Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper admitted his side have got a taste for special nights like the one which saw them beat local rivals W*ymouth 2-0 at Huish Park tonight.
The Glovers set a National League South attendance record with a crowd of 6,289 which saw goals from Jordan Young (quite possibly and own goal) and Jake Hyde stretch the club’s winning run to nine and lift them four points clear at the top of the table.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game, Cooper said: “It was a horrible evening as well, wasn’t it? I feel sorry for those W*ymouth fans stood behind the goal (little snigger), but it was a special night and we want more of that.
“The boys want to play in front of that every week if they can but to do that we have to keep winning games.
“We’ve got to take it game by game and we certainly won’t take anything for granted, Braintree (who visit Huish Park on Satuerday) have won again tonight and are on a good run and they will come here and fancy their chances, so we have to be ready for them.”
Having gone in 1-0 down at the break, the visitors – who drop to 18th after their sixth defeat of the season – rallied in the second half and spurned gilt-edged opportunities to put the game to bed before Hyde sealed the win in second half stoppage time.
The boss added: “First half we were really controlled and dominant and should have put it to bed, we were a little bit casual, it became a bit easy for them rather than getting right to the action.
“Then second half, Bobby (Wilkinson, the W*ymouth manager) has got right in to them at half-time and they have come out and had a right good go at it.
“They had five up front at one point and they have had a couple breaks inside the box and Joe Day has made a good save and then we have got a second at the end to kill it. But listen, derby matches are really competitive and never easy to win but it was just about getting the result.”
Picture courtesy of Iain Morland.
Hyde was one of two substitutes made by Cooper after 70 minutes as he replaced top scorer Rhys Murphy and fellow forward Frank Nouble with the experienced frontman and Sonny Cox, the teenage striker signed on loan from Exeter City last week.
The manager added: “We have a group of good players who want to try and achieve something and we make sure that when we bring players on they add to the group.
“We have brought another one in Sonny Cox who looks a real livewire with his movement inside the box. If you are bringing Rhys Murphy and Frank Nouble off and bringing Jake Hyde and Sonny Cox on you have got a chance to get some goals.
“I am pleased for Hydey to get that goal in front of the Thatchers as well.”
Saturday’s home match with Braintree Town marks 12 months since Cooper was appointed to replace Chris Hargreaves with the club struggling at the wrong end of the National League Premier.
Having lost only two of his first ten matches, off-the-field tensions with began to spill on to the pitch as the on-off takeover by ‘stewards’ SU Glovers faltered before collapsing with the disastrous run of form which coincided with the turmoil leading to relegation last season.
Asked about his first year, Cooper said: “When I first came in, I felt we had enthusiasm and a brilliant start and we lost maybe one game in ten or eleven games and then things happen and there was a new group came in and signed players that were not right for the football club in my opinion.
“The second part was it turned toxic and I got quite a lot of blame for that and I am the manager so I carry the can for that, but I think people now can see maybe it wasn’t all about me.
“We have come a long way but we have achieved nothing yet. I am really enjoying my time, the fans have been brilliant this year and we need to keep going and keep riding that wave together.”
You can listen to the whole interview here
As ever, Mark Cooper also spoke to the club’s YouTube channel covering many of the same things.
onwards and upwards