With Yeovil Town’s pre-season campaign now at an end, there is one final chance to have a game of guess the trialist following the 1-0 win at Weston-super-Mare on Saturday.
The substitutes’ bench featured three trialists – A, B and C (we’ll not do the Trialist family joke again, promise!) – with one coming on three minutes in to the second half in place of left wing-back Jamie Reckord and another coming on in place of Malachi Linton up front.
Starting with the one we know more about, striker Stanley Anaebonam was the man who replaced Linton and has been around since the goalless draw at Taunton Town which launched the pre-season campaign a few weeks ago.
A Norwegian striker who was most recent at League of Ireland side Shelbourne from where he was release at the end of last season, he previously seems to have spent much of his playing career in the Midlands with Solihull Moors and Redditch United among his other clubs.
One assumes the fact he is still about and still getting game time at this late stage of pre-season suggests that he is someone who interests boss Chris Hargreaves, and he has shown flashes of “something a bit different” to quote our own Ian Perkins – but is that enough to earn him any kind of deal?
The other who made an appearance coming on for Reckord at left-back was Tyler Garratt who has been training up at Huish Park during the week.
The 25-year-old defender was playing at League of Wales side Cefn Druids having started the season at Bangor City.
His CV includes a three-game spell at Wrexham in the 2019-20 season which was cut short before they got the money and his final appearances for the Welsh side came in a 3-0 defeat against Yeovil at Huish Park in February 2020.
That season he played a further 11 games at Stockport County (when they did have money) and before that he lists Doncaster Rovers and his first club Bolton Wanderers.
Which leaves Trialist C who we know (/can Google search) the least about which we believe to be Finley Craske, a 19-year-old defender from Plymouth Argyle.
However, he has played at Huish Park in pre-season, coming on for the final eight minutes of his parent club’s 2-0 friendly win there a week ago.
He signed his first professional contract last month having graduated from the club’s academy and had a loan spell at Southern League side Plymouth Parkway.
✍️ Finley Craske has signed his first professional contract at Argyle.
Congratulations, Fin ?#pafc
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) June 21, 2022
The Plymouth website describes him as: “A versatile player, who can play in midfield or in defence, and has incredible energy.”
He made his League debut in May 2021 as a final day substitute at Gillingham having played in the Pizza Pot Trophy (or whatever they call it these days) earlier in that same season.
One player who was noticeable by his absence at Weston-super-Mare was Yeovil-born midfielder Matt Buse who had featured in all the club’s other friendlies.
His absence would suggest he has been told he can investigate other options and the rumour mill suggests that his other options could be bothering seagulls at W*ymouth where he finished last season……getting relegated back to National League South. Sorry, not sorry, Matt.
Full-back Lesley Duru was another player who did not re-appear at the weekend having featured against both Plymouth and Dorchester Town. One assumes he has been told he can look elsewhere.