Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 360)

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Mark Cooper has stamped out any talk of Yeovil Town pushing for a place in the National League play-offs after they went three games unbeaten.

A hard-fought point at leaders Notts County at the weekend meant the Glovers have picked up five points from their last three matches ahead of the visit from FC Halifax Town to Somerset this weekend.

The visitors are in decent form having won three of their last five matches and reports in West Yorkshire suggest they are looking towards challenging for the promotion places again. After a poor start, they sit 14th in the table with Yeovil five places and six points behind them having played a game more.

Asked by Three Valleys Radio reporter Adi Hopper if he believed his side’s form could have them looking in a similar direction, Cooper said: “No. The next game (is what we’re focused on). I won’t entertain any talk (about play-offs) we are miles away from it, you have to win four or five games on the trot (to be considered in contention).

“We just have to win the next game on Saturday and concentrate fully on Halifax.”

He added: “In the position we’re in it’s about making sure we come out of the game with something. I don’t want us to play really well and pretty and not get anything.

“Whatever we do, we have to make sure we get something out of the game. We have a duty to entertain our fans, but it’s important we get a result.

“We have to perform really well to get anything off Halifax because they are really durable. Chris Millington has stepped up to manager (from assistant manager to Pete Wild last season) and taken to it like a duck to water and done a great job on limited resources.

“I have watched their last three or four games and they are a tough team to beat.”

Defender Ben Richards-Everton will be available for selection against the Shaymen having missed the last three games through injury.

Cooper also confirmed skipper Josh Staunton, who was a doubt ahead of last weekend’s stalemate at Notts County, had also trained on Thursday despite having a tough 90 minutes against the league leaders.

Ben Richards-Everton. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The manager said: “There’s no secret that at the top level, you have to run, the top teams run more than most. We had to run (a lot at Notts County) to hold on for a valuable point.

“All of the boys were out on their feet at the end, which is how it should be, but they’ve all had time to recover. Josh has trained today and he’s in good nick.”

He confirmed that winger Charlie Wakefield was still out through injury.

Asked about new signing Louis Britton, who appeared as an 89th-minute substitute last weekend, the boss said: “He’s settled in fine. the issue he has is he’s a number nine like (Alex) Fisher, who has been outstanding.

“He has to train so well and when he gets his minutes, play so well that he has a chance to try and take Fisher’s place.

“You have to have competition, if you have no competition you become lazy and complacent and you can’t have that.”

The manager was asked about the form of centre-half Max Hunt who was part of a defensive masterclass seven days ago having been out of favour under previous manager Chris Hargreaves.

Central defender Max Hunt. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Speaking after the draw at Notts County, Hunt said he was not looking back on a fr*st*ating period at the start of the season when he found himself out of the side.

Asked about the player’s renaissance, Cooper said: “He’s 6’4″, he’s decent on the ball, he’s great in the air and whilst I have been here he’s been a good defender.

“I can only take as I find and along with some others they have defended really well. Defenders defend as a unit and they have done really well.

“It’s a lesson for younger players, I have had a discussion with one or two of them, if they are not in the team, they have to be ready because you have to train and prepare that you are going to play.

“Chiori Johnson was out of the team, then we get an illness or injury (in Ben Richards-Everton) and he plays and stays in the team because he’s done well.

“Hunty has been out of the team, a new manager has come in and put him in the team and he’s done well.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEJ_lgL8DJQ

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Yeovil Town will host National League rivals Dorking Wanderers in the Third Round Proper of the Isuzu FA Trophy.

The tie will be played on Saturday 17th December.

The winners of the tie will receive £4,500 with the losers picking up a consolation prize of £1,250.

In last season’s competition, the Glovers went out in the fourth round after a penalty shoot-out defeat at the hands of lower league Needham Market.

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Glovers’ gloveman and ‘best keeper in the League’ Grant Smith has been named in the Official Vanarama team of the week.

He was the final line of defence as Yeovil became the first side to keep Notts County at bay at Meadow Lane for over 500 days.

We’re not shocked, he’s just damn good.

 

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Max Hunt has made it in to the Non-League Paper’s Team of the Day for a colossal defensive display in the 0-0 draw at Notts County yesterday.

It could have been any member of the Yeovil Town defence after that display, couldn’t it? How Grant Smith missed out at the expense of Maidstone United’s Ryan Sandford, who kept a clean sheet at home to Oldham Athletic, we’ll never know.

Well done, Max!

 

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A long range effort from captain Jake Graziano capped a 3-0 win for Yeovil Town Under-18s at Mangotsfield United on Saturday.

The young Glovers made a rapid start to the South West Counties Youth League fixture taking the lead after just two minutes when Max Dyer headed home a cross from Mason Hunter after just two minutes.

Graziano’s 25-yard effort following a flick-on by Jacob Shore added a second on eight minutes and striker Charlie Bateson put the game to bed on 14 minutes running on to a ball over the top and slotting past the keeper.

The result keeps Yeovil second in the table with a strong Torquay United side coming to Alvington next weekend. The Gulls, who were managed by Glovers’ first-team coach Chris Todd last season, are third in the table having played three games less than Yeovil and five games less than leaders Bridgwater United.

Yeovil Town Under-18s: Rob Hollard, Ethan O’Sullivan, Jacob Shore, Harrison Foster, Jake Graziano, Mason Alden (for Jack Clark, 80), Charlie Bateson (for Ryan Price, 85), Sam Hodges, Mason Hunter, Josh Haskett, Max Dyer.

It was a successful weekend for the club’s other age group teams with four wins racked up by the sides playing under the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust.

The Under-11s and Under-12s won their Junior Premier League fixtures against North Somerset Regional Talent Centre and Paulton Rovers respectively, with the Under-14s and Under-15s both beating their counterparts from Saints South West.

The Under-16s drew their fixture against Bridgwater United whilst the Under-13s lost to Saints South West.

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Was it pretty? No. Was it effective? Heck, Yes.

The Glovers’ Wall stood firm to hold off wave after wave of Notts County attack and take home a well earned point from Meadow Lane in front of a National League record, 16,500.

Gloverscast Ben joined Gloverscast Dave in the away end for this one, it’s conclusion time….

I think it’s worth putting some stats together to just understand just how good that result was.

Notts County have scored in every game this season, in every competition, regardless of eventual outcome.

49 goals in 19 games prior to the weekend, doesn’t take a genius maths wizz to work out that’s a seriously good XG return.

County had actually scored in every game since drawing a blank against Stockport County at the back end of last season. The last time Meadow Lane didn’t see a goal from their side in a competitive match…. April 17th 2021 when Eastleigh kept them out, 520 days between away clean sheets.

Notts County will be fine, on that evidence, they’ll finish top three, no question.

Their ability to find short passes through lines of players is second to none, every pass is quick, crisp along the ground and presented with pin point accuracy, which for me, only makes the Glovers’ rear guard action even more impressive.

Notts County are probably the best footballing outfit I’ve seen this season, or maybe even for a couple of seasons… and the Parma Violet Party Poopers gave them a good old dollop of ‘thou shall not pass’. 

The difference between this game and the Oldham shambles came down to a very simple gameplan.

Be. Organised.

A very flat back five, a central but very flat four in front of them, and at times a rather defensively minded frontman.

I don’t think Scott Wickens’ running tracker would have had too much of a tough task getting the numbers for this one, it wasn’t expansive.

But that’s okay, sometimes, you have to dig in and get it done, what I want to highlight is the levels of concentration needed. To stay switched on at the back for basically 95 minutes is tough, mentally.

Only for maybe twice could messrs Hunt, Bevan and Williams dare to switch off as the ball made a foray forwards, but they kept their cool. Block, Tackle. Head. Clear. Repeat.

One misplaced foot and a penalty would have gifted their hosts a chance to undo all that hard work, one flung out limb could deflect a ball beyond Smith, one lapse in concentration and your (very good) opponents have a yard of space and a free chance to ruin it all.

It never happened once.

The legs might not have done quite so much of the hard work, but the brains would have done extra.

Owen Bevan in particular for me was outstanding, but I truly believe that was one of the most assured defensive displays I’ve ever seen from Yeovil.

Owen Bevan heads away. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Now… there were a couple of moments where the County barrage broke through the wall, that’s to be expected, they’re a wonderful outfit, but what they got when their half chances came around happened to be…

The best ‘keeper in the National League.

It’s not even close, the levels of trouble we’d be in as a team without Grant Smith is astronomical.

He makes the easy ones look easy, because his positioning is always foot perfect, he makes the difficult ones look easy, because he is quick, agile with spring powered boots.

It’s the boring stuff like he always gets the parries AWAY from goal, he never stopped marshaling his back line, and I’ve never seen a man take a slower goal kick in my life!

I joked to Dave that the reason Will Buse was on the bench was in case Grant Smith got booked twice for time-wasting, in the end, he didn’t once, he got warned, but it turns out he can even charm an official to keep his cards in his pocket. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT MAN CAN’T DO!?

Can I ask about the contract situation? Are we able to make that a longer deal? He’s a genuine asset and with January fast approaching and EFL teams looking to shuffle the pack, he’s worth a few quid, I’d quite like that protected.

Grant Smith. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Our new additions have really added something – something we were missing.

Andrew “What’s the Story” Oluwabori was the brightest attacking spark in a performance which wasn’t very attacking, but I found myself really appreciating the little nuances of his performance.

More than once, he held a defender off on or around the half way line, kept the ball and won a throw in, free kick or made the simple pass to someone who can get the ball forward.

He’s rapid, and the Notts County left back didn’t stand a chance when they got in a foot race, he’s direct and will cause plenty of decent teams trouble, I’d like him to stay for the season please, thanks.

Jamie “Taller than you think” Andrews is another one who really shone for me. Again, I know I’m talking about a different style of performance, but I saw enough in his resolute sideways defensive formation to know he’s got something.

Towards the back end of the second half, Josh Staunton was really starting to feel the injury that has prevented him from training, he came to a bit of a standstill in the middle, so Andrews did his chasing for him. Harrowing, closing down, side to side like a crab at times, blocking one path, then shuffling to the next and so on.

There were glimpses of his ability to take a ball and go from back to front quite quickly, but this wasn’t the game for that.

And finally, it was mentioned after the game that the team “couldn’t apologise” for their approach to this game.

I don’t want an apology, I don’t need an apology.

I think every one of the 452 fans there appreciated that it might be the toughest point we get all season, the toughest clean sheet (Not a ‘Cleano’) we might have to fight for all campaign.

I said as we left that if this game was a month or two further down the line, then yeah, ok, I dont mind if people get a bit disgruntled, but not now.

You can just start to see the beginnings of a run; that’s unbeaten in three, that’s just one goal conceded in three. That’s a game which can set up potentially massive clashes at home with FC Halifax, Scunthorpe United and Torquay United before the New Year is rung in.

It was a top draw defensive masterclass, but maybe, just maybe, we’ll look back in a couple of months and pinpoint it as so much more.

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Max Hunt isn’t looking back after falling out of favour earlier this season. The towering centre-back, who has started every game under Mark Cooper, told BBC Somerset he is in enjoying life under the new boss.

Speaking after a clean sheet at Notts County, he said: “It’s always difficult [being out of the side]. You’re always going to have these spells as a footballer, it’s a game of opinions and sometimes you’re in favour and sometimes you’re out of it.

“It’s nothing personal you just have to get on with it [and] roll your sleeves up. I trained hard while I wasn’t involved and then since the new gaffer came in he decided to put me in against Maidstone and I’ve sort of made it my choice to not look back since.”

Hunt was at the heart of a Yeovil defence that became the first travelling side to keep Notts County out at Meadow Lane this season. He said knew it was going to be an ugly afternoon.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in, probably the toughest we faced so far. We had a set gameplan all week to come here and be hard to beat and it wasn’t pretty and the fans won’t have had much to cheer about today but you know how they supported us at the end [that] they understand the value of the point.

“We know how good a footballing side they [Notts County] are and it was important that with the occasion, the fans and everything, we’d come here and put a stop to it.”

Hunt also spoke about how the squad managed to stay together during the difficult period earlier in the season.

“It’s important that we made sure we kept that togetherness, because when your struggling and results aren’t going your way, if you get yourself down as well you’ve not really got a good place to go.

“We made sure we kept our foundation strong and the new gaffer has come in and showed a real confidence in us. He’s got a long-term plan of how he wants us playing and were just sort of building towards that.”

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Mark Cooper was ‘very pleased’ with the defensive efforts of his side this afternoon as they kept an impressive Notts County at bay.

Yeovil frustrated Notts County, who fell to 2nd after the draw, and Cooper said his side aren’t ready to compete in a street fight with a side like County just yet.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins, he said: “We chose to sacrifice the ball because we’re on the start of our journey. We’re not ready to compete punch for punch with Notts County yet. They’re a good football team and if we’d have to gone toe to toe we’d have got knocked out.”

Cooper admitted setting up that way wasn’t how he’d like to go, but revealed he’d told his squad to leave their egos behind to get a result on the road.

“I said to the boys at the start of the week, we need to leave our egos at the door. We all want to go and play pretty football, but the result and the team is more important than our egos.

“So I said to them, leave your ego there, we’re going to sacrifice the ball and were going to defend really well and were going to try and play counter attack, which is not really my forte, but we had to try and get something out of the game.”

Cooper switched it tactically in the second half in search of nicking a goal, and did say his side didn’t make the most of the corners they had. But ultimately, he was full of praise for his defence, and unapologetic for setting up the way he did.

“I’ve just said to the players, they’re the best I’ve seen at defending their own penalty area and they had to do that today.

“We cant apologise for setting up like we did, we’re near the bottom and we have to get points.”