Foot In The Opposition Camp – Woking (A)
2024-11-30
Yeovil travel to our old friends Woking today. We were delighted to welcome back David Richardson to chat through the Cardinal season so far. Have a listen to his chat with Ben!
Koerner makes England Colleges Debut
2024-11-29
Yeovil Town youngster Corey Koerner made his debut for the England Colleges team on Friday.
England were well beaten by the Welsh counterparts, 6-1 in the end, but it shouldn’t take away from the achievement of getting to represent the International system within the college set up.
We can tell from the lineup picture that the Koerner started, but what we can’t tell is if he played the full 90, scored, assisted… or did anything else of note as details are thin on the ground.
Welsh attacker Caleb Demery scored five of the hosts’ six goals in the game at Cardiff Met university.
Congratulations to Corey and all associated with Yeovil Town Under 18s.
game no1 completed✅ https://t.co/FAIP1s1BCy
— corey (@coreykoernerr) November 29, 2024
Smith: We have let ourselves down in recent weeks
2024-11-29
Defender Michael Smith has challenged his Yeovil Town team-mates to break their three-match losing run when they travel to struggling Woking this weekend.
The Glovers have conceded seven goals in their last three National League Premier Division fixtures resulting in losses at home to FC Halifax Town and league leaders Barnet and a 4-0 defeat at York City last weekend.
Smith featured in all three matches having returned to full fitness having missed more than a month of action with a hamstring injury and is confident the Glovers are capable of looking upwards again.
Speaking on Friday ahead of the trip to Surrey this weekend, he told BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah the side was disappointed with the 2-1 home defeat to Barnet on Wednesday night, but praised the performance of young defender Ed James, who joined on loan from Exeter City ahead of kick-off.
He said: “We let them play, we didn’t lay a glove on them, so in that respect we were really disappointed, but we have come out in the second half and shown spirit and fight and got back in to the game. It is just how it is happening for us at the minute, little bits of luck are not going our way, but we are not feeling sorry for ourselves. We are putting the work in on the training ground.
“Defensively we are usually pretty strong, but we have let ourselves down in recent weeks. I thought the big man (Ed James) came in and did really well with only one or two training sessions, he handled himself really well and was really pleased with how he performed. We are disappointed to lose the game, but we move on to Saturday.
“When you are on a good run, the confidence is high, but when you are on a losing streak, it is about breaking that and working as hard as you can. We have all been through that as footballers and we all know how to get through it, it is hard work and concentration.”
The 36-year-old was a pivotal part of last season’s National League South title-winning side and said the team felt they should be further up the Premier Division table than their current position of 13th.
He said: “The club has to look at finishing in the play-off places as a minimum. When we have a fit and available squad, it is as good as most in the league. We maybe do not have the budget of some other sides, but I think we can punch above our weight. As a club and a team we feel we need to be higher than we are at the minute, but there’s still a long way to go and a lot of football to be played. We are just concentrating on ourselves and how we perform.
“It is a good standard which probably does not get the recognition it should, but there are some good players and some good teams in this league. We are under no illusions, but we are hoping we can make a push towards the end of the year.”
On his injury, Smith added: “Last year I had a few injuries which was down to not having a pre-season, this year I had a bad hamstring injury which I played through which was probably my fault. I did not want to let the team down, but at my age it is about managing minutes. The Gaffer (manager Mark Cooper) and the medical team help me out massively, and I am pleased with how it is.”
Cooper: Disciplinary system is not fit for purpose
2024-11-29
Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has taken aim at the disciplinary system describing it as “not fit for purpose” as suspensions continue to ravage the Glovers’ defence.
The boss will have defender Finn Cousin-Dawson available for Saturday’s trip to Woking after serving a one-man ban for his red card in last weekend’s 4-0 defeat at York City, but will still be without defenders Jake Wannell and Dom Bernard.
Speaking on Friday ahead of the trip to Surrey, Cooper revealed that the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body representing referees, had told the club Bernard’s red in the York defeat should only have been a yellow card, as an FA disciplinary panel upheld the decision to send the player off.
He told BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah: “Every manager will tell you they raised concerns about the system for a long period of time with the games being front loaded. We saw again (in the 1-0 home defeat to Barnet on) Wednesday night that the amount of times we have had players booked and the opposition haven’t is a lot! We had two players booked against Barnet and I still trying to work out what they were for. I can see that the players are a little bit hesitant to go in for any contact because they think they will get booked.
“Dom Bernard got sent off at York which we appealed, but the FA upheld the red card. That appeal is heard by three ex-players, no referees. On that panel were two centre halves from the 1980s that would have spent the majority of time kicking lumps out of centre forwards, but they chose to uphold the red card. At the end of every game I have to fill in a report on the referee, his performance, key incidents, and we get feedback from the PGMOL.
“The feedback came back from them to say Dom Bernard’s sending off should have been a yellow card, but the FA has upheld the red card! The whole system is not fit for purpose. We can’t change it, referees have a tough job but I just think they are struggling for the quality of referees. I think it is disrespectful that it is a full-time professional league and we have part-time referees, and until that changes I think you will get performances like we have recently. It is something the PGMOL needs to look at, it is not fair to the referees.”
The defeat at home to Barnet on Wednesday saw the Glovers go 1-0 down to a goal from Yeovil-born Ryan Glover after just ten minutes of a first half performance the manager described as “passive.” A much improved second half display saw them pull level through Port Vale loanee James Plant before a Danny Collinge goal with seven minutes remaining saw the visitors take the three points.
Even after falling behind a second time, there was still time for refereeing drama as referee Andrew Humphries denied on loan defender Ed James a penalty after his leg was swept from underneath him inside the box with the final action of the match. That means Yeovil have picked up just two points for their nine games against the National League Premier’s top ten teams, with second-placed Forest Green Rovers the only team in the top ten they are yet to face.
Cooper said: “We have lost three games. If you take the Halifax game, one moment of unprofessionalism costs us the goal, but after that we should murder Halifax with a really good performance. The York game is a bit of an anomaly, we commit hara-kiri in the first ten minutes and we had two players sent off. Then the other night (against Barnet) it is another really tight game against the team which is top of the league, which we should get something out of.
“If we start talking about ripping everything up and doing something different because we have lost a game, the players will ask where the consistency is. The issue we have is the suspensions because on Wednesday night three of our front line defenders are suspended which is going to impact us for another couple of games because our left-sided defender (Jake Wannell) that starts so many attacks is going to miss the next two games.”
However, the manager is hoping to have captain Matt Worthington back to face Woking, having missed the last five matches with an ankle injury sustained in the goalless draw at Tamworth at the end of October.
He said: “We are hopeful Matt could be involved in the squad tomorrow, so that would be a good boost for us. We have to take in to account we played on Wednesday night, so there are one or two who may struggle to play Wednesday-Saturday. We will have a look this (Friday) morning and see who is fresh and see who we can put out there. We have some players who we have to look after if they play twice in that period of time that are injury risks, so we do not want to set them back six weeks or so.“
Match Preview: Woking vs Yeovil Town
2024-11-29
It’s that time of the year again, when games come thick and fast, and Saturday sees Yeovil Town go to Woking in the league.
Form Guide…
After a good month or so for the Glovers during October/November, results have taken a turn for the worse.
Over the last five games Mark Cooper’s men have won two and lost threes. Those three losses have been over the last three games however. It must be said all three losses have been against Barnet, York City and Halifax, all very good teams in their own right. Last time out, they were beaten 1-2 at home to Barnet.
It’s been a tough season for Woking, who currently lie 18th in the league. Over their last five league games The Cards have had one win, two draws and two losses. The one victory was against second bottom Boston United. They have also been beaten by two team that the Glovers have been beaten by in Barnet and FC Halifax.
Key Players…
Yeovil – Michael Smith
What’s there to say about the experience full back that hasn’t already been said. The Northern Ireland international has come back from injury at a perfect time for Yeovil, with their defensive suspensions.
Having a player with the know how and quality of Smith will prove vital going into the upcoming fixtures. He will be a player Cooper will be looking to rely on that’s for sure.
Woking – Dale Gorman
A name that is well-known to Glovers’ fans, Gorman joined the Surrey side from Barnet in the summer and has made an impact. The centre midfielder has picked up five assists so far this season for a struggling team.
The Northern Irishman has already been named captain in his short time at The Cards, which shows his impact as a leader within the squad.
However, he’s become a bit of a pantomime villain (quelle surprise, I know!) of late and had a bit of a bust-up with fans in a 2-0 defeat at Barnet last weekend. He appeared as a second half substitute against Southend United on Tuesday night and it’s fair to say there was a bit of an ‘atmosphere’ when he arrived.
Still loves a booking, he got sent off for two in the opening day and is the proud owner of ten yellows this season. He’s got one goal as well which (even more surprisingly to anyone who saw him in a Yeovil shirt) was a beautiful free-kick to get a consolation goal back in a 3-2 defeat at Tamworth last month.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.
That’s what he said…
The Cards manager, Michael Doyle spoke to club media about the his teams upcoming home fixture. He said: “Another home game against Yeovil. They come up last year, they’ve had a good start to the season, so it will be a good test for us, but we’re at home so we got to take the game to them.”
Yeovil boss Mark Cooper spoke to the BBC after the midweek game about the quick turnaround. He said: “We’ve only got two days, so the players will be off tomorrow in Friday then play on Saturday…we won’tYeoviuse that as excuse though.
We will have to freshen up, make sure we have a enough good legs in the team to play at Woking on Saturday.”
We’ve met before…
Out of the 11 games these two teams have played against each other Yeovil have six wins to Woking’s three, with just the two draws. However, the last time the two met the Glovers lost 0-1 in March 2023. The last time they played at Kingfield Stadium, in November 2022 the Somerset side lost again 1-0.
Don’t I Know You…
Has there been a pair of clubs which have swapped players as much as Woking and Yeovil Town down the years? Warren Patmore, Jamie Pitman, Steve Thompson, Kevan Brown, Charlie Wakefield, Luke Wilkinson….errr….there’s probably more….
In fact, there definitely are because there’s a few in today’s match, albeit they have come via other clubs
The previously mentioned Dale Gorman being one and his midfield partner Jamie Andrews also had spell in the South West.
The 22-year-old was on loan at Yeovil from West Bromwich Albion for a short period between November 2022 and January 2nd 2023. During that time he played a total of eight games.
Gorman played a total of 42 appearances during his year long spell in Somerset, scoring five goals.
Less likely to be playing is Dan Moss, the all-action full-back who endeared himself to Glovers’ fans during a loan spell from Millwall in the 2021/22 season. He played 23 times in green-and-white before returning to The Den, and was then picked up by his former boss at Yeovil, Darren Sarll, when he quit Huish Park for the Kingfield – yes, it happens with managers as well. Moss was not in the Cards’ squad for their midweek goalless draw (/snooze fest) with Southend United, so may not feature today.
Midfielder Rohan Ince is another player with Somerset connections. He arrived at Huish Park back in 2012 when he was getting his career started in Chelsea’s academy and made two appearances. Since then he’s gone on to represent Brighton & Hove Albion, Cheltenham Town and Maidenhead United with loans at Swindon Town and Fulham. He arrived at the Kingfield in 2021 but fell out of favour in the latter part of Sarll’s time in charge. He is a long-term injury victim this season and therefore will not feature against us.
Who’s been naughty then…
Yeovil will be without defenders Dom Bernard and Jake Wannell.
Gloverscast #380 – “Dr Rulez and MC Grammar”
2024-11-29
24 hours removed from the 2-1 defeat by Barnet, Ian, Dave and Ben chat through the match and what’s ahead with the trip to Woking tomorrow. Enjoy.
Five Conclusions: Yeovil Town 1 Barnet 2
2024-11-28
Despite late drama at Huish Park again, it was another defeat for Yeovil. Here are my conclusions from a cold night in Somerset.
We took a while to get going again. It’s now two home matches in a row where Mark Cooper has had to make tactical tweaks to enable Yeovil to get a foothold in the game. Up until half an hour – when Yeovil switched to a 4-2-3-1 – it was all Barnet and they could have gone in two or three up. We saw similar when Halifax came to Huish. At times this season when we’ve matched other teams in a 3-4-3 we’ve come unstuck and the same happened last night. Once we changed shape though, I felt we nullified most of Barnet’s threat.
After our equaliser I thought we’d go on to win. We certainly had the momentum in the second half and James Plant’s hard work earned a well deserved equaliser. Instead, we allowed Barnet back into it and they could have gone back in front almost immediately with Stead and Kanu fluffing chances. That gave Barnet a bit of life and Collinge’s header really took the wind out of the green and white sails. Following the strife at York, I felt we gave Barnet a bloody nose and showed that we’re not a million miles away, but I saw the difference between a side that now sits top and a side that’s trying to keep pace with the playoff pack. That said…
I think it was a penalty. There’s been plenty of debate about the penalty decision right at the end of the match and I think the referee got it wrong. You can normally tell from the reaction of the defending team if they feel a player has gone down easily and the Barnet players didn’t react in an angry or aggressive way to debutant Ed James. Looking back at the highlights, replay and super-slowmo video, it looks like the kind of the decision that more often than not goes the way of the home team. Unfortunately we’re Yeovil Town, and it feels like we never really get those 50-50 decisions.
I felt we were missing the nippy fellas. In the first half, we were crying out for some pace and dynamism and only once we shifted shape did we see James Plant get his legs really pumping. I thought we could have introduced Josh Sims or Dylan Morgan earlier to get some runners in behind. We’ve gone from having the little technicians like Pearson, Morgan, Young, even Sonny to the taller lads, Nouble and Borges supporting Jarvis up top but, I thought it slowed us down.
This was the tricky run of fixtures. Some will be surprised that there’s not uproar around last three results, but I think the context of the matches and general expectations has left quite a balanced response. For all the hyperbole and expectation at the start of the season, most realistic supporters will see a mid-table finish as success. Despite the three losses on the bounce, we’re still two points outside the playoffs, and now with Woking and Braintree either side of W*ymouth, there’s a chance for the Glovers get back to winning ways ahead of the Christmas period.
Match Officials: Woking (A)
2024-11-28
Not many more away days this year for the Glovers’ faithful, it’s off to Woking on Saturday and joining us making the trip there will be our referee for the afternoon, Mr Aaron Farmer.
You’d think, with a name like Farmer, he’d have refereed a Somerset side more, but it is in fact his first ever time officiating the Glovers.
The Colchester-based whistler has taken charge of a number of Woking games, including a fairly routine 3-0 away win at Ebbslfeet.
He did book Dale Gorman in that game, but let’s face it, who hasn’t booked Dale Gorman at some point in there life? I’m sure I have at least once.
In total, he’s reffed the Cards four times, awarded them two penalties and booked 19 of their players (not all of them were Dale Gorman).
He even sent off Jermaine Anderson in a 3-2 win over Gateshead last season, two yellow cards in the 88th and 90+11th minute, some classic time wasting was simply not tolerated.
Mr Farmer will be assisted by Chris Myatt, Steve Finch and Andy Hickman is our fourth official.
National League Wrap Up – Matchday 20
2024-11-27
It was close yet so far for the Glovers on a chilly Wednesday evening, as they were narrowly defeated in a 2-1 loss at home to Barnet. Let’s take a look at what else went on in the midweek fixtures…
We begin at Dagenham & Redbridge, where despite the best efforts of the 10 men of the visiting Aldershot Town, the hosts clung on to three points with former Glover Dion Pereira scoring in a 3-2 win. There was a heavy thud for Boston United following Saturday’s elation, as they were thoroughly outplayed in a 4-0 drubbing at Oldham Athletic, while defeat at Cressing Road for Braintree Town saw the end of the road for Angelo Harrop, as his side lost another crucial relegation three pointer to Maidenhead United.
In a reverse of fortunes for the now former league leaders, York City were thumped 3-0 away to their bogey side Altrincham, while in the ‘Kevin Phillips derby’, it was a win for his former employers Hartlepool United in a 2-0 scoreline. Former Glover Andrew Oluwabori was on the scoresheet as FC Halifax Town prevented Forest Green Rovers from taking top spot in a 1-1 draw at the New Lawn.
There were three 1-0 wins across the two days, as 10 man Rochdale secured a huge win against Gateshead, Sutton United furthered their playoff push with a win against fellow contenders Solihull Moors, and Eastleigh defeated basement side Ebbsfleet United. In the final match of the midweek, it was a 0-0 stalemate between Woking and Southend United.
Wealdstone and Tamworth didn’t play midweek, as both sides are in FA Cup action this weekend.
National League results – in full
Altrincham 3-0 York City
Braintree Town 1-3 Maidenhead United
Dagenham & Redbridge 3-2 Aldershot Town
Gateshead 0-1 Rochdale
Hartlepool United 2-0 AFC Fylde
Oldham Athletic 4-0 Boston United
Sutton United 1-0 Solihull Moors
Woking 0-0 Southend United
Ebbsfleet United 0-1 Eastleigh
Forest Green Rovers 1-1 FC Halifax Town
Yeovil Town 1-2 Barnet
Cooper: We deserved a point
2024-11-27
Yeovil manager Mark Cooper spoke to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah following the Glovers’ 2-1 defeat at home to Barnet.
The gaffer admitted it was something of a game of two halves, with the Glovers really getting going in the second 45 minutes.
“I thought we were brilliant, second half, we were outstanding, I thought we had a right go, listen, we are patched up at the moment, disjointed, because we can’t field the same defensive unit two weeks running.
First half, we’ve got a new player in the back line, first half we were tentative, we didn’t win enough headers, which enabled them to gain territory and get up the pitch, and in the second half, I thought we deserved at least a point.
On a different day, with a different…again… referee, we’d have got at least a point.”
On the 97th minute decision (or non decision) surrounding the mistimed tackle on Ed James in the Barnet box, Cooper, much like DAZN’s Aaron McClean (and just about everyone inside Huish Park) thought it should have seen Yeovil awarded a last-minute penalty.
“Yeah, it is a penalty, [he] swipes his leg away. Josh Sims shoots, the keeper tips it onto the post, and then Ed James comes, goes to shoot, ducks inside and the lad just sweeps his leg away.
We’re at home, in front of our home end, every week they’re given, we had four bookings [ed, Flash Score only lists two], they had none.
Jarvis got absolutely pulled from pillar to post, no free kick given… he’s had three shirts on tonight, nothing.”
The game also saw Yeovil hand a debut to Exeter loanee Ed James in defence and despite a moment of injury concern Cooper was pleased with how he grew into the game.
“Difficult start for him and Morgs, Barnet played a lot of quality long balls forward and they didn’t deal with those too great, second half we put a front screen on and we started to gain territory. Second half he looked more accomplished, he’ll be better for that.
I thought Barnet looked a really, really good team, really well coached, but I thought we deserved a point on our second half display for sure.”
Looking forward, Cooper was hopeful that lady luck would shine on his side a bit more in the near future, coupled with removing a couple of silly errors, YTFC would find themselves back in match winning form soon.
“I’m sure that we’ll start to get some decisions, it has to, has to happen, listen, we can’t blame the ref because we didn’t get a result, we had a chance to score with Simsy, we got back in the game and then gave a rubbish second goal away, a free header in the six yard box, we’re well in the game.
I was really pleased with the effort tonight, with the players we’ve got missing, I thought it was a top shift.”