Greenslade: That is the best feeling I have had
2025-03-29
Match winner Harvey Greenslade described the feeling as “the best I have had” after he bagged a late winner to earn a 1-0 win for Yeovil Town against AFC Fylde today.
The striker rifled home his third goal of the season in the sixth minute of second half stoppage time having come off the substitutes’ bench.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah after the match, he said: “That is probably the best feeling I have had, certainly in men’s football. To do it in front of the home fans just topped it off, unbelievable.
“Ciaran (McGuckin) did really well (to set up the opportunity), normally I think he would shoot, but we work together well in training so it has paid off. But I thought the boys played well, we were the better team for the whole game, it was hard to break them down but if any of the boys had scored it, it would have been just as electric so I am really happy for the team as well.”
It was another great moment for the hard-working frontman who has had to fulfil the role of impact sub since coming back from a shoulder injury which disrupted his start to life at Huish Park having joined following his release by Bristol Rovers in the summer.
All his three goals in green-and-white have come from the substitutes’ bench with the winner at home to Ebbsfleet United in August and a stunning second in the 2-0 win at Maidenhead United last month.
Asked about his performance today, Greenslade said: “Hopefully it shows the fans that I am on board with the project the Gaffer (manager Mark Cooper) has got going. It has been a frustrating season with injuries, but to score the winner and show the value I can bring to the team is tops.
“Players come and go and there is always going to be a lot of turnover, but the core of the group has remained quite strong. We have had some rough patches, but I think we have always bounced back from them. It is good to get the win today but we want to be higher up the table and push for more wins and be in the play-offs, that may be a tall ask being our first season back in the National League Premier but there is no reason why we can’t push on next season.
“We just want to win as many games as we can between now and the end of the season and if we get nearer the play-offs we are buzzing with that, but now are not focused on getting relegated, we want to put that to bed. A club as big as Yeovil should not have to worry about (relegation) so we want to look forwards and upwards.”
Cooper praises super substitutes
2025-03-29
There was praise for Yeovil Town’s substitutes from manager Mark Cooper as his side grabbed a late, late winner to earn a 1-0 win at home to AFC Fylde today.
Striker Harvey Greenslade grabbed the game’s only goal in the sixth minute of second half stoppage time having come off the bench alongside on loan winger Ryan McLean, new signing midfielder Harry Kite and defender Marcel Lavinier.
The boss was full of praise for the players’ commitment in an otherwise uninspiring match against a visiting side desperate for points to boost their battle against the drop from the National League Premier.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah after the game, Cooper said: “We had a chat (on Friday) and the boys who came on at Solihull last weekend came on and made a real impact, and we said it was probably going to be the case again today. All the subs came on and were really good.
“I think the players deserved that for their effort, it was not a classic, but we showed real spirit in a difficult moment. It was a nothing game, Fylde fighting for their lives and us make sure we can get our heads above the water. I never felt we were going to lose the game, I thought we defended well, but at the top end of the pitch we did not spark today.
“(Fylde) probably read the room and understood what was going to happen today in terms of fan reaction and they wanted to stay in the game and hope that near the end it turned a bit nasty and they could pounce, but I thought the players gave a performance which showed real spirit which the fans got behind. I think you saw the reaction at the end, that’s what football is about, players and supporters celebrating together.”
The match began hours after chairman Martin Hellier had posted on his social media that he intends to sell the club “as soon as a suitable buyer is found” – read more about that here – following the decision to ban a number of supporters for “negative comments and remarks regarding Yeovil Town Football Club and the club’s chairman.”
Cooper said that the owner had been supportive of him during their time working together, but reiterated pre-match comments that he could only impact on-the-field matters.
He said: “I understand the politics, but for me it is just football. The players showed today they are having a right go for the cause, we are trying to take the (off-the-field) noise away from them and all of that is what it is going to be. We were not by any stretch of the imagination slick today, but the boys put an amazing shift in and got the result on the pitch.
“I am not sure how that stuff is resolved. All I can speak about is that the owner has been really good with me. As a football person he has been really good with me and that is all I can deal with. Whatever else will happen, will happen, and I think it is important that we just talk about how committed the players have been in the last few weeks. They went to Solihull (last weekend) and put a brilliant performance on and they have come here today, been really committed, and got three points.”
Alex Whittle went off injured late in the game following a thunderous 50-50 challenge for the ball, but the manager said he expected the full-back to be available for next weekend’s trip to Altrincham.
He added: “He will be okay, we have a couple that are pushing through it. We’ve got Whitts, Ciaran (McGuckin), Coops (Charlie Cooper), they are just grinding games out because we need them and probably could do with not playing at the minute. But they are the ones putting their hands up and saying they want to play, so fair play to them.
“We had Michael Smith on the bench today, so he can get another good week of training in and hopefully Jake Wannell can take part in a couple of sessions.”
Match Report: Yeovil Town 1 AFC Fylde 0
2025-03-29
A Harvey Greenslade goal in the sixth minute of second half stoppage time earned Yeovil Town a dramatic late victory at Huish Park.
The striker, on as a second half substitute, smashed home the winner in front of the Thatcher’s End to snatch the three points after the Glovers struggled to break down a resilient AFC Fylde side desperate for points in their relegation battle.
First half
Glovers’ boss Mark Cooper named an unchanged starting XI from the 3-0 win at Solihull Moors last weekend with new signing midfielder Harry Kite and returning defender Michael Smith named on the substitutes’ bench.
Yeovil started the first half quickly with Sonny Blu Lo-Everton’s free-kick after just two minutes taking a deflection off the defensive wall and forcing Ben Winterbottom in to a save to turn it around the post. From the resulting corner from Otis Khan, Kyle Ferguson won a header inside a crowded area which looked like it was heading in only to be cleared off the line.
On ten minutes, Fylde had their first chance when good work from Will Hugill found Ethan Mitchel arriving late in to the box and a good block from Frankie Terry denied him. Two minutes later they were threatening the Yeovil goal again when a great run from former Glovers’ loanee Gavin Massey fed the ball in to Tyler Roberts who went down under a challenge from Dom Bernard inside the box. Referee Ross Martin decided, assisted by his assistant, that the visiting player had dived and showed him a yellow card.
The next opportunity came after 30 minutes from another quality ball from Otis Khan , who saw a lot of the ball in the opening half-an-hour, was flicked on by Ciaran McGuckin whose effort went just over the bar. Almost immediately, another good break by the visitors saw top scorer Nick Haughton have a shot well blocked out for a corner. Fylde’s threat is definitely on the break with Yeovil having dominated possession for the last ten minutes.
Massey is causing a lot of problems down the left side with ten minutes of the first half remaining it was the winger’s ball which found Will Hugill whose flicked header went wide.
After a frantic first half of the first half, the game settled with Yeovil dominating possession with Fylde only threatening on the break, but the home side could not quite find the quality needed to get a breakthrough.
Half time: Yeovil Town 0 AFC Fylde 0
Second half
The appearance of former Glovers’ manager Gary Johnson, who was a late call-up to the BBC Somerset commentary team, entertained supporters for the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Hey Gary Johnson, etc.
Picture courtesy of Gary Brown
On the hour mark, Terry put one wide before AFC Wimbledon loanee Ryan McLean was introduced to replace Josh Sims on 63 minutes and then Harvey Greenslade replaced Dom Bernard after 69 minutes in a bid to break the battle of the lowest scoring home sides against one of the lowest scoring away sides. The latter change necessitated a change of shape with Cousin-Dawson dropping back and Greenslade taking a more advanced position.
With ten minutes remaining – no, honestly nothing has happened since the last substitute – Harry Kite replaced Otis Khan, who had looked the biggest attacking threat for Yeovil.
It took until four minutes from the end for the home side to have an opportunity on goal. Good play by McLean saw him attack and get a shot away which was blocked, McGuckin’s follow-up also blocked. The Thatcher’s End having a great time
A minute from end, Yeovil decided it was time to start turning the screw and a long range effort from Charlie Cooper almost found a breakthrough but Winterbottom was level to it. Gary Johnson on the radio: “Why do people wait until the last five minutes to play like that?“
But the best opportunity of the game fell to Fylde three minutes in to second half injury time when Haughton’s corner found the head of substitute Ashley Boatswain, just off the bench for the visitors, but his connection was not good enough and the ball flashed across the face of goal.
Then just when you thought this was going to be the most 0-0 of all 0-0s, Yeovil’s late pressure told in the sixth minute of injury time. A long free-kick from goalkeeper Aidan Stone found its way to McGuckin on the edge of the box, he did brilliantly it bring it under control and lay it off to Harvey GREENSLADE who drilled it home. Scenes!
Full time: Yeovil Town 1 AFC Fylde 0
Match Details
Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 29th March, 3:00pm kick-off
Competition: National League Premier Division
Scorers: Harvey Greenslade 90+6 (1-0)
Pitch: A bit sparse in the goal mouths but looking okay elsewhere
Conditions: Grey and chilly
Attendance: 2,764 (45 away supporters)
Bookings:
AFC Fylde: Tyler Roberts 12, Nick Haughton 24, Max Bardell 27, Lincoln McFayden 59, Owen Evans 88
Yeovil Town:
Referee: Ross Martin
Yeovil Town (4-3-3)
Substitutes: Ryan McLean (for Josh Sims, 64), Harvey Greenslade (for Dom Bernard, 69), Harry Kite (for Otis Khan, 81), Marcel Lavinier (for Alex Whittle, 90+2), Michael Smith (not used), Lewys Twamley (not used), Matt Gould (not used).
AFC Fylde: Ben Winterbottom, Harry Davis, Ethan Mitchell, Nick Haughton, Max Bardell, Will Hugill, Corey Whelan, Lincoln McFayden, Gavin Massey (for Owen Evans, 80), Tyler Roberts (for Jonathan Ustabasi, 74), Joe Riley (for Ashley Boatswain, 90+1).
Substitutes (not used): Charlie Clark, Dan Sassi, Adam Long, Danny Ormerod.
Cooper: I just concentrate on the pitch
2025-03-29
Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has said his side will not be distracted by off-the-field noise which has put Huish Park in the headlines in recent days.
In the past 24 hours, the club has made national media headlines for banning supporters from home matches for “negative comments and remarks” regarding the club and chairman Martin Hellier, who has subsequently said he intends to sell the club “as soon as suitable buyer can be found” – read more on that here.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah ahead of today’s match with AFC Fylde, Cooper said: “I don’t do social media so I don’t really get to see it, obviously you hear little bits and pieces, but I am here to run the football bit and that is up to other people.
“When I came here it was <NAME REDACTED> and then it was Matt Uggla and Martin has come in and we have had a bit of success. I just try and concentrate on what is going to happen out (on the pitch) today.”
On the pitch, Yeovil named an unchanged starting XI from the side which won 3-0 at Solihull Moors seven days ago with new signing midfielder Harry Kite coming in on the substitutes’ bench alongside defender Michael Smith, who returns after suffering a hamstring injury in the 5-0 defeat at Barnet earlier this month.
Cooper said: “It makes sense (to name an unchanged starting XI). We love to have a settled team but that has been difficult with the circumstances and we will see how they go today.”
On Kite, he added: “He is a solid player who knows the game, he is a ball-winning midfield player and he can run about and he is above the level, so he is perfect for us.
“Brett (McGavin) is more of a quarter-back, whereas Harry is more front foot, mobile and gets around the pitch and wins the ball back, so they are totally different players.”
AFC Fylde sit third-from-bottom of the National League Premier Division table, a point from safety, but picked up an impressive 3-0 win of their own last weekend. The Lancashire side triumphed over high-flying Forest Green Rovers on home soil.
Cooper added: “Everyone beats everyone at this stage of the season. Teams are picking up points and we have to be the same, we have to keep the scoreboard ticking and we are expecting a really tough game.
“I would settle for 1-0, but we just have to try and replicate the energy, mobility and front foot nature of the way we played (at Solihull).”
Hellier: I intend to sell the club
2025-03-29
Yeovil Town chairman Martin Hellier has said he intends to sell the club “as soon as a suitable buyer can be found.”
The owner has been in open warfare with supporters on social media in recent days culminating in a number of supporters being handed bans from Huish Park for “negative comments and remarks regarding Yeovil Town Football Club and the club’s chairman.”
This has spiralled in to abuse being exchanged from both sides and the chairman has cited this as the reason for his decision to sell in a post on his person Facebook account on Saturday morning ahead of the match with AFC Fylde.
It is not the first time Hellier has threatened to sell the club since he completed his takeover in May 2023 ending the ownership of <NAME REDACTED>, so we will wait and see how this one pans out. But, for the time being, the above post seems to be fairly black and white.
The news comes days after the club announced it lost almost £2.8m during last season’s return to the National League Premier Division.
The accounts for Yeovil Football & Athletic Club Limited show the club is being kept afloat by owner selling “assets from within a property portfolio” and highlight uncertainty about the club’s ability to continue as a going concern.
The decision to ban a number of supporters has caused a lot of conversation – to put it mildly – on social media and even made headlines in some of the national media – see here.
Here is an example of one such letter sent to supporter Jonathan Hooper:
Team News: AFC Fylde (home)
2025-03-29
Yeovil Town have named an unchanged starting XI from last weekend’s 3-0 win at Solihull Moors as they take on AFC Fylde at Huish Park this afternoon.
New signing midfielder Harry Kite is named on the substitutes’ bench alongside defender Michael Smith, who has not featured since suffering a hamstring injury in the 5-0 defeat at Barnet.
Youngster Corey Koerner, who made his professional debut last weekend, drops out of the squad from seven days ago when the Glovers named only six of a possible seven substitutes.
Match Preview: Yeovil Town vs AFC Fylde
2025-03-29
Yeovil Town are back at Huish Park with strugglers AFC Fylde in town, the Lancastrians sit just inside the relegation zone. With bottom club Ebbsfleet United now mathematically gone, there are now three spots to avoid, and probably six teams to battle it out.
Form Guide…
Yeovil Town are back on home soil. After a tough run of fixtures and results, they put Solihull Moors to the sword last weekend with a 3-0 rout in the Midlands, a result which could have been even more convincing. Meanwhile, in Lancashire today’s opponents, AFC Fylde, were putting high-flying Forest Green Rovers to the sword by the same scoreline.
On home soil, the Glovers’ form is the fourth-worst in the National League Premier with only sides in the division’s drop zone, Ebbsfleet, Boston United and Maidenhead United, having worst records. The last two matches have seen them go down to big-spending York City a fortnight ago and Boston, but before that they were unfortunate to only get a point off Southend United and picked up maximum points against Tamworth.
On the flip side, only Ebbsfleet have a worse record away from home than Fylde. The Coasters have scored just 12 (the worst in the league) and conceded 38 goals (2nd worst) in games on the road, it’s fair to say they don’t travel well.
In their last two matches, the Lancashire side have gone down 1-0 at Ebbsfleet and drawn 1-1 at Gateshead.
Key Players…
Yeovil – Sonny Blu Lo Everton
Sonny Blu Lo Everton has been at the heart of everything Yeovil Town have done well since his return to the side.
He made the game against Solihull tick from start to finish and has earned plaudits for his effort and endeavour in recent defeats, he made a big impact in the reverse fixture, scoring the third goal for the Glovers.
He can pull the strings in a dynamic and young front line that can get the Glovers going.
AFC Fylde- Nick Haughton
The Coaster’s Number 10 will have the weight of his team on his shoulders for this game, the talented playmaker, got the third goal against Forest Green last week and the opening two goals in the 4-3 thriller when these met in September.
The 30-year old has had his suitors from teams higher up in the table, but he’s stayed loyal to his side and produced a return of 17 goals and plenty of assists in 37 league appearances this campaign.
That’s what he said…
Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper is not reading too much in to Fylde’s victory against Forest Green Rovers last weekend and realises that his own side’s result will only be what they are judged by until 5pm on Saturday.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah, he said: “At this stage of the season you get so many strange results. York went to Braintree and lost, we could easily have beaten York the week before, we try not to look at other results, we just get our heads down and do what we need to do. It is a great result for Fylde, they played really well, they were aggressive, pressed and looked really organised and sometimes you catch teams like Forest Green on an off day. But we are at home and if we play anything like we did at Solihull we have a big chance, if we run like we did against Solihull and get after the opposition, we can get a result.
“There is another argument to say that if they were coming here and they were safe they could come here and go and play their stuff. It is about fully respecting the opposition, they have some good players, but they are in the relegation zone for a reason. We have to fully respect them and the fact they had a good result last week, we will be organised and on the front foot and look at how we can hurt them with our weapons and I am sure we will give them some problems.”
Fylde sacked former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips in a bid to arrest their plunge towards relegation in February and his assistant David Longwell was placed in interim charge. The former Burnley academy manager only arrived at the Lancashire club in January and was given the top job until the end of the season alongside goalkeeping coach Chris Neal.
In his pre match chat with their club media, Longwell said: “It’s a tough game, it’s going to be a tough trip down for us, to put the same level of effort in, application that we’ve done (vs Forest Green).
“Yeovil have come off the end of having a little sticky patch, they had a really good result the other day and deservedly won the game (at Solihull), their tails will be up. I think they’ve done a great job, and the manager’s done a great job in replacing the players that have left, I’ve been impressed with them, I’ve seen some of the Solihull game, a fantastic result and showed some really good moment in there.”
We’ve met before…
We have, and it’s rarely been dull! In the post 2018-Non League era, we’ve met three times, sharing 16 goals.
The 4-3 earlier this season and a 2-2 draw combined with a 3-2 win in the 2019/20 season.
Don’t I know you?…
Winger Gavin Massey and defender Corey Whelan both head to Huish Park able to navigate their way around the gaff.
Whelan had a very short stint as a loanee back in 2017/18, playing half a dozen times on loan from Liverpool.
You have to go back to the 2011/12 season to find Gavin Massey in a Yeovil shirt.
Having arrived from Watford, he played 16 times in green-and-white, scoring three times before heading to Colchester United.
Who’s been naughty then…
No one is suspended for the game. However, referee Ross Martin has already booked Ciaran McGuckin and the gaffer, when taking charge of the 1-0 win over Dagenham and Redbridge
Foot In The Opposition Camp – AFC Fylde (H)
2025-03-29
We invited Jack Connor back to the Gloverscast to talk about today’s opponents AFC Fylde.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire on Yeovil Town’s accounts
2025-03-28
Following the publication of the financial accounts of Yeovil Football & Athletic Club, the parent company of Yeovil Town, football finance expert Kieran Maguire from the Price of Football podcast spoke with BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Friday evening.
You can listen to the conversation on BBC Sounds, but if you prefer to read rather than listen, here is what was said:
JK: Can you explain what the latest figures show?
KM: They have not put out the full accounts so you have to join the dots in places, but it looks as if Yeovil Town lost around about £2.8m in season 2023/24. That is high by National League standards, it is certainly very high by National League South standards. Those losses had to be funded and it looks as if Martin Hellier has lent the club a lot more money and he has effectively written off some of the debts by converting them in to shares, so the club is being subsidised. It did not invest very much in terms of signings but that is always the case at National League South level. It owes around £1.9m to Martin Hellier’s company and it owes over £1m to the English Sports Council, so the club is in a lot of debt. Debt is not great, but it does not have to be disastrous and it really comes down to how the club is going to go forwards and make those debt repayments when they fall due and make progress on the pitch as well.
JK: Is it relatively normal for a club to be reliant on an owner? Is it standard practice for clubs to be in similar situations?
KM: The average losses for a club in the National League is around £700,000. We saw Stockport County promoted (to the Football League) a couple of seasons ago which cost the owner around £4m, closer to £5m, Wrexham, despite all the global interest in that club, lost over £4m being promoted, so you are reliant on somebody who tends to be successful in football to underwrite those losses and they become a bit like the Bank of Mum and Dad. It tends to be an ongoing relationship and I appreciate there is not necessarily a great relationship between certain aspects of the fan base (at Yeovil) and the owner and that is a shame. It makes a lot of sense to get everyone around the table and engage and explain why these losses are arising and what steps are being taken to fund them.
JK: I will run through part of the statement the club put out today. “Football clubs require a high level continual investment, during the year significant monies were invested by the Hellier Group and the increase in creditors identifies much of that balance with £1m capitalised in to equity in the period, and this demonstrates the commitment to Yeovil Town. Following promotion to the National League, the difference in strength and standard of teams has been clear compared to National League South, however, the strength and ability of (manager) Mark Cooper means we have played to a standard which has remained strong and competitive and continues to provide a good grounding to return to the Football League in the future.” That sounds like they believe there is a realistic basis to make a push to return to the Football League. In a situation like this with the debt levels we are talking about, what steps do clubs traditionally have to take to address this type of situation?
KM: They have to go cap in hand to the owner, it is as simple as that. Unless there are opportunities to generate additional income at the club which we have seen at some clubs which have used 3G pitches (as their main playing surface) but then if they get up to the EFL, they have to be ripped out. It is trying to utilise the facilities of the club for more than those 23 league games and however many home cup games you get during a season. Football is a bit of a silly business, you are having to pay wages 365 days a year, but you only have 25 or 30 days of money coming in. So if you can multi-function the stadium, generate closer links with the local community to make it a desirable place to how events and so on, that helps a little bit. But football clubs are notoriously expensive to run, and the comment that it is a big step up to the National League is true. Most clubs in National League South are part-time and when you get to the National League, probably 80% of them are on a full-time basis and you have those additional costs and the cost of living which is hitting us all as well.
JK: In terms of the National League, financially how much bigger is the league as a whole? The top three clubs, Barnet, York City and Forest Green Rovers, have massive budgets, has it changed dramatically over the last 5-10 years?
KM: It has. It is now division five of the English football season, there used to be a bit of a gap between League Two and the National League, but you have seen with the clubs that have become solid players in League Two after promotion from the National League, that they have to have some form of funding behind them. I was giving a talk at Oldham Athletic a couple of months ago and they were showing me some of their numbers. You do wonder why people go in to this, there is that sense of community and identity between owners and clubs a lot of the time and they want to elevate that by being benevolent but it is the most expensive hobby I know. I stick to stamp collecting!