the weather forecast looking iffy this week, the ground staff at Huish Park will have their work cut out. Water from the pitch had found its way into the walkway in the Thatchers stand and the main stand too and the home games are still coming, with three of the next four at Huish Park. 

??? #YTFC pic.twitter.com/fHuoYBoJdx

— Gloverscast ?⚽️? (@gloverscast) October 28, 2023

It’s been a brilliant week for this football club. With the record attendance for National League South well and truly smashed on Tuesday night, yesterday was a different kind of event for the club. The support and spotlight the club has given on the amazing work of the Yeovil Hospital Charity and final boost it needed will leave a lasting impact in Somerset. To see all the pink at Huish Park, and the number of people who came out despite the weather was proof that Glovers will come out in their numbers to support a community cause. We’ve not had a lot to be proud of in recent years, but this week has left me full of pride for Yeovil Town FC.

The FA Cup Glovers are through to the first round proper again! Ian was in the Thatchers for the 2-0 win against Southend United and here are his conclusions.

This was an impressive result. Despite the ongoing drama at Southend, they’ve been getting results in the National League. They hadn’t lost in four matches, and beat “Darren Sarll’s Woking” 2-0 last weekend. Clearly, they had a depleted squad, bringing on two sixteen-year-olds, but the way they controlled possession showed they have some quality. Yeovil are learning to win in different ways and that’s a good sign. Where we’ve played our strongest eleven we’ve won seven matches in a row (it’s eight first team matches if you include the SMPC penalty win) and the last time I can find that we did that was in 2004/05 in a run of nine that started in the FA Cup against Histon. The scorers on that day, Phil Jevons, Lee Johnson and Yemi Odubade.

It was a different kind of performance. The early goal from Jake Wannell gave the Glovers the early buffer and something to protect. The match quickly became attack vs defence as Southend controlled the ball and tried to break a resilient Yeovil down. Mark Cooper’s side held their ground and restricted Southend to crosses in the box and efforts from distance. Last week saw Yeovil blow away Aveley in the first half and yesterday was a case of Yeovil digging in, holding onto a lead against a higher opposition and getting a second on the break.

That was a breakout game Jake Wannell. Wannell has been ever-present since signing from Taunton and his partnership with Morgan Williams has made him even stronger. His goal was cleanly struck and really set us on our way but what followed was as impressive. He won the ball in the air, he defended well against an in-form Harry Cardwell and he’s clearly enjoying life in green and white. Mark Cooper said he, Chris Todd and Marcus Stewart have been working with Wannell to coach him for the professional game and he’s come on leaps and bounds since joining in the Summer.

Jordan Young is on fire. A great pass from Will Dawes set Young through yesterday but he had a lot to do to get Yeovil’s second. Somehow he bamboozled three defenders before his final toe poke around Hayes in Southend’s goal. At times Young looks unplayable and as soon as he picks up the ball you think he is going to make something happen. He’s showing consistency, having a huge impact in games and I’d argue is more important I’m the attack than anyone else right now.

Vindication for Mark Cooper. Through all the carnage of last season and the lingering doubts at the beginning of this, Cooper has been defiant in his belief about bringing success to Huish Park. It’s still early in the season, but we’re top of the league and in the first round of the FA Cup. Even the most green-tinted of Glovers can’t have said they expected that after the opening day defeat at Hemel. He’s strengthened where he needed to with “Super Joe Day In Goal” and Michael Smith, is rewarding players like Owers and Dawes for their performances and is proving that if you let him manage, results and performances will follow. Everyone’s enjoying life at Huish Park at the moment, even the boss!

Ian was in the Thatchers Stand for Yeovil’s 3-1 victory over Aveley yesterday. Here are his Five Conclusions from a jubilant Huish Park.

What a wonderful first half. I can honestly not remember the last time I watched us play with such dominance in a League match. We blew Aveley away in the first half and could have gone into the break five or six goals ahead was it not for some wonderful saves from Jonathan North and a bit of sloppiness in front of goal. We were composed, we moved the ball quickly, especially in the wide areas and it was a complete performance.

What a different second half. Aveley changed shape, upped the aggression and gave Yeovil a very different battle in the second half. Moments before Charlie Hughes grabbed their only goal of the game, the Miller’s number 9 blatantly kicked Morgan Williams off the ball and shouldn’t have been on the pitch.The Glovers composed themselves, changed things up on the pitch and while it wasn’t as electric we managed to keep our opponents at arms length for second 45. 

Will Dawes was my man of the match. With Jordan Stevens still nursing his hamstring, Mark Cooper had to make a decision out wide and what a decision it was. Will Dawes, on the mend after his glandular fever, had a brilliant first half. He was direct with his running, careful with possession and had the beating of his full back every time. His cross for Jordan Young was pinpoint and it was because of his determination that Yeovil got the third as he chased down and dispossessed the Aveley defender. Stevens has been effective since his return, but based on yesterday, it looks like he has competition in Dawes.

Josh Owers gets better with each match. Owers can feel hard done by on my previous conclusion, but he was a very close second. He’s had to be patient and wait for the inevitable suspensions of his fellow centre midfielders, but he’s really grabbed the opportunity. It was another all-action, combative centre midfield performance. He’s a gifted footballer and I think having that left-footed player adds such balance. He’s a tackler, he’s a passer, he’s a runner and as we’ve seen he’s got an eye for goal too. 

It feels good to be at the top. It’s been a long long time coming and to hear “we are top of the league” being chanted from the Thatchers was a great feeling. The evolution and improvement of these players is evident and credit goes to Mark Cooper for making decisions that have brought us to this point. The signings of Joe Day and Michael Smith have been inspired, if not beyond belief. His post-match comments suggest to me that he’s settling on the centre back pairing of Jake Wannell and Morgan Williams. At the top of the pitch things are really clicking, with Jordan Young, Rhys Murphy and Frank Nouble finding their rhythm. 

Yeovil progressed through to the next round of the FA Cup with a 7-1 win over AFC Stoneham yesterday with the gulf in quality clear from the kick off. Here are Ian’s conclusions from Huish Park…

We got the job done professionally. We knew this had the potential to be a banana skin. Mark Cooper described it as a no-win game for his team but I thought it was a job well done by the Glovers. They peppered the AFC Stoneham goal in the first half, kept their opponents at arm’s length and didn’t seem to need third gear. Frank Nouble’s early goal in the second half really killed Stoneham’s chances and Yeovil cruised to the final whistle bagging seven goals.

Michael Smith was impressive. It’s hard to read too much into this performance given the opponents, but Smith made a good first impression. He got forward, he orchestrated, he stepped into centre midfield to try and speed things up through the lines, he picked out passes that others couldn’t and his extra quality was clear. Smith clearly has high standards too, berating his teammates for allowing crosses into the box and urging his teammates to make things happen.

Rhys Murphy proved a point. Since the switch to the 4-3-3, Rhys Murphy hasn’t had a chance to make an impact through the middle with Frank Nouble’s impressive recent form. He entered the fray yesterday with the bit between his teeth. While some goalscorers seemed apologetic for beat the keeper, Murphy was ruthless and determined to get on the scoresheet. His first was a good move from Smith, to Maguire-Drew, to Stevens, who’s cross into the six-yard box was Murphy’s bread and butter. His second game from him chasing down a loose pass from Stoneham defender to finish from a tight angle and the third was a lovely through ball from Maguire-Drew for Murphy to coolly finish for the match ball.

Jordan Stevens did nothing to quell my excitement. I will caveat this in the same way I did with Michael Smith, but in Jordan Steven’s first start he roasted full backs, he gave us natural width and showed the explosive pace we’ve been waiting for. He started on the left and provided that natural balance to Jordan Young on the opposite side. There’s still a bit of rustiness there but once he gave us a glimpse of what he’s about.

AFC Stoneham deserve enormous credit. Their goalkeeper Callum Lee made some unbelievable saves in the first half and Duarte Martins never gave up and took his goal well. Their supporters were noisy throughout and enjoyed their afternoon at Huish Park. While the score line wasn’t what they would have wanted, the club made the most of the occasion and soaked up the atmosphere at the final whistle with their 208 travelling fans. Best of luck for the rest of the season!