Match Gallery – Boreham Wood (home)
2025-10-04
An afternoon to forget for the Glovers, so here’s a lovely array of images of the day for you to remember it by! Sorry about that!
Distant Glover: Managers explained
2025-10-04
With comings and goings (mostly goings) at Huish Park over the past month, our resident cartoonist Alex ‘Distant Glover’ Russell provides a simple explanation……
……..simple, right?!
Ferguson: We have to take our medicine
2025-10-04
Defender Kyle Ferguson said Yeovil Town’s players are fully focused on bouncing back from the 3-0 home defeat to Boreham Wood.
The central defender, who has been an ever present in the starting XI since the departure of Mark Cooper in September, admitted the Glovers were outplayed by an impressive Wood side at Huish Park.
Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Mark Stillman after the game, he said: “I felt like everybody was just a couple of yards off it today which is rare to see so many of us off it at one time, but we will take our medicine and make sure we come back stronger. They are up there (in the table) for a reason, they are a good team and there is no hiding from that, but we are also a good team. If we have aspirations of getting in the play-offs we have to be beating teams like that.
“The boys have put in a great shift over the past few games. With the manager (presumably Danny Webb) leaving, I think if you had said to any of the fans we would get nine points from the four games they would have snapped your hand off. We are happy with nine points, but we were aiming for 12 because we want to be up there.”
The Glovers fell behind to a goal from the impressive Abdul Abdulkarim after just 20 minutes before Matt Rush added a second on the stroke of half-time. Manager Richard Dryden made a triple substitution at the start of the second half but the visitors added a third just after the hour mark to end Yeovil’s three-match winning run.
Ferguson added: “We made a decision at half-time to just get after them in the second half and you could see in the second half that we just went man for man in the second half and tried to get ourselves back in the game. It is tough when they score on the stroke of half-time and you go in (2-0 down) but I think the reaction in the second half was a bit better.”
He thanked the club’s supporters for their support during a few weeks which have seen two managers, first Cooper and then the short-lived Danny Webb, depart. The 26-year-old said: “The fans have been brilliant with all we have been through, they have stuck with us. I am saying this from all the boys, the fans have been unbelievable. It has been a tough couple of weeks for the club and the boys have been really pushed on by the fans. Even after a not very good first half they are still cheering us on and it means the world to us and gives us a boost as well.”
Ferguson has started the past eight games having only started two matches under Cooper and believes he still has more to give. He added: “I came in wanting to play and the previous manager (Mark Cooper) just did not want to play me, but now I have had my chance to play I want to show everybody what I was like last season and keep performing to the level I know I can. I do not think I am anywhere near my best yet, I still think I have levels to go up. This is the first run of games I have had in a long time and I feel I am better every game.”
The Glovers will now have a seven-day break before they take on Hemel Hempstead Town in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round next weekend. It is a much needed break having played four matches in just ten days in the league.
Ferguson said: “That week really good because the games have been crazy, Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, three games in six days is a lot especially when it is the same eleven. But you cannot really change a winning eleven, so I understand why it has been the same eleven. But four games in under two weeks is a lot and we need to bounce back in the Cup and then the weekend after in the league.“
Dryden: We were well beaten
2025-10-04
Yeovil Town manager Richard Dryden gave credit to today’s opponents Boreham Wood after seeing his side outplayed in a 3-0 defeat at Huish Park on Saturday.
The visitors, who moved up to third place in the National League Premier Division table with the win, dominated from start to finish and Dryden was quick to praise their performance.
Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Mark Stillman after the match, he said: “We were up against it from the first minute and I have to give credit to Boreham Wood, they outpressed us, outpassed us and I thought they were a really good working unit. We never really got in to the game. We were on the back foot after the first goal, it was a horrible time to concede a second in the last minute of first half injury time, we tried to change the shape in the second half which I am not a big fan of, to try and get a foothold in to the game.
“We were thinking about it ten minutes before (the second goal) to change it up a bit and give some people a rest, but the second goal so late in the first half is a tough one to take. They had a lot more chances to make it threes and fours, and we have got to get over it quickly and start again. We did not pass it like we did, we still have to be brave on the ball even when we are being pressed, but we ended up going long and did not create a lot on set pieces. All in all we have to say we were well beaten.”
The defeat brings a three-match winning run to an end for Yeovil, but Dryden was keen to bring a sense to perspective despite the disappointing performance. He said: “It is one game and I said before the game that (Boreham Wood) are up there for a reason. From what we have seen on the analysis there is every chance they can stay there.”
The Glovers suffered a double blow with the loss of Josh Sims after just 21 minutes before on loan Port Vale player James Plant was forced off with a shoulder injury just ten minutes to the second half.
Dryden made a triple substitution at half-time with captain Jake Wannell, who has been struggling with injury, striker Junior Morias and defender-turned-midfielder Finn Cousin-Dawson all replaced at the break.
The boss said: “Hopefully Simsy is not too bad, he took a hell of a crack. He was getting treatment at half-time, but he is a warrior and hopefully it was just a big impact and nothing more than that. Planty’s shoulder popped out a little bit when he came off, but hopefully that is not as bad as it sounds. Wans has been struggling with one of his glutes, so we decided to go four at the back and take him off and rest him.”
Goalkeeper Jed Ward was awarded the sponsors’ Man of the Match – you can cast your vote in our poll here – and Dryden admitted that summed up his side’s performance. He said: “He has been brilliant and a big asset. It probably sums it all up when you get beaten 3-0 and your goalkeeper gets Man of the Match. That was how far behind Boreham Wood we were.”
Match Report: Yeovil Town 0 Boreham Wood 3
2025-10-04
Yeovil Town’s recent good form came to a juddering halt at the hands of an impressive Boreham Wood side who ran out comfortable winners at a blustery Huish Park on Saturday.
The visitors started the match in fifth place in the National League Premier Division and quickly showed why as they took the lead through the impressive Abdul Abdulmalik and striker Matt Rush added a second deep in to first half stoppage time.
With the wind at their backs after the break, Yeovil failed to take advantage of the conditions and Boreham Wood continued to toy with their hosts and full-back Femi Ilesanmi was there to turn it home. Game, set, match.
First half
Manager Richard Dryden named an unchanged starting XI for the fourth consecutive match as they went in search of their fourth consecutive win. The visitors attacked the Thatcher’s End with Storm Amy giving them a major advantage with the wind literally in their sales from the start.
It was visiting midfielder Zak Brunt who was the first to try his luck with a wind-assisted shot from distance in the eighth minute with an effort which whistled over the bar.
There was an early blow for Yeovil after Josh Sims suffered an injury after an awkward landing having jumped for a header and the former Southampton man was off the pitch when Boreham Wood took the lead after 20 minutes. Abdul ABDULMALIK cut inside and stroked the ball in to the far corner leaving goalkeeper Jed Ward with no chance. Byron Pendleton replaced Sims before the game restarted. A double blow for the Glovers.
For the second week in a row, Yeovil faced a side which played the ball around nicely with the ball spending plenty of time on the deck, similar to the second half against Altrincham seven days earlier. Yeovil changed their formation with Pendleton going across to the left and trying to match their visitors’ 4-2-3-1 formation.
After 34 minutes, experienced full-back Jeff King fired in a free-kick which was tipped around the post by Jed Ward who was at full stretch to deny the visitors a second. The windy conditions definitely helped that one on its way.
Abdulmalik had another effort four minutes before half-time which deflected off team-mate Charles Clayden and went behind for a Yeovil goal kick, and Brunt put an effort in to the side netting in the second minute of seven minutes of first half injury time.
Just as it looked like we would go in at the break just one goal down, Boreham Wood grabbed a second with just seconds remaining. Abdulmalik skipped away from Morgan Williams with ease down the left side, fed Clayden and he played a cross in to Matt RUSH was there to double the visitors’ advantage.
Boreham Wood thoroughly deserve their half-time advantage, they have taken full advantage of the windy conditions and Yeovil will have to do the same in the second half if they are to get anything out of this one.
Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Boreham Wood 2
Second half
Richard Dryden made three changes at half-time with Brett McGavin, Aaron Jarvis and Alex Whittle replacing and Finn Cousin-Dawson, Junior Morias and captain Jake Wannell. McGavin in particular was needed to bring some control in the middle and hopefully get Yeovil’s attacking players who have proved some potent in the previous three matches involved in the second half.
It looks like we are starting with a 4-4-2 (cue Mike Bassett quote) formation with Jarvis and Tahvon Campbell paired together up from. Within eight seconds of the restart, Aaron Jarvis was penalised by referee Niall Smith. What does that man have to do to get a decision from a match official?!
It was Boreham Wood who had the first chance of the second half after seven minutes of the restart, Clayden exploited the space left by Yeovil’s change in formation and curled a wonderful shot in. Luckily, Jed Ward was able to pull off an equally impressive save to deny him. The on loan Bristol Rovers’ man could have a busy half if we are going to push to get back in to his game.
James Plant became the second enforced change of the match of the match on 55 minutes. The on loan Port Vale player appeared to injure his shoulder and was replaced by Harvey Greenslade. That is all our substitutes made with only ten minutes of the second half played.
Campbell had an opportunity to set Andrew Oluwabori away but the striker could not get the ball under control and Wood defender Chris Bush stole the ball off him to start an attack which led to Zak Brunt dragging a chance wide. That could easily have been 3-0.
On 64 minutes, it was 3-0 to Boreham Wood after 63 minutes. It all started with Abdulmalik again, he skipped past a couple of players and the Yeovil defence were statuesque as Femi ILESANMI turned it home. You cannot say the visitors do not deserve this scoreline.
It took until the 72nd minute for Yeovil to have a meaningful effort on goal. McGavin’s ball forward was cleverly stepped over by Campbell and Greenslade coming in from the left side tried to caress it in to the corner but Finn Herrick in the visitors’ goal did well to turn it around the post.
Ward had to pull off another great save to deny Jeff King after 75 minutes. We have struggled to cope with the pace of this Boreham Wood side all afternoon and that was the case again there. The visitors had the ball in the net three minutes later when substitute Lewis Richardson had a shot saved by Ward and Rush was there to put the ball in the net, but the offside flag was up.
McCormick had a shot well saved by Herrick with ten minutes remaining. The wind which was gusting towards the Thatcher’s in the first half appears to have dropped, but we have simply not been allowed to play in anything like the attacking style we have seen in the last three matches. Credit has to go to Boreham Wood for standing up to us better than we have had a go at them.
There was still time for the visitors to cut through Yeovil like a hot knife through butter and Brunt fired in another dipping shot which Ward tipped over the bar. The keeper picked up another sponsors’ Man of the Match award and it’s hard to argue with it.
It was one way traffic all afternoon and it looks as if it was a game too far for our small squad.
Full time: Yeovil Town 0 Boreham Wood 3
Match Details
Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 4th October, 3pm kick-off
Competition: National League Premier Division
Scorers: Abdul Abdulmalik 20 (0-1), Matt Rush 45+7 (0-2), Femi Ilesanmi 64 (0-3),
Pitch: Still looking good
Conditions: Blowing a gale towards the Thatcher’s End in the first half, dropped a little after the break
Attendance: 2,660 (48 away supporters)
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Luke McCormick 90+2
Boreham Wood: Tom White 90
Referee: Niall Smith
Yeovil Town (3-4-1-2)
Substitutes: Byron Pendleton (for Josh Sims, 21), Alex Whittle (for Jake Wannell, 46), Brett McGavin (for Finn Cousin-Dawson, 46), Aaron Jarvis (for Junior Morias, 46), Harvey Greenslade (for James Plant, 55), Ben Wodskou (not used), Matt Gould (not used).
Boreham Wood: Finlay Herrick, Femi Ilesanmi, Chris Bush, Charlie O’Connell, Zak Brunt, Abdul Abdulmalik (for Jon Benton, 87), Jeff King (for Cameron Coxe, 79), Callum Reynolds, Charles Clayden (for Lewis Richardson, 64), Tom White, Matt Rush.
Substitutes (not used): Erico Sousa, Junior Dixon, Joe Newton, Aaron Henry.
Dryden: The players are earning their shirts
2025-10-04
Yeovil Town manager Richard Dryden has no concerns about naming an unchanged starting XI for the fourth consecutive game.
The Glovers take on in-form Boreham Wood, who have not lost since the opening day of the season, at Huish Park looking to extend their own winning run to four matches.
The boss is hoping to have winger James Daly and midfielder Jacob Maddox back to fitness in the coming weeks. He has confirmed the pair have both returned to light training.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman ahead of kick-off, Dryden said: “We are waiting for one or two to come in, but we are planning to keep the same side. There is a lot of talk everywhere about why we are not bringing players in but at the moment the players that are in or are filling the bench are doing a job.
“It is not just the goalkeeper and the back three (which have contributed to our defence) it is the people in midfield and in the wide areas and the forwards pressing. The goalkeeper and defenders get the plaudits when you keep a clean sheet, but it is a whole team effort when we score and when we keep clean sheets.”
The game will be played in blustery conditions with Storm Amy battering the country with winds of up to 100mph this weekend.
Dryden said: “”I have driven down from Wiltshire today and I have gone through all kinds of weather on the way here, I am glad I got here safe and sound with the wind. It is brightening up with the weather, it is going to be windy, but we have to adapt to that.”
Team News – Boreham Wood (home)
2025-10-04
Yeovil Town have named an unchanged starting XI for the fourth consecutive match as they take on fifth-placed Boreham Wood at Huish Park this afternoon (3pm kick-off).
The Glovers have won their last three matches since manager Richard Dryden has placed in charge until the end of the season whilst today’s visitors have not lost since the opening day of the National League Premier Division season.
Finn Cousin-Dawson, who lines up in midfield yet again, is making his 50th appearance for the club.
Ticket details – Hemel Hempstead Town
2025-10-04
It’s almost time for the road to Wembley to begin and ironically we will not be passing far from the Arch to get to Vauxhall Road, the home of Hemel Hempstead Town in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round.
We have obviously been there before on the opening day of the 2023-24 National League South season, an match we would all rather forget, so hopefully this visit will prove more enjoyable.
Pricing for tickets is simple, no differentiation between seating and standing. They are available to buy now – here.
Adults: £17.00
Concessions (65+, Students, Military Emergency Services): £12.00
Under 18s: £7.00
Identification is required for any concessionary rates. For Under 18s, the following forms of identifications are acceptable: Current Passport, EU National ID Card, Current Full UK Driving Licence, Student Identification Card (or ISIC), UK Armed Forces ID Card, OAP Travel Pass.
Hemel also point out that “racial, homophobic, sexist or discriminatory abuse, chanting or harassment is strictly forbidden and will result in arrest and/or ejection from the ground” – and no starting fights with your own supporters either, okay?
There is presently no information available as to whether Vauxhall Road will be segregated, but we are likely to be given the Adeyfield School End of the stadium as we were in 2023. It is a fair sized terrace which is raised above (plastic) pitch level to give you a good view – which will hopefully be a good thing this time. There are no details as to what provision and where has been made for any away fans who might have difficulty standing for a whole match but it is implied where will be some.
Turnstiles for this terrace are to the left as approach via the entrance to the ground with the main (now home) turnstiles in front of you, across the small carpark towards an astro training pitch.
Disabled
There’s nothing I can find on the website about disabled provision. From memory, only having been to this ground three times across about 30 years, a couple of areas will be accessible to wheelchair users and think recall a ramp that allows entry to the club house. The contact point with particular queries or assistance requests is via email: secretary@hemelfc.com
Daly and Maddox both back in training
2025-10-04
Summer signing James Daly and long-term absentee midfielder Jacob Maddox are both back in light training, according to Yeovil Town manager Richard Dryden.
Winger Daly has not featured since picking up an injury in the second game of the season whilst Maddox has been missing since February following an operation on a foot injury in the summer.
The Glovers take on fifth-placed Boreham Wood, who have had an impressive return to the National League Premier Division this season, at Huish Park on Saturday looking to extend a run of three back-to-back victories.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Thursday, Dryden said: “Jacob Maddox and James Daly are both back in light training doing jogging and running, they have not kicked a ball yet, but they are getting there. They are the two big (injuries) so we will have the same sort of squad for Saturday.
“It is hard to gauge when they will be available. Jacob has obviously been out for longer than James, they both look naturally fit, but being naturally fit and football fit are totally different things. We will take the medical department’s advice on that and ease them in.”
Midfielder Charlie Cooper is the other absentee having been missing since the 2-1 home win over Brackley Town in August with an Achilles tendon injury. Asked about his fitness, the manager added: “He is getting there, but as I said before Danny (Webb) came in, (Charlie) has got to be 100% to play. If he comes in at 90% he will drop back to 60%, so he has got to get around that.”
A 2-1 win at Sutton United on Tuesday night saw Yeovil extend their winning run to three games and Dryden has been pleased with his players’ determination since being handed the manager’s job until the end of the season following the shock exit of Danny Webb.
He said: “I have been most proud of our resilience over the last three games, the desire to stop the ball going in to our net, that has been a big thing. I know we conceded at Sutton on Tuesday, but before that our players were throwing themselves in front of the ball blocking shots and it was a great finish from (Sutton’s Charlie Bell) there is no deny that. But our determination and resilience to win games makes me proud of this team.”
That victory followed a comfortable 4-1 victory at Aldershot Town and a hard-fought 1-0 win over Altrincham in the last outing at Huish Park last weekend. Dryden added: “They have all been different wins, we dominated the majority of the game (at Aldershot), had to dig in (against Altrincham) at home and I thought it was quite a complete performance (at Sutton) when we had to defend really well.
“You are looking behind you (at the substitutes) when the lads are getting tired and we have got a good bench and bringing those fresh legs on when we did really helped, you definitely saw that especially in the last 20 minutes of the game when Harvey (Greenslade) and Ben (Wodskou) came on at the top of the pitch. They had to press, run with the ball, so it helps when you have a good bench as well.”
Striker Aaron Jarvis picked up his first goal of the season at Sutton having scored the 81st minute penalty which gave Yeovil the three points. It is the bearded frontman’s first goal since scoring in the 1-1 draw with Woking back in January.
Dryden was asked whether it was a relief to see Jarvis score, he replied: “I would not say a relief because when he is on the pitch, especially in the last three games, he has made a massive impact although he has not scored. I always go on about how Olivier Giroud won the World Cup with France without scoring a goal! (Jarvis) does other stuff as well, but he will be happy he has got his goal.”
Dryden has named the same starting XI for all three of the matches since he took over and admitted he has had to manage the amount his small squad has been asked to do in matches and training.
He said: “A lot if it is about squad management, we have done a little trip to the swimming pool, a little walk in it, but we all want to get back on the grass because the atmosphere is good. We will not be doing a lot but we need to work out our shape defensively and in attacking positions and from set plays with a bit of other stuff on Friday.”
Boreham Wood, who were promoted via the National League South play-off last season, are unbeaten since the opening day of the season and will offer a tough test for Yeovil’s impressive recent form. Visiting manager Luke Garrard returned to the helm at Meadow Park in September having quit the previous May following relegation to National League South and appears to be working his magic again.
Dryden said: “Luke has come back and got them going, he is Mr Boreham Wood. We have looked at how they are playing and we are working out a way how to hurt them and how to defend against them.
“They keep the ball really well and try to suck you in to play through you and they have got a far bit of pace in certain areas as well. They are 12 games in now and the table is starting to take shape and they are in the play-off positions and the table does not lie after 12 games. From what I have been watching on the Wyscout (scouting tool) today, they can definitely be there for the rest of the season.“