Latest Yeovil Town News (Page 86)

Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has said he is hoping to add a couple of new players to his squad ahead of the Boxing Day match at home to Eastleigh.

The boss was speaking after his side’s 2-1 defeat at Hartlepool United where he was only able to name five of the seven substitutes he is allowed which included goalkeeper Matt Gould and teenager Ollie Hughes. 

The Glovers had sold winger Dylan Morgan to National League South leaders Torquay United the day before the game, loanee James Plant has returned to his parent club Port Vale with an injury, and were without injured duo Alex Whittle and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton.

Speaking to BBC Somerset reporter Chris Sykes after the match, Cooper said: “We have got a bit of work to do, we need to sign a couple of players. Myself and the chairman (Martin Hellier) are working very hard to get value for money and I am sure there will be a couple of additions before Boxing Day.

“It has been a brilliant year for the club, stable ownership and we have restored a bit of pride and we just want to keep going. We cannot compete with the top clubs (financially) but we have a bit of spirit as a club, the fans and players and we want to carry on rebuilding.”

Referee Aaron Jackson was the target of the manager’s ire after seeing striker Aaron Jarvis have a ‘goal’ ruled out for offside after 53 minutes  before Hartlepool were awarded a penalty ten minutes later. The highlights (watch 4:17:00 here) shows the home side’s 6’2″ central defender Tom Parkes go down very easily inside the box under the slightest of contact from Yeovil’s Frank Nouble.

Played in high winds which whipped the North of England all Saturday, the game was even delayed for 17 minutes in the first half after Mr Jackson adjudged a bit of loose advertising hoarding on the away end posed too much of a safety risk – resulting in a couple of blokes lying on the roof to rip it free. A difference in interpretation of Health & Safety rules in the two decisions, it would appear.

Speaking about the match official, Cooper said: “There was only one person today who wanted to be the star of the show and it was not any of the players. It was a battle, both teams scrapped and for me it was a 0-0 and the referee decided to give a penalty and when you see it back, if that is a penalty there are 50 penalties in every game of football up and down the country.

“We scored a good goal through Aaron Jarvis, his goal is clearly onside and would have been 1-0 up, then they score (the penalty) and we react and the second goal was just a toss of the coin. We have not had one penalty this season, full credit to our players and supporters, it is a game we should not lose. I have not had a chance to speak to him yet, I have another ten minutes. What you want is for them to put their hand up and say ‘I have cocked up’ because that is what decent people do.

“When the game is like it was and the weather is like it was, just let the game go, stop blowing your whistle. We could have been playing for 300 minutes today, there was that many fouls! The supporters are freezing, the last Saturday before Christmas, let them enjoy the game, it is not about you. Then he had to intervene and make two horrendous decisions.”

The decision to delay the game just before the half-hour mark left everyone inside Victoria Park baffled, but saw the referee take both sides off the pitch. Even Glovers’ assistant Chris Todd and former defender Carl Dickinson, now on the coaching staff at Hartlepool, came over to talk with the 85 supporters who made the 700-mile round journey from Somerset and were fearful they had wasted their time.

Cooper said: “There was a bit of paper blowing in the wind, that is the first time I have ever seen the game stopped because of the ball hitting a tea cup and then giving them the ball to put in our box! It has been a really ‘fun’ day, but I think the big winner in this is our fans – it was a tremendous turnout this close to Christmas and with the weather as it was.”