Yeovil Town Mark Cooper praised his forward players as strikers Jake Hyde and Rhys Murphy both got off the mark in the 2-1 win over St Albans City at Huish Park on Saturday.

Hyde opened the scoring turning home a Jordan Maguire-Drew effort after just three minutes and Murphy added a second with a clinical finish from close range after the visitors had levelled following a mistake by keeper Will Buse.

But, the boss admitted to BBC Somerset reporter Ian Randall that the second half was “nervy” with an impressive visiting side continuing to press for an equaliser until the final whistle.

Asked whether he thought Hyde would be credited with the opener – which was initially given to Maguire-Drew – the boss said: “If he (Hyde) doesn’t get that, he won’t sleep tonight, he’ll be crying all night! He’s a goal-scorer he’s selfish and just wants to score goals. That is what we brought these forward players in for, to score goals. Two of them have got off the mark today.

Cooper added: “We looked more of a goal threat, but I don’t think we will play many teams which are that expansive with their play. I don’t think we will play many teams like that but the three points are the main thing today because we are under a lot of pressure.

There is a big, expectant crowd, we lost last week, so we just had to win. It takes the pressure off the boys and now we can go and attack (the home game against Truro City) on Tuesday night.

Having gone ahead early, an error by Buse on the half-hour mark gifted St Albans striker Mitchell Weiss an equaliser. The mistake was the Yeovil-born keeper’s second in as many matches, having been at fault for the only goal in an opening day defeat at Hemel Hempstead Town seven days earlier, but Cooper was not critical of his keeper.

He said: “We don’t have to say too much to him, he will know that it is a mistake where he loses control. It’s just a long ball forward and he misjudges it and they score, but these things happen. We won’t berate him for that.

Will Buse. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

 

Cooper described St Albans, who made the National League South play-off final last season, as “a really expansive and technical side” and, despite never being in front in the game, they never looked out of it.

The Yeovil boss said: “I thought we should have been further ahead than we were when they scored because we missed some good chances and their goal rocked us a little bit. But then we get our composure back and get another good goal and at the start of the second half we had a couple of great chances and should have killed the game off, but we didn’t and then it gets nervy.”

He introduced midfielder Josh Owers in the 84th minute of the second half – which had an additional ten minutes of time added on for stoppages at the end – to try and close the game out and Cooper admitted the three points were what his side needed from the game.

He said: “We started 4-4-2 and then changed to a 4-3-3 with Maguire-Drew in midfield and I just felt we needed another midfield player in there with Josh Owers (who came on as a XX minute substitute) to give us more legs and put Jordan out wide.

It was just about the result today, I could have put more strikers on and tried to get a third or fourth and then we could have conceded. Today I was right but we are just pleased with the three points.

Everyone can enjoy their Thatcher’s tonight and Sunday dinner tomorrow and hopefully they will come and support us again on Tuesday (against Truro City).

Cooper also spoke with the club’s official YouTube channel following the win against St Albans…..


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Mick
1 year ago

Being positive it’s a win, being realistic we were awful. We lost the ball too easily and gave the ball away too often. Ok in the attacking third but wide open elsewhere. Changed formation 3 times the last was pure panic on the managers part, everyone back and just hoof it clear, only to cede posetion again. But I suppose Mr Cooper was desperate to win. Looking forward to Tuesday v Truro