Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 400)

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On loan defender Dan Moss has returned to his parent club Championship Millwall with 12 days of his stay at Yeovil Town remaining, it has been confirmed.

The full-back had been intended to stay until the end of the month but boss Darren Sarll had suggested that 21-year-old would be heading “to pastures new” when he spoke after last night’s defeat at Southend United.

In a message on his Twitter, Moss said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure to play for Yeovil, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and can’t thank anyone enough for my time here.

“I wish the boys and the club all the best for the rest of the season. Hope to see you back in the Football League where the club belongs.”

Moss’ early exit suggest we will see Moss appear with an EFL club in the coming days although the Millwall statement on his return suggests he will rejoin the Lions’ under-23s set-up.

His departure leaves our options on the right side of defence with Alex Bradley (remember him?) and Mark Little, who is  on his way back from an injury picked up in pre-season, as well as centre back-turned-full back Morgan Williams, who has played there this season.

Speaking to BBC Somerset the other week, Moss said his time at Huish Park has helped improve his game.

He said: “I feel so much more confident as a player, that’s down to Yeovil. It’s given me the opportunity to play first team football and I can only thank the gaffer and Terry (Skiverton, assistant manager) for that.

“The games in a first team environment, it’s just given me confidence more than anything. My whole game in general has improved whilst I’ve been here.”

From all of us at the Gloverscast and we have no doubt every Yeovil fan – a big thankyou to Mossy! You played like you were one of our own and we appreciate all you gave us.

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It was another defeat for Yeovil Town on Tuesday night as we went down to our fourth loss in a row at Southend United.

Here one-time Gloverscast quiz champion and Glovers’ supporter Ed Turnbull was among the 80 hardy souls in the North Stand at Roots Hall, and here are his five conclusions:

Unfortunately, the most obvious takeaway is the performance level was substantially lower (at least for the first hour) than what we were treated to during our stunning 12-match unbeaten run. The first half in particular, we had very little fluidity in attack and invited Southend onto us, struggling to get anything resembling a foothold in the game. To make matters worse, our defence seemed nowhere near as solid as the backline that stood firm to bombardments from the likes of Solihull, Bromley and Wrexham in previous away games this season – Southend could easily have scored more than two. Various wise heads including Darren Sarll and Ian Perkins have referred to the team looking tired of late, and this was further proof. Mind you, it must be said that Southend seemed a lot better than a team that has spent most of the season battling it out with W*ymuff for 20th place.

Joe Quigley battles for the ball.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Things improved significantly with the introduction of Joe Quigley and Reuben Reid (if you ignore for a second the fact Southend made it 2-0 right after they came on!). Adi Yussuf very rarely, if ever, got the ball to stick to him, and nobody was surprised when the fourth official’s board went up with a red 23 next to a green 10. I think getting the ball under control back-to-goal isn’t one of Quigley’s strengths either, but he’s negated that possible weakness by instead looking to win flick-ons for team-mates to run onto (take his assist for Yussuf’s goal against Eastleigh as a perfect example). Last night I was very impressed how he seemed to win every header against big centre-halfs, and it gave us (often Reuben Reid to be precise) a platform to work off, that saw us become a lot more threatening and gave us a fighting chance of getting something from the game. Quigley was also unlucky not to score himself when he did brilliantly to make space for a shot, which was excellently saved. I’ll be picking Joe ahead of Adi in my next FanHub line-up predictions in the future, for sure (unless Quigley get’s injured, I suppose). 

Luke Wilkinson. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Ordinarily, you’d probably say that the phase of play which ended with us scoring our only goal was the best 15 seconds of the match from a Yeovil point of view. But on this occasion I would argue it was the worst, and that’s because Luke Wilkinson went down innocuously immediately before we scored. I didn’t see whose shot it was from the edge of the box (sounds as though it was Wakefield’s) that wasn’t gathered by Southend keeper Steve Arnold, and Reid nudging in the rebound was only in my peripheral vision, because I was more focused on our captain clutching his leg in obviously severe discomfort. If you look at our record in National League games this season, I make it now W7 D1 L2 when Wilkinson has played the whole match, compared to W2 D3 L6 when he hasn’t – I think that’s enough said about how big a miss he’ll be. If anything, I was relieved to hear Sarll’s prognosis of “a good six weeks“, because I feared it could have been even worse.

Rhys Murphy did not get a welcoming reception from the Yeovil fans, it’s fair to say. Perhaps it’s understandable after his absence at the end of last season which did leave a sour taste in the mouth. Murphy later stated this was “due to some personal issues“, and given we’ll probably never know what he meant by that, one could argue he should be given the benefit of the doubt. Personally, I’d rather remember Rhys for his incredible return of 34 goals in 65 games, and for memories such as Torquay away (the 2-0, not the 6-1, if that wasn’t clear). The bloke literally scored a hattrick against W*ymuff, after all! He certainly showed enough quality last night to remind us what we’re missing.

Lastly, and most importantly, I think it should go without saying we need to stick by these players. Yes, it’s four defeats in a row, but it’s also four defeats in our last 16. I fully agree with Darren Sarll when he says this young group needs to be positively supported rather than have fans on their backs if we want them to perform to the really high bar they’ve set in November and December as frequently as possible. These players seriously care about Yeovil Town FC, and that was shown again last night in the way we kept trying our socks off for an equaliser despite being visibly shattered and ending the game with 10 men after Wilkinson went off. On another day, the ref might not have penalised Max Hunt for a hand ball, Reid’s goal would have been an equaliser rather than a consolation, and the lads would have secured a heroic comeback for which we’d be singing their praises.

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Grant Smith. Picture c/o Mike Kunz

Glovers’ goalkeeper Grant Smith spoke to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins following Yeovil Town‘s 2-1 defeat at Southend United and said that the game just didn’t get going for the visitors.

“We struggled with their shape, we couldn’t really adapt to certain things they were going, we tried to change it a little bit, but we just couldn’t get going”

The former Chesterfield stopper was back in goal after a two match ban and said on a personal level it was good to be back, but that the team was focused on putting right a poor run of results.

“I think the main thing for us is trying to keep our heads, trying to keep it at 1-0, when we keep it a 1-0 we are always in the game, one chance, like today you never know what can happen, it can quickly change.

“When it goes 2-0 and 3-0, sometimes it’s over.

“Bringing Quigz (Joe Quigley) & Reubs (Reuben Reid) on we wanted the ascendency to go in our favour, but unfortunately we got caught on the break… that’s football

“We gave it a good push at the end, but it wasn’t enough

“Every game we play, we want to win and come Saturday (the FA Trophy match at home to Needham Market), it’s a big, big chance to put it right.”

The ‘keeper said he had only himself to blame for his enforced absence recently and that he’d learn from the experience of missing out on the big games and ended by saying he and the side were “never too high when we win and never too low when we lose”

I’m sure Gloverscast listeners will have spotted that phrase used once or twice.

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Yeovil Town boss, Darren Sarll spoke to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins following the Glovers’ 2-1 defeat at Southend United and said that his side looked ‘fatigued‘ both mentally and physically.

The manager said: “It lacked balance, when I think of the story of the game, when I think of the front four first half in the comparison to the opponent’s front three, that part of the pitch looked so unbalanced.

“We actually playing the system better, then we made the changes with the centre forwards as we had no real route to goal… then we whacked it at goal, for a good 20 minutes, everything was ‘whack, whack’ which shows some mental fatigue and shows some players out of form

“For the last eight minutes of normal time, plus the extra time, there was a bit of balance and we found the time when to pass and when to play into the front, and then I thought we looked a threat.”

Yeovil had a goal ruled out through Max Hunt which Darren Sarll said “maybe” could have been given on another day, but despite the late rally, Southend held on.

The second Southend goal, scored by Tom Clifford has left the gaffer with his biggest headache.

He said: “The biggest disappointment is the second goal, it is like a car crash and that probably does show mental fatigue. 

“I don’t want to throw the chaps under the bus, because they’ve been outstanding as we know, but that’s a huge learner.”

Sarll said that the performance in the first 20 minutes was tough to decipher the formation, or the roles of the players and that comes down to him.

“That’s really disappointing as a football coach… I know what they’re trying to do, they’re trying to start a run, trying to get that winning feeling, but that kind of ‘razz’ and that confusion, the chaos in their mind. That leads to silly decisions.”

Ruben Reid comes on vs Bournemouth

Reuben Reid‘s late consolation goal wasn’t enough as the Glovers now go four games without a win and will head in to Saturday’s game against Needham Market searching for that winning formula.

Sarll confirmed that he would be reluctant to make too many changes as the Glovers seek progression in the FA Trophy.

“We have to feel winning again, this isn’t ‘participation football’, this isn’t grass roots football, and we have to try and taste winning again, we will give them the rest they need… and we might need to give them a bit longer, we do need to find that footing now.”

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Captain Luke Wilkinson looks likely to spend six weeks on the sidelines after limping off towards the end of the 2-1 defeat at Southend United on Tuesday night, according to Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll

Luke Wilkinson.

The boss also revealed the he expects full-back Dan Moss to depart when his loan spell from Millwall comes to an end at the end of the month, but Middlesbrough defender Jack Robinson has extended his stay until the end of the season.

Sarll also hopes that the loan of forward Sonny Blu Lo-Everton from Premier League Watford can also be extended until the end of the season.

On Wilkinson’s injury, the manager told BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins: “On those nights when you are searching you a goal, you always get that horrible injury and I would have thought that is a good six weeks.”

He added: “I have seen these too many times in my career, when you get that bit of hope and you search and you chase for it, and normally that is the straw that breaks the camel’s back with injury.

“That is a massive one for us because (Wilkinson) is a massive player for us and it looks like he is going to spend a large part on the sidelines now.”

Of the loanees, Sarll said: “Jack (Robinson) is done until the end of the season, so that is a really good one.

“I don’t think (Dan) Moss will be with us til the end of the season, I think he may be going to pastures new.

“Sonny, I don’t think will be a problem, and hopefully he will be with us until the end of the season. We have not really found his consistent space in this team, but there’s definitely one coming out and he will be a big player for us.”

Matt Worthington was missing with “an upset stomach” which the boss said they did not believe was COVID-19.

The departure of Moss would suggest that summer signing Mark Little is close to a return to first-team action.

The former Bristol City full-back has not been seen since picking up an injury in pre-season and speaking on New Year’s Eve, Sarll described him as “very close” to a return.

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Venue: Roots Hall
Tuesday, January 11th, 7.45pm kick-off

Conditions: Damp
Pitch: Slippery

Attendance: 4,845 , 80 away supporters

Scorers: Jason Demetriou 29 (0-1), Clifford 60 (0-2), Reid 90 (1-2)

Referee: Adrian Quelch

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Gorman 76,
Southend United: Lopata 20, Neal 84

 


Yeovil Town : (4-3-3)

Grant Smith
Dan Moss, Max Hunt, Luke Wilkinson, Jordan Barnett
Dale Gorman, Josh Staunton, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton
Tom Knowles, Adi Yussuf, Charlie Wakefield

Substitutes:  Reuben Reid (for Lo-Everton, 56), Joe Quigley (for Yussuf, 56), Jack Robinson (for Barnett, 80), Morgan Williams, Max Evans.

Southend United: Arnolds, Ralph, Hobson, Murphy (for Rush, 76), Dalby, Clifford, Atkinson (for Ferguson, 46), Neal, Lopata, Demetriou, Dennis (for Kensdale, 85).
Substitutes: Coulson, Davies.

 

Match Report

Yeovil Town fell to a fourth successive defeat at Southend United after putting in a lacklustre performance for much of the match in Essex.

The visitors took the lead through Jason Demetriou after half-an-hour before Tom Clifford doubled the advantage in the second half and it took the Glovers until that second to wake up.

With the game seemingly out of reach, the visitors looked the stronger side in the closing stages with Joe Quigley denied by a fine stop from Shrimpers’ keeper Steve Arnold and Max Hunt having a ‘goal’ ruled out for handball with five minutes to go.

Substitute Reuben Reid got his first goal of the season as the clock ticked in to injury time but worryingly for captain Luke Wilkinson limped off with what looked like a hamstring strain to leave his side to play out the six minutes added on with ten men.

Despite the defeat, we remain in 11th place in the National League table eight points off the play-off places and 16 points off the relegation zone.

Here’s how it went down at Roots Hall……

 

First half

The team news saw Grant Smith returned between the posts in place of Dillon Barnes who dropped out of the squad after appearing in the home defeats against Torquay United and AFC Bournemouth in their last two outings.

There was no place in the squad for Matt Worthington who was replaced by Sonny Blu Lo-Everton in an attacking looking Yeovil side who also pushed Jordan Barnett to left-back and brought Charlie Wakefield in the front three alongside Adi Yussuf and Tom Knowles.

Having spoken of our relief to see Smith back in goal, the gloveman fluffed a tenth minute clearance under pressure from the hosts’ striker Sam Dalby who was unable to get the ball out of his feet and the visitors were able to clear.

Smith was in action again on 16 minutes when he was equal to the effort from Southend’s on-loan striker Matt Dennis.

There was not a huge amount to threaten either goalkeeper in the opening 25 minutes, but it was certainly the home side who had the upper hand and took the lead shortly before the half-hour mark.

It was former Glovers’ favourite Rhys Murphy who brought the ball forward and fed it to Jason DEMETRIOU whose effort from the edge of the box took a deflection on its way past Smith.

Murphy has an effort blocked soon after and he rattled the visitors’ woodwork soon after with Yeovil’s defence looking rattled and out of sorts.

The first visitors’ first meaningful opportunity came on 35 minutes when Yussuf connected with Dan Moss’ cross but hosts’ keeper Steve Arnold made the save when the Tanzanian should have given him not chance.

Going the other way the home side looked increasingly menacing with every attack and Murphy had another chance to put his old employers to the sword with four minutes of the half to go, but Smith was equal to it again.

But, the final chance of the game fell to Yeovil with Dan Moss again finding Yussuf but his shot was blocked as the clock ticked over to 45 minutes.

The home side will be wondering how they were not further ahead at the break. Luckily, they weren’t.

Half time: Southend United 1 Yeovil Town 0

 

Second half

It was a brighter start for Yeovil with Barnett getting forward more in the opening five minutes after the restart than he had in the previous 45 minutes.

But, aside from a header from Dalby and a pot shot from Murphy in the first 15 minutes there was not a huge amount of threat from either side and on 56 minutes Yeovil introduced Joe Quigley and Reuben Reid to make a difference.

The switch was made to 4-4-2 and the there were signs of some good link-up between the two frontmen………but on the hour mark the home side doubled their advantage.

Dennis was allowed to bring the ball forward from deep inside the Yeovil area and laid the ball off to Tom CLIFFORD who was at the back post to tap the ball in.

The home side’s tails went up, the visitors’ heads dropped and it could have got worse when substitute Nathan Ferguson‘s was blocked inside the box.

Reuben Reid. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

On 73 minutes, Luke Wilkinson hammered a free-kick in to the hands of Arnold and five minutes later Quigley twisted and turned and force a good save out of Arnold.

The feeling was that it not going to be our night and, if you needed proof, we had the ball in the net through Max Hunt – only for it to be ruled out for handball. Was it? Let’s wait for the highlights.

There was time for REID to pull a goal back with his first of the season in the final minute of normal time. The substitute was at the back post to poke home a ball after Wakefield’s long-range was spilled by Arnold.

But, even more worrying was an injury to Wilkinson, who limped off the pitch to leave the Glovers to play injury time with ten men.

There was a final flurry to action from the visitors, but where was that last 20 minutes for the entire match.

 

Full time: Southend United 2 Yeovil Town 1

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Yeovil Town goalkeeper Grant Smith. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Grant Smith returns in goal for Yeovil Town for tonight’s trip to Southend United in the National League (7.45pm kick-off).

The keeper replaces loanee Dillon Barnes who is not in the squad with regular back-up keeper Max Evans on the bench.

There is no Matt Worthington in the squad for the trip to Essex whilst Adi Yussuf and Charlie Wakefield return in place of Joe Quigley and Morgan Williams, who both drop to the bench with Jordan Barnett coming in at left-back.

There is no Alex Bradley or Jaheim Headley, the defender on loan from Huddersfield Town, in the visitors’ squad.

Yeovil Town (4-3-3): Grant Smith, Dan Moss, Max Hunt, Luke Wilkinson, Jordan Barnett, Dale Gorman, Josh Staunton, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Tom Knowles, Adi Yussuf, Charlie Wakefield.

Substitutes:  Max Evans, Jack Robinson, Morgan Williams, Reuben Reid, Joe Quigley. 

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Tickets bought for the cancelled derby with W*ymouth at Huish Park will be valid for the new date on Tuesday, February 1.

Josh Staunton disagrees with Brad Ash of W*ymouth in the FA Cup replay at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

The new date was confirmed by the National League on Monday night and then by the club on Tuesday afternoon and tickets are back on sale again – here.

However, if you do not want to attend the new date you can get a refund by contacting the Ticket Office on 01935 847888 or email ticketoffice@ytfc.net.

The original date on December 28 was postponed after COVID-19 in the camp for our seagull bothering ‘friends’, and the first time we have faced them since we put them out of the FA Cup following the worst penalty shoot-out in living memory.

 

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Southend United manager Kevin Maher is hoping that a return to home comforts can help his side continue a run of form which has seen them beaten just once in their last six matches.

The Shrimpers, who were expected to be among the promotion contenders having dropped out of the League last season, lie four points off the National League relegation zone in 19th place going in to the fixture at Roots Hall.

The North Stand at Roots Hall where away supporters are housed.

It is only the third time they have been at home in almost a month-and-a-half and they have only won twice on home soil in the league, losing three.

Maher told the Southend Echo: “It’s been a little while since we’ve been at home after the games were called off over Christmas.

“We’re delighted to get back in front of the fans and I’m sure they will turn out in good numbers because they always do.

“I’m sure they will get behind us as well and that’s what we need at home.”

The match pits former Yeovil top-scorer Rhys Murphy against his old employers for the first time since he left in the summer having failed to show up for the final month of last season’s campaign.

Having joined the club recently relegated from the Football League in June, he posted on his Instagram account that “personal issues” meant he had been unable to turn up for even the final game of the season.

He is Southend’s top-scorer with eight goals in all competitions, but his last goal came in a draw at Maidenhead United at the start of December.

In the 1-0 win at W*ymouth on Saturday, Murphy was part of a three-man frontline alongside 6’2″ Sam Dalby, who has six goals, and Norwich City loanee Matt Dennis, who has scored three in his last three matches.

Having picked up three points at King’s Lynn Town on the opening day of the season, Southend picked up just five points from the next 27 leading to the sacking of manager Phil Brown in October.

He was replaced by club legend Maher, who played nearly 400 times for the club, who is supported by former Barnet manager Darren Currie and another ex-Shrimper Mark Bentley.

But, in a not unfamiliar situation to Yeovil, there has been a lot of attention on off-the-field events in Essex with chairman Ron Martin the target of angry campaign from the club’s supporters.

His latest finest hour came in November when he was taken to court by HM Revenue & Customs for failure to pay nearly £5m in VAT for the sale of land in Cheltenham.

FROM THE MANAGER

Southend United manager Kevin Maher believes his side are moving in the right direction after just one defeat in their last six matches in all competitions.

The Shrimpers boss described the 1-0 win at W*ymouth last weekend as “important”, which suggests he is not setting his bar too high.

Speaking to the Southend Echo ahead of the visit of Yeovil, he said: “Overall W*ymouth was a good performance too which I think shows we’re moving in the right direction.

“Getting an important win like we did at the weekend always builds confidence. We’ve lost once in six so that should build confidence too and we want to take that into this game.

“It’s one we’re looking forward to as well. We’ve done it away from home now we need to transfer it to Roots Hall under the lights on Tuesday.”

He added that he had been in attendance when stunning strikes from Tom Knowles and Charlie Wakefield earned the Glovers a 2-1 win Bromley at the end of November.

Maher said: “I know Darren (Sarll), their manager, well and his team will definitely be organised.

“He will have them well up for the game so it’s going to be tough. We watched them at Bromley where they won but we will be ready.”

TEAM NEWS

Southend winger Jack Bridge will miss the visit from Yeovil having been ruled out with COVID-19.

The product of The Shrimpers’ academy, who has played for Northampton Town and Carlisle United, has not played since November with a knee injur.

Midfielder Abu Ogogo will also miss out having been diagnosed with an issue affecting a muscle around his heart last month, whilst former Exeter City midfielder James Dunne (ankle) and ex-Barnet striker Simeon Akinola (knee) are also missing through injury.

FOOT IN BOTH CAMPS

The obvious link between these two sides is Rhys Murphy, who topped the scoring charts in the green-and-white of Yeovil Town for the past two seasons and is doing the same at Southend United.

The 31-year-old, who did not play in the final month of his contract at Huish Park last season, has got eight goals in all competitions for The Shrimpers this campaign.

Full-back Nathan Ralph, who was part of the Yeovil side which was promoted to the Championship in 2013, is likely to be the other familiar face in the hosts’ line-up having been a regular starter since the middle of November.

Other players with a foot in both camps include:

  • Jordan Green – Yeovil Town (2017-19), Southend United (2020 – loan)
  • Brandon Goodship – Yeovil Town (2016 – loan, 2016), Southend United (2019-21)
  • Jakub Sokolik – Southend United (2014 – loan, 2016), Yeovil Town (2014-16)
  • Craig Calver – Southend United (2009-10), Yeovil Town (2010-11)
  • Scott Spencer – Yeovil Town (2008 – loan), Southend United (2010-11)
  • Wayne Gray – Southend United (2004-06), Yeovil Town (2006-07)
  • Barrington Belgrave – Yeovil Town (2000-01), Southend United (2001-2003)
  • Gareth Risbridger – Yeovil Town (1998-2001), Southend United (2001-02)
  • Ben Smith – Yeovil Town (1998-2001), Southend United (2001-02)
  • David Webb – Southend United – manager (1986-87, 1988-82, 2000-01, 2010), Yeovil Town (2000)

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Yeovil Town’s exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Championship leaders Bournemouth was captured by the BBC TV cameras.

The Cherries won 3-1 and the highlights, including Joe Quigley’s 2nd half goal can be viewed below or via the Emirates FA Cup YouTube channel.