Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 34)

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Yeovil Town’s Women have been drawn away at Winchester City Flyers in the Adobe FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round.

After defeating Saltash Utd 2-0 on Sunday, the Glovers will head to the Charters Community Stadium in early October.

Last season, the team made it through this round before falling to Southampton in the 4th Qualifying Round, so will be hoping to at least match that success.

Winchester beat Sholing FC on penalties to secure their place in this tie.

The game takes place on Sunday 5th of October, presumably with a 2pm kick off. 

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Yeovil Town’s new ownership has insisted it gave Danny Webb its full backing to strengthen his squad before his shock departure of manager Danny Webb today.

Speaking to the Gloverscast just hours after the announcement, Chief Strategy Advisor Nicholas Brayne said there had “not been a single disagreement” with the now former boss who quit just ten days after taking over at Huish Park.

He described the club as “bitterly disappointed and shocked” by the former Chesterfield assistant manager’s resignation just ten days after taking the job, but insisted that personal and family reasons were the driving force behind the decision to quit.

Brayne said: “Danny was very much supported, he knew there was money to spend, we had put a recruitment strategy in place with Danny and we were working through that. Andrew (Oluwabori) joined on Friday and there were other conversations going on led by Danny with all of us supporting him, I personally had a number of conversations with agents of players we wanted to bring in to the squad and there was money there for Danny to do what he wanted to do to make us more competitive on the pitch. That is exactly the same case for Richard.

“To be clear, when you hear people say ‘has he walked away from the club because there’s been a disagreement?’ There has not been a single disagreement with Danny and he will say that the ownership group backed him every step of the way whatever he thought he needed for this club to succeed and as a human being with what he has gone through over the last 48 hours.”

Nicholas Brayne, left, speaks with Richard Dryden, Chris Todd and Sihal Shrinavasan, the son of owner Prabhu, following the win at Solihull Moors earlier this month.

The advisor, who is part of the ownership group led by Dubai-based businessman Prabhu Srinivasan which took over the club in May, insisted the decision to give Dryden the job would bring stability at Huish Park. The coach was brought to the club by former boss Mark Cooper in the summer and will lead the team when they travel to his former club Aldershot Town on Wednesday night.

Brayne said: “In the four games which Richard was in charge was a really good, stabilising factor behind the scenes, he is really good with people, really good with the board, really good with the players and that is what we need now. We need someone who is going to take time and give us time and that is why that Richard is taking the helm until the end of the season.

“This whole process of trying to identify and get the right manager, we have just run that process. From the perspective of energy, focus and making sure we are running in the right direction, to run that process again you would be talking about another four weeks (of uncertainty). I think the fans and the players would get restless, so we are saying ‘let’s calm this situation down’, Richard is in charge, in him we are going to trust. I think it give everyone a sense of direction.”

The announcement at 10am on Monday morning stunned the club’s supporters and has sent shockwaves through Huish Park. It comes just over 24 hours after a 1-0 defeat at Tamworth in Webb’s first game in charge which he followed with a post-match interview where he spoke about understanding “the magnitude of the job.”

Brayne said that he had spoken with Webb on a number of occasions during Sunday, adding: “Everyone has been bitterly disappointed and shocked. Danny was selected after a process which took several weeks and I think everyone got an idea of why he was selected, the way he came across, the way he interacted with the media, fans and the people here. He’s a very personable character and he has got a good track record in football, so it is easy to see why we felt he was a really good fit for Yeovil. He hit the ground running last week and then he has now decided to step away from the dug out for personal reasons.

“I had a number of calls with Danny on Sunday to make sure he was okay to understand the process of how he had come to that decision. We talked about his welfare, his mental health, what he was thinking, so a lot of that was about making sure he was okay on a human level which I am pleased to say he is. Then we were trying to understand the rationale of how we got to this point which is a really difficult process.”

You can read the interview with our Ian in full here or listen to it here. 

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New Yeovil Town manager Danny Webb speaking to the club's social media after taking his first training session.

The shock resignation of manager Danny Webb just ten days after his appointment as Yeovil Town manager, our Ian spoke to the club’s Chief Strategy Advisor Nicholas Brayne about the reasons behind the departure and what happens next at Huish Park. You can listen to his interview on our special podcast or read it in full here.

 

IP: What has the last 24 hours leading up to the resignation of Danny Webb as manager been like?

NB: Everyone has been bitterly disappointed and shocked. Danny was selected after a process which took several weeks and I think everyone got an idea of why he was selected, the way he came across, the way he interacted with the media, fans and the people here. He’s a very personable character and he has got a good track record in football, so it is easy to see why we felt he was a really good fit for Yeovil. He hit the ground running last week and then he has now decided to step away from the dug out for personal reasons.

I had a number of calls with Danny on Sunday to make sure he was okay to understand the process of how he had come to that decision. We talked about his welfare, his mental health, what he was thinking, so a lot of that was about making sure he was okay on a human level which I am pleased to say he is. Then we were trying to understand the rationale of how we got to this point which is a really difficult process.

Danny Webb speaks to BBC Radio Somerset after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Tamworth, his only game as Yeovil Town manager.

IP: Can you explain the decision behind the appointment of Richard Dryden as manager until the end of the season?

NB: I truly understand how fans react to things, so it is a very fair question. If we step back to Spring and you think about the disruption this club has faced with the takeover, the issues of last season with (the new ownership) coming in to the process very late, Mark Cooper’s departure, the Gateshead game and the process of identifying Danny and the real sense of shock that Danny was only here a week, then I think you can see that there’s a real sense of shock.

I left Norfolk at 2am to be here with the staff, Stuart (Robins, Executive Chairman) went to the training ground to be with the players. A lot of this is just about being with people at the moment and there is a real sense on a human level of shock, frustration, sadness and what we felt we needed was a period of calm and stability. It is a bit like being the captain of a shop which is listing, what is the first thing you do? Sometimes the best thing to do is stop and assess, so that is where we are at at the moment.

In the four games which Richard was in charge was a really good, stabilising factor behind the scenes, he is really good with people, really good with the board, really good with the players and that is what we need now. We need someone who is going to take time and give us time and that is why that Richard is taking the helm until the end of the season.

This whole process of trying to identify and get the right manager, we have just run that process. From the perspective of energy, focus and making sure we are running in the right direction, to run that process again you would be talking about another four weeks (of uncertainty). I think the fans and the players would get restless, so we are saying ‘let’s calm this situation down’, Richard is in charge, in him we are going to trust. I think it give everyone a sense of direction.

IP: You have said that Stuart has spoken to the players today, what has their reaction been to it?

NB: They are professionals and they are a really good bunch of lads. I have been here at Huish Park with the staff and Stuart has been with the players at the training ground and from my conversations with Stuart the players have taken the news as the professionals they are. They listened, they understand, and they know that the badge comes before anything else, so we go and fight for the badge at Aldershot and at Altrincham. There has been some honest soul-searching over the past 24 hours and the one thing that reaffirms the decision we have taken is that the players wanted certainty and this has given them a degree of certainty.

Richard Dryden will now be in charge for the rest of the season

IP: After the game at Tamworth on Saturday, Danny Webb spoke about wanting to recruit new players. Is his decision down to the level of support he got from the ownership to do that?

NB: Danny was very much supported, he knew there was money to spend, we had put a recruitment strategy in place with Danny and we were working through that. Andrew (Oluwabori) joined on Friday and there were other conversations going on led by Danny with all of us supporting him, I personally had a number of conversations with agents of players we wanted to bring in to the squad and there was money there for Danny to do what he wanted to do to make us more competitive on the pitch. That is exactly the same case for Richard.

To be clear, when you hear people say ‘has he walked away from the club because there’s been a disagreement?’ There has not been a single disagreement with Danny and he will say that the ownership group backed him every step of the way whatever he thought he needed for this club to succeed and as a human being with what he has gone through over the last 48 hours.

IP: There is obviously one fewer members of staff on the coaching side now, will you look at adding anyone else – possibly in a Director of Football role?

NB: The ownership group will do whatever it needs to do whatever it needs to do to ensure we have the right personnel and resources on the pitch and in the dug-out which is appropriate to the challenge we are facing now. That means another slug of investment capital coming in to the club, that was what was already agreed under Danny and that is exactly what we are going to do now.

IP: The mantra of the new ownership group has been built on three Cs – calmness, competitiveness and community – where do all of those stand now?

NB: In terms of calmness, I fully accept it does not feel calm from an external perspective in terms of how we have started the season and I get that. Internally apart from some of the frustrations we have felt, we have actually been very rational, calm and consistent in terms of the way we have gone about our business. But I definitely understand this does not feel or look calm.

The community stuff is going great guns behind the scenes in terms of what we want to do and I think in the fullness of time that will be a little clearer. I am not going to sit here and lie to you, what we have seen so far this season is not competitive, so that is an area we need to work on.

Everyone in football wants things to happen overnight, I want things to happen overnight. I had my family down here until the Gateshead game and I remember the feeling I had at the end of it. Just think of the week we have just had with that last minute winner against Woking and I remember driving up the M3 and thinking ‘this is brilliant’ and here I am now sitting here with you and feeling this is not so brilliant. I am feeling the same emotion as fans, I think the three Cs and our ownership will have to be judged over a longer period of time, we are in our infancy and it is going to take time to tinker to get the foundations right and that is what we are doing at the moment. But one of the things that I think is really important is to take stock, think ‘how have we got here’ not just in terms of our own tenure but what has gone before and how do we go about getting this big juggernaut going in the right direction and using that investment we have got to make sure all our energy is going in the right direction. There is a lot happening behind-the-scenes which would evidence we are heading in the right direction, but I can understand that fans think it is looking painfully show.

Yeovil Town owner Prabhu Srinivasan interviewed during a visit to Huish Park.
Yeovil Town owner Prabhu Srinivasan

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Yeovil Town chairman Stuart Robins has said the club will continue to strengthen the squad despite the shock resignation of manager Danny Webb this morning.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Monday afternoon, he admitted that the club’s owners and players had been “shocked” by the decision which comes just ten days after the new manager’s appointment.

He said that the budget which had been available to Webb would now be available to Richard Dryden, who has been handed the job until the end of the season, and added that Dryden is looking to play “a much more attacking style of football.”

Robins said: “We need some numbers and we need to bring some new players in, but they have to be the right players. That process has already started, additional budget was available to Danny and now it is available to Richard to make sure that we add to the squad so we can climb up the table.

“We are right behind Richard and we hope the fans will be behind him and we will see some new faces in Huish Park, they have to be the right faces in the right positions. Richard wants to play a much more attacking style of football than we have seen at Huish Park for some time, our responsibility is to make sure we can bring in the players that he and the coaching team want to make sure we can play that attacking style of football we would like to see.”

Executive Chairman Stuart Robins also issued a separate statement through the club’s own social media apologising to supporters for the club being in “a state of flux again.”

Robins said he and the club’s ownership spoke with Webb on Sunday and reiterated that personal and family reasons were behind his decision to step down. He visited the club’s players at the SGS Wise training facility near Bristol on Monday to break the news to them before the club issued its statement.

He said: “We had the phone call from Danny about 24 hours ago and our first concern was for him and his family, because in these situations that is what you have to think about first. We have spoken to him again today and he seems to be in a reasonable place and we want him to be well and whatever he does going forward, we hope it works out for him.

“We are shocked, but now our focus is on making sure we do what is best for the football club. I was very concerned about the players and the supporters who are the big stakeholders here. I spoke to the players this morning and they are fully behind us and what they have got to do is focus on getting three points on Wednesday, that is their focus, they will train well and they are looking forward to the game.

“We had to think about the ramifications for the football club, the supporters and the players. The very first thought was ‘is Danny okay?’ and that is what we wanted to make sure.”

He insisted the decision to appoint Dryden, who was brought to the club by former manager Mark Cooper in the summer, until the end of the National League Premier Division season was an attempt to bring stability to the club.

He said: “We wanted to make sure the players had some stability and unfortunately we have not had that for one reason or another and I was very concerned the players were protected. They knew what was going on as quickly as possible. The period where we were scouring the market for a new manager was unsettling for the players and I think they did a very good job in very difficult circumstances and won two games. I had a duty of care to the players to make sure they were stable and new what was going to happen as quickly as they possibly could.”

As some of you will have seen on our social media, Ian has been to Huish Park to speak to Chief Strategy Advisor Nicholas Brayne and we have been asked by the Executive Chairman to delay releasing this interview until after the BBC and ITV have broadcast their own interviews this evening.

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Yeovil Town has confirmed manager Danny Webb has resigned as manager just one game in to the job.

The Glovers released a shock statement on Monday morning confirming the decision had been taken “due to personal and family reasons” following the 1-0 defeat at Tamworth on Saturday.

In the statement, the club said that first-team coach Richard Dryden, who took temporary charge following the sacking of former boss Mark Cooper, would now take charge for the rest of the season.

The statement said: “He has expressed his personal sadness in having to leave the club but feels this is the right decision for him and his family. The time and the nature of this decision is met with disappointment from all of us and we have accepted his resignation with regret, but with understanding.

“We understand this news is disappointing, especially after the thorough recruitment process which brought Danny to the club. While we respect his need to put his family first, our priority now has to be the team’s stability and success.”

The news comes as a huge surprise after the boss spoke about his desire to bring new players to the club following his first game in charge at the weekend.

Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset after the match, Webb said: “I knew the magnitude of the job when I came in and having seen it with my own eyes. Sadly, we were missing actually, first half that little bit of quality when we won the ball back, and a real lack of pace and physicality in our team. I think we’re down to work straight away to recruit, get some players in.”

The Gloverscast has approached the club’s owners to ask for further comment in to today’s news. As soon as we have something, we will let you know.

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It’s Wednesday night in Aldershot for the Glovers this week and we are being looked after on the night, by a referee more at home on the EFL circuit than in the National League.

Stephen Parkinson has been in Leagues One and Two as well as the EFL Trophy.

He officiated a feisty game between Bristol Rovers and Spurs’ kids, which ended with a lengthy penalty shootout, with a red card thrown in for good measure.

His only game in charge at our level though, was Carlisle United’s 3-0 win away at Wealdstone, where he dished out three yellows including to former Glover, Bevis Mugabi.

Oddly though, for a referee of his experience level, and considering he’s taken plenty of games involving South West sides, we can find no evidence of him ever taking charge of a Yeovil game. 

Mr Parkinson has refereed in Germany before, having been a German language teacher in a former career. 

Michael Hayden and Ciaran Fidler are going to be on assistant duties with Coleman O’Meara looking after the dugouts.

Wed 24th Sep 2025
Aldershot Town (First Team) v Yeovil Town FC (First Team)
National League – Premier    
Referee: Parkinson, Stephen
Assistant Referee: Hayden, Michael
Assistant Referee: Fidler, Ciaran
Fourth Official: Mathieson, Alex

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Josh Sims breaks away.

Josh Sims said the 1-0 defeat at Tamworth was ‘disappointing’ and it was a tough result to take.

The midfielder spoke to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins after the defeat saying: “It was a tough, tough old match. Disappointing result in the end, to be honest, I think you know the way we played in the end, we can’t just hang on for a 0-0 like that. We defended really well as a team for virtually the whole game. So things like that are always going to drop in. You can’t defend like that for 90 minutes, unfortunately. But, yeah, disappointing result.”

Josh Sims on the charge
Pic – Gary Brown

Sims gave credit to Tamworth and their long throw. “Tamworth are good at what they do. Obviously, they’ve got the long throw, they just put pressure in the box, put numbers in there, and then that’s how they get their goal. So it was nothing that we weren’t expecting. It’s just disappointing that we gave him so many opportunities to do it, whether that was corners, crosses, you know, long throws and that kind of thing. So, yeah, really tough, tough one to take in the end.”

With Danny Webb completing his first full week as manager, Sims said training had been positive, but had an eye on the trip to Aldershot on Wednesday.

“It’s been really positive. You know, it’s been a good training week, but we’re just saying in there, it’s all good doing it in training. I know this is where it matters, the 90 minutes on a Saturday. So listen, we’ve got to go again on Wednesday. We’ve got another tough, tough match. So, yeah, we go again.”

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New Yeovil boss Danny Webb will be getting on with recruitment following his side’s 1-0 loss at Tamworth.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins, Webb said the squad was lacking pace and physicality, but that it was ‘great for him to see’.

“I knew the magnitude of the job when I came in, and, yeah, seeing it with me own eyes in terms of, you’re thinking at half time, you’ve rode the storm and I thought the boys defended the box and the long throws and the corners tremendously well. But sadly, we were missing actually, first half that little bit of quality when we won the ball back, and a real lack of pace and physicality in our team. So yeah, I think we’re down to work straight away to recruit, get some players in. The boys, fair play, kept going right to the end, worked their socks off, it certainly wasn’t a lack of effort.

“It’s a shame that the goal that wins it is a corner, where for most of the game, we’ve defended them really well, but you can’t concede, I would say probably over 20-25 corners and long throws combined. You can’t. And, eventually one of our lads is going to get overpowered, one’s going to lose their marker, it’s going to happen. So after that, it just becomes a bit of a free for all, because you’re throwing people up front, you’re trying to get back in the game, whereas if you keep it at 0-0 and gradually go up the gears, then you’ve got a chance.”

When asked about what he said to the team in the second half, Webb said there was a mixture of tactical and set piece feedback, but conceded that the better team won on the day.

On his words at half time, he said: “Let’s think we’ve rode the storm. You can’t concede see that many corners again. We probably conceded more in the second half, and really couldn’t, really couldn’t get going. Loads of things to tactically to look at for the first half, two centre forwards too far apart. When we had good possession of the ball, we had no one running beyond Tamworth. Everything was in front of them. Going against, we’re having duels with players who were quicker and making poor decisions. As I say, it’s really, it’s a really disappointing result, and the best team definitely won.”

Webb spoke highly of the returning Andrew Oluwabori, who had a good chance to get a point for the Glovers.

“Andrew is a great spark. I can see the calibre of player I want to bring in, and he’s certainly done himself no harm at all today. He’s a League One player, you know, and the Yeovil Town should be getting players in of that calibre, and we will start doing that now. It wasn’t a wake up call for me, so to speak. But you talk about training, because the lads have been excellent away in terms of their attitude and approach to everything. They’re very committed, definitely. But yeah, need a bit more quality going forward.”

Webb added: “Yeah, and it’s a chance for these lads to keep showcasing what they what they can do and what they want to do for the club. Because obviously the owners and stakeholders are very keen to to bring players in as well. So it’s about bringing the right player in. I think you saw of Andrew, he is the right player, or the first of many I think, that’ll be hopefully improving the squad. But yeah, in the meantime, supporting the lads and maintaining their attitude and professionalism, because they have been, they have been good. But today, I just felt that every time we had maybe a simple decision, we had a silly shot from 30 yards, where we could dribble we come back inside, when we should have passed we dribbled. Lots of poor decisions, so great for me to see, really good for me to see going forward.

With players coming in, Webb was asked about departures: “I think that happens as a consequence and I think that that will naturally happen. Obviously, in terms of the budget to work within, etc. So, yeah, it’s the same, if players aren’t really part my plans, I don’t really want to waste anyone’s time. It won’t happen overnight. It won’t be a couple of games. It’d be quite a few games to really see how this squad takes shape. So as I say, it’s it’s frustrating, because a great reaction last Saturday, I just felt today it was it was probably needed to fair. Tamworth won fair and square and loads of lessons to be learned.

“There has to be an element of patience, which I know there is from everyone, because Rome weren’t built in a day, and this will certainly take more than a day. I urge our supporters to stick with us, because I thought they were fantastic today.”

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Danny Webb’s start as Yeovil Town manager ended with a scrappy defeat at Tamworth on Saturday.

The Glovers struggled to cope against a physical opponent on an unstable artificial surface in the first half and had to ride the storm with a barrage from their hosts who won the physical battle.

The introduction of new loan signing Andrew Oluwabori and striker Junior Morias brought some added impetus, but in the 75th minute Tamworth found a breakthrough when defender Kennedy Digie bundled home the winner.

Oluwabori had a great opportunity to get a leveller in second half injury time after a fantastic run, but his shot was wide.

First half

There was no midfielder Brett McGavin in the Glovers’ squad having jarred his back in training. Finn Cousin-Dawson replaced him in the middle of the park with Aaron Jarvis brought in to provide a physical presence up front alongside Harvey Greenslade.

The first chance of the game fell to the home side after nine minutes when Yeovil switched off from a Tom Tonks’ quick throw-in towards Tyler Roberts before the winger crosses the ball for Kennedy Digie whose effort was denied by a smart save from Jed Ward.

Five minutes later, Beck-Ray Enoru volleyed just wide before firing in a cross after doing superbly to beat Byron Pendleton. All the pressure was coming room the home side, but the Yeovil defence was standing firm against a barrage of attacks and several cannon ball throw-ins from the human rocket launcher in Tonks.

The first meaningful chance of goal for Yeovil did not come until half-an-hour in when Tonks fouled McCormick on the edge of the box. In the absence of Brett McGavin, the former Bristol Rovers man lifted the resulting free-kick just over the bar.

With three minutes of the half remaining, Yeovil were indebted to Ward once again after the dangerous Tyler Roberts caused issues down the right side before feeding Kwaku Donkor who effort was well saved by the feet of the keeper.

There was dogged defending from the visitors, but also a lack of creativity going forwards with nothing for hosts’ goalkeeper Jas Singh to deal with.

Half time: Tamworth 0 Yeovil Town 0

Second half

The start of the second half saw Andrew Oluwabori replace James Plant and within seconds of the restart Finn Cousin-Dawson was in referees’ book for an aerial tussle with Manny Duku.

Josh Sims had a shot off target in the 55th minute before Junior Morias came on around the hour mark replacing Greenslade. The arrival of Oluwabori and Morias certainly gave the Glovers’ more cutting edge, but the quality going forwards which was lacking in the first half was still absent after the break.

On 65 minutes, a big chance came when McCormick’s free kick met by Morgan Williams at the back post but he was superbly stopped by Singh. That was the first action the Tamworth keeper was called in to.

The home side had a very loud shout for a penalty on 67 minutes for what looked like a hand ball before substitute Oliver Lynch had a shot which was deflected on to Jed Ward’s crossbar.

You just got the feeling a breakthrough was coming for Tamworth and in the 75th minute it arrived. Having not dealt with a corner, Ben Milnes was able to put a ball in to the box and Kennedy DIGIE bundled it home.

It seemed that it was not until the fourth official put his board up for seven minutes of stoppage time that Yeovil’s attackers snapped in to gear. The best chance came from Oluwabori who picked the ball up inside his own half four minutes in to stoppage time and drove forwards but pulled his shot wide.

Full time: Tamworth 1 Yeovil Town 0

Match Details

Venue: The Lamb Ground
Date: Saturday 20th September, 3pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Kennedy Digie 75 (0-1)

Pitch: An appalling patchwork of plastic 
Conditions: Persistent drizzle 

Attendance: 1,199

Bookings: 
Yeovil Town: Finn Cousin-Dawson 47
Tamworth: Tom Tonks 30, Alfie Bates 90

Referee: Dale Baines

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes: Andrew Oluwabori (for James Plant, 46), Junior Morias (for Harvey Greenslade, 61), Tahvon Campbell (for Aaron Jarvis, 79), Alex Whittle (not used), Ben Wodskou (not used), Ollie Hughes (not used), Matt Gould (not used).