Walker Ill, Mukena out for ‘weeks’
2026-09-15
Speaking ahead of Tuesday night’s clash against Aldershot Town, Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley addressed squad changes, tactical tweaks, and the challenge ahead in an interview with BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah.
Rowley confirmed five rotation changes from Saturday’s lineup, with several forced by injury and illness.
Steve Walker missed the trip through flu, despite turning up to the bus to travel as planned, while Ben Radcliffe (knee fluid) and Joy Mukena (hamstring) remain sidelined. Radcliffe makes the bench as an emergency
With games coming thick and fast, including a Friday night fixture, key players like Luke McCormick have been rested to manage energy levels.
“Macca playing three games in five or six days is probably not ideal, so this is a chance for, you know, for us to use the squad and and give some hungry lads a chance.”
Tactically, Rowley revealed Hayden Muller will feature in central midfield within a flexible shape that flips between a back three and back four.
Reflecting on Saturday’s defeat to Fylde, Rowley admitted his side lacked clinical edge despite creating 14 chances. However, he remains eager to bounce back quickly: “By no means were we great, but they were unbelievably clinical… That’s the game, you’ve got to be more ruthless.”
Facing a rebuilt, energetic Aldershot side managed by former Glover, Scott Davies Rowley expects a tough, physical test. He also highlighted returning ex-Shots players Ryan Janes and James Daly backing them to make an impact on a wide pitch built for wingers.
Team News – Aldershot Town (A)
2026-09-15
Billy Rowley has been forced into a number of changes for the Glovers’ clash with Aldershot Town.
Joe Gubbins, Loick Ayina, Zain Westbrooke, Slavi Spasov and James Daly all come into the starting XI.
We knew that injury concerns to Joy Mukena and Ben Radcliffe would force changes to the defensive line, but only Radcliffe has been declared fit enough to make the squad.
Skipper, and top scorer, Luke McCormick starts from the bench too. There is no place in the squad for Ste Walker.
Matt Gould and Jack Kingdon are both named amongst the replacements.
Match Preview: Aldershot Town vs Yeovil Town
2026-09-14
Still hurting from back-to-back defeats, Yeovil Town travel to Aldershot Town for a Tuesday night fixture under the lights at The Recreation Ground.
FORM…
YEOVIL TOWN
Two defeats in our last two National League matches have taken the shine off Yeovil Town’s start to the new season.
A narrow defeat away at an impressive Southend United side the weekend before last was one thing, but the Glovers were turned over 4-1 by new boys AFC Fylde on Saturday in undoubtedly our worst display this season.
Speaking to BBC Somerset after Saturday’s defeat, Rowley said the senior players were rallying the troops ahead of this one, and the Glovers will be hoping to turn form around and refer to this run as a ‘two-match blip’. Rowley, who had the players in on Sunday said: “We’ll train on Monday and then we’ll go and try and put the record straight on Tuesday.”
ALDERSHOT TOWN
Whilst the previous two games have seen Yeovil’s season hit a bump, our opponents, Aldershot Town, have picked up six points in their last two matches.
The Shots, now managed by one-time Yeovil loanee Scott Davies, are enjoying a good start to this season with four wins, two draws and just a single defeat in their opening seven matches.
They will be on a high after a late win at bottom club Solihull Moors at the weekend. Having gone behind to a penalty from former Glovers loanee Ben Wodskou in the first half, winger Broady Peart, who was linked with a move to Huish Park last season, levelled and then Moors’ keeper Max Metcalfe fumbled a corner in the second minute of stoppage time at the end of the game to gift the visitors the win.
That followed a 1-0 home win over FC Halifax Town the previous weekend and the most impressive win of the campaign so far came with 3-1 victory against second-placed Harrogate Town at The Recreation Ground.
KEY PLAYERS…
YEOVIL TOWN – JOE GUBBINS & ZAIN WESTBROOKE
After two defeats on the spin – and a particularly bad one at Huish Park – absence has made the heart grow fonder and the Glovers will surely be looking at the returns of Joe Gubbins and Zain Westbrooke. With Joy Mukena and Ben Radcliffe surely missing through injury, Gubbins place at the heart of defence will surely be cemented in the coming weeks, but who partners with him will be the main question.
As important as Gubbins will be, Westbrooke’s influence – or lack thereof – was probably felt the most in the Glovers midfield. As the elder statesman in the squad (if you can call him that at age 29) his experience and calmness is important with young players around him. Against AFC Fylde I think it’s fair to say Billy Rowley’s side lost the midfield battle and, especially in the second half, the visitors found themselves with time and space in dangerous areas. We’ve said it early, Westbrooke is the perfect foil to the Brett McGavin metronome in midfield. His return will hopefully provide that energy in the middle of the park to free up McGavin to dictate the game.
ALDERSHOT TOWN – TRISTAN ABRAHAMS
The man to watch is a former Yeovil loanee in Tristan Abrahams. The striker has found some form for the Shots this season and is their leading scorer with five goals, including a hat trick against Harrogate.
Abrahams has bounced around the National League since 2022 at Eastleigh, Welling United, Maidenhead, Aldershot (and a loan spell with Chelmsford) and is enjoying a new lease of life under Scott Davies.
Abrahams will be hoping to resurface the repressed Glovers memory of Yeovil’s 4-1 loss at Welling United in 2023, where he bagged an 11-minute hattrick.
THE GAFFER…
Blink and you might have missed Aldershot Town manager Scott Davies’ spell on loan at Huish Park. The then-Reading midfielder made just four appearances during a spell towards the end of the 2009-10 season, but nevertheless he is someone with some links to Yeovil.
Having finished his playing career at Slough Town, Davies took charge of the National League South side initially in caretaker control before being given the job permanently in 2023. He went on to make a name for himself before taking the job at Aldershot, a club he had a couple of spells at during his playing days, at the end of last season.
His assistant Mark Jones also has Yeovil connections having been part of the coaching team at Huish Park under Mark Cooper.
LAST TIME WE MET…
The last time Yeovil Town travelled to face Aldershot Town on a Tuesday night in September, the Glovers were at a far lower ebb than they are now.
Less than 24 hours after the news of Danny Webb’s departure as manager after just 11 days at the helm last season, Richard Dryden took the side to a club he had been on the coaching staff with since the previous season – and conjured a 4-1 win. Striker Tahvon Campbell netted twice with Junior Morias and Luke McCormick also on target.
The reverse fixture at Huish Park was a less memorable one for the Glovers on a Tuesday night in February. Billy Rowley’s side went behind to an early goal from Olly Scott before Fulham loanee Terrell Works equalised, but a second half strike from Shots’ striker Sean Patton saw the visitors take all three points.
DON’T I KNOW YOU?
Striker Tristan Abrahams is one who has enjoyed an impressive start to the season with four goals in his first six games, including a hat-trick in a 3-1 home win over Harrogate Town. Abrahams was part of the Yeovil side which exited the Football League in 2019 when he was on loan from Norwich City in a half-season spell which saw him score three goals in 15 appearances.
Picture courtesy of Gary Brown
Defender Michee Efete joined the Shots at the end of last season having been without a club since being released by Yeovil last January. The 29-year-old started the first five matches of this season but was not in the squad for the weekend’s win over Solihull Moors.
THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE…
Niall Smith will be our referee, find out more about him Ben’s article here.
Match Officials – Aldershot Town (A)
2026-09-14
Niall Smith knows all about refereeing Yeovil Town away games at Aldershot Town, he took charge of this exact match in May 2025.
That game ended 2-1 to the Shots, a late Dom Bernard goal not enough to take a point for the Glovers.
The only Green and White name he took that night was Harry Kite, for a booking in the second half.
We also saw Mr Smith at Huish Park last season, he sent off Aaron Jarvis in a 1-1 draw with Rochdale – no complaints on the red card here, by the way.
That was the only card, of either red or yellow variety, that came out of his pocket that day.
This season he’s been in the middle for three games in the National League, dishing out 11 yellows and one red, to Angus MacDonald of Kidderminster.
He will be assisted by Andrew Hickman and Dan Frizzell, whilst Nicoleta Bria – who has WSL, Champions League and International experience as an assistant official gets the privilege of looking after the dugouts.
Aldershot Town (First Team) v Yeovil Town FC (First Team)
National League – Premier
Referee: Smith, Niall
Assistant Referee: Hickman, Andrew
Assistant Referee: Frizzell, Dan
Fourth Official: Bria, Nicoleta
Gloverscast #525 – “Defending like absolute beavers”
2026-09-14
Well, that wasn’t the plan. Yeovil were humbled by AFC Fylde on Saturday in a 4-1 defeat. Foxy is back with Ian and Ben to chat about the defeat and a look ahead to Aldershot on Tuesday.
Thanks to Andrew Foot and Michael Stone and Tim Hubble for their thoughts!
Two Away Victories For Women’s Team
2026-09-13
Yeovil Town Women claimed two wins in four days, beating the Army Women’s Development Team in the UB Infrastructure Development League, before claiming their first three points of the South West Regional Women’s League season away at Gloucester City.
It was a straightforward victory on the Huish Park 3G on Thursday night, with Dave Court’s side putting three past the Army without reply.
Holly Meakins opened the scoring just six minutes in with an excellent effort from the edge of the box, and the second-half strike from Becky Miles which doubled the lead was even better.
Sophie Skilton also made her claim for goal of the night, unleashing a powerful drive from distance to add some gloss to the scoreline on a fine evening’s work for the Glovers.
Just two days later, the green and whites travelled to Meadow Park, the stadium where the men’s National League South title was claimed back in 2024, and made some more history by picking up their first three points in Tier 5 following promotion last season.
It should have been 1-0 on 26 minutes but for a spectacular double save from Evie Smith, who was first equal to the strike from Izzy Foster, and then got back to her feet to scramble away the rebound.
Yeovil were left to rue that missed chance when Gloucester took the lead less than five minutes later. Holly Myatt put the ball across to Alaiya Beale who finished at the far post.
The reply was instant though, as Foster picked the pocket of the Gloucester defence and was then brought down in the box. Erin Bloomfield calmly converted the resulting penalty.
Bloomfield’s second on 64 minutes completed the turnaround, latching onto a through ball and firing past Smith into the bottom corner.
And the result was put beyond doubt with five minutes remaining, as Roxy Hurford’s free kick from distance caught Smith out.
Next up for Yeovil, Dorset outfit Poole Town will travel to Alvington on Sunday 20th September (2pm kick-off).
Distant Glover: It’s the landing that hurts
2026-09-13
He just has a way of capturing our mood, doesn’t he? Once again, our resident cartoonist Alex ‘Distant Glover’ Russell, summarises Yeovil Town crashing back to earth after back-to-back defeats.
Five Conclusions: Yeovil Town 1 AFC Fylde 4
2026-09-13
AFC Fylde came to town yesterday put Yeovil Town to the sword in a 1-4 defeat at Huish Park. Here are Ian’s Five Conclusions…
A bump back to reality. If last week was a ‘well Southend are pretty good’ sort of reaction, this result was a massive bump back to reality. The Glovers were second best from the coin toss and Fylde controlled the game from the moment they turned Yeovil around. They may have only had four shots on goal, but I thought they nullified most of play, unless we went long for Archie Davies.
It could have been so different. At 0-1 in the 44th minute Archie Davies found himself with a golden opportunity and hit the post when he looked sure to repeat last weekend at Southend. Moments later Fylde got the second and totally killed our momentum. It was a real sucker punch but shows the fine margins in the National League this season.
I think we need more options up top. Another game of two halves for each of our strikers and it’s fair to say neither of them set the world alight yesterday. Walker was hooked at half time so that Yeovil could “change the press” with Slavi. Both have their strengths but neither could provide the solution yesterday. Could the answer be James Daly? Charlie Lennon? Or are we waiting for Joe Haigh? I think we’re lacking a nippy Adam Stansfield-esque striker.
Fylde were impressive. I think they were the best team I’ve seen at Huish Park this season. Well-organised with an effective press, we really struggled to play out from the back. The visitors were also able to get into that shape which seems to make everyone stand still and do nothing which Joy Mukena seemed to fall victim to when he had the ball. They moved the ball nicely and took their chances when they came. You can they’re a side with momentum following a domination of the National League North last season.
Photography by Andy Preston AP Photography
We’re still a work in progress. The early results and brief flirt with top spot saw a lot of rational thinking go out the window and the Green Day rule (no league table discussion until September ends) left in tatters. But the last two games have shown how much of a work in progress we still are, and given us a reminder that this group is still in its infancy as a team. Injuries to Ben Radcliffe and Joy Mukena only disrupted things further. There’s no time to dwell on it though, with Aldershot and Solihull around the corner in yet another busy week and a chance to get back on form.
All photography courtesy of Andy Preston – AP Photography
Rowley “It was a freak game”
2026-09-12
Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley described his side’s 4-1 defeat to AFC Fylde at Huish Park as a “freak game,” insisting that while the result is deeply disappointing, the overall performance showed promising signs as his side continues to evolve.
The Glovers fell behind in the first half and found themselves trailing despite controlling periods of play and entering the opposition penalty box roughly 20 times before the break. The crucial turning point came just before half-time when Archie Davies hit the post from close range, only for AFC Fylde to break down the opposite end and double their lead seconds later.
“There’s probably two sides of it for me, really,” Rowley told BBC Somerset’s Chris Spittles after the match. “There’s the side where I felt like some of our defensive stuff, particularly in transitions and counter-pressing moments—wasn’t great… But the second part, I actually just think it was a bit of a freak game.”
Rowley likened the clinical nature of Fylde’s performance to the defeat to Solihill on the final day of last season, pointing out that the visitors scored three goals from their first three meaningful attacks, but that a pivotal few minutes just before the break turned the game on it’s head.
“That would have made the game, 1-1 just before half time, we would have had a positive team talk, the fans would have been on our side and we’d probably go on to win the game.
“That’s football, you go down the other end, it goes 2-0 and it’s very different, a slightly steeper hill to climb.”
“We’ve hit the post from two yards. You score a couple of those chances, you’re sitting there thinking this is a really good performance. But you miss those chances and then every shot they hit goes in, and you’re like, ‘Well, this is an absolute shambles.’ It’s easy to zoom in on this result and think it was really bad—it obviously was—but there are parts of the performance I liked.”
Adding to Yeovil’s frustrations on the pitch was the loss of both starting centre-backs. Ben Radcliffe was forced off injured at half-time, while Joy Mukena was substituted in the second half after feeling tightness in his hamstrings.
“I’m hoping that Joy was just a precaution with his hamstring,” Rowley explained. “I’ll go catch up with those two lads now and hopefully they’re not too serious.”
Luke McCormick pulled a goal back for Yeovil in the 75th minute to make it 3-1, sparking brief hope of a late comeback before Fylde added a fourth on a swift counter-attack to seal all three points.
With two games coming up in less than a week—starting on Tuesday night—Rowley emphasised that senior squad members, including midfielder Brett McGavin, have already rallied the group – and said that the group would be in on Sunday to ensure that the recovery and focus on Aldershot starts as soon as possible.
“We’ve got a game Tuesday. We’ll obviously be really disappointed for the next 24 hours. We’ll review, we’ll improve, we’ll recover tomorrow, train on Monday, and then we’ll go and try to put the record straight.”