Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper said his side’s performance in a 4-2 win at Tiverton Town had shown him his squad’s ability to pull through when things were not completely to their liking.
The boss said the pitch at the Southern League side was “not great” but saw his side race to a 4-0 half-time lead with a hat-trick from striker Rhys Murphy and another from strike-partner Frank Nouble.
Speaking after the win, the boss said: “We have to realise we are going to go to places which are not how we like it. The pitch was not brilliant tonight, but we have to deal with that and have a mentality that whatever the situation is.
“However bad the pitch is, however bare the stadium is, whatever the opposition do, we have to match that and beat it and make sure we come out on top and that is what we have done tonight.”
He was full of praise for Murphy who set up Nouble for the Glovers’ third on the night. Cooper said: “If you asked the players that play behind them, they love playing with them because they look after the ball and the positions they pick up are very good. There is a good partnership there and obviously you have to throw Jake Hyde in to that mix as well when he is ready, so we have got some real firepower.”
Speaking after the game, Murphy said: “It is good to be feeling sharper and fitter and I thought the team worked well tonight after Tuesday (night’s 2-1 defeat at Wimborne Town).
“It is just a case of building it up because we are still only the second or third week of pre-season, so it is still early days. It is good to see the boys are gelling and moving forwards.”
Cooper said that midfielder Matt Worthington’s deeper position having appeared after 40 minutes was just an opportunity for him to get some minutes having come off as a precaution in the midweek defeat at Wimborne.
The boss said: “It was just a case of Worthy coming off in the first half at Wimborne and I just wanted to give him 20 minutes to open his lung. His position meant nothing, I just wanted to get him to run and open his lungs again.”
? Mark Coopers Views of our Pre Season Friendly against Tiverton Town FC#YTFC ? pic.twitter.com/ZTjRALQI5Z
— Yeovil Town F.C. (@YTFC) July 14, 2023