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To see all news for May 2012 click here.
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17 May 2012 : Chesterfield Home Man Of The Match Result
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The penultimate match of the 2011-12 season saw Yeovil Town finish off their home fixtures with a 3-2 win over Chesterfield. In doing so, they relegated their opponents, as goals from Dominic Blizzard, Kieran Agard and Andy Williams sunk the Spireites.
Man of the Match voting saw midfielder Dominic Blizzard run close with right-back Luke Ayling for the third and second placed spots. However, the winner was a player who didn't even start the game - Kieran Agard was a sixth minute substitute for Jonathan Obika, grabbed himself a goal, and was your most impressive player on the day.
Full results are as follows, with outright Man of the Match votes in brackets:
1 Kieran Agard 312 (25)
2 Luke Ayling 158 (8)
3 Dominic Blizzard 128 (8)
4 Jonathan Franks 86 (3)
5 Andy Williams 86 (1)
6 Lawson D'Ath 48 (3)
7 Paul Huntington 42 (3)
8 Richard Hinds 28 (1)
9 Bondz N'Gala 24 (0)
10 Jonathan Grounds 20 (0)
OVERALL MATCH RATING 7.67
Performance: 64.33
Entertainment: 73.00
VOTES RECEIVED 53
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17 May 2012 : Yeovil Town Ladies Annual General Meeting
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Yeovil Town Ladies Football Club would like to give notice that the club Annual General Meeting will take place at Huish Park on Monday 18th June 2012. The meeting commences at 7.00p.m., with all supporters invited to attend.
The club committee members will be standing for re-election. Any other persons wishing to stand for election to the committee should submit their names to the club secretary Ali King at alastairking@talktalk.net no later than Monday 10th June 2012.
Due to work commitments Tony Elbourn has unfortunately decided to stand down as Fundraising Officer. This position on the committee is therefore presently vacant.
[Ali King - Yeovil Town Ladies Club Secretary.]
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17 May 2012 : Blizzard Signs Up In Contract U-Turn
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Yeovil Town midfielder Dominic Blizzard has agreed a new contract with the Glovers - just three days after having his contract withdrawn from the table. Manager Gary Johnson has stated that the player has signed a one year deal this afternoon that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2013.
The 28 year old had been thought to have left Huish Park on Monday, when Johnson indicated that he had failed to hear from the player - with his agent also indicating that he had not made contact with him either. However, all of that appears to be resolved this afternoon, with the player now committing his future to the club.
Link: Dominic Blizzard : Yeovil Town Statistics.
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17 May 2012 : Franks Heads Off To Pools
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Former Yeovil Town winger/striker Jonathan Franks has chosen to stay in the North-East by penning a deal with one of the club's League One rivals. Hartlepool United have today announced that the 22 year old has signed a deal at Victoria Park, having turned down an offer from the Glovers.
Franks netted three goals in 14 appearances during a highly successful loan spell at Huish Park. However, born in Stockton-on-Tees, and having spent his whole career so far with Championship side Middlesbrough, it would appear that staying 'local' was a big plus for him.
As yet, no contract length has been revealed.
Link: Jonathan Franks : Yeovil Town Statistics.
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17 May 2012 : Football League Crowds On The Rise Again
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The Football League have today published their 2011-12 end of season statistics, indicating that overall crowds have risen by more than 200,000 against the previous campaign. A total of 16.3m spectators entered Football League grounds during the season - an increase of 1.5 percent and the eighth consecutive season that crowds have broken the sixteen million barrier. The news is a boost to the League, which had seen a drop last season, following the 2009-10 season's fifty year high.
As usual, with promotion and relegation moving both big and small clubs around, there is a bit of flux between the divisions. The average crowd in the Championship was 18,568, which was an increase of two percent. For clubs in League One, the average was 7,359, whilst in League Two the figure works out as 4,406 per game coming through the turnstiles. Overall, crowds are claimed to have doubled since the introduction of the play-off system for the 1986/87 season.
In League One, the 7,359 average is a slight fall from last season's 7,527, and is the only one of the three divisions to suffer a fall, and is doubtless partly due to the migration of clubs like Southampton up the divisions. Football League Chairman Greg Clarke has said that he is pleased that despite the overall UK economy continuing to paint gloomy news, that the 72 member clubs had still managed to draw spectators to their grounds:
"It is hugely encouraging to see Football League crowds rising given the increasingly tough economic conditions being faced by many supporters. On behalf of all our clubs, I would like to offer my gratitude to everyone that has gone to a match this season.
"As a league, we are strongly focused on making our clubs financially sustainable and this includes getting as many new fans to our matches as possible. We are also working to improve the matchday experience for existing supporters, as it is their loyalty and commitment that underpins these figures."
As for Yeovil Town, their crowds dropped another 7.2 percent, down to 3,984 - the first time the club has had under four thousand spectators inside the ground since the 2001-02 season. They are down to just 61 percent of the levels that were sustained during their peak around the 2005-06 season, and the 3,121 that saw the autumn 2011 match against Leyton Orient was their lowest since entering the Football League.
Link: May 2011 : Football League Crowds Record Six Percent Drop.
Link: May 2010 : Football League Crowds Hit 50 Year High.
Link: Yeovil Town Average Attendances Since 1979.
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16 May 2012 : Leyton Orient Away Man Of The Match Result
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The third from last game of the 2011-12 season, saw Yeovil Town travel to play Leyton Orient in what had been a vital match for both sides. The 2-2 final score gave the Glovers the point they needed to ensure League One status, but probably didn't tell the full story, as ultra-late goals from Andy Williams and Jonathan Obika ensured an unexpected comeback.
As for the Man of the Match voting, centre-back Richard Hinds finished runner-up in a tight pack of evenly ranked team-mates. The winner of the poll though - and for the third match running, was Jonathan Franks - this time having moved out to a right-wing position.
Full results are as follows:
1 Jonathan Franks 98 (9)
2 Richard Hinds 36 (1)
3 Paul Huntington 32 (1)
4 Jonathan Grounds 30 (2)
5 Luke Ayling 22 (1)
6 Andy Williams 20 (0)
7 Kieran Agard 16 (1)
8 Bondz N'Gala 12 (0)
9 Dominic Blizzard 6 (0)
10 Jonathan Obika 2 (0)
OVERALL MATCH RATING: 5.13
Performance: 4.88
Entertainment: 5.38
VOTES RECEIVED: 16
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16 May 2012 : Clifford And Fallon Given Country Call-Ups
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Former Yeovil Town loan midfielder Conor Clifford has been given another international call-up. The 20 year old has been included in the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad for a friendly against Denmark that takes place on May 28th. That is then followed a week later by a European Championship qualifier against Italy on June 4th.
Conor already has 12 caps at Under-21 level, some of which were gained during his loan spell with the Glovers. Another former Yeovil loanee Rob Kiernan has not been included in the squad due to treatment on an injury, but may team up with the squad later on, given that he is currently the recognised Under-21 captain.
Meanwhile former striker Rory Fallon has been recalled to the New Zealand full international squad, after being dropped earlier this year. Fallen has been impressing for Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen this season, and has been included in a 23 man squad that will participate in the Oceania Nations Cup next month. The All Whites are also scheduled to play friendlies against Honduras and El Salvador this month as a warm-up to that tournament, and Fallon will be involved in those matches as he looked to add to his eleven caps and three goals.
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15 May 2012 : Taff's Gloversblog : Doc Simmonds - An Appreciation
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Not too many people have an association with a football club stretching back around 35 years. When Dr Tony Simmonds sadly passed away last week though, many supporters could be forgiven for not knowing too much about a man who largely provided his input into the club behind the scenes. One man who did get to know Tony well though was Don Gibson, who in a guest entry for Taff's Gloversblog hopefully gives fans an idea of the contributions Doc Simmonds made to the club.
We're also aware that many Yeovil Town supporters knew Tony outside the world of football, in his role as a practicing GP in his local Yeovil surgery over the years. Hence feel free to add your own thoughts and messages at the foot of the article below.
Link: Taff's Gloversblog : Doc Simmonds - An Appreciation.
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15 May 2012 : Williams Linked With Robins Switch
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Former Yeovil Town striker Andy Williams is being linked with one of next season's League One rivals, following his departure from Huish Park. Having turned down a contract offer with the Glovers, Sky Sports is claiming that Swindon Town are "leading the race" to sign him as a free agent.
Their article is accompanied by the infamous phrase "Sky Sports understands" that litters many of the articles, and there's no quotes to firm this one up. However, rumours have been circulating around Huish Park for a while now that the 25 year old had been given a significant offer to head to the County Ground, and so it would be no surprise if this one turns out to be true. However, it's significant as it's the first case of the media being willing to give credence to the rumour.
There have separately been rumours that League Two side Rotherham United were also chasing Williams' signature. However, with Colchester United's Kayode Odejayi and Exeter City's Daniel Nardiello being snapped up by the Millers this week, that would seem less likely as an outcome.
Swindon will be playing in League One for the start of the 2012-13 season and so if Williams signs for them, he'll come up against the Glovers during next season.
Link: Andy Williams : Yeovil Town Statistics.
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15 May 2012 : Pitman Out At Edgar Street
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Former Yeovil Town midfielder Jamie Pitman has been dismissed from his role at League Two side Hereford United, in the wake of their relegation back to non-league football. The 36 year old had become first team coach in March 2012, after his 17 month reign as first team manager had been brought to an end.
Replacement manager Richard O'Kelly was unable to prevent the Bulls from dropping into the Conference, and he quit as manager last Friday, after just 12 games in charge. Chairman David Keyte said that O'Kelly's decision to leave caused him to also look at Pitman's position. With his contract still having over a year to run, Keyte explained that he had paid Pitman off:
"I spoke with Jamie Pitman on Friday when I told him his contract would be terminated with immediate effect. The financial settlement will be in line with the termination clause in Jamie's contract, which had one further year to run. To date, we have received some 20 applications for the vacant position of manager and we'll be working hard to complete the process over the next two weeks."
Pitman has had three spells at Edgar Street now. Either side of his time at Huish Park, he had two as a player, making 182 league appearances for the Bulls, but then rejoined them in August 2008 as their club physio. He had become manager in October 2010, initially on a caretaker basis.
Hereford's return to the Conference completes a full circle for them, having also dropped out of the Football League in 1997. On that occasion it took them nine years to regain their Football League status.
Link: Jamie Pitman : Yeovil Town Statistics.
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15 May 2012 : Taff's Gloversblog : A Four-Gone Conclusion
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Whilst last week was a good week for Yeovil Town, yesterday was not so good, with four players leaving the club. In the latest Taff's Gloversblog, there's some thoughts on this from Cruncher, who considers the good and bad of the situation. Head via the link below, and add your own reaction to the events at the foot of the article.
Link: Taff's Gloversblog : A Four-Gone Conclusion.
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14 May 2012 : Dolphins Trip Points To More Of The Same
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We now know a third opponent for Yeovil Town's 2012-13 pre-season schedule. Southern League Division One South and West side Poole Town have said that they will be hosting the Glovers in a friendly match, stating that they also have lined up home fixtures against Eastleigh, AFC Bournemouth and Basingstoke Town as part of the same programme.
Once again, there is no firm date for this match. Poole just missed out on promotion during 2011-12, losing to Gosport Borough in their play-off final in a record crowd for their Tatnam Farm ground of 1,716. There's a fair chance that the coming season will be their last one at their current location, as their plans for a new stadium at Bearwood are underway.
Rather oddly all three of the opponents for July/August were also on the 2011-12 pre-season friendly list, and none have firm dates yet. Last season saw the Glovers win 3-1 with two goals from trialist Diarra Tiemoko and a third from Steve MacLean ensuring victory.
The bare bones of what we have for the 2012-13 pre-season schedule are currently:
Pre-Season Matches:
Dorchester Town (away, date TBA)
Cardiff City (home, date TBA)
Poole Town (away, date TBA)
There is no indication that the Blue Sky International funded pre-season tour is on the cards at present - all continues to be quiet since last October's announcement.
Update: The club have said that there is no pre-season friendly against Cardiff City planned. This had been reported in the South Wales local media, but appears to not be on the cards.
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14 May 2012 : Funeral Arrangements For Doc Simmonds
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The funeral arrangements for Yeovil Town Club Doctor Tony Simmonds have been formalised. The service will take place at St John's Church, Yeovil on Monday 21st May, at 2.00p.m. and is open to the public. That will then be followed by a private cremation ceremony, with Dr Simmonds' family expected to head to Huish Park around 4.00p.m.
Dr Simmonds passed away last week, following a long battle against cancer. His association with the club had stretched back around 35 years.
Link: Doc Simmonds R.I.P.
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14 May 2012 : Four Players Fail To Take Up Yeovil Town Contract Offers
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Yeovil Town have confirmed that four of last season's squad have left the club after failing to accept contract offers at Huish Park. Striker Andy Williams and midfielder Dominic Blizzard have failed to agree terms at the club, whilst Middlesbrough loan duo Jonathan Grounds and Jonathan Franks have also turned down a chance to join the club permanently.
Williams and Grounds have specifically turned down offers, with Yeovil's top scorer having an alternative offer on the table. Grounds is wanting to stay in the north, due to the birth of his first child, and so will no doubt aim to fix himself up with a club in that area.
In the case of Blizzard and Franks, both players failed to make direct contact with manager Gary Johnson to give a definitive answer by the deadline the Glovers boss requested. As a result, the offers are now off the table and both players will need to find new clubs.
As for captain Paul Huntington, he has suffered a recent family bereavement and so has been granted an extension to consider his future plans. There is still no word from the club on the status of Alistair Slowe or Steve MacLean at this stage.
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14 May 2012 : Bluebirds Plan Huish Park Visit
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Yeovil Town will include the visit of Championship side Cardiff City in their pre-season schedule for the 2012-13 season. For the second season running, the Bluebirds will head to Huish Park, on a date that has yet to be published. Cardiff have indicated this morning that they will be visiting fellow West Country sides Forest Green Rovers and Cheltenham Town, as well as undergoing a tour of Switzerland, and will include the Glovers in that list.
Since meeting Cardiff in two FA Cup matches in 1999, the two clubs have met in three pre-season friendlies, having visited Huish Park in 2004 and 2007. Last season's game saw Max Ehmer score Yeovil's goal in a 1-1 draw.
Like the recently publicised trip to Dorchester Town, once we get a firm date, we'll provide an update.
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13 May 2012 : Morris Makes A Big Bench Move
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Last weekend, recent Yeovil Town loan midfielder Josh Morris was coming on as a substitute for the Glovers in their final League One match of the 2011-12 season. Earlier today he was doing the same - except that he was at Stamford Bridge in a Premier League match against Chelsea.
Morris made his return to Blackburn Rovers during the week and was on their bench; coming on as a half time substitution for Mauro Formica in Rovers' 2-1 defeat that ended their stay in top flight football. Whilst that means that the 20 year old will be playing for a club operating at Championship level next season, it does mean that this year he's managed to book-end his five Glovers appearances with a trip to Old Trafford and a trip to Stamford Bridge!
Link: Josh Morris : Yeovil Town Statistics.
Whilst on the subject of the Premier League, Stephen Caulker's progress as he rises through the leagues continues to be a success. The Tottenham Hotspur defender has just completed a year on loan with Swansea City, in which he made 25 top flight starts, despite missing three months of the season through injury.
Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers is sufficiently impressed with the player to want to bring him back to the Liberty Stadium for another season saying after today's game:
"I will speak to Tottenham on Steven Caulker, he has been incredible for me this season at just 19 years of age."
Link: Steven Caulker : Yeovil Town Statistics.
Less good news for former Glovers player Terry Connor. His attempts to keep Wolverhampton Wanderers afloat were rather unsuccessful, with his 12 game period in charge seeing Wolves clock up just four draws and no wins in his three months in charge. Not too surprisingly that has meant that he will not be taking on the job full time.
However, he reverts back to his assistant manager position under new boss Stale Solbakken. Having been a mainstay at Molineux under numerous managers, including Dave Jones, Glenn Hoddle and Mick McCarthy, he said that he is willing to work with the new man:
"I’m a little bit disappointed, but I understand and accept as a manager you need to win games. So I knew I wouldn’t get it – four draws from 12 games isn’t good enough. It’s all about the club and taking it forward and it was the right decision. I’m contracted by the club and I will do my best for the club and if this is the best way then I’m happy to do it."
Link: Terry Connor : Yeovil Town Statistics.
Better news for the other former Glover who has been managing in the Premier League. Alan Pardew has been named as the Premier League manager of the season for 2011-12. The Geordies managed to grab a 5th place finish in the top flight, gaining Pardew the recognition - a welcome change of tact, given the usual practice of awarding it to whoever's club won the title. Despite Terry Connor stepping down from Wolves, Pardew won't be the only former Glover managing in the Premier League next season, with Brian McDermott taking Reading up from the Championship last month.
Link: Alan Pardew : Yeovil Town Statistics.
Some good news for former midfielder Chris Cohen who has missed the large majority of Nottingham Forest's 2011-12 season through injury. The 25 year old played nine matches in the Championship at the start of the campaign but suffered a cruciate ligament knee injury in mid-September, forcing him to have surgery.
Manager Steve Cotterill reveals that Cohen is now back in training, and could have sneaked into their squad late on in the season. However, with Forest's second tier status safe, he decided to defer any comeback until the start of next season:
"He has been back in training, which is great. He has been playing non-contact. But he has been doing that for three weeks. He has done well. He has been good. We did look to see whether he was ready to face Portsmouth, but it would have been senseless to take a risk. Whether he is ready now or not, after seven months, we know for definite that he will be ready after nine months. We do not need to do it right now. It would be stupid to have risked him. I would not have been tempted even if we had needed to get more points. He will be like a new signing next season."
Link: Chris Cohen : Yeovil Town Statistics.
Former loan striker Luke Freeman has picked up the Football League's Young Player of the Month award for April 2012, whilst trying to help Stevenage gain an unexpected double promotion via the play-offs. Glovers fans probably won't appreciate the fact that part of the reason for his nomination was his two goals and two assists that he got in last months's 6-0 victory at Huish Park.
He also scored a third goal that month at Brentford and that was good enough to get him the award. Freeman said that it was the first time in his career so far that he'd received such recognition:
"It is massive for me to win the award, it is the biggest achievement I've had so far in my career - it's my first one and I will never forget it."
Link: Luke Freeman : Yeovil Town Statistics.
Finally defender Aaron Brown's short stay at Preston North End is now over. The 28 year old was one of a large number to get shown the door in Graham Westley's big Deepdale clear-out. Aaron made just four appearances for the Lilywhites, including a Sky Sports game where he bafflingly was used as a striker, whilst fellow former Glover Max Ehmer played as a left winger.
Link: Aaron Brown : Yeovil Town Statistics.
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13 May 2012 : Taff's Gloversblog : The End Of Short-Termism?
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Undeniably, last week was a positive one for Yeovil Town, with three key players signing deals to stay at the club beyond their current contracts. Right-back Luke Ayling plus midfielders Ed Upson and Gavin Williams all put pen to paper, with no-one as yet to give a firm refusal.
In the latest Taff's Gloversblog there's some thoughts on those developments, and why the club may be getting some more positive reactions than they've managed in the last couple of seasons. As ever, feel free to share your own views on the subject at the foot of the article.
Link: Taff's Gloversblog : The End Of Short-Termism?
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13 May 2012 : Youga Departure Confirmed
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Yeovil Town left-back Kelly Youga has left the club by mutual consent. The surprising bit is that the former Charlton Athletic player actually came off the club's books six weeks ago, according to documents published by the Football Association.
In a "List of Players under Written Contract Whose Registrations have been Cancelled by Mutual Consent", the FA indicate that the 26 year old left the club on March 31st 2012. Doubtless the club will have had to pay up the large majority of his outstanding contract, which ran until the end of the 2011-12 season.
His six month contract ultimately gave the Glovers just 45 minutes worth of football - as a half time substitute in the away match at Bury. An Achilles injury meant that was the one and only time we saw him play, with manager Gary Johnson hinting at the end of February that the problem was not likely to solve itself. It would appear that a month later, Youga quietly left the building.
Link: Kelly Youga : Yeovil Town Statistics.
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13 May 2012 : Grecians Triumph Over Glovers In Charity Match
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Exeter City supporters finally got their hands on the Adam Stansfield Memorial Trophy yesterday, at the fourth attempt. With the Glovers having won outright in September 2010 and March 2011, the third encounter in November 2011 had to be decided on a penalty shoot out, which the Glovers won again.
At Topsham Town FC on Saturday morning, the two sides met in what was a rearranged match, after the January fixture was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. This time round, Exeter City ran out as winners, via a 3-0 scoreline, for their first victory in the now regular meeting between the two clubs.
Most importantly, the match raised the sum of £177 towards the Adam Stansfield Foundation - a great effort by both sets of supporters and those attending the game.
A reminder that there is an auction on eBay for two genuine players shirts in aid of the Foundation. Head via the link below for more information.
Link: Auction For Adam Stansfield Testimonial Shirts.
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13 May 2012 : Stevenage Home Man Of The Match Result
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The least said about Yeovil Town's worst defeat in the Football League, the better. The 0-6 home defeat was also first time the club had conceded six goals on their own patch for over 50 years, so the Man of the Match voters deserve a lot of credit for providing input in decent volumes!
Whilst there was a fair spread of voting across 14 players, suggesting that no one player was to blame for what went on out there, two players did come out with some credit on the day. Both played in wide positions, with Reading loanee Lawson D'Ath finishing runner up as the left-winger on the day. However, he was beaten by right-back Luke Ayling, who was the one member of the back four to pick up any serious number of votes on the day.
Full results are as shown below, with outright MOTM votes in brackets:
1 Luke Ayling 178 (15)
2 Lawson D'Ath 158 (10)
3 Dominic Blizzard 50 (1)
4 Jonathan Franks 36 (2)
5 Curtis Haynes-Brown 34 (2)
6 Jonathan Obika 22 (1)
7 Jonathan Grounds 20 (1)
8 Gavin Williams 18 (1)
9 Sam Walker 16 (1)
10 Richard Hinds 16 (1)
11 Andy Williams 12 (0)
12 Michael Woods 6 (0)
13 Bondz N'Gala 2 (0)
14 Paul Huntington 2 (0)
OVERALL MATCH RATING: 3.18
Performance: 2.74
Entertainment: 3.63
VOTES RECEIVED: 35
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13 May 2012 : Notts County Away Man Of The Match Result
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Our April trip to Notts County was something of a disappointment, although thankfully a little more competitive than the club's previous visit to Meadow Lane that saw us lose 4-0. There were still four goals scored on the Easter Monday, and we were briefly in the game when Jonathan Franks scored for the second time over the Easter weekend. However, a Lloyd Sam hat-trick saw us go home with no points to show from the game, and a 3-1 defeat.
Man of the Match voting was extremely tight amongst the supporters who travelled to the game. Luke Ayling polled well in his right-back position, but it was to come down to the Glovers front pairing for who came top. Andy Williams was just edged out by a tiny margin, with Jonathan Franks grabbing his second poll win of the weekend. Full results, with outright MOTM votes in brackets, are shown below:
1 Jonathan Franks 38 (3)
2 Andy Williams 32 (3)
3 Luke Ayling 26 (2)
4 Paul Huntington 18 (1)
5 Sam Walker 14 (0)
7 Dominic Blizzard 12 (0)
7 Lawson D'Ath 12 (0)
8 Richard Hinds 8 (0)
OVERALL MATCH RATING: 5.90
Performance: 5.80
Entertainment: 6.00
VOTES RECEIVED: 9
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12 May 2012 : Rochdale Home Man Of The Match Result
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With the 2011-12 season now over, there's a number of Man of the Match results that have yet to be published for the month of April. First up was the home match against Rochdale that saw Yeovil Town pick up three points at the hands of a side that were ultimately destined for relegation.
In the end this was probably one of the most comfortable wins of the season - a 3-1 win, with Jonathan Franks, Richard Hinds and Michael Woods all netting, and even Dale's late consolation coming from a Glovers player as Jonathan Grounds saw the ball ricochet into his own net.
As far as Man of the Match voting was concerned two of those goalscorers went head-to-head in the final analysis. Defender Richard Hinds got his first goal for the club, but he was edged out by Jonathan Franks who had moved from his usual right-wing slot to play up front, and scored the opening goal of the game. Full results as shown below, with outright MOTM votes shown in brackets:
1 Jonathan Franks 244 (19)
2 Richard Hinds 240 (16)
3 Luke Ayling 154 (8)
4 Dominic Blizzard 40 (3)
5 Paul Huntington 40 (0)
6 Sam Walker 38 (1)
7 Ed Upson 32 (0)
8 Lawson D'Ath 26 (1)
9 Jonathan Grounds 22 (0)
10 Josh Morris 10 (0)
11 Andy Williams 6 (0)
12 Michael Woods 4 (0)
OVERALL MATCH RATING: 7.31
Performance: 7.38
Entertainment: 7.25
VOTES RECEIVED: 48
Apologies for the lateness of publishing these - the remaining games will follow as soon as possible.
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12 May 2012 : Cherries Make Groves Role Permanent
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League One side AFC Bournemouth have appointed a permanent replacement for former manager Lee Bradbury, who left Dean Court in March of this year. They've chosen to go with the caretaker duo they appointed on an interim basis with Paul Groves and Shaun Brooks getting the nod on a permanent basis. Both have been given two year contracts, with Groves as manager, and Brooks as his assistant.
Both are well known to the club, having been part of the Cherries youth set-up, whilst Brooks was Dorchester Town's manager under Chairman Eddie Mitchell. However, during their interim period in charge, they managed just two wins in eight matches - albeit with two defeats, with some Cherries fans a little non-plussed about an appointment, with the inference being that the pair are 'yes men' for the Chairman, although Groves unsurprisingly denies this to be the case.
With the pair having previously concentrated on the club's Centre of Excellence sides, Groves has said that he believes that gives them an advantage in taking the club forward:
"I feel that we are well placed, in terms of getting to know the first-team players, but also with the whole structure of the club. Between me and Shaun we know almost every player from the Under Eights to the Under 18s, from the development squad to the first team. We've got very ambitious owners and we are very ambitious too, so it bodes well for the future."
Whilst on the subject of the Cherries, they have announced plans for a new South Stand at Dean Court, to replace the current vacant end of the ground. Proposals include a 36 bedroom hotel. It would appear that matters are at an early stage, with nothing as yet submitted to their local council, and no word on what the capacity of the stand will be. The Cherries are holding a public exhibition later this month, with a view to submitting their plans at some point after that event.
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12 May 2012 : Seven To Five To Seven?
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The Football League looks as though it will be bringing up the question of substitutes again at this summer's Annual General Meeting. This issue has been running on the agenda almost every year for the past few seasons. In the summer of 2008 competition organisers allowed seven substitutes to be selected for FA Cup and Carling Cup matches, then a year later it was introduced for Football League games.
Last season, Championship side Burnley tabled a motion for the rule to be reversed for League matches, citing the costs of maintaining large first team squads. Their proposal was voted through, and so we went back to five substitutes, although the two cup competitions stayed as they were.
Now, the Portsmouth local press state that Birmingham City and Derby County have put forward their own counter-proposals asking for the numbers to be returned back to seven substitutes for Football League matches, and that will be debated at the AGM, which is scheduled to take place over the weekend of May 31st and June 1st. The Portsmouth News believe Pompey will be backing it, despite their financial turmoil.
Whilst Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson may hold different views to his predecessor Terry Skiverton, certainly at the time last year's decision was made, Skivo told the Western Gazette that he thought it would harm the club's youth development:
"It is going to end up holding back good English kids coming through, there is no doubt about it. I do not want to harp on about it, but it has ended up costing us young players trying to break through at the club and that can only hamper our Centre of Excellence. If nobody is coming through, who is going to want to send their kids to Yeovil?"
Skiverton also suggested that there was a disconnect within individual clubs, claiming that club Chairmen had voted the change through without consulting their fellow managers and seeing what they would prefer:
"It was voted for by all of the Football League chairmen and maybe the managers should have been consulted a little bit along the line to air their grievances about how we move forward with the squads. This is me only speaking personally, but I think it is madness as there were plenty of times last year when we only put five on the bench and we did not feel any shame in doing it. But now it seems like we have taken the right away and now when I have got a strong squad I will be leaving out quite a number of players."
Whilst it was easy to see why clubs might be unwilling to increase the number of substitutes on the bench, once the summer 2009 decision was voted through, it seemed nonsensical to reverse it two years later. If any clubs disagree with the concept of fielding seven substitutes, then there is a simple solution - name five (or however many you prefer) in your matchday squad, and allow others to choose what they want.
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12 May 2012 : It Was Ten Years Ago Today
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Ten years ago today, something a bit magical happened. Yeovil Town took a trip up to Villa Park, home of Aston Villa, in search of something they had never managed to achieve before; a major national trophy. The FA Trophy Final took place on May 12th 2002, against Stevenage Borough and was to prove a platform for the club over the years that followed.
| | | The Holte End - filled with Yeovil Town supporters - and a bit of shameless self-promotion.
Photo © 2002 Ciderspace
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Three major incidents in the game ensured which way the game went. In the opening couple of minutes of the game, Chris Weale produced a wonderful tip-over save from Boro striker Kirk Jackson - who went on to have his own role in Yeovil's history a year later.
The team that day will easily roll off the tongue of any Glovers fan of that era - we had Chris Weale in goal, a back four of Adam Lockwood, Terry Skiverton, Colin Miles and Anthony Tonkin and a midfield quartet of Nick Crittenden, Lee Johnson, Darren Way and Michael McIndoe. Such was the strength of that line-up that nearly all of them went on to have highly successful careers in the Football League, with a number of them playing in the Championship.
However, on the day, it was the strikers who grabbed the headlines. Big striker Carl Alford might not have been the player you'd associate the phrase 'acrobatic bicycle kick' with, but that is what we got - 12 minutes into the match, and the Glovers were in front. However, this was a tight game, and one in which their Hertfordshire opponents were getting plenty of possession, albeit without testing Wealey in the same way that they had done so in the first minute of the game.
The destination of the trophy was sealed 66 minutes into the match, when a long Chris Weale goal kick was flicked on by Carl Alford and into the path of Adam Stansfield. Faced with a one-on-one against Stevenage keeper Paul Wilkerson, Stanno was the only cool person in the stadium as he passed the ball into the back of the net despite the advancing keeper's attempts to narrow the angle, then ran into the sea of Green and White at the Holte End of the ground.
There were three more cameo appearances that day, with Tom White, Chris Giles and Andy Lindegaard the three substitutes to take to the field. Then Skivo lifted the trophy, and Yeovil Town was on its way; to the Conference National league title a year later, then the League Two title two seasons after that - and even the League One play-off final at the new Wembley Stadium. Winning the FA Trophy gave the club its springboard to success.
| | | The moment that kicked off several years of success for Yeovil Town.
Photo © 2002 Ciderspace
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| | | Terry Skiverton - then club captain - lifts the FA Trophy at Villa Park.
Photo © 2002 Ciderspace
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11 May 2012 : Gary Johnson Talks About Contract Offers And Recruitment Plans
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With Ed Upson, Luke Ayling and Gavin Williams having committed to stay at Yeovil Town for the 2012-13 season and beyond, Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson's summer recruitment and retention plans appear to be on schedule. As part of BBC Somerset's 'Drive' programme this afternoon, presenter Ben McGrail caught up with Gary who was taking a short break in Scotland, and put him live on air.
The result of that conversation can be read via the link below, with Gary also giving his views on how likely striker Andy Williams is to remain at the club.
Link: Gary Johnson Speaks To The BBC About The Club's Contract Offers.
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11 May 2012 : Auction For Adam Stansfield Testimonial Shirts
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Two framed football shirts have been put up for auction today in the hope of raising more funds for the Adam Stansfield Foundation. The eBay auction is for Exeter City and Yeovil Town shirts worn during the Adam Stansfield Testimonial Match held just over a year ago at St James Park.
Of the Yeovil Town shirt, the auction description says:
"The Adam Stansfield Foundation have been the Charity of the Year for Sainsbury's, Exeter Guildhall for the last 12 months. They are auctioning this framed match worn shirt and an Exeter City framed shirt to raise funds for the Foundation. The frame is approximately 24" x 18". The shirt was worn during Adam's Testimonial on 2nd May 2011."
Obviously with these being match-worn shirts, rather than replica shirts, this is a rather rare offer. You can learn more about these auctions and bid for them via the links below.
Link: Adam Stansfield Testimonial : Yeovil Town Shirt Auction.
Link: Adam Stansfield Testimonial : Exeter City Shirt Auction.
In addition, on what will be the 10th Anniversary of the day that Adam Stansfield wrote his way into Yeovil Town's history books, by scoring the second goal in the FA Trophy Final against Stevenage Borough at Villa Park, don't forget that there is a match between Exeter City fans and Yeovil Town fans taking place at Topsham FC tomorrow morning. For further details see the earlier news item.
Link: New Date For Adam Stansfield Memorial Trophy Match.
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11 May 2012 : Doc Simmonds R.I.P.
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We're sorry to report that Yeovil Town's Club Doctor Tony Simmonds has passed away after a long illness. Dr Simmonds had battled against cancer for some time, and most recently had cancer of the oesophagus.
Tony was a popular person with everyone at the football club - only last month striker Andy Williams dedicated the club's 3-2 win over Chesterfield to him in his post-match interview.
Speaking via his Twitter account, former Yeovil Town physio Simon Baker said of the news:
"A very sad loss of a great man - Doc Simmonds. His appetite for life and to learn impacted on everyone lucky enough to meet him. A loyal servant to Yeovil Town with over 35 years of service, Tony Simmonds was an avid fan as well as a brilliant club doctor. My thoughts are with his family."
Current assistant manager Terry Skiverton, who has worked with Tony both as a player and as a manager has added on his Twitter account:
"So sad to hear the loss of Doc Simmonds. Wise, funny, caring, professional and a good friend to me when things ever got tough. The whole community will miss him."
Obviously we'd extend our condolences to Dr Simmonds' family, and will put up details of his funeral in due course.
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11 May 2012 : Ayling Signs New Yeovil Town Contract
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Yeovil Town right-back Luke Ayling has agreed a new contract with the club. The former Arsenal academy player has today signed a new two year deal that will keep him at Huish Park until the summer of 2014.
Apart from the members of the coaching team, Ayling is the club's longest continuously serving player, having arrived on loan at the tail end of the 2009-10 season, turning that into a permanent deal later that summer.
Luke has made 92 appearances at the club, and was runner-up in many of the club's End of Season Awards for the 2011-12 season.
Link: Luke Ayling : Yeovil Town Statistics.
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11 May 2012 : League One And League Two Play-Off Schedule
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Tonight sees the Football League play-offs commence for League One and League Two sides, with a full first leg schedule across the weekend for those who want to extend their season via the powers of the Sky Sports channel. It's been a slightly odd schedule this summer, given that the Championship first and second leg matches have already been played, with both finalists now known. The set of matches for third and fourth tier clubs can be found below. It will also be linked in from the Ciderspace home page, under the Forthcoming Events section:
11/05/2012 19:45hrs (Friday) : Stevenage vs Sheffield United : League One 1st Leg
12/05/2012 12:30hrs (Saturday) : MK Dons vs Huddersfield Town : League One 1st Leg
12/05/2012 17:30hrs (Saturday) : Crewe Alexandra vs Southend Utd : League Two 1st Leg
13/05/2012 12:00hrs (Sunday) : Cheltenham Town vs Torquay United : League Two 1st Leg
14/05/2012 19:45hrs (Monday) : Sheffield United vs Stevenage : League One 2nd Leg
15/05/2012 19:45hrs (Tuesday) : Huddersfield Town v MK Dons : League One 2nd Leg
16/05/2012 19:45hrs (Wednesday) : Southend Utd vs Crewe Alexandra : League Two 2nd Leg
17/05/2012 19:45hrs (Thursday) : Torquay United vs Cheltenham Town : League Two 2nd Leg
19/05/2012 15:00hrs (Saturday) : West Ham United vs Blackpool (Championship Play-Off Final) (Wembley Stadium)
26/05/2012 15:00hrs (Saturday) : League One Play-Off Final (Wembley Stadium)
27/05/2012 15:00hrs (Sunday) : League Two Play-Off Final (Wembley Stadium)
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