Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has said he believes he must add “six or seven players” to his squad for them to compete for promotion next season.
The Glovers’ bosses pointed to his side’s lack of goals this season as a major factor in their mid-table finish as they prepare for their final game of the National League Premier Division season at Aldershot Town on Bank Holiday Monday.
They are the division’s fourth-lowest scorers this season with only bottom club Ebbsfleet United (38), Braintree Town (49) and, somewhat ironically, play-off hopefuls FC Halifax Town (48) having scored fewer. Relegated AFC Fylde have also scored 50 this season.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Friday, Cooper said: “If you really dust it down we have not scored enough goals when we have needed to and that is something we need to put right in the summer. We have to try and find a way of scoring more goals as a team, we have not scored enough goals from set pieces this year, we have not had enough people chipping in with goals.
“There is a key group of players there that are good enough to compete at this level, as we should at the start and midway through the season when we were up and around the play-offs. If we can keep that tight and add some quality, we can be really optimistic about next season.”
The boss pointed to the uncertainty which remains at Huish Park as we pass the one-month mark since interim chairman Stuart Robins told fans getting new investment was his “highest priority“ following the decision of owner Martin Hellier to step down as chairman.
Cooper said: “I can’t give any definitives at the minute, we are in limbo to see what happens, it could be a good summer, it could be a really long summer. We need to add 6-7 players, like you probably do most seasons. Ideally I would like those to be real quality players that could help us score more goals.
“I can’t do anything at the minute, we have players that are out of contract that we would like to re-engage and there are players we have been monitoring that we would like to bring to the club but until things get sorted, we can’t look too far ahead.”
The manager revealed midfielder Brett McGavin will return to the squad for the Bank Holiday Monday visit to Aldershot Town. The 25-year-old has not featured since picking up an injury in the 1-0 home defeat to York City on 15th April, but has been involved in training this week.
Cooper said: “Brett will not be properly fit because he has not trained for a long time, but we putting him in to give him a little bit of incentive to go away with in the summer.”
Defender Michael Smith remains a doubt with a hamstring injury which has dogged him this season.
Monday’s opponents have the small matter of an FA Trophy final against Spennymoor United at Wembley the following Sunday with a support expected to be pushing 20,000 travelling from Hampshire to support them.
The Shots sit two places and two points behind Yeovil in 16th place going in to the match and are without a win in their last five matches. However, Cooper has dispelled any thoughts that the opposition will have one eye on the final at The Recreation Ground.
He said: “I think they will be full strength and trying to get a bit of form going in to the final and they will want to get this sorted on Monday. I do not buy in to talk about that they will rest players, people told me that about Sutton United (before the 2-1 home defeat at Huish Park last time out) because they had (the National League Cup) final the following Tuesday and none of that happened. It is about on the day, you have to be up for it because otherwise you will get beaten.
“Their budget will be a budget in the bottom half of the league. I know the restraints that Tommy (Widdrington, the Aldershot manager) will be working under, because they will not have one of the big budgets. I think over the last two years, finishing eighth last season and then reaching the Trophy final this year, they have done unbelievably well. They have had two great seasons.”
Cooper is deluded. He’s used 38 players this season. Only 3 teams have used more and 2 of those got relegated. The most stable teams perform best but our players don’t know if they are playing let alone in which position. It’s like watching someone playing dice. You’ll throw 7 eventually but it’s all just luck!
Agreed, we need regular “forward thinking” midfielders, sorry Charlie but you are not. Football is a easy game, defend well, get the ball forward (not bloody sideways) and get the ball into the box early, simples !!!
Cooper says he needs 6 or 7 players, but he needs to buy players not loanees, we need striker, midfield and good defender, these will be experienced and know the game, so Cooper if you know about football you would have corrected the teams positions, we watch and can see where the big gap is in the teams we have.
So come on let’s get this right for next season.