Luke McCormick got the all important late winner against Woking on Saturday and how better to celebrate than by getting a position in the National League’s Team of the Week.
It’s actually the second time he’s made the mythical XI having also been named in the mid-week edition following the win over Solihull.
Shout out to former Glovers Bevis Mugabi who also makes the side.
It was a winning end to Richard Dryden’s interim spell as manager of Yeovil Town, as the Glovers defeated Woking 1-0 at Huish Park, which you can read about here! Let’s see what else happened in an eventful day across the league.
We start in the Midlands, where Solihull Moors and Morecambe played out a thrilling 4-4 draw! Jamey Osbourne got the hosts ahead in the 25th minute, before a cracker of a strike just five minutes later from Jack Nolan on his debut for the visitors equalised. Jacob Wakeling grabbed the first of two goals for him on the day in the 43rd minute to send the hosts into half-time with the lead. Into the second half, a quick fire double from Admiral Muskwe pushed the Shrimps into the lead, before Brad Nicholson got the hosts level once again. A thunderbolt from Miguel Azeez had surely bagged the win for the visitors in a crazy encounter, but a 78th minute equaliser for Jacob Wakeling meant both sides had to share the spoils.
York City continued their 100% start to life under Stuart Maynard with an impressive comeback against Braintree Town. A double from debutant Terrell Works handed the hosts a handy advantage after 47 minutes, but goals from Alex Hunt and Joe Grey got the visitors level. A 93rd minute Ollie Pearce penalty secured the win for the Minstermen, as they jumped into the playoff spots with those three points.
A second 3-2 clash took place at Gander Green Lane, as Tamworth left London with all three points against Sutton United. A Joe Riley penalty and a Tyler Roberts goal gave the visitors the lead, before a Lewis Simper double brought things level at 2-2. A minute after the equaliser though, Manny Duku scored what turned out to be the winner, all within 37 minutes of football! The defeat piles further pressure on Sutton boss Steve Morison, the Us having won just one of their opening nine league games.
Boreham Wood remain undefeated since the opening day loss against Rochdale, as they handily dispatched of an inconsistent Altrincham side. An Erico Sousa brace and a Zak Brunt penalty sent the hosts into half time with a 3-1 lead, before Jimmy Knowles netted a consolation goal just before the hour mark.
Wealdstone and Gateshead shared the points in a 2-2 draw, as Dominic Hutchinson capitalised on a mistake from Heed ‘keeper George Shelvey to take the lead just four minutes in. Kain Adom scored a double to put the visitors in front, before another calamity from the young Shelvey allowed Max Kretzschmar to equalise in front of the home terrace in the 88th minute. In the evening kickoff, two first half goals from Zavier Massiah-Edwards and Luis Fernandez put Eastleigh in control of the game, before late goals from Owen Devonport and Thierry Latty-Fairweather rescued a point for hosts FC Halifax Town.
Regan Linney and former Glover Bevis Mugabi scored the goals for Carlisle United as they defeated Aldershot Town, while Forest Green Rovers and Scunthorpe United shared the points at The New Lawn; Declan Howe opened the scoring once again for the Iron just four minutes in, before a 98th minute equaliser from James Balagizi saved the day for the hosts. Boston United almost snuck away from Roots Hall with a win, thanks to Zak Mills’ 81st minute hit, but an Andrew Dallas penalty ensured Southend United took something from a game that seemed overwhelmingly in the host’s favour judging from the statistics.
Finally, Kyron Gordon scored the only goal of the game as Rochdale condemned Truro City to yet another narrow home defeat, while Hartlepool United and Brackley Town played out a dull 0-0 draw.
National League results – in full
Yeovil Town 1-0 Woking
Boreham Wood 3-1 Altrincham
Braintree Town 2-3 York City
Carlisle United 2-0 Aldershot Town
Forest Green Rovers 1-1 Scunthorpe United
Hartlepool United 0-0 Brackley Town
Solihull Moors 4-4 Morecambe
Southend United 1-1 Boston United
Sutton United 2-3 Tamworth
Truro City 0-1 Rochdale
Wealdstone 2-2 Gateshead
FC Halifax Town 2-2 Eastleigh
Yeovil grabbed their second home win of the season against Woking yesterday. Here are Ian’s conclusions from the Huish Park press box.
Huish Park needed that. After all the turbulence of the last few weeks the unveiling of Danny Webb before the match set the tone for what (eventually) ended up being a memorable afternoon at Huish Park. Richard Dryden said it in his post-match interview, and he’s right, the whole club needed that win. The players ran themselves into the ground and they earned it. The coaching staff who’ve been able to steady the ship and maintain morale amongst players earned it. The supporters who, especially at Huish Park, have been starved of moments. Luke McCormick’s late winner was one of those moments that will live long in my memory and can hopefully be the catalyst for this season under Danny Webb.
Don’t fall in love with footballers. It’s a risky business having a favourite, they inevitably leave and break your heart. The performances of Luke McCormick in recent weeks have been the kind that make you catch feels. He had another good game yesterday and his stoppage-time goal was well-deserved for those recent performances. He’s built a great partnership with Brett McGavin in midfield and, to me, comes across as a real organiser on the pitch, looking for runs, making runs and playing positively with intent. After the match he said how he ‘loves the club’ and if he continues to play like this, we’ll love him too.
The first half was poor. It was, as the cliche goes, a game of two halves. Woking had the best of a very poor first half. I didn’t think either side was particularly brilliant but the visitors had a bit more control albeit with chances from outside the box. Woking couldn’t handle the second half reaction from the Glovers who, by the full time whistle, we were well worth the win. I thought the subs made an impact on the game, Tahvon Campbell could have got the winner himself, Aaron Jarvis was the disrupter-in-chief making the Woking defence (and keeper) as uncomfortable as possible.
Thanks to Richard Dryden. In the last couple of weeks I feel like we’ve got to see more of Richard Dryden and get a sense of what he’s about. He and Chris Todd have kept this group motivated, happy and working hard. Off the back of Mark Cooper’s departure I think it was generally expected that Dryden would follow, but he’s kept morale high and while results haven’t been amazing, you can’t say the players have downed tools while the managerial situation has been in limbo. There was a sense of relief with Dryden yesterday with Danny Webb taking the reins now and you have to give him some credit for keeping things steady. He deserved the win yesterday.
That was a great result going into the new era. This squad of players, united in victory, goes into a full week of training with a new manager with new ideas. There is a feeling of freshness, optimism and energy about the club and, I think, a manager that everyone will unite behind. Danny Webb got a good ovation before the game, was scribbling notes throughout the match and was in the tunnel waiting for his new players after the game. It’s exciting to see what’s next and it all starts with Tamworth next weekend.
We haven’t done one of these for a little while.
But our Young Glovers are still getting good game time at both Sherborne and Bridport.
This week, Zebras were 2-0 winners over Downton FC.
The win keeps their cracking start to the season going, the opening goal scored by George Geraghty, who has been finding the next for the Under 19s regularly this season.
Joe Crisp and Jaydon Biss were both in the squad, too. Ollie Hughes was once again in the first team squad.
A quick shout out to the Yeovil fans (and two Woking fans) who took Sherborne up on their fiver entry offer for the 3pm kick off.
Meanwhile at Bridport, Alec Thomas and Matt Reed were involved again, and for the second week in a row, helped their side score 7!
14 goals scored, 0 conceded in two games for them. Some going.
Match-winner Luke McCormick is loving life at Yeovil Town since his summer move from Bristol Rovers. The midfielder scored the only goal in the Glovers ‘hard graft’ against Woking this afternoon.
McCormick’s stoppage time winner in front of the Thatchers set off celebrations all around Huish and McCormick told BBC Somerset he’d thought about it on his way to the match.
“That’s what I was thinking about and on the drive up today. So, yeah, it’s brilliant. But I’ve got to give credit to the boys. We kept going. We could have sat off and taken a point, steadied the ship but we didn’t. It’s a little knock down from Wanns and yeah, just found the back of the net. I think probably I was that tired that I had to take a touch. And then obviously I’ve looked up and I’ve seen, seen the top bracket, yeah, luckily, it’s gone in.”
The Glovers struggled to get a foothold in the match in the first half and McCormick said that Interim Manager Richard Dryden just told them to stay calm.
“You get those games sometimes. They’re [Woking] obviously off the back of a really good result. We grafted and we came in at half time. We tweaked a couple of things and then I think [in the] second half we were probably the best team. First half, they probably had the better the chances. But yeah, I think we showed, showed real resilience. And the three points is the main thing.”
McCormick has impressed in the middle of midfield in recent weeks having started further up the pitch at the start of the season, and the 26-year-old is loving life in green and white.
“I love the club. Love the boys, love the staff. Fans have been brilliant with me. I’ve settled in really quickly, playing in the position that I’m more comfortable with. Me and Brett have got a really good partnership and all credit to him, he’s been working his socks off. I feel like I’m getting a bit more of the plaudits at the moment, but his time will come. The team have been brilliant. The boys that haven’t played have been brilliant. Training is great. So, yeah, long may that continue.”
New manager Danny Webb was unveiled to supporters before the match and was sat in the Directors’ box scribbling notes through out the match. McCormick said Webb had already put his ‘mark down’. He also praised Dryden and Chris Todd, adding that they deserved the win.
“So we’ve met the gaffer today, and he’s come in and had some words at the end there. So putting his mark down already, but Monday morning that that will obviously come to fruition more. Obviously Dryer and Toddy, have been excellent. Obviously, in limbo it’s tough for them. I think people should understand that it’s really difficult for them. So they’ve kept the ship moving in the right direction. Maybe we haven’t got results we deserved, but today, I think they deserved that.”
Richard Dryden’s time as Interim Manager finished with an important three points and a confidence-boosting 1-0 win over Woking. Luke McCormick’s stoppage time winner took the roof off Huish Park as the new boss Danny Webb watched on.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins following the match, Dryden said the whole club needed the win: “We needed it, and the fans needed it, you know? I said earlier in the week, we need the backing from the fans how we play, but we need to give them something to sing about, shout about. I think, especially second half, from the first minute, we were on the front foot and had a right go. It was cagey, the first half, the second half, I thought we had the better chances.”
After a non-event of a first half, where Woking perhaps edged it, Yeovil came out in the second half and took the game to Woking with big chances for Josh Sims, Junior Morais, Morgan Williams and Tahvon Campell before McCormick clinched it.
“The first half was very tight. I think we started the second half really, really well. It goes on and goes on and goes on. You think ‘are we going to score?’ We have some good chances. We created a lot of good chances. We’ve got people in the right areas to get shots off or make contact in the box, but it was so nice to see the ball go in the back of the net with four minutes left, that’s for certain.”
On the goal, Dryden said: “They pressed him [McCormick] well coming out from the goal line. But he’s sort of clipped it into the top corner. [It] was great to see. And when I say four minutes left, it felt like 40 minutes, because it went on and on and on. But when you’re 1-0 up, and you know, they’re going to put big people on, get the ball forward, and we defended it pretty well.”
If it ended up 0-0, we played well. But, the 1-0 makes it 2,000,000% better. Yeah, Morgs has missed, but it’s a great contact on the ball. I haven’t got clue what he’s doing there, by the way, but he’s in there. And there’s been a couple of the little ones where we could have , you know, Sims has gone through with a bit of class. And there’s two or three others, you know, I think Tav was unlucky, because he’s through on goal. And I’m not going to knock referees or officials, but how none of the four [officials] see he’s getting tugged is a tough one.”
Aaron Jarvis and Tahvon Campbell made a big impact of the bench with Campbell causing all sorts of problems for his old club and Jarvis getting into his usual rough and tumble with the opposing defenders and Dryden said he’s had players knocking on the door this week angling for a start.
“I think it’s no secret we’ve, we’ve been training well with very few outfield people. I still get, even this week, I’ve had a couple saying they want to play, disappointed they’re not starting. And a few of them have come on today and shoved it right up me, really, because they’ve come on and made a difference. The lads started really well and they’ve come on and finished it off.”
Dryden confirmed that Alex Whittle and Charlie Cooper had been in ‘very light training’ but gave to certainty on their returns. He added that the Glovers hope to be back to full bench soon with “maybe one or two coming in.”
New Yeovil Town manager Danny Webb watched his new players pull off a dramatic late winner at home to Woking this afternoon.
The former Glovers’ player was in the stands at Huish Park to see midfielder Luke McCormick lash the winner in to the roof of the net with three minutes of second half stoppage time on the clock to seal a crucial victory.
New manager Danny Webb was introduced to the Huish Park crowd before the game and he watched from the stands with Richard Dryden, who has been in interim charge since the departure of Mark Cooper, in charge from the dug-out for one more game.
It was Woking who started the game the brighter, but it took until the 12th minute for either side to carve out much more than a half-chance. That fell to Aaron Drewe who was picked out by Tariq Hinds’ ball in to the box, but his effort was deflected over the bar by Jake Wannell. Eight minutes later, Jed Ward had to get down quickly to keep out a long range effort from Jack Turner.
Neither side has done much to test either keeper, but Woking looking far more composed on the ball with a clearer game plan. Just after the half-hour mark, Harry Beautyman’s free-kick from the edge of the box needed turning around the box by Ward. Good save.
It took until ten minutes before half-time for Yeovil to create anything which came close to being a chance, James Plant won a header which dropped to Junior Morias whose effort was high over the bar. That’s about as good as it has got going forwards for Yeovil.
The most 0-0 45 minutes of football Huish Park has seen in a long time. If you forgot it was an early kick-off and missed it, you didn’t miss much. If Danny Webb did not know the scale of the job he was facing at the start of this half, he did by the end of it.
Two minutes in to the second half, Yeovil’s first opportunity on goal fell to Josh Sims. Brett McGavin’s ball found him on the right, he twisted his defender inside and out and flashed a shot across the face of goal. Better from Yeovil.
On 53 minutes, Greenslade got away down the right and fired a ball in to the box with Morias ready to convert at the back post, but Woking were able to clear.
There’s been an improvement going forward from the Glovers (it honestly could not have been much worse) and Dryden introduced Aaron Jarvis off the bench on 65 minutes. He replaced Harvey Greenslade.
With 73 minutes played, Morgan Williams spurned a glorious opportunity to open the scoring. Plant’s ball from the right was met by a great header from Jarvis and landed to the defender who was unmarked on the far post, but lifted his shot over
There was a bizarre moment around 12 minutes from time when Jarvis and Woking keeper Tom Norcott tangled off the ball. The on loan Reading keeper went down like he’d been assaulted and there was even a visit from the Woking medical staff. All a bit bizarre and Jarvis got a booking for his role which was presumably Norcott’s intention.
Tahvon Campbell, who had probably the most prolific spell of his career as a Woking player, was introduced for Wodskou on 82 minutes. A minute later Campbell had a great opportunity to break the deadlock after persistent play from Luke McCormick poked a ball through to him, Norcott seemed to get enough on it to deny Campbell an immediate shot, he managed to hook it towards goal but it was cleared off the line. Just hit the bloody thing!
O’Brien put one over the bar with five minutes remaining, but just when it looked like this game was going to finish goalless – Yeovil took the lead. A minute in to five minutes of second half stoppage time, McGavin’s corner was headed down by Jarvis and it landed to Luke McCORMICK on the back post and the midfielder showed great composure to thrash it in to the roof of the net.
In the fifth minute of stoppage time there was substitute Josh Osude went down under a challenge from Ward, before the ball broke to O’Brien who was felled by a strong challenge from Ferguson. Ward’s challenge was clearly just a goalkeeper and striker challenging for the ball, the Ferguson one had a bit more on it. Seen those given.
There was a long stoppage as Osude got treatment and that meant we actually ended up playing 100 minutes. If the first half was forgettable, the second was much better but there was plenty of commitment there and even more importantly three points.
Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 13th September, 3pm kick-off
Competition: National League Premier Division
Scorers: Luke McCormick 90+3 (1-0)
Pitch: Looking good
Conditions: Mostly dry and bright with periods of intense rain in the first half
Attendance: 2,646 (259 away supporters)
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Junior Morias 61, Josh Sims 64, Morgan Williams 75
Woking: Jack Turner 45
Referee: Adrian Quelch
Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)
Substitutes: Aaron Jarvis (for Harvey Greenslade, 65), Tahvon Campbell (for Ben Wodskou, 81), Byron Pendleton (for Josh Sims, 87),, Finn Cousin-Dawson (for used), Ollie Hughes (not used), Matt Gould (not used).
Woking: Tom Norcott, Aaron Drewe, Tunji Akinola, Timi Odusina, Caleb Richards, Tariq Hinds, Jack Turner (for Jake Forster-Caskey, 59) Jamie Andrews, Harry Beautyman (for Josh Osude, 70), Aiden O’Brien, Josh Kelly (for Timmy Akinola, 70).
Substitutes (not used): Chin Okoli, Matt Ward, Craig Ross.
On loan striker Ben Wodskou has been handed his first start for Yeovil Town as we take it Woking in today’s early game at Huish Park (12.30pm kick-off).
The teenager replaces fellow Birmingham City youngster Byron Pendleton who drops to the substitutes’ bench for the match.
Interim manager Richard Dryden will be in charge for today’s match with new Glovers’ boss Danny Webb expected to be introduced to the crowd ahead of the game and watch from the stands.
Match Day! It’s an early kick off too at 12:30 so don’t turn up for 3. Ben’s had a chat with our friend David Richardson about today’s visitors Woking.
