Cooper signs new three-year deal

Manager Mark Cooper has signed a new three-year contract to extend his stay at Yeovil Town, the club confirmed on Wednesday.

The boss, who signed a two-and-a-half year deal when he was appointed in October 2022, has also been given “more funds in to the player budget“, according to club statement quoting chairman Martin Hellier on Wednesday.

In the statement, the owner said: “I could not be more pleased that Mark has agreed to stay with the club on a three-year contract renewal. Mark endured almost impossible conditions in his first season at the club under the previous ownership, and last season has shown us how a manager, the players and the club, can flourish when given the means to do so, which of course resulted in an end of season promotion for the Glovers.

“Fourteen record wins in a row, attendance records smashed, and several other accolades are all testament to Mark’s prowess as a manager and his commitment to the club. Today I am glad to show my commitment to Mark.

“Furthermore, I am today injecting more funds into the player budget so that Mark can fine tune the already superb squad he has put together, and I have every confidence Mark will continue to lead the club to further success.  He is a great friend and professional colleague and I wish him all the best.”

Cooper arrived under the ownership of former chairman <NAME REDACTED> having parted company with Barrow at the end of the 2021-22 season.

He took over following the sacking of Chris Hargreaves, but was hampered by off-the-field issues surrounding the ‘stewardship’ by SU Glovers, the group controlled by now-York City owner, Matt Uggla. Subsequently, Cooper and members of the playing staff have spoken on several occasions about the difficulties of this period which are alluded to in Martin Hellier’s reference to “impossible conditions in (Cooper’s) first season at the club.”

Following the club’s relegation to National League South in May 2023 and the subsequent takeover by the Hellier Group in the same month, Cooper oversaw the club’s immediate return winning the division by 11 points last season.

In the past few weeks, the manager has spoken about his desire to “one or two” players to his squad, but speaking after the Bristol Rovers game on July 16th, he said he was not “in a position to do anything”.

However, speaking to the club’s official YouTube channel following Saturday’s win at Farnborough, Cooper said: “We are in the market for a couple of players, we are monitoring a couple, but we want to make sure we get the right ones.

“There are players out there still hoping to get a League One or League Two club and they are not all going to get fixed up and we are waiting for that one or two that can really make the difference like we did last year (with the signings of goalkeeper Joe Day and full-back Michael Smith). We waited then and we got the right ones.”