Press Conferences (Page 2)

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Striker Reuben Reid and defender Mark Little will both be out of contention for Yeovil Town until Christmas, according to manager Darren Sarll.

Speaking ahead of the opening National League fixture at home to King’s Lynn on Saturday, the boss confirmed Little had undergone surgery on his foot after picking up an injury in the pre-season friendly against Forest Green Rovers.

Reid suffered a hamstring tear in the friendly against Weston-super-Mare will be missing for up to four months.

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

 

Sarll said: “Both of them (Reid and Little) we should expect them around Christmas, if anyone was going to come back sooner it would Reuben but Mark had to undergo an operation.

“I have never seen anything like it in 20 years, put your foot down and rotate it the wrong way and a ligament ruptured on top of his metatarsal that keeps the metatarsal in position. – that is a new one on me!”

He also confirmed that defender Alex Bradley and loan midfielder Lewis Simper are also likely to miss the opening game.

Both appear to have been among a group of players who have been affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 which led to the postponement of the club’s final two pre-season friendlies and last weekend’s trip to Wrexham.

Speaking about new striker Adi Yussuf, the manager said the former Wrexham and Solihull Moors player still needed to work on his fitness before he could be a regular.

He said: “(Luke) Wilkinson said when he played against Yussuf (in training) he gave him a hard time and all those things are important when new players walk in to the dressing room.

“It would have been ideal if they had a bit longer, Adi needs to spike his fitness levels a bit before we see him playing week in, week out but he will be a really good signing.

“He has got that hunger back and sometimes players just need a home and to feel wanted and (Joe) Quigley was in that category and I am looking forward to working with Adi.”

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

Yeovil boss Darren Sarll was disappointed with his side’s “garbage” performance at Weston-super-Mare this afternoon.

Tom Knowles salvaged a draw with a vintage strike (don’t fall in love with footballers, kids) but Sarll was unhappy at the defensive aspect of the afternoon.

“We’ve probably given away  more chances today than we did in the other three games combined, which is the disappointing thing for me.

“I was just disappointed with our defending intent today. I thought it was poor, we let people through. It was far too easy to play in behind us, far too easy to get set plays. I think we gave away seven corners in the first half from eight balls in behind the fullbacks. I think there’s lots to be done,” said Sarll.

Never one to not look for positives, Sarll did say that playing badly and picking up a draw is a good quality to have.

He said: “One thing I did like, was that we’re going to play badly and take points this year. And that’s a good quality to have. Normally you try and attribute those qualities to teams that win leagues and trophies. So I quite liked it that we kept it to one nil and it doesn’t matter that it’s Weston. They’ve got lots and lots of football league appearances in their team.”

“That’s been our first real tough week and it seems to have beaten a few in terms of the energy levels and physical capacities,” he added.

 

 

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Darren Sarll was pleased with his side’s performance this afternoon against Kings Lynn Town. He reserved praise for star-man Tom Knowles, Emmanuel Sonupe and the players who returned to the lineup after injury.

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

Speaking to BBC Somerset following the 3-1 victory, Sarll said: “I thought we were really going to put on a show at one point after Tom (Knowles) scored that second goal and I thought this could be a good day for us. We got a bit careless when players started coming out of shape a little too often and it left us a bit open. Adam (Smith) made some good saves in the second half from the header and when (Luke Wilkinson) cleared one off the line. Other than those two moments I thought we were pretty comfortable defensively and everyone can see the different the players we had coming back makes.”

The effect of the returning Lawson D’Ath, Carl Dickinson and Luke Wilkinson was clear for all to see, although the manager did say he felt Wilkinson shouldn’t have been playing, especially after a first half injury.

“Wilkinson should never have been playing, he is putting himself in harm’s way. He took a bang on his knee and he could be done for (the home game with Maidenhead United on) Tuesday. We wanted to take it one game at a time and we thought that after not scoring in three games, we had a positive response today and we will worry about Tuesday on Tuesday.”

Wilko did tweet the following after the game:

The manager was full of praise for D’Ath, who completed 85 minutes after three months out through injury.

“I had forgotten that Lawson had been out for three months and then I saw him stretching in the 80-something minute and I thought I better get Lawson off rather than (Tom) Knowles who I was thinking about bringing off. What Lawson does is bring calm to the chaos and we have missed that a lot this year. He puts his foot on the ball and if he can’t turn out naturally, he creates a way of turning out anyway.
“That can turn the game in your favour because you know if the ball lands with Lawson, you know he is going to retain the first ball and allow the team to change shape. His set plays were (excellent), how much have we missed that kind of delivery (this season)? I thought he was our best player today for his performance and what he has done for the club coming back after such a long period out with injury.”

Knowles has been in superb form of late for the Glovers and the second of his first-half strikes were of real quality. Sarll reiterated a point he made during Thursday’s pre match press conference: “I did say on Thursday that he would be one of the most exciting players outside the EFL. When I first started working with Tom, I thought as he got older he would become a centre forward like (Chris) Dagnall. He’s got those little, quick legs, he’s got good technique and he gets wonderful power in his strikes, which you can really see when you see it live. He is always capable of working the goalie and I like that about him. He struck the ball beautifully (for his second goal) at the end of a decent move for us, but it did open our shape up a bit and that is when we got a bit careless.”

Emmanuel Sonupe enjoyed a cameo from the bench and scored Yeovil’s third after being put through on goal by Joe Quigley. Speaking about Sonupe, the Yeovil boss said how excited he was about the ex-Tottenham academy player.

“It was pleasing for Emmanuel because he has been injured a lot since he signed. We know (his quality) is there and sometimes the hardest thing is to pull that (quality) regularly out of him. We saw it even after he scored his goal, the run where we went down the far side was really bright and exciting. Those really positive wide players are the players I really love watching. I thought he had a good influence going forward when he came on and he was good defensively as well. I am critical of his defensive willingness sometimes, but I thought he was good at that today. He is a clever footballer, he has a wonderful background (having started at Tottenham Hotspur academy) and if he can continue to play in that vain, he can finish the season very strongly. When he opens up he is quick, but sometimes he has so many touches he actually brings his speed down and I like it when he has less touches and covers more ground quicker. When you bring subs on, you want them to have a big influence and he had a big influence today.”

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Yeovil Town boss Darren Sarll has revealed the club couldn’t say no to QPR on the deal offered for Alfie Lloyd.

The academy product’s move to QPR was confirmed earlier this week after he had a successful trial at the London club.

Speaking to the press today, Sarll said: “It was a brilliant deal, we could not say no. It is the best deal in terms of monetary value that the club has done for 4-5 years. It is a good deal up front and a good deal if Alfie is successful and it is a good deal for Alfie in terms of his football career and education and that is what he needs. We are really pleased for him because he is a brilliant guy and we are delighted for him.”

Sarll stressed the importance of good finances at the club, given the uncertainty COVID has caused, and touched on the deals we’ve done this season, presumably the selling of Myles Hippolyte, Courtney Duffus and Lloyd.

“Everyone knows we are in COVID financial times and money is at a premium, so we needed to do it. We have sold three players and we have brought in what is moving to hundreds of thousands of pounds in remuneration, so that is all good. That will only create a stronger foundation and that is what is going to have to happen. That is like any business. What we have seen over the years, so many mistakes with young players who spend ages out on loan and then get released. We are in a position next season where every penny has to be spent very wisely and next season if players can’t contribute to the first team, we can’t have them with us.”

Sarll praised his young signings, Tom Knowles, Alex Bradley and Max Hunt. He talked about the character they bring to the squad, and how the experiences of this season will only improve them.

He said: “The experience young players are getting on and off the pitch has been huge, but we have to get through this difficult time.
They will only be better for these life and football experiences. I am really excited about players like Tom Knowles, Alex Bradley, Max Hunt, they are going to be brilliant players for the club.

“We need to make sure we keep that character because the team that fell out of the League was devoid of character in my opinion. We need to keep that in senior players, but there are also young players out there with that same character that you need. Look at Tom Knowles, his strength of character means he’s as tough as old boots, brave as a lion, takes the ball, gets kicked and gives it back.”

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Yeovil Town midfielder Charlie Lee said he was “frustrated” to not come away with anything from the trip to Aldershot Town on Tuesday night.

The 34-year-old, who played as a makeshift central defender in the 2-0 defeat, said he had not seen an injury record like that being suffered by his team-mates in his career.

“In 20 years of football, I have never seen the luck we have had with injuries (this season) and it’s been the story of our season…We have not coped well with it. Lots of people played out of position today and gave everything and up until the sending off I thought we were really in the game, we looked solid and we are frustrated we have come away with no points.”

The 55th minute red card of Alex Bradley was a key turning point in the game. Darren Sarll confirmed the club intend to appeal the decision, but Lee was pleased with how the side responded.

“When you go a man down…..to be proper, they were excellent, sometimes a team can be negative when they have got 11 men against 10, but they really pressed and threw numbers forward….But, we were 1-0 down and we were going for the same, so we knew we would concede chances and we were left a little bit exposed at the back. That was all part of trying to get a result, we got a lot of set pieces and everyone gave 100% but at the end of the day we have come away with no points so we are really frustrated.”

Injuries seems to be the main talking point at the moment at Huish Park with upwards of ten players missing from availability, but things don’t seem to have got any better with not only a potential suspension but also more knocks to patch up.

“Poor Bill’s (Sass Davies) nose is all over the place, Dags (Chris Dagnall) has got a gash on his head, Bradders will be suspended, but no-one is going to complain, Especially the younger players are going to learn a lot from these next four games, you’re going to learn to be a winner in your career. You’ve got to step up and do what’s needed and everyone will give everything they’ve got, every game and fingers crossed we can get people available for the weekend.”

Focus turned to the remaining games of the season, whilst Lee confirmed that any feint hopes of a play off run were over, he was still insistent that everyone will be giving their all to the cause, especially when fans return to Huish Park next week.

“Any chance of getting to the play-offs is long gone, so now you just have to get results for pride. Everyone is going to keep going and I will make sure and the staff will make sure that everyone is on it in training and we’ll give it everything. It’s been a major thing this season, (the fans) were a massive part of what we did last year and we were all immensely proud of what we did last year with a new team. We are all really disappointed this year. We had unbelievable support home and away for every game, and I am really excited about seeing the fans back in.”

Yeovil Town have back to back home games coming up vs King’s Lynn on Saturday and then Maidenhead on Tuesday night.

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Following the 3-0 loss at Wrexham, Darren Sarll confirmed that loanee Matty Warburton has returned to Northampton Town, cutting his loan spell short.

“He (Warburton) went back to Northampton a while ago after Lee (Collins) passed. It was a particularly difficult time for (him) anyway because he wanted to make decisions on his future. He wanted to go back to Northampton anyway and then sadly Lee passed and he accelerated that. We felt it was in his best interests as a human being that we allowed that to happen.”

We’d like to thank Matty for his efforts during a difficult time at Yeovil Town.

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Darren Sarll faced the media following Yeovil’s 3-0 loss against Wrexham and talked of the side’s fragility both mentally and physically.

All three goals came in the first half in Wales with Shaun Pearson, Luke Young and a wonderful free kick from Jordan Davies giving the home side an unassailable lead before the break.

When asked to sum up his side’s performance, Sarll said:“There’s a fragility to us, that’s probably the best way how we explain… and it’s all coming up at once, at a tough time for us all.”

Prior to the game, assistant Terry Skiverton said that Yeovil were down the bare bones in terms of fit and available players, a situation which has been made worse, with issues reported for Matt Worthington and Albi Skendi, who both had to come off before half time, with Max Hunt and Carl Dickinson playing through an injury as well as concerns for Alex Bradley and Rhys Murphy prior to kick off.

On his injury crisis, Sarll added: “If I told you the stories of injured players or ill players … I couldn’t write it.”

BBC Somerset’s Tom Seymour confirmed the full extent of the Glovers’ injury problems after the game.

 

Despite the negative result, Sarll did make sure to recognise the positives from a more resilient second half display. “I thought second half, we did better, we contained, we didn’t ever look like scoring a goal, and we were just patching up and plastering over our wounds from the first half.”

The second half also saw the introduction of Toby Stephens, an academy graduate and at just 17 years old, someone Yeovil fans would have been excited to see.

Sarll joked, he was the only fit central midfielder at the club at the moment, before taking time to praise the youngsters cameo appearance.

“Toby deserved to play today, the way he trained yesterday, he deserved to come onto the pitch today… he deserves the opportunity He’s with us for next season, under contract, I really like Toby, I have to remind of his midfield duties, but he took the ball, tried to win it back. For someone at 17 years-old, I think he’s got a really great opportunity, but we are going to have to create a better environment for him to progress.”

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Joe Quigley has said Yeovil Town spent too much time “dwelling on mistakes” as they went down to a 3-0 defeat at promotion-chasing Wrexham.

The Glovers were 3-0 down inside half-an-hour at the Racecourse Ground with defensive mistakes costing them dearly.

Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset after the game, Quigley said: “As a team we were dwelling on mistakes too much, when mistakes happen we need to crack on and focus on the next phase of play instead of thinking about the mistakes.”

The frontman, who played the full 90 minutes alongside Reuben Reid, refused to use first half injuries to Matt Worthington and Albi Skendi as an excuse.

He added: “We all train in different positions, we know the system we play and we know what the gaffer expects from us, so I don’t think that can be an excuse today.”

The defeat leaves Yeovil in 16th place in the National League table level on 48 points with Solihull Moors and Aldershot Town, who they travel to on Tuesday night.

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Terry Skiverton gave a very honest assessment of how he’s been handling a tough season on and off the pitch at Huish Park.

When asked if the he was still enjoying his roles at the club, the club legend gave a very honest answer: “No, I’m not going to lie, it’s been probably my hardest time throughout my career at Yeovil.”

The club is still processing the shocking loss of Captain Lee Collins who passed away in March as well as trying to negotiate a behind-closed-doors season in a global pandemic.

“Because of what happened [Lee Collins’ passing] and my relationship with Lee within the squad, he was the Captain of the football club, he was number four, we shared the same shirt number, the same roles and responsibilities as a Captain, so no, it’s been really hard to come in every day and make sure we are upbeat and giving energy to the players.”

Skiverton acknowledged his role as a leader within the coaching staff and recognised that he had a part to play in getting his players, colleagues and supporters through a hard time.

“One thing that we do here, is make sure we come up to work, we arrive at work and make sure we are rocking and rolling, so the players know they have staff behind them ready to go. We are all in, we are going to turn up on a Saturday and try and get a result. They need to see that, feel that and they need to know that we are 100% behind them, alongside them, in front of them, and we are leading in the right way as well.”

There’s no doubt the events of the last month have taken their toll on everyone associated with Yeovil Town and it was refreshing to hear a club legend like Skiverton speak so honestly, and openly.

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Yeovil Town Assistant Manager Terry Skiverton took media duties ahead of the trip to Wrexham and he suggested that, despite the injury problems, the Glovers aren’t ready to take their foot off the pedal in the hunt for success.

Speaking to the BBC, when asked about the squad’s fitness status ahead of the trip to Wales, Skiverton said: “It’ll be touch and go, a lot of the players have been in, in doing their rehab. We’ve got a real small group training today [Thursday] and then tomorrow we will do something that’s very, very light and we will have to readjust and get the right squad that travels up so that everybody’s fit.”

With the season drawing to a close and the squad looking very thin, Skiverton – who also doubles up as the Academy Manager at Huish Park – said we might get to see a few new, younger, faces over the coming games.

“We are a little bit down to the bare bones, we’ve got a few of the younger boys that have come up and will be training with us today and maybe surprising by seeing one or two in the squad come Saturday, we will just have to wait and see.”

Yeovil included Toby Stephens in the squad for the game against Halifax who is a regular with the Under-18s, whilst goalkeeper Max Evans has been a regular in the travelling parties and of course, Alfie Lloyd – who has plenty of goals in green and white at youth level – has also made the squad this season.

Lloyd wasn’t part of the Under-18s last fixture following confirmation that he has spent time on trial with QPR recently, so his involvement is unclear.

When asked about how the club are tackling the run in to a season, which looks likely to end in a mid table finish, Skiverton admitted it hasn’t been easy for everyone, but that there’s no sense of throwing in the towel just yet.

“It’s been tough, even today with me coming in today and doing the press, the Manager [Darren Sarll] has been feeling a bit flat. We’ve had two really good performances and two good wins, but to come up short on Monday, we’ve been flat after that. We’ve still got to make sure we’re pushing, we’re playing for our supporters every week, who are right behind us – that’s right at the forefront of our minds. The group we’ve got, with the manager, with the football club, we won’t sacking nothing off, our supporters want to see hard work, determination, character. They want to see us defending well and scoring goals.”

With everyone at the club was fighting for their futures and plenty of players out of contract, Skiverton reaffirmed that the attitude of everyone continues to be hardworking and professional.

The Glovers head to play-off chasing Wrexham on Saturday with a 3pm kick-off.