A pair of Yeovil Town heroes of the late 1990s have spoken about their memories of playing for the club on its way back from its lowest ebb in recent years.
Striker Howard Forinton and captain Micky Engwell were part of the side which won promotion the ICIS League, the sixth tier, back in to the Conference in 1997 after two seasons away.
In the first of a new series, Glovers Past from the Gloverscast, at the request of some of our listeners (and one of our regular contributors!), the pair have relived their memories of that time.
Picture courtesy of Tim Lancaster.
Forinton, who came back for two further spells in the early 2000s, scored 23 goals in 21 appearances that season.
He spoke about the supporters who would follow the team across the country, saying: “We were turning up at places not expecting to get beaten against decent opposition, but there was so much confidence in the side. I just could not see us ever losing.
“When we went away, the away support would sometimes outnumber the home fans two to one and just coming out and seeing those numbers was just inspirational – we knew we could not let them down.”
Engwell said he could not turn down the opportunity to travel from his home in Essex when then-Glovers’ boss Graham Roberts contacted him following the club’s relegation from the Conference in the summer of 1995.
The full-back said: “When the Yeovil job came for Graham, he contacted me and asked if I would be interested in the travelling and I knew the fan base and the history.
“I was only too pleased to join him and travel down there for the seasons I had there, it was the best and most enjoyable football I have played in my career.
“Yeovil is a massive club, when someone offers you the opportunity to join a club like that you jump at the chance.”
The pair also spoke about their memories of a night at Huish Park where 8,007 fans packed in to the ground to watch a 2-2 draw with title rivals Enfield in March 1997.
Forinton revealed that it was that then-Birmingham City manager Trevor Francis was in the crowd that night at the invitation of his former Rangers’ team-mate, Yeovil manager Graham Roberts.
At the end of the season, Forinton went on to join the Blues along with full-back Jerry Gill.
Engwell scored the opener after just five minutes, but admitted he may not have meant it: “I have never said anything, but I think I was crossing it to Warren (Patmore), but I told everyone I chipped the goalkeeper!”
Courtesy of the Green & White Goals archive, here’s that match and the goal – make up your own minds!