Woking are the visitors tomorrow and Yeovil have reinforcements in Ciaran McGuckin and Jacob Maddox. This is the latest installment of the Gloverscast with Ian, Ben and Dave.
Yeovil Town loan signing striker Ciaran McGuckin has said the lure of being developed by manager Mark Cooper was a major part in his decision to return to Somerset.
The 21-year-old has rejoined from League One Rotherham United until the end of the season having impressed during a one-month spell which ended prematurely when he was recalled by his parent club in October.
He scored twice in six appearances during his previous stint and said he wants to pick up where he left off with the Glovers taking on Woking at Huish Park this weekend.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah, McGuckin said: “There was quite a few decent clubs interested in me, but the way that Mark showed his interest last time and his willingness to develop me as a player and a person was unmatched to what I could get elsewhere. He showed a lot of faith and loyalty in me last time by playing me in games when I hadn’t played in five or six months and it was only right I repaid him for that. But also I want to develop and learn and he is the right man to do that.”
Talking about his recall to Rotherham, he added: “I looked at it positively, the reason I got called back was because I was doing the things I should have been doing. I managed to play in a league I had not played in before under a manager that I only just met when I walked back in the door, and I learnt a lot from some high calibre players whose careers have been what I can only dream of. It was nice to learn from them and see what they have to say about my game and what I could learn from them.”
McGuckin returns to a Yeovil side sat in 12th place in the National League Premier table having not won in their last three matches over the Christmas-New Year period, but believes the squad is more than capable of pushing of the play-off places, which they currently sit four points off.
He said: “When I left we were in a good position and, looking at the results since I have been away, they went toe-to-toe with Forest Green Rovers (in the 2-1 away defeat on New Year’s Day), who are meant to be one of the best teams in the league. I have only managed to train with the boys once but the standard is up there and the boys are ready to go and wanting to fight. I want to be in that environment, in a team that is looking to push to the top and I think that is exactly what we will do.”
The Northern Ireland Under-21s international made three League One appearances for Rotherham following his return, including starting the South Yorkshire derby with Barnsley in his first match back, and admits he wants to get back in to the rhythm he was in before his abrupt departure.
He said: “I always set targets wherever I go and I had plenty of targets when I first came here and my time was cut short, so those targets continue and they include fighting for the play-offs and scoring more goals. I just have to get back playing and find that rhythm again.
“People would be surprised at the standard of the non-League game. There may be a slight change in tempo, but I look at some of the boys here and ask ‘how are you not playing higher?’ It is not as big a gap between League One and non-League as some may think.”
McGuckin’s first opportunity to impress in front of the Huish Park faithful comes this weekend when a rejuvenated Woking side arrive in Somerset. The Cards are unbeaten in their last four matches in all competitions since appointing Neal Ardley as manager following the sacking of Michael Doyle, who was in charge when the Glovers ran out 2-0 winners in Surrey at the end of November.
Speaking about his re-debut, the loanee added: “(Woking) have picked up a little bit and I watched their game the other day when they won 3-1 (at home to Maidenhead United on New Year’s Day) and they look a decent side, so it will not be an easy game for us. But we are here at Huish Park, so that should help. I think I scored last time on my first full game here, so I will be going for that again. We will prepare properly and ready to take on the game.
“Huish Park is a proper Football League stadium. The first time I saw it I was taken aback by it a little bit, it is a bit different to what I have played in before. It remind me of the games I used to go and watch with my Dad and the fans are just top, the reception they have given me and the boys especially at home are a big part of why I wanted to come back as well.”
Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has been chatting to the BBC ahead of the visit of Woking on Saturday and says that he hopes that any frustrations about having a bit of time off can be taken care of at the weekend, even if preparations have themselves, been tricky at times.
Chatting to reporter Jack Killah, the boss said: “You cant get on the grass, we’ll be lucky if we get on grass, we have to train on a icy 3G, but yeah, we’ll get some work done.
“[Having a break] has it’s pros and cons, you can clear up a few niggles if you’ve got some, but generally, you just want to play, you don’t want to have too many big gaps in between games.”
Yeovil have added not one, but two new bodies to the group this week, firstly, the return of former loanee striker Ciaran McGuckin for another spell borrowed from Rotherham United.
“When somebody comes in and does as well as Ciaran did, he gave us that sort of impetus at the top of the pitch with Jarv, he wants to run in behind, he wants to run towards the goal and he can score so, that was something that we were always trying to do, we’d have loved to do it on a permanent but, not for now, but the next best thing we can get him until the end of the season.
“He really enjoyed his time here and I think he feels like he’s got unfinished business.”
The other is midfielder Jacob Maddox, on a permanent deal from Forest Green Rovers, Cooper says that he fits the bill of what he looks for in a Yeovil player.
“He’s one that fits our – what we try and do – technically, really good. [He] can run, he’s a decent size, he’s got pedigree, he’s one that can definitely add to our group.
“He played at Chelsea, he played in Portugal, he played in League One, League Two. He’ll be frustrated that he’s not played, but sometimes when a manager goes into a club he wants to sign his own players and that’s fair enough.”
The squad has been further boosted by the return from loan of striker Harvey Greenslade who spent a month with Weston-super-Mare in the National League South, but the gaffer did confirm that full-back Alex Whittle remains sidelined.
“[Harvey’s] move [to Weston] didn’t go as well as we hoped, he picked up a niggle with his ankle, and then he was ill, so, he didn’t play the amount of games we hoped, but you know that can happen, so Harvey wants to come back in and fight for a place.”
“Alex Whittle has still got a mysterious niggle in his knee, he’s done some training this week, but he’s not trained with the group because he can’t train on the 3G, so it’ll be too soon for him, this weekend. But the rest are in pretty good shape.”
The game on Saturday could mark a milestone appearance for club captain Matt Worthington in green-and-white. The midfielder one of the few players to have represented the Glovers in the EFL, National League and South and as captain could make his 250th club appearance after first signing on August 31st 2017. This Saturday marks 2679 days since his debut, an eight-minute cameo from the bench in a 2-2 vs Morecambe.
Cooper said: “It’s great that in this day and age, people stay at a club for five or six years, it’s rare. Obviously last year, I made him the captain and we had a really good year, it’s great that a player stays at a club for that long and plays that many games, so it’s a big achievement.
“He’s honest, his work rate – he runs – you know what you’re getting from him every week, I think that’s important.”
Looking ahead to Woking, Cooper expects a changed outfit to the one that Yeovil beat 2-0 at the end of November, a change in manager amongst a whole host of differences. Neal Ardley took over at the Kingfield following the sacking of Michael Doyle in mid-December and has won all his four matches in all competitions since his arrival/.
Cooper said: “[Neal Ardley] has done well hasn’t he? He’s gone into Woking, he’s changed a little bit about the way that they play, he’s tried some rotations and from what I’ve seen, they’re trying to play a lot more football and they’ve had some good results, so it’s going to be a tough game, but we’re playing really well at the minute and our last few games we’ve performed really well and we’ve not got the points total that we’ve deserved, we’ve been on the end of a few sticky decisions shall we say? If we keep playing as we are, it might be our time to get a little bit of a rub of the green.”
Ticket’s for Yeovil’s upcoming trip to Dagenham & Redbridge are now on sale to Yeovil supporters making the trip.
The game takes place on Saturday 8th February with a 3:00pm Kick Off.
Glovers’ fans will be situated behind the goal in the SD Samuels Stand as you can see below in Block 1.
Tickets are available at a reduced rate ahead of time, with the club saying that tickets purchased on the day rise by £2. Yeovil fans will enter via Turnstiles 9-11. Usual notes that anyone purchasing age-specific or concession tickets may need relevant ID. Purchases of Under 10s tickets require an adult ticket purchase too.
When purchasing tickets online, there is an account that needs logging into (or setting up), and your tickets will be delivered electronically, you can show the tickets at the turnstiles, you do not need to print them off.
The club has 24 positions for wheelchair user supporters together with a seat for a personal assistant if required. These are situated in front of the SD Samuels Stand. There are also limited spaces available in front of the Family Stand.
Within these designated areas matchday tickets are provided at a concessionary price, from £10 (subject to other concessions e.g. child). A complimentary ticket will be provided for a carer. Season Tickets are sold in the designated areas on the same basis.
In conjunction with the proof of disability mentioned above, this concession will only be available to those people who meet the eligibility criteria described below.
**Disabled tickets are subject to the criteria found on our **website. To purchase please call our Ticket Office on 0208 592 1549 ext. 2 to process.
Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club has disabled persons parking places for home and away fans in the car park that are allocated to Blue Badge holders. These are provided free of charge to match-day attendees but should be booked at least 48 hours prior to the game by contacting the Club Secretary Charlie Fraser on 0208 592 1549 ext 2 or email secretary@daggers.co.uk. Please note the car park closes one hour before kick off.
If you so wish, you can pre-purchase your copy of the Dagenham v Yeovil programme. HERE for £5, please note that ff you are ordering for a match in advance, please note this will be dispatched on the Monday after the match.
Other upcoming tickets for Yeovil fans to purchase.
Rochdale (Jan 25th) – https://gloverscast.co.uk/rochdale-away-tickets-on-sale/
Maidenhead (Feb 22nd) – https://gloverscast.co.uk/maidenhead-away-tickets-on-sale/
Barnet (March 4th) – https://gloverscast.co.uk/barnet-away-tickets-on-sale/
Perfect Plympton Pip Past Glovers
Yeovil Town women suffered a 4-3 defeat at the hands of table toppers Plympton, who maintained their perfect record despite a gallant performance from the Glovers.
Paul Knight made three changes to the side who thrashed Honiton last time out before the Christmas break, as Abbie Vernon, Becky Miles and Terri Will returned to the starting eleven.
Despite scoring three goals and taking the game to the unbeaten visitors, Yeovil’s brave performance did not earn anything from the affair, with Plympton taking all three points. A brace from Samantha Metters as well as goals from Dionne Igalawuye and Elsa Finnegan
ensured that the visitors took all three points back to Devon and strengthened their bid for promotion to the Premier Division of the Regen Arable South West League system. Yeovil’s goal-scorers are unknown.
Great start to 2025 with another 3 points on the road.. pic.twitter.com/Ugr7jRM8g6
— Plympton Ladies FC (@plymptonladies) January 5, 2025
Yeovil Town Women now look ahead to their next league encounter as they travel to the Bob Lucas Stadium for a matchup against rivals W*ymouth. With W*ymouth sitting second in the league, one place above the Glovers, Yeovil will be desperate to make a statement on the
Dorset coast.
W*ymouth Women v Yeovil Town Women: 14:00 KO Bob Lucas Stadium.
This Sunday we host to Yeovil Women at the Bob Lucas Stadium!
We have handed out over 600 requested tickets to school children across Dorset. Those children who had been given a ticket for the previous fixture (Feniton – that was postponed) can use it for this fixture. pic.twitter.com/4lRAailHDL
— Weymouth FC Women (@WeymouthFCW) January 6, 2025
Yeovil Town host Woking in National League action this Saturday, 11th January and a fairly familiar referee will take charge.
Paul Johnson was the man in the middle for the Glovers’ 0-0 draw with Sutton United earlier on this season and he will be again at the weekend.
In total, he dished out seven yellow cards on that day with Charlie Cooper, Dom Bernard, Morgan Williams and Alex Whittle all having their name taken.
Our Match Report does note late on that; “Ashley Nadesan goes in the referee’s book for a very (very!) late challenge on Alex Whittle right in front of the dug-outs. Whittle looks to land heavily on his shoulder and soon after he goes down inside the box for some treatment. Nadesan on the other hand is substituted with his manager maybe recognising his player may have been lucky to only given a yellow.”
It would be an injury that would keep Whittle out for a bit.
Since that game, Mr Johnson has officiated three other National League ties including a 6-0 thrashing for Solihull who gave Ebbsfleet a pasting in a game which saw two players sent off, including Solihull’s James Clarke after just six minutes – and they still went on to win 6-0!
In total, we’ve seen him three times as our ref; two draws and a 3-0 loss at home to Oldham in April 2023.
Yeovil Town FC (First Team) v Woking FC (First Team)
National League – Premier
Referee: Johnson, Paul
Assistant Referee: Morris, Richard
Assistant Referee: Morris, Kevin
Fourth Official: Spender, Oliver
Yeovil Town have strengthened their squad with the signing of striker Ciaran McGuckin and midfielder Jacob Maddox.
As widely trailed, McGuckin returns on loan from League One side Rotherham United following a successful spell at Huish Park last year, whilst Maddox has joined following his release by National League Premier Division rivals Forest Green Rovers.
The pair were announced on Tuesday afternoon with details of McGuckin’s loan confirmed and Maddox signing on a permanent deal until summer 2026.
Speaking to the club’s official social media, McGuckin said: “It’s good to be back, it’s been a long time coming and it is good to finally get back.
“I went back (to Rotherham) in a good position thanks to Yeovil and having a few games under my belt thanks to Mark (Cooper) and his staff and in my head I had targets I wanted to meet here and I still have those.
“It was a great experience to learn from the calibre of players (I was playing with at Rotherham) and improve my game and it was nice to get some recognition for what I did here.
“But, once I knew going back out on loan was an option, after seeing the other offers, Yeovil was always my number one choice. I have a bit of unfinished business here and still have plenty of targets to hit and some more added to that.
“I think the supporters know I am going to come in and work hard and hopefully push for those play-off places.”
In his own interview, Maddox said: “It feels really good to be here and I am just excited for the challenge now. I trained this morning and the boys and manager were very welcoming, we spoke about how (the manager) wants to play and I feel it aligns with my qualities, so I am excited.
“I feel like I have a lot of experience and I like to bring that to my game. I like to say I am comfortable on the ball and have a lot of qualities, so I want to show that straight away, excite the fans and show those good qualities.
“I have played Yeovil before a few years back and always played quite well here, but it will be nice to put on a green shirt and do it for Yeovil.
“I am eager and ready to go with lots of hard work and hopefully qualities to show.”
Maddox, 26, has made a single National League Cup appearance for Forest Green this season having suffered with a hamstring injury.
The Bristol-born midfielder started his youth career at Bristol City before progressing in to the Chelsea academy for seven years where he had loan spells at Cheltenham Town, Tranmere Rovers and Southampton, before joining Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes in 2020.
He had a loan spell back in the UK with Burton Albion before signing permanently with Walsall and then joining Forest Green in the summer of 2023.
McGuckin is a far better known face in Somerset. The Northern Ireland Under-21s international impressed during a month on loan when he scored twice in six appearances before being recalled by Rotherham United in late October where he has since made one start and two substitute appearances.
His return to Yeovil was confirmed by his manager Steve Evans at the weekend, adding: “He had a really good spell there and got some goals. It’s important that he goes out and gets three months of football education.”
McGuckin’s arrival will bolster a frontline which now also includes Harvey Greenslade following his return from his loan spell at Weston-super-Mare ahead of this weekend’s home match with Woking.
The return of Ciaran McGuckin will provide some much-needed firepower up front for Yeovil. His recall back to Rotherham in October left us short on support for Aaron Jarvis – and with Harvey Greenslade not fully fit and then loaned out to Weston-super-Mare – the attacking combinations have quite clicked like they did with McGuckin in the forward line.
Aaron Jarvis has toiled so far this season, dropping deep to bring other players into the game and generally warring with defenders to keep the shirt on his back. McGuckin’s return will take the pressure off Jarvis somewhat, and add another dynamic to an attack that has struggled to break down teams higher in the table.
Speaking of the top of the table, over the weekend York City completed the permanent signing of Josh Stones from League One side Wigan Athletic. The 21-year-old hasn’t played a lot of football but scored seven goals in 10 appearances over two loan spells for Oldham and the rumours are that the Minstermen have spent six-figures on the striker.
The signing adds to the mountain of evidence that it takes big money to get out of the National League. Stockport, Wrexham, Notts County, Chesterfield have all spent fortunes to get back to the EFL and with York City not afraid to splash the cash and Forest Green Rovers bankrolled by Dale Vince, who in 2022 had a net worth of more than £100m, it’s going to take something special to lay a glove on the top of the table.
It’s not like we’ve not been here before though. Think back to that 2012/13 season and Gary’s heroes. On paper we had no right to be in the conversation with Doncaster, Bournemouth, Brentford and Sheffield United at the top end of the table – half of those four have become Premier League stalwarts since. But, we managed it with a brilliant team spirit and a togetherness with the supporters that has the potential to be the difference-maker on the day. If the January reinforcements arrive and this run of home games returns some performances and points, I believe we can keep the pace with the play off chasers.
In the broader picture of the game, the Football Governance Bill has passed its second reading in the House of Lords, with some phases still to go, but an email from the Fair Game organisation popped into my inbox on the 30th of December and they think there’s further to go still. If you fancy settling in for a read they have plenty of suggestions about adding more teeth to the bill here. We’re an associate member of the Football Supporters Association and they’ve provided five suggested amendments too. Two of which are specifically around engagement with supporters. One thing is for sure; robust supporter organisations and representatives will be crucial when the bill comes into effect.
Striker Harvey Greenslade has returned to Yeovil Town following the end of his loan at National League South side Weston-super-Mare.
The former Bristol Rovers frontman made the switch to north Somerset at the start of December and has appeared three times for the Seagulls without scoring.
He came off the substitutes’ bench in the 2-0 defeat at Tonbridge Angels at the weekend having sat out the New Year’s Day defeat to Chippenham Town through illness.
Greenslade is one of four players who have returned to their parent clubs from Weston with Bristol City trio defender Raph Araoye (formerly of this parish), midfielder Marley Rose and striker Brandon Bak also returning.
He bolsters the attacking ranks at Huish Park with former loanee Ciaran McGuckin expected to be announced as returning to Somerset at some point this week.
Yeovil Town fans heading to Rochdale on Saturday January 25th can now purchase their tickets.
It’s a fairly easy process to purchase your tickets, follow the link, select your seat in Block U of the Pearl Street Stand, select which ticket you require, fill in your details and pay your money.
Lovely and simple.
There’s plenty of extra information to take in, let’s dive in a bit.
DISABLED TICKETING
The club offers a concessionary price in designated areas of the ground specifically reserved for wheelchair-using supporters. They are charged at the appropriate rate for their age with their carers being free of charge (Tickets must be obtained from the ticket office).
Ambulant Disabled are also charged the appropriate rate for their age for their ticket however, should they need a full time carer to accompany them, the carer is admitted free of charge (Tickets must be obtained from the ticket office).
Click HERE for ticket information.
The club has 33 positions for wheelchair supporters with adjoining seats for their Personal Assistants (carers), if required. These are situated in Willbutts Lane Stand (16) for away supporters. Main Stand (8) and Smith Metals Family Stand (Pearl Street Stand) (9) for home supporters.
DISABLED CAR PARKING FOR AWAY FANS.
Rochdale AFC have two disabled parking bays reserved for away supporters, who can book the spaces by contacting Jan Marsh at least 24 hours prior to the game on 01706644648 or by emailing Jan@rochdaleafc.co.uk. Cost of £5 to be pre-paid in advance of the match.