Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 358)

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Guy Whittingham has revealed that Yeovil Town did try to buy him out of the Army before he made a move to Portsmouth off the back of a prolific spell in Somerset.

The striker scored 19 times in 23 matches during a six-month spell at Huish in the 1988-89 season whilst a physical instructor in the Army.

Guy Whittingham in action for Yeovil Town against Enfield in April 1989. Picture courtesy of Tim Lancaster.

Speaking to us in the latest episode of the GloversPast, he told us how he paid £450 to buy himself out of his forces’ contract to move to Fratton Park, with Yeovil not receiving a penny for his services.

Whittingham said: “To be fair, (the then-Yeovil manager) Brian Hall was trying to keep me, he wanted to buy me out of the Army and be full-time at Yeovil.

“They were talking about some houses down here being built and they could get me one, so they were trying.

“But, I had to buy myself out although Portsmouth did give me the money back. They were in the old Second Division, wanting to test myself at the highest level.”

The move turned out to be a fantastic piece of business for Pompey with Whittingham going on to become the club’s all-time record goal-scorer.

In the 1992-93 season he hit an extraordinary 42 league goals in 46 games at what is today the Championship and 47 goals in all competitions, breaking a record which had stood for 66 years.

But today, Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is on course of surpass him having scored 34 league goals already this season.

To hear Guy talk about his memories of playing for Yeovil, a prolific career which saw him go on to play for Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves, and his thoughts on the Glovers’ meteoric rise and fall, don’t miss our latest GloversPast.

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Yeovil Town will face Bath-based Odd Down in the semi-finale of the Somerset Premier Cup.

The Western League Premier Division side progressed to the last four after a penalty shoot-out win over Wells City on Tuesday night.

The match will be played at Huish Park during the week commencing March 21.

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Greg Baker, the founder of a London-based finance firm, has been revealed as the backer behind Simul Sports, the group seeking to buy Yeovil Town from owner Scott Priestnall.

In a statement issued on Tuesday night, the Glovers’ Trust confirmed the founder of ESE Capital “will finance the consortium and the deal.”

Greg Baker

It goes on to confirm Julian Jenkins, former Cardiff City commercial director, finance specialist Darren DeLandro and former Glovers’ midfielder Marc Bircham as being involved in the group.

The Trust also says that member and supporter Terry Stevens had introduced it to Jenkins and subsequently Baker.

Of the delays to the deal, the Trust statement adds: “There have been numerous delays due to Omicron in December, Land Registry (due to the nature of the deal involving various parcels of land) and various aspects of due diligence.”

It added: “There is a huge desire to get this deal over the line and bring about change for Yeovil and Somerset in general.”

There are no details given on timescales for the completion of a deal with the Trust saying Simul has “never committed to dates for completion, only provisional timeframes.”

Last weekend marked 11 weeks since a seven-day deadline set by chairman Priestnall for a deal to be completed expired.

According to its website, Baker’s ESE Capital is involved in investing in house building developments “bringing about positive environmental and social change through each of the projects.”

The connection with a self-declared property investor might be cause for concern that this is someone interested in the land around Huish Park, but the Trust statement confirms Simul’s bid is for Yeovil Athletic & Football Club, the company which runs its football operations including the stadium.

It adds Simul is also looking to purchase a strip of land which runs alongside Western Avenue and the stadium and is presently leased by South Somerset District Council.

Land owned by Yeovil Town Holdings Limited is bordered in red – except the bit in mint green which is owned by Yeovil Athletic & Football Club Limited.

All other land around the stadium will remain in the ownership of Yeovil Town Holdings Limited, a company which counts its directors as Priestnall and his fellow club director, Glenn Collis.

 

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Yeovil Town have annouced a new date for the game agasint Dagenham and Redbridge… and it’s not far away.

The Glovers will host the Daggers on Tuesday March 8th with a 7:45 Kick Off – that’s just a week away!

Tickets purchased for the original fixture remain valid, but fans are asked to contact the ticket office on “info@ytfc.net” for refund options.

When the sides met in November, Yeovil came away with a 1-0 win thanks to a Paul McCallum Own Goal.

 

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Ben, Dave and Ian are back to chat about the defeat at Chesterfield and discuss if the season is over…

Thanks for listening!

Remember to add Gloverscast.co.uk to your favourites and check the website daily for the latest news from Huish Park.

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Isn’t it amazing how just 90 minutes can define a season?

Yeovil Town had yet another ‘all guts, no glory’ performance against Chesterfield and came out on the losing side, with a first half stoppage time worldie changing the game and being the difference.

These conclusions are starting to feel like a broken record, but here are Ben’s five key takeaways from the Technique Stadium.

Ben Barclay
Pic: YTFC YouTube

Ben Barclay ‘gets it’ – he loves defending, he must be a joy to have in the defensive unit.

He’ll put his head in where it hurts and considering we love Luke Wilkinson and Max Hunt for similar traits, he’s quickly becoming a bit of a find for us.

At the time of writing, I’d like to know what his contract status is at Stockport, because if they go up, or deem him not to be in their plans, I’d certainly be looking to bring him in permanently.

Ben Barclay – he loves defending, and he loves defending for us.

At the other end… sometimes, you can’t do much more to score.

It’s no secret we’ve had our attacking problems this season, but at least yesterday it wasn’t for the want of trying.

Tom Knowles could have had a hat-trick, Luke Wilkinson should have had a least one, Adi Yussuf came close, Josh Staunton had a crack.

But sometimes, the fine margins don’t go your way.

On another day, Scott Loach in the Chesterfield goal doesn’t get his hand up, or Knowles’ wonder strike goes in off the bar rather than bounces out.

If the first half ends 3-1 to us, we go on and win the game. 

Those moments haven’t gone for us all season, but on Saturday evening it looked destined to never fall for us.

Striker Adi Yussuf fires a shot in on goal.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

… and on that… I’m done with Adi Yussuf.

Sorry, I don’t like calling out individuals, but I’ve gone from giving him the benefit of the doubt to really struggling to understand what he brings to the table.

He gave away free-kicks, he misplaced key passes in attacking areas which would have led to more chances, he managed to somehow not bundle the ball home from a yard out in the second half, he got in the way of others, and he constantly got caught offside.

Reuben Reid needs to be given a run in the side above Yussuf in the pecking order if Olomola isn’t fit. Reid looked brighter in that final 10 minutes.

Sorry Adi, nothing personal.

Lawson D’Ath. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz

I think, I’m looking forward to a Staunton, Gorman and D’Ath midfield.

Actually, I know I am, I quite excited by it.

Worthington, Barnett, Bradley and Lo-Everton have their place and in a squad environment they’ll all be very very handy, but, Josh Staunton looked he needed his mate, Gorman out there. Like Ant without Dec, Phil without Grant, it just looks a better fit for the team.

And as for D’Ath, he’s genuinely one of the best players in the league. 

He’s that good. It’s all so effortless for him to pick a pass and to have the composure on the ball that so many around him were lacking. 

If we can get those three on the pitch together singing from the same hymn sheet, that’s a bloody good midfield.

Sarll speaks to the media at Chesterfield

And finally, the manager made his clearest statement yet regarding the off-the-field future of Yeovil Town and it needs to be the catalyst for clarity.

Every word he spoke was correct, this is a team worth supporting, getting behind, enhancing, developing and moulding into a squad that can get Yeovil Town promoted.

If, as many now think, this season is over… next season must begin ASAP. That means clarity and plan of how we approach the medium to long term future of the team.

His own position included, either he needs to be told to go and get who he needs because he’s in charge, or told he won’t be allowing a new person to assess the squad. 

That sounds brutal, and harsh and I’m very much ‘Sarll In’ but the time for next season to start is coming… and it’ll be here far sooner than the end of this current campaign.

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Luke Wilkinson has said the Yeovil Town midfield and defence has to start finding the net to ease the burden on the Glovers’ forwards.

The skipper missed a glorious first half opportunity to give his side the lead in the 1-0 defeat at high-flying Chesterfield on Saturday and is yet to find the net this season.

In fact, only seven goals have come from non-forward players in all competitions this season with midfielder Dale Gorman leading the way with three, with two of these coming from the penalty spot.

Luke Wilkinson.

Of the defeat in Derbyshire, Wilkinson told BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins said: “It’s been the story of our season, but it’s not just the attacking players, we all need to be chipping in and scoring.

“I have not scored this season, perhaps (the goal ruled out for a push at Maidenhead in the previous match) was a goal but I should have scored tonight.

“So it’s not just the attacking players, it is the collective and once we get that hopefully things will start going our way and I think the fans can see that.”

A stunning strike from Jim Kellerman was the difference between the two sides on Saturday after a throw-in from the hosts was only cleared as far as the edge of the box and the midfielder swept the ball home.

Wilkinson said: “We have switched off from a throw-in and they have worked it out to his feet and, to be fair to him, he’s hit a great shot in to the far corner.

“But it is frustrating that close to half-time because (if you go in at 0-0) you can regroup and go again (in the second half).”

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Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll has (again) called for certainty around the future of his team from the club’s hierachy.

Speaking after going down to a 1-0 defeat at second-placed Chesterfield in front of the television cameras on Saturday, the boss said he hoped to get the opportunity to continue working with the squad he has assembled.

But, with the club’s off-the-field situation still dragging on (it’s now 11 weeks since chairman Scott Priestnall’s deadline for the takeover of the club to be finalised passed) and all but defender Morgan Williams out of contract at the end of the season, the uncertainty is spreading to every part of the club.

Darren Sarll talking to Sheridan Robins after the 1-0 defeat at Chesterfield.

Talking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins, Sarll said: “I have always tried to be professional around this subject, but this is a group of players that are aware of whether their futures are settled or not.

“I have seen so many groups of players go another way about it when things are unsettled and not care, and we have seen teams like that at Yeovil coming out of the Football League.

“But, even under those circumstances, this team is not like that, they are still trying to produce. We are working with less than we’ve ever had and these players are giving more than they have ever done.”

The manager said he felt “angry and frustrated” for his players after seeing them spurn glorious first half opportunities through defender Luke Wilkinson and forward Tom Knowles only to go behind to a Jim Kellerman goal right on the stroke of half-time.

Sarll said: “I think they are so close. I really hope we are going through these moments now so that we have another 18 months or two-and-a-half years with them.

“I think this is a good side and because of their connection with the club and the way they go about their business, this is a team we could grow to be very successful and very proud of.”

Yet another blank in front of goal means Yeovil have now scored 27 goals in 29 matches – the third lowest in the National League with only the bottom two, King’s Lynn and Dover, having scored fewer.

Against Chesterfield, it was another frustrating performance from Adi Yussuf alongside an out-of-sorts looking Charlie Wakefield with the only attacking threat coming from Knowles, who quietened down after taking a ball to the face early in the second half.

Sarll said: “When you miss the chances we missed, it exerts an unbelievable pressure on that back four to be faultless.

“The biggest thing is we don’t take those chances in the first half. Wilkinson had a great chance in the first half which he should be taking, Adi (Yussuf) goes close in the second half, (Tom) Knowles hits the bar, we had a plethora of chances away at second-placed Chesterfield.

“I don’t really want to keep getting on the bus saying ‘you have worked really hard’ and coming away with nothing because they deserve more than that for sheer effort.

“But, that’s why centre forwards get the most money and Chesterfield bought our (top scorer, Joe Quigley) for six figures because they are supposed to score goals.”

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Venue: Technique Stadium
Saturday 26 February, 17:20 kick-off

Conditions: A cold breeze
Pitch: Well worn, especially around the edges. Looked atrociously bobbly on the telly

Attendance: 5371 (128 away)

Scorers: Kellerman 45

Bookings: Barclay 31, Kellerman 57,

Referee: Thomas Parsons


Yeovil Town : (4-3-3)

Grant Smith

Mark Little, Luke Wilkinson, Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams

Matt Worthington (Lawson D’Ath 68) Josh Staunton Jordan Barnett (Lo Everton 77)

Charlie Wakefield, Adi Yussuf (Reuben Reid 82), Tom Knowles

Substitutes: Max Evans, Alex Bradley

Chesterfield: Loach, Miller, Whittle, Maguire, Grimes, King, Kellerman, Whelan, Mandeville, Quigley (Denton), Asante (Khan)

Subs: Williams, Rowley, Kerr

Match Report

Yeovil Town fell to a 1-0 defeat on the road at promotion chasing Chesterfield this evening with a stunning first half goal from James Kellerman settling the game.

The Glovers had the best of the first half, and could have been 2-0 up had efforts from Luke Wilkinson and Tom Knowles been centimetres in different directions.

Two out of form sides cancelled each other out in a largely uneventful and scrappy second half as the Glovers finished the day 14 points away from the playoffs.

Here’s how Ian saw the game, from the comfort of his living room…

First half

It all got a bit hairy at the back for Chesterfield in the 5th minute. Jordan Barnett’s lofted hopeful ball was chased down by Charlie Wakefield who beat Scott Loach to the ball and headed towards goal. The ball didn’t carry, though and was cleared off the line as Tom Knowles bared down on the Spireites defender.

Chesterfield’s first sniff at goal came 5 minutes later, through a left-footed shot from Akwasi Asante. The striker’s effort, from the left side of Yeovil’s penalty box flew wide of Grant Smith’s right hand post.

Luke Wilkinson should have put the Glovers ahead after quarter of an hour. Barnett’s delicious freekick fell to the skipper just outside the six-yard box with the whole goal to aim at, but centre back bobbled his shot into the ground straight at Loach, who got a smidgen of a touch on it to help it over the bar.

Grant Smith was at full stretch minutes later, as Grimes leapt above everyone in the box to head towards the top right corner.

On a bobbly surface, the Glovers certainly tried to play more than their opponents and were unfortunate not to go into the break 1-0 up through a wonderful strike from Tom Knowles that rebounded off of the bar.

In typical Yeovil fashion though, after having the better of the first half, they fell behind in stoppage time at the hands of a brilliant strike from James KELLERMAN. Ben Barclay cleared a Chesterfield cross which landed nicely at the feet of an unmarked Kellerman who seemed to slow time down to unleash an unsaveable effort into the corner of Smith’s goal. 0-1

After a strong first half performance, Yeovil could feel aggrieved to go in behind.

Half time: Chesterfield 0 Yeovil Town 1

Second half

Chesterfield, buoyed by their goal, came out the much stronger of the two sides in the second half applying plenty of pressure to the Glovers.

Yeovil had one of those ‘what could have been’ moments in the 52nd minute, where had Adi Yussuf made the right pass, he could have put Charlie Wakefield in on goal. As it was, the cohesion was totlly lacking and Yussuf conceded possession to Chesterfield.

Yeovil had another opportunity to counter moments later and Wakefield was cynically fouled by Kellerman. Luke Wilkinson lined up the resultant free kick, but could only find the side netting.

Yussuf should have pulled Yeovil level in the 65th minute. Josh Staunton flicked Knowles long throw into the heart of Chesterfield’s 6 yard box and the Yeovil striker’s contact wasn’t good enough to beat Loach, depite the appeals of some Yeovil players.

The quality of the game deteriorated through the second half and Chesterfield kept Yeovil at arms length, without creating anything for themselves, other than a header for Grimes in stoppage time.

Full time: Chesterfield 0 Yeovil Town 1

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Yeovil Town have made three changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Maidenhead United on Tuesday night for this evening’s 17:20 kick off against Chesterfield.

Adi Yussuf leads the line in place of the injured Olufela Olomola and Matt Worthington and Jordan Barnett return to the starting line up, replacing Lawson D’Ath and Alex Bradley.

Yeovil Town: Grant Smith, Mark Little, Luke Wilkinson, Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams, Matt Worthington, Josh Staunton, Jordan Barnett, Charlie Wakefield, Tom Knowles, Adi Yussuf.

Subs: Max Evans, Alex Bradley, Lawson D’Ath, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Reuben Reid

Former Glovers Joe Quigley, Tom Whelan and Scott Loach line up for the Spireites.

Chesterfield: Loach, Miller, Whittle, Maguire, Grimes, King, Kellerman, Whelan, Mandeville, Quigley, Asante

Subs: Williams, Denton, Khan, Rowley, Kerr