MOTM Voting – Barrow (A)
2026-08-28
Who was your Man of the Match for the Glovers away at Barrow?
With the swift turnaround between games, voting for this closes at KICK OFF in the Tamworth game on Monday
Team News: Barrow (away)
2026-08-28
Yeovil Town are unchanged from last weekend’s home win over Gateshead as they take on Barrow in Cumbria tonight (7.45pm kick-off).
Defender Joe Gubbins and winger James Daly, who missed the previous match through suspension and injury respectively are on the substitutes’ bench.
There is no place for either defender Jack Kingdon or second-choice goalkeeper Matt Gould on the bench.
Sahil: We’ve increased the budget by 30%
2026-08-28
Sahil Prabhu has spoken about his family’s takeover of Yeovil Town, this summer’s recruitment and the ambitions of the owners to reunite ownership of Huish Park with the football club.
The son of chairman Prabhu Srinivasan was appointed a director of the club as part of a boardroom reshuffle announced earlier this month which also saw solicitor Ian Scobbie join the board whilst Executive Chairman Stuart Robins stepped in to a non-executive role.
Speaking to the Gloverscast in our latest podcast episode, the son of chairman Prabhu Srinivasan revealed the club was just seven days from going in to administration when the family acquired it in May 2025.
He described the Huish Park finances as “a lot worse than initially anticipated” when the takeover was completed, adding: “It was a little bit of a twist to that because we had seven days till the club went into administration. So there were decisions which need to be taken in terms of ‘are we gonna commit to an exclusivity period’, which then adds probably two more weeks for us to make the decision of whether we want to buy the club. So it was definitely an interesting one.”
The director spoke at length about the “blueprint” the owners had developed to improve first-team recruitment starting with the appointment of Head of Recruitment Jamie Hedges last November. This was followed by a major increase in the budget for manager Billy Rowley which was followed by a busy summer with 15 players arriving at the club.
Sahil added: “We looked at teams coming down from League Two and the teams coming back up from the National League North and South, and we thought it was a real advantage for a club like Yeovil. We think we can really put ourselves back out there, which is why we had a 30% increase in budget, and with that comes (the question) ‘have we justified the spend which we have?’ That’s my main objective and I think we definitely have done that, but I think only time will really tell with that.”
Having spoken to the new director about on-the-pitch matters, we discussed the important issue of the ownership of Huish Park stands and the land surrounding it. Owner Prabhu Srinivasan has spoken recently about how reuniting the ownership of the stadium remains a priority for the ownership, whilst admitting investment in the first-team was the current top priority.
Sahil praised the work of his mother, director Bhavna Vohra, who he said had got into “a great place” in discussions about the long-term future of the land with current ownership, Somerset Council, but he admitted the financial realities of acquiring it in the short-term were very real.
He said: “Even before we came into the club, the majority of what we wanted to do long term included the stadium and the land coming back to the club. However, the reality of the economics of what’s happened with things such as inflation and where the actual capital cost of acquiring the land back has gotten to for us right now, there needs to be plans in place right after you acquire the land.
“Even though it might not seem like there’s been any progress done, in the background, this has been one of maybe four key performance indicators which we have as an ownership group. So there is enough work going on, and we hope, and we are confident that there will be a solution within a given amount of time. I’m not gonna set a time limit on it.”
You can listen to Sahil’s interview in full on our latest podcast – here.
Gloverscast #520 – “We had seven days till the club went into administration”
2026-08-28
On this episode of the Gloverscast, Ian met with a Sahil Prabhu at Huish Park to talk about his role at Yeovil Town, what part he’s played so far and what the future holds. Dave caught up with Jonny from the Barrow Fanzine, Give ‘Em Beans.
Enjoy the match!
Westbrooke excited by Glovers ‘project’
2026-08-27
Midfielder Zain Westbrooke has said the idea of helping Yeovil Town restore their Football League status was a project which appealed to him.
The 29-year-old was the Glovers’ first signing of a busy summer which has seen 15 new faces arrive at Huish Park and the former Doncaster Rovers man has impressed in the opening three National League fixtures of the campaign.
He was part of the Scunthorpe United side which reached the division’s play-offs last season having reached the League Two play-offs with Doncaster two years before and said he sees a lot of his former club’s ambitions in Somerset.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Richard Hoskins ahead of the trip to Barrow on Friday night, Westbrooke said: “I had chats with Jamie (Hedges, the Glovers’ Head of Recruitment) and the Gaffer (manager Billy Rowley) pretty early on in the summer and I really liked what I was hearing and kept that chat going. I did not really see an opportunity (at another club) which fitted me as much as this one, so I was glad to move.
“The last few clubs I have been at have all been in a process of getting back to where the club feels it should be and this is another one of those projects. Yeovil is a massive club with a big history in the League and the aim is to get the club back there and that was a journey I thought I could be part of.
“There is a lot of quality in the National League and a lot of players I was playing against in the League are here, it is very similar to League Two, there are some teams at the top which are playing football and others that are very aggressive and high pressing. We are trying to create a style of football which represents the Gaffer, the club and one that the fans can enjoy.”
Westbrooke has completed the 90 minutes in all of the Glovers’ three opening fixtures of the new season and already impressed supporters linking up well with the likes of captain Luke McCormick and Brett McGavin in midfield.
He added the quality in the squad will stand them in good stead throughout the season: “I think we have a squad of 22 really good players here who are competing for positions in the team and that competitiveness is a nice thing to have, everyone wants to keep the shirt.”
Having picked up five points in their opening fixtures, Yeovil make the 600-mile round journey to Barrow on Friday night to face a side relegated from League Two back in May, before readying themselves for the visit of Tamworth to Huish Park on Bank Holiday Monday.
Westbrooke admitted the long trip and spending the majority of Friday in a Cumbrian hotel would have an effect on his team-mates as they prepare for a tough test against the Bluebirds, who are celebrating their 125th anniversary this season.
He said: “When we face a side which has had a long journey, we see ourselves as having an edge and with (the game at Barrow) being an evening game, we will have a day in a hotel (on Friday) as well. It is just about getting your mind and body right and being as ready for the game as you can be.
“They are going to want to bounce back (after relegation from the EFL last season) which is never the easiest thing to do, but I am sure the players and staff there will have wanted a good start to the season. It might not have happened for them in the first three games, but a lot can change because when you look at the league table after 10 or 15 games, it can be a lot different.“
Rowley: Daly available for weekend double header
2026-08-27
Winger James Daly is available for selection as Yeovil Town prepare for a bank holiday weekend double header at Barrow tomorrow night.
The 26-year-old suffered a gash on top of his foot after a wild tackle in the dying seconds of the 1-1 draw with Carlisle United a fortnight ago which kept him out of last weekend’s 3-0 win over Gateshead.
The Glovers make the long journey to Cumbria to face Barrow on Friday night before taking on Tamworth at Huish Park on Bank Holiday Monday.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Richard Hoskins about the returning winger, the boss said: “He did full training for the last two sessions, so he’s back. The stitches came out of his foot wound which is all good and there is no infection. He’s ready for selection and looked really sharp today.”
Defender Joe Gubbins will also be available having served a one-match suspension for his sending off against Carlisle and Rowley said on loan Crawley Town defender Ben Radcliffe had got through a training session on Thursday having gone off against Gateshead with an ankle injury.
The Glovers made the 300-mile journey up to Cumbria on Thursday night before making the return trip to be ready to host Tamworth at Huish Park just 72 hours later.
Rowley is expecting a tough test against a Barrow side relegated out of the Football League in May. The Bluebirds lost their opening two matches before grabbing a draw at Harrogate Town courtesy of an injury time equaliser last weekend.
The Yeovil boss said: “They have got some really good players, got a top manager in Adam (Murray) so I think this is going to be a really tricky game for us in multiple ways. There’s obviously a lot of factors come into that, the travel, the weather there is not going to be perfect conditions, so there are a lot of factors for us to consider, but we’re on the back of a really good performance last week and the boys are in good spirits and ready.
“I don’t mind these long trips, they can get a bit tedious towards the end. (Barrow) is going to be an interesting one for us because we will wake up early in a the hotel there and going to have to wait until 5pm to leave for the stadium. It is a lot of dead time there and we’ll have to think of some ways to keep the boys engaged and fresh. So that’s going to be the job of the staff on the way up, but it also gives us a good chance for us to watch some Tamworth stuff and get to work.”
Their next opponents, Tamworth, host Worthing on Friday night looking for their first win of the campaign having drawn with Boreham Wood on the opening day and then suffered defeats to AFC Fylde and FC Halifax Town. Rowley said he was “not overly focused” on Monday’s match with his full attention on Barrow.
With the EFL transfer deadline due to fall next Tuesday, the boss was asked about the potential of adding further to his squad through loans. The Glovers already have Radcliffe on loan from Crawley Town, defender Loick Ayina from Salford City and Barnsley winger Charlie Lennon, leaving two loan spots against the five National League clubs are allowed to include in a matchday squad.
Rowley said: “Some (EFL) teams will pitch their players to League Two and League One clubs, and eventually, when they run out of options, then they’ll try and contact some of us lower down the pyramid. In previous years, the loan system has benefited a lot because we ended up with some top loans at my previous club (Walton & Hersham) and last season. I’ve asked this question a few times and we’re really happy with the current squad, we don’t really need anything at the moment. We’re looking at improving in areas we can, so we’ll never say never, but at the moment, we’re pretty happy.“
Match Preview: Barrow vs Yeovil Town
2026-08-27
After the joy of Saturday lunchtime football last weekend, the National League fixture computer (sponsored by DAZN) is serving up Friday night football as Yeovil Town make the long journey to face Barrow.
FORM…
YEOVIL TOWN
The Glovers have been in fine form to start the season, with two draws and a win to kick things off. Not only have the results been good but the performances have been ones for fans to get behind.
That was shown last time out as Yeovil took on Gateshead at Huish Park. In what has been a bit of a dodgy fixture for the Glovers in recent times, this team had no such worries, dispatching their rivals 3-0 with a more than competent performance. Striker Ste Walker made it two in two as he put the home side ahead early on, the game then became Yeovil’s for the taking and on 81 minutes captain fantastic, Luke McCormick popped up to double the lead for Yeovil. The game wasn’t over there for the home side or McCormick as he bagged his brace in the 90th minute to secure all three points.
BARROW
Following relegation out of the Football League on the final day of last season, the summer has found National League old new boys Barrow starting to enjoy themselves again.
Having got rid of former Glovers’ legend Sam Foley, who took the wheel at an already sinking ship in Cumbria Lancashire (ignore the road signs!) at the end of last season, the Bluebirds brought in Adam Murray as manager, fresh from the success of guiding Kidderminster Harriers to promotion from National League North.
He managed to retain a number of those worth keeping from last season, but his forthright comments about finding a club which was “an absolute shambles” and warning of the “poison” of a losing mentality suggest he has not quite got it how he wants it.
On the pitch, things went well in pre-season with Barrow going unbeaten with wins over EFL sides Blackpool and Murray’s old club Mansfield Town, but the opening day of the National League season saw them lose 2-0 at highly-fancied Hartlepool United and then suffer a 2-1 home defeat to newly-promoted Hornchurch. The latter sparked the type of comments listed above from the manager.
However, in their most recent outing, they performed much better at Harrogate Town to grab a 2-2 draw with a last gasp equaliser on Saturday. The physical style which Murray has advocated since his arrival in the hot seat saw him earn some criticism from opposing fans captured on camera in his post-match interview. “That’s the biggest compliment I can take,” was his reply.
There are some familiar faces in the Barrow squad to knows who have watched the National League in recent seasons. Striker Alex Reid has arrived from Hartlepool – albeit he has only been used as a substitute so far – along with Halifax defender Thierry Latty-Fairweather and Altrincham duo Issac Marriott and Olly Crankshaw. The Bluebirds also snapped up Gateshead midfielder Keaton Ward in a move only announced ahead of kick-off last weekend.
KEY PLAYERS…
YEOVIL TOWN – LUKE McCORMICK
Having had his campaign cut short by injury last year, the Glovers’ new captain has once again started this season like a train. Even if his name didn’t appear on the stat sheet across the first two games, the captain made sure he did during the win over Gateshead.
Picture courtesy of Indy Pitman/Indy’s Visuals.
The combative midfielder looked every part of the player he was before a season ending injury last term, bringing energy to the midfield with that finishing touch that led him to win top goal scorer. It was after a small coming together with former teammate Kyle Ferguson that seemed to spark a light under the 27-year-old. A couple of minutes later he got his name on the scoresheet for the first time this season, before doubling that in stoppage time.
Yeovil have looked very good to date, and if McCormick can carry on producing the type of performance we saw against Gateshead, we might be in for a good season.
BARROW – MJ WILLIAMS
Defensive midfielder Williams has been made club captain in a season which sees Barrow celebrate 125 years of professional football and is one of the players Bluebirds’ fans were glad to see stay on from last season.
The stats back up why Barrow fans were so keen to see him stay at Holker Street this summer. The 30-year-old has played every minute for his team this season, whilst also producing 80% pass accuracy. It’s his calmness on the ball that could trouble the Glovers as he’ll be able to control the tempo if given the opportunity. As a defence-minded midfielder, he does that side of the job extremely well too, winning over half his duel and aerial duels as well, leading to him receiving the ball for his side 15 times this season. He will definitely be the player that could break up Yeovil’s attacking play.
He also stands at 6’2″, so is one of those who will relish hearing his manager talk up the importance of physicality as they acclimatise to the rough and tumble of non-League football, but a player who is the heartbeat of the Barrow side. If he plays well, Barrow play well.
THE GAFFER…
Adam Murray was a combative, box-to-box midfielder in his playing days and has made no secret of his desire to shape his new club in that mould having arrived at Holker Street.
The Barrow boss left just enough time to wash the champagne out of his tracksuit having earned Kidderminster Harriers promotion back to the National League before making the move to the North West. Having sealed that promotion, the Bluebirds moved quickly to trigger a contract clause which allowed Murray to join an EFL club – which Barrow technically still were at that point – and appoint him on a two-year contract.
Murray admitted he did not want to repeat the mistake he made at AFC Fylde who he took up to the same level in 2023, only to be sacked two months later when things did not go to plan. Whilst the move to a recently-relegated former League club with parachute payments in their pocket, has not enabled him to bring in every player he has wanted, he has seen himself well-backed in the summer transfer market.
LAST TIME WE MET…
It was August the last time we visited Barrow and that proved a day in 2019 to forget for travelling fans. Having seen their coach break down on the long journey up the motorway, Yeovil fans found their side already 1-0 down. A scoreline which lasted until the final whistle.
The 2019-20 season saw Barrow promoted having topped the National League for much of the campaign cut short due to the outbreak of COVID-19. They were four points clear at the top of the division when play was suspended and never even got the opportunity to make the return trip to Somerset.
Before that you have to go back to February 1999 to find another match between the two sides – a 2-0 defeat for the Glovers in Cumbria – and the last win for Yeovil came courtesy of a Darren Keeling goal at Huish Park in the reverse fixture in January 1999.
DON’T I KNOW YOU?
Ben Whitfield is on the books at Barrow. The winger made 42 appearances for Yeovil Town whilst on loan from AFC Bournemouth in a fairly forgettable 2016-17 campaign under Darren Way in League Two.
Since his days at Huish Park, he had a spell at Torquay United before becoming part of the Stockport County side which won the National League in 2022.
Whitfield never got the opportunity to play in the League with the Hatters, but managed it with Barrow who he joined in the summer of 2022 and enjoyed some success under then-boss Pete Wild.
THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE…
Ross Martin is our match official for Friday’s televised game, check out Ben’s article – here.
Young Glovers go down to defeat
2026-08-27
There was a Crittenden and a Skiverton in the Yeovil Town Under-19s’ starting XI for their 2-1 friendly defeat to Taunton Town at Huish Park on Wednesday night.
Ollie Crittenden, son of former Glovers’ winger, Nick, and Louis Skiverton, the son of legendary, captain, Terry, lined up in the first home match played under new boss Roy O’Brien, who was a team-mate of both their fathers.
The friendly was a warm-up for the upcoming National League Under 19s Alliance League season which gets underway at the end of September.
The Under-19s fielded much-changed XIs in each half and took the lead through Ollie Crittenden after 25 minutes before being pegged back on the stroke of half-time. Following a number of changes of personnel at the break, Taunton added a second in the 76th minute.
The friendly was also a first outing for the new floodlights at Huish Park. Now with new EFL-standard bulbs, there was a positive reaction to the new illumination from those at the match – which included proud father, Terry Skiverton, who was pictured with a number of supporters.
MOTM Result – Gateshead (H)
2026-08-26
Yeovil Town gave Gateshead a bit of a thrashing last weekend, but two-goal hero Luke McCormick has NOT been named your Man of the Match.
Ryan Jones‘ sparkling performance down the flank was too good to ignore for a third of you, who have him voted over both McCormick and full back Archie Davies who was third in your vote.
Ten different players got votes in total, with Zain Westbrooke and Charlie Lennon both knocking on the door of the podium spots.
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESPONSES | 1ST (Votes / Percent) | 2ND (Votes / Percent) | 3RD (Votes / Percent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUGUST | |||||
| 08.08.26 | Scunthorpe | 130 | JORDAN NORVILLE-WILLIAMS (91 / 70%) | Mason Obeng (16 / 12.3%) | Jos Barker (12 / 9.2%) |
| 15.08.26 | Carlisle United | 152 | JOS BARKER (71 / 46.7%) | Jordan Norville-Williams (34 / 22.4%) | Zain Westbrooke (14 / 9.2%) |
| 22.08.26 | Gateshead | 168 | RYAN JONES (57 / 33.9%) | Luke McCormick (42 / 25%) | Archie Davies (24 / 14.3%) |
| 28.08.26 | Barrow | ||||
| 31.08.26 | Tamworth | ||||
| SEPTEMBER | |||||
| 05.09.26 | Southend United | ||||
| 12.09.26 | AFC Fylde | ||||
| 15.09.26 | Aldershot | ||||
| 18.09.26 | Solihull Moors | ||||
| 26.09.26 | Kidderminster Harriers | ||||
| 29.09.26 | Worthing | ||||
| OCTOBER | |||||
| 03.10.26 | Boston Utd | ||||
| 10.10.26 | Wealdstone | ||||
| 24.10.26 | Altrincham | ||||
| 27.10.26 | Hornchurch | ||||
| 31.10.26 | FC Halifax Town | ||||
| NOVEMBER | |||||
| 14.11.26 | Boreham Wood | ||||
| 21.11.26 | Forest Green Rovers | ||||
| 24.11.26 | Eastleigh | ||||
| 28.11.26 | Harrogate Town | ||||
| DECEMBER | |||||
| 05.12.26 | Hartlepool United | ||||
| 09.12.26 | Wealdstone | ||||
| 19.12.26 | Boston United | ||||
| 26.12.26 | Sutton United | ||||
| 28.12.26 | Woking | ||||
| JANUARY | |||||
| 02.01.27 | Altrincham | ||||
| 09.01.27 | Hornchurch | ||||
| 16.01.27 | |||||
| 23.01.27 | Carlisle United | ||||
| 26.01.27 | Eastleigh | ||||
| 30.01.27 | Scunthorpe United | ||||
| FEBRUARY | |||||
| 06.02.27 | Forest Green Rovers | ||||
| 13.02.27 | Kidderminster Harriers | ||||
| 17.02.27 | Worthing | ||||
| 20.02.27 | Solihull Moors | ||||
| 23.02.27 | Aldershot | ||||
| 27.02.27 | Gateshead | ||||
| MARCH | |||||
| 06.03.27 | Barrow | ||||
| 09.03.27 | Tamworth | ||||
| 13.03.27 | Southend United | ||||
| 20.03.27 | AFC Fylde | ||||
| 26.03.27 | Woking | ||||
| 29.03.27 | Sutton United | ||||
| APRIL | |||||
| 03.04.27 | FC Halifax Town | ||||
| 10.04.27 | Boreham Wood | ||||
| 17.04.27 | Hartlepool United | ||||
| 24.04.27 | Harrogate Town | ||||
Match Officials – Barrow (A)
2026-08-26
Referee Ross Martin takes charge of the Glovers when they head to Barrow on Friday night.
The middle man is more used to taking charge in the EFL these days, but has been a regular in Yeovil games over recent seasons.
This season, he has taken charge of two league games – both ended in away wins… just saying – in League One as well as an EFL Cup tie between Crewe and Accrington where he awarded the hosts a 7th minute penalty.
He has taken charge of six Yeovil Town league games in his career, the green and whites have won five and drawn one (a 2-2 vs Eastleigh in the 24/25 season, if you’re wondering)
The most recent occasion was a 1-0 home win over AFC Fylde in March 2025, Harvey Greenslade’s late winner the story of that one.
As far as I can tell, he’s only been in charge of one Barrow game, a 0-0 draw against Shrewsbury in October 2025, he cautioned two of the home side’s players that day.
Jordan Brooks and Mark Cunliffe will be his assistants and Jacob Veira is the fourth official.
Pic Gary Brown
Barrow AFC (First Team) v Yeovil Town FC (First Team)
National League – Premier
Referee: Martin, Ross
Assistant Referee: Brooks, Jordan
Assistant Referee: Cunliffe, Mark
Fourth Official: Viera, Jacob