Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley was forced to bemoan his side’s bad luck as the walking wounded Glovers went down to a 2-1 defeat at Eastleigh on Easter Monday.
The boss said a number of the players which took to the field in Hampshire were suffering injuries or illness which meant they should not have even featured in the matchday squad.
They finished the match with Under-19s players defender Jaydon Biss, midfielder Ollie Hughes and striker Liam Nardiello on the pitch and saw defender Joy Mukena come on as a half-time substitute before having to go off again after 77 minutes with a re-occurrence of a hamstring injury.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins after the game, Rowley said: “The performance and the game was always going to be difficult today. Overall, I was not thrilled by a 2-1 loss here, there were patches where I thought we were okay, on the whole we were pretty poor, but the reason is that the squad is playing on one leg at the minute, with an eye patch on and an empty tank! Even today we have had to bring James Daly on the pitch even though he is injured and sick, Brett (McGavin) has had to play when he shouldn’t have really, Joy Mukena had to come on due to an injury and then come off injured and we finished the game with three academy lads on the pitch. So, to even escape this game with a 2-1 defeat you will probably look back in a few weeks and say ‘it’s not bad’ on reflection.
“Players had to come off because they are injured and we are putting players on that are injured and one of those has to come off because they are injured. It is boring for me to have to stand here and say this, but any of our hardcore supporters (will know what I mean). (The supporters) were incredible today, that is the best support that I have ever witnessed away from home, it was unbelievable. All of those who know the squad in and out will look at that (differently) to supporters who look at the result on the Teletext** will say ‘bad loss’, but the hardcore ones will understand what we have gone through here. I have so much respect and time for anyone who made the trip and gave the boys a nice send off at the end. It was a really difficult day for us, it was always going to be. The idea was to just limp over the line with maybe a draw today.”
In his pre-match comments, the Glovers’ boss described defender Mukena as “patched up to the brim” and it was a surprise when he appeared as a half-time substitute following a(nother) injury to Alex Whittle.
Explaining the decision, Rowley said: “I am really sad for Joy because I really did not want to put him on the pitch today. He suffered a hamstring injury at Crawley which he had when we got him in and we have tried to nurse him and get him back to top fitness, but because of the schedule and the injuries he has had to play a set of 90 minutes every few days which is not ideal for him. We suffered a couple of injuries in the first half and we have had to tell him he is coming on and he has pulled up with his hamstring again. I am so annoyed and it breaks my heart, he has been brilliant since he came in and I am just really sad that has happened to him.”
There was a moment for the 582 supporters in the away end at the Silverlake Stadium to cheer about when defender Dan Ellison headed home a consolation goal in the second minute of second half stoppage time. The former Bristol Rovers’ man was making his first start for the club he joined “for a fee based on performance-based incentives” in October.
Having bizarrely been signed by and then not featured under former boss Richard Dryden, the 21-year-old was sent out on loan to Weston-super-Mare by Rowley at the end of December before returning as the injury/suspension crisis took hold at Huish Park.
The Yeovil boss was full of praise for his performance at Eastleigh, saying: “I thought Dan was great today, he has shown great character to come back from his loan and he did not really put a foot wrong today. He is learning a different style (of play today), he has not really trained, so to top it off with a good header, and that is what he brings you, he is elite in the air. I thought he was decent with the ball today, he showed a lot of composure in build-up and he is a real threat in both boxes.”
With results elsewhere going in their favour, Yeovil’s place in the National League Premier Division is now mathematically secured for next season with three matches of the season remaining. They take on FC Halifax Town, who still have an outside chance of making the play-offs, at Huish Park next Saturday, followed by a trip to title-chasing York City seven days later and then a final day home match with Solihull Moors.
Rowley had on loan midfielder Troy Perrett available following a three-match suspension against Eastleigh and is hopeful that his Cardiff City team-mate Dakari Mafico will return having not featured since the middle of March due to injury. Midfielder Jonathon Page, who has managed just 136 league minutes since arriving in mid-January, was an unused substitute and may also be available for next weekend.
Rowley said: “When I first came in we were (in 17th place), I was the fourth manager of the season and all that jazz, so it was always a difficult challenge. We have had some indifferent results and we have turned in to a ‘win one, lose one’ team which is mid-table form. I am really happy (to be mathematically safe) given what we have gone through in these past couple of weeks, the injuries and suspension we have which a lot of the time has been our own fault, we have to own that. To be safe with three games left, I will take that.
“I think Dak will be back, Pagey possibly, Troy has played today, but I am going to have to check in with the medical team to see where we are at but we will start planning for that and we will be prepared as always.”
** – Teletext was a service which offered text-based news and sports including football results on your television between 1993-2010.