Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 297)

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Yeovil Town suffered a damaging defeat at the hands of Southend United on the telly last night and find themselves in huge trouble in the relegation battle in the National League. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions (although there could have been more!) from Huish Park…

It couldn’t have gone much worse. A devastating injury to Alex Fisher will inevitably see him out of action for a long time. It was horrible to see the reaction of players and supporters in the immediate aftermath of the incident and I hope he makes a strong recovery. Miguel Freckleton picked up a red card, albeit a harsh one, which put to bed any hope of a comeback. It feels like a damaging defeat mentally as much as anything. Social media is sapped of belief, Huish Park was sapped of belief and rebuilding that belief will not be easy.

I thought we started well. We came out quickly and Scott Pollock should have put us ahead in the first five minutes. If he scores there it totally changes the complexion of the evening. As it was, Southend handled pressure and as we’ve seen so many times this season, they kept our attackers at arms length. Jake Hyde took the Shrimpers first chance when it came to them and once they were ahead it Southend could be confident that they were heading back to Essex with three points. So many times this season we’ve talked about how we’ve played well in spells, or for a half, but rarely for the full 90 minutes. Is it any wonder that we are where we are?

Scott Pollock in action for Yeovil Town. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

How we miss Matt Worthington. The yellow card at Halifax looks absolutely pivotal now. We tried Freckleton in there last week and it didn’t work and yesterday with Pollock in there it didn’t work either. Pollock is still finding match fitness and it showed. The energy Worthy gives us in midfield is irreplaceable. Charlie Cooper tried to take on some of that role but it’s clear how much Worthington’s energy is missed in the team. 

We never looked like scoring, whereas Southend had two chances and took them both. [Insert story of the season line]. We look a better team with Jordan Young in the side but we could have been there until next week and Southend’s keeper would have claimed everything comfortably. The injury to Fisher scuppered our plans to change anything. The tactical response was to bring on Max Hunt, which I understand. Knock it long and bring others into it, but no one got near him and we struggled to get the ball to him in good areas. Malachi Linton came on after but there was no pattern to rhythm to our attacking play for him to make a difference. The script was written for Rhys Murphy to settle matters with a typical poachers effort on his return.

I don’t know how we get out of this. It’s hard not to be defeatist in this position were in, so I apologise for that. The next three matches are huge and right now it feels an impossibility that we come away with anything from Gateshead, Aldershot or Dorking. The inquest of this season will come (probably on this website) but my overriding feeling yesterday was that we’re facing the abyss. Conspicuous by their absences yesterday were the players we’ve signed to get us out of this predicament, it’s clear they are either unfit or not good enough. When the time came to make signings that could help us, we’ve got it absolutely wrong. Mark Cooper cut a dejected figure yesterday after the match and I’m not sure even he can save us.

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While the first team’s struggles in front of goal continued, there was one team at Huish Park on Saturday who could not stop finding the net.

Yeovil Town Under-18s romped to a 6-1 home win over Wimborne Town in the South West Counties Youth League fixtured played on the 3G surface at the club due to the wet weather.

With Tiverton Town’s fixture being postponed, striker Charlie Bateson was in the starting XI and opened the scoring after just seven minutes before adding a second after 18 minutes.

The visitors pulled one back two minutes later before goals from Under-16s’ striker Bobby Hilton, a third for Bateson and Aidan Skiverton saw the young Glovers lead 5-1 at half-time.

Substitute Joey Beckey, who along with Hilton is a product of the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust youth teams, added a sixth with six minutes remaining to complete the rout which keeps them in third place behind Bridgwater United and leaders Torquay United.

Yeovil Town Under-18s: Hollard, Archibald, Dyer, Nowak, Skiverton, Foster, Alden, Bareham, Bateson, Beale, Hilton. Substitutes: Hodges, Evans, Johnson, Beckey, Westlake.

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In yet another highly passionate post-match chat, Yeovil Town captain Josh Staunton has promised that he’ll not give in as the Glovers stare relegation to the National League South in the face.

We at the Gloverscast would encourage anyone to listen to the full eight minutes from the skipper, we’ll post the full YouTube clip below.

On the match itself, Josh was clearly frustrated at conceding two and scoring none: “At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s two really soft goals at one end and not putting it in the goal at the other end, to be honest, there’s not really a lot I can say, it was the story of the game and the story of the season, it’s disappointing.”

On the horrible injury suffered by Alex Fisher, Staunton sent the striker his best: “At the end of the day, forget football, that’s not a nice thing to see regardless of whether you’re living your day to day life, when you go down and one of your players is in agony, his leg is clearly in a very, very bad way, it’s rocks you a bit psychologically, it wasn’t ideal as we had players around it, which leaves you in a curious position to try and focus on a game when you’ve just seen your mate and I don’t know if that puts a bit of fear in you. It was important we rallied the troops after and it gave us an extra incentive to try and go and do it. We send our well wishes to Fishy and we’ll be with him every step of the way.”

Now, here’s where Gloverscast Ben wants to use some editorial licence, listen to the skipper talk about the situation and the upcoming seven games, listen to his voice, listen to how every single word means something. Sorry for the long quotes below, but every word was worth reading, typing and understanding.

“Look, I don’t need to sit here and try and save myself for the club, but what can we do? We can either give everything we’ve got – the players that are available, and give everything we’ve got for seven games and see where it takes us and start finding excuses and pointing fingers at everyone else but ourselves, but that’s not what we need to do.”

“I’m not a silly man, this is Yeovil Football Club, we are a massive club at this level and the situation we are in in ludicrous really, it hurts, it hurts me every day, I wake up and come into this place it seems to be a glaring reflection of what we’ve put ourselves into and they (the fans) are well within their rights to (show their frustrations) the fall that this club has had, look I’m part of it, unfortunately, I’m a guilty party, but they turn up, they turn up and support us and when we actually look like we can attack they support us. 

“I think, as soon as the second one went in, I don’t blame them for their dejection and turning their back on us. It’s our job to try and get them onside, and I thought we had periods of the game where we played good.”

“To be honest, we don’t actually have to play well at the moment, it’s just that we have to try and find a way to do whatever we can to get a result.

In the last few games we just don’t look like we are capable of that.”

“But this isn’t me resigning to defeat, Jesus, I’ll go down swinging, I’ll take every punch someone has got to give me, there were times I thought we were going to get back in the game, we are just falling on the wrong side of lady luck at the moment, and we are definitely not helping ourselves with our decision making,” 

“I said to the boys in the week, as a footballer, regardless of what level you play at or what level you go to play at, you probably wont face a bigger week in your life as a footballer, in terms of, they can make or break your season, and they are pivotal.”

“It hurts me saying it, because we really shouldn’t be in this situation, it really does, I feel like a punchbag, I’ve been smashed to pieces today, to be honest, but we have got a big week, you can either sit there and cry about it, or you can get yourself up for Tuesday and give it everything you’ve got again and show yourself as a character and as a man”

“We’ve got to understand pressure, I said to the boys, two years ago we lost our captain nearly to the day and myself personally, I had a very close friend who we lost three years ago, and they’re real pressures in life, and it’s important that you can’t take the weight of the world onto the football pitch, there’s no need, and I’m trying to relay that message to the boys, you’ll face bigger pressures than this in life, so you have to stand up and show yourself in situations like this, it’s not a time to wilter, it’s a time stand up as a character, to feel the shirt with pride and display what Yeovil is about.”

“You should thrive under pressure, if you want to be a professional footballer, you want to strive to play at the best level you can, you need to learn to strive and to play under pressure – and it brings the best out of you, because if it doesn’t, we all know how that ends.

We can’t hide it forever, there is pressure, players are playing under pressure, it’s not proper pressure – there’s proper pressure in everyday life and you need to open your eyes and realise that.

I understand, but this is 90 minutes of your life where you can express yourself and you have to have the freedom, you have to have the,… urm… balls… to express yourself or the game will leave you behind and we have to find that for seven games, it’s my duty to the football club to find something and I’ll die trying,”

OUR. CAPTAIN.

 

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Look, we are all a bit miffed after the Southend game, let’s just rattle through this weekend’s loan watch.

Ben Richards-Everton played the full 90 minutes and was booked as Scunthorpe lost 1-0 in their relegation six pointer against Torquay in the National League.

Ollie Hulbert started and completed an hour for Leamington who lost 2-0 to Alfreton.

Benjani Jr was in the starting line up for Sherborne who lost 3-0 against Clevedon Town.

Jake Graziano was an unused sub for Dorchester in their 2-2 with Salisbury.

Ollie Haste was an unused sub for Truro who lost 3-2 away at Beaconsfield

Plymouth Parkway, Gillingham Town and Tiverton Town all had their games called off with waterlogged pitches – Sam Hodges and Charlie Bateson were in action for the Glovers’ Under 18s instead.

Woking didn’t play, so a free weekend for Charlie Wakefield.

That’s yer lot, rubbish Saturday all round, really…

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Manager Mark Cooper highlighted Yeovil Town’s failure to strengthen their forward line in the transfer market as he was dealt another both with the loss of striker Alex Fisher through injury.

The frontman, who is the club’s joint top scorer with five goals, suffered a suspected broken ankle in an innocuous looking collision with goalkeeper Collin Andeng-Ndi in the 2-0 home defeat to Southend United at Huish Park in Saturday’s late kick-off.

That leaves only Malachi Linton, who also has five goals to his name this season, and on loan Doncaster Rovers man Reo Griffiths, who was not in the squad, as the only recognised strikers in the squad.

Asked about Fisher’s injury by BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins, Cooper said: “I am being told it is a break, but until that is confirmed I am not going to speculate. He is on the gas and air and it is more about Fish again than anything else.”

He then added: “You look at all the other clubs down (at the bottom of the National League), they have all strengthened in that area and we haven’t.”

Cooper has not hidden his displeasure at the involvement of the club’s owners-in-waiting SU Glovers who have been public in talking about how they are getting involved in bringing players in. Recent arrivals Callum Harriott, who had a thigh injury, Zanda Siziba and Griffiths were not involved in the squad against Southend.

Asked directly about whether he was unhappy with the off-the-field interference in recruitment, Cooper said: “We have spoken about it before, we have to be better in all aspects, recruitment-wise, whatever it is, we have to be better. That was clearly shown today.”

The manager explained his decision to put defender Max Hunt on up front following the departure of Fisher on a stretcher, saying: “I didn’t think we were going to score by playing and cutting them open, I thought it was just going to come from a knock down in the box, try and create a bit of pressure in the box.”

If you were looking for anything to lift your spirits, you will not find it in this post-match interview but the manager did say he would not question the desire of his players.

He said: “The fight is the one thing I can’t question (about the players) and it’s one thing I can’t question. If you see the effort, the distance and sprints they have put in, we can’t question their fight. Can we question their quality? Possibly.”

The next game takes Yeovil on the long trip to Gateshead on Tuesday night. The Tyneside club booked their place in the FA Trophy final with a penalty shoot-out win over Barnet today and have now won their last three matches.

Asked about that, Cooper added: “They got to Wembley today so they will be cock-a-hoop and looking forward to playing for us knowing we are depleted but there is no feeling sorry for yourselves, you have to roll your sleeves up and get on with it.“

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Venue: Huish Park
Saturday, 1st April, 5.20pm kick-off

Pitch: Green
Conditions:  Dry and sunny

Scorers: Jake Hyde 24 (0-1), Rhys Murphy 90+2 (0-2),

Bookings: 

Yeovil Town: Miguel Freckleton 34, Malachi Linton 78
Southend United: Cav Miley 44, Nathan Ralph 45, Harry Cardwell 74

Sendings off:

Yeovil Town: Miguel Freckleton 84

Referee: Ed Duckworthj

Yeovil Town (5-2-3)


Substitutes: Alex Fisher (for Jack Clarke, 46), Max Hunt (for Alex Fisher, 58), Malachi Linton (for Jordan Young, 73), Reckord, Johnson.

Southend United: Andeng-Ndi, Ralph, Taylor, Scott-Morriss, Lomas, Hobson, Kensdale, Benton (for Fonguck, 70), Miley, Hyde (for Powell, 70), Cardwell (for Rhys Murphy, 90). Substitutes:  Mooney, Bridge.


Match Report

Yeovil Town’s relegation woes deepened with a 2-0 home defeat against Southend United – but the result was only part of the story of the day at Huish Park.

A first half strike from Jake Hyde and a late second from former Glover Rhys Murphy did the damage, but just five minutes after coming on at half-time top scorer Alex Fisher suffered a horrific injury after a collision with visiting keeper Collin Andeng-Ndi.

Then with seven minutes of the game remaining defender Miguel Freckleton was given a second yellow card and a the corresponding red. That rules the Sheffield United loanee out for Tuesday night’s trip to Gateshead. Lucky him.

We’ll not blame you if you don’t want to read this latest tale of woe…..

 

First half

Following a one-minute applause to mark the second anniversary of the passing of ex-Glovers’ captain Lee Collins, Yeovil attacked the away end in the first half.

The first chance fell to Scott Pollock, getting his first start for Yeovil, inside the opening two minutes as Yeovil got in down the left side, but the midfielder could not angle a shot past Collin Andeng-Ndi in the visitors’ goal. Squaring the ball to Maguire-Drew was perhaps a better option although he was shadowed by a Southend defender.

It was a bright opening five minutes for Yeovil and Andrew Oluwabori tested Andeng-Ndi from distance and at the other end a long ball forward almost found Harry Cardwell after eight minutes, but Owen Bevan did well to put him off his shot with only Grant Smith to beat.

With 21 minutes played, Maguire-Drew picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch and fed Jordan Young, but his effort was not troubling Andeng-Ndi from distance. A minute later, a corner came to Lomas who was found at the back post and his effort was stopped by the feet of Smith.

Three minutes later, the visitors were ahead. The Yeovil defence switched off from a throw and a ball in to the box from Nathan Ralph was nodded down by Gus Scott-Morriss in to a crowded penalty area. Cardwell reacted and got the ball back to Jake HYDE who lashed in the opener.

That gave the visitors a lift and on 28 minutes Scott-Morriss’ cross from the right found Cardwell at the back post, but he couldn’t angle his header on target.

After a bright start, the home side had started to quieten down and the goal and, other than a couple of runs forward by Oluwabori, there was little in the way of a response. Huish Park has fallen deathly quiet.

A deep cross to the back post from Maguire-Drew went towards Oluwabori at the back post with five minutes of the first half remaining, but as far as quality balls in to the box were concerned they were few and far between.

Another came from the same source as Maguire-Drew’s free-kick found Pollock inside the box and his header thumped against the base of the post and away for a corner. That’s a chance to book end the half from the midfielder, who had a reputation from scoring from his days at Boston United…..you can do the rest.

One or two boos met the half-time whistle. It certainly was not as bad as the previous performance against Bromley – but a lack of attacking intent barely even worth mentioning these days. Big second half required, but we seem to say that every week as well.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Southend United 1

 

Second half

Alex Fisher replaced Jack Clarke at the half-time interval and it was the club’s joint top-scorer – with just five goals, of course – who was involved in the first incident. A totally innocuous coming together between Fisher and Andeng-Ndi saw the striker go down with what was instantly obvious was a broken ankle. The television coverage caught Fisher scream in pain, a heartbreaking thing to see.

Just when you thought things could not get any worse – they did. All the best, Fish.

Max Hunt replaced him in the target man role, but having a centre half playing as centre forward perhaps summarises the attacking issues which have riddled us for the entire season – and last season!

Ironically, it was another defender, captain Staunton, who had a glorious chance in the 64th minute. A superb corner from Maguire-Drew saw the skipper get ahead of his opponent Nathan Ralph and Andeng-Ndi did superbly to make a one-handed save and turn it around the post.

A mistake by Pollock on the edge of his box gifted Southend a big opportunity after 69 minutes. His attempted forward pass was blocked and broke to Cardwell, but he lifted his shot over the bar.

On 74 minutes, Malachi Linton, who scored on his last appearance in the 1-1 draw at FC Halifax Town a fortnight ago, replaced Young. Difficult to see where the spark of inspiration was going to come from for the home side.

Bevan put a header over from a corner, won by some good play from Oluwabori, another good ball in from Maguire-Drew on a day when quality balls in to the box were sadly lacking.

Remember when we said about things not getting any worse? Well, on 84 minutes substitute Callum Powell’s burst forward and was checked by Freckleton, who had already been booked in the first half. Two yellows make a red. On first inspection it did not look like a bookable offence to me, on re-inspection (via television replay) it still didn’t. Sigh.

Three minutes from time, Pollock broke in to the box and got a shot in on goal which was stopped on the line by Harry Taylor. Pollock has looked lively, but sadly from his three efforts on goal, he has not converted any of them.

As the 11 minutes of injury time came up, Rhys Murphy replaced Harry Cardwell. You know what’s coming here, don’t you? Scott-Morriss’ ball in from the right hand side and Powell was completely unmarked in the middle of the box, inexplicably his effort came off the bar. The ball broke to MURPHY who showed the type of striker’s instinct so sadly lacking from his former club to smash home the second.

Two goals from two clinical strikers. That was the difference.

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 Southend United 2

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Striker Jordan Young returns to the Yeovil Town starting XI after a hamstring injury to face Southend United in front of the BT Sport cameras (5.20pm kick-off).

He is expected to be in a three-man attack alongside Jordan Maguire-Drew and Scott Pollock. On loan midfielder Jack Clarke, who has also been missing through injury, is also back and seems likely to pair with Charlie Cooper.

There is no place for recent arrivals winger Callum Harriott, who has a thigh injury, midfielder Zanda Siziba or striker Reo Griffiths.

For the visitors, ex-Glovers’ striker Rhys Murphy is on the substitutes’ bench with another former Yeovil Town man Nathan Ralph in the starting XI.

 

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Yeovil Town have spent just £2210 on fees paid to agents and intermediaries from Feb 1st 2022 through until January 31st 2023.

This is down significantly on the £27,000 that was forked out during the 12 months prior.

This time period includes the end of one season which saw Charlie Lee (and Josh Staunton) see the season out as manager and the start of the Chris Hargreaves era through the summer and also the initial deals done by Mark Cooper

According to FA Documents, the Glovers officially had made payments to the agents of;

Jamie Reckord, Malachi Linton, Jake Scrimshaw, Jordan Young and Jordan Maguire-Drew whilst also making a payment to the agent of Josh Staunton on his contract renewal with the club.

It’ll come as no great surprise that Wrexham topped £160k for the year and topped the spending list for the National League set up.

The full list can be found below.

Club (£)  – Net total paid to Agents/Intermediaries
AFC FYLDE –  22,771
BARNET – 14,000
BATH CITY – 1,500
BOREHAM WOOD – 14,546
BOSTON UNITED – 4,730
BROMLEY – 10,868
CARLTON TOWN – 260
CHESTERFIELD – 77,194
DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE – 32,500
DARLINGTON – 1,500
DOVER ATHLETIC – 988
EASTLEIGH – 9,925
EBBSFLEET UNITED – 5,120
GUISELEY AFC – 1,000
HALIFAX TOWN – 16,677
HEREFORD – 1,770
KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS – 10,238
KINGS LYNN TOWN – 2,000
MAIDENHEAD UNITED – 5,380
MATLOCK TOWN – 360
NOTTS COUNTY – 68,379
OLDHAM – 80,747
SCUNTHORPE UNITED – 4,275
SOLIHULL MOORS – 26,959
SOUTH SHIELDS – 3,640
SOUTHEND – 16,889
TORQUAY UNITED – 16,583
WOKING – 18,554
WREXHAM – 163,737
YEOVIL TOWN – 2,210
YORK CITY – 27,937
TOTAL – 663,237

Full documents for 2023 can be found on the FA Website HERE

Yeovil Town History of Agents Fees

1st Feb ’22 – 31st Jan ’23 – £2,210
2nd Feb ’21 – 31st Jan ’23 – £26,834
31st Jan ’20 – 1st Feb ’21 – £1,287
1st Feb ’19 – 30th Jan ’20 – £19,387

 

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Ian, Ben and Dave are back to look over the week and look ahead to Southend. We welcome Chris Phillips to the podcast to talk about our opponents. Plus we take your GCQs.

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