On Saturday, Yeovil Town Reserves made the trip to Backwell United in defence of the Les Phillips Cup that they won in May. Sadly, things did not go as well as last season's cup run and they slipped out at the first stage, losing 3-1 to a deserving Backwell side.

The Glovers fell behind in the third minute to a Ryan King goal - his 15th of the season for Backwell. Yeovil equalised on 29 minutes when Wayne Vaughan turned the ball in from 12 yards after good work by Andy Lindegaard. However, they lost the tie in the second half, despite having the lion's share of the possession, when poor back post marking allowed first Brett Gready on 54 minutes, then Scott Hendy on 74 minutes were allowed free headers from close range with a fairly short Yeovil back line - missing Paul Steele - were unable to cope with Backwell's aerial challenge.

On the positive side, Steve Thompson, David Norton and Murray Fishlock all came through a full 90 minutes, and all looked fairly fresh at the end, with Fishlock having a particularly good game.

Yeovil fielded several new faces in the competition. In goal was Tony Court, who was deputising for an injured Tim Malessa, whilst on trial for Yeovil were forward Wayne Vaughan who was on Cambridge United's books recently, whilst at the back Irishman D. Williamson has come from Tottenham Hotspur - the same environment as recent recruit Glen Poole, who broke into the first team recently.

Anthony Tonkin and Arthur Appleton are currently injured, with Appleton suffering from shin splints - flaking of the bone.

Yeovil's line-up was as follows :

1. Tony Court 2. D. Williamson 3. Murray Fishlock 4. Chris Colby 5. Jon Hayter (sub 60 mins for 12. James Steer) 6. Andy Lindegaard 7. Steve Thompson 8. Dave Norton 9. James Bent 10. Wayne Vaughan 11. Glen Poole. Subs Not Used : 14. Shaun Watts 15. P. Heywood

For further resources, see the Reserves Les Phillips Cup Final Match Report and Photo Gallery from May 1999. Backwell United also have their own Web Site.

Head Player-Coach Steve Thompson thought his side did just enough to win the first game at Weymouth on Sunday, but he is certainly not underestimating his opponents for the replay.

"It will be tough - a local derby always is - but I think we can come through. We have to go out there and play well. It's a brand new game. We don't get any points or a head start for being the better team on Sunday".

"It will be basically the same squad of players. There is a slight doubt about Central Defender Terry Skiverton. He has an elbow injury, but I expect him to play. He injured it on Sunday, and we thought at one stage that he might have broken his arm, but we're going to put some heavy strapping on it, and he should be OK".

"Adrian Foster, Chris Sparks and Steve Stott will, unfortunately, definitely miss the replay because of knee injury problems".

"The crowd were magnificent on Sunday and it was great to be a part of it all. I hope they all turn up again on Tuesday, and I hope we give them what they want".

Head Player-Coach Steve Thompson thought his side did just enough to win the first game at Weymouth on Sunday, but he is certainly not underestimating his opponents for the replay.

"It will be tough - a local derby always is - but I think we can come through. We have to go out there and play well. It's a brand new game. We don't get any points or a head start for being the better team on Sunday".

"It will be basically the same squad of players. There is a slight doubt about Central Defender Terry Skiverton. He has an elbow injury, but I expect him to play. He injured it on Sunday, and we thought at one stage that he might have broken his arm, but we're going to put some heavy strapping on it, and he should be OK".

"Adrian Foster, Chris Sparks and Steve Stott will, unfortunately, definitely miss the replay because of knee injury problems".

"The crowd were magnificent on Sunday and it was great to be a part of it all. I hope they all turn up again on Tuesday, and I hope we give them what they want".

The FA Trophy 2nd Round Replay between Yeovil Town and Weymouth will be held at Huish Park on Tuesday 30th November at 7:45pm.

The game is not ticketed at all, and is an all-pay game.

Admission in the stands will be eight pounds for adults, with Under 16's and Senior Citizens priced at £4.50.

Admission on the terraces will be seven pounds for adults, with Under 16's and Senior Citizens priced at £3.50.

Weymouth supporters should use Gate 14 for the terraces and Gate 12 for the stands. Gate 15 may be opened as well if necessary.

As the gate receipts are shared, family tickets are unfortunately not available for this tie.

If Yeovil get past Weymouth tomorrow night at Huish Park (kick-off 7:45pm) then they will face the winners of Stevenage versus Merthyr Tydfil, being played tonight at Broadhall Way (kick-off 7:45pm). Stevenage are familiar league opponents, whilst Merthyr Tydfil last met Yeovil Town in an FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round tie whilst under Graham Roberts. Yeovil lost the tie 2-1 at Merthyr.

The weekend results mean that Yeovil's home league match against Doncaster Rovers on January 15th 2000 is already called off, as Doncaster are guaranteed participation in the Third Round of the FA Trophy.

The Draw in Full (with Conference sides in bold) is as follows :

Winsford United or VS Rugby v Moor Green
Emley v Frickley Athletic
Blakenall v Morecambe
Tamworth v Runcorn
Stalybridge Celtic or Gainsborough Trinity v Blyth Spartans
Doncaster Rovers v Halesowen Town
Stocksbridge PS or Redditch United v Scarborough
Leigh RMI or Worksop Town v Lancaster City
Bilston Town or Workington v Burton Albion
Spennymoor United v Harrogate Town
Whitby Town v Telford United
Hinckley United or Marine v Guiseley
Southport v Altrincham
Accrington Stanley or Spalding United v Bishop Auckland
Hednesford Town v Hyde United
Sutton United v Canvey Island
Rothwell Town v Walton & Hersham
Purfleet v Enfield or Newport IOW
Cirencester or Forest Green Rovers v Hendon
Gravesend & Northfleet v Dover Athletic
Harrow Borough or Oxford City v Dulwich Hamlet or Burnham
Billericay Town v Hereford United
Aldershot Town v Staines Town
Wealdstone v Kingstonian
Carshalton Athletic v Farnborough
Kettering Town or Thame United v Welling United
Bath City v Rushden & Diamonds
Worcester City v Bromley
Woking v Whyteleafe
Weymouth or Yeovil Town v Merthyr Tydfil or Stevenage Borough
Margate or Dartford v Heybridge Swifts
Leatherhead or Bedford Town v Newport County

Ties to be played on Saturday 15th January 2000

This weeks Yeovil and Weymouth Editions of the Western Gazette both carried a highly controversial headline Fans Face Death On The Net (see our Local Press Review, yesterday) where it was claimed that Yeovil and Weymouth fans were planning a "bayonet fight to the death".

At Ciderspace we can confirm that the Western Gazette reporters have fallen for a hoax which, if they had double checked their facts, they would have been able to easily confirm as such. Journalists at the Gazette failed to check the source of the messages, which appeared on the Official Weymouth Site Message Board. Had they done so, then they would have realised that nearly all the posters in the thread the Gazette used were students at Yeovil College - including faked "Weymouth fans" such as the "Weymouth Windbag" quoted in the Gazette's front-page article. None of the messages originated from Weymouth fans, and all of them originated from buildings in Yeovil College.

At most colleges, Wednesday afternoons are reserved for recreational and sporting activities, and so it doesn't take too much imagination to work out that the Gazette fell for a group of Yeovil College students bored and trying to provoke Weymouth and Yeovil fans in a collective wind-up. Even if they didn't succeed in provoking the Yeovil and Weymouth supporters, they certainly succeeded in fooling professional journalists, and their prank will have left the Gazette with egg on its face. It leaves the Gazette's front page article holding no substance at all.

Yeovil Town have never won the FA Trophy, or indeed played in a Wembley final. But Head Player-Coach Steve Thompson, who picked up FA Trophy winners medals playing for Wycombe Wanderers and Woking, is determined to rectify this situation, as he faces local rivals Weymouth, in their first competitive fixture against The Glovers for over ten years.

"I think we have a realistic chance of going all the way", he said. "Mind you, Weymouth will be tough opponents. They are seventh in the Dr Martens Premier Division and as underdogs will have nothing to lose".

Yeovil have no unexpected injury problems. Steve Stott (knee) and Chris Sparks (knee) continue to be unavailable, but there is better news on two other players. Steve Thompson says "Adrian is recovering well from his knee injury, and has a slight chance of making the squad. Dean Chandler has been added to the squad, but essentially I will be relying on the players who have served us so well recently".

The match against Weymouth kicks off on Sunday at 3:00pm, and Yeovil Town fans who have not yet purchased a ticket have until 4:00pm on Friday to purchase their tickets. The ticket office at Huish Park is open until 7:00pm tonight, and 10:00am until 4:00pm tomorrow. Yeovil Town fans should not travel unless they have purchased a ticket in advance.

Meanwhile, Yeovil Town Reserves take a trip to Backwell United's ground on Saturday, as they prepare the defence of the Les Philips Cup they won at Paulton in May earlier this year. Their squad may be boosted by a couple of first teamers, in that Steve Thompson has indicated that Dave Norton, Murray Fishlock and himself may travel to Backwell in order to keep up their match fitness as they continue to recover from injuries sustained earlier in the season.

In contrast to the Western Gazette's version of last week's shareholders meeting (see below), the Yeovil Express reports that those present were "surprised" to learn that directors Norman Hayward and Jon Goddard-Watts have been given shares worth a total of £193,000 as repayment for loans they have made to the club, leaving just 2,000 shares to be made available to the general public out of the creation of 195,000 extra shares priced at £1 each. It was widely known that the two directors would between them be acquiring the vast majority of the new share issue, so perhaps the "surprise" was exactly how they came to acquire them. Mr Goddard-Watts has already undertaken to donate £1 to the club for every share acquired.

In other news the Express focuses on this Sunday's FA Trophy game at Weymouth, with YTISA chairman Mark Kelly saying, "This is a huge game for Yeovil fans and the club in general and I hope the players understand that." Head coach Steve Thompson is quoted as saying that striker Adrian Foster is "very unlikely" to be fit for the match, but that Dean Chandler could be back in the squad following his recent back injury. However the Express predicts that the starting line-up for Sunday will be unchanged from last weekend's 0-1 win at Sutton.

This week's edition of The Clarion features a rather good interview with head coach Steve Thompson. In the interview Thommo admits that Yeovil Town have in the past signed players without the manager at the time having even seen them play, something he says will not happen under his reign. He also clears up any confusion over the 'performance-related' part of his contract, saying that it merely relates to improved terms for himself should Yeovil be succesful in future. The whole interview is well worth reading and can be found here. In another snippet, the Clarion reports that Phil Simpson could be on his way to Enfield permanently after all, despite his long-term injury.

From the sublime to the ridiculous: Fans face death on the net screams the headline on the front page of today's Sun Western Gazette. In an article which leaves no journalistic cliche unturned in its bid to shock and horrify its readers, reporter Simon Garnett examines the ugly spectre of internet football violence, reporting that threatening messages have been circulating "on the internet" in regard to this Sunday's Weymouth v Yeovil FA Trophy game. We see no need to repeat the exact details in the Gazette's 'story', suffice it to say that anyone reading the official Weymouth website's Message Board will know exactly how credible it is. Lazy, irresponsible journalism or a genuine expose? You decide.

In it's proper news, The Gazette reports that last Thursdays annual meeting of Yeovil and Athletic Club Ltd contained no surprises, with all of the measures previously reported being passed. The Gazette also features Sunday's game in detail, with its various reporters reminiscing on derby matches they have attended in the past. As between them that only stretches as far back as Boxing Day 1984, you may wish to consult Huge Huish Hugh's comprehensive history of the fixture for a somewhat more detailed appreciation of the rivalry between the clubs. Finally, the Gazette reports that bookmakers Ladbrokes have made The Glovers joint 2nd favourites for the Conference title at 4-1. Rushden remain favourites at 7-4.

The club have emphasised that NO tickets will be on sale to fans on the day of the game and that segregation will be strictly enforced at the match. Tickets can be bought from Huish Park from 10:00am - 4:00pm Monday to Friday, and from 10:00am until 7:00pm on Thursday.

Bristol City's talented defensive utility player Matt Stowell could well be playing for any of three clubs by the time the weekend is over. The 22 year old has been on loan at Yeovil Town for the past two months, but that second month's loan is now over, and Yeovil are attempting to secure his services on a third month's loan, as well as discussing permanent terms at Huish Park.

However, rather predictably, fellow Conference title chasers Rushden & Diamonds have stepped into the queue for Stowell's services following an impressive display in Yeovil's 5-1 home thrashing of the Northamptonshire side, and have reportedly made Stowell an extremely generous offer. However, contrary to popular rumour, Stowell did not sign for Diamonds in midweek, and to the best of our knowledge has not signed for any other club, and is therefore still a Bristol City player.

According to Steve Thompson on Thursday morning, Stowell was still part of the set-up as a loan player at Huish Park. However, if he does not sign a loan extension or a permanent contract with Yeovil before tomorrow morning, then Stowell will not be playing at Sutton regardless of his future intentions towards either Yeovil or Rushden.

Stowell has made it clear that he does not want to drop out of the Football League, and so it can't be ruled out that by tomorrow he could be back at Ashton Gate playing for Bristol City Reserves, having stalled on, or rejected terms with both clubs.

Yeovil Town travel to 15th placed Sutton United's Gander Green Lane ground this Saturday (kick off 3:00pm) determined to build on their 5-1 home thrashing of title favourites Rushden & Diamonds.

"We were brilliant against Rushden, but to win championships, you have got to do this week-in, week-out", says Head Player-Coach Steve Thompson. "We must put in another quality performance at Sutton on Saturday because they showed how effective they can be when they beat us 2-1 at Huish Park a couple of months back".

Steve Thompson himself is fast getting back to full fitness and will be in the squad for the Sutton clash. "Adrian Foster is still out with his knee injury, but on the plus side, midfielder David Norton's injury problems seem to be over and he will also be in my squad".

"Wing-back Murray Fishlock will have another outing in the reserves at Dawlish, and should soon be fit enough for first-team duty. Matt Stowell's loan period at Huish Park is almost over and we are in the process of negotiating an extension".

Chris Sparks and Steve Stott continue to be unavailable through knee injuries.

• An England pennant signed by Kevin Keegan
• A 'Match Of The Day' script signed by Gary Lineker
• A signed copy of the notes used by John Motson whilst commentating on this season's Leicester v Liverpool game
• A signed Birmingham City shirt donated by ex-Yeovil star Jerry Gill
• Signed photo's donated by Paul Merson

Steve is hoping to receive many more items to be auctioned off in aid of the Fund, more details as and when they become available.

A reminder that one of the more bizarre fundraising ideas is nearing completion - Steve Sowden's partner Kim is due to give birth on December 16. For £1 a time, you can guess at which time the baby will be born. The nearest guess to within five minutes will receive £50 worth of booze to wet the baby's head with!

Tickets for the E2000 Appeal's Christmas/Milliennium Draw are now on sale. Books cost £1 each and the draw will take place at Huish Park on December 18. Top prize is £200 cash, with numerous secondary prizes such as a food hamper from Asda, gift vouchers from Marks & Spencer and complimentary tickets to such attractions as Longleat, Bristol Zoo, Butlins and Sedgemore Splash.

Finally the Independent Supporters' Association have presented the Appeal Fund with a cheque for £756 following various fund-raising events, including the Race Night previously featured on these pages. For those with iron constitutions, the presentation of the cheque by ISA members Maria Brookes, Brian Smyth, Mark Kelly and Ciderspace's Martin Baker is captured on a photo in the Yeovil Express.

The Yeovil Express takes a somewhat different tack, saying that chairman John Fry's position at the club will be discussed at the board meeting following the shareholders meeting at Huish Park tonight, in the light of his provisional acceptance of the chairmanship of a local media company. However the Express says that it is "extremely likely" that Mr Fry will be asked to continue as club chairman.

The Gazette and The Express confirm the award - in principle - of the £168,000 grant for ground development from the Football Trust; plus the news, reported below, of Lee Archer's retirement from the game on medical grounds. The Gazette reports that Lee has tendonitis in both knees and will concentrate on his future as a physical training instuctor. 27 is a young age to be forced into retirement, Ciderspace wishes Lee the best of luck in his future.

The main story in the Express features striker Warren Patmore's return to form with 2 goals in the NMT game v Hereford last week, plus his excellent display against Rushden & Diamonds on Saturday. Rushden boss Brian Talbot is quoted as saying "Patmore ran us ragged," whilst head coach Steve Thompson says, "He is priceless for us. There is not a forward player in the Conference who I would want to swap him with." According to the Express it seems that after Matt Hayfield's bravura performance as emergency striker last week, Thommo is not now in quite so much of a rush to try and sign a striker on loan. The Express quotes him as saying: "I still want another striker, but Matty has done so well in the position that he has made it less of a priority for us and that we will now have time to look around and be a bit more choosy." The paper also reports that Thommo and Dave Norton are now fully fit and available for selection for this Saturday's game at Sutton, with Murray Fishlock a possibility for the bench if necessary.

In other news the Gazette reports that Warren Patmore has been picked for for the FA squad to play against the Isthmian League at Dulwich Hamlet on the 8th of December; and that Yeovil-based Bath City striker Martin Paul has been picked for the Dr Martins League squad to face another FA XI at VS Rugby on the 7th of December - both games are England trials for the upcoming England v Netherlands semi-pro international, to be played at the Drill Field, home of Northwich Victoria on Wednesday 21st March, 2000.

Cathywatch: Cathy's a lot more upbeat this week, but who wouldn't be after the victory over the Diamonds last weekend? Cathy puts the transformation in the team's fortunes down to increased fitness. She has a moan at local TV companies for not covering the match and writes off Rushden's chances of promotion for this season, whilst at the same time informing us that she went to see Bishops Sutton play Bridgewater last Friday... All that pales into insignificance though with the shattering news that George the Alien was abducted (as Cathy puts it) at half-time last Saturday. This could be a case for Mulder and Scully... Either that or George has gone while the going's good. Whatever, George still hasn't seen Yeovil lose this season, so as the club's unofficial good luck charm it's imperative that the errant alien is returned to its rightful owner as soon as possible. You know it makes sense.

Yesterday's news relating to the Roof Grant and Lee Archer can now be formally confirmed if the latest edition of The Clarion is anything to go by.

The Clarion repeats our news yesterday regarding the provisional award of £168,000 which it says will be "put towards the further re-development of the stadium ". They indicate that a director will be appointed to formally oversee the project, and that this appointment is likely at next week's Shareholder Meeting. The Clarion also suggests that "further funds would be available from one of the directors" which it speculates will almost certainly be Jon Goddard-Watts. It would not be a great surprise if he was also appointed as the director to oversee the project, particularly if it is his own money that is going in to support the project.

Meanwhile Lee Archer is said to be "devastated" at the news that his footballing career may well be over. The decision has been based on advice from doctors and chairman John Fry says "The club will retain his registration and of course if things suddenly improved there would always be a place at Huish Park for him".

Elsewhere in The Clarion, they feature their usual match reports - featuring the Hereford and Rushden wins - along with Tony Pounder's regular "dressing room mole" column, and a very gloating article from Fat Harry himself where he describes ex-West Brom manager Brian Talbot as "arrogant" and says "you certainly got your comeuppance on Saturday didn't you ?". He certainly did, Fat Harry!

Proceedings conclude with an interview with Thommo where he says "I'm on the look-out for another striker and will be watching one this week". Five goals not good enough for you, eh Thommo ?

Reviews of this week's Western Gazette and Yeovil Express to follow tomorrow...

The Erection 2000 Appeal has been given a significant boost with the news that a provisional grant of £168,000 may be on its way from the Football Trust. The grant award is subject to certain conditions being met, and relates to "development of the ground". It is likely that this would be primarily used for development of either the home or away end, plus improvements to disabled facilities within the club.

The "strings attached" regarding the grant award are likely to involve the Erection 2000 Appeal reaching an agreed target level, so it should be made clear that the likelyhood of this award being fully rubberstamped does not affect the need for the fundraising to continue.

Ciderspace has received information suggesting that winger Lee Archer has left the club for a second time. Archer injured his knee in the 1-0 win over Kingstonian, and Steve Thompson recently suggested that the injury was very serious. Now it appears that Archer, who was one of Colin Lippiatt's final signings, has left the club, although it is not clear as to whether this relates to his recent injury.

Normally, injured Yeovil Town players still travel to home matches and short/medium distance away matches. But Archer has not been seen at recent games, and it is unlikely that we will see him again. With Murray Fishlock on his way back from injury, and Tony Pounder, Jamie Pitman and Glen Poole proving to be excellent options in the left wing back position, Archer's options would have been extremely limited, regardless of his injury.

We hope to have official confirmation of the departure soon.

Steve Thompson hopes this week to make his first signing as the new Head Coach of Yeovil Town. And it won't come as a surprise to those watching the last month's games that his main target is to make the loan signing of defender Matt Stowell a permanent one.

Stowell, who is 22 years old, was signed on loan from Bristol City on September 17th whilst Colin Lippiatt was Head Coach. He has played predominantly as either a left sided centre-back in a 5-3-2 formation or as a left-back in a 4-4-2 formation. However, Stowell is capable of playing in many different positions, and Lippiatt told Ciderspace on Stowell's arrival "I see his main position as being in the central defence, but he is capable of playing in the centre of midfield, or on either of the wing-back positions".

Stowell has been a regular part of the team under Thompson, and the new Head Coach told Ciderspace "I am very very keen to take him permanently" and added that he had already discussed this situation with the board and said "they were receptive" to the idea. However, he added "there's another angle to this - the player's angle. I will be talking to Matt, but I am already aware that he is not over-keen to drop out of the Football League".

Stowell was transferred from Slough Town to Bristol City for £15,000, around 18 months ago, but has failed to land a first team place at Ashton Gate, and last week was formally placed on the transfer list by The Robins, although Yeovil had been aware for some time that the Second Division club would welcome bids. Stowell comes to the end of his second month at Huish Park this week, and the Glovers would be keen to cement his position in Somerset without resorting to a third loan month.

"They don't get any tougher than Rushden!" This was head player-coach Steve Thompson's reaction to being asked how he feels about this weekend's game against the Diamonds - his first game in charge as full-time boss.

"Obviously it's a vital game for us," he went on, "but every game is vital for Yeovil, and this is how I like it. I'm not interested in some going-through-the-motions mid-table encounter."

Head coach Thompson, wing-back Murray Fishlock and midfielder David Norton all played for the reserves in the 0-0 draw against Paulton Rovers in the Screwfix Direct Premier Division game at Huish Park last night.

Thommo says: "We have all had ongoing injuries this season, but all three of us are nearly back to full fitness. Against Rushden, I will be on the bench, as will Dave Norton. Murray Fishlock will have another run-out with the reserves on Saturday at Bristol Manor Farm, and he should soon be back in contention for a first-team spot."

This week's Yeovil Express leads on its front page with the appointment of Steve Thompson as permanent head coach of Yeovil Town. The Express reports that Thommo has left his part-time job with the Royal Mail to concentrate exclusively on football and that he will be moving to the Yeovil area from his Plymouth home after Christmas. Thommo is quoted as saying: "Everybody has to start somewhere in management and there is no better place than at Yeovil Town. I've worked under some very good managers - Martin O'Neill and Geoff Chapple - and I've learnt a lot of things from them. I am my own person and I will be giving Yeovil Town 110% commitment." The Express reports that Thommo is looking to attract "one or two quality players" to the club, but has no plans otherwise to make major changes to the squad.

The news of Thommo's appointment came too late to make the pages of this week's Clarion, but Fat Harry's organ joins the Express in their condemnation of Rushden & Diamonds manager Brian Talbot's refusal to change the time of this weekend's Conference fixture at Huish Park, to avoid clashing with the Scotland v England Euro 2000 play-off game. Fans to give Talbot a tough time - and so they should! is the headline in the Express; whilst Fat Harry begins his opinion article by saying, "So Brian Talbot is determined to ruin our weekend next Saturday!" Never one to sit on the fence, Harry goes on to give this message to the ex-West Bromwich Albion manager: "Well I reckon you could soon be in for some hore (sic) manure yourself shortly. Hopefully it will be a good stuffing at Huish Park on Saturday!" Queen's English it's not; from the heart it surely is. It could be an interesting weekend....

After those false starts, Ciderspace does eventually make it on to the back page of this week's Gazette. The paper's back-page lead is taken up with John Fry denying that any player at Yeovil is earning £800 a week, as reported in last week's Gazette. According to the paper supporters using the Ciderspace Fans Forum were "outraged" at the news. Despite Fry's denial the Gazette repeats the allegation and for the first time names the man in question as striker Warren Patmore, claiming that 'a source close to Fry' has indicated that Wazza was offered £800 per week by Rushden & Diamonds in the summer and that Yeovil matched that offer to keep the striker at Huish Park. Ciderspace wonders what all the fuss is about - if you want the best you have to pay them what their worth, and Patmore has proved time and time again he's worth every penny he gets paid.

On the broader point of wages within the club, the Gazette also quotes chairman Fry as saying that Yeovil are among the highest payers in the Nationwide Conference, the wages being "very close to Division 3 level" - but having said that the wage bill was at least 20% lower than Rushden's bill.

In other news the Gazette reports on the appointment of Steve Thompson as full-time head coach and says that one of his first tasks is to try and bring in a loan stiker in time for this weekend's game versus Rushden. Thommo is quoted as saying: "We have tried to bring in 2 loan strikers this week, but both of those moves have broken down. We are hoping to get an established striker in time for Saturday."

Cathywatch: More stream-of-consciousness stuff this week from the Gazette's Voice Of Doom Fan's Voice - Cathy has almost given up on promotion this season, saying that if we don't beat Rushden on Saturday then we can forget it for another season. Finger on the pulse as usual, Cathy blames the uncertainty surrounding the head coach's position for the side's indifferent form in recent weeks. Help! I'm agreeing with her again...

With the situation on injured players a little confused at present, Ciderspace gives you the full rundown on Yeovil's injured players, plus a few extra snippets of additional information. Grateful thanks are due to Steve Sowden of the Yeovil Express for his help in the compiling of some of this information.

Steve Thompson, Dave Norton and Murray Fishlock : All continuing their rehabilitation and return to full fitness as planned. The trio all hope to play in tonight's Screwfix Direct League match against Paulton Rovers. Provided all three get through unhurt and without reaction, it is hoped that they will all be selected in the squad for Rushden & Diamonds on Saturday. However, Murray Fishlock may take a second session in the Reserves if this is felt necessary.

Adrian Foster : Damaged knee ligaments scoring Yeovil's first goal against Reading. Fozzie says he hopes to be fit and is "desperate" to play against his former club. In truth, fitness may be more likely beyond the weekend, although he will not be ruled out until on the day of the match. Initially, it was thought that Fozzie would be out until after Christmas!! Fortunately things seem far less severe, and Foster was out training as normal this morning.

Jason Eaton : Hobbled off during the second half of the Paulton Rovers Somerset Premier Cup tie. Jason is also currently 50/50 for the Rushden tie, although his chances appear to be slightly better.

Steve Stott : Patella Tendonitis - i.e. aggravated swelling under the knee-cap. There may be some possible damage to his cruciate knee ligament, and Steve is off for an MRI scan soon to find out the damage. Stotty has played with this "niggle" for most of this season, and with it getting steadily worse, he will stop playing until the results of the scan give a better indication of the damage and the time it will take to heal. Given that this problem will have undoubtedly affected his recent performances for the team, it seems that the minority who have heckled him should be eating Humble Pie at this news. It's a shame this problem was not made public earlier.

Lee Archer : Twisted his knee in the 1-0 win over Kingstonian. His injury is described as "serious" and it is likely to be months, rather than weeks, before he returns.

Chris Sparks : Has no problem running, but is finding sharp jabs of pain in one knee when turning, particularly when the ball goes over his head. The injury was sustained at Reading, and Sparksy will almost certainly not be available for selection on Saturday, although he expects to only be out for up to two or three weeks at most.

As a result of the above injuries, Steve Thompson says that he is continuing his search for an on-loan striker for at least a one month period. Thommo has also revealed that he was so impressed with young reservist Glen Poole, who scored one and created two against Hereford on Tuesday that Poole will almost certainly be added to the first team squad for Saturday's game.

36 Year Old Steve Thompson is the new Yeovil Town FC Head Player-Coach.

The former Bristol City, Torquay United, Wycombe Wanderers and Woking midfielder made his Yeovil debut in March 1998 and has been doing the job in a caretaker capacity since the resignation of Colin Lippiatt at the end of September. "I'm absolutely delighted at the appointment", he said.

Following a meeting with his fellow directors, Club Chairman John Fry said "The club directors have decided to offer the position to Steve, and he has accepted. He has signed a two year performance related contract".

Steve says he is fully committed to the Yeovil cause, and will be doing the job on a full time basis. He said, "I will give 110% to Yeovil, and in fact will soon be leaving my Plymouth home to move into the Yeovil area".

Steve Thompson must wait another night to know if he is to become the next Head Coach of Yeovil Town Football Club. It now seems likely that there will be an announcement from the club at 11:00am Wednesday Morning with respect to the position. If tonight was Thompson's last game, then he will have gone out with a smile on his face, with his team winning 3-0 against Hereford in the Nationwide Macmillan Trophy.

The waters are muddied at the Eleventh Hour tonight though with news that Steve MacMahon and Glenn Hoddle were watching the game tonight. In the case of Hoddle, his presence may be purely down to his current informal role within Reading Football Club where he has been aiding his long time friend and former England Assistant John Gorman. Reading Football Club revealed prior to their FA Cup tie with Yeovil that they had been looking at one Yeovil Town player, which according to popular rumour is Jamie Pitman. However, it is widely known that Hoddle would jump at the chance for a return to management, and a low key role might suit him.

Far more likely to be of substance is the reappearance of Steve MacMahon. MacMahon has made it clear that he has applied for the job at Yeovil Town, and that he is very keen on the possibilities. MacMahon's previous role at Swindon (like Glenn Hoddle) means that he knows local football fairly well. However, the situation is confused by remarks that John Fry made around a week after Lippiatt resigned where he implied that the club would not be looking for managers who had "failed" elsewhere. Whether MacMahon falls into that category is open to question. He resigned from Swindon Town whilst they were bottom of Division One, but those that have followed him have fared little better.

The second board meeting in just over 48 hours is being held tonight at Huish Park, due to the meeting at Keys Park proving inconclusive, with respect to the appointment of a permanent Head Coach. The second meeting has led to speculation that there will be an announcement prior to tomorrow night's Hereford cup game, with Thompson still looking the likely choice to succeed Colin Lippiatt.

The board are still claiming that they have not interviewed anyone else for the position, and with the six week trial up this weekend, assuming the board are keeping to their word, there seems to be little other option than to appoint Steve Thompson. Thompson has again reiterated his growing frustration with being stuck in No Man's Land on Radio Bristol today. The interview was actually a cut from an interview done at Keys Park on Saturday. The caretaker head coach made it clear that he wanted a decision made so that the club could move on - with or without him in charge.

Ciderspace certainly endorses this view. In fact, you'll find that Huge Huish Hugh has a thing or two to say about this in yesterday's opinion article. Let's hope this is the last of the false alarms that have been going off around the club since last week, and that Thommo, or his successor, can start making plans for the future.

Meanwhile, news that pales into insignificance comes from the Official Bristol City Site which reports that nine Bristol City players are up for grabs. As reported when he arrived at Yeovil, Matt Stowell is unsurprisingly one of those players, as the young defender made it clear on his arrival that he would be looking to leave Bristol City. Of equal interest is that defender Mark Shail is also for sale, although his likely price tag would almost certainly scare off any chance of a return to Huish Park. Shail was Yeovil's most expensive export at £75,000 until the "top up" from the Howard Forinton transfer fee began to come through to the club recently. The other City players available are Tony Thorpe, Steve Torpey, Vilmos Sebok, Matt Hewlett, Bo Andersen, Kevin Langan and Lorenzo Pinamonte. The latter is available for loan duties only.

Prices: Stand - adults £6.50, concessions £4.00. Terrace - adults £5.50, concessions £3.50

Yeovil have been allocated 300 stand tickets. Only Yeovil Town season ticket holders will be able to purchase stand tickets, and they will be limited to one ticket per season ticket holder, on production of their season ticket book.

Terrace tickets will be available to everyone and there are no restrictions on the number of tickets individuals can purchase. The club strongly advises all Yeovil supporters to buy their tickets before the day of the fixture because the match is segregated and could well be a sell-out.

Yeovil Town have confirmed that the Nationwide Conference fixture v Rushden & Diamonds on Saturday 13th November will definitely kick-off at 3pm, despite clashing with the Scotland v England Euro 2000 play-off. The club tried "extremely hard" to change the time of the game, but to no avail.

Acting Head Coach Steve Thompson says he is available to play in tomorrow evening's Nationwide MacMillan Trophy 2nd Round clash with Hereford United.

"I will be on the bench, and should play for at least 45 minutes", he said. Thompson has been plagued by injury this season and has yet to start a match, due to a succession of calf muscle problems.

Another injury returnee is midfielder Dave Norton, who will join Thompson on the subs bench. Norton has been out since he pulled up in the pre-match warm-up before the Morecambe game on September 11th.

Players definitely out for Yeovil are striker Adrian Foster (knee ligaments), central defender Chris Sparks (knee) and left wing-back Murray Fishlock (back). Sparks was experiencing pain in one knee when turning during the first half at Hednesford, but does not expect his injury to be long term.

Steve Thompson says he is determined to do well in the competition, which is essentially the Nationwide Conference League Cup, formerly known as the Bob Lord Trophy. The match is the second Tuesday night match against Hereford United. In a pulsating game in September, Yeovil won the Nationwide Conference League Fixture at Huish Park by a single goal from David Piper.

Meanwhile, looking forward to Saturday's game with Rushden & Diamonds, kick-off 3:00pm on Saturday (and not postponed as stated in today's The Sun Newspaper) it now appears that Adrian Foster will NOT be suspended for that game. A low key change in the rules involving suspensions relating to bookings has meant that a player only reaches his second suspension when he reaches 10 bookings. Thus Yeovil's leading goalscorer will be available for selection against his former club - provided he can recover in time from his knee ligaments injury.

A short board meeting was held today at Keys Park, following Yeovil Town's 1-0 defeat against Hednesford. The meeting, which appeared to last about 30 minutes, was held to discuss further caretaker coach Steve Thompson's position at Huish Park. We are assured that the meeting was pre-arranged and not a knee-jerk reaction to the result at Keys Park. However, the performance of the side will not have helped Thompson's chances of getting the job on a permanent basis. The outcome of the meeting was due to be discussed between Thompson and chairman John Fry on the coach journey home.

Phil Simpson's loan spell at Enfield is as good as over. He has suffered serious ligament damage in the middle of the third month of his loan spell at Enfield. The north London side had been keen to sign midfielder Simpson, who requested a transfer whilst playing under Colin Lippiatt after failing to land a place in the first team. However, Enfield's own financial upheavals had made them unable to make Simpson an immediate offer, and with Simpson's injury likely to be long term, it is inevitable that he will return to Yeovil for treatment. The news is ironic, given that Yeovil travel to Hednesford tomorrow, scene of Simpson's finest hour whilst playing for the Glovers, when he laid on two of Yeovil's goals in a 3-2 win.

Also in the wars is Alan Skirton, Commercial Manager at the club since 1981. He has been admitted to hospital for treatment to a thrombosis. It has not been Alan's lucky year, given that he had only just returned out of hospital, following a hip replacement operation. His Commercial Management duties are likely to be temporarily assumed by ex-player Dave Linney.

A strong rumour from a reliable poster on the Ciderspace Fans Forum has reached us, suggesting that Steve Thompson has, as expected been offered the Head Coach position. The informant tells us that the contract offer is only for the rest of this season, whereupon the position will be reassessed. We assume from this short term contract that there will be no pressure on Thommo to go full time or move house, until the contract is made more long term.

To continue the current rumour trends, we have been told on the Ciderspace Mailing List that Yeovil Town are looking for another loan striker to replace Charlie Griffin, who returned to Swindon Town this week. With Adrian Foster definitely out of tomorrows match at Hednesford, and almost certainly suspended for the Rushden and Sutton games, Yeovil have effectively lost two strikers inside a week. The situation is complicated further by Jason Eaton limping off near the end of the Paulton Rovers mid-week 2-1 win. As far as we know, Jason will be available for the Hednesford game, but with him taking a knock, and Warren Patmore carrying a minor groin injury a few weeks ago, the lack of "reserve" strikers is worrying. If Yeovil do not sign someone this weekend, Steve Thompson may have to keep an eye on the performances of James Bent, currently the top scorer in the Reserve Team.

Meanwhile, due to the Weymouth fixture being put back by 24 hours, we have been told that Weymouth will probably not supply tickets for Yeovil Town fans to the football club in time for the Hereford fixture. This means that tickets will now almost certainly go on sale at the Rushden & Diamonds game on November 13th. For the full Weymouth Ticket Allocation details see our Local Press Review below.

Finally, with thanks to Dan Britton, the BBC Web Site has an excellent feature on Cheltenham Town on the latest edition of "The Club" - a regular focus on a chosen football club. The Yeovil Town interest here is that Jason Eaton has been featured and is interviewed by the BBC, and you can find full details here.

Fourth placed Yeovil travel to ninth placed Hednesford Town for a vital Conference clash on Saturday. Unfortunately, The Glovers continue to have injury problems.

"Striker Adrian Foster is definitely out", said acting Head Coach Steve Thompson. "He has a knee injury, and will be seeing a specialist. Dave Norton is still sidelined, but there is some good news about wing-back Murray Fishlock. He trained on Wednesday evening, and could well be ready for first team action in a couple of weeks".

Thompson himself, whose playing ambitions this term have been dramatically affected by a calf problem, thinks he could be fit enough to "be on the bench".

Steve knows how important Saturday's game is - "A good result for us will keep us up there with the leaders. I have to say that the players have been coping with things really well since the departure of Colin Lippiatt. I must also thank our fans for their fantastic support - they were just great at Reading in the FA Cup last Saturday".

Like the Western Gazette, the Express also focuses on the financial news of the club's trading loss of £44,975 in the last year, with all the details that entails. The paper points out that since the accounts were drawn up Yeovil have received another £24,750 from Birmingham City after Howard Forinton and Jerry Gill appeared 10 times each for that club, and that Yeovil will receive another £27,000 for their share of Forinton's transfer to Peterborough, although that money will be payable over a 3 year period at the rate of £750 a month.

In other news the Express reports that Adrian Foster is likely to receive a 2-match ban after his 8th booking of the season against Reading last Saturday - missing the crucial game against Rushden & Diamonds on November 13th and Sutton Utd the following week. Foster is also unlikely to be fit for this Saturday's away game at Hednesford after picking up a knee injury against Reading, and Yeovil will also be without frontman Charlie Griffin, who has been recalled from his loan spell with the Glovers by Swindon. The Express also confirms that Rushden have refused to move the November 13th game against Yeovil at Huish Park from it's original 3pm kick-off time, meaning the game will clash with the Scotland v England European Championship 1st-leg play-off.

Finally, the Express reports that tickets for the FA Trophy match versus Weymouth - now moved to Sunday 28th November - will go on sale at Huish Park next Tuesday evening from 6pm onwards and during normal office hours after that. The club have received just over 1,600 terrace and 300 stand tickets. Prices for the terrace are £5.50 (£3.50 concessions) and for the stand £6.50 (£4 concessions).

The Gazette reports that the club made a trading loss of £44,975 in the last financial year with wages and salaries rising by £169,787, from £438,880 to £608,667. The cost of policing Huish Park also rose, from the previous year's £2,502 to £8,161.

However, travelling and subsistence costs went down, from £174,477 to £150,262; match receipts went up to £359,974 from the previous year's figure of £241,124; and catering receipts increased, up to £109,722 from £80,576.

The Gazette quotes chairman John Fry as saying that the loss was "significant" but could be funded and that he wanted to move towards a balanced budget. He said, "...over the season the directors of the club face huge challenges in funding our football mission goals whilst restucturing the business to develop the stadium and create commercial opportunities."

The Gazette reports that to help accomplish this end the annual general meeting of shareholders on November 18th will be asked to approve the issue of a further 195,000 ordinary shares, increasing the share capital of the company to £650,000. It is anticipated that directors John Goddard-Watts and Norman Hayward will acquire the majority of these, making them the largest individual shareholders. Mr Goddard-Watts has already offered to acquire 84,000 ordinary shares from individual shareholders and will make a donation to the club of £1 for every share he acquires. The Gazette quotes John Fry as saying: "I am convinced this is the right way forward - we must be strong financially to compete and we must continue to invest in the Huish Park site."

In other news the paper reports that caretaker coach Steve Thompson has dismissed rumours linking Jamie Pitman with a possible bid from Reading; whilst Thompson's own future was due to be discussed at a meeting with the club's board last night, the Gazette hinting that he could be installed as permanent head coach by the weekend (see 2nd Nov news story below).

The FA Trophy game between Weymouth and Yeovil will now take place a day later, on Sunday 28th November, kick-off 3pm.

Tony Pennock has won the October Internet player of the month vote. The goalkeeper won successive man of the match votes during October and so takes the award, based on votes sent to Yeovil fan Paul Chesterman. He joins Ben Smith and Adrian Foster who won the August and September awards respectively.

The top ranking players were as follows :

Tony Pennock 513 points
Adrian Foster 321 points
Jamie Pitman 268 points
Dave Piper 225 points
Kevan Brown 179 points
Mathew Stowell 176 points

More analysis of the results will follow later.

John Fry has today added extra speculation to the suggestions that the vacant position at Huish Park will be resolved this week. Speaking on the club's Huish Hotline he reports that he will be meeting with Steve Thompson on Wednesday morning, following brief talks that they had following the Reading game.

Fry said that "Steve is very confident. He is optimistic we can still pull something off this season". Thompson will be staying overnight in the Yeovil area following the Paulton Rovers match, to meet the Executive Committee tomorrow for what is described by Fry as a "leisurely" meeting.

However, he stressed that Thompson's appointment was not a foregone conclusion, implying that they would be also looking at their shortlist of candidates saying "we will make sure that the person appointed fits the specification. The criteria will involve someone who is prepared to live locally to Yeovil, and assume a full time position at the club". Fry also said that "we can not have the situation carrying on as it has done before" presumably referring to the home counties based appointments of Graham Roberts and Colin Lippiatt.

Presumably Plymouth is deemed as too far away for Thompson to commute from and fit in with Fry's criteria. It seems that any negotiations over Thompson's appointment will very much depend on whether the board can persuade him to uproot and move closer to the club. However, although Thompson was born in Plymouth, he has lived in the Somerset area before, once residing in Weston Super-Mare whilst he was serving in the RAF, and so the possibility of persuading Thompson to move house is not an impossible job. The fact that John Fry seems to be talking in such terms suggests that the board want to offer the position to Thompson, but only provided he agrees to such clauses being placed into his contract with Yeovil Town.

If todays The Times Newspaper is to be believed, then Steve Thompson will know his future as Yeovil Town's Head Coach by Saturday.

Thompson's trial period originally ran to beyond the game with Rushden & Diamonds on November 13th; a move which Ciderspace believed was to ensure a period of stability within the club whilst Yeovil were still in the FA Cup. Now that theory seems to have foundation, as The Times quotes Thompson as saying "I think the decision is going to be announced in time for the game on Saturday".

Now that Yeovil are out of the FA Cup, making the decision now would allow Thompson, or his successor, time to prepare for the club's next big crunch match as they travel to the Wessex Stadium on November 27th to take on long term local rivals Weymouth. Thompson said to Ciderspace after the Reading game that he was finding the six week period a long time to wait as it was "difficult to plan long term".

Thompson has made it clear that he would want the Head Coach job on a permanent basis but on Saturday he stressed that he had not held any formal talks with the board and was only concentrating on his trial period, although he admitted that it was difficult not to think about his prospects beyond the originally planned six week period. He is prepared to take the job on a full time basis, and said on Saturday "I imagine that whoever the board take on would expect them to do it on a full time basis".

At Ciderspace we would be surprised if Thompson does not get the job. Yeovil Town have a history of appointing from within, even when high profile managers have applied for the position. But significantly, with past managerial appointments, it has been acutely obvious days before the official appointment as to who was likely to get the job. The rumourmill has, in the past, frequently exposed shortlisted candidates, even down to the time and location of their interviews! Not so this time, suggesting that either the board have managed to plug any possible leaks for the new appointment, or that Steve Thompson is the only man they are interviewing for the job.

Caretaker Head Coach Steve Thompson plans to rotate his first team squad to it's limits in tomorrow's Somerset Premier Cup tie at Paulton Rovers, in order to rest players who played in the 4-2 defeat at Reading.

Steve plans to play all five of Saturday's substitutes plus the two first teamers who travelled to Reading but did not feature in the final squad. Hence Ben Smith, Rob Cousins, Tim Malessa, Terry Skiverton, Jason Eaton, Dean Chandler and Paul Tisdale are all set to start tomorrow night's game.

Other players likely to figure are "fringe players" Paul Steele and Lee Groves, whilst a few of Saturday's starting eleven may feature in the squad if they feel fully fit. It was not clear whether on-loan Swindon Town striker Charlie Griffin would be granted permission to play in the competition.

Definitely not in line for selection is first choice striker Adrian Foster, who bruised his knee in scoring Yeovil's first goal at the Madejski Stadium. Thompson will assess Foster's chances of playing against Hednesford during the latter half of this week.