Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 464)

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Charlie Wakefield has spoken about the challenge laid down to him by Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll to add more goals to his performances.

The 23-year-old was speaking about getting off the mark with the opener in the 3-0 win at $tockport County earlier this week on the latest edition of The Grassroots Guy.

Charlie Wakefield in action against FC Halifax Town.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

He said: “The first few games we played, I was doing a lot for the team off the ball and still managing to create chances but not having as many goal-scoring opportunities.

“The manager has been on to me saying ‘you have the ability get down the outside and shoot’ and I know I am capable of doing that.

“Fortunately in the ($tockport) game that opportunity came and I was lucky enough to get it on target in the bottom corner.

“Obviously I am still waiting for my first goal at home and there will be no better feeling than to score in front of the home fans, but to win 3-0 at $tockport who people are looking out for this year was a real good feeling.”

The winger also spoke to host Harry Purdy about the togetherness in the Glovers’ squad having joined following his release by National League rivals Bromley in the summer.

Wakefield was one of a number of young players to arrive at Huish Park following the departure of experienced heads such as Carl Dickinson,Charlie Lee and Jimmy Smith.

He said: “When you get a new group of players together, it is always interesting to see if the chemistry is there because it is not always.

“But with this group, everyone gets on very well and we take that on to the pitch and I am enjoying playing with this group of players.

“To win three on the bounce and go to places like $tockport and win 3-0 that is not a fluke, that is everything we have been working on.

“I know when I am injury free and focused I know I can play at the top level, I am confident and back my own ability.

“I can add a lot for this group of players, I have good pace and directness and that is what I am going to continue to do.“

On the podcast, Wakefield talks about his time coming through the academy system at Chelsea where he suffered persistent hamstring injuries which led to the club giving him stem cell treatment.

He said: “I remember them saying ‘we don’t want you to have surgery, we want you to have stem cell treatment’.

“That is basically where they take bone marrow from your hip, grow it in a laboratory, you have a procedure and it is meant to give your muscle a new lease of life.

“So, I flew to Barcelona, had the operation, they flew it to Italy, it grew in a laboratory for a month, then back to Barcelona, had the procedure and then you should not have a recurrence of the procedure.”

But, he then said how shortly after the treatment he suffered a collapsed lung following a holiday to New York which meant he was not able to train or play for two months.

He added: “Everything happens for a reason, because it allowed my hamstring to get the benefits of the treatment, so I look back on it as the best thing that every happened to me.”

You can read more about Charlie’s injury in another article – here.

If you have not listened to any of the other Grassroots Guy interviews with Lawson D’Ath, Matt Worthington and ex-Glover Carl Dickinson, catch them – here.

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Whilst Boreham Wood manager Luke Garrard may have a similarly limited squad to select from as his opposite number Darren Sarll, he certainly has experience on his side.

Our hosts this weekend have the oldest squad in the National League with an average age of 30.2 years, compared with our 24.3 years – and that is including the injured (and older) Mark Little, Reuben Reid and Luke Wilkinson.

In their 3-1 defeat at Solihull Moors last weekend, Wood’s starting line-up had an average age of 29.09 years with Sarll’s XI against Chesterfield weighing in at 23.45 years.

The loss last weekend was their first of the season and they are unbeaten at home after picking up a win over Aldershot Town and then draws against FC Halifax Town and $tockport County.

There’s been some noticeable departures from last season – when we picked up wins home and away against Boreham Wood. Notably the departure of the prolific Kabongo Tshimanga to Chesterfield, who has been replaced by the experienced Scott Boden, who was released by the Spireites in the summer.

Going forward Shaquile Coulthirst was released while the noticeable presence of Matt Rhead will be less noticeable as he’s joined Alfreton Town. These departures come off the back of the loss of academy product Sorba Thomas who joined Huddersfield Town midway through last season.

Our hosts’ success is built on a solid defence which begins at imposing goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore behind a back three of Jamal Fyfield, Will Evans, a summer signing from Chesterfield, and Femi Ilesanmi, with wing backs Kane Smith and Jacob Mendy Mendy providing pace.

Mendy Mendy, who began his career at Atletico Madrid,  opened his account for Wood in the 3-1 defeat at Solihull having joined from Wealdstone in the summer where he scored nine times for the Stones.

 

FROM THE MANAGER

Speaking to Boreham Wood TV following last weekend’s defeat at Solihull Moors, manager Luke Garrard said:

“We have got a free week now with no midweek game, so we will prepare because we have Yeovil coming to town on Saturday.

“They lost to Chesterfield, so they are going to want a reaction. I imagine it is going to be a nice, tight affair and another tough game in the National League.

“It is frightening some of the results in the National League. Halifax (who we drew 2-2 with on the previous Tuesday) and we were excellent against for large periods having gone and done Stockport 3-0, so they are a side to watch.

“There’s some good sides at this level and it does not get any easier from Solihull to Yeovil, but I just said to the lads that if we won today we would park it and if we lose today we park it and the focus turns to Yeovil.

“The boys know that was not good enough today, they are all talking (in the dressing room) about what should have been better.

“They are experienced professionals and they know what is expected of them on an away day, and we have shown this season at Bromley (3-2 win), away at Dover (1-0 win) and away at Weymouth (2-0 win) that we can perform away.

“Today we were not at the races, I can’t over-analyse it, I’ll wipe my mouth, move on and we’ll prepare for Yeovil.”

TEAM NEWS

There is none. In all seriousness, it sounds as if Boreham Wood have the same squad available to face Yeovil as they did in the 3-1 defeat at Solihull Moors last weekend.

So, expect to see Nathan Ashmore in goal, a back three of Jamal Fyfield, Will Evans and Femi Ilesanmi with Jacob Mendy Mendy and Kane Smith as wing backs.

In midfield, the evergreen Mark Ricketts will line up alongside Frankie Raymond and Josh Rees with Scott Boden and Tyrone Marsh up top.

A FOOT IN BOTH CAMPS

Grant Smith has happy memories of his time as a Boreham Wood player. The Yeovil Town goalkeeper was part of the side which reached the National League play-off final in 2018, eventually losing to Tranmere Rovers at Wembley.

Smith spent two seasons at Meadow Park before signing for Lincoln City. He returned to Hertfordshire in the 2019-20 campaign and played in Wood’s play-off eliminator against FC Halifax Town due to a suspension to first-choice keeper Nathan Ashmore.

Adi Yussuf is another player who has stepped out at Wembley as a Boreham Wood player. He was a 79th-minute substitute in the club’s play-off final defeat to Harrogate Town whilst on loan from Blackpool.

Joe Quigley will also be looking to get one over on this old employers. He had a nine-game spell on loan from AFC Bournemouth in 2018.

Glovers’ defender Luke Wilkinson also had two loan spells at Boreham Wood in the Conference South side. He turned out 26 times in the 2010-11 season and 23 times after returning the following campaign whilst on loan from Dagenham & Redbridge.

In the home side’s squad, Connor Smith spent the 2017-18 season at Huish Park, having his contract cancelled at the end of the first campaign. He signed for Wood from Wealdstone in the summer.

Other players with a foot in both camps include Kabongo Tshimanga, who played zero minutes whilst on loan at Huish Park before going on to be prolific with Wood.

Graham Roberts, who managed Yeovil to the Isthmian League Premier Division title and promotion back to the Conference in 1997, managed Boreham Wood to the Isthmian League Division one title in 1999-2000 before his departure saw two of his players, Mickey Engwell and Lee Harvey, take charge.

Engwell was Roberts’ captain at Huish Park and Harvey was a towering centre half in that title-winning side of 1997.

Engwell was replaced as Wood manager by Steve Browne, who was part of that title-winning side under Graham Roberts, and probably better known to younger Yeovil fans as the father of Rhys.

Billy Clifford, who played once in green-and-white in a League Cup win at Southend United in 2013 whilst on loan from Chelsea, spent the 2015-16 season at Meadow Park, whilst Angelo Balanta was part of the side which reached the Championship under Gary Johnson before spending two years at Boreham Wood.

 

If you are travelling to Meadow Park for Saturday’s fixture, make sure you check out our Ciderspace Away Travel Guide – here.

For details of tickets for the match – click here.

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In honour of the appearance of Fin Skiverton in Wednesday night’s Somerset Premier Cup tie, our resident Statto, Nigel Dyson, revealed he knew of at least ten other members of the Yeovil Town Father & Son Club.

The rules were that both father and son had to have made first-team appearances for the club, remembering that in our non-League days the Somerset Premier Cup counts as a first-team fixture.

Having promised faithfully to unveil them on today’s podcast, we forgot (in complete honesty!), here are Nigel’s ten:

  • Rhys Browne and father Steve
  • Neil Housley and father Stuart
  • James Thompson and father Steve 
  • Kevin Albury and father Bill
  • Paul Muir and father George
  • Ian Linney and father Dave
  • Ben Nugent and father Richard
  • Tony Pounder and father Tony (Senior)
  • Ian McKay and father Johnny
  • Barry Dominey and father Gordon 

A few others that have come in from different parts the Gloverscast listeners/readers….

  • Fred and Ken Hayward
  • William and Fred Bond

Can you name any more? Drop us a message on Twitter or Facebook or go crazy and use the comment box below.

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Darren Sarll praised the club’s youth team players for their performances in Yeovil Town‘s 4-1 win over Bridgwater United in the Somerset Premier Cup first round on Wednesday night.

The Glovers’ boss singled out defender Jake Graziano, midfielder Ollie Haste and strike Finlay Skiverton who all featured in a strong side which included a number of first-team players.

The trio are all regulars in the club’s Under-18s side which works in partnership with Yeovil College delivering an Elite Player Development Programme.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.

Sarll said: “I was really pleased with the boys who came out of the college programme.

“Ollie Haste I thought was magnificent, talk about standing up to the opportunity.
In terms of the experience I was able to give him, he will remember that for the rest of his life and the same with young Jake Graziano, they coped brilliantly.

“Obviously Fin came on and scored (the game’s fourth goal) and as soon as the game was out of sight I wanted to give as many of them an opportunity.”

The boss described Skiverton’s goal as “a wonderful moment” for his father, assistant manager and club legend, Terry, but insisted the young striker was in the side on merit alone.

He said: “I can tell everyone now that no-one gets a game because of their surname, they get a game because they can help us win and (Finlay) certainly helped us do that.

“I think he had the two best chances of the game in the last 15 minutes and you have to credit someone for knowing how to get there.

“I was not too impressed with how he knows where to be out of possession but for a centre forward that needs to be the last detail rather than the first.”

There was also some valuable game time for first-team squad members including defender Morgan Williams, midfielder Matt Worthington, who is available after a three-match ban for his red card against King’s Lynn on the opening day, and Alex Bradley who has been out through illness.

Matt Worthington, who returned following suspension in the win over Bridgwater United.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Sarll said: “I thought it was important that we got some minutes in to some legs. Morgan (Williams) has played one 90 minute game in eight months, I wanted to get Max (Hunt) back out there.

“Because of how small the squad is, the opportunity to practice in training is reduced because we do not have the numbers, so I thought that was a better environment for Max to carry on practicing.

“Max Evans deserved a game, Adi (Yussuf), Sonny (Blu Lo-Everton) both needed minutes, as did (Matt) Worthington after his suspension and (Alex) Bradley after missing out through illness.

“So it was enjoyable to see what they can contribute and what they could contribute on Saturday and after that.”

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Tom Knowles has backed loan signing Lewis Simper to be an exciting attacking force when he returns after a spell on the sidelines.

The 20-year-old midfielder joined on loan from Cambridge United in July but has not featured having fallen ill with COVID-19 followed by an injury which saw him return to his parent club for treatment.

However, Glovers’ boss Darren Sarll confirmed he hopes to have him back with his squad later next week.

Knowles was a good friend of Simper’s from their time together at Cambridge and said the pair spoke about how his game had developed since arriving in Somerset.

Tom Knowles is caught by FC Halifax Town captain Niall Maher inside the box.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

He said: “I have known Lewis from my time at Cambridge, when he knew Yeovil were interested in taking him on loan he was straight on the phone to me.

“I could not sell the club more to him and he was really keen to get down and play and I told him how good it had been for me and my development.

“For him, this is a great opportunity to come here and get some games and play well and I am sure when he’s back on the pitch he is going to excite the fans.

“He is going to chip in with some goals and you will get 100% from him every week, he’s a really talented player and I am sure he will hit the ground running and the fans will enjoy watching him play.”

On Tuesday, Cambridge boss Mark Bonner confirmed Simper was back at the League One club to aid his recovery.

Speaking ahead of the weekend’s visit to Boreham Wood, Sarll added: “I think  Monday at the earliest, I would expect next Thursday he will be back in with us which would be good.”

Knowles added that he hopes to find his scoring form having had a prolific pre-season, but was full of praise for his team-mates Joe Quigley and fellow winger Charlie Wakefield.

He said: “We have a good balance across the front three because (Charlie Wakefield) is a lot like Josh (Neufville) from last year, a great ball carrier who gets down the line and gets crosses in.

“Joe has obviously had great start to the season, chipping in with a lot of goals, and he can do a lot, running in behind or being a target man, he is very technically gifted.

“For me this year, I have played more out on the left, so I like to roll in and link up with Joe and Charlie because I know they are going to be there.”

 

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Defender Mark Little has been backed by manager Darren Sarll to be return from his injury sooner than the end of the year.

The right-back was the big name signing of the summer following his release by Bristol Rovers and picked up an injury in the pre-season friendly defeat to Forest Green Rovers at the end of July.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

After that, the manager said he did not expect to see the former Bristol City and Bolton Wanderers player until at Christmas at the earliest.

Speaking ahead of the weekend’s trip to Boreham Wood, Sarll said: “Mark has one more consultation with his surgeon which might be today and then hopefully that will determine his progress from now.

“But once he is out of that boot and weight bearing again, he will fly, the man is a consummate professional with incredible standards.

“He is very different to a lot of other senior players I have worked with because he still sees so much in front of him, so much more to achieve.

“You can get senior players that hold on and hold on, but Mark never sees it like that, he is a real driving force.

“I think once Mark gets his foot down, he will probably exceed timescales (for his recovery).”

The manager suggested that Little’s recovery meant he was not yet back involved with the squad, but spoke about striker Reuben Reid‘s role in supporting the squad and his coaching team.

Reid is also expected to be out until the end of the year after picking up a hamstring injury in pre-season.

Sarll said: “Reuben is one of the most charismatic, influential people that I have worked with and has a huge impact on how people feel and think, even to the coaching staff.

“The first thing Reuben said to me after the game was ‘that is not a weekend ruiner’ and I thought that is a different way of looking at it, so we try and use what we have at our disposal.”

The boss added that the club’s supporters can also play an important role in helping his young squad through the campaign.

The squad has an average age of just 24.3 years, including the likes of injury victims Little, Reid and Luke Wilkinson, whilst their opponents on Saturday have the oldest squad in the division with an average age of 30.2 years.

Sarll said: “It is an important role that supporters play for us because if (the young players in the squad) get a sense of negativity in the ground, that is not going to help us this year.

“They are not Rhys Murphy who would just stick his fingers up and carry on playing, they have not seen that yet, so the role of supporters is huge.

“If I got any of those new, young players in and said what has been your best experience, they would undoubtedly say either Aldershot away or Stockport away.

“Because of the connection with the supporters and the love and affection they felt from that will stay with them, and they will thrive of those moments.”

 

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Yeovil Town will play a first-team fixture against an unnamed Football League club next Tuesday to make up for not having a match the following weekend.

We had been scheduled to visit Chesterfield on October 2, but a bit of fixture list musical chairs meant the Spireites visited Huish Park last Saturday instead of Altrincham, whose squad was struck down by COVID-19.

Speaking on Thursday, Glovers’ boss Darren Sarll said: “We’re playing a first-team game against a Football League side next Tuesday night to carry on getting minutes because we can’t get a game next Saturday.”

After the trip to Boreham Wood on Saturday, there is a ten-day wait until the next National League action when Maidenhead United are the visitors to Huish Park on October 5.

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Luke Wilkinson will be unavailable for this weekend’s trip to Boreham Wood – but manager Darren Sarll said he is waiting for clarity on how long he will be without his captain.

The centre-half went off after just 28 minutes of the 2-0 home defeat to Chesterfield last weekend with a hamstring injury.

Luke Wilkinson wins a header.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Speaking on Thursday, Sarll said: “I think it is a run of the mill (hamstring strain), we are just looking for a little bit of clarity from the specialist about time spans.

“It looks to be very similar to what Lee Collins had in his spell with us but recovery times differ.

“(Luke) definitely will not be available for Saturday. I wish I could say it is going to be four weeks, three weeks, two weeks, but I just don’t know right now.”

Following the defeat last weekend, the manager said he may have to look to recruit to plug the void left by Wilkinson – however, it sounds like he may have to go with what he has in his paper-thin squad.

Morgan Williams and Max Hunt both played in the Somerset Premier Cup tie against Bridgwater United in midweek and Sarll indicated that Josh Staunton could be an option to drop back from the midfield role he has adopted so far this term.

The boss said he would like to recruit “three or four” players with Football League experience, but said the situation around COVID-19 meant it was difficult to convince clubs to let players out on loan.

He said: “Centre halves are at a premium and when I have gone in to the market at the moment, a lot of Football League clubs are petrified of COVID.

“Therefore letting players out on loan where they could find themselves in a situation where two or three players have COVID, they are potentially leaving themselves short.

“So quite a few managers at the moment are looking at self-preservation and keeping everyone around.

“The most important thing when we’re trying to recruit is trying to get experience, someone who has Football League experience.

“In my time here, we are at the mercy of what is available and what we can afford, so it is a bit of a chancer’s market at the moment.

“You’ve got to be ready to strike and if there’s something out there and something that will benefit us then I think we’ll do that.”

“We’ve got a brilliant guy in Josh Staunton whose trade is in the centre of defence, so we have that option – but there’s so many ifs, buts and maybes you just have to be ready to strike when the iron’s hot.”

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Yeovil Town 2 Hereford United 1 – Saturday 2nd March 2002

On Saturday 2nd March 2002, Yeovil played Hereford at Huish Park for the first time since the old rivals ended our title hopes against Rushden with an injury-time winner in 2001. As it happens, we’ve had a pretty decent record against the Bulls since their relegation back to the Conference in 1997, and that one devastating moment represents their only league win over us between then and now.

It was Gary Johnson’s first season in charge, and results had been up and down. General away form was good, and with only two defeats all season was the best in the division. Home form was more patchy, with a number of home defeats arguably the result of a deteriorating pitch in dire need of replacement, and a defence that was vulnerable to the counter-attacking tactics that a lot of visiting teams employed.

The fixture came at the business end of the season in between FA Trophy matches away at Doncaster and at home to Canvey Island. With the Glovers unbeaten in 14 league and cup matches and chasing the slim hope of a title shot with Boston yet to visit Huish Park, it was a dramatic game that had almost everything. In the first half, a penalty was awarded to Yeovil for a push, but Chris Giles’ spot-kick was saved by Matt Baker. Shortly after, Hereford’s Paul Parry hit the underside of the bar with a shot that away fans claimed was over the line, but it was not given.

Right on half time Crittenden gave Yeovil the lead, but Parry equalised immediately after the break with a shot past the advancing Weale.

What followed was an exercise in gamesmanship and time-wasting, as the visitors continually feigned injury and wasted time to hold on for a point. In the 73rd minute, former Hereford player Michael McIndoe was sent off for the second time that season for an elbow aimed at John Snape – although the player would admit after the game there was no contact before his dramatic fall to the ground, McIndoe was rightly dismissed for aiming the elbow in the first place. There do tend to be a lot of red cards in these fixtures, as both Terry Skiverton and Gavin Williams were sent off when the two met at Edgar Street in 2000, and not only did Hereford have two sent off in 2003, but Gavin Williams was also substituted by Gary Johnson to prevent him from going the same way after some lively tackles. It was possibly for the best that McIndoe had already been sent off in 2002/03, and was suspended for one game which happened to be the away game at Hereford.

Despite the man advantage, Hereford made no attempt to press forward and instead continued to waste time and feign injury to an almost comical degree. Justice was served then, when in injury time as a result of those constant stoppages, Yeovil pressed forward one last time, ignoring a Hereford player who was rolling around wanting the game to be stopped (as can be seen in the footage). Substitute Carl Alford held the ball up for of all players, Yeovil-born Andy Lindegaard to score a left-footed volley from 20 yards out to give Yeovil the victory. It was some measure of revenge not only for 2001, but also for all of the time-wasting and cheating that had gone on during the game, and gave one of the most satisfying wins over Hereford that I have witnessed. And there have been a lot, as they don’t have a very good record against us in recent years.

Although the 4-0 in 2003 was also a good one…

If you want to read the world’s most biased match report (from a Hereford perspective), it can be found on the Hereford Times website.

Yeovil team that day: Chris Weale, Adam Lockwood, Anthony Tonkin, Terry Skiverton, Tom White (sub. Andy LIndegaard), Roy O’Brien, Olivier Brassart, Nick Crittenden, Michael McIndoe, Chris Giles (sub. Carl Alford), Adam Stansfield. Subs not used: Jon Sheffield, Steve Thompson, Kim Grant