Former Yeovil Town Goalkeeper Stuart Nelson is on the hunt for a new club after Crawley Town opted not to enter negotations on a new contract.
Nelson, who will turn 40 in September, played at Huish Park for two seasons with his final game being the defeat to Barnet in the National League Play-Offs last season.
All the best to Stuart as he looks for his next club – with over 500 professional games on his CV, he shouldn’t short of options.
Hartlepool manager, Dave Challinor, is the bookmakers favourite to take over at his former club Tranmere, according to the Hartlepool Mail.
Challinor has led Hartlepool to a National League play off position this season and is a firm favourite of ‘Pools’ fans.
Tranmere, where Challinor made his name with his famous long throw, sacked their manager Keith Hill earlier this month. They also face a playoff campaign as they look to climb out of League Two.
Maidenhead United are hoping the prolific Sam Barratt could return from injury in time for their visit to Huish Park on Tuesday night.
He rejoined the club in September after a disappointing spell at Southend United and has weighed in with 15 goals so far this season.
However, the 25-year-old has not featured since picking up an injury whilst scoring a hat-trick in the 4-2 win over Hartlepool United earlier this month.
Barratt has been joined among the goals by the towering form of strike partner Danilo Orsi-Dadamo, all 6’2″ of him, who has 17 goals in 28 games this season
The former Hampton & Richmond man will be familiar to the Glovers after scoring twice, including a late penalty, as Yeovil went down 4-2 at York Road at the end of January.
Speaking after the 3-0 defeat to title-chasing Sutton United on Saturday, Maidenhead assistant manager Ryan Peters said:
“We’re down to the bare bones at the moment and without these players we do not look like scoring many, and you are only going to hold out for so long before someone ends up scoring against you.
“We have nine players out and probably five or six that have played a (significant) number of games this season.
“We hope that Sam Barratt may be back for Tuesday’s game (against Yeovil) but there isn’t anyone else we can see coming back for Tuesday’s game. Potentially for the next game, but Sam is our best hope for Tuesday.”
Whilst Barratt is touch and go for the midweek game, fellow Maidenhead frontman Nathan Blissett is expected to be missing for the game.
The former Bristol Rovers man has not featured since suffering a hairline fracture colliding with advertising hoardings in the 0-0 draw with Barnet at the start of April.
Fellow forward Josh Kelly is pushing for a restart after returning from injury and former Yeovil defender Seth Nana Ofori-Twumasi returned from injury for the defeat to Sutton at the weekend.
Defender Ryheem Sheckleford will sit out the trip to Huish Park as he serves the final game of a three-match ban.
There seems certain to be two familiar faces in the Maidenhead starting XI with defender Seth Nana Ofori-Twumasi and midfielder Rohan Ince both having turned out in green and white in the past.
Former Chelsea youngster Twumasi arrived at Huish Park in August 2013 but appeared just three times in the Glovers’ season in the Championship.
He was far more involved the following season as Yeovil nose-dived through League One, playing 30 times and getting sent off in his first appearance of the season, the 2-1 Capital One Cup defeat to Gillingham.
The 31-year-old departed for Newport County following his release followed by a couple of seasons at Maidstone United before arriving at Maidenhead.
Nana seems to still have a feisty side to his game having been red-carded in the club’s home game with W*ymouth last month – once a Glover always a Glover.
Ince’s flirtation with Yeovil was far more limited, appearing just four times and making a single start at the beginning of the 2012-13 season whilst on loan from Chelsea.
He went on to do okay for himself with six years at Brighton & Hove Albion and loan spells at Fulham, Swindon Town abnd Bury, before making a free transfer move to Cheltenham Town in July 2019.
Ince arrived at Maidenhead last November and has been a regular fixture in the side ever since.
Rotherham United have announced that former Yeovil Town loanee, Shaun MacDonald will be leaving the club at the end of the season.
The Millers, managed by another former Glover, Paul Warne announced their released and retained list on Monday.
MacDonald spent no fewer than five(!) loan spells at Huish Park from 2009 – 2011.
In total, the Welsh international played 64 times in Green and White, scoring 9 goals including a hat-trick against Leyton Orient in 2011.
We wish Shaun all the best in finding a new club.
Altrincham have confirmed that fans will be inside the ground for the visit of Yeovil Town this weekend – but it will be home fans only.
In an update on the club’s website, co-chairman Billy Waterson said they were expecting up to 1,200 fans to be inside The J.Davidson Stadium.
He added that a meeting with Trafford Borough Council on Tuesday afternoon would confirm the arrangements.
The co-chairman added: “We are continuing our preparations and expect tickets to go on sale by Wednesday morning, exclusively to home fans and in priority order.
“There will be some important differences about attending the game to comply with COVID regulations and we will be communicating these at the same time the tickets go on sale.”
After the Glovers’ trip to Greater Manchester, Alty face Eastleigh and Gary Johnson’s title-chasing Torquay United in their final two fixtures.
Remeao Hutton is among 13 players released by Championship side Birmingham City, it has been confirmed today.
The 22-year-old, who made 27 appearances on loan at Huish Park during a loan spell last season, spent this season on loan at League Two side Stevenage.
He was a regular starter for much of the campaign with 31 appearances in all competitions.
For all the latest on the whereabouts of former Glovers, visit our (as regularly as we can) updated released list – here.
Two-goal Tom Knowles has been named in the National League Team of the Day for his performance in the 3-1 home win over King’s Lynn Town.
The forward is listed in a front three alongside Rhys Oates of Hartlepool United and W*ymouth’s Andrew Dallas, who scored twice in their 2-1 home win over Altrincham.
Oates got one in Hartlepool’s 3-1 win at Aldershot Town.
Darren Sarll was pleased with his side’s performance this afternoon against Kings Lynn Town. He reserved praise for star-man Tom Knowles, Emmanuel Sonupe and the players who returned to the lineup after injury.
Speaking to BBC Somerset following the 3-1 victory, Sarll said: “I thought we were really going to put on a show at one point after Tom (Knowles) scored that second goal and I thought this could be a good day for us. We got a bit careless when players started coming out of shape a little too often and it left us a bit open. Adam (Smith) made some good saves in the second half from the header and when (Luke Wilkinson) cleared one off the line. Other than those two moments I thought we were pretty comfortable defensively and everyone can see the different the players we had coming back makes.”
The effect of the returning Lawson D’Ath, Carl Dickinson and Luke Wilkinson was clear for all to see, although the manager did say he felt Wilkinson shouldn’t have been playing, especially after a first half injury.
“Wilkinson should never have been playing, he is putting himself in harm’s way. He took a bang on his knee and he could be done for (the home game with Maidenhead United on) Tuesday. We wanted to take it one game at a time and we thought that after not scoring in three games, we had a positive response today and we will worry about Tuesday on Tuesday.”
Wilko did tweet the following after the game:
Bit of a swollen knee but should be good for Tuesday ??
— Luke Wilkinson (@lukewilko90) May 15, 2021
The manager was full of praise for D’Ath, who completed 85 minutes after three months out through injury.
“I had forgotten that Lawson had been out for three months and then I saw him stretching in the 80-something minute and I thought I better get Lawson off rather than (Tom) Knowles who I was thinking about bringing off. What Lawson does is bring calm to the chaos and we have missed that a lot this year. He puts his foot on the ball and if he can’t turn out naturally, he creates a way of turning out anyway.
“That can turn the game in your favour because you know if the ball lands with Lawson, you know he is going to retain the first ball and allow the team to change shape. His set plays were (excellent), how much have we missed that kind of delivery (this season)? I thought he was our best player today for his performance and what he has done for the club coming back after such a long period out with injury.”
Knowles has been in superb form of late for the Glovers and the second of his first-half strikes were of real quality. Sarll reiterated a point he made during Thursday’s pre match press conference: “I did say on Thursday that he would be one of the most exciting players outside the EFL. When I first started working with Tom, I thought as he got older he would become a centre forward like (Chris) Dagnall. He’s got those little, quick legs, he’s got good technique and he gets wonderful power in his strikes, which you can really see when you see it live. He is always capable of working the goalie and I like that about him. He struck the ball beautifully (for his second goal) at the end of a decent move for us, but it did open our shape up a bit and that is when we got a bit careless.”
Emmanuel Sonupe enjoyed a cameo from the bench and scored Yeovil’s third after being put through on goal by Joe Quigley. Speaking about Sonupe, the Yeovil boss said how excited he was about the ex-Tottenham academy player.
“It was pleasing for Emmanuel because he has been injured a lot since he signed. We know (his quality) is there and sometimes the hardest thing is to pull that (quality) regularly out of him. We saw it even after he scored his goal, the run where we went down the far side was really bright and exciting. Those really positive wide players are the players I really love watching. I thought he had a good influence going forward when he came on and he was good defensively as well. I am critical of his defensive willingness sometimes, but I thought he was good at that today. He is a clever footballer, he has a wonderful background (having started at Tottenham Hotspur academy) and if he can continue to play in that vain, he can finish the season very strongly. When he opens up he is quick, but sometimes he has so many touches he actually brings his speed down and I like it when he has less touches and covers more ground quicker. When you bring subs on, you want them to have a big influence and he had a big influence today.”
Yeovil Town midfielder Tom Knowles spoke to BBC Somerset following his brace in the 3-1 win over King’s Lynn Town, but insisted it was a return to winning ways after three consecutive defeats that mattered more.
“It is always nice to get a goal, but the main thing is getting three points. It is why you play football, to get three points and win games . It has been a tough spell and things like this do happen in football and it is all about how you bounce back. You have got to go on to the next one and we have been lucky this season that when it has been tough there is always another game right around the corner. It has not gone our way the past couple of games, we have been working hard and you can see today it has come off for us and we have got the three points.”
Knowles now seven goals for the Glovers since his arrival from Cambridge in December with Saturday’s game marking his 30th game for Darren Sarll’s side.
Speaking about his goals, Knowles said: “The first one Reuben (Reid) and Josh (Neufville) set a really good press and I was just behind it and luckily they found me and not the defender and I went through and scored. The second one was something I like to do, get on the half turn and shoot from a little bit further out, I do like to score good goals, so two different goals but I was very happy with both of them.”
Turning his attention to Tuesday night’s home game with Maidenhead United with supporters back inside Huish Park, the attacker said he is looking forward to making his first appearance in front of the fans.
He said: “I have not been fortunate enough to play in front of them yet, but I can’t wait, I am really looking forward to playing in front of them on Tuesday… I have heard really good things (about the fans) talking to the lads. They can really get behind us and drive us on and hopefully we can reward them with another three points. Everything we do is for the fans because they pay their hard-earned money to come and watch us, so we need to put in the performances because that is what we get paid to do.”
Knowles added that he had loved his first season with the Glovers, but was excited at the prospect of what the club could achieve next year.
He added: “I am really looking forward to next season, we have got a good base and if we can finish this year strongly, who says we can’t get promoted next season? We are a big club, a big team and we all want to play League football, so that is definitely going to be the aim for next year.”
