It’s the last Gloverscast of 2024 and Ian, Ben and Dave chat about departures, signings, Boxing Day, Swansea, Forest Green Rovers, Darren Way and plenty more! Enjoy and thanks for all of your support this year! Here’s to 2025.
We’ve got a New Year’s Day clash at Forest Green Rovers to look forward to and with it, a Yeovil Town debut (of sorts).
Referee James Oldham has never refereed Yeovil Town, but will make his first appearances in the middle for one of our games on this occasion.
He’s officiated 13 games so far this season, dishing out 58 yellow cards and five red ones.
Two of those red cards came in a feisty game between Altrincham and Woking, Alty reduced to 10 fairly early on, before our old mate Dale Gorman thought it might be fairer to even the numbers up later on.
He has officiated FGR games five times, but not for a while. The last time he did, he gave Corey O’Keefe of Rovers two yellow cards in the 89th and 92nd minute!
He’ll be assisted by his assistants; Scott Chalkley and Harley McKittrick and Ash Clarke has fourth official duties.
Forest Green Rovers (First Team) v Yeovil Town FC (First Team)
National League – Premier
Referee: Oldham, James
Assistant Referee: Chalkley, Scott
Assistant Referee: McKittrick, Harley
Fourth Official: Clarke, Ashley
Yeovil Town have, tentatively, been linked with Boston United defender Cameron Green.
Sports Journalist Pete O’Rourke has said that an ‘offer’ for the full back has been made with a view to a move in January.
Of course, Transfer Windows don’t actually apply to us, so there’s no reason why things can’t progress before the calendar flips to 2025.
As with the Ed James/West Ham thing… we take all these things with the required pinch of salt.
Cam Green was in the Boston side that lost 3-1 to the Glovers earlier in the summer.
Yeovil have made an offer for Boston United left-back Cameron Green. The defender is out of contract in the summer and Yeovil are looking to get a deal done in January. #ytfc #bufc
— Pete O’Rourke (@SportsPeteO) December 28, 2024
Ok, now we’re getting ahead of ourselves, but it’s good to get the details down nice and early.
Tickets for Yeovil fans heading to Barnet on Tuesday 4th March 2025 can secure their place.
Away tickets are available to purchase in Stand 66.
For wheelchair disabled and carer tickets please call 020 8381 3800 and they will assist with the purchase.
This is another fairly easy process, click on your required stand block (Stand Sixty-Six A or B) as you see below…
Then, select your individual seat and then, you get the screen shot below, the blue prices are also selection buttons, so click on your appropriate price band (You are advised that failure to provide ID proof of concession at the turnstile may result in entry being refused.)
Then, as with a number of other teams, you will need to sign in or register for an account.
Tickets for Yeovil Town’s trip to Maidenhead United are now on sale to away fans.
The game is scheduled to take place on Saturday 22nd February with a 3pm kick-off.
It’s a fairly simple process for fans looking to get ahead.
Once you’ve selected which ticket you want and how many you require, it’s a fairly simple and obvious journey to complete your journey.
You can sign up for an account for their ticketing service, or just “log in” using your Google/Gmail details and pay the good people.
Let’s take a deep dive into the terms, the conditions and the match-day details, shall we?
U16 children and young people attending first team games at York Road must be accompanied by an adult (18 and above). To assist with the implementation of this policy, unaccompanied supporters aged 16 to 18 may be asked to for ID.
CARERS TICKETS
We offer complimentary carer tickets upon direct request. Once you have booked your match ticket, please email social@maidenheadunitedfc.org with your booking reference number to request your carers ticket.
After a festive break, the roundups are back, and having missed the week of Yeovil’s 2-1 defeat at Hartlepool United, I’m going to mash them into a mega-roundup for your festive reading! Following Yeovil’s 2-2 Boxing Day draw with Eastleigh, let’s see what else went on around the rest of the country!
We’ll start with Hartlepool United, who followed their win against us with an entertaining 4-3 defeat away at Gateshead, despite the best efforts of Gary Madine who scored a double following his winner against us. It’s a game of doubles it seems, as Tyrelle Newton grabbed a double for the hosts in their win, and in their pre-Christmas game, it was another four goals for the Heed, as they won 4-1 away at Ebbsfleet United, with Owen Oseni grabbing a double that day.
The basement side were thumped pre-Christmas, and they were thumped post-Christmas too as yet another double was struck, Aribim Pepple scoring two of Southend United‘s four goals in their 4-0 win. The Shrimpers’ Boxing Day win was a stark contrast to their 3-0 defeat at York City. The Minstermen couldn’t follow up on their emphatic victory as on Boxing Day, their evening clash with Oldham Athletic was postponed due to poor visibility.
On their travels before Christmas, Oldham defeated Braintree Town in a 2-0 win, leaving them six points off the top with THREE games in hand, ones to watch in the title race perhaps… the Essex hosts bounced back from defeat against the title hopefuls with a big 4-2 win away at Dagenham & Redbridge, a brace of braces from Kyrell Lisbie and Chay Cooper handing a vital three points to the visitors, while it spelled the end of Ben Strevens’ time in charge of the Daggers. His final two matches were the defeat against Braintree, and a heavy 3-0 defeat away at another relegation battler in Wealdstone.
The Stones couldn’t capitalise on the big win against Dagenham & Redbridge, as on Boxing Day they were defeated by fellow relegation contenders Maidenhead United, with Shawn McCoulsky contributing a double in a 3-1 result. Their pre-Christmas fortunes were no better, as they lost narrowly to our Boxing Day visitors Eastleigh in a 1-0 defeat, with Eastleigh’s other result of course being the 2-2 draw with ourselves.
The new league leaders Barnet registered a pair of score draws over the festive period, as they were held at home by FC Halifax Town in a 1-1 draw, before a dramatic 99th minute equaliser on Boxing Day shared the points with Sutton United in a 3-3 draw. Halifax registered a 0-0 Boxing Day draw against Altrincham, while Sutton were defeated by Tamworth before Christmas. Altrincham travelled to Woking before Christmas and lost in Neal Ardley’s first game as boss of the home side, while Tamworth’s Boxing Day clash with our New Years’ hosts Forest Green Rovers ended in a 1-1 draw.
Woking’s post-Christmas action ended similarly to ours in a 2-2 draw against Aldershot Town, who also drew pre-Christmas to Forest Green Rovers. Rochdale‘s game against Boston United was postponed before Christmas due to a waterlogged pitch, so Boxing Day was a welcome return to football for them, at least it was for Rochdale in a 3-1 win away at AFC Fylde; Boston were defeated at home by Solihull Moors, and these two sides faced off pre-Christmas in a 4-1 win for Solihull.
National League results (21/12/24) – in full
Barnet 1-1 FC Halifax Town
Braintree Town 0-2 Oldham Athletic
Eastleigh 1-0 Maidenhead United
Ebbsfleet United 1-4 Gateshead
Forest Green Rovers 1-1 Aldershot Town
Hartlepool United 2-1 Yeovil Town
Rochdale P-P Boston United
Solihull Moors 4-1 AFC Fylde
Sutton United 1-2 Tamworth
Wealdstone 3-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
Woking 2-1 Altrincham
York City 3-0 Southend United
National League results (26/12/24) – in full
AFC Fylde 1-3 Rochdale
Aldershot Town 2-2 Woking
Altrincham 0-0 FC Halifax Town
Barnet 3-3 Sutton United
Boston United 0-1 Solihull Moors
Dagenham & Redbridge 2-4 Braintree Town
Gateshead 4-3 Hartlepool United
Maidenhead United 3-1 Wealdstone
Southend United 4-0 Ebbsfleet United
Tamworth 1-1 Forest Green Rovers
Yeovil Town 2-2 Eastleigh
Oldham Athletic P-P York City
It was late heartbreak for the Glovers on Boxing Day, with a late Eastleigh equaliser, there’s was late goals in some of our loanee’s games too.
Harvey Greenslade was back in the Weston-super-Mare starting line up for their clash away at Truro, all was well for the Seagulls as the clock ticked beyond 90 minutes, a Reuben Reid goal (assisted by Greenslade) was all that separated the sides, but a late Truro goal snatched a point.
25 – Harvey has a shot blocked by Lewis before Dean curls into the arms of Harris.
🔴 0 – 0 🟡
— Weston-super-Mare AFC (@WSM_AFCOfficial) December 26, 2024
It was a battle of the Glovers loanees as Jordan Thomas’ Torquay took on Will Buse’s W*ymouth.
The game ended 2-2 with both of our players in their respective starting line ups.
⏱️32′ Thomas with the shot from the right which is deflected wide for United’s first corner of the game.
— Torquay United FC (@TUFC1899) December 26, 2024
Into the regional divisions and Tavistock found a 95th minute equaliser against Cribbs FC, unfortunately Jacob Shore was an unused sub, Sol Padmore started for Bridport as they made light work of Axminster Town 4-0.
That, is pretty much that with Sherborne not playing until Saturday.
New signing Sean McGurk has pleased to get 70 minutes under his belt as he made a goal-scoring start to life as a Yeovil Town player.
The Swindon Town winger, who arrived at Huish Park on a one-month loan deal on Christmas Eve, opened the scoring with a close range finish after 49 minutes of the 2-2 draw with Eastleigh on Boxing Day.
He started alongside fellow loanee Kofi Shaw in behind lone striker Aaron Jarvis and impressed with some good touches before being replaced by substitute Frank Nouble on 71 minutes.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman after the game, he said: “The point of me coming here was to play games and get minutes under my belt. It has been a couple of weeks since I have had, but it was good to be out there. The result is not what we wanted and we should have come away with the win but personally to get minutes was good.
“I got told on Christmas Eve to come down and I trained and then played today, but you always have to be ready and today I hopefully showed I was ready.
“In the first half I thought I was sloppy on the ball which may be because I have not played for a few minutes. My quality on the ball is a lot better than that and I know that, but the goal showed what I know can bring to the team. Kofi played it across the box and I was just trying not to focus on the bobble too much and just passed it in.”
The action was the 21-year-old’s first action since he appeared as a 76th-minute substitute in Swindon’s Vertu Trophy win at Wycombe Wanderers on December 10th. He will be in contention as Yeovil travel to third-placed Forest Green Rovers on New Year’s Day.
He added: “I spoke to the manager (Mark Cooper) and the fitness staff and told them I have not played much, so to come in and play 90 minutes would be unrealistic especially with the game on New Year’s Day.”
Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper said his side should have come away from today’s Boxing Day fixture against Eastleigh with more than a point.
The Glovers looked to have snatched the win when defender Morgan Williams headed them in to a 2-1 lead with 89 minutes played, but they conceded a goal three minutes in to second half stoppage time and had to settle for a draw.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman after the game, Cooper said: “We played lots of good football, we had to deal with a lot of direct balls forward which you have to do against Eastleigh, but we scored two great goals but we did not see it out against two balls in to the box which we did not defend.
“Up until the last 15 ,minutes I thought we dealt with them okay. They scored (their first goal) with a long throw-in which we should do better with and then a hopeful ball forward and we did not track the runner. When we go 2-1 up we have to see it out, we have to have a more character than that. To play as well as that and not win is really frustrating, I thought we looked a really good football team.”
Yeovil took the lead when new signing Sean McGurk, signed on a one-month loan deal from Swindon Town on Christmas Eve, opened his account on 49 minutes, but they were pegged back ten minutes from time when Eastleigh defender Lloyds Humphries headed home.
Bristol Rovers’ loanee Kofi Shaw picked up the sponsors’ Man of the Match and at the time of writing is the leader in the Gloverscast poll – cast your vote here – after an all-action display. The Gas appointed former Brighton & Hove Albion defender Ingo Calderon on Boxing Day morning and Cooper admits he does not know how that will impact on Shaw’s loan. The 18-year-old joined at the end of October with the deal billed as “until January“.
The Glovers’ boss said: “Kofi is a young player and you have to pick the right times to bring him in and out of the side. He is still a baby, he has just turned 18, but he is Bristol Rovers’ player, they have just appointed a new manager and we will wait to see if they want to bring him back to assess him but hopefully we can keep him.”
McGurk was put straight in to the starting line-up having joined just before Christmas following the departure of winger Dylan Morgan to National League South leaders Torquay United. But, asked whether he expected to have further new faces before the New Year’s Day trip to Forest Green Rovers, Cooper said he was doubtful.
He said: “We probably will not sign anyone because of registrations over Christmas period. We have let some players go and people have a bit of a meltdown, but we are trying to improve the squad and that is just part of football, that is evolution, you have to keep progressing. If you look at Sean McGurk’s quality today, he is an improvement and you have to keep doing that so we can keep competing at the top end of the table.”
Who was your Yeovil Town man of the match for today’s match at Eastleigh?
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.
