Cooper praises super substitutes

There was praise for Yeovil Town’s substitutes from manager Mark Cooper as his side grabbed a late, late winner to earn a 1-0 win at home to AFC Fylde today.

Striker Harvey Greenslade grabbed the game’s only goal in the sixth minute of second half stoppage time having come off the bench alongside on loan winger Ryan McLean, new signing midfielder Harry Kite and defender Marcel Lavinier.

The boss was full of praise for the players’ commitment in an otherwise uninspiring match against a visiting side desperate for points to boost their battle against the drop from the National League Premier.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah after the game, Cooper said: “We had a chat (on Friday) and the boys who came on at Solihull last weekend came on and made a real impact, and we said it was probably going to be the case again today. All the subs came on and were really good.

“I think the players deserved that for their effort, it was not a classic, but we showed real spirit in a difficult moment. It was a nothing game, Fylde fighting for their lives and us make sure we can get our heads above the water. I never felt we were going to lose the game, I thought we defended well, but at the top end of the pitch we did not spark today. 

“(Fylde) probably read the room and understood what was going to happen today in terms of fan reaction and they wanted to stay in the game and hope that near the end it turned a bit nasty and they could pounce, but I thought the players gave a performance which showed real spirit which the fans got behind. I think you saw the reaction at the end, that’s what football is about, players and supporters celebrating together.”

The match began hours after chairman Martin Hellier had posted on his social media that he intends to sell the club “as soon as a suitable buyer is found” – read more about that here – following the decision to ban a number of supporters for “negative comments and remarks regarding Yeovil Town Football Club and the club’s chairman.”

Cooper said that the owner had been supportive of him during their time working together, but reiterated pre-match comments that he could only impact on-the-field matters.

He said: “I understand the politics, but for me it is just football. The players showed today they are having a right go for the cause, we are trying to take the (off-the-field) noise away from them and all of that is what it is going to be. We were not by any stretch of the imagination slick today, but the boys put an amazing shift in and got the result on the pitch.

“I am not sure how that stuff is resolved. All I can speak about is that the owner has been really good with me. As a football person he has been really good with me and that is all I can deal with. Whatever else will happen, will happen, and I think it is important that we just talk about how committed the players have been in the last few weeks. They went to Solihull (last weekend) and put a brilliant performance on and they have come here today, been really committed, and got three points.”

Alex Whittle went off injured late in the game following a thunderous 50-50 challenge for the ball, but the manager said he expected the full-back to be available for next weekend’s trip to Altrincham.

He added: “He will be okay, we have a couple that are pushing through it. We’ve got Whitts, Ciaran (McGuckin), Coops (Charlie Cooper), they are just grinding games out because we need them and probably could do with not playing at the minute. But they are the ones putting their hands up and saying they want to play, so fair play to them.

“We had Michael Smith on the bench today, so he can get another good week of training in and hopefully Jake Wannell can take part in a couple of sessions.”