Matt Worthington (Page 2)

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Yeovil Town captain Matt Worthington admitted he may have had a couple of cross words at some of his team-mates who spurned glorious opportunities to make a 1-0 home win over Havant & Waterlooville more convincing.

Strikers Frank Nouble and Sam Pearson and substitute Jordan Stevens all had great opportunities to make it 2-0 in the second half at a rain-soaked Huish Park, but a first half Jake Wannell goal from a well-worked set piece was the difference.

Speaking to our man Ian Perkins after the game, the skipper said: “In the heat of the moment you probably say a few things you shouldn’t, but it’s very difficult. They are chances we should have scored and they know that, they didn’t mean to miss. As long as we are creating the chances, we know the goals will come.

“Toddy (assistant manager, Chris Todd) is massive on set pieces and, in any league, you have to score goals from set-pieces to be successful and we’ve done that really well today.”

The midfielder said his team-mates had expected Havant, who belied their position second-from bottom of the National League South table with a committed second half showing, to come out strongly with the wind behind them after the break.

He added: “I think first half we were really in control,  everything we had worked on really came out, playing from the back and getting space out wide with the full-backs which I thought we did really well.

“Second half was much more difficult of the wind and the conditions, so we had to win ugly in the second half and sometimes it is that way.

“I have played here enough times to know that it’s really difficult when there’s a lot of wind at that end, but we had to battle it out and it was a good result in the end.

“They have nothing to lose where they are in the league and we knew that coming out for the second half, they were going to gamble and put everyone forward which they did.”

The win keeps Yeovil ten points clear of second-placed Worthing, who picked up a 4-1 win at W*ymouth despite ending the game with nine men. Third-placed Chelmsford City, who host the Glovers next weekend, earned a 3-0 win at Eastbourne Borough.

Matt Worthington. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

Weston-super-Mare, who grabbed a late winner to seal a 2-1 victory away at Hemel Hempstead Town this afternoon, visit Huish Park in an all-Somerset clash on Tuesday night.

Worthington said: “We are taking every game as it comes, we have a good, level-headed group in there and we will look to go out on Tuesday and hopefully get another three points. I know a few Weston players, but we are not worried about anyone else, as long as we do that.“

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Yeovil Town Skipper Matt Worthington has said he’s going to feel it in his legs for a few days after filling in at Right Back in the Glovers 3-1 win over Slough.

Speaking to the Perkins Twins after the game, Worthy said how he was pleased to get his goal early in the second half in a game that took some winning.

“It was a tough game, they set up to stop us playing and almost went man-for-man in the first half, but we had quite a few chances (that) again we didn’t take, so we came in at half time a little frustrated that we didn’t take the chances. 
We stuck to the game plan and knew that with the quality we’ve got in the team that we’d score eventually.”

Matt Worthington celebrates his opening goal.

Worthy’s goal opened the scoring for the Glovers, latching onto a sumptuous pass from Charlie Cooper, a chance the Skipper was happy to take.

“I made a couple of runs in the first half and couldn’t quite get it, but I knew as soon as he (Charlie Cooper) got it, he was going to look for the back post and I made a run and luckily I got a touch on it.”

The game was poised at 0-0 at the break, and a strong start to the second half gave the Glovers a foot in the game, it was a case of trusting the process as the game wore on.

“The Gaffer just said (at half time) that we needed to be more clinical and ruthless, which the last game as well, we didn’t take our chances, but he said stick to the game plan and like I said, we’ve got players who can finish and we got the result in the end.”

Worthy, sitting in for Michael Smith on the right side of the back four said he was going to be feeling the burn for a couple of days after smashing turf down the right flank for 90 minutes.

“It was tough, physically it was very tough, mentally as well you have to be more switched on with defensive duties, it was tough and I think my legs will be feeling it for the next few days, but it was a good experience and I got a goal!”

“Smudge (Michael Smith) is a very good player at right back, I hope he’ll be back very soon, that’ll be good.”

“It was difficult, because there was times I was pushing forward and thinking ‘oh god, don’t lose it, I’ve got to get back in’, we always stick to the way we play, the gaffer as got full faith in us and said he’d take responsibility if we end up losing the ball and I think that’s what we’ve done well all season, playing it out from the back, up the pitch and then fed the players that are going to score us goals, we stick to the game plan”

The win took Yeovil 13 points clear at the top of the NLS, with fellow promotion hopefuls Maidstone on Saturday to come, another tough away day says Worthy,

“It’ll be a difficult game, they’re up there as well, we just have to keep pushing on, concentrate on ourselves, keep picking up points, we’ll look to go there and get all three points.”

You can listen to the entire interview with Josh and Ian Perkins (no relation) below

 

 

 

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Matt Worthington echoed the sentiment of his manager following the 1-1 draw at St Albans City this afternoon, assured supporters that the Glovers would turn it around this Tuesday.

Speaking BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins, the skipper said the side were kicking themselves: “We had quite a few chances and we come in after half time, quite disappointed that we haven’t took the chances. [When] you come away from home, you don’t take the chances [it] always becomes a tough game. So yeah, we kick ourselves a little bit because yeah, like you said it should be out of sight in the first half.

“Fair play to them. They brought the game to us, but I thought I thought we defended really well. We just gave the ball away a few too many times. I think cheaply, which gave them a bit of a foothold in the game. It’s unlike us. We’ll turn around Tuesday.

Skipper Matt Worthington
Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

On the disappointing start to the second half, he said: “We’ve looked at training this week to start the second-half fast and be better than what we have done. And again today, we sort of started a bit slow. So yeah, we’re disappointed, but we’re going to brush shelves off and go again Tuesday.”

Such at the high standards this season, anything but victory is disappointing, but Worthington seemed to tolerate a point: “I always said that’s it’s a sign of a good team. If you’re not playing well, you still end up getting points on the board. We had spells, we played really well and we should have been out in the first half, should have been three of four but it wasn’t. We didn’t lose the game. We got a point on the board and yeah, we’ve got to get all three on Tuesday.”

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Yeovil Town captain Matt Worthington has challenged his team to start killing teams off as the Glovers head into a busy festive schedule.
 
Speaking to the media before the Saturday game against Eastbourne Boro, he said that things were in a good place at Huish Park, but he thinks there’s more to come.
 
“I’m really enjoying it, I think the lads are doing really well and as a team I think we’re where we want to be at the moment but we have lots still to to improve on and points to pick up so yeah, it’s going really well.”
 
Looking back on last weekend’s 0-0 draw, the midfielder, who had a sniff at goal himself still considers the game a missed opportunity.
 
“I think as players we’d always think it’s two points dropped, we definitely had more than enough chances to win the game so the only sort of criticism would be we have to take those chances and really kill games off and start to kill games off, but it’s a point, it’s a point in the right direction so yeah, all positive.”
 
“We had we had multiple chances, but like we said as a team and the Gaffer said, as long as we’re making those chances we’re doing we’re doing well so we need to keep making them and hopefully we’ll start finishing them.”
 
Worthington and Murphy. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.
 
Looking ahead to the game against Eastbourne, Worthy said that the team will look to keep it simple, keep a clean sheet and build from there.
 
“The thing we always try and do is keep a clean sheet, if you keep a clean sheet in a game, you’ve got a good chance of winning it, we need to start taking our chances, dominating games and really killing them off.
No game is going to be easy, it is going to be a tough test for us, but it’s something we’re really looking forward to and hopefully we can get the three points.”
 
With three games in quick succession, with a double header against Taunton to squeeze in between Christmas and New Year, Worthington said that the team were looking forward to the busy period.
 
“It’s always nice, you’re not too far away from your family, which is a nice thing and it’s local derbies, the games you want to be playing in, we’re really looking forward to it.”
 
 

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Yeovil Town’s Matt Worthington has said that despite crashing out of the FA Trophy at the hands of Torquay, the focus won’t drop as the Glovers try and go full steam ahead into getting promoted.

Talking to BBC Somerset’s Ian Randall, Worthy said the side improved in the second half of the game, but left themselves with too much do after a slow first 45.

“I think it’s always going to be a hard game. They were looking to to win a game of football as were we, but they, In recent weeks, haven’t picked up the points they probably probably wanted, so they’ll be definitely up for it. I think first half we weren’t sort of good enough. And then second-half, we definitely picked it up, especially towards the end we’re pushing for that second goal. We nearly got it. But we’re we’re out of the cup and it’s full focus on the league”

I think we left it a bit too late. Like you said, if you get that (goal) in the 60th, 65th minute it becomes more of a game that we can go and really win”

The game at Plainmoor saw Mark Cooper make seven changed from the league game against Farnborough, one of which saw Worthington drop to the bench, something which may have disrupted the side in the early exchanges.

“I think it’s it’s always difficult when you make a few changes, a lot of the lads needed minutes today that haven’t been playing and maybe the sort of connections haven’t been made yet between a lot of the lads and I think it looked a bit disjointed at times, but no second-half, we’re much better.”

The game represented a milestone for the former Bournemouth man, his 200th appearance for the Glovers, a milestone which puts him 49th in the list of highest Post-War appearances – and just 182 behind Terry Skiverton – Worthy said it was a proud day for him, and one he wants to add to.

I did know, I was not 100% sure but, I’m just delighted. I’m really happy to get that 200 mark. Really enjoyed my time here. I’m hopefully have many more games.

My personality is I was part of that downfall in the recent years. I was involved in the squads that that got relegated and for me, I would never jump ship when it gets hard and I would love to be part of this club for all the success it’s going to have going forward.

Matt Worthington in action vs Dover

Back to the current campaign and the Vice Captain said that focus switches immediatley on Chippenham on Tuesday and take it game by game… with the league title firmly in the club’s sights.

“I think everyone can see that we’re really starting to click and we’ve sort of got ourselves in a really good position and we need to keep going. Every league game we need to go and win as much as we can really and keep pulling away from the rest.

[Six Points] the target [For the next two games] … we look at the next next league game and after we get through that one, we go to the next one. I think this team has stayed really sort of level headed and and we know we’ve still got a long way to go to succeed and we at the end of the day, we want to win the league and the quicker we can do it the better, 

I think in this league the games come around thick and fast, and I think it’s perfect for us on Tuesday, to go get another good result and another three points.”

A Huge Congratulations on your milestone Matt, here’s to 300 and beyond!

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After opening the scoring out the weekend, Glovers midfielder, Matt Worthington has been named in the official Vanarama team of the week.

Worthy’s Worthing goal makes him worthy of a spot in the side below;

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The Football Association’s Discipline portal updated in the early hours of Sunday morning to confirm the one-match bans for both Jake Hyde and Matt Worthington. (clearly the official likes to get his paperwork done, promptly)

Both are listed as needing to serve a one match suspension on Saturday 30th of September – the date of the FA Cup tie against Didcot Town.

We’ve included a screen shot, below, but this does slightly go against what was suggested post-match with Mark Cooper telling the BBC that the ban would be “Competition Specific”.

This suggests otherwise.

It’s also worth noting that Cooper has said he intends to appeal the straight red card given to Worthington for Handball on the line. That will obviously happen over the coming few days.

Other points of note – Rhys Murphy is now on four yellow cards – one away from a one match ban, whilst Jordan Thomas of Hampton & Richmond has been given a two-match ban for his red card after the final whistle on Saturday afternoon.

We’ll keep you updated on the success (or failure) of the appeal on Matt Worthington’s red card.

FA Portal Screenshot – Correct as of 01:00am on Sunday 24th September

As a reminder, Red Cards are treated slightly differently at this level, here’s a handy explainer.

 

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The arrival of Morgan Williams as an anchor in midfield has created even greater competition for places in Yeovil Town’s engine room, according to midfielder Matt Worthington.

The defender has played the past two matches – the 1-1 draw with Chelmsford City last weekend and Tuesday night’s 3-2 win at Weston-super-Mare – in that position and has impressed even in unfamiliar surroundings.

But, the ability of the ex-Coventry City youngster to take up the role has not surprised Worthington.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s home match with Eastbourne Borough, he said: “I’m not surprised, (Morgan is) one of those players who will do a job anywhere. On the defensive side, he anchors that midfield really well as does Coops and it’s competition in the middle.”

Worthington returned to the starting XI in midweek having missed out last weekend – an experienced it is fair to say he did not enjoy – and admitted that playing two games in 48 hours over the August bank holiday worked against him.

He said: “When you get on the bus at the end of games or you wake up the next morning, you definitely feel it.
I am not too bad because getting around the pitch is a big part of my game, but the Saturday-Monday came a bit too quick. But fortunately the injury was not too bad.”

Asked about missing out against Chelmsford, he added: “I hate it, it’s awful. The whole build-up of the game, I turn up knowing I can’t play and watch the lads get ready for a game. It is awful, knowing you can’t effect the game.

“It’s nice to watch the lads and know what the Gaffer will want in the next game. I did not really enjoy it though!”

The Glovers welcome Eastbourne Borough to Huish Park this weekend looking to extend their unbeaten run on home soil against a full-time side which was the subject of a takeover by businessman Simon Leslie, who owns travel firm Ink, in the summer. Sound familiar.

Echoing manager Mark Cooper’s mantra of their being no easy games in football, Worthington admitted the team are having to find different ways to beat their opponents.

He said: “A lot of teams will sit behind the ball and we have to find different ways to score goals which we are doing very well at the moment, so it is a new challenge.

“We have to find ways to break down teams but I think we are doing well at that, we have scored a lot of goals recently.”

On the subject of full-time fitness, he added: “Towards the end of the game, you can feel (a difference in fitness levels), especially as a midfielder if I am running off my man and he is not tracking me, that is when (fitness) comes in to play.

“It is more of a mental thing, if we turn up for a game and we are not mentally right any team will give us a good game.”

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Yeovil will face a Somerset side for the first time this season, as they make the short journey to Weston Super Mare in midweek.

The game will mark the first time the two teams have met in a league game, with previous matches being either cup or friendly fixtures. The travelling Glovers faithful will be hoping to see their side win for this time away from Huish Park this season.

The Seagulls come into the game in poor form having not won since a 2-6 win against Bath City on the 15th August. Yeovil’s form going into the game at the Optima Stadium has been patchy to say the least, having lost to bottom of the league Havant & Waterlooville and rescuing a late draw to Chelmsford in their last two games.

Yeovil Town News

Mark Cooper knows his side have to “turn up” against Weston. He said: “It’s just another game for us…we know we have to turn up and perform. We have to be better than we were at Havant.”

The 54-year-old feels that the Seagulls will “raise their game” to play Yeovil as it will be a “big game for them”.

The former Notts County manager is wary of the talents that Weston possess. He said: “They have got some good players, Dayle Grubb is a fantastic technician, [Lloyd] Humphries and Reuben Reid… fantastic players, which we have to respect.”

Defender Morgan Williams also spoke about his excitement of playing in the first league fixture between the teams. He said: “We’ve sold over 850 tickets which is massive…the fans back us everywhere we go, so i really cant wait for that.”

Morgan Williams.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Charlie Cooper is still unavailable through suspension, whilst Matt Worthington could also miss out through the calf injury that forced him off againts Havant.

Weston Super Mare News

Speaking to Weston Super Mare AFC after their loss to Eastbourne manager Scott Bartlett, is looking forward to the game. He said: “We have got a great game coming up Tuesday night and one we’re looking forward too.”

The former Forest Green man went talked about the number of diffulculties that lay ahead. He said: “We have a number of injuries and suspensions, but we will knwo more over the next 24-48 hours, but whoever we got we’ll be ready for the challenge.”

Weston Super Mare have a few key players but captain Dayle Grubb could be the one to watch. As Mark Cooper said, he is a fantastic technician who plays off the left wing. The 32-year old has spent the majority of his career at The Optima Stadium but had a spell under Cooper at Forest Green from 2018-2021.

The Seagull skipper will be available after being sent off against Hemel Hempstead, but the suspension was rescinded and he played in Weston’s last match. Rex Mannings is still suspended for the game. Jacob Jagger-Cane and Opi Edwards both were subbed off during the first half against Eastbourne.

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Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has said the club is looking to draw on talent from across the South West as he seeks to build a squad ready to compete in the National League South next season.

The boss had spoken of the recent re-signing of midfielder Matt Worthington and the addition of Yeovil-born goalkeeper Will Buse as evidence of a local stamp which he is looking to put on the squad.

Speaking on Tuesday, the boss told the club’s YouTube channel: “It was key for me that I wanted to change the way we recruited. I wanted to try and have more local players which I class as areas such as Bristol, because we are out on a limb and there is no disguising that.

“But Busey fits in to that perfectly and I felt the way he conducted himself last year when he was backing up Grant Smith was really good, he never moaned and just got on with it.

“I think when he got his chance to shine, he really did and, of course, he let some goals in but he made some remarkable saves and he is a really aggressive goalkeeper.

“He wants to come off his line and affect the penalty area which is what I think we are going to need in the league we are going into.”

Will Buse. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

On Worthington, who is the club’s longest-serving player having joined in January 2019, the boss added: “He is someone who is local, he understands the club, he understands the town and it is important we show fans that we have that on our minds.

“Worthy signing was a statement for us because he gives us a lot in that attacking midfield area with his energy and athleticism. I want more goals from him, I have told him that he should be scoring ten goals a season with his technique, so it is a really exciting time for us.”

Having re-signed Worthington and strengthened his defence with the addition of Buse, who was released by Bristol City in the summer, and defender Jamie Sendles-White, Cooper said he was pleased with the additions he had made.

However, he is under no illusions that it is in the attacking department that his squad needs strengthening. The Glovers managed just 35 goals in 46 National League matches last season – but the manager his called for patience in his efforts to bring in players up front.

He added: “I know everyone will be screaming ‘please sign centre forwards’ and I am aware of that and (chairman) Martin (Hellier) is desperate for that as well.

“I could go and sign a load of centre forwards now and they might not be as good as the centre forwards I could get in a month’s time and I think it is so important we take our time.

“We have to wait and be patient for a centre forward that might be playing in League One or been released by a League One club, he thinks he’s going to get another League One club and he doesn’t, he doesn’t get a League Two club and then there’s Yeovil, who are a big club with a big project.

“He will be too good for (National League South) level and that is what I am trying to do, but in the meantime if something does come out of the woodwork and I can act, I will do it.

“But, after everything which happened last year with recruitment, it is important we take our time and make sure (our signings) are the right ones. I understand fans will be frustrated, but please give us a bit of time.”

He also spoke positively about the improvements which are starting to happen around Huish Park since the takeover of the club by Hellier with captain Josh Staunton and winger Will Dawes working alongside the new owners to give the ground a new look.

Cooper said: “Even when you are showing prospective players around and they come and they see the stadium looking good, all the work going on, it gives you a head start over other clubs.

“Those players can see this can be a really big club and that has certainly helped with Worthy and Busey staying (and coming in) and the meetings I have had with players, they have been impressed with what is going on.

“It is the local feel to it. Josh has made Yeovil his home and he is a real ambassador for the town and what we are trying to do. I have given Josh a few programmes for the training ground and the changing rooms here (at Huish Park) to be revamped and he has got Dawesy in to help him.

“It is great and it gives that feeling of togetherness and we want that place to be the best it can be.”