Press Conferences (Page 7)

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Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper is looking to bring in one more “statement” signing to his squad as they prepare to kick-off the National League Premier season this weekend.

The Glovers’ manager added on loan Bristol City defender Raphael Araoye during the week but has said he is still looking to make a further addition, but it is unlikely to be before the opening fixture against Hartlepool United at Huish Park on Saturday.

Speaking on Thursday ahead of the game, Cooper said: “Raph will be a big help to us and we are chasing another one, that probably will not happen before the weekend, but hopefully we can get that done and then I am happy with the size of the squad.

“We are one player short which gives us a really healthy balance, we have got cover in most areas now with the arrival of Raph.

“But what I will not do is just go and spend money for the sake of it, I want to make sure the one we bring in is a really good one and a bit of a statement for us.”

Raphael Araoye, who has been with Bristol City since the age of 11.

Araoye caught the manager’s eye when he played for Weston-super-Mare in the 2-1 win at Huish Park in National League South last season, a game settled by a late winner from the teenager’s new defensive colleague, Morgan Williams.

He is able to play in the centre and left of the defensive unit and will provide cover in both positions, most notably on the left where Alex Whittle was previously the only option.

Cooper said: “He is 6’3″, he is still only 19, but he has got great potential, Bristol City think really highly of him and in the few days he has been with us in training he has made a real impression with his physicality and his pace.

“He is a man mountain, so we are looking forward to getting him integrated in to the way we do things.”

Yeovil have added goalkeeper Ollie Wright, on loan from Premier League Southampton, goalkeeper/coach Matt Gould, defenders Finn Cousin-Dawson and Jordan Thomas, midfielder Brett McGavin and striker Aaron Jarvis in the summer and believes they all have the ingredients he wants from players he brings to Huish Park.

Asked what that was, he said: “Character and a desire to come to the club, someone who is a good team-mate in good times and bad. One bad apple can destroy the dressing room and we will not sign a good player if they do not have that character.

“Good characters drive and demand a good spirit and a good changing room, and you can’t win anything without that. Results help that, if you win lots that helps, and how strong your changing room is gets tested if you lose a few games.

“They have to fit in to the way we do things and I have said before that we are looking to get all our recruitment to the local area as we can, or within travelling distance and we have done pretty well at that.”

Brett McGavin, who arrived from Torquay United in the summer. Picture courtesy of Iain Morland.

Having won the National League South title by 11 points last season, Cooper is expecting a tougher test at a higher level with Hartlepool United, managed by former boss Darren Sarll, are the first opponents on Saturday.

They then travel to Braintree Town, who came up from the South through the play-offs, seven days later before homes games against Ebbsfleet United and Rochdale and trips to Gateshead and Boston United before the end of August.

On the new division, Cooper said: “There is no difference in fitness, it is physicality and pace. Some of the clubs we will face this season are historically big clubs, like Oldham Athletic, who are founder members of the Premier League, so teams like have big, powerful squads.

“What we have tried to do in the summer is add to the athleticism of our squad and bring in players who are robust and can handle the Saturday-Tuesday schedule.”

One change which Cooper believes will make a major difference is the introduction of seven substitutes available to teams in the National League. The change, introduced in the summer, means clubs will be able to make five changes per match.

The boss added: “The substitutions are going to be key, if games are tight late on and we can put two or three really quick players on that can give us that impetus, that is fantastic. People that use their replacements best, could end up winning more games.”

Sarll, who spent almost three years at Huish Park having taken over following the club’s relegation out of the Football League in 2019, brings his side to his old stomping ground describing his new squad as “one of the strongest” he has worked with.

Darren Sarll arrived at Huish Park in June 2019 before departing to join Woking in March 2022.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

But Cooper does not believe the presence of one of his predecessors will make any difference to his side on Saturday.

He said: “It won’t make any difference to us. Darren did well here in his first year, got the club in the play-offs, and then they had some problems, COVID and some unfortunate other bits and pieces. I am sure he is fondly remembered down here, but it is a game of football and it is about what goes on on the pitch, not what happens on the touchline.

“They have some really good, experienced players and Darren’s way of playing is full on pressing, getting after teams and looking to make it really uncomfortable. But we have our own style of play and being at home, we have to try and impose our style on them and they will try to do the same to us – and may the best team win.

“One game will not make or break the season. If we win, great, but if we lose, we go back to work on Monday but it would be great to get off to a good start after a few months away.

“We are really looking forward to it, there will be a healthy crowd and it should be a good game of football.”

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper said he gave minutes to those players he expects to start next weekend’s National League Premier opener as his side ran out 2-0 winners at Weston-super-Mare on Saturday.

Of the players who many would expect to be in contention for a starting place against Hartlepool United next weekend only Dylan Morgan and Charlie Cooper were missing.

Morgan at the match with strapping on his knee whilst Cooper did not feature in the 5-0 win at Buckland Athletic in midweek having come off with a tight hamstring in the win at Farnborough Town seven days ago.

Against Weston, Sam Pearson was replaced by Harvey Greenslade after 62 minutes, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton replaced captain Matt Worthington on 73 minutes and Jordan Thomas and Finn Cousin-Dawson replaced Alex Whittle and Jake Wannell with four minutes remaining.

That meant a full 90 minutes for summer signings striker Aaron Jarvis, who opened the scoring, and midfielder Brett McGavin – make of that what you will.

Speaking to the club’s YouTube channel after the match, the manager said: “With a week to go, the people that are getting close to start are getting close to 90 minutes, so it’s a case where some are going to be upset they are not getting the minutes they wanted, but we have to make some decisions.

“We have got a really competitive squad and they understand that if they don’t play the first game, there is a chance they will play the second game.

“We have to keep that harmony and unity which we have got, I thought they worked hard today and we controlled large parts of the game against a good Weston-super-Mare team.”

Aaron Jarvis. Picture courtesy of Iain Morland.

He added: “We wanted a really competitive, realistic game and we got that. We said wanted the players to treat this like a league game with our preparation, training leading up to the game, and the way we played.

“It is still pre-season so it gets a bit slow at times, but the pitch was really good, not as hot as it has been, ideal conditions for a competitive game.

“The way we want to play was clear today. I want to control the game as much as possible, I don’t want the game to be end of end, I don’t want there to be lots of chances in our box, I want it to be us that has the ball and we did that for large parts of the game.”

Jarvis showed great chest control to collect a Michael Smith ball in the 64th minute at Weston before finishing nicely across the keeper to give Yeovil the lead, before Lo-Everton settled proceedings with the second five minutes from time.

Cooper was impressed with Jarvis, who missed large parts of last season with Torquay United through injury, and the boss admitted they have managed the 26-year-old’s minutes during pre-season.

He said: “We have been careful to manage his minutes and get him through. If you asked their centre backs, they will tell you he is a handful because he roughed them up at times and scored a goal and that is why we brought him to the club.

“We want him to be that focal point at the top of the team who we can play balls longer at time up to him.”

There were no trialists involved in the squad with the left-backs who had been auditioning early in pre-season, Charlton Athletic academy graduate Jacob Roddy and ex-Portsmouth man Brandon Haunstrup, having moved on. Roddy signed for National League South side Oxford City whilst Haunstrup was on trial at Gateshead on Saturday.

Brandon Haunstrup, who appeared twice on trial during pre-season, turned out for Gateshead on Saturday. He had a spell on loan on Tyneside whilst with Cambridge United last season.

Cooper reiterated that he is still hoping to strengthen his squad further with a his sights set on players who are still looking for a club on the eve of the start of the new season.

He said: “Once we get this late in to pre-season there are going to be players that do not get fixed up and they are the ones that we are targeting.

“If you look at last year, we got Michael Smith and Joe Day in really late on and they made a huge difference and we are looking for a signing of that quality and impact.”

The manager agreed a new three-year contract at Huish Park in the week with chairman Martin Hellier also announcing that there would be further budget made available to strengthen the squad.

Cooper said: “I’m really happy and thank the owner for having that faith. I have always had a really good relationship with him. We are aligned with where we want to do, we want to organically build the football club. It is going to be slowly, slowly and we want to be competitive.

“Once we had that alignment it was a no brainer for me, I am happy, I just want the football club to be united, everyone be together and the most importantly thing for me is that the fans, who have been amazing when I have been here, get behind the players, because it makes such a difference when they do.”

Next up, former Glovers’ boss Darren Sarll brings his Hartlepool United side to Huish Park for the National League Premier curtain-raiser.

On Saturday, the North East side signed former Yeovil loanee, goalkeeper Adam Smith, who had three spells on loan in Somerset during Sarll’s reign, and he was named among the substitutes for their 3-1 defeat at home to B side from Premier League Nottingham Forest.

Speaking after that game, Sarll called the performance his side’s “worst of pre-season” with the boss dropping a number of players expected to start at Huish Park.

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Yeovil’s final pre-season action at Huish Park saw them fall to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of League One Exeter City last night. An early gift for Sonny Cox allowed the former Glover loanee to put the Grecians 1-0 up after four minutes, giving Mark Cooper’s side an uphill struggle for the remainder of the evening.

Speaking to the club’s official YouTube channel, Cooper said: “[It was a] good workout for us. First 10-15 minutes we were really good with the ball [but we] gave a horrendous goal away which turned the game around.

“Exeter gave us a real test with the ball and the rotations were really good, so it was a tough evening for us, but that’s what we wanted. It’s no real benefit for us winning 5, 6 ,7-1 in the friendlies it’s about when we come up against real quality teams and League One players, that we have to make sure we’re organised. So, still lot still lots to ponder for us.”

Sonny Cox

Last season Sonny Cox scored a couple of important goals for the Glovers while on loan, before returning to make an impact for Exeter and it took him a few minutes to show what he’s capable of.  Cooper said: “It was just a rubbish goal to give away. We’re in control of the of the ball, a loose turnover and you know, Sonny Cox goes through and scores, does what he does really well and a great finish.

“That panicked us a little bit and we started turning the ball over far too much. That was the crux tonight, we turned the ball over far too much, and if you do that against teams that are two leagues higher than you, it’s going to be a long a long evening and it was. But for us, fitness is key at the moment, we’ve still got over three weeks so we’ve got a real good week next week to get stuck into the boys and get more stuff nailed down.”

The Glovers showed an improvement in the second half, with Frank Nouble grabbing a goal after a loose pass from an Exeter defender, and Dylan Morgan missing a penalty. The boss felt this was more down to Exeter making wholesale changes, though: “Yeah, but we have to be honest. Exeter put all their kids on the pitch, which gave us chance to get closer to them and you know, even then you saw their young boys were really good and scored a couple of goals. You know, I think they change and put nearly all kids on with half an hour to go, which gave us a chance to get closer to them which we did, obviously missed a penalty to make it even more interesting, but that’s just a good workout for us.”

There were spots on the bench for youth players Cody Koerner and Krystian Woods as well as a new left-sided defensive trialist that we believe is Brandon Haunstrup. There was no sign of Jacob Roddy who’s been involved in the first three pre-season matches. The boss admitted that he still feels the squad is a bit light: “We’re a couple of players short. We know that and we’re looking and seeing who’s available, who can we attract when we get to a position where we can move to bring somebody in.”

On the academy he added: “It’s important that we keep trying to push the young boys. We’re trying to get that sort of connection with the with the Academy that if they are good enough, there’s a realistic pathway for them and we put another couple on tonight.”

Yeovil travel to Farnborough next Saturday before visiting Buckland Athletic and Weston-super-Mare with the National League South opponents “the more useful test” of where the players are ahead of the National League kick off on the 10th August.

 

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Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper admitted the 3-0 home defeat to League One side Bristol Rovers was “a reality check” for his side after two impressive wins at the start of their pre-season campaign.

The Glovers were punished for sloppy defending – and a slice of dodgy refereeing, isn’t there always? – as goals from the visitors’ Scott Sinclair, Kofi Shaw and Luke McCormick sealed a comfortable win in front of a crowd of 1,715 for the opening friendly at Huish Park this summer.

The boss had seen his side cruise to consecutive 5-1 wins at lower league Melksham Town and Frome Town in their two opening friendlies and he admitted they had been beaten by “a good team” in Bristol Rovers.

Asked if he thought there were lessons to be learnt from the match, he told the club’s official YouTube channel: “For sure. I thought we were really good for 25 minutes without actually threatening their goal, we were composed and competent with the ball but did not get our attacking play going.

“We obviously conceded a sloppy goal and then the second one was a joke from the referee (James Durkin of Portland, near W*ymouth). There were two fouls and that (second goal) killed the game for me and it was a bit of a downer for us. We go in at half-time 2-0 down when there’s no been a lot in the game.

“I thought Bristol Rovers were really good, after 20 or 25 minutes they stepped on to us with a full press and made it difficult for us to get out.

“They changed and went really aggressive, stepped on to us and that is when we have to realise the space is behind them, not in front of them and we did not recognise that quick enough which led to us being a goal down and then two goals down.”

Substitutes, lots of substitutes after 61 minutes of the friendly with Bristol Rovers. Picture courtesy of Debs Curtis.

However, the boss said he would not lose too much sleep over his side’s performance recognising that they are only three matches in to their pre-season preparations with League One Exeter City the next visitors to Huish Park on Friday night.

Cooper added: “It is pre-season, this is where we get our sharpness and everything fine tuned, that is what pre-season is about. We are not going to get too downbeat, we know where we are and what we have got to do.

“After the Melksham and Frome games we were going to win the league, so it’s just a reality check for everyone, the players included, that we have work to do.”

There was a 60-minute appearance for new signings striker Aaron Jarvis along with a number of first-team regulars in last season’s National League South title-winning side. Fellow new signings midfielder Brett McGavin played 80 minutes and former Rovers’ striker Harvey Greenslade, defender Jake Wannell and goalkeeper Ollie Wright all got 90-minute run-outs.

But Cooper was quick to point out that he expected to give those who did not get so much game time more minutes against Exeter.

He said: “We are just trying to manage everyone’s minutes. There are some that are a little bit in front of others fitness-wise, so we are trying to make sure that we are not pushing some too hard that have got the odd niggle or and pushing some harder that we think need to do a bit more.

“It will be a bit different (against Exeter City) on Friday, some of the boys that played 30 or 35 minutes tonight will play longer on Friday. There is nothing to be read in to the team selection at the moment.”

Full-back Jacob Roddy, who is on trial at Huish Park. Picture courtesy of Mark Kelly.

Trialist full-back Jacob Roddy, who was released from Charlton Athletic in the summer, was one of those who appeared on the 61-minute mark alongside Jordan Stevens, who released by the club in the summer having been unable to hold down a place in the side due to injury problems.

Cooper said after the match that he was not “in a position to do anything” about adding them to the squad at the moment, but he was happy to be able to take a look at both players whilst they are joining the squad for pre-season.

He said: “Being on trial is really difficult, they have acquitted themselves well in to the group, but we are a couple of players short and I don’t think at the moment we are in a position to do anything. But when we are, we have two players there that we have had a good look at.”

There was no place in the squad for full-back Jordan Thomas, a summer signing from Hampton & Richmond, who was an unused substitute in the win at Frome Town on Saturday. There was also no place for goalkeeper Will Buse or playmaker Jordan Maguire-Drew who are both under contract for the coming season but have uncertain futures having not been assigned a squad number.

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Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper has said his National League South title-winning squad must evolve if it is going to be competitive next season.

The Glovers finish their campaign with a long trip to already relegated Dover Athletic this weekend with the boss saying it will be “a big jump” back in to the National League Premier next season.

Ebbsfleet United, the team who Cooper’s men replaced as champions, are still not quite safe and could do with something from their final game at fellow strugglers Boreham Wood this weekend, whilst last season’s play-off winners Oxford City finished bottom with 33 points from their 45 matches to date.

Speaking to Three Valleys’ Radio’s Si Thyer on Thursday ahead of the trip to Kent, Cooper said: “This is the first step. All we have done this year is do what we should have done. We celebrated over the weekend and it’s now about next season for me and wanting to go again.

“When you taste success you want every season to be like that, so as a group we want to put things in place which means we have a chance to do that next year.

“But, we need to give the owner (Martin Hellier) a chance to get the finances in line as to what money we have to use to try and help this really good squad we have got.

“I do not think we would have got relegated, but looking at the teams who came up from the South last year, Ebbsfleet are just about safe, and Oxford City are relegated.

“You have to strengthen because there is a big jump. We have to be ruthless and make sure we improve and, even more importantly, bring in the right characters.”

Super Cooper’s Greens are gunna blind you…
📸 Gary Brown

He suggested that there will be exits as well as (hopefully) arrivals at Huish Park in the summer, but praised the spirit which has been forged between his players this season.

The boss added: “You can’t win a league without the squad without the team spirit being really tight. Even when we have had a couple of little blips along the way, they have remained tight and navigated it without too much trouble.

“There has to be evolution and as will happen at every club, some will move on, some will stay, but the ones that move on leave with a promotion on their CV. That gives them a better opportunity to get a better club next year.”

One of Cooper’s former clubs, Forest Green Rovers, who he led to promotion to the Football League via the play-offs in 2017, were relegated back to non-League this week, and the Glovers’ boss expects the Gloucestershire side to be among those challenging at the top next season.

He said: “It is sad that Forest Green fought so hard to get out of non-League. I think they were the longest-serving members of the National League when they got promoted. It looks like they have spent a massive amount in the last two years and got relegated twice.

“There will be a lot of frustration and anger and they will be looking to bounce back, so I expect them to have a top budget for the level. Straight away they will be favourites and it looks like Sutton and Colchester for the other team coming down.

“What we have been looking at is the logistics because it is a heavily southern-based feel to the league next year which is good for us. Looks like there could be 16-17 southern-based teams which is great for us.”

It was a brace from on loan Exeter City striker Sonny Cox which sealed a 2-0 win over Dover at Huish Park in November.

The trip to Dover appears the most dead rubber of any dead rubber match with the visitors already having their hands on the league title and the home side consigned to relegation three weeks ago.

But you’ll not be surprised to hear Cooper is looking for three points which would see Yeovil finish the season with 95 points and 29 wins – which would be one more than Gary Johnson’s Conference-winning side managed in the 2002-03 campaign.

The manager said: “I will be picking a team to win the game. I will not be handing out minutes for the sake of it, it will be players that I think can win us the game.

“I want to go out with a win, the players want to go out with a win. In my first press conference this season I said ‘whether we are playing in the car park, on top of a mountain, on whatever surface, whether it’s three-a-side, five-a-side, Tiddlywinks – we want to win every competitive battle we go in to and Saturday will be no different.”

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper said he always had confidence he could build a squad capable of getting promoted back to the National League Premier at the first time of asking.

The Glovers’ boss saw his side win 3-1 against a Dartford side which headed out of National League South on Saturday and then lifted the division’s title on the pitch in front of a crowd of 5,701 at Huish Park.

He said he believed the squad needed to add “five or six really good players” if they wanted to compete in the top tier of the non-League game next season.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins and our own Ian Perkins after the game, he said: “Talk is cheap, but I knew if someone would give me the opportunity to put a squad together I knew I could do it. I have done it at every level in the National League. The owner (chairman Martin Hellier) came in and backed us to put a good squad together and we have done that and it just shows if people come to a club and you trust people who know what they are doing, not trust people that do not, you have a chance to succeed. If you get it wrong, you get relegated.”

Brooklyn Genesini 📸 Gary Brown

He added: “It means a lot because I felt a real sense of responsibility for the players that were here last season. I wanted a chance to build the club because I liked what I saw even in the dark times, I knew it could be a good club if we had the opportunity to build it. The owner put his money where his mouth is and has given us that chance. Those dark times have been lifted by the tremendous achievements of the players and fans, they have been amazing.

“If you looked at our team at Braintree and Slough, the team on the pitch would be in a bottom tier budget. Without the likes of Alex Whittle, Jake Hyde, Rhys Murphy, Michael Smith, we had a lot of young players like Jahmari Clarke, Brooklyn Genesini, there were a lot of young players on the pitch. People will talk about our budget this season and it is alright having loads of money and being the favourites like Torquay were, but you have to make sure you use that money wisely. I think that is what we have done.”

Asked about how he felt about next season, he said: “It is a tough league. We have the nucleus of a good squad, I have had to be ruthless at times and do the best thing for the club. We need to sign five or six really good players that are going to complement the group we have because they deserve that.”

On Saturday, Yeovil fell behind to an early goal from Dartford captain Luke Coulson, but were quickly back on level terms when Sam Pearson equalised before an own goal from the visitors’ Ronny Nelson and a second half tap in from Alex Fisher sealed the win.

Cooper said he was never worried despite going behind early, saying: “The goal was probably the best thing that could have happened, but I was never worried or panicky. I just trust the players implicitly to get it done.

“It was an incredible football performance and we are going to play a lot more football if I have anything to do with it, I just think that is the way the game should be played. I do not want to make it a lottery, of course we are going to give balls away in rubbish areas at times but you see the amount of chances we created, we should have scored ten.

“It was nice to go out with a nice, convincing win in our final home game and the scenes at the end I just said to the boys ‘it is a shame it is not like this every year, but let’s try and make this the thing.’”

For Fisher, it was another chapter in his fairytale return following a horrific double leg break he suffered almost exactly a year earlier and the manager was full of praise for his striker. 

He said: “Fish has come back and scored some goals to get us over the line. He’s a great bloke, an experienced professional and he will enjoy that first promotion in England. These players have crossed over the line today, a lot of them have a (C) on their CVs which, as a manager, you look at these things when you ask ‘is he a winner?’ We know we have a few that can whether it is here or elsewhere that they do it, you can never take this promotion from them.”

The Glovers finish the season with a long journey to already relegated Dover Athletic on the final game of the season next weekend and Cooper is going to win.

He said: “I said on Thursday night (after the win over Truro which sealed the title), we were desperate to win this game and go out in style. We did that and we will be desperate to go to Dover and get three points. We might have an opportunity to play a few of the boys who are coming back from injury and freshen it up because you have some boys in there that ran 13km on Thursday and did it again today. We have some warriors in there, and we need to add to that in the summer, add wisely and get the right characters.”

 

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper paid tribute to his players, the club’s supporters and chairman Martin Hellier as he tasted promotion at the first attempt with a 2-0 victory against Truro City.

The boss was soaked in champagne by his players as he gave a raft of interviews at the side of the pitch having watched the game from the stands at Gloucester City’s Tigerturf Stadium, part of a touchline ban for his recent FA charge for picking fault with a Hemel Hempstead player trying to break his son’s leg.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the match, he said: “It’s a fantastic achievement for the club, the owner came in and gave us a chance to put this remarkable team together and get a bit of soul and heart back in the club and we have done that. We have done that, the players have done that and it is a brilliant night for the football club and one we should enjoy.

“It feels so sweet. We proved everybody wrong and we went and we enjoyed the plastic and we look forward to next season now.”

Cooper has spoken on many occasions about the desire to remove the stain of last season’s relegation to regional football during a turbulent period at the club, and admitted he always wanted to stay on to try and guide them back at the first attempt.

Asked how he felt about his decision to stay, he said: “I am delighted, but I did not have too many options, to be honest! I just felt there was the nucleus of a good team and I wanted to get rid of that relegation or make it look better on my CV.”

Next up, Yeovil return to Huish Park with relegation-threatened Dartford coming to town on Saturday when the National League South trophy will be presented and the manager said he was looking forward to celebrating with the club’s supporters.

He said: “We hope to have the chairman there. He was not here tonight, he has gone away for a much deserved break, but I am buzzing for Saturday when we can have a party together with loads and loads of Yeovil fans and get that feel good factor back. We have to enjoy these moments before we start thinking about next year.

“It is amazing support, for the level we are at. It should be a great football club and we want to try and build that and make it great again.”

On the pitch on Thursday night, goals from strikers Rhys Murphy and Alex Fisher sealed the three points which clinched the title. But, the game was not without adversity with winger Jordan Stevens coming off after just nine minutes with a reoccurrence of a hamstring injury, before Murphy limped off seven minutes later.

Cooper added: “If you had asked me which one of the player would not have broken down, it would have been Murph (Rhys Murphy) because he has trained for two weeks, he’s played decent minutes and looked really strong and then he’s just pulled it. Then Jordan Stevens again, so we had to keep a substitution back just in case. It was not great for those boys but we got it done.“

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Mark Cooper praised AFC Stoneham following the Glovers 7-1 win in the FA Cup this afternoon. Goals from Jordan Young, Jake Wannell, Frank Nouble, Rhys Murphy (x3) and Jordan Maguire-Drew saw Yeovil run out comfortable winners and the boss was pleased that his side scored seven but lamented the Duarte Martin’s consolation goal.

Speaking to BBC Somerset following the victory, Cooper said: “It’s about Stoneham today. It’s their day, it’s about them and how well they’ve done to get the results they’ve had to get to get to this stage.”

Despite the comfortable score line and the dominant performance Cooper was disappointed with the “schoolboy defending” for Stoneham’s goal and felt his side should have scored more.

“We had a job to do, we did it. Like I said, it was a no-win situation for us. But we were professional enough. I’m devastated about the goal we conceded, that should never happen. But, to score seven in any game is obviously pleasing.

“I’m pretty selfish, I thought we could have won by more”

“We started off really well, the keeper made some unbelievable saves in the first few minutes. I’m pretty selfish, I thought we could have won by more. but I’m really angry about the goal we conceded and if that’s a league game we probably concede two or three late on.”

Rhys Murphy earned himself the match ball with a second half hattrick of archetypal Murphy finishes and Cooper was pleased with the contribution of his substitutes.

“The boys that are not playing, when they come on the pitch [they]need to contribute and that’s been the case so far for us this season. Our subs have contributed and they did again today.”

It’s three wins in a row for Yeovil now, and the Glovers face a visit to 21st place Hampton & Richmond Borough next weekend hoping to find the a fourth.

“Whatever level you play at, to win three games on the bounce is hard. It’s hard to win a game of football because there are so many variables. The opposition have 11 players that are trying to stop you so to win three games at any level is good. We’ve got to try and make that four next week.”

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Jordan Young is relishing Saturday’s FA Cup tie with ninth-tier AFC Stoneham.

The forward had a successful run in the competition with Chippenham last year, beating Lincoln to reach the Second Round.

“It’s an exciting week, FA Cup week,” Young said. “I think it’s a massive competition and I’m looking forward to it.

“I had a good run last year and it’s so exciting. If you can go on a good run and get a good team, it’s exciting.

“We’re obviously focused on the league but that was last week and this week we’re really looking forward to having an exciting cup game.

“I know a little bit about them. Every game’s going to be tough because they’re going to be bang up for it so we’ve just got to concentrate on ourselves and go from there.”

The 22-year-old is enjoying a run in Mark Cooper’s team, contributing a goal and two assists in his last two games.

“I’m quite a confident player even when I’m not playing. I’m confident in myself and I just need that run of games getting in the team and thankfully I’ve done well.

“It’s tough because sometimes you want a run of games to get going, but we’ve got a really good squad with good players and rotation can help as well.”

Young has particularly impressed with his set pieces, including a sublime free-kick against Weston-super-Mare.

“I think at the start of the season we struggled with set pieces a little bit, but we really worked on it and you can tell now it’s paying off.

“We’ve got some big boys and all we need to do is go and attack it and we’ll score goals.”

“The good thing is we’re winning and we’re not playing as well as we can do. So once we get to that level, I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

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Mark Cooper described Yeovil’s upcoming FA Cup tie with AFC Stoneham as a “no-win” situation.

The Wessex League Premier Division side, who ply their trade three divisions below the Glovers, will travel to Huish Park looking to cause an upset.

Cooper said: “It’s a ‘no-win’ for us and it’s a ‘win-win’ for Stoneham because everyone expects us to win. For us, it’s about paying total respect to Stoneham.

“It’s about them, it’s their day but we have a job to do and our only job is to make sure we try and get in the next round.

“They’ve not played lots of league games yet but I think they’re at the top of their league. We had them watched at Cowes on Saturday, so we’re paying as much respect as we would to a Torquay United or whoever we were playing.”

When asked if he’d consider rotating his team for the visit of the Purples, Cooper had a simple answer.

“No. We’re trying to win the game so I’m going to play the strongest team I can. I’ve never had an easy game and I don’t expect one.”

Experienced defender Michael Smith could be in line to make his debut after signing for the Glovers following his release from Hearts.

“He’s been on our radar for a while and obviously Michael with his stock and having played 30-odd games in the Scottish Premier and Europe last year, he was a little bit out of our price range.

Michael Smith signed on Tuesday

“He was exploring the possibilities of League One and he’s had some big offers to go back to Scotland but he wanted to settle in Bristol because of his family and that’s the only reason we’ve managed to get him. He could have gone back to Scotland for treble the amount that he’s getting paid with us and it just fell lucky for us at the right time.”

The Northern Ireland international will be hoping his first Huish Park appearance is as successful as the drum that made its debut on the terrace last week!

“I think the Chairman’s just got that to drown out the moaners! I asked him for that to shut them blokes up behind me!

“I thought it was great, the players loved it. When there’s those dull lulls in the game, it keeps going. I think it adds to the experience, definitely.”