Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper was pleased with the team spirit he saw from his side as they picked up a 4-0 win at Buckland Athletic in their opening pre-season friendly on Saturday.
The Glovers’ boss described the atmosphere in the dressing room last season as “horrendous” as the club dropped out of National League, and said he had focused on the characters of his summer recruits.
In Devon, two goals came from recent arrivals strikers Jake Hyde and Frank Nouble with midfielders Jordan Stevens and Matt Worthington chipping in with the others.
Speaking after the match, Cooper said: “They have gelled as a unit and a squad and my off season was about bringing in the right characters first and foremost for Yeovil Town.
“After last season, it was horrendous, so I have tried to recruit really good characters through doing my homework and getting information and that helps the changing room.
“They are getting on really well as a group and I think you could see that out there today with the camaraderie.”
“It is important that we share the goals out because we have got some firepower in the squad.”
The manager was pleased to see goals coming from across the pitch after last season when his side struggled to score ending as the lowest scorers in the National League with just 35 goals in 46 matches.
Picture courtesy of Iain Morland.
Of his strikers, he said: “Hydey has got a goal and Frank has got one as well. It is important that we share the goals out because we have got some firepower in the squad.
“It is important we try and manage that group of players to keep them fresh and get enough game time out of them.
“I think it went well. You are looking for different things in pre-season, the main thing being fitness and trying to get through without too many injuries.
“I thought we looked good in spells, after a while the pitch starts to dry out and it gets a bit sticky and difficult to move the ball quickly, but on the whole I was pleased with it.”
The win over the Western League outfit started the Glovers’ pre-season campaign on the right note and they carry on with a visit to Wimborne Town on Tuesday night before another trip to Devon to take on Southern League outfit Tiverton Town next weekend.
Picture courtesy of Iain Morland.
The preparations are building up to the opening game of the National League South campaign with a trip to Hemel Hempstead Town on Saturday 5th August – and Cooper is excited about the challenge ahead.
He said: “I am looking forward to (the new season), I think it is going to be a really exciting season with some fantastic games. There’s a lot of local games and there was a lot of Torquay fans here (at Buckland) today, so it will be interesting to see what they thought. I have been speaking to a few of them and they think they are going to win the league, I am sure our fans think that we are going to win it, so it makes for a really interesting season.
“You have to have hope and the aim is to finish as high as you can. We are a big club in this league and we have to pick our chests out, shoulders back every time we go out on the pitch and make sure we are competitive.”
The Managers Views of the win in our first Pre Season Friendly against Buckland Athletic FC.#YTFC ? pic.twitter.com/8PbK76HMFn
— Yeovil Town F.C. (@YTFC) July 8, 2023