Yeovil Town midfielder Charlie Cooper has said it has proved impossible to reunite the dressing room at Huish Park leading to the club’s relegation from the National League.
The 25-year-old, who joined his father, manager Mark, at the club in January following his release by Oldham Athletic last December, apologised to the club’s supporters for the team’s performance in a 3-0 defeat at home to his old club on Saturday.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game, he was asked whether he thought all the club’s players were playing for pride after relegation was confirmed with a defeat at now-champions Wrexham in midweek.
He said: “It is a difficult group (to comment on). You have young lads in there, loan lads and with everything that has gone on, it is hard to pull the changing room together.
“The skipper (Josh Staunton) has done a great job of trying but when confidence is down you can see a few sticky situations today and we didn’t get going. The first goal put us on the back foot and it was just not good enough.
“A few weeks ago we felt like we were a strong group which was pulling in the right direction and even though we were not great, we were getting some results and I thought we were okay.
“It’s a weird one that has gone too far and it’s gone too far, it’s tough to pull a changing room like that together. If you were to go in there after games and even before games it is not a great place. I can’t wait for this season to finish, to be honest.”
Following the defeat inflicted by a brace from Oldham substitute striker Mike Fondop and an opener from Devarn Green, Cooper apologised to supporters in the Thatcher’s Gold Stand at Huish Park and repeated those apologises in his post-match comments.
He said: “It was not good enough and apologies to the fans who had to watch that. I know that is becoming a bit of a recurring message. I can tell you we did not set out to play like that, even though relegation had been confirmed we still wanted to start bright and give (the fans) something they could get behind. I said before about playing for personal pride, but as a whole it was not good enough.
“My shooting was horrendous today. We have got nothing to lose today and I think the build up play was fine but then when you get in that final third it is about going and expressing yourself but we didn’t see that.
“If I was a fan I would be raging, but they have to understand there is other stuff going on. They want the season to finish as well and as long as they are positive for next season, that is all they can do.”
Like father like son, both a joke and blaming everyone but themselves, both should go now
When is he leaving
Crock of shit. Yes lots going on but all you guys have to do is kick a ball. Something you train for day in day out seems so difficult. As for the owners that’s another story