Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 156)

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Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper is hoping three changes to his starting XI will freshen up his side to turn in a performance following the disappointment in midweek against Solihull Moors.

The boss has brought defender Morgan Williams and midfielders Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and Josh Sims back in to the line-up for the visit of Altrincham to Huish Park, with Dom Bernard, Brett McGavin and Frank Nouble dropping to the bench.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Chris Spittles ahead of kick-off, he said: “We played a really tough, emotional, dramatic game last Saturday (in a 4-3 win at AFC Fylde) and then we were flat on Tuesday night (against Solihull Moors), so we are just trying to freshen it up.

“Frank has played 100-odd minutes in both of those games, so he will need to be ready for 25-30 minutes today, the same with Brett. We have five outfield players there and there is an opportunity to change it.”

Glovers’ goalkeeping coach Matt Gould, who is named on the substitutes’ bench at Huish Park, faces his old employers for the first time since swapping Greater Manchester for South Somerset in the summer.

Asked whether he had brought any inside knowledge of the opposition, Cooper added: “He knows how they play and what they might do, but we have to concentrate on us and what we do. If we play like we did the other night, we would not beat a team in a local park! So we have to be on the front foot, we need to turn in a performance today.“

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Josh Sims, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and Morgan Williams have all been recalled to the Yeovil Town starting line-up for today’s home match with Altrincham at Huish Park (3pm kick-off).

The trio return in place of Frank Nouble, Brett McGavin and Dom Bernard, who are all named among six substitutes on the  bench.

The return of Williams, who appeared as a second half substitute in Tuesday night’s 1-0 home defeat to Solihull Moors, reunites the back four of Whittle-Williams-Wannell-Smith for the first time since the third match of the season. Lo-Everton’s recall is his first start this season.

 

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Out-of-favour Yeovil Town goalkeeper Will Buse has joined National League South strugglers W*ymouth on a one-month loan.

The local lad, who has not been given a squad number for the Glovers’ National League Premier campaign, has just completed a similar temporary stint with at Weston-super-Mare.

The Terras, who already have a number of ex-Glovers on their books, are in FA Cup action on Saturday with a trip to Sholing in the competition’s Second Qualifying Round.

Buse joins, defender Brooklyn Genesini, playmaker Jordan Maguire-Drew and striker Malachi Linton to have swapped Huish Park for that claret-and-blue lot down the road in recent months.

 

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Following a less than satisfactory Tuesday night at Huish Park, the Glovers are back and this time it’s Altrincham who make the long trip south from Greater Manchester.

Here’s our preview of an important game at Huish Park, our final home game before two more trips on the road to Oldham  Athletic next weekend and Sutton United three days after that.

Form Guide…

Yeovil Town are looking to get back to winning ways after falling to Solihull Moors 1-0 on home soil Tuesday night.

The Glovers have now lost three of their four home games this season (all by a 1-0 scoreline) so will hoping to get their Fortress Huish Park plans back on track.

Overall though, eight games and a record of four wins and four losses isn’t to be sniffed at. Yeovil sit ninth going into the weekend’s games.

Altrincham are sat in 16th at time of writing, but such is the nature of the table this season, they could overtake the Glover with a win, they have ten points from eight games and lost against Barnet on Tuesday night.

That game ended 2-1 to the Bees – Alty were 1-0 up on the night through striker Justin Amaluzor, but Barnet clawed back into the game and bagged a 92nd minute winner.

Their last win was last Saturday a 4-0 thrashing of Ebbsfleet United, a result which ended a three match run without a win, 

Key Players…

Yeovil – Aaron Jarvis

The Glovers’ frontman has done a lot of huffing and puffing over the last few weeks and has already scored twice, but both of those goals have come away from home.

The former Torquay striker is yet to find the net on home soil this season and with Mark Cooper challenging his forward players to show more quality in the final third, Jarvis might be the one to step up as he’s looked the most dangerous and likely to get on the end of something in the opposition box.

Altrincham – Alex Newby

Alex Newby is a midfielder who can do a bit of everything.

The 28 year old, joined Alty from Colchester United in January and has been at the likes of Barrow and Chorley before – he played against the Glovers twice for Chorley in the 2019/20 season.

This season he’s been one of their best players in terms of ratings and involvements at the business end of the pitch.

He scored (and picked up an assist) against Ebbsfleet in a 4-0 demolition job last Saturday and assisted Tyler Golden’s opening day winner at home toWoking. He can operate on either flank and either Michael Smith or Alex Whittle (or both) will have to have their wits about them.

That’s What He Said…

Mark Cooper told BBC Somerset on Thursday that Altrincham are a “very good football team” and was looking forward to the challenge.

“[They’re] very good to watch, they’ve got some really good forwards, some good players all over the pitch and they try and play real football, they try and pass the ball, rotate and it’ll be a difficult game. But listen, we’re at home, we’ve lost three home games 1-0…we have to put on a performance at home, our fans need to be invigorated and energised, we have to give them that.”

After their game against Barnet on Tuesday – whilst Dean Brennan was having a little rant – Phil Parkinson said that their defeat came down to a lack of concentration rather than a lack of a performance.

With regards to a trip to Somerset, Parkinson said that it was “critical” his side bounced back; “every game is the same, we didn’t come here [to Barnet] hoping to get a win, we believed we could get a win… when your fans have travelled a long way you want to entertain them, our fans demand that when we set the team up we want to win, so like every game, we’ll set up to try and force the issue and Yeovil will be no different.”

We’ve met before…

The last two meetings between the sides have been draws with a 1-1 draw at Huish Park in February 2023 the most recent coming together.

James Jones opened the scoring and was later sent off (he’s still with Alty, now) before some chap called Jordan Maguire-Drew equalised from the penalty spot. Matt Gould was on the bench for Altrincham that day.

Before that, Egli Kaja bagged a 90th minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw in August of the same season up north.

Malachi Linton and Gime Toure (now there’s a name!) the Glovers’ scorers.

Yeovil players applaud the fans after beating Altrincham on the final day of the 2021/22 season.

However the most memorable recent meeting was a 1-0 away win for Yeovil on the final day of the 2021/22 season.

A single Tom Knowles’ (DFILWF) earned the Glovers three points.

It was the first team debut of Max Evans and Ollie Haste and remains the match in which Josh Staunton earned his perfect 100% record as Glovers manager. 

We learned recently that Grant Smith had an outfield shirt printed with “Smith 1” on the back… just in case!

 

 

Don’t I know you?

Right, we won’t lie, we’re struggling here.

We can’t spot any direct YTFC links within the Altrincham squad, which makes this part of the preview quite short.

Matt Gould, the Glovers’ Goalkeeper/Coach joined Huish Park directly from Altrincham this summer though, so here’s a picture of him looking very happy about it.

Matt Gould signing for Yeovil Town. Pic C/O YTFC

Who’s been a naughty boy, then?

Neither club is dealing with any suspensions, but this feels like a good time to mention that five yellows will lead to a one-match ban, both sides have a number of players on three for the season.

Alty will hope that Ed Jones, Lewis Banks and Tom Crawford (all on three) keep their noses clean whilst the Glovers have the same concerns about Aaron Jarvis (also on three).

Here’s a handy graphic explaining the situation with regards to yellow card accumulation.

Our referee is Lee Swabey

How can you keep across the game?

In Person

Get to Huish Park! Tickets are available for the game here.

On the Radio

Ian is back on the mic with BBC Somerset alongside the returning “Stone Cold” Chris Spittles.

On the TV/ stream

National League TV has this game listed as available to watch outside of the UK

On the Gloverscast.co.uk

We’ll have team news, match report, Five Conclusions and our usual reaction podcast to follow on Monday.

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Full-back Alex Whittle says his Yeovil Town team-mates know too many of them were below par during the midweek defeat at home to Solihull Moors.

The Glovers were booed off by some sections of the Huish Park crowd on Tuesday night having turned in a disappointing performance which saw them go down to their third 1-0 defeat on home soil in their opening four attempts of the new season.

On Saturday, they are looking to put that right when an Altrincham side which has picked up one win in their opening three away fixtures visit Somerset.

Whittle said: “It was disappointing (on Tuesday night) and if you have a few lads who are off it, you are going to struggle to win a game. We looked a little bit off it.

“You want to play as quickly as possible after a defeat, so we are grateful we have another game coming up this Saturday. We need to put that right on Saturday, we know Altrincham are a good passing team, but we have to be positive and try and get three points.”

Alex Whittle rises highest in the opening day defeat to Hartlepool United. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

 

Having started with the  back four of Whittle, Morgan Williams, Jake Wannell and Michael Smith which was such a mainstay of last season in their opening three matches of this season, injuries and suspension have seen them field five different defensive combinations in the last five games.

Whittle believes that a return to a more settled backline will lead to an upturn in results, and he is confident the hamstring which has troubled him in recent weeks is back to full fitness.

He said: “Playing Saturday-Tuesday is a lot. I have just got an unfortunate hamstring injury back in March and I was out for a while, but it feels good now. I had a little blip after the Saturday-Monday game, but I feel strong now so hopefully I can kick on. I think I am back to full fitness, I have played the last two and I hope to kick on now.

“We have gone up a level so we are playing better opponents, but I don’t think we have been defending that badly. There has been a lot of mistakes and if we can cut those out in general. We have not had a settled back four yet this season, we have had to make a long of changes through suspensions and injuries, but that give you a more solid foundation.”

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has challenged his Yeovil Town players to show their desire to win when they face Altrincham in front of a home crowd this weekend.

The Glovers suffered their third 1-0 home defeat in the National League Premier Division when they went down by that scoreline against Solihull Moors on Tuesday night, having grabbed a dramatic 4-3 victory at AFC Fylde just three days earlier.

Speaking on Thursday, the boss said: “I can put up with mistakes, but we have to have the commitment and desire to win a game of football and sometimes those things are enough to get you a point or three.

“It was too much ‘after the Lord Mayor’s Show’ on Tuesday after the euphoria of winning fantastically with a brilliant performance at Fylde. The message before the game was ‘whichever team turns up with the best attitude and commitment will win, it won’t be about tactics or ability, it comes down to desire and they had more than us.

“That’s the really frustrating thing and that is what has frustrated us the most, they just did not turn up – let’s hope it was a one-off.”

Following the midweek defeat, Cooper questioned his forward players saying they could have stayed out on the Huish Park until the following day and still not found the net.

Aaron Jarvis. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Frontman Aaron Jarvis, who netted his second of the season in the win at Fylde last weekend, was joined by Frank Nouble and Sam Pearson against Solihull.

Cooper said: “We scored seven goals in two games before that, so I don’t think it is anything we are not doing in training. It comes down to personal pride. Our forward players were incredible on Saturday (at Fylde) but on Tuesday night they were just not at it. It is really hard as a side if your front players do not spark, it is really hard to get up the pitch.

Asked whether he was still looking to bolster his squad, he added: “That team was good enough to win at Fylde and Boston, but you cannot carry players. In any game of football you have to have seven or eight players who are at it and if you have just two or three you will get beaten.

“We have enough players to field a team, we are still looking, we have some money to still bring players in but we want to bring the right ones in. I have said before I can go and sign 100 players on loan, but I want to try and get the right type.”

Central defender Morgan Williams returned on the bench against Solihull having missed the away wins at Boston United and AFC Fylde with concussion. He replaced new signing Dom Bernard, whose slip led to Connor Wilkinson’s first-half goal, on Tuesday night.

Cooper said: “Morgs has had a couple of days training. Tuesday was probably a bit too early for him, and we are trying to look after him. But he is back and he looked really good today in training.”

Morgan Williams. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown

On-loan Bristol City defender Raphael Araoye has had a second scan on a dead leg suffered at Boston, but the Glovers are still waiting to hear back from his parent club about the severity of the injury. However, Cooper confirmed that he expects Harvey Greenslade to be out for “another three to four weeks.”

Araoye we are still waiting to get a definitive answer on his second scan and how long he is going to be.
Harvey we think will be another three to four weeks. That is football, you are going to get injuries, we just have to deal with it.

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Yeovil Town Women held to draw in first league outing of 2024/25

Match Round Up

Yeovil Town Women were held to a point in their season opener in the Regen Arable South West Regional Division One South.
The Glovers took on Sticker, a side based in St Austell Cornwall, who left Yeovil with a hard earned point, as the hosts struggled to capitalise in the final third.

Paul Knight’s first league lineup of the season saw a league debut handed to defender Katie Evans, as well as a first start for youngster Ava Beattie. New signing Orla East was named on the bench and Les Spearing started in goal for the first time in her Yeovil career.

The Glovers began life in a new division in perfect style as Becky Miles opened her league account and gave her side the lead. An impressive individual effort saw Miles bypass multiple players before converting to give Yeovil the dream start.

 

Despite this, the advantage lasted virtually no time, as Sticker equalised immediately, squaring it back up within seconds of Miles’ goal.

Yeovil responded positively and pushed to regain their lead, as the goal-scorer Miles had her next best effort of the game in the 21st minute, her long range strike fizzed wide of the post.

Soon after this the visitors completed a 12 minute turn around and scored again to put themselves ahead.

As the match edged closer to half time, Yeovil sought a response and nearly got one, as a headed effort resulting from a corner, was cleared off the line by a Sticker defender.

The Glovers thought their persistence in front of goal had been rewarded minutes before the interval, as last season’s top scorer Niamh Nicholls found the net, however the linesman’s flag ensured that Sticker went in at the break one goal to the good.

Yeovil continued to attack Sticker’s low-block throughout the second half, and were rewarded with an equaliser as usual goalkeeper Emily Hall converted a penalty. After last season’s consistent penalty woes, Hall has proved to be effective from the spot.

 

Despite dominating possession and relentless attempts to break down a rigid Sticker block, Yeovil were unable to find a winning goal and the points were shared in the league opener.

That’s What They Said

Yeovil Town Women manager Paul Knight spoke post-match:

Paul began, “It’s not the ideal start to the season, we’ve drawn to a side which we should not have drawn to today in all honesty. Due to weather conditions we are not playing at our home ground, it’s a smaller pitch, I don’t want to make excuses but it’s just one of those. It’s very difficult to be negative about the side in terms of performance because  we’ve just pinned the opposition for 45 minutes, they haven’t come out and we scored the goal to give us a draw.”

Knight expressed the disappointment amongst his team to not take all three points,
“The players know that I didn’t want anything less than a win today, they’re disappointed, this is a positive side, there was some good football out there and we completely controlled it. We played against a complete block on a small pitch and to beat a block is quite difficult.”

The manager praised POTM winner Becca McManus, “I think there were moments of brilliance from a lot of different individuals. Becca McManus has won player of the match, I think the main reason for that is her discipline, as her level headedness shone through.”

Finally, Paul reiterated his frustration with the result in Yeovil’s first league match, as his side were not clinical enough, “Going forward, if you were taking stats today, without sounding rude, disrespectful or patronising, we should be in double figures. We can’t miss that many opportunities, it’s not good enough. It’s a good result for Sticker today, they had a game plan and set it out successfully.”

“We reset and we go again next week”.

Match Highlights

Up Next

Yeovil Town Women remain unbeaten in the league since the reforming of the team last season and will be looking to earn their first three points of the season next week, as they make the long journey to Cornwall to face Helston Athletic on Sunday 15th 14:00 KO .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Devonshire-born Lee Swabey is the man in the middle for Saturday’s clash between Yeovil Town and Altrincham.

Swabey, who has been officiating for the most part in the EFL drops down into the National League for the first time this season.

It’s a name that Glovers fans might recognise as he’s reffed our matches eight times throughout his career, most recently just last season in the FA Cup.

He took charge of the Aldi v M&S 2nd round clash as Yeovil took on Wrexham.

He didn’t book Percy Pig, or Cuthbert the Caterpillar on that occasion.

But Jake Wannell and Charlie Cooper both had their names taken.

Of the eight games Mr Swabey has taken charge of for Yeovil, we’ve won three, drawn two and lost three.

He did send off Liam Walsh 16 minutes into a game against Cambridge in 2016 and took charge of a feisty game in the LDV Checkatrade Pizza Paint Pot Bristol Motors trophy between Yeovil and MK Dons earlier that same year.

The Glovers won 4-1, scored two penalties and Samir Carruthers saw red that night for the visitors (below). Ouch.

Mr Swabey will be assisted by Kevin Morris down one side and flying up and down the other will be Steven Plane. 

Samuel Fudge (who was an assistant at Huish Park for the opening day game against Hartlepool) swaps his flag for a Substitutes board instead.