A Friday night in Barrow, a Monday afternoon at Huish Park.
We sing the praises of all those in Green and White (in the stands and on the pitch) on the latest edition of the Gloverscast, three voicenotes, some GCQs and Ben’s chat with Jos Barker all packed into this episode!
I promise you, we’re not making this up.
Jos Barker has made three out of a possible four Enterprise National League Team of the Weeks.
(In the only one he didn’t, Luke McCormick made the cut)
The Glovers were winners away at Barrow and highlight saves from Kennedy Digie and Xavier Benjamin at either end of the 90 clearly caught the eye of the panel.
He was also named in the Non League Paper XI.
It’s a quick turnaround for National League clubs as Bank Holiday Monday football comes to Huish Park with the visit of Tamworth.
The Glovers have had a brilliant start to the season. Eight points from four games, seven goals scored and only three conceded. If we’re being honest, none of the fan base expected this start, surely? And out of the 24 teams in the National League, only three remain unbeaten, and Yeovil are one of them.
The early-season worries of conceding late on have eased slightly, even if Friday night was touch and go, but the team is showing real progression. That is the most refreshing thing about watching this Yeovil side. Not since probably Darren Sarll’s first season at the club have I been this excited about the journey that could be ahead.
However, we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. It is only four games into the new campaign and there is still a lot that can happen, but the early signs are encouraging. Our2-1 away win at Barrow on Friday night showed us everything about this team in just 90 minutes. They dug deep, showed quality in the final third and, defensively, we are solid, even if there are some areas for improvement. It also showed that our midfield is more than just three guys with great hair.
All jokes aside, Brett McGavin, Luke McCormick and Zain Westbrooke (a new member added to the boyband) add control, stability and a foundation from which to play forwards, something that has been missing for years now.
If you thought the end of our match at Barrow on Friday night was dramatic, Tamworth went one better as they picked up their first win of the season at home to newly-promoted Worthing.
The Lambs scored twice in stoppage time at the end of the game including a winner in the eighth minute of time added on when their opponents were down to nine men and having led twice. It was a textbook Tamworth never-say-die performance and when midfielder Nathan Tshikuna levelled with a penalty in the fourth minute of stoppage time they pressed for the winner which came through Morgan Roberts, a summer signing from Brackley Town.
Boss Andy Peaks admitted the first win was important. He said: “It’s massive, we needed something today having lost the last two games and now you look at our league position, we have four points from four games and it is a lot healthier. Yeovil away is always a tough fixture, it has not always been the best place to go for us, it’s a big pitch and they actually have a good team this year, so that could be really hard. But to get this first win gives everyone a lift.”
Roberts’ winner is not even the latest goal Tamworth have scored this season, on the opening day midfielder Ben Milnes converted a penalty in the 12th minute of stoppage time to earn a 3-3 draw at Boreham Wood. Since then, they lost at home to AFC Fylde and were beaten 4-1 at FC Halifax Town before the late win over Worthing.
Off-the-pitch, our opponents today have had takeover with Abdullah Ashraf, a 24-year-old businessman from the US, targeting EFL football and promising to buy their stadium (sound familiar, Glovers?) in the summer. The new owner has backed manager Peaks bringing in a flurry of new faces including experienced defender Tom Parkes, midfielder Tshikuna from Wealdstone, and three players from Brackley in full-backs Tyler Lyttle and Riccardo Calder as well as Roberts.
The whole team could be in here at the moment, and to be honest, I was stuck between Jones and Josh Barker after his spectacular night in Cumbria (sorry, Dave). But the 24-year-old Jones has been amazing over these first four games.
In the opening two fixtures, the former Aldershot Town man showed his quality in the forward areas, providing two assists in those two games. We knew when signing him from the Hampshire side that he had that bit of quality, and we saw it when he first joined.
In the two games since Carlisle, the winger may not have got on the scoresheet, but he has provided an outlet on the right that has caused opposition left-backs real trouble. Even on Friday night, when he was subbed off after 47 minutes, which felt a bit harsh, he had played to a good standard.
The cause for concern for Rowley would have been that he wasn’t providing the same outlet he had been in the opening games, so he wanted to switch things up. Besides that really minor blip, Jones could become the team’s main playmaker out on that right flank.
I know it’s easy to go with the top scorer in the side as the key player, but the 25-year-old really is a difference-maker up top. Now, I am happy with Yeovil’s options at striker, but after looking at Donnelly’s stats, I’m surprised we weren’t looking at him this off-season. The Lambs signed the frontman from Boston United, where he didn’t get much of a look in and was loaned out to Kidderminster Harriers. And it’s his form at Kiddy that really piques my interest.
Donnelly scored eight goals in 15 appearances for the Midlands side at the back end of last season, helping push them to promotion from the National League North, with one of his contributions coming in the play-off final against South Shields. That incredible form has carried on into the new campaign with his new side, where he has already bagged himself three goals.
If there is anything you could discredit the striker for, it’s that he hasn’t found the net in the last two games. But, to caveat that, he did score twice on the opening day in a 3-3 draw against a quality Boreham Wood side. The Glovers’ backline need to be on high alert to deal with the Lambs’ talisman.
Andy Peaks is a bit of a stalwart when it comes to being a club’s manager, having only ever managed two clubs in his 13-year career. That is no slight on the former defender and shows that he is very good at what he does. It was at his former club, Rushden & Diamonds, where the 55-year-old established himself, first as a player and then as a manager.
During his playing days in the semi-professional ranks, Peaks spent six years at the Midlands club before moving around multiple clubs in the area for another 10 years before retiring in 2008. After spells at AFC Long Buckby, Daventry Town and Rushden & Diamonds as an assistant manager, it was at Nene Park where he got his breakthrough and was offered the top job in 2013. Over the next 10 years, Peaks solidified the Diamonds’ position and never looked like leaving.
It was then in 2022 that the then 51-year-old decided to step out of his comfort zone and become the manager of Tamworth, where he has now been for five years. His record against the Glovers doesn’t read the best, having faced us four times, winning once, drawing once and losing twice.
The last time the two sides met was in a rescheduled fixture at Huish Park in March. That day, the Glovers strolled to a 2-0 win, with goals either side of half-time.
Ryan Jones got the first on 40 minutes after a scintillating run from the winger took him past his man before he coolly finished past the keeper. Declan Skura was also on the scoresheet that night, with another brilliant goal to boot.
Brett McGavin, as always, produced a free-kick of the highest quality, which was tipped onto the bar by Jasbir Singh. The ball fell to the edge of the area, where Skura was waiting to strike it on the half-volley past the unfortunate Singh.
Tom Parkes is probably a player better known as an opponent for Yeovil Town in recent years. The towering centre-half joined Tamworth from Hartlepool United having had a career including four years at Bristol Rovers, but had a very brief loan spell at Huish Park whilst a Leicester City player in the 2010-11 season, making just two appearances.
In one of his more recent appearances against the Glovers, Parkes used all his experience to tumble inside the box and win a penalty for Hartlepool in December 2024.
Matthew Scholes is our match official for this game, to find out more about the man in black check out Ben’s article – here.
Referee Matt Scholes makes his first appearance in the middle for a National League fixture this season when he takes charge of the home game against Tamworth.
Scholes has been in charge of Premier League Two games this season, including a 5-0 win for Man Utd’s youngsters against their Ipswich Town counterparts; Leon Elliot for the Tractor Boys saw red after two…. needless challenges within just a couple of minutes of one another midway through the second half.
It’s not his debut at the level though, he’s took charge of eight National League games last season dishing out 25 yellows, one red and awarding three penalties.
It is his debut as the main official for Yeovil though, the only other time we’ve given him a parking space at Huish Park was when fourth official in the 1-1 draw between the Glovers and Forest Green in April of 2025.
He has a single youth international game under his belt, a 2-0 win for England under 19s against Italy at St Georges Park in 2021 and has spent the majority of his career in the National League North.
He will be assisted by Dave Middleton with Steven Plane flying down the other touchline (sorry), Ashley Allen is the fourth official.
Yeovil Town FC (First Team) v Tamworth (First Team)
National League – Premier
Referee: Scholes, Matthew
Assistant Referee: Middleton, David
Assistant Referee: Plane, Steven
Fourth Official: Allen, Ashley
Just a quick Saturday round up as Dan Ellison was once again on the losing side for his adopted Salisbury, who ended the game with nine men,
Ellison started in the heart of defence once more remaining an ever present and yet to miss a minute of action. Much like against Hemel last week, Salisbury took the lead, but ended up on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline, this time against Maidstone.
Jaiden Bartolo (50th min) and Yacoue Traore (94th min) both saw red for second bookable offences with the winner coming with the last action of the game, deep into added time.
Victory at Barrow overlooking the Irish Sea has our resident cartoonist Distant Glover thinking of The Dubliners.
Search for the song ‘Molly Malone’ if the joke doesn’t land immediately.
It was quite some Friday night for the Glovers who came from behind to grab a 2-1 win over recently relegated Barrow.
Ben was in the press box for the BBC and here are his five conclusions on a heady night in Cumbria.
Energy. Effort. Desire.
I’m knackered after the nearly six hours of driving to cover less than a 200-mile round trip – I can only imagine how the 80-plus people who got home at 5am on Saturday must feel! I’m was exhausted just watching at the energy, effort and desire from the Glovers.
It’s perfectly acceptable to give a good Barrow team the majority of the ball especially on their own turf, but the more I see of this side, the more convinced I am that you will not out work this new look Yeovil side.
It is world away from us even 12 months ago, it’s so refreshing to see that basic desire to run through brick walls for each other, for the manager and the fans.
We would have lost that game last season.
And the season before, and the one before and probably plenty of previous seasons before that!
But here’s the thing we would have shut up shop and taken the point after the equaliser in those campaigns too. We wouldn’t have sent the central defenders up for that late free-kick.
That’s a mentality thing. That was rolling dice and saying we can take the risk of losing a game to try and win it.
Replacing quality with quality.
Oh no, Ryan Jones is on a yellow card…that must mean we have to play someone else out of position to fill the gap… oh, wait. We have Mason Obeng and James Daly ready and raring to go!?
Oh no, I hope Joy Mukena has to be careful in the second half on a yellow. Actually let’s just bring on the vice captain, or a highly thought of loan signing in Ayina. Jack Kingdon and Dan Ellison aren’t even in the squad!
With all due respect, the days of putting square Finn Cousin-Dawson-shaped peg in a round hole because he can do a job, are behind us.
Unbeaten and confident.
I don’t think we’ll go 46 games unbeaten, although I’ve been wrong before. But if a new group with a 15 new faces could have hand-picked a start to the season, there would have been a lot of people choosing to keep a 0 in the L column for as long as possible.
What we’ve got is a group that is determined to keep it that way but, also a group learning how to stick together when (if?) the first defeat comes. That might be the biggest personality trait I’ve spotted. Together.
The Green does sometimes rub green.
You earn your own fortune, right?
Barrow had chances, plenty of them, but they probably will say Mukena was lucky to stay on the pitch – for what it’s worth, I think the distance he and Alex Reid were from goal puts enough doubt in the referee’s mind re: DOGSO. It wasn’t a free kick for our winning goal, but Amos committed half a dozen other cynical fouls and got pulled up on none through the game, so we might have earned one going our way.
These moments are the fine margins that haven’t gone our way in those first two games. For as much as we deserved something from the game, we deserved something going our way.
Goalkeeper Jos Barker was “buzzing” after making a string of crucial saves to help Yeovil Town to a 2-1 win at Barrow on Friday night.
The 22-year-old, who stepped up two tiers of the football pyramid when he joined from Walton & Hersham in the summer, pulled off a stunning fingertip save just seconds deep in to second half stoppage time in Cumbria.
But, speaking exclusively to Gloverscast Ben after the match, he said he felt his effort to keep out the hosts’ Kennedy Digie’s header after just ten minutes was better.
The keeper said: “I thought I made a save in the first ten minutes of the game which I thought was a better save! But because it was in injury time at the end of the game everyone was buzzing for it, even Brett (McGavin) who is probably the biggest keeper hater in the world – but he came up to me and said ‘what a save’! That is the first time I have heard that from him.
“It is just instinct, I was not sure if I should come out and press the ball to put him off the shot, but then there is the risk of not getting it. My old coach always told me to stand and be hard to be beat and that is what I did and managed to get my fingers to it.”
The victory came courtesy of a Joe Gubbins header four minutes in to second half stoppage time and means the Glovers remain unbeaten with four matches of the National League season completed. Barker said the spirit in the team has surpassed even his best expectations.
He added: “The way we have connected as a group is better than I ever thought it would happen, the character we showed in that game is unreal, everyone is buzzing. It was a man for man game, you know what you were going to get with their press and their energy was unbelievable which makes the game harder as a goalkeeper in terms of distribution and finding the right pass because you know whoever you are passing to has a man right behind them.
“The first half was not amazing, but I think we combated it well in the second half and brought on some much energy in the likes of James Daly on the wing and we just matched them and came out on top.”
Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley hailed the “togetherness” of his new-look squad as they came from a goal down to snatch a dramatic late 2-1 win at Barrow on Friday night.
With just 15 minutes remaining in Cumbria, the Glovers found themselves trailing, but pulled level when captain Luke McCormick netted from the penalty spot before substitute defender Joe Gubbins headed the winner deep in to second half stoppage time.
The win kept up an unbeaten start to the new National League Premier Division campaign and will send them on a long journey home in high spirits with Tamworth due at Huish Park on Bank Holiday Monday.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins after the game, Rowley said: “It is easy to get carried away and zoom in on these types of wins, but I think you have to at the time. It is only three points, but I am so thrilled for the lads. The togetherness of this group, even after only four games, I really feel it, so in that sense it is a really important three points.
“We work really hard as a management team, we are only a small team, but we put a lot of time and effort in to watching opposition and when you get those last minute winners, it makes it all feel worthwhile.”
Barrow came in to the game where they were marking 125 years as a club before kick-off still looking for their first win of the season after picking up one point in their opening three league games. The Bluebirds showed a high intensity style which was physical and undoubtedly had the better of the opening 45 minutes.
Rowley said: “Even though they have lost two games here, I do not see them losing too many games at home. They were a really hard opposition tonight, they had energy, they had a press, they were man for man all over the pitch and full of energy and my message for the boys at half-time was to try and find a bit of composure in those scrappy moments. Try and find three or four passes and we did it decently enough and we had one or two chances but so did they.
“That is where you defenders as so important. I felt Radders (Ben Radcliffe) was incredible, Jos in goal was again superb even if he was wearing the wrong studs from the start! Jordan Norville-Williams was incredible, Archie (Davies) has not put a foot wrong in his first four games, and in front of them, Brett (McGavin) and Zain (Westbrooke) were dogged and diligent in their defensive work. It was not a beautiful game, but it was never going to be, they are the highest pressing team in the league, they get in your face and put the ball in your box and it is really hard to play against.”
Yeovil made a triple substitution at the start of the second half with defender Joe Gubbins and wingers James Daly and Mason Obeng replacing Joy Mukena and Ryan Jones, who both picked up first half bookings, along with Barnsley winger Charlie Lennon.
Rowley added: “When you play against teams like this, you have to weather the storm probably for the first hour and hope they blow up a little bit. They obviously made five subs like we did and that leaves your team a little disjointed I think, the timing of their press was a little bit off and we found a bit more space. But naturally it comes down to energy and endurance. It was an incredibly hard game, but when you get those last minute winners it is a nice release.”
It was another substitute who played a major role in the Glovers equaliser as striker Slavi Spasov was brought down inside the box with four minutes remaining and, after a long delay, captain Luke McCormick made no mistake to level and it looked like the game was heading for a draw until Gubbins nodded the winner.
The Yeovil boss joked: “Joy (Mukena) made a good comment at the end when he said ‘what a sub that was’ bringing Gubbo on, but Joy came off because he was on a yellow card and in a game of some many duels I could not risk (him getting sent off). I learnt the hard way leaving Gubbins on after a booking (in the 1-1 draw with Carlisle where Gubbins was red carded) to give the lad the benefit of the doubt.
“Gubbo had a bit of a mishap when one of his contact lenses came out during the celebrations. I have never seen that before! He was scrambling and they almost scored when we were down to ten men, but sometimes the Gods are on your side and they were there.”
Just a minute after going ahead, the visitors were grateful to the brilliance of goalkeeper Jos Barker awho pulled off a stunning save to tip an effort from Barrow substitute Xavier Benjamin over the bar. Rowley said: “Jos is still 22 and has joined us from two leagues below and we found him another two leagues below that, so he has jumped four or five leagues in two or three years. I said it when we signed Jos, he had incredibly big shoes to will in Jed Ward and he is doing a decent job of that. I can’t speak highly enough of him, he’s been only been training full-time for eight weeks and he has taken to it like a duck to water and he is only going to get better.”
Having completed a 600-mile round journey when they returned home in the early hours of Saturday, Yeovil’s attention now turns to Tamworth who arrives at Huish Park having had their own late euphoria on Friday night. They scored twice in second half stoppage time to pick up a 3-2 home win over Worthing in a match which saw their opponents reduced to nine men.
Rowley concluded: “It is going to be a hard turnaround. I feel really sorry for all the teams who have made long journeys on a Friday night, we are probably going to get home at 5am (on Saturday) morning and then we have to play again on Monday when we do not have a massive squad. The boys finished on their backs tonight, but they are going to have to roll their sleeves up and go again on Monday and I am sure they will.“
An injury time header from substitute Joe Gubbins saw Yeovil Town fight back from a goal down to grab a dramatic late winner at Barrow on Friday night.
The Glovers fell behind to a stunning strike from the hosts’ Keaton Ward with 15 minutes remaining and looked set to be heading for their first defeat before a foul on Slavi Spasov saw them awarded a penalty with three minutes remaining. Captain Luke McCormick stepped up to level from the spot.
Then, just as the visitors looked set to make the 300-mile journey home with a point, defender Gubbins snuck in between two defenders to meet a Brett McGavin free kick with a header and snatch three points at the death.
Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley named an unchanged starting XI from the one which won 3-0 at home to Gateshead the previous weekend with defender Joe Gubbins and winger James Daly, who missed the last game through injury and suspension respectively, both on the bench.
The home side, who were looking for their first win of the season, started the brighter of the two sides and Yeovil keeper Jos Barker was called in to action within seven minutes. A corner found defender Kennedy Digie at the back post with a free header which Barker denied with an impressive instinct save before Ryan Jones blocked the rebound on the line.
Barrow’s early pressure continued as they pressed and outmuscled the Glovers on a number of occasions. Alex Reid put a header just wider before Barker had to get down smartly to deny Rekheem Harper’s effort after 12 minutes. Yeovil’s first opportunity came five minutes later after Zain Westbrooke picked out Jones on the right side, he cut in and dragged an effort wide.
On 27 minutes, Jones was outmuscled by Danny Rose whose ball in from the left found Harper inside the box but the striker completely miscued his effort which took a deflection off Jordan Norville-Williams on its way out for a corners.
You can absolutely see why Barrow was making a name for their physical style of play this season and it is working for them with referee Ross Martin not listening to any protests from the Yeovil bench – or the away end. Love it or hate it, the home side had the better of the first half and will rue the chances they missed and the question is whether they can keep up that level of intensity in the second half.
Billy Rowley responded with three changes at the start of the second half with Joe Gubbins, Mason Obeng and James Daly replacing Mukena, Jones and Charlie Lennon. Both Mukena and Jones picked up bookings in the first half and there is no doubt that Gubbins and Daly add experience and, in the case of Daly, plenty of energy.
The response from Yeovil was much improved, not only proving themselves more willing to mix with Barrow’s more physical approach, but creating chances as well. On 54 minutes, a good move saw McCormick find Daly at the near post and the substitutes’ header was denied by a last ditch block from Danny Amos.
Slavi Spasov replaced Walker just before the hour mark and ten minutes later a move down the right saw Davies pick out Daly whose effort was blocked before falling to Westbrooke whose effort was over the bar. At the other end, former Yeovil loanee Ben Whitfield fired one just past the post.
But, with 15 minutes gone, the home side took the lead in spectacular style. A corner was punched away by Barker, but could not clear the danger and it fell to substitute Keaton WARD who showed great technique to fire in a shot which rattled off the underside of the bar and over the line. Barker did his best to try and clear it, but there were few inside Holker Street who thought it did not cross the line.
Despite being behind for the first time this season, Yeovil were not giving up with Obeng and Daly combining for the latter to have an effort denied by a smart stop from Ben Winterbottom. Then with four minutes remaining Spasov was brought down inside the box by Dan Amos and referee Ross Martin pointed to the spot. After what seemed like an eternity, Luke McCORMICK shrugged off the attempts from home fans behind the goal to put him off with mobile phone torches stepped up to sent Winterbottom the wrong way.
Then, just as we were all about to shake hands and settle for a point each, Brett McGavin swung in a free-kick in the fourth minute of injury time and Joe GUBBINS snuck in between two Barrow defenders to place an expertly taken header in to the net. That was the defender’s first professional goal and he will not score many sweeter.
After the euphoria of the players celebrating in the front of the travelling supporters, there was still three more minutes – plus whatever the referee added on for the goal – remaining. There was enough time for Barker to show his class when substitute Xavier Benjamin got on the end of a ball in to the box and the keeper made a stunning fingertip save.
This was far from the best performance from this team in the opening games, but for their desire for keep going and come back they deserved it.
The 84 fans in the away end, many of which endured a nine-hour coach journey up to Cumbria, will be smiling all the way to Somerset.
Venue: Holker Street
Date: Friday 22nd August, 7.45pm kick-off
Competition: National League Premier Division
Scorers: Keaton Ward 75 (0-1), Luke McCormick pen 87 (1-1), Joe Gubbins 90+4 (2-1)
Pitch: Well watered pre-match despite the heavy rainfall in Cumbria over the past 24 hours
Conditions: Dry
Attendance: 2,286 (84 away supporters)
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Ryan Jones 22, Joy Mukena 40, Luke McCormick 43,
Barrow: Scott Smith 48
Referee: Ross Martin
Yeovil Town
Substitutes: Joe Gubbins (for Joy Mukena, 46), Mason Obeng (for Ryan Jones, 46), James Daly (for Charlie Lennon, 46), Slavi Spasov (for Ste Walker, 59), Johl Powell (for Zain Westbrooke, 84), Loick Ayina (not used), Hayden Muller (not used).
Barrow: Ben Winterbottom, Kennedy Digie, Paul Kalambayi, Dan Amos, Marcel Oakley (for Xavier Benjamin, 72), Scott Smith, Issac Marriott, Thierry Latty-Fairweather (for Keaton Ward, 72), George Walker (for Ben Whitfield, 56), Rekeem Harper (for Ben Jackson, 72), Alex Reid (for Innes Cameron, 60).
Substitutes (not used): Olly Crankshaw, Danny Rose.
