The Western Gazette has it's knickers in a twist this week following criticism of its reporting of the Barrington Belgrave wantaway story from last week. Sports editor Richard Briggs is in full 'don't blame me guv' mode and even goes as far as publishing an editorial on the subject, firmly denying that the story was sourced either from this website or an 'Essex newspaper' before going to say that the Southend Evening News (an Essex newspaper, funnily enough) approached the Gazette with the original Belgrave wantaway quote [see 16th November news item] on the 16th November.

Briggs goes on to say, "The Southend paper spoke to Belgrave and we spoke to Yeovil chairman John Fry - quotes were swapped, which is normal procedure in the newspaper world."

And this is where the problem lies, we suspect. It's all very well swapping quotes, but quotes have to be put in context. A hypothetical and leading question could lead to a potentially damning quote being obtained from an unsuspecting interviewee - but we would never know that, we would just see the 'evidence' of the quote. At Ciderspace we just hope the furore´ over the story doesn't play any part in unsettling one of the most promising and exciting young talents ever to have played in the green-and-white shirt of Yeovil Town.

In the meantime the Yeovil Express reports that manager Colin Addison - reportedly far from happy with last week's press report - has offered Belgrave a new and improved contract to keep him at Huish Park. Addison is quoted as saying, "Barrington has a great future ahead of him. We are a young side and I know players read papers and they know clubs are looking at us, but that is the norm - especially when you are top of the table. I have told him to keep his head down and concentrate on his football."

In other news the Express reports that Addison is now actively looking to strengthen the squad ahead of the winter months to come. Striker/winger Alex Meechan has now signed from Bristol City on a month's loan, and young goalkeeper Paul Binder - a native of Rushden ironically - is currently on trial at Huish Park. Youth team striker Richard Parkinson - who has been attracting rave reviews this season - has been put on a contract until the end of May. The Express also throws two other names into the mixer - Plymouth Argle midfielder Kevin Nancekivell and Taunton striker Anthony Lynch are reportedly being tracked by Yeovil.

Finally, the Express reports that there could well be a mini injury crisis for The Glovers this weekend, with Warren Patmore, Tom White, Darren Way and Anthony Tonkin all suffering from various minor ailments, though the paper says that Colin Addison is 'hoping' all will be fit to play against Telford in the event.

Fat Harry calling.

It's my radio show again tonight and we have Barrington Belgrave, Ben Smith, Terry Skiverton and Tony Pounder on so please ring in your questions to 01935 413943 or fax on 01935 413942 or e mail me fat.harry@ydrfm.com

Harry's show can be found on YDRFM on 106.5FM, from 7pm to 9pm.

The FA Cup has traditionally dealt up shocks with teams such as Yeovil, Hereford and Woking beating their League counterparts. I do not think this season's results are a testament to full-time football in the Non-League game. Yes, it helps, but you do not train morning, noon and night. It is match fitness that counts. And with the number of teams now playing twice a week in the league, plus entering a whole variety of cup competitions, part-time clubs can compete.

I have said on at least ten occasions before this season that the Conference in many quarters is regarded as the Fourth Division of the Football League. The standard in the division is now excellent and our match with Rushden proved it: a magnificent game that was an outstanding advertisement for Conference football. The game was played at the best stadium outside the Football League and was a first class match to be involved in - the finest game I have watched as a Conference manager. Regardless of whether or not the Conference is ever officially recognised as the Fourth Division of the English game, the most important issue is for promotion from the Conference to be increased. The Conference has proved it has the sufficient week-in, week-out standard by the performances of its clubs in the FA Cup.

Northwich got a great draw at Bury and Rushden, although losing at Luton, deserved to do better. Nuneaton and Kingstonian also kept the Non-League flag flying by beating their League rivals. But I disagree with the view that Conference teams who are full-time and playing well should be favourites in Cup games if they are drawn at home to a League club. When the draw was made for the First Round, I thought we could win against Colchester, but I certainly did not class us as the favourites. We watched Colchester against Reading the week before and they produced a good performance, winning 1-0. They have a number of talented players in their side, but on the day we deserved to win.

In The Non-League Paper two weeks ago Clive Walker suggested our match was a definite home win. Sorry Clive but I still regard victory as an upset. Our next match against Blackpool will be another tough game. They will know where we are from and what we are about. But we can be relaxed and express ourselves because we are the underdogs. We showed respect against Colchester and we will again when we play Blackpool.

I do not believe that Cup success will be to the detriment of our League campaign. I think there is room for the two competitions if you approach the games correctly and have a large squad. The league is the first priority. We may be top at the moment but no prizes are handed out in November. There is a lot of football to be played between now and the end of the season, but if I do manage to take Yeovil into the Football League it will be a moment of great satisfaction and pride."

Yeovil took the lead at Scarborough with a 41st-minute Ben Smith free-kick, but the home side equalised just the other side of the break through a Cherif Diallo effort. Darren Way put Yeovil back into the lead on 56 minutes and The Glovers held onto the advantage until the 87th minute when Simon Betts slotted home a controversial penalty following an alleged handball in the box. The official website's match report can be found here.

Striker and leading goalscorer Warren Patmore missed the match following the knock on the calf he received during last week's win over Colchester. Wazza told Ciderspace after the match that he had been "50/50" for today's game but in the event it was decided not to risk him - he is confident that he will be fully fit for next weekend's home game v Telford.

The club have announced ticketing arrangements for the Blackpool game due to be played on Sunday 10th December with a 1:00pm kick-off at Bloomfield Road.

Tickets will be available only to season ticket holders for the first three days. There will be a limit of one ticket per season ticket holder.

The tickets will go on sale on Monday 27th November at 10:00am. The ticket office will be open between 10:00am and 8pm on Monday and Tuesday, then 10:00am and 7:45pm on Wednesday 29th, the night that the Reserves play host to Pewsey Vale in the Les Phillips Cup.

Season Ticket holders MUST bring their pass books with them as proof of identity.

On Thursday 30th November at 10:00am, any remaining tickets will become available to non-Season Ticket Holders on a first come, first served basis.

Supporters living a significant distance from Yeovil may apply by post. Season Ticket Holders should put in their applications as soon as possible. Enclose a cheque made payable to Yeovil Town Football Club and a Stamped Addressed Envelope. In your covering letter, please include your Season Ticket book serial number, and the name of the person/company that the book is registered to. Please mark your outer envelope "Blackpool Tickets".

Non-Season Ticket Holders may do the same, but should recognise that their applications will NOT be processed until Thursday 30th November.

There are 1,020 tickets available. Please note that there are NO stand tickets available due to redevelopment of the Blackpool ground. Terrace prices are £8 for adults, and £3 for concessions.

A whole two hours of national radio devoted to Yeovil Town FC? Surely not!

John Fry joins Brian Moore on "Inside the Boardroom", this Friday afternoon between 2pm and 4pm on talkSPORT for two hours focusing exclusively on Yeovil Town. 1053 & 1089 MW and also broadcast live on the web at www.talksport.net

The proof: see the schedule page at www.talksport.net

There are also various unconfirmed reports that YTFC could be featured on FIFA TV, a football show transmitted on Sky Sports 1 today (Thursday 23rd Nov), start time 7pm. Apparently cameras from the programme were filming at Huish Park over the weekend of the Colchester match. What next, YTFC featuring regularly on local TV's sports bulletins with regular goal highlights from the club's games like Torquay, Plymouth, Exeter and the 2 Bristol clubs fans enjoy? Sorry, we're obviously being ridiculous now.

Barrington Belgrave, Ben Smith and Terry Skiverton had all been picked for the FA squad, while Warren Patmore had withdrawn earlier in the week as a precautionary measure following a slight knock. It's not thought at present that the game will be re-arranged.

Top! Giantkillers! But Yeovil Town are not resting on their laurels if today's Western Daily Press is anything to go by. The paper claims that the club's TV cup boost could open the gates for new players to come into The Glovers first team squad reporting that Chairman "[John] Fry will meet with [Colin] Addison before tonight’s Somerset Premier Cup game at home to Taunton [match postponed, being played Wednesday] to discuss possible new signings."

The paper quotes Fry as saying, "This windfall from Sky will make a big difference to us. It means that we can keep the momentum going and give Colin Addison our full backing when he decides to enter the transfer market. The FA Cup really brings in the money and it hit us hard when we didn’t go very far last season, but we deserve a bit of luck after the way we played on Saturday. We have been playing like a second division club this season, which we proved against Colchester. And with the set-up we’ve got I believe that we should now be targeting a place in the second division, not just the third."

And there was welcome news from Fry for those who don't have Sky at home and are not travelling to Blackpool, with the club chairman adding, " We will be showing the game at Huish Park so any fans who cannot get a ticket will be able to watch it there." The paper claims that 1,020 tickets will be allocated to Yeovil fans for the game which kicks off at 1:00pm on Sunday December 10th.

Looking back at Saturday's 5-1 mauling of Second Division Colchester United the Yeovil squad have been quoted extensively by the media. Club captain Terry Skiverton told Sky Sports, "Everyone knows about the FA Cup tradition of Yeovil, but it was a very special day for us. We've got a very young side and we've got a few local lads in the team which is only helping us."

"We got a good crowd," continued Skiverton. "The supporters are really getting behind us now as you could see out there. It was just like everything clicked for us. There was a little bit of luck involved in that performance in that we don't normally score as many goals as that, but overall it was a very pleasing performance. All the lads are absolutely delighted. We all work for each other and I am sure we will keep our feet on the ground in the Second Round at Blackpool."

Yeovil's speedy striker, Barrington Belgrave, had a different slant on the situation when he talked to the Western Daily Press saying, "It was the pre-season that got us so fit, running up hills. We didn't enjoy it but we are seeing the benefits out on the pitch now. Everyone in the team looks so sharp and I can certainly say it's the fittest I've been. The hills are called Nine Springs and I have nightmares about them. It's the hardest training I've ever done. It was Dave Webb who got us to do it and a few of us were cursing. He used to come up with us, but would just stand there watching."

Those nervous of Belgrave's links with Southend United, as reported on Ciderspace on November 16th, will not have their worries eased when Belgrave added, "I owe a lot to Dave Webb. He took a chance bringing me down here and I'd like to think I've repaid him. I had the choice of sitting at home or playing football. I wouldn't have known what to do with myself if I hadn't stayed professional. Football has its ups and downs but you've got to bounce back and I think I'm a stronger person for it. Almost all the players here have been released by a club and want to get back in the league. We're a bunch of young lads doing well and trying to make a name for ourselves in football. All of us are confident that we can play in the league and we want to prove it."

His fellow striker Warren Patmore seemed unsurprised at Saturday's scoreline when he added, "We've been playing like that all season at home. We've won eight out of eight league games here and the young lads just seem to have no fear."

The YTISA has also raised in the region of £150 this season through the sale of tickets for the popular Meat Draw which is held in the social club bar before first-team matches. A cheque was presented to John Hall, treasurer of the E2000 Appeal Fund, before Sturday's game by YTISA secretary Sara Brimble.

The YTISA will be running a coach to Blackpool for the FA Cup game on Sunday 10th December. Tickets are exected to be no more than £15, probaly less depending on numbers, and the leaving time from Yeovil Bus Station is initially planned to be around 4.30 - 5am. Phone YTISA chairman Mark Kelly on 01935 412236, or email the YTISA at ytisa@ytisa.screaming.net for more details.

Both Blackpool and The Glovers will receive £75,000 from Sky. Intriguingly, if past precedent is anything to go by then both teams will already know who the winners 3rd Round opponents will be before the match is played, as the draw for the next round of the competition is usually made live on Sky TV on the Saturday evening at 5.35pm.

Tom is quoted by the paper as saying: "My girlfriend Louise is bearing the brunt of all this. At least I can lose myself in football for a while. That gives me some relief."

Tom's professionalism at such a difficult time is something we can only admire. Our best wishes to him and all of his family. News like this puts football into its proper perspective.

Ticket prices for next week's Somerset Premier Cup tie v Taunton Town, due to be played on Tues 21st November, 7.45pm, have been reduced to £4 for adults, £2 concessions. Only the Main Stand will be opened to the public for this game, the terraces and Barlett Stand will be closed.

After a goalless first half Warren Patmore opened the scoring in the 50th minute, strike partner Barrington Belgrave adding a second 3 minutes later. Terry Skiverton made it 3-0 on 57 minutes before Colchester's Duguid pulled one back with 20 minutes left on the clock. A Darren Way penalty calmed any nerves on 80 minutes, and Warren Patmore capped a superb personal performance following a difficult week by scoring his 2nd of the game, and the Glovers 5th with 5 minutes to go. The official website's match report can be found here.

The draw for the 2nd Round of the FA Cup was made shortly after the match finished. Yeovil have been drawn away to Blackpool, 15th in Division 3. The game is currently set for Saturday 9th December. Yeovil's Conference fixture with Leigh RMI, due to be played on the same date, will now be postponed.

Thanks are due again to Ian Cole of the www.bristolrovers.co.uk website for the following information:

The Football League today concluded a major agreement with LDV Vans for the title sponsorship of the Football League Trophy - the annual competition for Division Two and Division Three clubs. The four-year deal is the largest sponsorship in the competition's history and it will now be known as the LDV Vans Trophy.

For the very first time the competition will be extended to include eight teams from the Nationwide Conference. The draw for the first round will take place on Saturday morning at 10:00am and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports' Soccer AM where regular presenters Tim Lovejoy and Helen Chamberlain will be assisted by Oasis front man Noel Gallagher.

In announcing the deal, the Football League's Chief Executive David Burns said, "I am delighted to welcome LDV to the Football League's team of sponsors, this deal will help us to further develop a competition which has been very successful for our smaller clubs. I am also very pleased that we have been able to include eight Conference teams for the first time - I'm sure their involvement will capture the imagination of real football supporters."

Steve Miller, Marketing Director for LDV added, "LDV have a successful history of working with the Football League and for several years we were the proud sponsor of the Sherpa Vans Trophy. Today we are delighted to be bringing the cup back home, with the launch of the LDV Vans Trophy."

The eight Nationwide Conference sides appearing in the competition were selected based on their performance in the league last season, and their current stadium criteria. Chester City were invited as the team relegated from Division Three, Doncaster Rovers were invited as the winners of the MacMillan Trophy and the six other highest placed teams in last year's final Conference table, whose grounds met Football League standards, were invited too. These were Dover Athletic, Hereford Utd, Morecambe, Rushden & Diamonds, Scarborough and Yeovil Town. John Moules, Nationwide Conference Chief Executive said, "Competing in the LDV Vans Trophy provides a major boost to Nationwide Conference football and a chance for our leading clubs to continue their growth and development. The Conference and its clubs look forward to playing their part in raising the profile and status of the LDV Vans Trophy."

LDV Vans were formed in 1993 and employ 1,400 people in the UK. Their market share has grown rapidly to 10% and they currently sponsor St Mirren and Aston Villa football clubs. Previous sponsors of the competition include Freight Rover (1984/85 to 1986/87), Sherpa Vans (1987/88 to 1988/89), Leyland Daf (1989/90 to 1990/91), Autoglass (1991/92 to 1993/94) and Auto Windscreens (1994/95 to 1999/2000).

Last year's final crowd of 75,057 was the second highest domestic attendance of the season, bettered only by that of the FA Cup final. It was higher than that of the Worthington Cup final and even beat England v Brazil. Stoke City ran out winners on that day, 2-1 victors over Bristol City.

A side reaching the final can realistically expect to make around £500,000 from this competition, and with increased TV Coverage promised, yet more money could be coming the way of smaller clubs. The Football League's new £315m broadcasting deal with ONdigital and ITV, which commences next season, will see increased coverage of the competition.

Yeovil Town midfielder Ben Smith is the latest Glover to be called up by England semi-professional international manager John Owens for the F.A. XI fixture against the Southern League on Tuesday November 21st.

Ben will join Warren Patmore, Terry Skiverton and Barrington Belgrave as a quartet of Yeovil players who will travel to Crawley, in the hope of impressing the England manager. Almost invariably, the England Semi-Pro squad for the season is chosen from a series of trials, of which this match forms one of four.

Ladies and Gents I can announce(sorry if someone has already posted this) where you can get your copy of the Ru$hden V Yeovil videos from. As no copies have reached the Diamonds as yet, it is possible to by them straight from Northamptonshire T.V. or N.T.V as they like to be known. I have been told that they are a bargain £12(including postage etc)!!! All you have to do is send a cheque made out to N.T.V with a little covering note explaining exactly what you want to:

Darren Hart
N.T.V.
31, Freehold St,
Northampton,
NN2 6EW.

The Doc Shop [Rushden & Diamonds FC's club shop -ed] said it is £8 from them when they come in, but I think you have to add postage to that so it would probably workout pretty much the same.

So there you have it, we will make more details available when we have them. Interested parties may like to know that we at Ciderspace are yet to make a Christmas list but suffice it to say that along with our Ben Smith shin-pads and Darren Way sweatbands, a copy of the Ru$hden v Yeovil video would be very welcome in our stockings at any time.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Details of round dates for the competition formerly known as the Auto Windscreens Shield have been announced, and see a busy schedule at the start of 2001 for those teams that progress to the latter stages.

The first round will take place during the week commencing 4th December, the second round during the week commencing 8th January, the area quarter-finals will take place during the week commencing 29th January and the area semi-finals will take place during the week commencing 12th February.

The two-legged area finals will take place in consecutive weeks, during the week commencing 12th March and the week commencing 19th March. The final itself will take place on Sunday 22nd April.

The competition will see a total entry of 56 teams, split into two areas of north and south and includes for the first time eight Nationwide Football Conference clubs.

Further from the above it now seems clear that this competition - whatever it is called - has priority over the Nationwide Variety Clubs Trophy. This will probably mean that the Glovers 3rd Round NVCT tie v Kettering, arranged for Tues 5th December, will have to be re-arranged for another date, though this has yet to be confirmed by the club.

Not that we're tempting fate or anything, but the draw for the 2nd Round of the FA Cup will take place at approximately 5:35pm on Saturday evening and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports 1 and Talksport (1053/89 MW). The winners of this weekend's YTFC v Colchester tie will be drawn as ball number 28.

The Yeovil Town Independent Supporters Association will present a cheque to Erection 2000 Treasurer John Hall at Saturday's game against Colchester United. The money handed over has been raised through meat draws organised by YTISA and held in the club's supporters bars. However, Yeovil Town fans who have contributed to the funds raised will not see a public handover of the funds, despite the club accepting the donation. The donation will instead be a private handover of a cheque, due to the club's continuing policy of not allowing YTISA to make their presentations in public at Huish Park.

Yeovil Town Independent Supporters Association will feature on BBC Somerset Sound tomorrow morning as part of their regular Friday morning focus on Non-League Football. Broadcasting on 1323MW, Simon White plans to interview a YTISA representative live on air. Although the interview will inevitably centre on the outcome from tonight's YTISA AGM, the BBC hope to get a representative from the Football Club to contribute to the debate, which will magnify the interest in the broadcast, given recent problems YTISA has had in dealing with the Football Club. Programme coverage starts at 8:00am tomorrow.

A bucket collection will take place at Saturday's FA Cup First Round match against Colchester on Saturday 18th November. The collection is in aid of the Erection 2000 Appeal amidst circulating rumours that the club are close to a positive announcement on the future of the forthcoming roof project.

The collection is being organised by the Erection 2000 committee, with the help of representatives from the Yeovil Town Independent Supporters Association.

YTISA secretary Sara Brimble says, "We are hoping to raise a further £5,000 which will be enough to ensure that any unforseen problems can be dealt with."

A reminder that this evening (Thurs 16th Nov) sees the 1st AGM of the YTISA at the Armoury Inn, 7pm. All members are urged to attend if at all possible, this is your chance to have your say - for further details click here.

Former Yeovil Town manager David Webb is continuing to be connected with some of Yeovil's rising stars, despite Webb being quoted in the Clarion 2000 that he would not bid for any of the Yeovil squad unless the Yeovil board made them available for transfer.

As reported on Ciderspace on October 27th, Webb has been on quote several times expressing his admiration for the players he managed during his time at Yeovil, but denied that he was luring them to Third Division side Southend United.

However, now the tables seem to have turned somewhat with Barrington Belgrave being quoted in the Southend Evening Echo today implying that a move could be on the cards.

"I've got a lot of respect for David Webb and I would love to come and play for him at Southend," said Belgrave. "David took a gamble on me when he signed me from Plymouth and I'd like to think that I started to pay him back at Yeovil. But I still feel I owe David and I would like to help him at Southend. Right now, joining Southend is very appealing it would mean playing in the Third Division this season and hopefully the second next year."

Added to that, persistent rumours are continuing to connect midfielder Ben Smith with a return to his home county. Smith used to commute to Yeovil from Essex until last summer, and was known to be a big fan of Webb's methods.

What is key here is how the board will react if Webb does break his "promise" and come in with a bid for Belgrave, Smith or any other players. In the Clarion 2000 on October 31st (and also in the Ciderspace News Page from last month), both chairman John Fry and manager Colin Addison were on quote saying that they were not interested in selling any of Yeovil's players. How difficult will it be for them to keep their word? And how much is the continuing transfer talk likely to unrest the players concerned? And how much do they want the potential of entering the Third Division as Conference champions?

[Article written with assistance from Tom Brown]

SHIELD BACK ON TRACK

The Football League have announced that they are close to reaching a sponsorship agreement for the competition formerly known as the Auto Windscreens Shield. Auto Windscreens pulled out of a deal last month as a result of an increased fee being demanded by the Football League. It is now hoped that a decision will be made later this week or at the start of next.

For the first time in its history, this season's competition will include eight teams from the Nationwide Football Conference. As a result, the format has altered slightly with eight Football League clubs being given byes to the second round. As ever, the competition is split into north and south with the following Conference teams qualifying for each region: South - Dover Athletic; Hereford Utd; Rushden & Diamonds; Yeovil Town; North - Morecambe; Scarborough; Chester City; Doncaster Rovers.

The first round will see 24 one-off ties (no replays) seeing 24 winners going through to the second round. These will be joined by the eight sides given byes from round one and will produce 16 further ties with the knock-out format then continuing through to the final. Teams will compete within their north or south regions throughout the tournament until the winners of each area eventually meet in the final.

The Football League have confirmed that the draw for round one will take place by this Saturday at the latest with first round matches taking place during the week commencing Monday 4th December.

It's noticeable that the scheduled starting week coincides with the midweek game already arranged for Tues 5th December v Kettering in the equally under-whelming Nationwide Variety Club Trophy. It's not clear as yet which competition has priority over the other.

The first team weren't the only ones to miss out - the youths and reserves also had their games scheduled for today postponed, again because of waterlogged pitches.

Most other Conference games did go ahead, but nearest challengers Rushden & Diamonds couldn't close the 4 point gap between them and Yeovil, going down 3-2 at Doncaster Rovers and having keeper Billy Turley sent off in the process. Third and fourth-placed Hereford and Southport closed the gap between themselves and The Glovers to 8 and 9 points respectively.

It's still possible to get odds against on The Glovers - online bookies Blue Square still have the Diamonds as favourites on evens, with Yeovil at 5-4. Hereford are quoted less generously at 9-1 3rd favourites, with Southport at 16-1.

Local Press Review:

It's common knowledge that star striker Warren Patmore is out-of-contract at YTFC at the end of this season, and therefore able to sign a pre-contract agreement with any other club from January onwards. Received wisdom has it that Wazza has always refused to go full-time, and with the Glovers now being a full-time outfit it's been assumed that his days at Yeovil were numbered, at least while Dave Webb was manager at the club, not that anyone at Ciderspace wanted to see such a scenario.

Well, it seems that the situation may not be as cut and dried as was previously thought. Today's edition of the Western Gazette leads with the headline, "Glovers hotshot wants new deal", the story, by Dave "Action Man" Coates going on to say that Patmore has spoken to manager Colin Addison and 2 of Yeovil's directors in regard to a new contract, quoting the striker as saying, "I am willing to commit myself, but at the moment the ball is in their court. When we spoke a couple of weeks ago they said they would wait until the big games are over. I think it will be a couple of weeks before we can sit down and talk details, but I am keen to get my future sorted out...I love everything about Yeovil Town and it would be great to get another contract."

According to the Gazette Colin Addison is to hold talks with Patmore in the near future, quoting him as responding, "I am aware of Warren's situation and we have spoken about a new contract for him. The problem is there has been so much going on with games here and there that we haven't had the chance to sit down and have a proper chat. When the opportunity arises we will talk. Warren is the kind of player every manager wants. He scores goals and his experience is vital to the balance of the team, especially with a lot of younger lads in the side. He has taken that responsibilty on and done an excellent job of helping the youngsters."

No mention in the paper of whether the new contract will be on a full-time or part-time basis, or if it was part-time what would happen if the unthinkable did come about and the club was promoted. Time will tell...

In other news the paper reports on Colin Addison's former club Scarborough's decision to put all of their players on the transfer-list because of money problems. Addo says, "They (Scarborough) desperately need money and have put their entire squad up for sale to try and raise some. I know most of the players there from my days there and there are some very good players at the club...Every manager is always looking to improve their squad and I am no different. If there is a player available who I think could improve our squad then we will be in for him."

Finally, the Gazette has a feature on Warren Patmore's Testimonial match, due to take place on Monday 13th November v Blackburn Rovers at Huish Park. The northerners are expected to bring a full squad to Yeovil, including the likes of Mark Hughes and Henning Berg in their side. For the home team the current Yeovil Town side will play the first half, whilst most of the 1996-97 team that won the ICIS League title for Yeovil Town will feature in the 2nd half, including 2 special guests, former Spurs star Chris Waddle and ex-Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday striker Mark Bright.

The Glovers now go on to face 2nd Division Colchester United in the 1st Round proper at Huish Park on Sat November 18th, 3pm kick-off. The match has somewhat surprisingly been made all-ticket by the club, prices being set at £10 (£5) for the stands and £8 (£4) for the terraces. The following details have been copied directly from the club's official website:

Tickets go on sale to season-ticket holders from 12 noon this Saturday 11th November, prior to the match v Dagenham & Redbridge.

Tickets will then go on sale to the general public on Sunday 14th November, from 10am - 1pm. Season-ticket holders can purchase their tickets from the ticket-office in the Main Stand; non-season-ticket holders will be accomodated at designated turnstiles open on the day.

Any remaining tickets will then be sold on a first-come first-served basis from Monday onwards from the ticket office, open between 10am and 4pm as usual, and at Warren Patmore's Testimonial match v Blackburn Rovers on Monday evening, 13th November, more details on this nearer the day.

Season ticket holders who can not get to this weekend's game, or the Sunday, may make a postal application for a ticket. Send a short covering letter to the club, along with a cheque (made payable to Yeovil Town Football Club) and a stamped addressed envelope and they will deal with your application over the weekend. Remember to quote your season ticket number and, if relevant, the Patron Name.

Non-season ticket holders may also apply by the same method. However, applications from non-season ticket holders will not be processed until Monday morning. The club will not process any more postal applications from the last post on Tuesday.

Telephone credit card applications will be accepted from Monday. A 3% surcharge will be added to any credit card applications, phone 01935 423662, ext 201 from Monday onwards, not before please!

Broadcasting on 106.5FM, Fat Harry promises us "his choice" of music [looks like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra are back in fashion then - Ed] plus plenty of chat which will no doubt have a heavy sports leaning to it.

The first show goes out on the airwaves on Tuesday 14th November, between 7pm and 9pm. Running for four weeks, the launch show features manager Colin Addison and striker Warren Patmore, who will be barely warming down following his testimonial, scheduled for Monday 13th November at Huish Park against Blackburn Rovers.

To download the clip, click here. Enjoy, and repeat as many times as necessary!

A number of aspects should be pointed out to The Non-League Paper.
First (presuming it is the same incident being referred to): all the fans Ciderspace has contacted saw a "1" and "0" gesture made to the crowd. Maybe inadvisable in such a highly charged fixture, but hardly warranting the description of "obscene gestures".
Second: we saw and have heard of no response from the section of the crowd supposedly insulted. Football fans are not backward in coming forward to voice their disapproval when an opposition player does something of this sort. Circumstantial evidence that they didn't actually see it the way The Non-League Paper has reported it, perhaps?
Third: the article itself concedes that the referee, who in our opinion had a pretty good game in a very atmospheric encounter, saw the alleged incident and chose to have a word with Patmore ("a verbal warning" is the paper's phrase) and not caution him. To Ciderspace this would seem to suggest that the referee's opinion tied in with our interpretation of the "gestures" rather than that of the tabloid.

Obviously we have to wait for Mr Proctor-Green's official report on the match, to see how he did interpret the actions of Warren Patmore, if he even mentions them. Until then Ciderspace will take the allegations of The Non-League Paper with a hefty pinch of salt.......... as it sadly has to with many of their stories.

In front of 5,283, the largest Conference crowd of the season so far, Yeovil generally created the better chances in what was a fairly even first half, their superior cutting edge paying off with a Warren Patmore lob beating Diamonds keeper Billy Turley in the 42nd minute to put the Glovers 1-0 up at half-time.

Rushden came back strongly in the 2nd half, constant pressure gradually wearing down the Yeovil defence until big-money signing Justin Jackson made it 1-1 with 20 minutes to go. However it was the travelling fans who went home happy - Rushden substitute Jon Brady handling on the goaline on 84 minutes to keep out Terry Skiverton's goal-bound header. Brady was sent off and Darren Way stepped up to convert the penalty to give a final score of 2-1 to Yeovil. A full match report courtesy of the official website is here.

Yeovil are now on 41 points from 17 games, 4 points in front of 2nd-placed Diamonds on 37 and with a game in hand. 3rd placed Hereford, who won 4-2 away at Scarborough today, are 11 points behind the Glovers on 30 points, having played the same number of games.

Today's Western Gazette brings us the welcome news that central defender Tom White, originally signed on a 3-month contract at the start of the season by former manager Dave Webb has now verbally agreed to sign a new 1-year deal at the club - though he hasn't actually put pen to paper yet. Good news indeed.

The Gazette concentrates on preperation for this weekend's top-of-the-table clash at Rushden in the main, quoting Colin Addison as saying, "Everyone at the club is looking forward to the Rushden game. They have the best squad and best team in the league - but on the day it is Yeovil against Rushden and anything can happen. Our away support has been excellent from what I have seen. It's great to have so many supporters at an away game and they can play their part by getting behind us."

Rushden and ex-West Bromwich Albion boss Brian Talbot adds his twopenceworth to the paper saying, "After losing at Morecambe a couple of weeks ago we said we wanted to win our next four home games. So far we have got three and I hope the fourth will come on Saturday. It will be a massive game in front of a big crowd and if we win we will go top and there will be nothing Yeovil can do about it. Absolutely right Brian, erm, apart from we could win our game in hand and go top again of course. But nothing aside from that, obviously!

Talking of the "massive" crowd, the Gazette reports that Rushden are expecting just over 5,000 to have bought tickets for the game by the time that the ticket office closes on Friday evening, at least 1,000 down on capacity. Yeovil sold their initial allocation of 1,000 tickets within a fortnight of them going on sale, and the extra 200 awarded by Rushden sold "in about 10 minutes" on Saturday, according to Glovers secretary Jean Cotton. With around 1,000 spare seats at Nene Park one can only speculate as to why Rushden have refused Yeovil's requests for a further ticket allocation, as the demand from Yeovil fans is clearly there, even if home supporters don't seem quite so enthusiastic.

In other news the Gazette reports on the speculation that former manager Dave Webb is keen to sign Barrington Belgrave IF he becomes available for transfer (see our October 31st news story), and also details how much money the club could possibly lose if they lose the FA Cup replay at Horsham next Monday - apparently a live game on TV could be worth as much as £150,000, with highlights at £18,750, not to forget the £1,200 prize money for reaching the First Round, and £2,000 if they get through to the Second Round. Then there's the possible gate receipts from the Colchester game on top of that. All in all a lot of money to lose.

The Gazette reports that the G&WSC are running coaches to the Horsham replay next Monday, leaving the bus station at 2.45pm and Huish Park at 3pm - contact George Coggen at 01935 423662 for more details.

Finally, for those of you in the HTV region, the Gazette reports that assistant manager Steve Thompson and club captain Terry Skiverton will appear on HTV's 'Hit The Bar' programme next Tuesday night at 12 midnight. Viewers can put questions to the pair by emailing sports@htvwest.com

The full squad is: Steve Farrelly, Vince Matassa, Jamie Pitman, Stuart Munday, Mark Smith, Lee Matthews, Terry Skiverton, Rob Hollingdale, Sam McMahon, Mark Brennan, Geoff Pitcher, Gary Patterson, Warren Patmore, Barrington Belgrave, Lee Charles.

Two new articles have appeared on the Official Nationwide Conference Web Site that read as follows:

Fishlock sees light at the end of the tunnel (1st Nov)

Three months ago the playing career of Yeovil Town defender Murray Fishlock appeared to be over after a persistent back injury which ruled him out for almost the whole of last season.

But thanks to a make-or-break rehabilitation programme he is now hoping to be back in the new year helping The Glovers towards the Nationwide Conference.

"My pelvis was tilting when I put my left foot down and that caused the pain. The specialist decided the areas had to be strengthened and the latest videos show the pelvis stays in place when I'm on the running machine" said Fishlock.

He added: "There is some way to go, but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel".

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Skirton sets new goal (1st Nov)

Alan Skirton, top-scorer for Arsenal in 1962, now has a new goal - to raise his second million for Yeovil Town before he retires as their Commercial Manager in three years time.

Former chairman Bryan Moore, who was instrumental in bringing Skirton to Huish Park, says he was the best signing the club has ever made: "He passed his first million some years back.

"He is excellent at his job and has a real knack of getting people to part with money.

"Skirton introduced the idea since copied by several clubs of Yeovil's size, of putting potential shirt sponsors into a draw rather than negotiating with each firm. It immediately quadrupled income."

The Hornets were content to defend deeply and in numbers and try to catch Yeovil on the break and this strategy worked to perfection in the first half, Gary Charman catching the Glovers defence cold and putting the visitors one-up in the 33rd minute. The second half saw more of the same but eventually the constant Yeovil pressure told, John Kirby turning an Andy Lindegaard cross into his own net on 69 minutes. However the Glovers were unable to find the winning goal in the 20 minutes remaining and so must now travel to Horsham's Queen Street ground next Monday 6th November for the replay.

The official website's match report can be found by clicking here.