Gary Johnson is the Vanarama National League Manager of the Month for April, having guided promotion chasing Torquay to six wins from seven over the month.
Congratulations Gary!
Hartlepool midfielder Gavin Holohan picked up the Player of the Month award.
The Glovers Trust has revealed it is in “serious talks ” with people interested in forming a consortium to make an offer to buy the club.
In an update statement to members, it said: “We would like to assure you that we are in serious talks with parties who are keen to form a consortium and put together a credible bid.
“These are early days in the discussions and we will update further in due course.”
In December 2020, South Somerset District Council’s executive agreed to an offer from club chairman Scott Priestnall to buy and lease back Huish Park stadium and surrounding lands.
As the holder of an Asset of Community Value (ACV) on the Huish Park site, the Trust was given the right to seek a moratorium period which would place a pause of up to six months on that deal going through.
The moratorium is due to expire on Wednesday, May 26.
The Glovers’ Trust set out the reasons behind its decision – see here.
Sutton United hold all the cards at the top of the National League after Torquay and Bromley drew blanks in the BT Sport game. Sutton won 2-0 at home against W*ymouth – ex-Glover(ish) Craig Eastmond opened the scoring.
Boreham Wood picked up an suprise 1-0 win away at Halifax and Notts County put Barnet away 4-1 and currently sit in that last play off spot at the moment. Hartlepool were also on the surprise end of a result as they lost 4-2 at home to Maidenhead. Playoff hopefuls Chesterfield also scored 4 away at Woking in a 4-1 win.
Dagenham & Redbridge have a lot of say in the play off picture as well. After their 5-0 win at Wealdstone on Saturday, they’re unbeaten in six having scored 18 goals. Their remaining games are against $tockport, Halifax, Chesterfield and Wrexham.
$tockport’s match against Altrincham was postposed, and the less said about Wrexham and Yeovil Town, the better.
Yeovil Town announced the signing of 21-year old Hereford United forward Gavin Williams on a two-year contract.
It was reported that the Glovers parted with little over £20,000 to sign the Welshman.
At the time Ciderspace described Williams as “an exciting twenty-one-year-old who can play anywhere up front, or in midfield. He has shone in a frankly poor Bulls team, and was the club’s top scorer last season. The Glovers have been interested in him for some time, and in fact tried to sign him in a double package with current Player of the Season Michael McIndoe during the 2000-01 campaign. His capture now, in the face of strong interest from several other Conference and League clubs, is testimony to the growing ambitions and stature of Yeovil Town. We at Ciderspace believe this will prove to be a signing of consequence, and are sure Gavin will be a great success in the green and white in the coming seasons”
Williams would, of course go on to become a Glovers legend across multiple spells, including a stint on loan in 2010 before joining the team permanently once again in 2011 and would end his time at Huish Park as part of the 2013 League One Play-Off winning squad.
Gav would eventually depart Somerset for West Ham in 2004 before spending time at Ipswich, both Bristol clubs, Woking and was most recently seen as Player-Manager at Merthyr Town in Wales.
Super Gav reperesented Yeovil 188 times, scoring 34 times.
In local authority news, South Somerset District Council will be getting a new Chief Executive from last month.
This is, of course, relevant as the authority’s District Executive Committee has agreed to buy Yeovil Town’s Huish Park stadium in a move spearheaded by Chairman Scott Priestnall.
At a meeting of the authority’s full council earlier, Clare Pestell was confirmed as the new incumbent, replacing Alex Parmley from June 7.
Those who recall the meeting of the council’s District Executive Committee last December which approved the deal may remember Mr Parmley saying:“We’re not spending money on a football club or giving them taxpayers’ money – we’re investing in the land. We’ll have a significant land asset with a value at the end of it.”
There were no elections held for members of South Somerset District Council on Thursday meaning Councillor Val Keitch, a Liberal Democrat councillor and season ticket holder at Huish Park, remains Leader of the Council.
Later this month, the pause on this deal triggered by the Glovers’ Trust decision to activate it Asset of Community Value (ACV) will lapse. The moratorium is scheduled to end on Wednesday, May 26.
At the time of confirming the activation, the Trust published this document explaining its reasons – see here.
There were mixed fortunes for two former Yeovil Town midfielders this weekend.
Darren Way’s Plymouth Argyle under-18s team won the Merit League One title after a 1-1 draw at Cheltenham Town at the weekend.
But, Paul Warne, who had two seasons at Huish Park between 2007-2009, saw his Rotherham United side relegated from the Championship after drawing 1-1 at Cardiff City. Former Yeovil loanee Lewis Wing was on the scoresheet for the South Yorkshire side.
Congratulations and commiserations to both our old boys.
Following the 3-0 loss at Wrexham, Darren Sarll confirmed that loanee Matty Warburton has returned to Northampton Town, cutting his loan spell short.
“He (Warburton) went back to Northampton a while ago after Lee (Collins) passed. It was a particularly difficult time for (him) anyway because he wanted to make decisions on his future. He wanted to go back to Northampton anyway and then sadly Lee passed and he accelerated that. We felt it was in his best interests as a human being that we allowed that to happen.”
We’d like to thank Matty for his efforts during a difficult time at Yeovil Town.
Carl Dickinson captained the side in the Glovers’ 3-0 loss to Wrexham but in doing so, reached a special milestone in the Green and White.
Dicko has now played 100 times for the Glovers since joining the club in June 2018.
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? Congratulations to @carldickinson_3 on his 100th #YTFC appearance. pic.twitter.com/SvqnbeZxL3
— Yeovil Town FC (@YTFC) May 8, 2021
The left-back, who turned 34 in March, will leave the club at the end of the season to take up the reigns at Hanley Town in a player-manager role.
The former Stoke City man can make it to 105 appearances for the Glovers should he play in each of the final five games of the season, but here’s a quick breakdown of his 100 games for Yeovil.
Games 100
League Games: 90 (86 starts)
FA Cup Games: 4
EFL Cup Games: 1
EFL Trophy Games: 2
FA Trophy Games: 2
National League Play Off Games; 1
Dickinson has scored twice for the Glovers, his first was the final goal in a 6-0 demolition of Newport County, a direct free-kick that went in thanks to some questionable goalkeeping and then just just three games later in a 3-1 loss to Crawley Town.
Some very quick maths suggests that Dicko has played in 39 wins, 20 draws (including cup games that went beyond 90 minutes) and in 41 losses.
Of course, the qualities he has brought to Huish Park go far beyond numbers, a wonderful left back, a vastly experienced campaigner who now passes three figures for the same club for the second time in his career after getting beyond the century for Port Vale.
He has led the side by example, a no nonsense, never give up, style defender who’ll whip a cross in with finesse and then boot the opposition winger into the car park – all totally legally of course!
Let’s not forget, this is a man who did not play a minute for us between a 2-0 League Two defeat at MK Dons on March 23, 2019 and the end of the season which ultimately cost us our place in the Football League.
Yet, he stuck around when he undoubtedly had other options and became a mainstay of Darren Sarll’s side which reached the National League play-offs last season.
There’s no doubt in the Gloverscast mind, that Yeovil Town have been miles better for having Dickinson in the side, than not.
Huge congratulations on a wonderful achievement, Carl, from everyone at the Gloverscast.