Cooper: Don’t judge us after one game

Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has said there should not be too many conclusions drawn after their opening day stalemate with Hartlepool United last weekend.

The Glovers travel to big-spending Forest Green Rovers, now managed by former Premier League midfielder and radio shock jock, Robbie Savage, for their first away match of the season this weekend.

Speaking on Thursday from the club’s training ground just 23 miles from The New Lawn, Cooper was asked by BBC Radio Somerset reporter Josh Perkins how he would respond to claims that his side’s failure to hit the net last weekend could be considered “same old Yeovil.” The Glovers were the division’s third lowest scorers in the 2024-25 season with 51 goals in 46 games.

Cooper said: “I think we would have taken a few goalless draws last year, but no. If you look at the first game of the season, there would have been a couple of teams in the National League that would have killed for a 0-0 draw against a team that I think will be competing for a top seven place.

“We missed some chances, we could have done better with the final pass, but if after ten games we are still getting 0-0 draws, maybe – but this was the first game. It is one game at a time, but I was pleased with the second half on Saturday.”

The boss said his side had “a couple of bumps and bruises” following the game at Huish Park, but said he was expecting to have the same squad to select from that he did seven days ago.

Forest Green completed their 12th new signing of the summer with the arrival of wing-back Jili Buyabu on a season-long loan from Sheffield United on Thursday. The 21-year-old came off the bench for Rochdale in a 4-0 win over Yeovil in January and played 24 times at National League level last season.

He joins the likes of attacking midfielder Nick Haughton, who has starred for AFC Fylde at National League level in recent years, striker Kairo Mitchell, signed from Rochdale, and defender Laurent Mendy and midfielder Tre Pemberton, signed from Savage’s former club, Macclesfield.

In the former Wales international’s first competitive game in charge, the Gloucestershire side were held to a 2-2 draw at Solihull Moors on the opening day despite their hosts being reduced to ten men after six minutes.

Asked how he thought the latest wave of new recruits would work for this weekend’s opponents, Cooper said: “It can work both ways, they can come in and hit the ground running. There are some boys that are from a couple of leagues below, which can be a good thing, and some coming in on loan from higher up, so it is about putting it all in the mix. When you bring that many players in, you need time for it to gel, it will not happen overnight.”

Cooper led Forest Green to promotion to the Football League in the 2016-17 season and guided them to the League Two play-offs in the 2018-19 season, but was sacked in April 2021 with the side still sixth in the League Two table. They finished the campaign in the same position and lost to Newport County in the play-off semi-finals.

Asked about his time at the club, the Yeovil boss said: “I had a good time there, we got promoted in to the Football League in our first season, held our own in the second year and stayed in the league, then we got to the play-offs, COVID, and in my last year we were close to automatic promotion and still in the play-offs. It is a shame to see them have two relegations and get back to square one. They had a good season with Steve Cotterill in charge and narrowly missed out on getting to the play-off final on penalties and they have brought another new manager in, I think they have got through a fair few now and brought Robbie in, who did really well at Macclesfield, and I am sure Robbie and Mark Bowen have got their eyes on trying to get them promoted.“