Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 47)

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On today’s episode of the Gloverscast we talked at length about the future of Mark Cooper following the defeat at Forest Green Rovers. It’s only two games into the season, but the mood is so sour Rowntrees wish they could bag it up and sell it. It’s unusual to have this level of feeling this early and we know that it’s not just Garybunchofnumbers on X.

We were inundated with questions about the future of the manager and whether it was time for a change. One of the GCQs that came through was to put a poll out. So, here we are. Fence-dwellers, you have a not sure option if you need it. 

Do you think Mark Cooper should remain Yeovil manager?

  • No (65%, 700 Votes)
  • Yes (22%, 240 Votes)
  • I'm not sure (13%, 135 Votes)

Total Voters: 1,075

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It was a difficult afternoon for the Glovers, as they fell to a 2-0 defeat in Gloucestershire to Forest Green Rovers. Let’s see what else went on across the grounds on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

We start in Cumbria, where Boreham Wood came from behind to register their first point of the season at Carlisle United. Luke Norris ensured the visitors led going into half-time, before a Georgie Kelly and Regan Linney double handed the hosts the lead with 20 minutes to go. Norris grabbed his second with 10 minutes left on the clock, before Charlie O’Connell equalised for the Wood in a thriller.

Boston United got their season underway with a cracker, taking all three points home in a 3-2 win at Aldershot Town. Lenell John-Lewis got the scoring underway just ten minutes in, before Theo Widdrington was sent off for the hosts for a dangerous tackle. John-Lewis extended the lead for the Pilgrims shortly into the second half, but Hady Ghandour pulled one back just three minutes later. Summer signing Greg Sloggett made it 3-1 with 77 minutes on the clock, as the Shots fell to a second successive defeat, despite a late goal from former Glover Tristan Abrahams.

It’s been an impressive return to the National League for Scunthorpe United, as they made it two wins from two at home to Woking. Declan Howe scored twice within the first 25 minutes to send the Iron into half-time with a deserved lead, and Danny Whitehall added a third into the second half. Jack Turner bagged a consolation for the visitors, but it’s now two defeats in two for Neal Ardley’s men.

In the lunchtime kickoff, Rochdale came from behind to win at home to Altrincham, as an impressive Tarryn Allarakhia strike and a Tylor Golden own goal cancelled out Keaton Ward’s opener; by the same scoreline, Wealdstone continued their impressive start to the season against a 10-man FC Halifax Town. Will Harris was sent off just 15 minutes into the game, before Sean Adarkwa gave the Stones the lead just three minutes later. David Kawa scored ten minutes before half-time, but his efforts were futile, as Jack Cook bagged a delightful winner to leave the hosts in the playoff places just two games in.

There were plenty of 2-0 victories yesterday, as York City beat Truro City in the evening kickoff thanks to late goals from Mark Kitching and Josh Stones, Southend United continued their 100% start to the season against Tamworth, goals from Charley Kendall and Gus Scott-Morriss adding misery to the Lambs’ visit following an early missed penalty from Tom Tonks; Hartlepool United defeated 10-man Braintree Town, goals either side of the half-time whistle from Alex Reid and Braintree defender Aidan Francis-Clarke getting the Stags off the mark, and finally, a quick fire double from Dom Telford and Kain Adom handed Gateshead the three points on their travels to Eastleigh.

Sutton United and Solihull Moors played out a 0-0 draw, with Wednesday’s visitors Brackley Town having the weekend off owing to Morecambe’s off-field circumstances.

National League results – in full

Rochdale 2-1 Altrincham
Aldershot Town 2-3 Boston United
Carlisle United 3-3 Boreham Wood
Eastleigh 0-2 Gateshead
Forest Green Rovers 2-0 Yeovil Town
Hartlepool United 2-0 Braintree Town
Morecambe P-P Brackley Town
Scunthorpe United 3-1 Woking
Southend United 2-0 Tamworth
Sutton United 0-0 Solihull Moors
Wealdstone 2-1 FC Halifax Town
Truro City 0-2 York City

National League table

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Ref, Referee, Match Official

Yeovil Town welcome a familiar face back to Huish Park for officiating duties on Wednesday night.

The home game against Brackley Town will be managed by Matthew Russell, who, has taken charge of the Glovers no fewer than nine times.

It was meant to be ten times, he was listed as the man in the middle for the FA Trophy clash with W*ymouth last season, but was replaced before match day came round.

He’s refereed the Glovers nine times, including twice in 1-1 home draws with Altrincham, a 5-0 FA Cup win over Yate Town and a 6-1 defeat to Torquay… although, we can’t really put that one on him.

He’s booked 19 Yeovil players, awarded us two penalties and was even kind enough to send off Alty’s James Jones a couple of years ago (below)

This season, he’s already had a couple of EFL appointments, a 0-0 draw between MK Dons and Oldham and a 2-0 Wimbledon win over Lincoln. He sent off the Imps Adam Jackson in the first half.

David Nicholson and Mark Senior hold the flags and David Middleton is the fourth official.

Matthew Russell

Yeovil Town FC (First Team) v Brackley Town FC (First Team)
National League – Premier    
Referee: Russell, Matthew
Assistant Referee: Nicholson, David
Assistant Referee: Senior, Mark
Fourth Official: Middleton, David

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The second game of the National League Premier Division season ended in a 2-0 defeat for Yeovil Town at the hands of Forest Green Rovers at The New Lawn. The scoreline belied the dominance of the home side who spurned numerous chances to make it a more emphatic defeat for the Glovers. Ed Turnbull was among the 486 fans who made the trip to Gloucestershire and here are his conclusions.

The better team won. Probably stating the obvious when you look at the statistics, but it felt like only a matter of time before Forest Green were going to score. Five shots (2 on target, 3 off target) to our zero at half time and more than double that come full time highlights how dominant they were. We just got deeper and deeper and it felt like we were playing with ten men at times, when they scored their first it was game over. 
 
Super Jed Ward in goal. We said before the game that with the all out attack which Robbie Savage has spoken about bringing, Jed Ward was going to need to have a solid return to the club he started last season at. Thankfully he did. It could have been far more without him, some good last ditch blocks from his defence and wayward shooting from Forest Green. It was a decent rearguard action for 75 minutes and against lesser opposition (and there will be plenty lesser than Forest Green this season) hopefully that will stand us in good stead.
 
Jed Ward during his pre-match warm up.
Jed Ward. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.
 

Two up top, but I’m not sure it worked. I was excited to see Aaron Jarvis get some company in the forward line in Tahvon Campbell, but surprised we tried it away to one of the strongest sides in the division. Forest Green found it too easy to get the ball forwards around us, with a lot of space behind the front two. For two big strikers, neither particularly held the ball up well which meant we struggled to keep the ball. I was not too surprised to see Campbell substituted at half-time. Mind you, it certainly was not any better when we switched to playing one up top in the second half. We talk a lot about shape, but for me it’s 11 players on the pitch either way, and it’s about how good they are more than the formation they play in.

Who wants that sack of spuds? If anyone wants the sack of potatoes being offered to our first goalscorer of the season, a good first step would be to find a way of getting possession in the attacking half. We managed it in second half against Hartlepool on the opening day, but in the other three 45 minutes of competitive football so far this season we’ve failed. I’d hoped Luke McCormick would be that player to put his foot on the ball higher up the pitch and provide that vital connection between defence and attack, but he hasn’t managed that so far. I would like to see if Brett McGavin can do any better from the start of a match. For me, as solid as they can be defensively, a midfield pair of Charlie Cooper and Finn Cousin-Dawson lacks that attacking quality and leaves our strikers looking so disjointed from the rest of the team.

There’s no need to panic. I hope this one goes without saying, but we are only two games in to the season. So far we’ve played two teams we’d expect to be up and around the promotion places come the end of the season. Yes, we’ve only got one point but that’s one more point than we got from these same two fixtures last season. The upcoming run of fixtures looks much kinder starting at home to Brackley Town at Huish Park on Wednesday night. It is a great opportunity to kick-start our season. Keep the faith!

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Both Sherborne Town and Bridport Town have had double game weeks this week and there’s been plenty of young Glovers getting minutes.

We’ll start with the Zebras.

On Tuesday, they lost 2-0 to Portland United, with Jaydon Biss, Blake Watts, George Geraghty and Ollie Hughes all in the starting line up, fast forward to Saturday and Biss, Geraghty and Hughes (from the bench) were all involved again. This time in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Hamble Club FC in the Wessex League – all the more impressive when you consider the Yeovil U19s had a friendly on Thursday too! 

Right, to Bridport.

Alec Thomas was on the scoresheet for the second time this season in midweek, he picked up a Man of the Match award in Bridport’s 5-1 win over Axminster with Matt Reed involved from the bench too,

 

On Saturday, a slightly less goal-heavy game, a 1-1 draw with Stoke Gabriel and Torbay Police. Thomas once again in the starting XI, Reed once again used from the bench.

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper admitted he got the game plan wrong after seeing his side taken apart by Forest Green Rovers this afternoon.

The Glovers went down 2-0 at the New Lawn, but in reality the scoreline should have been much higher with the home side hitting the woodwork twice, having four other shots on target and ten off target with the visitors having just one shot off target late in the game.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins after the game, Cooper said: “It is not tough to take, it is just disappointment. I got the game plan wrong today, we decided to sit in a little bit and try to draw them on to us and hit them on the counter attack but we cannot do that. I will take the blame today, we played against a good team and tried to counter attack because they put a lot of bodies forward and, if you try and play too much at the back, they try to press you in so it was a poor day. Forest Green deserved to win the game and apologies to a brilliant band of supporters, we have to take our medicine.”

The Glovers started the game with strikers Aaron Jarvis and Tahvon Campbell playing as a front two for the first time in a long time and the manager pointed to this as part of the reason for the one-sided affair.

He said: “We played with two up front today and it did not work. We lost the ball a lot up front, we turned it over and we could not get out of our half. I blame myself for that and we have to get back to doing what we do best, getting hold of the ball and moving it around the pitch and creating overloads.”

Yeovil Town supporters look on at Forest Green Rovers.
Almost 500 travelling supporters made the trip to The New Lawn. Picture courtesy of Mark Kelly.

Having dominated the first half, Forest Green boss Robbie Savage brought on a number of heavyweight players from a star-studded bench including experienced striker Christian Doidge, summer signing playmaker Nick Haughton and former Yeovil favourite Tom Knowles.

Cooper said: “They have 26 players that could all play in the league above and we are playing against a team with four times what we have got, we have to build to get to that and they can change the whole XI, that is not making excuses, that is just the way it is.”

To add further insult, the Glovers were reduced to ten men with four minutes remaining when captain Jake Wannell was sent off for a second yellow card. He will now serve a one-match ban as Yeovil look to bounce back against National League Premier Division newcomers Brackley Town, who were without a game due to their opponents Morecambe being suspended from playing, at Huish Park on Wednesday night.

Cooper added: “We have to (get back to playing our way) against Brackley on Wednesday night, we are at home against a team which has had a day off today, I wanted to try and conserve a bit of energy today with our game plan of being a little more conservative because we only have 16 outfield players. We wanted to keep the game tight and stay in it, but it did not work.”

 

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Defender Finn Cousin-Dawson apologised to the Yeovil Town supporters after a 2-0 defeat at Forest Green Rovers and promised “a reaction” from the players.

The Glovers went down 2-0 to late goals from Jili Buyabu and Kairo Mitchell but were on the back foot for the entire 90 minutes against a side managed by former Wales international midfielder Robbie Savage.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins after the game in Gloucestershire, FC-D said: “It was not good enough today and we are all really disappointed as a group. We had a game plan which has not come off, we did not keep the ball well enough when we won it back, the quality from back to front was not good enough and overall we were beaten by the better team. We apologise to the fans, they turned up in great numbers and we obviously were not good enough and there will be a reaction.”

Yeovil have an opportunity to deliver a reaction when they face newly-promoted Brackley Town at Huish Park on Wednesday night. Last season’s National League North champions were without a game today with their scheduled opponents, crisis club Morecambe, still suspended from playing due to their off-the-field difficulties.

Asked what the players could do to respond, the defender-turned-defensive midfielder added: “We have to recover as a group, stay together, keep positive and hopefully get right at them on Wednesday night. We have to be better right through the team to get goals and that comes from the lads at the back as well, today our set pieces were not good enough as well, we just have to keep going as a group every day in training.”

 

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One of the many Forest Green attacks on the Yeovil Town defence gets underway.

It tells you everything you need to know about this game when I say that Yeovil Town were very lucky to be walking away from Forest Green Rovers with a 2-0 defeat.

Here’s some full time statistics:

Shots on target: Forest Green Rovers 6 Yeovil Town 0
Shots off target: Forest Green Rovers 10 Yeovil Town 1

It took until the 75th minute for substitute Jili Buyabu to put the home side ahead before striker Kairo Mitchell doubled the advantage in the second minute of injury time, but in reality Forest Green could have won by a much, much higher number. To add insult to further insult, captain Jake Wannell was sent off with four minutes remaining.

First half

Within a minute of the kick-off, Forest Green had won two corners one of which led the hosts’ striker Yahaya Bamber curling one past the post. The pre-match predictions of Robbie Savage’s side going all out attack seem to be coming true.

Having weathered the early storm, Yeovil managed to take a bit of a sting out of their hosts’ attack and, in even more surprising news, it appeared that Tahvon Campbell, handed his first competitive start following an injury to James Daly, was partnering Aaron Jarvis.

On 17 minutes, the first warning sign came as Isaac Moore fizzed a shot past the post and then three minutes later Glovers’ keeper Jed Ward, who started last season on loan at The New Lawn, was called in to action to deny Kyle McAllister. Both McAllister and Laurent Mendy have got a lot of space in the last five minutes and it is no surprise that Forest Green are looking threatening.

Tahvon Campbell grapples with a Hartlepool United player.
Tahvon Campbell was handed his first competitive start at The New Lawn. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Jordan Taylor-Moore was the next to go close after a flurry of corners fell first to Kairo Mitchell who could not get an effort on target before Taylor-Moore’s effort was deflected wide for another corner. It has been a bit like the Alamo – and Yeovil Town are Davy Crockett and his mates fighting off an onslaught. Mendy fired over just after the half-hour mark and the signing who joined Savage from Macclesfield in the summer is running the show.

At half time, the only meaningful statistic which Yeovil Town lead on is yellow cards with Jake Wannell and Charlie Cooper both picking up one to Forest Green’s zero.

Possession: Forest Green Rovers 61% Yeovil Town 39%
Shots on target: Forest Green Rovers 2 Yeovil Town 0
Shots off target: Forest Green Rovers 3 Yeovil Town 0
Corners: Forest Green Rovers 6 Yeovil Town 1

The statistical definition of one-way traffic, but still goalless.

Half time: Forest Green Rovers 0 Yeovil Town 0

 

Second half

The start of the second half saw Yeovil undo the only change to their starting XI with James Daly, who started the opening day draw with Hartlepool United, replacing Campbell with Daly filling in alongside Sims behind Jarvis. Quite different to the wing back position 

It took Forest Green 30 seconds to get their first shot in on goal with Jayden Clarke fizzing one past the post, whilst at the other end Sims looked to have got away for Yeovil a few moments later – but he was denied by the offside flag.

On 53 minutes, great play from McAllister fed one through to Mitchell whose effort was well blocked by Morgan Williams. A minute later Brett McGavin replaced Luke McCormick, but more worryingly for the home side some heavy hitters came off the bench for Forest Green with striker Christian Doidge, playmaker Nick Haughton and wing-back Jili Buyabu. Doidge almost made an instant impact a minute after arriving as he was gifted a free header at the near post from a Forest Green corner, luckily for Yeovil he did not get it on target.

Just after the hour mark Trey Pemberton’s low cross from the right side just missed Mitchell before Haughton had two glorious opportunities to open the scoring with the second rattling Jed Ward’s woodwork after 65 minutes and then five minutes later Doidge put a header wide. How Forest Green are not ahead in this game is a complete mystery.

Buyabu is having a field day down the wing and, to add even more creativity, Savage introduced former Yeovil favourite Tom Knowles (#DFILWF) after 71 minutes. Another corner for the home side, their tenth of the game, came to Taylor-Moore whose effort was pushed away by Ward.

Eventually the pressure paid, you knew it was going to happen. Jili BUYABU got the better of Byron Pendleton and whipped a ball in to the near post, it might have come off a Yeovil player, but it doesn’t matter the dam has been breached. A minute later it could have been a second after another fantastic moving involving Pemberton who cut the ball back to McAllister, who lifted his shot over the bar.

Substitute Junior Morias collects the ball inside the Forest Green half. Picture courtesy of Andy Craig.

Junior Morias and Harvey Greenslade replaced Charlie Cooper and Josh Sims and then on 83 minutes Knowles spotted Ward off his line and tried a chip from the halfway line – only the post denied him. Incredible.

As if it was not bad enough, Yeovil Town were reduced to ten men after 86 minutes. Wannell handled the ball and picked up his second yellow card. The inevitable second goal – it could have been far more – came as the game crept in to second half injury time after a short corner routine dropped to Kairo MITCHELL who fired home.

Third minute of second half injury time, Morias and McGavin combined and the latter shot wide. 93 minutes of football and that is our first shot and it is off target.

Full time: Forest Green Rovers 2 Yeovil Town 0

Match Details

Venue: The New Lawn
Date: Saturday 16th August, 3pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Jili Buyabu 75 (0-1), Kairo Mitchell 90+2 (0-2)

Pitch: Stunning.
Conditions: Sweltering.

Attendance: 2,118 (486 away supporters)

Bookings: 
Yeovil Town: Jake Wannell 22, Charlie Cooper 35, Byron Pendleton 81, Finn Cousin-Dawson 90+5
Forest Green Rovers: Jili Buyabu 75

Sendings off:
Yeovil Town: Jake Wannell 86
Forest Green Rovers: None

Referee: Andrew Humphries

Yeovil Town (5-2-2-1)

Substitutes:  James Daly (for Tahvon Campbell, 46), Brett McGavin (for Luke McCormick, 54), Junior Morias (for Charlie Cooper, 81), Harvey Greenslade (for Josh Sims, 81), Kyle Ferguson (not used),  Ben Wodskou (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Forest Green Rovers: Luke McNicholas, Neil Kengni (for Jili Buyabu, 55), Laurent Mendy, Kyle McAllister (for Ryan Inniss, 87), Jayden Clarke (for Tom Knowles, 71), Jordan Moore-Taylor, Isaac Moore (for Nick Haughton, 55), Yahaya Bamba (for Christian Doidge, 55), Tre Pemberton, Kairo Mitchell, Abraham Kanu.

Substitutes (not used): Fiachra Pagel, Harry Whitwell.