Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 345)

Chris Hargreaves
? Aaron McLean

With BT Sport showing the opening game of the Glovers’ 2022/23 season live on TV, the club have confirmed that the game will shown in the Alec Stock lounge for Yeovil fans to enjoy.

The tea-time game from Glanford Park will be the first competitive game under the watchful eye of former BT Sport pundit Chris Hargreaves.

Scunthorpe dropped out of the EFL last season and host the Glovers for the first time since 2015.

The Alec Stock lounge will be available from 3pm on Saturday for fans to filter in and have a pre match beverage, there’s no need to book, just turn up and support the team from Huish Park.

The 5:20 kick off will also be covered on BBC Radio Somerset with Sheridan Robins and our very own Ben Barrett providing the audio… so however you’re watching, pop the TV on mute and dial in the radio as well…

 

 

Chris Hargreaves talks to the club’s YouTube channel.

Yeovil Town manager Chris Hargreaves has said he’s been pleased with the side’s pre-season preparation after signing off the friendly schedule with a 1-0 win over Weston Supert Mare. Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game, he spoke of how he was happy with the tests the side had come up against.

“A lot of the teams we’ve played, we’ve done it on purpose because we wanted them to be a test. We played Sherborne and scored a fair few goals in that game, and the games we’ve had have been League One, teams that have been promoted and teams that have recruited a lot of good players”

“That’s what we wanted, we wanted a decent test as a last game and it was. We came out relatively unscathed, a few little injury worries but we’ve worked them hard this last week and I wanted that”

“In the main, application spot on”

Hargreaves spoke of his delight at Alex Fisher getting on the scoresheet his second ‘first’ goal in Green and White after signing on for another spell at Huish Park

“He’s a fantastic lad,really good for the changing room, I’m pleased he’s got on scoresheet so that’s a positive”

There was still an admittance that there’s a bit more to do, with goals at a premium during pre-season, a desire for his side to me more ruthless still exists.

“During that first 15-20 minutes, when we are having a lot of the ball, you have got to score again and it dampens the spirit of the opposition and we didn’t do that, so that’s something to focus on, when you’re in the ascendency, you’ve gotta take your chances.”

“We’ve had chances, don’t get me wrong and as a striker you want to score, but… save it to the first game”

That first game comes up against Scunthorpe, live on BT Sport (and BBC Somerset *ahem*) on Saturday 6th August (5:20pm)

Hargreaves was hoping that a couple more bodies will be availble sooner rather than later.

“I am hoping, I am. Just to add more quality to the group, that’s all we’re trying to do… so are all the other manager’s in the league. We are close, we just need a couple more.”

Toby Stephens claps the Yeovil fans

Yeovil Town midfielder Toby Stephens represented Truro City as a trialist on Saturday ahead of a potential loan move.

Stephens, who was not named among the Glovers’ substitutes for the 1-0 win at Weston-super-Mare, was listed as ‘Trialist C’ for Truro in their warm up match against Gary Johnson’s Torquay United.

The young midfielder signed a contract extension at Huish Park this summer and after a couple of loan spells away last season could be in line for another temporary switch.

A picture showing Stephens in the white shirt of Truro appeared on Torquay’s Twitter feed at the final whistle.

There are obviously restrictions for us sharing imagery from PPA, who photographed the match, but if you want to see for yourself… click HERE

Truro are managed by former Yeovil Town midfielder Paul Wotton.

There have been a couple reports that he and Ollie Haste could be heading out on loan deals and this would suggest things are starting to happen in that regard.

No deals have been announced, so details like length of contract are still very much to be confirmed, but we wish Toby all the best at Truro for however long he’s there.

If a deal is confirmed, keep an eye out for Loan Watch articles here on the Gloverscast.

Sam Pearson in action for Wales – FAW

Chris Hargreaves has made a couple of changes for the final pre-season game ahead of the new campaign.

New signings Ben Richards-Everton and Sam Pearson are both named in the squad.

The former starts in the backline alongside Morgan Williams and Max Hunt with the welsh midfielder having to wait to make his impact from the bench.

Skipper Josh Staunton returns to midfield alongside Matt Worthington. Lawson D’ath misses out altogether presumably with more ‘minute managing’ on the cards for the midfielder.

There are three trialists listed – if we figure out who they might be, we will let you know.

Reuben Reid scores
Pic: Mike Kunz.

Yeovil Town’s pre-season campaign comes to a conclusion with a game against Weston Super Mare. A match dubbed “El Ruebenico” by absolutley no-one other than Gloverscast Ben as Reuben Reid makes his first appearance against the Glovers since leaving at the end of last season.

The Glovers’ will head to the seaside with a near full strength side to choose from and not one, but TWO new signings to get some all important minutes into.

Central defender Ben Richards-Everton and young loanee Sam Pearson are in the mix, as is Matt Worthington – he was sent off in the pre-season game against Exeter and YTFC.net is reporting that he has served his sole one-match ban.

The game kicks off at 3pm

Team News

Weston have added Max Harris in on loan from Cheltenham, the goalkeeper will spent his second spell on loan.

Their most recent friendly saw them fall 2-1 at Slimbridge, a match in which a certain Reuben Reid hit the post…

Their squad is largely based of players with plenty of local experience at the likes of Plymouth Argyle, Exeter and Bristol City, they are lead by former Bournemouth and Forest Green Rovers coach Scott Bartlett.

From the manager

Here’s a strange one – I couldn’t find anything at all, from anyone at WSM about the game… so…. urm…. let’s pretend he said it would be good for the side to test themselves against National League opposition and that he’s sure Reuben Reid will be desperate to play well in the game, but only for himself and his new side rather than anything else…

That do? Why not.

Tickets

Gates will open on the day at 1:30pm. Tickets will be available to purchase on the turnstiles.

Ticket prices:

Adult – £9.00
Concession – £6.00
Under 16 – £2.50
Family (2x Adult & up to 2x U16) – £17.00
Under 8 – FREE

To purchase your tickets, click HERE.

Match Day Programme

Match Day Programmes will be available on the day – costing just £1 and can also be purchased online HERE

Directions

Weston super Mare AFC
The Optima Stadium
Winterstoke Road
Weston-super-Mare
Somerset
BS24 9AA

By Car:
Leave the M5 at Junction 21 and take the A370 towards Weston town centre. Continue across three roundabouts and at the 4th (where there is a McDonalds) turn left into Winterstoke Road. Go straight across the mini roundabout, over a railway bridge and you will see the ground on your right hand side. There is a fair sized car park at the stadium.

Please note:
CAR PARK:

Our supporters’ car park charges £2.00 to park on a match day.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept card payment for this. Please ensure you have £2.00 available to pay on arrival.

By Train:
Weston-super-Mare Railway Station is situated around a mile and a half away from the stadium, which is a 25-30 minute walk away.

As you come out of the station entrance turn right and then follow the station approach road around to the left. At the bottom of this road you will reach a T-junction where you turn left. You will then reach another T-junction with the A370 dual carriageway, where you turn right. Continue along the A370 passing by two roundabouts and an Asda store on your left. At the third roundabout that you reach (with a McDonalds outlet on one side) take the third exit onto Winterstoke Road (signposted Weston Industrial Estate). The stadium is further down this road on the right.

 


We will do our best to bring you team news, goal updates and any post-match analysis here at the Gloverscast – if you’re going to the game and have any thoughts, opinions or whatnot, reach out to us on Twitter @gloverscast or via email gloverscast@gmail.com

Richards-Everton in action for Walsall

Yeovil Town are delighted to announce the signing of Ben Richards-Everton on a one-year deal following his departure from Barnet.

The 30 year old had been on trial at Walsall during pre season but now joins the Glovers to bolster the defensive options.

He brings a wealth of experience with spells in Scotland supplementing vast array of EFL games on his CV.

Speaking to YTFC.net after his contract was signed, Ben said; “I’m delighted to get the deal over the line and have it sorted. I’m really looking forward to the season.

“It’s been amazing (so far), the gaffer’s assembled a good team here. We’ve got a good group of lads who I’m really looking forward to working with.”

Commenting on Ben’s arrival, Hargreaves said; “Ben arrives with a vast amount of League and National League experience. He has been part of promotion winning sides and wanted to join the club.

“He is a real physical presence and becomes another valuable asset within our changing room.

“He’s been working hard to keep fit all summer and will be amongst the squad tomorrow afternoon.”

Welcome to Huish Park, Ben.

On today’s episode of the Gloverscast, Ian and Ben are joined by YTFC’s Strength and Conditioning coach Scott Wickens!

Scott takes us through what pre-season looks like at Huish Park, how his role has developed and gives us a fascinating insight into the level of detail that the club are going into with the squad’s preparation for the season ahead.

Plus, we talk Dorchester, Sam Pearson, Weston-super-Mare and take your GCQs.

Yeovil Town 1 Newcastle Utd 2 – Saturday 4th August 1990

Yeovil finally completed their long proposed move to a new stadium at Houndstone in 1990, after discussions had begun as early as 1985.

As we all know the old Huish ground was sold to Tesco, land was purchased from the army and the new stadium became one of the first to open after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, with no pens or fences in sight.

At the time, the Glovers were experiencing a relatively prosperous time on the pitch under the old school management of Brian Hall, having won the Isthmian League in 1988 and finishing 7th in the Conference in 1990. They finished that season winning the Bob Lord Trophy and signed off their time at the historic old ground with a 1-0 win against Telford, with the last goal at the ground being scored on a scorching hot day by Neil Cordice.

The opening match at Huish Park took place on Saturday 4th August against Newcastle United. The Glovers lost 2-1, but did at least score their first goal at their new home on that day, thanks to a smart finish from Andy Wallace. At that time Newcastle were in the second tier, experiencing a few years in the doldrums before their revitalisation in the mid-90’s under Kevin Keegan. Keegan arrived in 1992, leading them to promotion to the Premier League the following season where they would soon challenge Man Utd for the title in 1996 and 1997. However a team slightly less illustrious than the one that would contain the likes of Alan Shearer, David Ginola and Faustino Asprilla were the visitors to Huish Park, with veterans Mark McGhee and John Anderson scoring the Magpies’ goals, before Wallace reduced the arrears in the second half.

The first competitive game took place on 18th August 1990, a Conference fixture against recently relegated Colchester. The Glovers won 2-0, with goals from Mickey Spencer and Peter Conning. Colchester’s stay in the Conference was a short one, finishing 2nd in 1991 and winners in 1992 – with 94 points, but only goal difference ahead of Wycombe. The Glovers were mid-table in their first few years at Huish Park, peaking at 4th in 1992/93.

The attendance for the Newcastle game was 5,093, which stood as a record until the visit of Hereford in the second round of the FA Cup in 1992 brought in over 8,000. This was beaten when the marginally more attractive fixture of Arsenal in the following round set a new record of 8,612 which stood until the home terrace was expanded and covered, attracting 8,868 against Rushden in 2001.

Yeovil Town have confirmed the signing of Sam Pearson from Bristol City on an initial one-month loan.

The attacker has made five appearances for Bristol City in the Championship since debuting in March 2021 and spent time on loan at Inverness Caledonian Thistle earlier this year.

The 20-year-old Welshman has also been capped by by Wales at an U21 level.

Image courtesy of BCFC.co.uk

Speaking to YTFC.net, Pearson said: “I’m delighted to be here. I got a text the other week about coming here, now it’s about trying to play in as many games as I can and helping the team progress. 

“The first time I spoke to the manager was yesterday, he called me when I was having my haircut! He sounds nice and willing to help me progress, so that’s why I’m here!”

Chris Hargreaves adde: “Sam is an exciting young player who adds a new element to our squad. He comes from a strong background at Bristol City and already has first team experience under his belt.”

Pearson also made 17 appearances for Bath City in the 19/20 season, before a loan at W*ymouth at the start of 20/21 season which was cut short due to the travel between Cardiff and W*ymouth. (Of all the places to commute to!)

Speaking at the time, then ‘muff manager Brian Stock said: “He’s a young lad [he was 18 at the time], he lives in Cardiff. He’s found the travelling and commitment at his age a bit of a struggle. It’s proving too much too soon for him. He’s an exciting prospect and I’m upset to lose him.”

Good luck at Yeovil Town Sam – let’s hope we have you for more than a month!

 
Words courtesy of Mike West from the Yeovil Town FC Heritage Society on Facebook.
 
I am sure many have walked or driven past these old wrought iron gates adjacent to the Pen Mill Hotel without really giving them a second thought.
However, their historical interest to Yeovil Town Football Club and the town in general is enormous.
 
Back in 1895, the gates were put in place by the committee of Yeovil Casuals Football Club as the entrance to what was then the club’s home ground the Pen Mill stadium. For nearly 130 years they’ve stayed there, as an unofficial monument to what was the dawn of the town’s football club.
 
Today, I contacted someone with an interest of getting them protected and maybe a plaque installed to highlight their significance to Yeovil Town FC and the area in general.
 
I have been informed that the land is looking to be purchased by the Town Council. They in turn are looking to develop the land into a small park, which of course will be nice, however it seems the gates will be removed and scrapped!
 
Now, for me personally and anyone with a love for the heritage of our great club this would be a travesty.
 
I am told the person to contact at the council to demonstrate the importance of the gates and why they should be saved is Amanda Card, the Town Clerk.
 
I urge everybody to email Ms.Card, as I have today, with your concerns regarding the gates and why they need to be preserved. Ms.Card’s email is
 
If you would like you copy and paste the following to email to Ms. Card:
 

 
Dear Ms.Card,
 
Please forgive me in writing to you, however I have been informed that you are the person that I needed to contact.
 
Apparently, the local council is planning to build a small park adjacent to the Pen Mill Hotel in Yeovil. Which, of course will be a lovely addition to the area.
 
However, I would like to bring to your attention to the wrought iron gates that are situated on that site (See attached photo).
You may not be aware, however the gates have a major local significance. They were originally put in place in 1895 by the committee of Yeovil Casuals Football Club, today’s Yeovil Town football club. Put in place as the entrance to the Pen Mill stadium, the original home of Yeovil Town FC. Standing for 130 years, they are the last remnants of the stadium and have major interest for the fans of our town football club, and football fans in general.
So, with this in mind, myself and many Yeovil football fans would not want to see them scrapped in anyway. They really do hold a very important part of the history of the club and town in general.
 
Please could you inform me of your plan for the gates?
Yours faithfully