Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 412)

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Yeovil Town have been handed a grate away tie at Toolstation Western League side Cheddar in the Somerset Premier Cup

The un-brie-leavable draw took place on Tuesday following the conclusion of the Weston Super-Mare v Keynsham tie to finish off the round of 16

The Glovers have been waiting for sometime to find out their Quarter Final opponents after getting the feta of Larkhall Athletic in the previous round.

Cheddar currently sit 4th in their division, but have a gouda amount of  catching up to do to catch the runaway leaders Welton Rovers.

Full details for the Glovers trip to the Cheesemen will be confirmed in fondu course.

It’s a real cracker of a tie as the Glovers continue on the road to an unprecedented quadruple.

 

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Yeovil Town have announced that under-16s will get free entry to the FA Trophy third round tie with Woking at Huish Park on Saturday, December 18.

The club has confirmed that prices for adults will also be reduced to £10 with concessions (senior/military/young person) at £5.

Only the Main Stand and the Thatcher’s Gold Stand terrace will be open for the tie. Tickets are available to buy now – here.

Yeovil have also said that details for the FA Cup third round tie against Championship side AFC Bournemouth will be available as soon as possible – they’ve asked you don’t contact the ticket office about the tie scheduled for the weekend of January 8/9 just yet!

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Yeovil players celebrate Charlie Wakefield’s FA Cup winner in Round 2

Yeovil Town have been drawn at home to AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup Third Round.

The Glovers’ quest for an unprecedented quadruple continues following their successful path through three rounds including Saturday evening’s 1-0 win over League Two Stevenage.

The draw took place on Monday night before the final tie from the 2nd round, between Boreham Wood and St Albans.

Two Arsenal legends David Seaman and Faye White made the draw from Wembley Stadium.

3rd round winners are rewarded with £82,000 on top of their share of ticket receipts,  with additional TV revenue available for those lucky sides selected by ITV & BBC bosses.

 

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A group led by former Cardiff City commercial director Julian Jenkins has confirmed it is in talks to buy Yeovil Town from owner Scott Priestnall.

The Simul Sports Group issued a short statement on Jenkins’ Twitter account on Monday afternoon saying: “Simul Sports can confirm we are committed to continue working with Scott Priestnall for the successful acquisition of Yeovil Town & Athletic Football Club.”

It follows a statement issued by Priestnall on Sunday night saying he had given two groups bidding to buy the club until the end of this week.

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.

The reference to “Yeovil Football & Athletic Club” relates to the company which owns the club’s stadium rather than Yeovil Town Holdings, a company set up by chairman John Fry and owner Norman Hayward, which owns the freehold of the land which borders the stadium in to – read more about this on our Gloversblog: The ground on which we stand.

Jenkins is listed as the only officer of the Simul Sports Group Limited but others involved with the group set up in February are:

  • Marc Bircham – a former midfielder who will be a familiar face to Yeovil Town fans made 16 appearances for the club in an injury-hit spell at the club between 2007-2008. He did make more than 250 appearances in the League though, mostly with QPR and Millwall, and was manager at Irish League side Waterford before his departure last month, claiming he would not pick the owner’s son.
  • Darren Delandro – an investment specialist listed as a person with significant control in Simul, who works in private equity and with  “high net worth individuals.” His football connections appear limited to a playing role in the lower leagues and a role as assistant manager at Isthmian League side Tooting & Mitcham.

On Sunday night, chairman Scott Priestnall gave two groups bidding to buy the club until the end of the week to complete a deal, you can read more about his statement – here.

The statement from the Jenkins group is the firm public confirmation the former Cardiff City commercial director is involved with a consortium seeking to buy the club, and it is understood the second party is a group led by Priestnall’s fellow director Glenn Collis – although he has yet to make any public statements.

Here’s an updated timeline of the long-running saga of the takeover talks with the club:

  • June 28: Chairman Scott Priestnall announces he has “been approached by a group to buy the club” – see more here.
  • July 30: In a statement alongside manager Darren Sarll, Priestnall said he was continuing to “talk to interested parties, including development partners” – see more here.
  • September 6 – The Glovers’ Trust says it believes two groups are in advanced negotiations to buy the club – see more here.
  • October 12 – The Supporters’ Alliance Group issues a statement calling on Priestnall to invest or sell – see more here.
  • October 13 – A new filing on Companies House shows Yeovil & Athletic Football Club has taken on the club’s £800,000 loan to Sport England – see more here.
  • October 13 – The Gloverscast echoes calls for clarity as rumours grow of consortiums led by Director Glenn Collis and former Cardiff City commercial director Julian Jenkins – see more here.
  • November 22 – The Glovers’ Trust calls on Collis to talk with them about his offer for the club – see more here.
  • December 3 – Manager Darren Sarll says he would love to remain at the club adding that “until the hierarchy is set in stone, nothing is set in stone” – see more here.
  • December 5 (a.m.) – The Glovers’ Trust issues a second (or is it third?) statement calling for all parties involved in takeover talks to clarify the situation – see more here.
  • December 6 (p.m.) – Scott Priestnall issues a statement give groups looking to buy the club seven days to complete a deal – see more here.

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This should have been a happy one, but it wasn’t overly.

Thanks for listening!

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

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, enjoy some retro content on Instagram. Leave us a review and share the pod with a pal.

If you want to take part in the quiz, have an idea for the website or just want to send us a message, email ian@gloverscast.co.uk

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Toby Stephens claps the Yeovil fans

Yeovil Town’s on loan midfielder Toby Stephens had a watching brief for his temporary club Hemel Hempstead Town as he was a unused sub in their 1-0 over Dulwich Hamlet on Saturday.

Stephens has played twice so far during his short stint away from Huish Park, but failed to add any minutes to the tank this weekend.

Glovers’ manager Darren Sarll told the Gloverscast this week that he has been impressed with Toby’s progression and have been in regular contact with the Tudor’s coaching team.

“[We talk to Hemel Hempstead] daily, daily. Mark Jones, who is manager there, worked for me in year one, Mark’s a good friend, a good coach, and we speak all the time, so it’s a very easy one with Toby,”

“I’m sure people will be a bit confused why we can’t fill a bench, but we’ve loaned Toby out, but I thought it was so important, not just for his career, but for his state of mind, that he saw some football. We’re suffering because of that, because of numbers, but Toby’s contribution [to Yeovil} has been 10, 15 minutes and I didn’t think that was enough for a young man, who’s training every day”

“He needed to play, Mark (Jones) had him here in the youth team, Mark knew him really well, and he needed some help in that position and we were more than happy for him to go.”

 

  • Elsewhere, former Yeovil loanee Lewis Simper has joined Concord Rangers again on a short term loan from Cambridge.
    Simper played a total of six minutes in the league for Yeovil in the 2-0 loss away at Grimsby.

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Yeovil Town chairman Scott Priestnall has given two bidders seeking to buy the club this week to complete a deal.

In a long statement posted on Sunday night, the chairman confirmed he had agreed deals “with both parties many months ago” and said it was the buyers who had failed to complete a deal.

This statement says a lot but does not name either bidder, referring to “both parties“, so we are left to assume they are the groups led by Priestnall’s fellow director, Glenn Collis, and a group led by former Cardiff City commercial director, Julian Jenkins.

The last public statement from owner Scott Priestnall from a video posted on the club’s YouTube channel in July.

The chairman added if a deal is not concluded: “I will go back to my plans for building a better Yeovil Town FC, utilising our infrastructure to be better on and off the field.

“This will not include over-spending on players and bring about further financial insecurity but working towards a financially sustainable position, which at present we are nowhere near achieving but will give Darren every pound possible to have a competitive squad.

“I will present to supporter’s a long-term vision and plan to improve this club for future generations.”

Priestnall went on to say  he had “no interest in selling this football club.”

The statement comes in response to the latest statement from the Glovers Trust issued on Sunday morning which called for those involved in the takeover to give clarity over the future of the club.

In its statement, the Trust said Priestnall had told a meeting of the Supporters’ Alliance Group that he would no longer financially support the club – a claim he denies.

In his own statement, he replies: “I actually stated as part of a larger conversation, why would I invest my family and children’s money somewhere I’m not wanted?

“I never said I would withdraw my support, simply looking for supporters groups to help with decreasing attendances and increasing negativity growing.”

He goes on to claim that changes in the accounts of CV Leisure, the company which the chairman used to buy the club, had written off more than £1m in loans.

Priestnall adds: “The actual reason for the changes is to write off more than £1m of shareholder loans across Yeovil Football & Athletic Club (The) Limited and Yeovil Town Holdings Limited.

“This will become apparent when the changes take effect in company’s accounts, therefore reducing the clubs debts.”

The statement continues to deny claims he is “a property developer” or “an asset stripper” and said the club would require “restructure on and off the field” if it crowds remain at around 2,000.

The developer statement could be a response to the creation of a company, Make Projects Limited, registered at the club’s Huish Park stadium on December 1 with Priestnall as its sole shareholder.

The registration on Companies House classifies the company as being in “development of building projects.”

It is the second company involved in this line of business set up by the chairman, who denied that Max Mae Limited, a company he established with business partner, Jed McCrory, in the summer had “nothing to do” with the club.

He concludes: “I understand there has been a desire from supporters groups and some supporters for myself to give clarity on the position before now, and any progression of a potential deal but I wanted to give the consortiums every opportunity to stand firm on assurances given and conclude a deal.”

If you want to brave reading the statement in full, you can do so – here.

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Well, what a night under the lights and on the Beeb that was. Here’s are Ian’s Five Conclusions from a special night at Huish Park…

That was a proper FA Cup match. Huish Park was bouncing from kick-off with the supporters right behind the boys in green and white. There’s something special about FA Cup ties at Huish Park and last night was no different. The atmosphere was electric throughout and when Charlie Wakefield smashed the ball home, the roof came off.

Can we keep Dan Moss forever? Another man of the match performance, a goal-saving tackle and a performance far beyond his years. Our history of developing loanees is continuing with Moss. He’s falling into the category of Steven Caulker, Connor Roberts, Shaun MacDonald and others as loanees who are ‘ours’. Moss has been impressive from his debut and he’s just growing in this team. If we can’t get his loan extended, there’s going to be a massive hole in our squad without him.

Reuben Reid. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Reuben Reid is going to improve us. Reid’s return from injury feels like it’s coming at a pivotal time. Adi Yussuf struggled to make an impact in the first half. He put himself about but didn’t really produce. He was key in for Charlie Wakefield’s goal though, keeping the ball away from Stevenage’s defenders and moving the ball to Sonny Blu Lo-Everton. Reid’s introduction, cheered by the Huish Park faithful, was welcome and in the short time he was on the pitch he showed what he was about. He held the ball up when we needed to kill time, he out-muscled defenders and he was always looking for the ball.

Clarity is needed. Prior to the match, social media was awash with rumour and speculation. Scott Priestnall has obviously checked out of Yeovil Town Football Club. He hasn’t been seen at a match since Chesterfield. The sooner he comes and out says he wants out the better. What this small squad of players and manager are doing with finite resources is nothing short of miraculous, but the lack of leadership from Priestnall is seeping it’s way into the manager’s press conferences now and that’s not right. Is he hanging on for a plum FA Cup tie? Is there a third group? Is Glenn Collis still at the table? What’s happening with Simul Sports? No one really knows except the people negotiating.

I think I was wrong. At the end of October, after our torrid run of results at Huish Park that culminated in the draw with Weymouth and I thought the writing was on the wall. We looked lost, we lacked identity and ideas. Since then, it’s been unbelievable. Darren Sarll has turned it around in a huge way and I’ll gladly eat humble pie. These players have struck form and are an infectious group. Well done Darren – and sorry!

 

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The Glovers’ Trust has called for all parties involved in the talks about a takeover of the club to tell supporters what is going on.

The last public statement from owner Scott Priestnall from a video posted on the club’s YouTube channel in July.

In a statement issued after Yeovil Town booked their place in the third round of the FA Cup, the Trust confirmed that chairman Scott Priestnall had called a meeting  of the Supporters’ Alliance Group (SAG) on Monday.

It added: “Mr Priestnall informed the SAG that he would no longer be funding the club and that the club was surviving on the prize money from progressing through the FA Cup.

“He asked the group to release a joint statement urging fans to return.

“We believe that it is time for the parties negotiating to explain the situation with clarity.

“Alas, once again, we are releasing an urgent plea to those at the table to bring forth a conclusion to the negotiations and complete a deal which is looking increasingly necessary to save a community club with more than 125 years of history.”

The Trust said that it had not released a statement until after  today’s 1-0 win over Stevenage in the FA Cup second round because it “felt it imperative to not impact proceedings on the pitch.”

It is understood that two groups are in talks with Priestnall about buying the club, with one group led by Priestnall’s fellow director Glenn Collis, and a second group fronted by Julian Jenkins, a former commercial director at Cardiff City and CEO at Swiss side Servette.

Here’s a timeline of the long-running saga of the takeover talks with the club:

  • June 28: Chairman Scott Priestnall announces he has “been approached by a group to buy the club” – see more here.
  • July 30: In a statement alongside manager Darren Sarll, Priestnall said he was continuing to “talk to interested parties, including development partners” – see more here.
  • September 6 – The Glovers’ Trust says it believes two groups are in advanced negotiations to buy the club – see more here.
  • October 12 – The Supporters’ Alliance Group issues a statement calling on Priestnall to invest or sell – see more here.
  • October 13 – A new filing on Companies House shows Yeovil & Athletic Football Club has taken on the club’s £800,000 loan to Sport England – see more here.
  • October 13 – The Gloverscast echoes calls for clarity as rumours grow of consortiums led by Director Glenn Collis and former Cardiff City commercial director Julian Jenkins – see more here.
  • November 22 – The Glovers’ Trust calls on Collis to talk with them about his offer for the club – see more here.
  • December 5 – The Glovers’ Trust issues a second (or is it third?) statement calling for all parties involved in takeover talks to clarify the situation