It was another three points on the road for Yeovil Town (that’s three for the season, by the way) this weekend with a win in a chaotic, see-saw match at AFC Fylde yesterday.
It took a while for Dave to get his heart-rate down long enough to pen some conclusions on the match, but these are them.
What have I just seen? That was absolutely bonkers. If anyone doubted the Spirit of 2023/24 had departed, think again. In the second half, we just went for it and it was a performance built on fearlessness to attack, character to get back up after Fylde pulled it back to 3-3, and a healthy dose of quality. That said, for context, in the first half we looked well off it. I know both Mark Cooper and Dom Bernard said afterwards that they thought we were okay, but I felt our defence was rocking every time Fylde (or Nick Haughton, more to the point) pressed forward, our midfield was anonymous, and I don’t think their keeper Ben Winterbottom had anything to do. In the second half, he had plenty to do and we did that magic thing of taking our chances when we created them. These boys have got some cast-iron balls and deserved everything they got yesterday.
Take a bow: Aaron Jarvis quite rightly got the plaudits from his manager post-match. Yeovil have had plenty of players who just ‘run around a lot’ in the past, but everything Jarvis does has a purpose. If you don’t believe me, look at his role in Sam Pearson’s first goal and the way he brings the ball down and is then in the right place at the right time to score the equaliser. He did that a lot and gave as good as he got from the Fylde defence as well.
But can I also give a shout out to Ollie Wright? He made some important saves, none more so than from Taelor O’Kane in injury time. And, if praising opposition players is allowed, Fylde’s Nick Haughton. He could have had four or five goals alone and must surely be interesting some EFL clubs. All that said, Sam Pearson was my Man of the Match.
The importance of substitutions: Mark Cooper spoke before the season about how the increase to five changes from seven substitutions would be key. He got his changes right and Fylde’s Chris Beech got his wrong. Now, Cooper only had five to pick from today – those magical empty benches made up the other two (Hey, Gloverscast Ben!) – and the changes he made all paid off. Sam Pearson and Jordan Young both caused problems, Pearson especially was at the heart of a lot that we did well in the second half, and then that strike from Sonny – it looked even better from behind the goal than it does on the highlights.
Another one of ‘those’ ticked off: It’s far too early to be looking at league tables, but if you were to do that you’d see Yeovil Town in seventh place, the final spot for the National League play-off places. Now, I’m definitely not saying we’ll be there come May, but if we’re going to finish nearer the top than the bottom, Fylde away is where you need to get points. Given the injuries and suspensions, I would have happily taken a point from this one, so to take three is a big bonus. That is three wins from four away from home, now let’s get our home form going. It’s Solihull Moors under the lights at Huish Park on Tuesday, another tough test but one we should not be fearful of. Jake Wannell will return from suspension, Dom Bernard has an impressive debut under his belt, so we can go in to it with confidence. Pack the Park, ladies and gents, Pack the Park.
Sometimes it’s more than a game: As everyone enjoyed the post-match celebrations, some quick-thinking supporters and, more importantly, the Yeovil Town medic Tony Boreham and physio Joe Storey, raced to the aid of a fan who had been taken ill on the terraces. We learnt afterwards the fan in question was the grandfather of Corey Koerner, the young full-back who was named amongst our substitutes, and there were some worrying moments as he was ‘worked on’ as fans filed out of the ground. It is with much relief we learnt soon after that he was responsive thanks to the treatment he received and was taken to hospital. It’s often said that a football ground is sometimes the best place to be taken ill, and the quick-thinking and undoubted skills of the Glovers’ team to spring in to action underlines this fact. Well done to them and everyone who supported, and we obviously wish Corey’s grandfather a full and speedy recovery.