Yeovil Town picked up three points on the road with a 3-1 win at Boston United yesterday and Gloverscast Ben was back behind the mic for BBC Somerset.
Here are his five key takeaways from the game in Lincolnshire……
Red Cards Change Games.
Both Jordan Richards and Jake Wannell can have little-to-no complaints about their red cards. Wannell had a rush of blood to the head, made a silly decision and will now sit out next weekend’s game at AFC Fylde.
I won’t be throwing him under a bus for it, the reigning Glovies’ Player of the Year has got us out of far more sticky situations than the ones he’s got us in during a season and a bit. Don’t do it again, Jake.
I was amazed that so many people in the Boston crowd (which I was sat amongst) did not think the Richards challenge warranted a red. It’s a bog standard reckless challenge for me and it’s a red card all day long. The amount of contact is almost irrelevant, if Charlie Cooper’s foot is planted in the ground at point of impact you’re looking at a leg breaker. The Boston manager said they’ll consider appealing the three-match ban. I’m fairly confident in saying he’ll sit those games out.
Red cards do change games, and both of Saturday’s certainly did, it was a chaotic affair which was only exaggerated by a couple of crazy moments.
Anyone got any defenders?
Raphael Araoye has a dead leg and went off yesterday, Morgan Williams has a concussion from Monday, and now Jake Wannell has next weekend off.
Alex Whittle was in Boston, in kit, but not named on the bench, Finn Cousin-Dawson looked good for the most part and Michael Smith was.….well, he’s Michael Smith, of course he’s spectacular.
But we had, at different points in the game, Matt Worthington, Charlie Cooper, Sam Pearson (!) and from the bench, Jordan Thomas as part of the defensive unit. It might just be one game were we look eye-catchingly short, but I don’t fancy going to Fylde with a Thomas-Smith-FCD-Pearson back four.
We have seven days to find a defender or two, maybe just for a month. We need some bodies at the back, preferably someone who can play left back too in case Whittle isn’t quite ready to do a full 90 twice in a couple of days.
Does it end up being ex-Glover and now Cheltenham Town defender Tom Bradbury who was linked with us this week? I don’t know, but I do know, we need some depth in there and it needs to come from someone with some experience and quality.
We played the game, not the atmosphere.
I really liked the fact that – aside from Jake Wannell’s “moment” – we didn’t fold under pressure against a physical and riled up Boston.
Charlie Cooper was the perfect player to play pantomime villain in the game. He took the shocker of the challenge which led to the red card and then proceeded to walk around with a target on his back where the number 24 once was.
Cooper was cool headed throughout, he took the kicks and knocks and play acting from those who he so much as breathed too heavily in the vicinity of and let it all brush past him and I really think we’re going to need more of that as the season goes on.
He has the nous, experience and je ne sais quoi in the tough moments and he led the way with that yesterday. Cooper was my Man of the Match, we’ve spoken about needing a bruiser in the middle of the park to compliment McGavin and Worthington, and Cooper can do that.
Furthermore, I was impresssed with the way that some of the younger players handled those moments, not afraid to put their body on the line, in harms way and get it done a touch ugly. Harvey Greenslade, Jordan Young and Sam Pearson will all have bumps and bruises on Sunday morning, but they kept their heads and that, I think, was vital in seeing the game out.
Urgency, Urgency, Urgency.
Eurgh, I hate to do a negative one when we’ve won a game, but I have to mention something which I spotted against Gateshead and Rochdale… and then again against Boston.
Get. On. With. It.
I like the fact that we keep the ball so well, I don’t mind that sometimes the ball goes backwards, I don’t mind that it goes sideways.
What I do seem to mind, is that when the ball goes dead, it can take 30-40 seconds for someone to trundle over, pick the ball up and think about maybe throwing it to a friend.
In that same 30 seconds, every one of the opposition players have tracked back, got into position and immediately cut off the routes to goal which our players are more than capable of going through. That then leads to the ball going backwards or sideways as we look to find another way through.
I do wish we’d hurry up a bit when the ball stops. Free kicks, get it moving, get someone running down a line and be brave enough to get the ball up there. Throw ins, go and grab the ball and be ready to get going – ideally forward – quickly. I truly believe it will give us better positions to get that final ball right more often.
We’ll end on a positive though.
Brett McGavin Saturdays.
When Yeovil were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box, I proclaimed on air, it was “Charlie Cooper Territory”, I’m afraid there’s a new Territorial Kingpin in town.
Brett McGavin has a famed long shot on him as his YouTube reel will testify. We saw that with his second goal later on in the first half, but the free-kick goal was one of the purest strikes, I think I’ll ever see of a set piece.
It could not have been placed any better, any more fierce or any more pin point perfect.
Boston’s Cam Gregory is not a small goalkeeper, he had a large wall, and he got nowhere near it, on his side of the goal. Absolute “Top Bins” (that’s what the cool kids say, right?). I feel like we’ll watch that goal a few times this season, it’s probably already earned its spot in the Glovies’ Goal of the Season nominations.
My challenge to you Brett is… before the end of the season, score an even better one. I dare you.
We’ll be here watching this clip on loop until you do. Cheers.
A quality opener for @YTFC
Video – Carys James pic.twitter.com/geRnb5R6s4
— Christian James (@bostonutdstats) August 31, 2024