Player interviews (Page 5)

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Yeovil Town midfielder Matt Worthington is enjoying playing in a more advanced position under new manager Mark Cooper.

The 24-year-old impressed playing a role supporting the attack in last weekend’s 3-1 home win over bottom club Gateshead and is hoping to carry on this form when the Glovers travel to top-of-the-table Notts County on Saturday.

Speaking before the game, he said: “Being higher up the pitch suits my attributes, I can press from the position higher up the pitch, win the ball back and I want to start adding goals and assists to my game, so being in that position will help.”

Cooper was again full of praise for the former AFC Bournemouth youngster and suggested he expects him to continue in the new role in the coming weeks.

The manager said: “Matt has tremendous athletic attributes, so we need him to run through the middle of the pitch and create opportunities which he did on Saturday.

“I don’t want him sitting back and not being able to use his athleticism, so it makes sense for us to let him off the leash and let him run.”

Matt Worthington. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Worthington spent half-a-season on loan at Forest Green Rovers working under Cooper in 2018 and said the new manager had given the squad an opportunity to show what they are about since his arrival at Huish Park.

He said: “He’s given everyone a chance to show themselves, it’s a clean slate for everyone. He’s made a big difference in terms of the style he wants to play, eventually he wants to have us playing good, attacking football.

“But, as he has said, that takes time. We need to get back to basics, get points on the board and however we do that, that’s what we need to do.

“From the first day he came in he said the big problem was confidence, he had watched a few games before he took over as manager and he could see that, everyone could see that.

“We needed to strip back to basics and I said before last weekend that the goals would come, and they did.

“When he came in I was excited and over the past couple of games you can see what he has worked with us on – it’s keeping the ball, high intensity and getting after people.”

Worthington spoke about the club’s difficult start to the season which led to the dismissal of Chris Hargreaves, who was only appointed manager in the summer.

He said: “It was hard. For me personally, I struggled with going home and annoying the missus quite a lot by being in a bad mood, Yeovil is a small place and when we are not winning games it seems like the whole town is on a down.

“We have a good group and a good captain in Staunts (Josh Staunton) and we have multiple conversations with just the players to say this is what we need to do.

“We needed to stick together, stick to the game plan and if we kept trying to make chances, things will change and hopefully things have changed now.”

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New Yeovil manager Mark Cooper spoke to BBC’s Matt Mesiano ahead of the his first match in-charge of the Glovers against Maidstone.

MM: First thing to say, welcome to the club, how have the first day for you been?

“Busy as you’d expect, trying to get to know the players, the staff, how the club works. So, it’s been hectic but enjoyable.”

MM: The fans have been left fr*strated for most of this season, with just two victories from 15 league games and a disappointing exit from the cup. I suppose the questions the fans want to know is can you turn this team around and give the fans something to smile about again?

“Well I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t think I could, which is the first thing. I think the previous manager got a bit unlucky, played some decent football and probably didn’t get what they deserved in some games. So we’ve got to try and get the players to feel good about themselves, get some confidence back and get them on the front foot and get the fans behind them again. And that’s the aim, certainly from the start today.

MM: A bit of baptism of fire today, after just one day with the players. I understand you’ve had an input in todays game but Chris Todd will be actually taking it from the touchline?

“That’s right yeah, I’m going to watch the game from upstairs today so I can get a really good picture of it, a good view and I’ll be on the phone to Chris if need be.”

MM: I think an issue that a lot of the fans had is that they didn’t really feel like the formation was working, they said 3-5-2 didn’t have the suitability for the players. How do you like playing and what have you seen so far that gives you an idea of how you’d like to play with this team?

“I don’t want to get to het up about systems. It’s more of a mentality and intent. Its more about committing to the game plan and how you’re going to play. any system can be adapted within five yards so whatever system we play its about the intent and committing tot he gameplan which is what were going to try and do to today.”

Would you like to try and bring in some new blood to help you go forward with that?

“I think its natural that well add a couple just to freshen the group up, not to replace anyone but to freshen the group up and give us a little bit more depth and bit more competition.”

MM: I suppose on of the big issues is your top scorer is a left back with three and he’s suspended today so where are the goals going to come from?

“Well, I hope you brought your boots, firstly. No, we want the goals to come from all around the team, of course we do. But its about the mentality to get in off the balls in the penalty area for different sorts of goals and for the opposition to make mistakes.”

MM: I suppose today is quite a good chance for you to get back on a winning track because your playing a team in a similar position to yourselves who’ve also not been able to score recently?

“They did brilliant last year to get promoted. And obviously coming into the this league as a part time or hybrid team is tough. Its a tough game obviously, it’s a plastic pitch which is a huge advantage for the opposition. But we have to try and concentrate on us, which is what we’ve tried to do in the last two days.”

Finally from me, what are the realistic aims for this season? Promotion would be fantastic but I suppose sustaining where are currently is the first goal right?

“Promotion, first thing I haven’t got a magic wand. And I think its important that wejust deal with the immediate future and that’s today. If we look too far ahead we can get in a bit of a mess, so it’s importasnt we just concentrate on today and that’s trying to get three points.”

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Yeovil Town captain Josh Staunton said the club’s exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Taunton Town had to be “a wake-up call”.

He admitted there was “an air of negativity” in the dressing room which was “crippling” the squad, but he said the 300 travelling supporters were within their rights to boo the team off the pitch at the final whistle.

He said: “We have let them down. As a group of men we have not delivered a performance that a club or our stature deserved and that falls on the players.

”Those scenes at the end are a wake up call, that hurts me as captain of that team and trust me you will not find anyone more disappointed than me over these last two games.

“We need to be inspired to do something and when chances fall our way, we have to be the ones who want to make a difference.

”That is how you turn a season around, one bit of passion or heart to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and be the one to make a difference, at the moment we look like we are passing the buck.”

Manager Chris Hargreaves cited the inexperience of some of his side’s younger player saying that the occasion of the Cup tie may have got to some players.

Asked about the response to going behind to a first half penalty from Taunton’s Lloyd James, Staunton said that was the moment his team-mates had to react positively.

He said: “That is where you either become a player who has some longevity in your career and you want to make a difference, or you find it hard to galvanise yourself and go in to your shell.

”As soon as we concede a goal at the moment, it seems like we are climbing a mountain and it all comes down to belief and confidence and when things are not going your way you have to find that yourself.“

The captain concluded that there now needed to be a response as the team travels to Oldham Athletic on Saturday looking to their 17th place position in the National League.

Staunton said: “It is a test of resilience. You can either lay down and be someone who lets the game pass by or be someone who will stand up and say ‘this is it, this is our turning point.’

”This has got to be the rock bottom that we bounce back up from. It is now a case of galvanising the group, picking them up for Saturday and being the one who leads the group by putting your shoulders back and taking the responsibility and criticism.”

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Chiori Johnson is looking to cement his place in the Yeovil Town line-up having completed his first 90 minutes since joining the club in the summer.

The former Arsenal youngster scored the Glovers’ only goal in the 1-0 home win over Solihull Moors to earn his side their second win of the National League season.

He played in the left wing-back position in a five-man midfield having featured on the right side and in the middle in his previous appearances this season.

Asked by BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins about his battle to get a regular starting spot in the side, he said: “It has been frustrating, but sometimes you have to respect what the manager does and work hard every day in training and eventually you will get your opportunity.

“When you do, you have to take it, so I am trying to do that right now, so we’ll see how that goes.”

Asked about his versatility, he added: “I’m comfortable in a variety of positions, as long as I am on the pitch, I’m happy, I don’t mind if it’s on the left, on the right or in the middle.”

The win over a Solihull side expected to challenge for promotion again this season moved the Glovers out of the National League relegation zone which they had slipped in to having won just once in their opening 12 matches.

Johnson said he believed the team had been “really unlucky” with results not matching their performances so far this season.

He added: “We really need that win today, we have been working so hard and we have played really well in games and got unlucky and we got the result today. Now we have something to build on.”

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Yeovil Town striker Malachi Linton has said the frustration of missing a one-on-one opportunity helped inspire him to score a wonder goal seconds later against Wrexham.

The 21-year-old saw an opportunity turned round the post by the visitors’ keeper Mark Howard, only for the ball to come to him outside the box and lash home wanted he admitted was “up there” with the best he has ever scored.

Malachi Linton celebrates his stunning equaliser with team-mate Charlie Wakefield. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game, he said: “If the first one goes in, maybe I don’t score the second. I want to take the easier ones as a striker but there was venom and frustration behind that second shot.

“I hit it with some passion because I did miss the first one and I am happy to be off the mark in front of the home fans.

“As a striker on your home debut you want to get off the mark and now I just want to move forward.”

He praised his team-mates for “being resilient” to come back from going behind to a seventh minute goal from Wrexham star striker Paul Mullin.

The striker added: “The gaffer sent us out there with a good game plan and we executed it well.

“The early goal put us on the back foot, but credit to the whole team and staff for being resilient to come back and take a well-earned point.”

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Jamie Reckord has said he and his Yeovil Town team-mates will take a look at the video nasties of the two goals they conceded in the opening day defeat to Scunthorpe United.

The Glovers’ allowed Iron defender Andrew Boyce freedom inside the box to head home the opener after 26 minutes before Jacob Butterfield was allowed to bomb forward and smash home a second just after the hour mark.

Jamie Reckord speaks to YTFC YouTube.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game, Reckord said: “Every goal you look at and feel you could have stopped it, but I feel like we could have stopped these ones, everyone could have done better in the build up to each goal.

“We are going to have to break it down, look at it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

The former Solihull Moors and Wrexham player and fellow wing-back Charlie Wakefield were given more licence to go forward in the second half as the visitors reverted from a five-man defence, and Reckord scored his first goal for his new club to set up a frenetic finish.

Of the change, Reckord said: “The gaffer has worked on us being able to change shape quite a bit and I felt like we were a lot more fluent (after the change of shape) and created more chances, unfortunately we couldn’t get the second even though we created a lot of chances.

“I like getting forward, when you play 4-3-3 against 4-3-3 like we did in the second half, it gives you licence to bomb on. I enjoy attacking, so that’s not a problem.”

He added: “The first half neither side really took control of the game, I didn’t feel there was much in it from either side but we gave a sloppy goal away and goals change games.

“We went in at half-time and regroup and created some chances, we probably should have done better and put more chances away and nicked a draw at least there.”

Next up for the Glovers is big-spending Wrexham, the club which Reckord played nearly 50 times for up until January this year when he departed for Boreham Wood where he finished last season.

The Welsh side came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 at home to Eastleigh on the opening day with Elliott Lee, who joined from Championship side Luton Town in the summer, getting both goals.

Reckord said: “I’m going to be up for (that game), that’s one game in the calendar that I looked for straight away. Everyone knows what Wrexham have been doing with the transformation of the club, so everyone is going to be up for it.

“You can’t be too high or low after the first game, everyone wants to win each game, but there’s plenty more to go and we will feel like we can win on Saturday.

“It’s still early in the season, we’ve lost this one and we’ve got to pick ourselves up and move on to the next one.”

 

 

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Josh Staunton believes Yeovil Town’s defensive solidity will provide a platform they can build on as they move closer to the start of the National League season.

The captain was once again in the heart of three central defenders alongside Max Hunt and Morgan Williams for the 2-0 home defeat to League One Plymouth Argyle at Huish Park in today’s final home pre-season friendly.

He admitted the team were disappointed to concede goals to strikers Ryan Hardie and Finn Azaz which saw the game ended as a contest by the hour mark with the visitors dominating possession for much of the game.

Speaking after the game, Staunton said: “The boys defensively looked good, we just need to get more comfortable taking the ball and keep building.

“There are times when we are showing some good patterns and playing some nice stuff, the longer we go, that will hopefully become more and more.

“Any good team tries to build from the back, we have tried to change shape and we are trying to be as solid as we can without suffocating ourselves going forwards, so it’s all about finding a balance.

“Defensively we are trying to build a platform from where we can start progressing up the pitch and playing some nicer football.”

Staunton said he believed his team-mates can learn a lot from watching the Pilgrims, who get their League One season underway next weekend, dominate possession.

The Glovers travel to lower league Dorchester Town and Weston-super-Mare in their final two games of pre-season.

Asked about the challenge of three matches in seven days, Staunton said: “It’s a different kind of experience, today was about being resolute and you will have periods in games where, especially away from home, you have to defend like that and accept that the other team will have a lot more possession.

“The next two games will be different and you would like to think we will be sharper, fitter and ready to have more possession. It is a different test and gives us a chance to build on that platform and work hard with the ball.

“We will learn a lot from today, you only had to look at them, they made loads of simple passes, working hard off the ball to make options for each other and hopefully we can learn from that and take it in to the games we are going to play.”

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Full-back Jamie Reckord has said he expects to be an experienced voice in the dressing room for Yeovil Town in the coming National League season.

The 30-year-old, who joined last month following his release by Boreham Wood, is the oldest member of the Glovers’ squad following the departure of the likes of Mark Little, Luke Wilkinson, Reuben Reid and Adi Yussuf at the end of last season.

Speaking to the club’s YouTube channel, he said he would use the experience of more than 250 professional app

Jamie Reckord speaks to YTFC YouTube.

earances to help the team: “I’m a bit older than some of the other boys here and anyone can ask me any questions, I am always going to help people.

“I am going to be the one who is going to speak up if it needs to be.

“I would tell Yeovil fans, I am always going to give 100%, always going to put my body on the line no matter what, 100% is a given.”

He added that he was looking forward to playing under new manager Chris Hargreaves having had good reviews from former team-mates.

The former Wrexham and Solihull Moors player said: “I knew about him through previous players (I have played with) and they all spoke really highly of him and when I spoke to him on the phone I thought he was really honest.

“I wanted someone who will be honest and straightforward, who believes in me and who I can give my all, that is all you want in a manager.”

Reckord played 45 minutes in a 4-0 behind-closed-doors friendly win over Western League Premier Division side Sherborne Town at the Alvington training ground on a balmy Friday evening.

New signing striker Malachi Linton and youth team product Ollie Haste were on target in the match with unnamed trialists scoring the other goals for the team.

Reckord said: “It was tough, the first 20 minutes was tough but after that you get a second wind and it went well.

“It was nice to get 45 minutes in and after that we did a bit more running, but that is pre-season for you!”

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Morgan Williams. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Yeovil Town defender and two time Glovie award winner Morgan Williams spoke exclusively to the Gloverscast following the conclusion of the 2021/22 season.

After bowing out on the final day with a win and a clean sheet, he said he was delighted for interim-caretaker-player-manager Josh Staunton and the group as a whole.

“We’ve always wanted to come out and perform for the fans, they’ve travelled for four or five hours and it was beautiful to finish off with (a win) today“

The Glovers had a makeshift back line with young ‘keeper Max Evans making his debut, and keeping a clean sheet.

“It was lovely, today was all about putting the effort it, and for Evans it was massive for him… it’s his league debut, it was massive for him to keep a clean sheet and the back four was solid”

There was more praise for Staunton two who helped galvanise a patched up side to get the win.

“We’ve all respected him and he respected us, and he gave us the confidence and believe that Chazza (Charlie Lee) did before… Staunts has been class all season on and off the pitch”

As for Williams himself, he can look forward to next season with a full campaign under his belt in a season he calls ‘fantastic‘ from a personal point of view.

Morgan Williams. ? Mike Kunz.

We asked him about being told he was at left back for the win over Wrexham away and he had a message for the fans after picking up not one, but two end of season Glovies, but you’ll have to tune into Friday’s edition of the Gloverscast to hear the full conversation.

You can find the Gloverscast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your audio on demand.

 

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Captain Wilkinson

Yeovil Town captain Luke Wilkinson told BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the draw with W*ymouth that he was disappointed not to get the win for the fans.

He said: “W*ymouth are still fighting for their lives, you can say we’ve got nothing to play for, but we have, pride. You can see by the fans today, they turned up in great numbers and made a lot of noise”

“We wanted to win for them, unfortunately we couldn’t get it. but we take a clean sheet, we move on to next Saturday.”

“They (the Yeovil fans) always make a noise, to see them pack out the away end is absolutely brilliant, fair play to them.”

Wilko, who was hurt during the game and had an altercation with a seagull bothering supporter after said the side would try and build on the positives for the upcoming games.

He added: “To come here at get a clean sheet is good, but obviously we’d like to be going home with three points as well.”

“We just have to go into the games like we do, we know we’re going to have to be on our game (vs Stockport next week), because they’re flying high at the top of the league.

“We will go into the game full of confidence off the back of a clean sheet and hopefully we can stick a few past them.”