On this episode of the Gloverscast it’s the 2021/22 Player Review.
Ian, Dave and Ben give their verdict (out of 7) for the players who passed through Huish Park this season (minus a couple!).
We’ve taken a few #GCQs and given a take on the news from the weekend.
Yeovil 1 Telford 0 – Saturday 5th May 1990
On 5th May 1990, Yeovil played their last game at the old Huish ground with a 1-0 win over Telford in what was then called (and is still by some) the GM Vauxhall Conference. The Glovers finished 7th that season, and under manager Brian Hall contained such well known names as Mickey Spencer, Mark Shail, Paul Wilson and Andy Wallace. The last goal at Huish was scored in that game by Neil Cordice with an excellent volley. Yeovil were able to celebrate with a trophy which was presented on the final day, having beaten Kidderminster over two legs in the Bob Lord Trophy, also known as the Conference League Cup. The competition was axed in 2001 but the trophy itself, which resembles the FA Cup, is currently awarded to the winners of the Conference Play-Off Final.
Huish was not the first home of Yeovil Town, as the Glovers moved to the town centre ground from Pen Mill in 1920. Also known as the Huish Athletic Ground, it was home to tennis in the summer and greyhound racing until the late 1940’s. The club brought with it the main stand from Pen Mill, with the rest of the ground being flat until the Queen’s Street terrace was constructed in 1923, and the following year the Brutton’s End terrace was added. The Queen Street terrace was originally covered, and indeed split due to the weight of fans standing on it during an FA Cup match against Sheffield Wednesday in 1939. After the war, more developments were made with the terrace roof being removed and a cover put over the North Terrace. Work on that terrace along with the installation of floodlights was completed in 1954.
It does seem that many of the earlier ground developments were made in advance of big FA Cup ties, including Bristol Rovers in 1924, Liverpool in 1935 and Crystal Palace in 1963 which saw the completion of a new grandstand. The building housing the main stand also housed a supporter’s bar and boardroom. In addition was the unusual sight of the ‘Director’s Box’ which stood in the corner next to the Queen Street terrace from 1935 until 1983. The highest attendance at Huish was of course 17,123 against Sunderland in 1949, surpassing the 14,329 against Sheffield Wednesday ten years earlier. Over the years the stadium capacity was reduced as more safety measures were introduced and 9,717 against then top-flight QPR in 1988 was also a sell-out.
Discussions began to move to an out of town location at Houndstone as early as 1985. The prospect of levelling the sloping pitch had been raised many times in the past and been deemed too expensive, although it later become one of the main things Yeovil were known for. However as Football League ground regulations were increased it became a barrier for Yeovil’s hopes of promotion. In addition the deteriorating main stand was facing costly repairs and the location of the ground, with a dual carriageway running behind the Queen Street end since the late 1960’s, meant that developing the ground to meet Football League requirements would be costly if not impossible.
It was decided under Chairman Gerry Lock that if the Glovers were to be promoted, they would need to move. The sale of Huish for £2.8 million was agreed and construction at Houndstone began, but was delayed by a public enquiry that lasted from 1987 to 1989. Despite hoping to move in the summer of 1986, construction did not begin until 1990. In that time, escalating costs would see expenditure on the new facilities far outstrip income from the sale of the old ground. This left the club with a looming financial crisis which would not come to light until some time afterwards. Initial plans were for both terraces to be covered, but these had to be scrapped to reduce costs. In the end, the home terrace was eventually extended and covered in 2001, at a cost of around £1 million while the away terrace remains uncovered.
Crowds did not increase enormously after the move beyond the initial surge – the average league crowd in Yeovil’s last three seasons at Huish was around the 2300 mark, although this was an improvement over the severe doldrums of the early and mid 1980’s when it was nearer 1100. The average in the first season at Huish Park was 2639, followed by 2103 and back up to 2615 in 92/93. The only season that has seen average crowds below 2000 was during relegation in 1994/95, which could not be said for the old ground.
The extent of the financial problems did not come to light until after Gerry Lock, who had overseen the move, was removed as chairman in 1991. Under new Chairman Bryan Moore the extent of the financial situation became known, with debts of between £500,000 and £750,000. Assets had to be sold, with the irony that the construction of a stadium which would enable Yeovil to take part in the Football League had led to a team less able to achieve it as assets were sold and costs reduced. Collection buckets at Huish Park became a common sight from 1991. There was an unexpected temporary reprieve under player-manager Steve Rutter, as the Glovers finished 4th in the Conference in 1992/93 and secured a home FA Cup tie against Arsenal which arguably secured Yeovil’s future off the pitch. Indeed, although Conference finishes were mediocre apart from that season – 14th, 15th, 21st and then 22nd – it was FA Cup runs that kept us going, with bumper crowds against Walsall (1991), Fulham (1993), and old rivals Hereford (1992) which boosted the finances.
However on the pitch, the reprieve was temporary due to the financial situation and the Glovers were unable to compete as they finished 21st and then 22nd and were relegated to the Isthmian League in 1995. Bryan Moore stepped down as Chairman, and was replaced by John Fry, with Graham Roberts being appointed as the new manager after an unsuccessful second spell from Brian Hall, the man who had been in charge five years earlier when the club moved to Huish Park.
After two years in the Isthmian League, the good times eventually did return, as under Graham Roberts Yeovil won the Isthmian League with 101 points, enjoying an epic tussle with Enfield including the memorable 2-2 draw in front of 8,008, before beating Chertsey 4-1 on the last day to be presented with the championship trophy. On 16 August 1997, the Glovers celebrated their return to the Conference with a 2-1 win over Stevenage Borough with goals from Owen Pickard and Warren Patmore, as Yeovil’s drive towards the Football League began again.
It’s been quite the season at Yeovil Town this season, and we want to get the views of supporters across a number of issues. We’ve put together the anonymous survey below, which asks a number of questions about you and your views on the club.
The survey is on Google Forms and is a mix of multiple choice and linear scale (1-7 of course) questions about issues on the pitch, off the pitch and the future. There is also an optional section about the Gloverscast that we’d be very grateful if you’d complete it.
The survey will be open for four weeks and will close on Friday 1st July. We’ll go through the responses and share them on the website in July.
It’s time for the weekly YeoGov poll. This week we want to know: Do you think the Supporters Alliance Group serves its purpose? You can read about the alliance here. Let us know your reasoning the comments below.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.Last week we asked you which position you felt was a priority for Chris Hargreaves to recruit in and the results were truly shocking.
92.4% of 237 voters (219) think we need strikers! 5.5% think we need a midfielder, 1.7% think we defenders, and which one of you thinks we need a keeper?!
On this episode of the Glovers Past, we speak to former Yeovil defender, Adam Lockwood. We talked about Adam’s hugely successful time in green and white, and his career post-Yeovil including what he’s up to these days.
Brendon Owen has stepped down as chairman of the Glovers’ Trust, the supporters’ group has announced.
He has been replaced by Roger Pipe, who previously served as vice-chairman, with Barrie David stepping up to the second in command role.
The announcement comes just days after it was revealed Simul Sports, the group the Trust had publicly backed to take over the club, announced it has ended its interest.
In an update to members, the Trust said: “There has been some changes to the make up of our board.
“Our chairman for many years, Brendon Owen, has decided to step down. We are incredibly thankful to him for his fantastic work and dedication over many years, both for the Trust and the wider fanbase.
“Brendon is committed to giving fans a voice, and that work continues now he has left us.”
The update also confirmed that Ian Perkins had left the board to focus his time on a podcast and website called Gloverscast – sounds like a waste of time to us!
Former Trust board member Steve Seaby has returned to the group to replace Ian until it holds its AGM in October.
The update concludes: “We wanted to let you know that we have reached out to Scott Priestnall for a meeting with the Trust board, so that me might be able to ask some important questions at a crucial time for our club.
“We hope that he will be willing to meet with us and answer those questions. If you have questions or concerns as a member, then please reply to this email and we will be sure to include as many as we can.”
We have a strict(ish) set of rules at the Gloverscast. One is followed a lot more than others, and that one is Rule #2: Sleep on it. When a result goes against us, we try not to jump to a reaction of conclusion without reflecting on it.
Having slept on the statement released by Damien Singh on Sunday afternoon, I’ve got an overwhelming feeling of frustration.
Frustration that we were told there was ‘no money on the table’ only to read: “We unfortunately could not conclude our negotiations despite a series of recent offers with funds placed on our solicitors account.”
Frustration that we were told the deal was dead in December, but that also we didn’t offer Darren Sarll a new contract in January because of the ongoing takeover. Which is it?
Frustration that someone of this magnitude was waiting in the wings while the relentless rumourmill caused turmoil amongst supporters.
Frustration that, three years after we missed a golden opportunity with Rob Couhig, we’re going to miss out on another.
It’s not every day someone the likes of the CFO of Canva (valued at $40bn in September 2021) decides to get involved in a small community club in Somerset. To have someone with very evident business and financial acumen and with very evident means knocking at the door, to find out they’ve decided to stop knocking is beyond frustrating.
So, how to channel that frustration? Boycott season tickets? Stop spending at the ground on a matchday? Stop matches? I can’t argue for that, because it would be hypocritical of me because I don’t have a season ticket, I will buy a drink at the ground and I want to watch matches. Other people will have their ideas and others will just want that to be that, and move on. We all want the best for the football club, we all have differing views of what would be best for the football club, but ask yourself: ‘would the CFO of one of the largest tech companies on the planet being part of the ownership at Yeovil Town be best for Yeovil Town?’ If your answer is no, I don’t know what you want for the football club.
I am happy that we’ve got a supporter on the board now, I’m happy we’ve got a manager and some certainty around which players we’ll have – even though the majority of the remainers could have been clarified months ago. But, after Sunday, we’ve got another ‘what could have been?’ situation.
The club’s most valuable (monetarily anyway) assets have been sold, albeit with a route to getting them back but one which sees us ultimately losing out because the value of that development could have gone on our bottom line rather than repaying debts the debt to SSDC.
Our recent polls have shown that opinion has turned. Out of 313 voters, 93% felt our future wasn’t bright under Scott Priestnall’s ownership. 65% of 234 people said they wouldn’t buy or were undecided on season tickets. This is not a vocal minority of internet hoodies. The sentiment has changed, the mood has swung and I don’t believe it will go back. We can polish as many triggered extensions as ‘new signings’ as we want.
I genuinely hope that Mr Singh’s statement is not the end. As a supporter, I think we have a duty to the club to ensure it isn’t the end. We’ve missed out on something in our very recent history, I think this opportunity has the potential to be something even brighter. Let’s not allow this to be over yet.
Do you have a view on this? If you’re happy for it to be shared on the website, please send it to us at gloverscast@gmail.com.
Yeovil Town have added a further two fixtures to their pre-season schedule with visits to Dorchester Town and Weston-super-Mare planned for the end of July.
Chris Hargreaves’ men will visit the Avenue Stadium on Tuesday 26th July with a trip to north Somerset and Optima Stadium on July 30th.
In full, the pre-season schedule as it stands now is
Oddly tickets for the final fixture on this list at Weston-super-Mare will go on sale at 10am on Friday 3rd June – here.
Tickets are priced as follows:
Adult – £9.00
Concession – £6.00
Under 16 – £2.50
Family – £17.00
Under 8 – FREE
The bid to take over Yeovil Town led by former Cardiff City director Julian Jenkins is off, the group has confirmed.
In a series of tweets posted on Sunday by Damien Singh, Chief Financial Officer of a online graphic design tool Canva, confirmed the bid by Simul Sports Group was off saying it had made “a series of offers” to chairman Scott Priestnall.
The Australia-based businessman is not a name which has been publicly linked to the group led by Jenkins and involving former Glovers’ midfielder Marc Bircham and finance specialist Darren DeLandro.
The statement read: “Regrettably after a protracted period of due diligence during which we have expended significant time, energy and financial resources, we have had to cease our efforts to secure ownership of Yeovil Town Football Club.
”We unfortunately could not conclude our negotiations despite a series of recent offers with funds placed on our solicitors account.
”Yeovil Town is a special club, I’ve visited Huish Park on a number of occasions and have family in the area. We had big plans to restore the glory days and footballing pride to the community. But disappointingly that has come to an end for us today.
”Myself and the other members of the group, Darren DeLandro and Marc Bircham, acknowledge that this is a difficult period for the fans and we want to wish the Glovers all the best for the future. No further comment will be made at this time.”
The statement from Singh that the group had made offers to buy the club backed by funds contradicts statements made by Priestnall a month ago. Speaking to a group of fans at Huish Park, he said had accepted a deal but claimed the group never put money on the table, read more – here.
The news comes after months of speculation around the potential deal to buy the club from Priestnall which began last June when he confirmed he had been approached by a group to buy the club. In December, Jenkins went public and confirmed his group was in talks which was followed in January by a statement saying said the deal was in the “final stages of due diligence.”
Who is Damien Singh?
Julian Jenkins’ name is the one which most Yeovil Town fans will think of when it comes to Simul Sports, the group which has been seeking to buy the club.
However, it was a name not previously connected to the group, Damien Singh, who made the announcement that the bid is over.
Singh is Chief Executive Officer of Canva, an online graphic design tool which is the product of one of the world’s fastest-growing technology companies, valued at Australian $40 billion.
A chartered accountant whose career began working in Bristol where he spent six years at Smith and Williamson before moving to Australia in 2011 where he worked for a number of firms, including Grant Thornton and PKF in Sydney, before joining Canva in 2016.
If you needed an idea as to his personal wealth, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, in February he bought a terraced house in Sydney’s exclusive Paddington district for A$12m.
As for his connection with Yeovil Town and football – well, his statement makes it clear he has family living in the Yeovil area and has visited Huish Park on occasion.
Couple that with the fact he appears to have been based in Bristol at the start of his accountancy career and you at least get a connection with the Westcountry.
The news that the Jenkins-led takeover comes just a week after it was confirmed that Priestnall had agreed a deal to sell the club’s Huish Park stadium and land surrounding it to South Somerset District Council for £2.8m.
On Friday, supporter and retired businessman Stuart Robins was appointed to the club’s board of directors after appearing to have bought in to the club as a shareholder.
The never-ending saga – a timeline of takeover talks
Yeovil Town has announced supporter and businessman Stuart Robins has become a shareholder and board member at the club.
The season ticket holder for the past 15 years becomes the first person to join the club’s board after chairman Scott Priestnall announced his intention to bring in new directors more than a month ago.
In a statement, Mr Robins, whose uncle is former club chairman Gerry Lock, and daughter is BBC Somerset commentator Sheridan Robins, said he had “significant experience in growing and developing successful businesses” predominantly in the telecommunications business.
He added: “I want to use that experience to help provide the resources necessary for (manager) Chris Hargreaves to return us to the Football league as soon as we can, and in a sustainable way.
“I have a lot to learn about the football business and I am really looking forward to doing that and working with everyone at Huish Park.”
The cub’s statement confirms that he will become a director and shareholder of the club which presumably means Mr Robins has invested in the club, although no details are given around the level of that investment.
Chairman Priestnall said: “Bringing Stuart in to the club can only be a positive move for us. Not only is he a lifelong supporter, but he brings with him a wealth of business experience.
“When I said I wanted to formulate a board that could bring about a shared vision for the club’s future, I could not have wished for anyone more passionate and dedicated to seeing the club succeed as Stuart.”
Who is Stuart Robins?
Born in Yeovil, he was educated at Buckler’s Mead and worked for Post Office Telecommunications, now BT, having left school.
During his school days, he trained with Yeovil Town under manager Stan Harland which he had supported since his parents first took him to the club’s former Huish stadium from the age of ten, and later went on to play for Ilminster Town.
Following that, he moved to Australia in 1980 working in the telecommunications industry in Australia which ended with a role as Managing Director of a joint venture between UK-based Systems Reliability and Telecom Australia, returning to join the UK arm in 1992 following the merger.
During his time Down Under, his mother would send him cuttings from the Western Gazette newspaper to keep him in touch with the club.
After Systems Reliability was acquired by Canadian firm TSB International three years later, he transferred to Toronto in 1995 and was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the company.
Four years later, he returned to the UK and later was involved in a management buy-out of what was then TSB’s European division which was rebranded, Nu Holdings Group, becoming the largest distributor IT products from a major US firm.
Robins’ appointment to the board follows the departure of Glenn Collis as a director last month, a move which coincided with Priestnall declaring his plan to assemble a new board.
Speaking last week after he club sold its Huish Park stadium and land around it in a £2.8m deal with South Somerset District Council, Priestnall said he would be “announcing appointments” to the board over the next week.
He added: “The new board will have a combination of specialist football operations, a voice for supporters and a wealth of experience in business, that will come together and help shape the future of Yeovil Town.”
Former chief executive Martyn Starnes has become a regular fixture at Huish Park in recent weeks and therefore seems likely to be an announcement at some point.
