Yeovil play under the lights this midweek as they travel to Hampshire to face Aldershot Town on Wednesday night.
FORM…
YEOVIL TOWN
It was tough going last time out as the Glovers suffered a 1-0 defeat in the Midlands against Tamworth. The result marked Yeovil’s sixth loss of the season, just 10 games in, and dropped the Somerset side to 17th in the league.
Over their last five games, Yeovil have shown improvement compared to their form under Mark Cooper. However, the lack of quality in the squad is evident when against stronger opposition. Richard Dryden will be back in charge, after Danny Webb resigned earlier in the week.
Aldershot Town
The Shots picked up their first win in five on Saturday, edging out Hartlepool United at The EBB Stadium. Midfielder Cameron Hargreaves sealed the victory with the only goal of the game in the 20th minute.
Despite their recent winless run, Aldershot had only suffered one defeat in their previous six matches—a loss to Carlisle. The Hampshire side have also been involved in some high-scoring encounters this season, including a standout 5-1 away win over Solihull Moors.
KEY PLAYERS…
Yeovil Town – Luke McCormick
The central midfielder has been one of Yeovil’s most consistent performers this season, alongside Josh Sims. A Chelsea Academy graduate, McCormick has firmly established himself in the holding role during Charlie Cooper’s absence. His value to the team is clear in the numbers—he’s started 80% of Yeovil’s games, with the last time he didn’t complete a full 90 minutes being the clash with Braintree.
While he provides a solid shield in front of the back line, McCormick has also shown he can contribute going forward, registering two goals and an assist so far. If Dryden is to get the best out of this squad, McCormick will undoubtedly be a key figure.
Aldershot – Ryan Hill
Another midfielder travelling fans should keep an eye on is Hill. Since joining the Shots from Dagenham & Redbridge in the summer, he’s been a revelation—racking up six goal contributions in just 10 games. Four of those have been goals, making him Aldershot’s top scorer so far this season.
On top of his attacking output, Hill has been ever-present, playing 95% of the available minutes. It’s been a season of change for him positionally too; typically a central midfielder, he’s been deployed mainly on the left, a shift that certainly hasn’t hindered his impact.
THE GAFFER…
A man of many hats sits in the Aldershot dugout, with Tommy Widdrington the one tasked with going head-to-head against Dryden. After a lengthy playing career that began at Southampton, Widdrington stepped into coaching as a player-coach at Salisbury in 2009. Since then, he has taken on a variety of roles including assistant manager, scout, chief scout, and manager, across various levels of the football pyramid.
Early managerial experience came with short spells at Salisbury and Hemel Hempstead in the early 2010s, before he took the reins at Eastbourne Borough, where he spent five years in charge. He later worked as Chief Scout at both Coventry City and Bristol Rovers.
The Geordie returned to the dugout as caretaker boss at Rovers, before moving on to manage King’s Lynn and eventually Aldershot, where he has been in charge since 2023.
Widdrington has a solid record against Yeovil, having never lost to the Glovers in four meetings—winning once and drawing the other three.
LAST TIME WE MET…
The two sides last met on the final day of last season, with Aldershot claiming a 2-1 win. On a very wet afternoon in Hampshire, the Glovers put in a below-par performance and fell behind five minutes before the break to a Jack Barham goal. The Shots then doubled their lead just four minutes into the second half, as Tyler Frost turned in a low cross at the back post.
The Glovers got back into on the hour mark that day thanks to a Dom Bernard goal, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be for Yeovil.
DON’T I KNOW YOU…
Tristan Abrahams – The striker had a short loan spell at Huish Park in 2019. Arriving from Norwich in the January, Abrahams played 15 times for the Glovers scoring on three occasions.
THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE…
The referee for Wednesday night’s game is Stephen Parkinson. Read more here.
Danny Webb? Who’s he?
Callum, you’ve now rendered my comment redundant.