Dryden: We have to defend better
2025-08-30
Interim manager Richard Dryden was planning to show his Yeovil Town players a video nasty on their long journey home from the 3-2 defeat at FC Halifax Town.
The Glovers threw away a 2-1 advantage in West Yorkshire, the second time in five days they have given away leads to lose a game, as they began life after former boss Mark Cooper with a defeat.
It was three defensive errors from balls in to their box which cost them all three goals and Dryden told BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins that defending crosses in to the box would be the focus on training ahead of their next game at Solihull Moors on Tuesday night.
He said: “There are a lot of positives, a few negatives, but probably more positives. The big negative is we have not taken any points. We have had a conversation (in the dressing room) about stopping crosses and defending balls in to the box, but you cannot keep scoring two away from home and coming away with nothing. I said to them before the game that they are not going to be hammered if they give the ball away or do the right things but you will get hammered if you work hard and people will see that they worked hard today. We have got back with nothing but we have created chances and played some really good football.
“It is another ball across the box and we have to defend better. We have not got a lot of time, but you might have a rough idea what (we might be focusing on in training) on Monday morning. Sometimes you get camped in bit and sometimes you do get overloaded and if that happens we have to be better in the box, not just the goalkeeper or the back three, it is everyone who is in there. Everybody has to work hard defensively.
“We will watch the bad bits on the way home massively and some good bits. We need to iron out the bad bits.”
After an even opening 45 minutes where they both threatened to find an opening and were threatened by Halifax, Yeovil fell a goal behind one minute in to first half injury time when Shaymen midfielder Oli Bray fired the home side ahead.
But, the visitors came out for the second half firing and levelled when midfielder Luke McCormick went down in the box to win a penalty which was confidently put away by striker Junior Morias for his second goal in as many games.
Six minutes later Harvey Greenslade headed a Josh Sims cross in to put the side ahead before a second goal from Bray and a winner ten minutes from time from substitute Will Harris sealed the defeat.
On his side’s goals, Dryden said: “Luke has done really well, got himself in to the box, he’s been brave because you know he is going to get hit there and it is a penalty. It is nice to see Junior put it in. The second goal is a really nice goal, we have worked it wide which we did a lot of in the first half and did not get anything out of it, it is a brilliant run by Simsy and is the centre forward is on the near post you have half a chance of scoring.”
There was a worrying moment when on loan Birmingham City wing-back Byron Pendleton went off after a heavy tackle in the 76th minute, but Dryden said he did not know the severity of the injury.
He confirmed that midfielder Charlie Cooper, who has now not featured in the last three matches with an Achilles injury, was still “a couple of weeks” from fitness. Dryden will lead the side in to the match at Solihull Moors where they will face a home side sitting bottom of the division after a 2-1 home defeat to Southend United on Saturday.
Dryden said: “It is another big test. You can’t brush over by saying ‘it was a great performance, but we got beat’, it was an alright performance going forward, but when balls come in to the box we have to be better.“
Match Report: FC Halifax Town 3 Yeovil Town 2
2025-08-30
Yeovil Town let a lead slip for the second consecutive game as they started life after Mark Cooper with a defeat at FC Halifax Town on Saturday.
The Glovers spurned opportunities to go ahead in the first half before conceding a goal to Owen Bray late in injury time, but a penalty from Junior Morias and a great header from Harvey Greenslade saw them lead with an hour gone.
But, having taken the lead, the visitors sat back at Halifax came roaring back and Bray pulled them level before substitute Will Harris struck the winner with ten minutes remaining.
Interim manager Richard Dryden was left to look back on the all too familiar story of missed opportunities and soft goals conceded as he prepares to pick the Glovers up ahead of Tuesday night’s visit to Solihull Moors.
First half
After ten minutes, a dangerous ball in to the box caused confusion inside the Yeovil area which led to a scramble before a clearance, it has been a shaky start for the visitors who seem to be still trying to figure things out.
On 13 minutes, the visitors’ first sight on goal fell to Harvey Greenslade who could not get any contact on an Alex Whittle cross from the left wing.
Greenslade had the ball in the back of the net in the 17th minute after he got slipped through on goal by Josh Sims and found the net, but could not beat the offside flag having made his run just too early.
A mistake from Halifax keeper Sam Johnston after 26 minutes saw him fail to claim Brett McGavin’s ball in to the box, Morgan Williams picked up the loose ball and laid it off to Junior Morias who twisted and turned on the edge of the box but his effort sailed harmlessly over the bar.
This game seems to go in five-minute spells of either side dominating possession; when we get going we look a real threat but we look really threatened when Halifax get their game going as well.
Keeper Jed Ward had to get behind a long range effort from Bray after Sean Tarima’s ball in to the box had evaded David Kawa inside the area and shortly after Ward was forced in to an acrobatic save to deny Jay Turner-Cooke who was the latest Halifax player to try his luck from distance.
Greenslade had a glorious chance to open the scoring with seven minutes of the first half remaining when he ran on to a long ball over the top from Williams, but the striker’s first touch betrayed him and Johnston was able to come and gather.
As the game crept in to injury time there was the feeling that not taking our chances was going to cost us and a minute in that is what happened. Jamie Cooke whipped a ball in from the right, Williams’ attempt to intercept it cannoned off Ward and Kawa was there to pick up the pieces and find Owen BRAY who stroked it home. The Yeovil players were incensed feeling there was a push on McGavin in the build up.
Overall, an even first half with both sides having opportunities to get the opening, but it is the same old story of not taking our chances and then getting punished for doing so.
Half time: FC Halifax Town 1 Yeovil Town 0
Second half
The second half started with Yeovil on the attack with McGavin putting a free-kick just over the bar two minutes after the restart before Greenslade had an effort blocked shortly after.
In the 52nd minute, Yeovil played the ball around well and found Luke McCormick breaking in to the box from the right side, he was felled by a thunderous tackle from Cody Johnson and the referee awarded a penalty. With our record from the spot, it is fair to say there was some nerves in the away end but one man who showed no nerves was not was Junior MORIAS who smashed it low and hard past the reach of Johnston who guessed the right way.
The bright start continued with Yeovil playing some attractive passing football to retain possession and and led to a second goal after 58 minutes. I lost count of the number of passes which led to Josh Sims’ beautiful ball from the right side which was met by a superb near post header from Harvey GREENSLADE.
Remember how I said that for every spell we had, Halifax had one as well? The response to us going ahead was a couple of substitutions for the home side with striker Will Harris and winger Angelo Capello, the scorer of the only goal last time we visited The Shay, introduced on the hour mark.
Their arrival caused all kinds of problems for the Yeovil defence and a spell of sustained pressure we could not deal with and, you guessed it, a goal. With 65 minutes gone, Kawa was allowed to run in to the box and fired a ball across to Owen BRAY who was gifted the freedom of the penalty area to add his second goal of the game. The arrival of the substitutes has seen Kawa shifted over to the left side and he was causing problems.
We had sat back after going ahead and invited the home side to attack which they have been more than happy to do especially after the substitutions. Defensively we just do not look slow and completely unable to deal with balls going in to our box.
It was therefore no surprise that what turned out to be the winning goal came from a ball in to our own box. Josh Hmami played a ball to the back post this time from the right and our defence failed to deal with, Williams missed his header and the ball bounced inside the box where Will HARRIS was given time to smash a volley in to the roof of Jed Ward’s net. It had been coming since we went ahead.
Yeovil made substiutions of their own with former Halifax striker Tahvon Campbell and fellow frontman Aaron Jarvis replacing Sims and Greenslade whilst Finn Cousin-Dawson came on for Byron Pendleton, who was forced off with an injury after a heavy challenge.
As the board went up for nine additional minutes, James Plant got away down the right side and delivered a ball in to the back post but Jarvis’ header came back off the post.
Full time: FC Halifax Town 3 Yeovil Town 2
Match Details
Venue: The Shay
Date: Saturday 30th August, 3pm kick-off
Competition: National League Premier Division
Scorers: Owen Bray 45+1 (0-1), Junior Morias pen 52 (1-1), Harvey Greenslade 58 (2-1), Owen Bray 65 (2-2), Will Harris 79 (2-3)
Pitch: Surreal-ly green if you have ever visited The Shay before
Conditions: Overcast
Attendance: 1,280 (143 away supporters)
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Harvey Greenslade 62, Tahvon Campbell 73
FC Halifax Town: Cody Johnson 51, Jamie Cooke 53, Angelo Capello 90+8, James Turner-Cooke 90+8
Referee: Richard Aspinall
Yeovil Town (4-2-3-1)
Substitutes: Tahvon Campbell (for Josh Sims, 71), Finn Cousin-Dawson (for Byron Pendleton, 76), Aaron Jarvis (for Harvey Greenslade, 76), Kyle Ferguson (not used), Ben Wodskou (not used), Matt Gould (not used).
FC Halifax Town: Sam Johnson, Adam Adetoro, Will Hugill (for Jack Jenkins, 88), Josh Hmami, Jamie Cooke (for Will Harris, 60), Owen Bray (for Jake Griffin 90), David Kawa (for Tom Pugh 88), Jay Turner-Cooke, Sen Tarima, Cody Johnson, Thierry Latty-Fairweather (for Angelo Cappello 60).
Substitutes (not used): Nathaniel Ford, Harvey Sutcliffe.
Team News – FC Halifax Town (away)
2025-08-30
Yeovil Town have named an unchanged starting XI for today’s trip to FC Halifax Town (3pm kick-off).
The first side selected by interim manager Richard Dryden looks as if it features the same defensive (back four?) which raced in to a 3-0 lead at home to Gateshead, a match which the Glovers lost 4-3.
Foot in the Opposition Camp: FC Halifax (A)
2025-08-30
FC Halifax Town are the hosts today and Ben has caught up with our friend from the Halifax Courier, Tom Scargill, ahead of today’s match. Ben recorded this one as the announcement of Mark Cooper’s sacking came out.
Dryden: We have to get belief back
2025-08-29
Yeovil Town interim manager Richard Dryden has said getting belief back in to the club’s players has been in the key following the impact of their Bank Holiday disaster and the sacking of former boss Mark Cooper.
The Glovers’ coach has been given responsibility for first team affairs following the dismissal of the man who brought him to Huish Park which followed a dramatic 4-3 home defeat to Gateshead, a match which Yeovil led 3-0 at half-time.
He and assistant manager Chris Todd will now be charged with guiding the side whilst the search for a new permanent boss continues and it begins with a trip to FC Halifax Town on Saturday.
Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset’s Josh Perkins on Thursday ahead of the trip to West Yorkshire, Dryden said: “Five games in to the season does not really reflect (the quality of the side) because if we had won on Monday (against Gateshead) we are in the top seven.
“Everyone wants to look at the top half of the table and see their name there, but it is early days and I am confident with the players we have got, we will be fine. There was nothing but positives for the first 45 minutes, but the second half was like chalk and cheese.
“Not many teams will play well for 90 minutes, but if we can try and turn that first 45 minutes in to 70 minutes we are going to cause a lot of teams a lot of problems. It is just a case of getting enough belief in the players to believe we can do it, that is the only problem we can try and solve.”
He admitted it had been a busy few days since the exit of Cooper and paid tribute to the former boss who oversaw a relegation in to the National League South in the 2022-23 season, followed by an immediate return winning the division the following season. Dryden arrived at the club in the summer to reunite with Cooper who he had previously worked with at five clubs including Forest Green Rovers and Notts County.
The 53-year-old said: “It is never great when the manager leaves, my phone has not stopped and it has been meetings after meetings trying to sort things out and it is sad when a manager goes. You have to remember what Mark (Cooper) did not the club has been immense, you cannot forget he got the club promoted (out of the National League South) and stabilised the club in a very good league last year, that should not be forgotten. And there are other things he has done which people will never find out about, he has been a credit to a club.
“(Mark and I) have known each other since we were teenagers, he was at Bristol City and I was at Rovers, his dad (Terry Cooper) took me to Exeter, so it is a long relationship and that friendship will definitely stay.”
He confirmed that winger James Daly, who Cooper revealed on Monday will be missing for “six to eight weeks“ through injury, will not feature at Halifax, but said that midfielder Charlie Cooper, who has not featured in his father’s final two matches in charge, had returned to light training.
Dryden said: “It is the first day of training (on Thursday) and we have had a couple of meetings, gone through a couple of sessions regarding Halifax and the good and the bad bits about Monday and there were a lot of good bits. You have got to remember that they are all in their 20s apart from one – I have t-shirts older than most of them! So, it is tough for them when you play so well for 45 minutes and then (you are beaten in the last minute) and it happens for reasons – we went low, they went high with nothing to lose and we have to counter that if it happens again.
“Everybody who was involved on Monday has trained today. James (Daly) is going to be a bit longer, Charlie (Cooper) is going to do some light stuff (in training on Thursday) which is good because we have only got a small squad. (Midfielder Jacob) Maddox is hopefully coming out of his protective boot this week; I have not seen him even train let alone play, so it will be good to get him involved in the next few weeks.”
Asked for his message to Yeovil fans making the trip to Halifax, he said: “Just ‘keep the faith in the young players we have got’. We are trying to pull together as a group and the blame when we do not score or we concede goals, so the blame goes on everybody – from the dug-out to the player who comes on in the 90th minute.“
Match Preview: FC Halifax Town vs Yeovil Town
2025-08-29
Managerless Yeovil Town will travel up to West Yorkshire on Saturday to face FC Halifax Town, who sit one place below them in the league table
FORM…
Yeovil Town
It’s the first game for Yeovil in two-and-a-half seasons without Mark Cooper at the helm. Cooper’s sacking is directly linked to their form in the calendar which has seen them pick up just six wins. The poor run of form at the end of last season carried into the first five games of the current campaign and the new Glovers hierarchy disposed of him on Tuesday.
It comes after one win to begin the season and a real Jekyll and Hyde performance against Gateshead at Huish Parkon Monday. The Glovers stormed into a 3-0 going into the half-time against Gateshead, thanks to goals from Josh Sims, Junior Morias and Harvey Greenslade.
But, the performance in the second half was every bit as bad as the first 45 minutes had been good. Gateshead got a foothold in the game as early as the 46th minute and an injury time winner sealed a dramatic comeback to win 4-3 and seal Cooper’s fate.
The club’s ownership is now actively looking for a new manager with coach Richard Dryden given responsibility for first team affairs starting with the trip to Halifax.
FC Halifax Town
The Shaymen are also in a little bit of a rut at the moment, with the exact same form as their opponents on Saturday, one win, three losses and a draw.
Last time out for the Yorkshire side saw them get respectable 1-1 draw away to Scunthorpe United. The first half of that match was a cagey affair with no team taking their chances. A red card for Scunthorpe however just before half-time did little to change the complexion of the game. It was seven minutes into the second 45 when Halifax conceded to go 1-0 down, however they responded three minutes later with a goal from David Kawa.
The have not scored more than a goal in a game this season, so if Yeovil can replicate their first-half performance against Gateshead, it could be difficult for the Halifax to respond.
KEY PLAYERS…
Yeovil Town – Harvey Greenslade
After Saturday’s dismal display, it is hard to pick anyone as the man to watch for the Glovers. But if one player does deserve to keep his place in the side, it is striker Harvey Greenslade.
Another player who has a turbulent start to life at Huish Park. Joining from Bristol Rovers in the summer of 2024, the 21-year-old only played a bit part for Cooper to begin the season. A loan spell at Weston-Super-Mare over the festive period looked to spell the end of Greenslade’s time at Yeovil. Before rejoining his parent club for the remainder of the campaign, again only playing a bit part role.
However, the season has look to have rejuvenated the strikers form, with him playing 203 minutes across the opening five fixtures, already a quarter of the minutes he amassed last term. A strong performance and a goal last time out will hopefully see Greenslade push on for this season where he can help lead the line for the Glovers.
Halifax Town – David Kawa
A summer signing from National League South side, striker David Kawa has already shown he is able to cut it at a higher level with two goals and an assist in his first five matches at Premier Division level.
Not only is a goal involvement every 162 minutes impressive, it’s the fact two of the contributions has led to his team getting crucial points. It also means he has been a part of 75% of his teams goals so far this term.
THE GAFFER…
Although he may only be 40 years old,new Halifax boss Adam Lakeland has a lot of experience in management. He began his coaching career at Blackburn Rovers Women before gaining back-to-back promotions , where he stayed until 2011. It was as first-team coach of Curzon Ashton where Lakeland first made his foray into the men’s side of the game, gaining back-to-back promotions with them.
In 2016, he moved in to frontline management at to Northwich Victoria igetting them to the Northern Premier League One Division North play-off final, after being in charge for only six months and, following a break from the game, he achieved another play-off finish at Farsley Celtic before getting them promoted to National League North in 2019.
His job prior to joining Halifax was at King’s Lynn who he guided to the National League North play-offs last season before being appointed at The Shay following the departure of long-serving boss Chris Millington at the end of last season.
LAST TIME WE MET…
The Shay has not been a happy hunting ground for Yeovil in recent years. In our last visit there in March, an early goal from winger Angelo Capello was enough to give the home side three points on a beach of a surface. In fact, you have to go back to September 2019 to find out last win there with a brace from Gold Omotayo sealing the three points.
The surface at The Shay has been replaced by a semi-plastic surface over the summer, so hopefully a less dreadful surface will herald better luck for the Glovers.
DON’T I KNOW YOU…
There are no former Glovers representing The Shaymen this season.
THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE…
Saturday’s fixture will see Richard Aspinall take charge of his first Yeovil game. For more information on the match officials, read Ben’s article here.
Match Officials – FC Halifax Town (A)
2025-08-28
Life after Mark Cooper begins in West Yorkshire as the Glovers head to Halifax.
The game will be refereed by Richard Aspinall, who, as far as we can tell, has never taken charge of a Yeovil game before.
Based in the north makes that stat hardly a huge surprise, but he’s experienced enough at this level for it to be a little bit noteworthy.
He has taken charge of a handful of Halifax games though, including twice last season.
A 0-0 draw with Altrincham where the Shaymen’s then manager Chris Millington was sent off towards the end of the game and a 2-1 win over Forest Green Rovers at the Shay.
This season, the records show just one game as man-in-the-middle, a single Premier League 2 game, with 0 bookings. Quiet day at the office.
He’ll be assisted by Keiran Forrest and Alan Hull with Scott Henry on fourth official duties.
FC Halifax Town (First Team) v Yeovil Town FC (First Team)
National League – Premier
Referee: Aspinall, Richard
Assistant Referee: Forrest, Keiran
Assistant Referee: Hull, Alan
Fourth Official: Henry, Scott
MOTM Result – Gateshead (H)
2025-08-27
We have new Man of the Match winner!
After four straight wins for Jed Ward the Bristol Rovers loanee thought it was maybe time someone else got a look in; step forward Harvey Greenslade.
He got a goal on the day and made a quite remarkable goal line clearance but it was to be ultimately in vein as the Glovers threw away a 3-0 lead.
He narrowly takes the plaudits from Junior Morias and Josh Sims, the other two scorers on this vote.
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESPONSES | 1ST (Votes / Percent) | 2ND (Votes / Percent) | 3RD (Votes / Percent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | |||||
| 09.08.2025 | HARTLEPOOL (Home, 0-0 draw) | 172 | JED WARD (52 / 32.4%) | Morgan Williams (44 / 25.6%) | Jake Wannell (22 / 12.8%) |
| 16.08.2025 | FOREST GREEN (Away, 2-0 loss) | 87 | JED WARD (39 / 44.8%) | Byron Pendleton (16 / 18.4%) | Morgan Williams (11 / 12.6%) |
| 20.08.2025 | BRACKLEY TOWN (Home, 2-1 win) | 153 | JED WARD (89 / 58.2%) | Josh Sims (23 / 15%) | Tahvon Campbell (14 / 9.2%) |
| 23.08.2025 | BRAINTREE TOWN (Away, 1-0 loss) | 71 | JED WARD (29 / 40.8%) | Josh Sims (15 / 21.1%) | James Plant (7 / 9.9%) |
| 25.08.2025 | GATESHEAD (Home, 4-3 loss) | 174 | HARVEY GREENSLADE (65 / 37.4%) | Junior Morias (59 / 33.9%) | Josh Sims (23 / 13.2%) |
| 30.08.2025 | HALIFAX (Away, 3-2 loss) | 93 | JOSH SIMS (36 / 38.7%) | Harvey Greenslade (29 / 31.2%) | Junior Morias (13 / 14%) |
| AUGUST PLAYER OF THE MONTH | 🥇 JED WARD (12 PTS, 3 MOTM) | 🥈 JOSH SIMS (8 PTS, 1 MOTM) | 🥉 HARVEY GREENSLADE (5 PTS, 1 MOTM) |
||
| 02.09.2025 | SOLIHULL M (Away, 1-0 win) | 98 | JUNIOR MORIAS (28 / 28.3%) | Luke McCormick (24 / 24.2%) | Jed Ward (15 / 15.2%) |
| 06.09.2025 | YORK CITY (Home, 3-1 loss) | 108 | JOSH SIMS (48 / 44.4%) | Luke McCormick (33 / 30.6%) | Jed Ward (7 / 6.5%) |
| 13.09.2025 | WOKING (Home, 1-0 win) | 127 | LUKE MCCORMICK (47 / 37%) | Kyle Ferguson (37 / 29.1%) | Harvey Greenslade (11 / 8.7%) |
| 20.09.2025 | TAMWORTH (Away, 1-0 loss) | 62 | JED WARD (17 / 27.4%) | Kyle Ferguson (10 / 16.1%) | Josh Sims (7 / 11.3%) |
| 24.09.2025 | ALDERSHOT (Away, 4-1 win) | 94 | ANDREW OLUWABORI (36 / 38.3%) | Tahvon Campbell (25 / 26.6%) | Luke McCormick (10 / 10.6%) |
| 27.09.2025 | ALTRINCHAM (Home, 1-0 win) | 154 | ANDREW OLUWABORI (51 / 33.1%) | Jed Ward (37 / 24%) | Morgan Williams (18 / 11.7%) |
| 30.09.2025 | SUTTON UTD (Away) | 119 | JOSH SIMS (88 / 73.9%) | Andrew Oluwabori (20 / 16.8%) | Jed Ward (6 / 5%) |
| SEPTEMBER PLAYER OF THE MONTH | 🥇 ANDREW OLUWABORI (8 PTS / 2 MOTM) | 🥈 JED WARD (8 PTS / 1 MOTM) | 🥉 JOSH SIMS (7 PTS / 2 MOTM) |