Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 149)

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper said his side were denied “a blatant penalty” as his side were held to a goalless draw at Sutton United tonight.

The Glovers’ boss insisted there was a handball from a defender when Ciaran McGuckin challenged for Frank Nouble’s cross to the back post with 52 minutes gone. 

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Ian Randall after the game, he said: “It is another blatant penalty. I have just seen it back, the lad has his arm in the air, our players heads the ball on to his arm. I got sent off for lifting my arms above my waist (at Oldham) on Saturday, but their centre-half had his hand above his head, the ball hits his hand, it is a clear penalty. It doesn’t matter if he’s not looking at the ball, his hand should not be up there. We have not had a penalty this season, but let’s hope when these decisions do turn for us it will be like London buses and they all come at once.”

The boss praised his side’s first half performance which saw them dominate a Sutton United relegated out of League Two last season which went in to this match on the back of consecutive victories.

But, having failed to convert opportunities they carved out before the break, the home side came back in to the game and Yeovil were indebted to saves from on-loan Southampton keeper, Ollie Wright.

Cooper said: “I thought first half we were outstanding. We had two or three gilt-edged chances that we had to score, Youngy hits the goalkeeper in the face and Jarv has a chance which he should score. But when you don’t take those chance you know it is going to be more difficult in the second half because we do not have something to hold on to. I was really pleased with the performance, the boys were magnificent, we battled and ran and dominated the first half but then we had to dig in for the second half. 

“If you do not score when you are on top, you are waiting on one mistake, we had to be wary but we defended brilliantly as a unit. They changed their shape at half-time because I thought we were on top in the first half, but we gave the ball away cheaply and that gave them energy. That is what we said at half-time ‘don’t give them any energy because we are on top. That is football.”

Ollie Wright did superbly to turn a first half free-kick from Lewis Simper over the bar.

On Wright’s performance, the manager added: “He has been outstanding. He has had some stick from our fans which I do not understand. He’s a young man trying to make his way in the game, but he is going to be a top goalkeeper. He commands his goal and kicks the ball really well and it is another clean sheet for him.”

The Glovers made four changes from Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Oldham Athletic with McGuckin and Jordan Young brought in to the starting XI alongside Brett McGavin and Dom Bernard, the latter replacing the injured Michael Smith who has picked up a hamstring injury.

The boss added: “I thought the boys who came in were great, I thought (Brett) McGavin was really good. We controlled the game in the first half and our midfield was dominant, our centre-halves were aggressive and our full-backs were good. We looked lively at the front of the pitch, if we had scored I think we would have gone on to win the game.”

The result means the Glovers have not scored in 362 minutes of football since Bernard’s late winner at AFC Fylde on 7th September and it was an off-night for striker Aaron Jarvis, who toiled with little effect.

Asked whether more could be done to support the summer signing from Torquay United, Cooper added: “We played two wingers and two up front, I am not sure what more support we can get to him. There were seven or eight crosses across the face of goal in the first half, he had a one-v-one which he will be frustrated he did not score. But if we keep creating those chances and putting the ball in there, as long as we stay tight at the back, we will start scoring goals and winning well.”

The manager revealed that he expected Bristol City loan defender Raphael Araoye is expected to return to training on Thursday having been missing with a dead leg he sustained in the 3-1 win at Boston United at the end of August.

Smith is a doubt for Saturday’s home match with Aldershot Town, but the Glovers are hopeful he will be back for the following match at home to Dagenham & Redbridge. He was unsure how long he winger Josh Sims, who is suffering tendonitis in his knee, will be missing and forward Harvey Greenslade is still “a few weeks away” from returning to training after suffering a shoulder injury at Boston.

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Another point on the board for Yeovil on Tuesday night, as they played out a 0-0 draw against Sutton United. But how did the rest of the division get on?! Let’s find out!

We begin in the Midlands, where a fairly comprehensive 3-0 victory for a visiting York City took them up to 2nd place, while the hosts Solihull Moors continue to look for their first home win since matchday 2. There was another away 3-0 win tonight as well, as Rochdale took the three points home from Hartlepool United.

There was an entertaining 2-2 draw played out at the Silverlake Stadium between Eastleigh and Woking, while there was drama at Mill Farm as another late winner for Tamworth made it two away wins in a row, against manager-less AFC Fylde. Another 2-1 win came in the Manchester area, as Altrincham ended Dagenham & Redbridge’s three game winning run despite former Glover Dion Pereira’s best efforts in the form of a penalty strike.

Maidenhead United registered their first win of September in a 2-1 result at home against bottom side Ebbsfleet United, while two first half goals put Boston United back into the relegation zone in a 2-0 defeat away at Gateshead. In a game of late goals, it finished all square at Grosvenor Vale between Wealdstone and Southend United, a 91st minute Callum McFarlane goal for the hosts cancelled out by a 94th minute equaliser for Josh Walker and the visitors.

Even more late drama came at Braintree Town, as a 90th minute penalty from Inih Effiong gave the hosts the win over FC Halifax Town, a tense battle between two playoff sides ended in victory for Oldham Athletic, as another Mike Fondop goal was the difference in a 1-0 result against Forest Green Rovers, while in the final game of the night, 10-man Aldershot Town fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to league leaders Barnet.

National League results – in full

AFC Fylde 1-2 Tamworth
Aldershot Town 0-1 Barnet
Altrincham 2-1 Dagenham & Redbridge
Braintree Town 1-0 FC Halifax Town
Eastleigh 2-2 Woking
Gateshead 2-0 Boston United
Hartlepool United 0-3 Rochdale
Maidenhead United 2-1 Ebbsfleet United
Oldham Athletic 1-0 Forest Green Rovers
Solihull Moors 0-3 York City
Sutton United 0-0 Yeovil Town
Wealdstone 1-1 Southend United

National League table

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Yeovil Town drew another blank in front of goal but picked up a point on the road at Sutton United in the National League Premier.

The Glovers were the better side in the first half with Frank Nouble lashing one wide and Jordan Young forcing a good save out of hosts’ keeper Steve Arnold whilst Ollie Wright did well to tip a free-kick from former loanee Lewis Simper over the bar.

But in the second half it was the home side who pressed the advantage with substitute Josh Coley causing all sorts of problems and Wright, who made some important saves in Saturday’s defeat at Oldham Athletic, had to be on form again.

There was a late injury to full-back Alex Whittle who landed heavily after a heavy tackle late in the second half which will cause concern for Yeovil boss Mark Cooper – but no more so than seeing his side fail to hit the target for a fourth consecutive match.

 

First half

The opening 15 minutes saw both sides matching each other with neither side forcing either keeper in to any action. The visitors certainly pressed the advantage the better with Jordan Young’s scuffed effort wide as close as they came, at the other end a Lewis Simper shot blocked by Morgan Williams was as close as they came to breaking the deadlock.

On the left side, on loan Rotherham United forward Ciaran McGuckin was looking lively and at the heart of some of some impressive attacking play from the Glovers.

That led to Frank Nouble getting an opportunity to move in to the centre and lash an effort just the wrong side of the post. Not far away from Frank there.

Aaron Jarvis also thinks Frank is not far away there.

At the other end Jayden Harris turned past the Yeovil defence and was tripped for a free-kick on the right side, the defensive big guns are up. But Simper goes for the shot and Ollie Wright has to be alert to tip it over. That’s a great stop from the young keeper.

On 28 minutes, more determined play from McGuckin got the ball to Young who squeezed through the Sutton defence and hit it goalwards but Steve Arnold stood tall and pulled off a good save.

It has been an organised display from the visitors and they have left the Sutton forwards living off scraps, it is only set-pieces where they have threatened so far.

Three minutes before half-time Charlie Cooper’s corner in to the box came in to the box and fell to McGuckin who fired towards goal but it was block. Play cannoned down the other end and Dom Bernard got in a tangle and was forced to make a foul of Harris. A yellow card for his trouble as well.

Will Davies flashed a shot wide of Wright’s post with the game drawing to a close, but it was Yeovil who dominated the first half. The better possession, the better chances and kept Sutton to a couple of long-range efforts.

Mark Cooper said his side were going in to this one looking to break their drought of three matches without a goal and if we can raise the tempo a little, there’s a good chance here.

Half time: Sutton United 0 Yeovil Town 0

Second half

The opening chance of the second half came when Charlie Waller lifted a looping cross in to the box, Wright back-peddled to claw it away but the young keeper collided with the post and seemed to hit his elbow against the post and needed treatment. Fortunately the Southampton man was okay to continue.

From the off you can tell Sutton have instructions to press much further forward in this second half. Credit to Yeovil’s first half display, the home side have changed their tactics.

On 52 minutes, Nouble’s ball from the right was hung up to back post where McGuckin was and it was cleared away by the defender. Mark Cooper is convinced it hit a hand in there, no real appeals from the visiting players.

The visitors brought on top scorer Josh Coley on 57 minutes and within moments of his arrival he fed Waller down the left and the winger’s effort was turned aside by Wright. The corner came as far as Davies whose point blank header was well held by the keeper.

Mark Cooper responded to the pressure from the visitors with Sam Pearson coming on in place of McGuckin. The Rotherham United youngster looked lively on his first start, a good shift.

Sutton have certainly been in the ascendancy in this first 15 minutes, but within seconds of his arrival on the pitch Pearson has made some good presses down the left. More of that, Sam.
 
Ollie Wright gets down to deny Coley.
 
All the threat is coming down the Sutton left in the shape of Coley who has been a threat ever since he came on and he drove a thunderous strike in on goal which Wright had to get down to turn around the post after 66 minutes.

Our midfield is not winning the first ball as well as we did in the first half and Sutton are exploiting that space to press ahead much better than they did in the first half. You sense the team talk from the hosts’ manager Steve Morison has had an impact on his team.

At the other end, Jordan Young had a great break on the right side, cut inside the box and shaped to shoot. If I told you his shot went out for a throw-in, you know how it went. Sam Pearson tried to match his team-mate soon after cutting in from the left side, but hit it high, wide and not so handsome.

Mark Cooper picked up on the need to tighten up midfield with Matt Worthington coming on after 76 minutes in place of Jarvis, who had a very quiet appearance.

On 79 minutes, Alex Whittle grappled with Coley on the edge of the box, but Simper matched Young and Pearson for an off-target effort as he boomed his effort over the bar.

There’s been a marked lack of quality going forwards from Yeovil this half. Time and again there’s been wild shots and wild crosses which have wasted good opportunities. We’re hanging on here.

With five minutes, there’s a high ball in to the box and the Sutton players are surrounding Wright who fingers it away, before Waller lifted another effort in to the box and Chinwike Okoli headed harmlessly wide.

A minute later, Ashley Nadesan goes in the referee’s book for a very (very!) late challenge on Alex Whittle right in front of the dug-outs. Whittle looks to land heavily on his shoulder and soon after he goes down inside the box for some treatment. Nadesan on the other hand is substituted with his manager maybe recognising his player may have been lucky to only given a yellow.

Whittle is replaced by Finn Cousin-Dawson and Bernard has come across to left-back with the substitute fitting in at right-back. With Michael Smith missing tonight, the loss of Whittle is a concern.

With the game ticking towards the 90th minute, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton replaced Young. The winger had a decent first half, but he’s been firmly marked out of the game this half.

In the fifth minute of injury time, a promising throw-in for the visitors in the dangerous position. Foul throw by Cousin-Dawson. That summed up this second half from Yeovil.

A game of two halves. Yeovil definitely on top in the opening 45 minutes, but they had to dig deep in the second period as Sutton pressed forward to hang on for a point. A good point, but it is another game without a goal.

Full time: Sutton United 0 Yeovil Town 0

Match Details

Venue: Gander Green Lane
Date: Tuesday 24th September – 19:45

Competition: National League Premier

Pitch:  Bit damp
Conditions: Damp, also

Attendance: 2246 (181 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Charlie Cooper 37, Dom Bernard 43, Morgan Williams 72, Alex Whittle 79
Sutton United: Will Davies 40, Ashley Nadesan 87, Jayden Harris 90+1

Referee: Paul Johnson

Yeovil Town (4-2-3-1)

 

Substitutes:  Sam Pearson (for Ciaran McGuckin, 61), Matt Worthington (for Aaron Jarvis, 76), Finn Cousin-Dawson (for Alex Whittle, 90+1), Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (for Jordan Young, 90+4), Matt Gould (not used).

Sutton United: Steve Arnold, Chinwike Okoli, Harry Ransom, Charlie Waller, Tyler French, Siju Odelusi (for Finley Barbrook, 57), Lewis Simper, Jayden Harris, Eduino Vaz (for Josh Coley, 57), Ashley Nadesan, Will Davies.

Substitutes (not used): Jack Sims, Edwin Agabje, Matt Rush, Nana Boateng, Jeremy Sivi.

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has said his side will be looking to break their goal-scoring drought as they take on Sutton United tonight.

The Glovers have gone three games without a goal and the boss had made four changes from last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Oldham Athletic for the fixture. On loan Rotherham United striker Ciaran McGuckin and Jordan Young start in wide positions with Brett McGavin, who has three goals this season, in the middle of the pitch.

Full-back Michael Smith misses out with a hamstring injury which saw him limp off early in the second half on Saturday and is replaced by Dom Bernard, but Cooper said his side would still start with a familiar formation.

He told BBC Somerset’s Ian Randall: “We are always a 4-3-3 or a 4-3-2-1. Brett McGavin has a real goal threat and he’s in the team. We have to look at the strengths more the weaknesses. Dom Bernard comes in (for Smith) and he is a good replacement and Ciaran McGuckin and Jordan Young come in as one of the wide forwards and we want to come here and attack tonight and try and score some goals.

“We have looked organised and competent, people say we have not scored but we scored seven games in two games (against Boston United and AFC Fylde) and then we have gone on a run of not scoring. So it about trying to get that consistency and solidity as well as having a real goal threat.

“It is something we have to address, we have to make sure we do not unbalance things too much and become wide open, but still have that goal threat going forward. That is what we are trying to do tonight, we have people on the pitch that can attack the goal, so we will see what happens.”

The manager admitted he had learned the lesson of his side’s flat performance in the 1-0 midweek home defeat to Solihull Moors a fortnight ago which followed a dramatic 4-3 win at AFC Fylde 72 hours earlier.

He added: “I learnt that we had an unbelievable win at Fylde with all the emotion and euphoria of that win, but then we played the following Tuesday (in the 1-0 home defeat to Solihull Moors) and we had no energy. That is down to me and I should have made some changes. We had a get together and spoke about freshening things up and put four fresh ones in with Saturday in mind.“

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Yeovil Town have made four changes from last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Oldham Athletic as they travel to Sutton United in the National League Premier tonight (7.45pm kick-off).

Full-back Michael Smith, who limped off in the second half at the weekend, is replaced by Dom Bernard at right-back with loan signing striker Ciaran McGuckin and Jordan Young starting in wide positions, whilst Brett McGavin returns in the middle.

Captain Matt Worthington, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, and Sam Pearson are all on the bench having started on Saturday with Frank Nouble, who celebrates his 33rd birthday today, taking the armband.

Sutton, who have won their last two matches including a 3-2 home win over bottom club Ebbsfleet United at home at the weekend, have two former Glovers’ loanees in their squad.

Midfielder Lewis Simper, who had three months at Huish Park in 2021, starts and on loan Ipswich Town defender Edwin Agbaje, who played had ten appearances in 2023, is on the bench.

 

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Yeovil Town Women have been handed a home tie over Southampton FC Women in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round.

The first thing to note, this is NOT the Women’s team associated with men’s team currently towards the bottom of the Men’s Premier League, but a different one -not the Saints, but the Sirens. 

The Glovers overcame Pucklechurch on penalties at the weekend to reach this round.

Southampton are currently bottom of the Women’s National League – South West Division One having played three and lost three so far this campaign.

The tie is scheduled to take place on Sunday 13th October at Alvington.

 

 

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Yeovil Town are on the road again as they travel to the capital to face Sutton United in midweek in clash between 10th and 16th.

Form Guide…

The home side have a mediocre last five games with three losses and two wins. However, they have found some form in recent weeks as they picked up six points in their last two fixtures, which included an impressive 3-1 victory away to Southend United. Currently sitting 10th in the league the U’s will be hard to beat.

It’s a similar story for the Glovers over their last five games as they have taken seven points from an available fifteen. The Somerset side last won against AFC Fylde at the start of the month. Since that win Yeovil’s form has taken a slight dip with two losses and a draw, with their latest result being a 1-0 loss to Oldham.

Key Players…

Sutton United – Josh Coley

Coley joined The Amber and Chocolates at the start of last season where he didn’t have his most productive year contributing to 11 goals in 48 games many of which were assists. After staying with the London club after their relegation the former Exeter man has found his feet scoring four goals in eight games from right midfield.

Another player who maybe worth keeping an eye on is Ashley Nadesan who has scored in the last two games.

Yeovil Town – Michael Smith

The evergreen fullback has played every game for the Glovers this season, amassing 738 minutes of game time. At 36-years-old, Smith is no spring chicken but the experience, professionalism and quality in play will be vital for Yeovil this season and to get them out of this “mini-slump”.

The right-back clearly has the backing of Mark Cooper (and our very own Ollie Marsh) and it’s not hard to see why, he is one of the most if not the most consistent player in the team who always gives his all.

Michael Smith in action for Yeovil.

That’s what he said…

Sutton boss Steve Morrison spoke to their clubs Youtube channel on his thoughts ahead of the midweek clash. He said: “They’re a really good team, a food solid group of players…there is no point trying to work out whether you think some games will be easier than overs because they’re not, so yeah it’s going to be a tough test.”

Assistant manager Chris Todd talked to the media about the upcoming fixture after the loss at Oldham. He said: “The players are really disappointed, we could’ve come away with a point…but we’ll pick ourselves up and go again with a big game against Sutton.”

Manager Mark Cooper with assistant Chris Todd. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

We’ve met before…

The two clubs have met a four times previously, with Sutton winning on three of those occasion and Yeovil taking the spoils only once. When the pair last faced off in 2021 it was The U’s who took all three points as they ran out 2-1 victors, with Harry Beautyman and Isaac Olaofe scoring for Sutton and Reuben Reid bagging for the Glovers.

Don’t I know You…

The Yellows have a few familiar faces for travelling fans to spot. Currently on the books is former Cambridge loanee Lewis Simper, the midfielder spent a couple months at Huish Park in 2021 playing just the one game in a 2-0 loss to Grimsby.

Another ex-loanee in Edwin Agbaje also now plays for the U’s. The Irish man had a spell at the Glovers at the start of 2023, where he went on to make 10 appearances for the Somerset side.

Edwin Agbaje. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Who’s been naughty….

Neither Yeovil or Sutton have anyone suspended for the game. Mark Cooper‘s potential suspension is unknown after he received a red card against Oldham.

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The Gloverscast is delighted to announce that for the fourth year running, we have been nominated for the short list in the Football Content Awards.

Following our nomination in two categories last year, once again we have been given a place in the following two categories.

Best In Non League – Podcast
Best In Non League – Editorial (for Gloverscast.co.uk)

The panel of over 60 judges took their time to go through over 36,000 nominations for over 1,200 content creators across a whole range of different categories and have given the Gloverscast a place on two short lists alongside some wonderful creators – many of which we’ve welcomed on our podcast in the past.

A huge congratulations to all the wonderful Non League creators that have been nominated and short listed.

Winners will be decided by way of a combination of votes – 50% weighted towards judge votes and 50% weighted towards supporter votes.

Fan voting is open and can be found HERE.

You can additionally nominate us across all social media – Seek out the Football Content Awards pages and be sure to tag @Gloverscast in the appropriate posts.

Voting closes on Sunday 13th October at 23:59pm.

There is a ceremony at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday November 21st to reveal the winners.

The Gloverscast was awarded a Silver Medal in last year’s awards and remains one of our proudest moments, your support again is gratefully received. 

As an aside; these moments, award nominations and praise from our peers are incredible, but the support and love we get as a team from you, the Yeovil fan, means so much – if you’ve taken the time to support us in any way shape or form, we mean it when we say, ‘Thank You’. 

It means the world to us.

Ian, Ben, Dave and the extended Gloverscast team. 

Blurbs From our Nominations.
As part of the nomination process, each nominee is given a short blurb outlining why we have made the short list, here are ours.

Editorial

Gloverscast
Gloverscast has become Yeovil Town’s go-to source for all things related to the club. With a focus on providing comprehensive and engaging content, including interviews and in-depth analysis, this independent platform is a crucial link between the club and its supporters. Its high-quality podcasts and editorial work make it a key player in the non-league football landscape.

Podcast

Gloverscast
Gloverscast is a highly esteemed podcast focusing on Yeovil Town FC. Known for its independent and comprehensive coverage, the podcast includes detailed match analysis, interviews with key figures, and timely updates. Airing twice a week, it serves as a critical resource for Yeovil Town supporters, filling the void left by traditional local journalism. Its engagement with listeners and consistent high-quality content have made it a vital part of the fan experience, providing a unique and reliable voice in football coverage.