Darren Sarll (Page 10)

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Defenders Luke Wilkinson and Morgan Williams could both return to the Yeovil Town side towards the end of the month.

Wilkinson has not featured since limping off after 28 minutes of the defeat at home to Chesterfield, whilst boss Darren Sarll has revealed Williams picked up a knee injury in the Somerset Premier Cup win over Bridgwater United last month.

Luke Wilkinson wins a header.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The manager said Wilkinson was “not too far off and may be the back end of the month” whilst Williams could be “a couple of weeks.”

On the long term injuries, he added that right-back Mark Little and striker Reuben Reid were still looking likely to return towards the end of the year.

Sarll said: “We are still looking at December for Reidy, so probably Reid first and then Mark (Little).

“(Reid, Little and Wilkinson) are the three most experienced players and three of our better players and we have to try and make sure we are in a competitive position when they are back in the squad.

“They will make a huge contribution to whatever we do in the second part of the season.“

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Darren Sarll has called on Yeovil Town‘s supporters to back his young side after the frustration of a goalless draw with Maidenhead United.

The Glovers’ side were faced with boos from some parts of the Huish Park crowd on Tuesday night and the manager warned that many of his players needed to be encouraged when Notts County come to town this weekend.

His comments echoed those he made following the game when he called for patience from the crowd.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

He said: “Creative players like Sonny (Blu Lo-Everton) and Tom Knowles need to know they are not going to get battered for making a mistake.

“Those players have to take risks and sometimes those come off and sometimes they don’t, so we have to try and create a positive interaction which develops their confidence where they feel like they can do those things.

“The culmination of the four home games is the biggest derby the club can have in a brilliant competition, so we are building up to that.”

He added that he wanted to create an atmosphere where his players “want to come and play at Huish Park” building up to the FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie at home to Weymouth at the end of the month.

The manager said he did not feel the midweek match was “quite the right start” to throw defender Jordan Dyer, who was signed on loan from Exeter City, in to action.

But, he was happy with the performance of striker Ben Seymour who played 69 minutes alongside Joe Quigley against Maidenhead.

Sarll said: “Ben has got that movement and grace in his running, he reminds me a lot of Jamie Cureton which are qualities which are different than we have.”

He added he was hoping to work with Seymour, Dyer and midfielder Mitchell Rose, who has signed on a month-to-month contract, “for longer than a month.“

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Darren Sarll has called on Yeovil Town supporters to be patient with the club’s players after a frustrating goalless draw at home to Maidenhead United on Tuesday night.

The Glovers managed just two shots on target despite the visitors going down to ten men when midfielder Jay Mingi was dismissed for a second booking after 71 minutes.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the match, the manager said: “We have to be patient. Our supporters, me included, the board, we all wanted a young team and we have got to be patient with these boys.

“We have to create the environment where they feel like they can take a risk. Sonny had the ball and got in a brilliant position, he went to jink back inside on to his stronger foot to open the goal up, and he gave the ball way.

“What do we expect creative players to do? Pass it sideways and backwards? There’s two sides of the coin on that one. We have a foundation which we can build on.”

The boss said he felt his side were “getting better” and described the clean sheet as “a good defensive performance.”

He added: “It is another point. When you can’t win them, not losing them is an important attribute, too many games last year we lost from these positions late on.

“But, we were not smooth or effective in our attacking play but we haven’t had a game so far where we have had to dominate the ball and open teams up.

“We are still piecing together everything, we are seven games in and we have got far more points than we had last year.”

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When we speak to Albi Skendi, on a late summer’s evening in August, Yeovil Town are a day or two away from kicking off their National League campaign against Kings Lynn Town.

Sat in his car, in sunny Los Angeles with palm trees in the background, Albi tells the Gloverscast why he’s not about to line up at Huish Park, and why that’s been the plan for a while.

“I lived in America prior to coming out to England to play and by then I got my citizenship and that goes on for four or five years until you are granted permanent citizenship.

“Having done my two years at Yeovil, I had to make a decision whether to be out in America and finalise my Green Card which was coming up to its expiry date and I had to be there to file the process for renewing my citizenship.”

“I had to make a decision to stay out here or go back to England to play, that is the be all and end all.

“Everyone at the club knew my decision. Everyone knew I wanted to go back to America at a certain point and I only wanted to be in England for a certain amount of time to play.

“I thought my contract was a two-year contract, so at the end of two years my plan was to go back to America and then I found out there was an option,” Albi explains.

When he was not spotted at pre-season training at Huish Park, speculation began that he would not return which manager Darren Sarll and chairman Scott Priestnall confirmed.

Priestnall said: “To avoid conjecture and rumour, we can confirm that Albi Skendi is currently absent from Yeovil Town training.

“However, Skendi does remain under contract with the football club.”

Skendi explained that he believed the option was mutual and that it needed to be agreed by both him and the club.

He said: “They said ‘we understand, we know you have been doing this process for years now’.

“Then as the weeks went by I was not hearing anything and then as the season came to an end my contract got extended with no discussion.

“In my view it was an option, it had to be agreed mutually by us both. That is what I thought was going to happen, but it didn’t. 

“I was even up for paying out my own contract so I could leave because I just wanted to be out here (in America).

The perception could be that Skendi is on the lookout for a move, but the humble utility-man has clearly got his roots in America that he wants to commit to.

“In life you have to make decisions and this is my decision, I have family and ties out here and I cannot just leave. 

“I had to pick one or the other and I feel like America is the one, I have invested so much after being out here for years and years, so I can’t just let it go to waste.”

Earlier in the Summer, Skendi was spotted having a kick-about with global megastar, Justin Bieber. He explained to us that he and Bieber go back a little bit.

“He is alright. I have known him for a while, I became friends with his friends and we just started playing football and he loves football.

“It is just a little five or six-a-side, just messing about, nothing serious.

“It is always crazy when he is out there, there are so many people out there, I do not even know how they know he is there to be honest. There is like 20 (paparazzi) out there hiding in bushes.”

Albi clearly has a soft spot for Yeovil Town. After spending two seasons at the Glovers and playing 75 times there is a clear fondness for the supporters.

“I loved everyone there, everything at the club, they showed me so much love, it was overwhelming.

“Sometimes the game they would be shouting my name and chanting my name, that was emotional, I loved it,” he said.

Speaking about a certain chant, he added: “so many people know that song, I don’t know who made that song up but it is crazy.”

Albi Skendi celebrates with Charlie Lee.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

As for the future Stateside, it’s a blank slate.

“I am going back to the drawing board to see what I can figure out, I would love to carry on playing football, but if it’s not meant to be I will just go to a 9-5 like everyone else.”

The Gloverscast approached the club for an update on the situation and we were informed that the comments from the chairman and manager were the only update.

However, manager Darren Sarll did comment on his AWOL midfielder in his press conference ahead of the trip to Boreham Wood.

He said: “Like I have always said, I have nothing against Albi, it’s his life and he’s got to live it like he sees it, but he’s not here.

“If he wants to stay in America, he stays in America, Yeovil is not a slave trade.

“He still has a contract with us, there are certain elements of contracts that mean you have to be here, like in any employment contract.

“I have nothing against Albi, it’s his life and life’s too short for Albi to not make the decision he’s making but also for me not to worry about someone who is not here.

“He will always have a friend in me, I have no gripe with him but if he wants to stay out there, he can stay out there.

“But I am only concentrating on things that affect us and there are so many of these players who need our time and attention that are here, I think they deserve that attention than those whose aren’t here.”

 

 

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Sarll and Skiverton
Terry Skiverton, right, alongside Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll spoke to BBC Somerset following the Glovers’ 2-1 defeat to Boreham Wood on Saturday.

He talked of his pride as the visitors spent most of the game with ten men after a 38th minute red card to Adi Yussuf.

“I thought more so than that (just) at times, we were the better team, I’m a bit disappointed we haven’t won, but I am immensely proud of the group of players.”

“They took themselves through that process (after the red card) they took themselves through the challenges and I thought they played wonderfully in the second half”

With regards to the sending off – the Glovers’ second of the season already – when asked if he thought it was a red card decision, Sarll simply replied “Yes”

He would go on to reiterate his pleasure at the response, rather than focus on the incidents that led to either of Yussuf’s yellow cards.

“I thought second half especially, the football we played, how competitive we were – I know it’s a defeat, but we are going to be all right, we are”

There was praise for former Boreham Wood ‘keeper Grant Smith, who despite an error in the build up to one of the hosts’ goals has been a regular member of the squad and often backed  by supporters, as well as for Josh Staunton who filled in at centre-half with a performance described by Sarll as “enormous”

Speaking on Yeovil’s newest recruit, Mitch Rose, Sarll indicated he was impressed with the midfielder’s debut performance and would expect more from the former Notts County man over time.

“I’ve known Mitchell a long, long time, he’s a powerful athlete and charachter and I thought you saw his qualities straight away when he came on.

“He’s not trained with us yet… he’s going to be a massive player for us, especially without Luke (Wilkinson). He gives us another senior man, another established man and he has real qualities.”

Yeovil Town have a 10-day wait for another competitive game when facing Maidenhead on October 5th, athough there was an indication of a midweek friendly against an unnamed EFL side this midweek.

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Darren Sarll praised the club’s youth team players for their performances in Yeovil Town‘s 4-1 win over Bridgwater United in the Somerset Premier Cup first round on Wednesday night.

The Glovers’ boss singled out defender Jake Graziano, midfielder Ollie Haste and strike Finlay Skiverton who all featured in a strong side which included a number of first-team players.

The trio are all regulars in the club’s Under-18s side which works in partnership with Yeovil College delivering an Elite Player Development Programme.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.

Sarll said: “I was really pleased with the boys who came out of the college programme.

“Ollie Haste I thought was magnificent, talk about standing up to the opportunity.
In terms of the experience I was able to give him, he will remember that for the rest of his life and the same with young Jake Graziano, they coped brilliantly.

“Obviously Fin came on and scored (the game’s fourth goal) and as soon as the game was out of sight I wanted to give as many of them an opportunity.”

The boss described Skiverton’s goal as “a wonderful moment” for his father, assistant manager and club legend, Terry, but insisted the young striker was in the side on merit alone.

He said: “I can tell everyone now that no-one gets a game because of their surname, they get a game because they can help us win and (Finlay) certainly helped us do that.

“I think he had the two best chances of the game in the last 15 minutes and you have to credit someone for knowing how to get there.

“I was not too impressed with how he knows where to be out of possession but for a centre forward that needs to be the last detail rather than the first.”

There was also some valuable game time for first-team squad members including defender Morgan Williams, midfielder Matt Worthington, who is available after a three-match ban for his red card against King’s Lynn on the opening day, and Alex Bradley who has been out through illness.

Matt Worthington, who returned following suspension in the win over Bridgwater United.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Sarll said: “I thought it was important that we got some minutes in to some legs. Morgan (Williams) has played one 90 minute game in eight months, I wanted to get Max (Hunt) back out there.

“Because of how small the squad is, the opportunity to practice in training is reduced because we do not have the numbers, so I thought that was a better environment for Max to carry on practicing.

“Max Evans deserved a game, Adi (Yussuf), Sonny (Blu Lo-Everton) both needed minutes, as did (Matt) Worthington after his suspension and (Alex) Bradley after missing out through illness.

“So it was enjoyable to see what they can contribute and what they could contribute on Saturday and after that.”

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Defender Mark Little has been backed by manager Darren Sarll to be return from his injury sooner than the end of the year.

The right-back was the big name signing of the summer following his release by Bristol Rovers and picked up an injury in the pre-season friendly defeat to Forest Green Rovers at the end of July.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

After that, the manager said he did not expect to see the former Bristol City and Bolton Wanderers player until at Christmas at the earliest.

Speaking ahead of the weekend’s trip to Boreham Wood, Sarll said: “Mark has one more consultation with his surgeon which might be today and then hopefully that will determine his progress from now.

“But once he is out of that boot and weight bearing again, he will fly, the man is a consummate professional with incredible standards.

“He is very different to a lot of other senior players I have worked with because he still sees so much in front of him, so much more to achieve.

“You can get senior players that hold on and hold on, but Mark never sees it like that, he is a real driving force.

“I think once Mark gets his foot down, he will probably exceed timescales (for his recovery).”

The manager suggested that Little’s recovery meant he was not yet back involved with the squad, but spoke about striker Reuben Reid‘s role in supporting the squad and his coaching team.

Reid is also expected to be out until the end of the year after picking up a hamstring injury in pre-season.

Sarll said: “Reuben is one of the most charismatic, influential people that I have worked with and has a huge impact on how people feel and think, even to the coaching staff.

“The first thing Reuben said to me after the game was ‘that is not a weekend ruiner’ and I thought that is a different way of looking at it, so we try and use what we have at our disposal.”

The boss added that the club’s supporters can also play an important role in helping his young squad through the campaign.

The squad has an average age of just 24.3 years, including the likes of injury victims Little, Reid and Luke Wilkinson, whilst their opponents on Saturday have the oldest squad in the division with an average age of 30.2 years.

Sarll said: “It is an important role that supporters play for us because if (the young players in the squad) get a sense of negativity in the ground, that is not going to help us this year.

“They are not Rhys Murphy who would just stick his fingers up and carry on playing, they have not seen that yet, so the role of supporters is huge.

“If I got any of those new, young players in and said what has been your best experience, they would undoubtedly say either Aldershot away or Stockport away.

“Because of the connection with the supporters and the love and affection they felt from that will stay with them, and they will thrive of those moments.”

 

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Luke Wilkinson will be unavailable for this weekend’s trip to Boreham Wood – but manager Darren Sarll said he is waiting for clarity on how long he will be without his captain.

The centre-half went off after just 28 minutes of the 2-0 home defeat to Chesterfield last weekend with a hamstring injury.

Luke Wilkinson wins a header.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Speaking on Thursday, Sarll said: “I think it is a run of the mill (hamstring strain), we are just looking for a little bit of clarity from the specialist about time spans.

“It looks to be very similar to what Lee Collins had in his spell with us but recovery times differ.

“(Luke) definitely will not be available for Saturday. I wish I could say it is going to be four weeks, three weeks, two weeks, but I just don’t know right now.”

Following the defeat last weekend, the manager said he may have to look to recruit to plug the void left by Wilkinson – however, it sounds like he may have to go with what he has in his paper-thin squad.

Morgan Williams and Max Hunt both played in the Somerset Premier Cup tie against Bridgwater United in midweek and Sarll indicated that Josh Staunton could be an option to drop back from the midfield role he has adopted so far this term.

The boss said he would like to recruit “three or four” players with Football League experience, but said the situation around COVID-19 meant it was difficult to convince clubs to let players out on loan.

He said: “Centre halves are at a premium and when I have gone in to the market at the moment, a lot of Football League clubs are petrified of COVID.

“Therefore letting players out on loan where they could find themselves in a situation where two or three players have COVID, they are potentially leaving themselves short.

“So quite a few managers at the moment are looking at self-preservation and keeping everyone around.

“The most important thing when we’re trying to recruit is trying to get experience, someone who has Football League experience.

“In my time here, we are at the mercy of what is available and what we can afford, so it is a bit of a chancer’s market at the moment.

“You’ve got to be ready to strike and if there’s something out there and something that will benefit us then I think we’ll do that.”

“We’ve got a brilliant guy in Josh Staunton whose trade is in the centre of defence, so we have that option – but there’s so many ifs, buts and maybes you just have to be ready to strike when the iron’s hot.”

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Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll said he was disappointed with the body language shown by his players in the first half of today’s 2-0 home defeat against Chesterfield.

But, the boss said he was not ready to write off his team any more than he was ready to crown them champions after last weekend’s 3-0 win away at Stockport County.

Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the match, Sarll said the second goal scored by ex-Glovers’ loanee Kabongo Tshimanga after 36 minutes was “a horror show.”

Darren Sarll
Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz,.

He said: “(Both goals) are down to lapses of concentration and we have paid for that, but I don’t think it is time we start rolling out the shotguns and blowing people’s heads off.

“We as a team did that and we as a team did what we did last week (beating Stockport County 3-0), and we as a team will take what we did this week.

“My biggest disappointment in the first half was the body language of some of the players, I don’t think they showed enough. Body language is always a reflection of what someone is thinking, so if they are thinking positively it reflects.

“Too many of our players looked uninterested and that is something for me to think about and that is the worst part of the day for me.”

Midfielder Josh Staunton added that the first half performance was “not acceptable” adding that the second goal was out of character for a defence which has kept clean sheets in its last two matches.

He said: “We can’t allow (mistakes like that) to creep in because one straight ball over the top should not be causing us problems like that.

“We came out in the second half much better in terms of intensity, shape and patience off the ball and they stopped playing through us.”

But, Staunton was also not willing to lose his head over a defeat any more than he was after last weekend’s victory.

He said: “Even with three (wins) on the bounce (in our previous three games) we have achieved nothing.

“One win does not make us the best in the league, and one loss does not make us the worst in the league, so it is important we find some middle ground.”

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Midfielder Josh Staunton was disappointed at the decision to disallow what would have been his first Yeovil Town goal today.

He thought he has put the Glovers ahead after 15 minutes of the 2-0 defeat to Chesterfield only for the goal to be disallowed for a foul on visiting keeper Scott Loach.

The decision came just moments before the Spireites broke down the other end and opened the scoring through an own goal by hosts’ stopper Grant Smith.

Josh Staunton.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Speaking after the match, Staunton said: “I thought the goalie just dropped it, to be fair, but they were saying he got hit from behind.

“Goalkeepers are often quite well protected and then they went up the other end and scored with an attack where it has hit the post and come of Granty (Smith) and gone in.

“So that swung the momentum massively in their favour and it just carried on that way in the first half.”

Asked about the decision, Yeovil manager Darren Sarll said the foul was “a bit soft.”

He said: “It is really difficult in real time, but I did not see arms (raised) I just saw Max Hunt trying to head the ball. It looked a bit soft but goalkeepers get looked after quite a lot these days.”

However, neither Sarll and Staunton had any complaints about the result and praised Chesterfield for their performance in both boxes.

The manager said: “Teams that win leagues have quality in the boxes and I thought Chesterfield were very good in the boxes today.

“I don’t know the numbers of chances compared to ours, but their defending at set plays was very strong and they have that strength of character and physique.”

Staunton added: “You win and lose games inside the boxes and today (Chesterfield) were better than us in both boxes.”