Yeovil Town have named an unchanged starting XI for today’s for today’s visit to Morecambe (3pm kick-off).
The only change from the 1-0 home defeat against Southend United last weekend comes on the substitutes’ bench where midfielder Brett McGavin replaces the suspended Aaron Jarvis.
Dave vs Dave on this Foot In the Opposition Camp as our Dave chats to Dave Salmon, who commentates on today’s hosts Morecambe for Shrimps Live.
A long trip to the North West coast is in store for Yeovil this weekend as they take on Morecambe on Saturday in what looks like an important game for both sides.
The Glovers’ poor form continued as they conceded a late goal to Southend United, stretching their winless run to six National League games. Their attacking issues persisted, with no shots on target for the second time in five matches. Yeovil have lacked a goal threat all season, and Aaron Jarvis, who misses out this weekend through suspension, Junior Morias, and Tahvon Campbell have struggled.
The last five fixtures have followed the same pattern: goalkeeper Jed Ward keeps Yeovil in the game until constant opposition pressure breaks through. With no real attacking outlet, the team can’t relieve pressure, and the midfield has failed to control possession.
Having come within a whisker of going out of business in the summer, The Shrimps haven’t had the best season. Two draws, two losses and a win, is the record for Morecambe over the last five games, and although not impressive, it has been solidifying for the Lancashire outfit.
Morecambe earned their first win in five in midweek, beating Brackley Town 2–0 at home. They will worry the Glovers with their goal threat, scoring eight times in their last five matches – the same number Yeovil have conceded in that span.
But, defensively they have conceded nine goals in that same five-game run suggesting there are frailties for the Glovers to exploit – IF our forward players can fire.
It’s hard to pick a stand-out Yeovil player right now, but Jed Ward is the clear exception. The on loan Bristol Rovers’ goalkeeper has consistently kept Yeovil in games longer than they deserved. His numbers prove his value: he averages 4.1 saves per match and has made 73 this season.
Match ratings aren’t everything, but Sofascore gives Ward an impressive 7.42 average. He earned a 9 against Southend, the second time he’s hit that mark this season. Despite his efforts, he can only do so much behind a defence that has been well below average.
Nolan has been in strong form for the Shrimps this season. Naturally a left winger, he has played on the right and even filled in up front against Brackley. He remains Morecambe’s main attacking threat, producing four goals and four assists so far.
The 24-year-old plays like a traditional wide midfielder, staying on the touchline and influencing the game from out wide. He is Morecambe’s key outlet, averaging 4.3 successful dribbles per match at an 80% success rate.
Ashvir Singh Johal leads the opposition this weekend. The 30-year-old made history at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium as the first Sikh man to manage a professional club in England and the youngest manager in the top five leagues.
This is Johal’s first role in senior men’s football. He began coaching in Leicester’s academy before becoming Kolo Touré’s assistant at Wigan. After leaving the Latics, he returned to youth football, serving as assistant to former Arsenal and Chelsea player Cesc Fabregas in Italy at Como U19s and later managing Notts County’s U21s.
He was the pick of Morecambe’s new owners, Panjab Warriors, following the summer takeover when experienced manager Derek Adams was given his cards.
Johal’s early record as a manager has been tough, with four wins, four draws, and 11 losses, though none of those defeats have come against the Glovers.
The sides last met six years ago, when Yeovil won 3–2 at Huish Park. The Glovers trailed for most of the match before a Tristan Abrahams brace gave them their first lead. Morecambe equalised in the 83rd minute, but Ryan Seager hit the winner soon after.
Earlier that 2018 season, Yeovil lost 2–1 on the northwest coast. Ryan Oates and AJ Leitch-Smith put Morecambe ahead, and Olufela Olomola pulled one back in the 68th minute.
For those with sharp memories, Morecambe’s only ex-Glover is George Thomas. The 28-year-old spent a brief loan spell at Yeovil in the 2015/16 season from Coventry City, making five appearances in two months.
Declan Brown takes charge of the fixture, and as usual read Ben’s full article here.
Yeovil strike Tahvon Campbell says he and the squad are disappointed at how the season has gone so far and that they’re continuing to work hard to turn things around.
Campbell, who returned to the Glovers in the summer, was speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins ahead of the trip to Morecambe and said the recent run has been difficult but things change quickly in football: “I’d say it’s difficult, but I think, we’ve got to look at the fixtures we’ve had. We’ve got to just keep doing the same things. We’ve got to keep working hard in training, and we’ve got to believe in what we’re doing. And as football is, things change all the time. So in short spaces of time as well. So pick up a few wins in the next few games or a few draws and yeah, everything looks different. The table is quite tight still, so if we do get a few wins in the next few, then we’ll be back in and around mid table.”
After the defeat to Southend, Richard Dryden said they’d be working on creating more opportunities to solve the Glovers’ goalsoring woes, and Campbell said it has been a big focus this week.
“Yeah, I think, we’ve been heavily focused on how we’re going to create chances. I think, when I have played, and even when I haven’t, it’s been hard to come by a clear goal-scoring chance. So I think if we put that together with everything, I think we’ll be alright. We do need to find a way to start creating more chances and putting pressure on other teams.”
Campbell last found the back of the net [intentionally] at Aldershot where the Glovers responded to Danny Webb’s shock departure with an unforgettable 4-1 win. When asked how Yeovil could replicate that performance Campbell said: “I think we just need to keep working hard and we need to find different ways because every game is different. In that game, it felt like we were playing more counter-attacking, but it literally depends on the game. So we’ll have to see when we go into each individual game.”
Campbell added, despite Morecambe’s position in the table (and leaky defence), Yeovil would show them respect.
“We give respect to them. They’re a good team, and they’re in a position which says that they might not be doing so well. So we’re going to go there with our confidence and hopefully try and get three points.”
Campbell was also asked on his reflections of the season so far, saying: “I think as a team we’re disappointed with how we’re doing at the moment and like we just want to do our best. I think all the lads effort-wise are still trying, so I think at some point it will change. When it does, then, I think we’ll continue to keep picking up points.”
Mike Hudson joins the gang to look ahead to a fairly massive game against Morecambe with the Glovers looking to end a winless streak that’s starting to worry everyone a little bit.
There’s been a few one-sided Man of the Match votes this season, but this one breaks records.
Jed Ward took over 80% of your votes from the 1-0 defeat to Southend United.
The Bristol Rovers loanee made save after save to keep the Glovers in the game before finally seeing one sneak past him in second half stoppage time.
Max Jolliffe and Junior Morias shared a handful of votes for the minor spots, but Ward claims his EIGHTH man of the match this season… no-one tell Bristol Rovers he’s doing really well, yeah?
| 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 2-1 win) | 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) |
||
| 04.10.2025 | BOREHAM WOOD (Home - 0-3 loss) | 87 | JED WARD (61 / 70.1%) | Harvey Greenslade (10 / 11.5%) | Kyle Ferguson (5 / 5.7%) |
| 11.10.2025 | HEMEL HEMPSTEAD (Away 2-1 loss) | 44 | HARVEY GREENSLADE (18 / 40.9%) | Jed Ward (10 / 22%) | Byron Pendleton (6 / 13.6%) |
| 18.10.2025 | ROCHDALE (Away 3-0 loss) | 49 | JED WARD (17 / 34.7%) | Harvey Greenslade (10 / 20.4%) | Kyle Ferguson (5 / 10.2%) |
| 25.10.2025 | CARLISLE (Home 1-1 draw) | 140 | Max Jolliffe (60 / 42.9% | Harvey Greenslade (16 / 11.4%) | George Nurse (13 / 9.3%) |
| OCTOBER PLAYER OF THE MONTH | 🥇 HARVEY GREENSLADE (9 PTS / 1 MOTM) | 🥈 JED WARD (8 PTS / 1 MOTM) | 🥉 MAX JOLLIFFE (3 PTS / 1 MOTM) |
||
| 04.11.2025 | WEALDSTONE (Home 0-2 loss) | 67 | LUKE MCCORMICK (13 / 19.4%) | Jed Ward (12 / 17.9%) | Aaron Jarvis (9 / 13.4%) |
| 08.11.2025 | SCUNTHORPE (Away 1-0 loss) | 46 | JAMES PLANT (15 / 32.6%) | Jed Ward (12 / 26.1%) | Harvey Greenslade (10 / 21.7%) |
| 15.11.2025 | SOUTHEND (Home 0-1 loss) | 89 | JED WARD (74 / 83.1%) | Max Jolliffe (5 / 5.6%) | Junior Morias (3 / 3.4%) |
| 22.11.2025 | MORECAMBE (Away 0-0 draw) | 49 | JED WARD (22 / 44.9%) | Harvey Greenslade (12 / 24.5%) | Finn Cousin-Dawson 4 (8.2%) |
| 29.11.2025 | BOSTON UNITED (Home 2-1 win) | 108 | LUKE MCCORMICK (68 / 63%) | Brett McGavin (10 / 9.3%) | James Plant (6 / 5.6%) |
| NOVEMBER PLAYER OF THE MONTH | 🥇 JED WARD (10 PTS, 2 MOTM) | 🥈 LUKE MCCORMICK (6 PTS / 2 MOTM) | 🥉 JAMES PLANT (4 PTS / 1 MOTM) |
||
| 06.12.2025 | HARTLEPOOL UTD (Away, 2-0 win) | 106 | LUKE MCCORMICK (78 / 73.6%) | Jed Ward (11 / 10.4%) | Harvey Greenslade (7 / 6.6%) |
| 13.12.2025 | MAIDSTONE UTD (Home, 1-1 [4-2 on pens]) | 125 | JED WARD (83 / 66.4%) | Brett McGavin (10 / 8%) | Harvey Greenslade (9 / 7.2%) |
| 20.12.2025 | FOREST GEEEN (Home, 0-2 loss) | 94 | LUKE MCCORMICK (22 / 23.4%) | Harvey Greenslade (20 / 21.3%) | Jed Ward (17 / 18.1%) |
| 26.12.2025 | TRURO CITY (Away 0-1 loss) | 67 | JED WARD (55 / 82.1%) | Jake Wannell (3 / 4.5%) | Josh Tobin / Aaron Jarvis (2 / 3%) |
| 30.12.2025 | EASTLEIGH (Home 1-1 draw) | 113 | LUKE MCCORMICK (46 / 40.7%) | Jed Ward (29 / 25.7%) | Jake Wannell (10 / 8.8%) |
| DECEMBER PLAYER OF THE MONTH | 🥇 JED WARD (10 PTS, 2 MOTM) | 🥈 LUKE MCCORMICK (9 PTS / 3 MOTM) | 🥉 HARVEY GREENSLADE (4 PTS / 0 MOTM) |
||
| 03.01.2026 | BRAINTREE (Home 3-1 win) | 164 | LUKE MCCORMICK (44 / 26.8%) | Aaron Jarvis (27 / 16.5%) | James Daly/Brett McGavin (20 / 12.2%) |
| 10.01.2026 | ALVECHURCH (Home 0-0 [3-1 on pens]) | 172 | DAKARAI MAFICO (86 / 50%) | Jed Ward (55 / 32%) | Josh Sims (9 / 5.2%) |
We weren’t entire sure this match would happen at one point this season, but the Glovers are off to Morecambe on Saturday and the man in charge is Mr Declan Brown.
We’ve only seen him once before, at Huish Park back in April of this year when he took charge of a 1-1 draw against Forest Green Rovers.
He booked just one Glover – Frankie Terry – but dished out a few more to the visitors.
He also got a rather scathing name check in the post match chat, Manager Mark Cooper said…
“But there is a cast iron penalty and red card in the second half where Ciaran McGuckin is about to tap the ball in and that is game over for me. I’m not blaming the referee, but they should not have a chance to get back at us in the last minute, it should have been game over. Between the four officials they have to see that, I think it was Ryan Inniss (the offender appears to be Tozer) who swipes McGuckin’s legs away when he is about to tap the ball in the goal. How four of them missed that I find incredible, but I do not want to take anything away from the players performance today.”
Inniss would go on to score an injury time equaliser to level the game at 1-1.
Brown has reffed six games in the National League this season with an average of three yellows per game, he took charge of Morecambe’s 2-0 home defeat to Woking in late August.
Brown will be assisted by Matthew Malton and Stephen Rushworth, Jacob Viera is in the dug outs.
Morecambe FC (First Team) v Yeovil Town FC (First Team)
National League – Premier
Referee: Brown, Declan
Assistant Referee: Malton, Matthew
Assistant Referee: Rushworth, Stephen
Fourth Official: Viera, Jacob
Richard Dryden says the team have been ‘working and working’ on getting the Glovers firing again. Yeovil visit Morecambe (fresh off a 2-0 win against Brackley) at the weekend and with no wins and two goals in seven matches, Yeovil need to turn things around.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins, Dryden said: “We’re working and working on it [creating chances]. We need to be a bit higher up the pitch. We created a fair few chances and they stopped, probably from last month. We’ve maybe not has as much possessions as we’d been used to and a few other issues. So, we know what we’ve got to do more of, and we know what we’ve got to do better. So, you know, we’re steadily working on that.”
Morecambe – who came on the verge of going out of business this year – picked up a crucial win over 17th placed Brackley in the week, but have conceded 48 goals this season – more than any other team.
Dryden paid close attention to Saturday’s opponents on Tuesday night: “We watched these [Morecambe] Tuesday night and they were pretty good against Brackley. They’ve changed their shape, whether they keep that shape or not, again, it’s going to be about us creating and being solid possession. [There’s] a lot of attacking stuff from them. They move the ball quick. They’ve got good movement. They got players that can score a drop of a hat. I think that was proved on Tuesday night. Every game is tough, but we go into it with some confidence with how we can play against them.”
When asked about Prabhu Srinivasan’s comments about the ‘blueprint’ potentially resulting in promotion to EFL by the end of next season, Dryden said: “I expect every owner wants to be in the Football League this time next season. You look at the quality of the teams in there, we have to be realistic, where we are and that’s like every other club. We’ll give it a go. But where we can be, whether we’re there or not, the end of the season time, will tell.”
Dryden added that due to the frost (cold up North), they’d not been able to get on grass at SGS, but had ‘decent 4Gs’ to train on. Aaron Jarvis misses out this weekend after picking up a fifth booking against Southend, Jacob Maddox is ‘getting there’ and Brett McGavin will be back and available.
Yeovil Town’s Ollie Hughes has followed in the footsteps of Corey Koerner and Ollie Haste by being called up to the England Colleges squad.
Hughes, who has appeared on the bench a number of times for the senior side in the League and played in the Somerset Men’s Premier Cup clash earlier this season has starred for the Under 19s this campaign.
Hughes has been selected from a number of open trials throughout October, including one at SGS College in Bristol.
The next step was a phase two trial in Shrewsbury this past weekend, Hughes now goes forward for selection for a fixture against England Independent Schools XI on December 10th and a further fixture against their Welsh counterparts in the new year.
The 2026 schedule also includes a tour to Italy in March.
Hughes has been playing for both Sherborne and Plymouth Parkway as part of his progression plan with the Glovers this season.
Congratulations from us at the Gloverscast on your selection, Ollie!
George Nurse’s loan deal at Yeovil Town has come to an end with BBC Radio Shropshire saying that he has returned to Shrewsbury Town.
Nurse made his debut in the defeat to Rochdale, making three games appearances in total, but didn’t make the match day squad for either of the last two games.
