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15 March 2010 : Kalala Remains A Major Doubt For Cumbrian Trip

Yeovil Town midfielder Jean-Paul Kalala is considered to be a major doubt ahead of tomorrow evening's match against Carlisle United at Brunton Park. The players made the mammoth midweek trip today, stopping overnight in the area, but it may well be that they will have to take to the field without the Congolese midfielder.

Kalala has been suffering with a hip injury over the past month or so and came off midway through the second half of Yeovil Town's 4-0 win over Hartlepool United. Manager Terry Skiverton hasn't ruled him out of game, but is believes it will go to the wire:

"JP is struggling but we're going to give it as long as possible. Hopefully he'll be fit, but we need to keep assessing him and hopefully he'll be all right and make the game. He should be all right for the weekend, but with this one, with the games being so close together and with all the travelling as well, it was a case that we just needed to monitor him and make sure he was OK."

Skiverton added that he would not be taking any risks with Kalala, pointing out that if he forced him into playing against the Cumbrians, then he would run the possibility of the midfielder aggravating the problem and ending up out for much longer:

"What we can't afford to do is to have him coming all the way up here, doing it, and then coming all the way back again. It really does put pressure on him and on the hip. What we can't afford to do is to be forcing him to play and then having him out for two or three games."

15 March 2010 : Green Room Closes

The dedicated Yeovil Town forum, The Green Room, has been closed down this afternoon. Set up after this site took the decision to stop providing a message board service at the end of 2005 it has provided four years of excellent service.

The owner has left this message:

"It's no longer possible to cover the time and expense required in running a forum, so it's time for someone else to have a go.

If other people would like to set up alternatives, I'll put links from here

David (aka Hoagy)" (link)

We'd like to thank Hoagy and the various other administrators who have put in their time over the years, usually for little thanks and sometimes for downright abuse.

It will be interesting to see who takes up the mantle to provide the next forum to serve the Yeovil Town fanbase. Long-term users of the Ciderspace forum and then the Green Room may have a shrewd suspicion that it won't be any of the more vociferous exponents of how a forum should be run, but we'll have to see.

15 March 2010 : Great Scott! Another Davies Signs For Yeovil

Yeovil Town have signed up Reading midfielder Scott Davies on a month's loan. The move is an immediate response to the loss of Bristol City midfielder Gavin Williams, who was sent off on his comeback on Saturday and will miss three games.

Scott is a 22 year old former Irish youth international who has been on loan at Wycombe Wanderers earlier this season, playing in the 4-0 defeat at Huish Park on Boxing Day. He made 17 appearances for the Chairboys, scoring four goals, and had started the season at the Madejski Stadium, making five appearances for the Championship side - so far his only appearances for the club. Since his return to Berkshire, the best he has managed is a place on the bench as an unused substitute and he will now spend a month in Somerset.

Scott started life as an Aylesbury United player before being merged into Watford's youth system. A first spell at Wycomve followed before Reading snapped him up in 2002. He has also had loan spells with non-league Yeading and two loan spells with Aldershot where he was part of their Conference National title winning squad, winning the league's Goal of the Season that year.

Reading Director of Football Nicky Hammond spoke to their official site and said of the move:

"This is a good opportunity for Scott to go and play some games. He has been training well for us since coming back from his loan at Wycombe but we've had a number of midfielders ahead of him recently. He'll be available for us again once the month is complete and will be ready and match fit."

Scott will of course know one Yeovil Town player - team-mate and goalkeeper Alex McCarthy. Welcome to Yeovil Scott, and may your stay be fruitful.

Now about that central defender Skivo (again!) ...

15 March 2010 : One Signing 'Done' - But Another May Follow

Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton has said that he has completed the signing of one player today - expect an announcement shortly. Via his Twitter account, Skivo says that one signing is "done" but says that there is "another hopefully tomorrow". As yet there are no names - see our article earlier today for what information is available.

Today's signing should be the central defender he plans to sign on loan (although we said that last Thursday!) whilst the mention of another loan suggests that as per his post-match interview that his wish to sign a midfielder to cover the loss of Ryan Mason and Gavin Williams has been authorised by the Yeovil Town board.

Update: And the 'one done' is Reading's Scott Davies - see the later news item. The central defender wait goes on though ...

15 March 2010 : Tomlin Praised For Standing Up For Spot Kick

Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton praised striker Gavin Tomlin for being the player to "stand up" for the penalty that opened the scoring in Saturday's match against Hartlepool United. Tomlin netted his third penalty of the season when Pools defender Peter Hartley was harshly judged to have handled a Terrell Forbes knock-on from a Tomlin corner, and referee Steve Rushton pointed to the spot.

The Glovers have had a season-worth of missed spot-kicks with Scott Murray and Ryan Mason the club's only other men to be successful from 12 yards, but Tomlin stepped forward to convert his fifth goal of the season. Skiverton said that was typical of Tomlin's character, although was concerned that Gavin had to endure some unwanted pressure from unexpected quarters:

"That's the type of character that he is. He always puts himself up for everything. And he did it today (Saturday). I don't want to speak too much on it, but it did seem as though there were portions of our own crowd trying to put him off. I've never heard such a big groan when someone tries to pick a ball up. But testament to him - he stood up to take it, and he stood up in front of the home crowd."

Skiverton added that in open play, Tomlin was not without his flaws, but said that his workrate always stood out in every game:

"He can be quite frustrating at times, and there was one occasion where he made a great run and just missed the target. But he really does give us that energy, workrate, determination and he goes both ways very well. It seems that every time he plays we get a good result."

15 March 2010 : No Hamstring Problems For Bowditch

Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton has confirmed that striker Dean Bowditch should be fit to face Carlisle United tomorrow night. The Yeovil boss explained that his side's fourth goalscorer did not suffer a reaction to his recent hamstring problems, and was merely withdrawn as a precaution and to save him for the long Tuesday night fixture.

Bowditch scored Yeovil's fourth goal on the day minutes after switching to right-wing in a 4-4-1 after the sending off of Gavin Williams, but three minutes after his decisive strike, he was substituted and replaced by Andy Welsh. Skiverton has confirmed that although the former Ipswich Town man was hobbling a touch, that his withdrawal had nothing to do with his recent injury:

"Because he was on the right, I didn't really want him running up and down. His hamstring wasn't tight at all. It was just a measure to bring him off to save him for Tuesday night."

The question of whether midfielder Jean-Paul Kalala would make it up to Cumbria was a more doubtful one. The Congolese blocker has been suffering with a hip injury for some time and went straight down the tunnel with physio Simon Baker when he came off 69 minutes into the match. Skiverton said that they would have to wait and see how that one turned out:

"We don't know yet. We're icing it and we'll give it as long as possible."

15 March 2010 : Skivo: Incoming Defender Would Act As Cover

Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton has said that his plans to sign a central defender on loan - due to be announced today - do not centre around an experienced player. Skiverton states that the player concerned is due to arrive as 'cover' and talks of the player gaining experience of playing first team football, pointing to a player at the same stage of his career as Jonathan Obika, Ryan Mason and Steven Caulker.

Skiverton explained that the incoming player would be acting as back-up to current first choice pairing Terrell Forbes and Steven Caulker but that he expected the new loan player to get some experience during his time at Huish Park:

"He'll be coming in as cover. If we keep winning and doing well then the centre-half will come in and get a little bit of experience of playing a few games. If we are struggling and do go on a bit of a bad run, then he might get in through default as well."

The Yeovil boss said that whilst he didn't know what the player's future contract status was likely to be that he would use the loan spell as a good opportunity to see how the player performed:

"It's someone who we are looking to bring in, and maybe to make a signing at the end of the season as well. We don't know what the parent club is thinking at the moment. I don't know the situation regarding him at his parent club so all I know is that it's a player that I'm looking to take on loan until the end of the season. We've had it with Shaun (MacDonald) where he'll be going back and discussing new contracts there. With the type of player that he is, I think they'll be offering him a new contract, but in this world you never know."

Skiverton has said previously that he had watched the central defender in a behind closed door game in London. One such candidate would be Arsenal Reserves and their game against Colorado Rapids. In that match, the four centre-backs used were Luke Ayling, Ignasi Miquel, Daniel Boateng and Rhema Obed. Saturday's BBC radio coverage also suggested the defender came from either a top four Premier League side, or one of the 'big four' sides. Given the match took place in London, again Arsenal would look a strong possibility, with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur other candidates.

Meanwhile, further to Saturday's post-match interview, Skiverton said that he would ponder the question of whether to bring in another midfield loan, having lost Gavin Williams to suspension, and Ryan Mason who has returned to Tottenham. The Yeovil boss told the Western Daily Press that when he signed Gavin, he also had a second option on the table:

"We've got another target that was very close if Gavin hadn't come through. So we may pursue that and we may not. I can't say too much on it at the moment."

Link: Skivo's Verdict On The Hartlepool Game.

14 March 2010 : Awards Are Overrated

The annual Football League Awards were tonight and, as you may have already surmised from the headline above, Yeovil Town didn't win any. For the record:

Fan of the Year
Herbert Taylor - Southampton

Family Club of the Year - League Two
Shrewsbury Town

Family Club of the Year - League One
Huddersfield Town
Highly commended - Milton Keynes Dons and Swindon Town

Family Club of the Year - Championship
Reading
Highly Commended - Leicester City

Best Matchday Programme
Scunthorpe United - 'The Iron'!
Best divisional programmes - Huddersfield Town (League One); Rotherham United (League Two)

Apprentice of the Year - League Two
Kyle Haynes - Cheltenham Town

Apprentice of the Year - League One
Tom Adeyemi - Norwich City

Apprentice of the Year - Championship
Adam Matthews - Cardiff City

PFA Player In The Community
Zesh Rehman - Bradford City

The Football Foundation Community Club of the Year
Joint winners - Southend United and Watford

Goal of the Year
Nicky Maynard - Bristol City

Best Marketing Campaign
Nottingham Forest - 'Mixed Family Area'

Best Digital Content
Derby County

The Football League Trust Best Community Project
Brighton & Hove Albion - 'Making a Difference' Disability Project
Highly commended:
Huddersfield Town - 'Cheerleaders' Sports Participation Project
Notts County - 'Active Schools' Health Project
Rotherham United - 'United 4 Communities' Social Inclusion Project
Southend United - 'Goals!' Education Project
Southend United - 'Going Green for the Blues' Environment Project

Young Player of the Year
Nathaniel Clyne - Crystal Palace

Player of the Year - League Two
Craig Dawson - Rochdale

FourFourTwo Player of the Year - League One
Jermaine Beckford - Leeds United

Player of the Year - Championship
Kevin Nolan - Newcastle United

Contribution to League Football
Gordon Taylor

~~Congratulations to all the deserving winners~~..........humph. As if we care.

14 March 2010 : Glovers Loan Pair Suffer Defeat Against Leaders

Yeovil Town duo Rob Clowes and Rhys Baggridge got in another 90 minutes for Sherborne Town yesterday, but were unable to prevent the Dorset club's first defeat since they arrived at Raleigh Grove.

But the defeat was no disgrace for Mickey Spencer's side, given that they lost 2-1 to Bideford, who are 12 points clear at the top of the division, and who they lost 7-2 to earlier in the season on their own patch.

Sherborne could easily have snatched a draw when Marc Caines pulled a goal back with 10 minutes remaining. In the closing Rob Clowes was brought down in the penalty area but the match referee waved away Sherborne's chance of an equalising goal. Spencer told the Sherborne official site that even the Bideford manager was surprised at the decision:

"Their manager after said he could not believe we did not get a stonewall penalty to bring it back to 2-2."

Having operated as a midfielder in his first two games for the club, Clowes was used in a three-pronged attack for this game. As an aside, former Yeovil Town Youth Team player Ollie Wake was celebrating his 21st birthday on the day of the game.

Next up for Rob and Rhys is a Tuesday night away trip to Bishop Sutton, with a kick-off of 7.45p.m. for any of you not fancing the Glovers first team trip to Carlisle United. Bishop Sutton's Lakeview ground can be found on the A368 heading out towards Weston-super-Mare from the A37, half a dozen miles south of Bristol. The ground is situated behind the Butchers Arms pub. Postcode for Sat Nav users is BS39 5XN.

Finally, Sherborne's official site have uploaded a video interviewing the Yeovil Town pair. You can view it here.

Sherborne Town: Ashley Knibbs, Ollie Wake, Rhys Baggridge, Aaron Mead, Glenn Nathan, Rob Clowes, Andy Martin, Steve Burton, Ross Plain, Tony Cunningham, Marc Caines. Subs: Chris Luke (for Nathan), Sean Westlake (for Plain), Ollie Pearson.

14 March 2010 : Taff's Gloversblog : L1: Yeovil 4 Hartlepool 0

Ah, Saturday, the return of Super Gav, aka Gavin Williams. The trouncing of Hartlepool United, the equalling of the best scoreline of the season, putting Yeovil Town on the edge of League One safety. What a fantastic time to go and visit Huish Park for the day. You wouldn't want to miss it, would you? Find out what Taff thought of it all in his latest Taff's Gloversblog entry.

Link: Taff's Gloversblog : L1: Yeovil 4 Hartlepool 0.

14 March 2010 : Man Of The Match Voting : Gavin Williams

Those of you who are eagle-eyed, may have noticed that the name of Gavin Williams wasn't available on the Man of the Match Voting Form until this afternoon. A number of you have already spotted this and have put footnotes against your vote to ask Gavin to be inserted into your vote. If you've done that, we'll try and sort out the insertion at our end.

However, if you've already voted, and had also overlooked Gavin, and want to re-vote, then just vote a second time (using the same name and email address) and we'll count your second vote rather than your first.

Apologies for any confusion - Gavin Williams is now available on the voting form.

Please place all votes for this match by Tuesday 7.45p.m. as we'll then open up voting for the Carlisle United match.

Link: Man of the Match Voting for Yeovil Town vs Hartlepool United.

14 March 2010 : Ladies Win In Crucial Promotion Clash

Yeovil Town Ladies won a crucial South West Women's Combination League match this afternoon as they comfortably beat promotion rivals Chesham United 4-1. It was the first of a double-header, with the ladies travelling to Chesham's ground next Sunday, and it ensured that the Glovers leapfrogged Chesham in the table, with Yeovil still having a game in hand. The result puts Yeovil at least third, depending on the outcome Havant and Waterlooville's weekend fixture.

Jemma Tewksbury put Yeovil 2-0 up by half time, with two goals from Lindsey Roe in the second period recording a 4-1 win for the league's top scorers.

Yeovil Town Ladies Reserves had their match against Bude Town Ladies postponed, due to Bude going through an injury crisis. The Cornish side were only able to raise six players for the match, and so the South West Women’s Football League fixture was called off.

14 March 2010 : Skivo's Verdict On The Hartlepool Game

Following Saturday's 4-0 win over Hartlepool United, manager Terry Skiverton spoke to the BBC about the match. With questions fielded by BBC Bristol reporter Rob Scanlon the full transcript can be found via the link below.

Link: Skivo's Verdict On The Hartlepool Game.

13 March 2010 : Skivo Awaiting Referee's Report Over Williams Red Card

Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton has said that he wants to see the referee's report before deciding what to do about the red card dished out to Gavin Williams today. Williams was dismissed in the 64th minute of this afternoon's 4-0 win over Hartlepool United after a confrontation with visiting winger Andy Monkhouse.

The two players squared up by the touchline with Williams allegedly using his head to strike his opposite number, and that led to referee Steve Rushton producing a red card after consultation with his linesman. After the game, Skiverton refused to tell BBC Somerset his own view on the red card, saying that he would wait to see what was on the referee's report, and obviously what the match video showed:

"I'm not going to talk about any sendings offs. All I want to talk about is that he (Gavin Williams) was fantastic on the day. I need to see it. I'm not sure what the referee has done. I think he's put it in for a headbutt. So if he's put it in for a headbutt then we might appeal it. We'll have to wait and see what comes out of the referee's report."

The rules on appeals against red cards are that the club must be able to produce firm proof that the referee's decision was wrong, usually with the aid of the match video. Any video evidence that is inconclusive or where opinions may play a part rarely succeed, hence the club will need to understand the referee's wording as to why he dismissed Williams to know what chance they have of an appeal succeeding. An appeal that is deemed to be frivilous by the appeals committee may attract an additional match suspension, so the club would only appeal if they feel very confident of it succeeding. Based on reports from supporters in the Main Stand who were closest to the incident, our initial impression is that we'd be surprised if the club appealed, although we've yet to see any TV footage of the incident.

At present, and by default, Gavin will miss the away match at Carlisle United, the home match against Bristol Rovers and the away trip to Southend United. He will return for the Easter Monday home match against Leeds United. Our understanding is that the County Cup match against Bishop Sutton on March 29th counts as a Reserve Team fixture and therefore can not be used as part of the suspension - nor can Gavin play in that match.

13 March 2010 : Torquay 2 Yeovil 1 : Youth Team Match Report

Yeovil Town's Under 18s narrowly lost against Torquay United this morning at Bovey Tracey. The Glovers were heading for a 1-1 draw thanks to a Lewis Morgan goal, but conceded in the last few minutes to lose the game.

That they got that far in the match was a fairly impressive feat. The Youth Team were only able to name eleven players for the match, with one of those who did take to the field playing with a broken nose. Lloyd Matthews and Tyler Sheppard pulled out of the squad due to illness, whilst Tom Gallagher was not ready to make his return from an ankle injury.

The first half took around 10 minutes for it to warm up from a Yeovil point of view, eventually switching to a more even end to end contest, although overall Torquay still edged the 45 minutes.

This was a game that had turned into a bit of a bloodbath earlier in the season, with Torquay ending up with eight men in the home match played at Carey's Field, and so when a full-blooded challenge between Joe Grimstead and Torquay's Rob Hemmings - red carded in the home fixture for throwing an off the ball punch at Ciaran Levet - there must have been fears of a repeat performance.

With Grimstead lying on the deck following the challenge, Hemmings cynically landed a boot in the Yeovil player's back, resulting in Ciaran Levet rushing in to get involved, pushing Hemmings hard in the chest. Presumably the match referee didn't spot the kick or Hemmings would have been off again - instead a yellow card for him and Levet for the aftermath resulted.

Thankfully the remainder of the half progressed in better spirits, with Torquay still slightly on top, but without a real glut of chances being created for either side. The second half continued with more of the same, with the scoreline still deadlocked at 0-0.

Another clash of two players, twenty minutes from time, was more innocent as Torquay right-back, ex-Argyle schoolboy Nick Milton was involved in a clash of heads with Lewis Morgan and was knocked unconscious for a few seconds. The match is delayed, with both club physios attending to him but fortunately Milton was able to leave the pitch under his own steam, promptly subbed from the game.

With fifteen minutes remaining, Torquay finally broke the deadlock with a spot of good old-fashioned Route One football. The Gulls keeper received a header back from his own player, and then booted a ball deep into the Yeovil half. Another ex-Argyle schoolboy Ray Spear took the ball down, controlling it well, before planting a right-footed shot into the net for the opening goal.

Yeovil weren't finished yet, and levelled the scores straight from the kick-off. They drove directly into the opposition penalty box, and a Lewis Morgan strike gave the game parity again. The Glovers even had chances to win the game, with Cory Lewis having a couple of good chances.

But with five minutes to go, the young Glovers saw all their efforts turned to dust, as Ray Spear - who was the difference between the two sides on the day - got the ball inside the box and fired a left-footed strike home to win the match for Torquay.

That was harsh on a Yeovil team, who in difficult circumstances worked hard for each other and were a credit to the club, despite all eleven having to play a full 90 minutes. Considering a couple of recent heavy scorelines against Oxford United and Swindon Town, it was a shame that they didn't come home with something to recognise that effort today.

Final Score: Torquay United Under 18s 2 Yeovil Town Under 18s 1.

Scorers: Ray Spear (1-0, 75 mins), Lewis Morgan (1-1, 76 mins), Ray Spear (2-1, 85 mins)

Yeovil Town Under 18s:
Connor Siddley-Adams
Will Moggridge, Lewis Voizey, Joe Grimstead
Adam Wakley, Johnny Kaye, Sam Ford, Johnny Oliver, Ciaran Levet
Cory Lewis, Lewis Morgan

Substitutes: None named.

13 March 2010 : Ryan Mason Leaves Yeovil Town

Attacking midfielder/striker Ryan Mason is to return to parent club Tottenham Hotspur permanently. The 18 year old has gradually drifted out of Yeovil Town's first team line-up and has not completed 90 minutes of football since the turn of the year, and manager Terry Skiverton admitted in the build-up to this afternoon's match that Mason was struggling with injuries and the state of various League One pitches.

Skiverton has said in tonight's post-match interview that Mason will be returning to White Hart Lane, having also missed today's match. He made 29 appearances for Yeovil Town, scoring six goals along the way. Skiverton told BBC Somerset the circumstances that had led to the move:

"Ryan Mason will be going back to Tottenham now. He's come to the end of his spell and it's been quite hard for him because he's had a few niggles and a few little injuries. I think he's going back just to get himself fit and flying for next season. He'll be going on a weights programme. So he'll be going to the next step in his career. They'll be taking him out for I think what will be mostly strength training."

Despite Mason tending to drift out of the side towards the end of his loan spell, Skiverton paid tribute to what the Tottenham player had achieved during the first half of the season:

"He's been fantastic for us. I can't speak highly enough of him. The performances that he has put in were like Gavin Williams did for us today. Ryan has done that for us on numerous occasions this year. He's a fantastic player with a bright future, and who knows, I might go back in for him next year - if I can get him!"

All the best to Ryan for the future and let's hope this is not the last we have seen of him.

13 March 2010 : Yeovil Town vs Hartlepool United Man of the Match Form

If you were at this afternoon's 4-0 win against Hartlepool United at Huish Park, don't forget to cast your Man of the Match votes. Choose your top three players from the match, plus entertainment and performance ratings along with any other comments you want to make on the game, using the form below.

Link: Man of the Match Voting for Yeovil Town vs Hartlepool United.

13 March 2010 : Yeovil 4 Hartlepool 0 : Super Gav Becomes Glovers' Hero And Villain

Yeovil Town gained an emphatic 4-0 win over Hartlepool United this afternoon at Huish Park to rebound from last week's disappointing defeat at Norwich City. A Gavin Tomlin penalty was added to by a Gavin Williams free kick, as he celebrated his return to Huish Park. Williams was also on hand to cause Sam Collins to score an own goal as he collected the rebound off the crossbar from a lobbed shot. Williams went from hero to villain as he got his marching orders in the second half for an off the ball incident involving Hartlepool's Andy Monkhouse, but there was no stopping the Glovers as Dean Bowditch added a goal 20 minutes from time.

Team selection saw Hartlepool name an unchanged line-up, whilst Yeovil named two changes. One was Gavin Williams, who displaced Arron Davies, whilst Ryan Mason dropped entirely out of the squad, allowing striker Dean Bowditch to return from a hamstring problem. Yeovil started sloppily, giving the ball away far too often. Roy O'Donovan shot wide of the target as he received the ball when Yeovil gifted Hartlepool the ball inside their own half. The positioning of Shaun MacDonald as a left-winger, and Gavin Williams as a central midfielder took time to gel, with the whole midfield line struggling to find their passes early on.

Twenty minutes into the half, and without a shot on goal, the Glovers got themselves a firm foothold into the game. A cross into the box was blocked by the arm of Peter Hartley at close range. Quite possibly ball-to-hand, but referee Steve Rushton thought otherwise and responded to the home crowd appeals by pointing to the spot. Up stepped Gavin Tomlin to net his fifth goal of the season, despite former Glover Scott Flinders going the right way.

Hartlepool had been the dominant force up until that point, and they continued their good efforts as an Andy Monkhouse cross evaded the Glovers defence and Roy O'Donovan's header had Alex McCarthy well beaten, but it also beat the goalpost in what was to be Hartlepool's best chance of the first half. O'Donovan, who had netted a hat-trick last weekend against Southend United had earlier skewed a ball wide of the post.

Seven minutes from half time, Hartlepool central defender Sam Collins, who had already been booked earlier in the half, barged into the back of Sam Williams for a pretty unimpressive foul that would have probably earned him a booking if he was not already on a yellow. But Collins got full punishment for his transgression direct from the set piece, as Gavin Williams curled the free kick around the wall, and in off the post for a glorious second goal on his comeback, with the Welshman showing his delight to the Huish Park crowd by leaping into the air.

Shaun MacDonald landed a shot into the midriff of Scott Flinders, and Sam Williams put a header from a MacDonald cross over the bar as a shellshocked Hartlepool went off the boil significantly. They hadn't played badly and had more than matched the Glovers in open play, but two dead ball situations had left them with a mountain to climb, and they needed half time to come badly as Yeovil finished the half well on top.

Hartlepool's official site had tipped former Glover Ritchie Jones to score the opening goal of the game. He instead lasted just 45 minutes, being replaced by James Brown - not the former 'Lord Lucan' of Yeovil Town who Glovers fans never saw step out in a green'n'white shirt, but a striker coming back from a knee ligament injury. Brown lined up out on the right wing.

Whatever Hartlepool's game plan was for clawing back the two goal deficit, all of that was fairly irrelevant five minutes into the half when Gavin Williams produced a lobbed shot-cum-cross that beat Scott Flinders easily, and then rebounded off the body of Sam Collins for an own goal and a 3-0 lead. All was going swimmingly well, but there was to be a twist to the game that threatened Yeovil's dominance.

Twenty minutes into the second half, an off the ball incident broke out after Andy Monkhouse fouled Gavin Williams. Monkhouse, the aggressor, pushed Williams in the chest, and Williams reacted by appearing to push his head into Monkhouse's chest - technically a headbutt but one of minor consequence. A bout of common sense by refere Steve Rushton might have seen him realise that this was little more than handbags, but instead, Williams got his marching orders. Over five years apart, but on a technicality Gavin's second consecutive sending off for Yeovil. By the letter of the law, Yeovil will have little chance of an appeal, for what will be logged as violent conduct.

Yeovil moved to a 4-4-1 formation, with Dean Bowditch moving to the right wing, whilst Gavin Tomlin switched to the left and Shaun MacDonald moved central. That change of formation, and the switch around of players may have confused the Hartlepool back line as Bowditch received a layoff from Sam Williams. He danced his way through a couple of half-hearted challenges, and rifled home a shot to put the Glovers in firm command and four goals to the good. Game over!

Despite the goal that was Bowditch's last action as Andy Welsh replaced him to give the Glovers a slightly more orthodox set of wingers. Sam Williams had two great chances to increase Yeovil's lead, whilst Steven Caulker headed over as they belied the fact that they were a man down on the field of play. Hartlepool never responded to the small glimmer of hope that the red card had given them, and the final 20 minutes that might have been nervy because of the man deficit turned into a stroll in the park, with the Glovers dominating the play.

In the closing minutes, referee Steve Rushton was again the centre of attention as he looked set to blow for a penalty as Andy Welsh's shirt was clearly pulled by Gary Liddle inside the box, but when Liddle finally decided to challenge Welsh legally by putting out a boot on the ball, he changed his mind. Thankfully at 4-0 up, no-one was going to complain too loudly.

Aside from the red card - for which Williams will (unless the club appeal) receive a three match ban, the only down side to the afternoon was Jean-Paul Kalala's departure down the tunnel, carrying an injury minutes after the red card. Otherwise with the Glovers in 11th place and 11 points clear of the drop zone, Terry Skiverton's side continue to lie in boring-old-midtabledom and realistically the team should be able to relax and enjoy their football a bit over the final 10 games with around two wins needed to secure League One football. A couple of weeks ago, the idea of that seemed unthinkable.

Final Score: Yeovil Town 4 Hartlepool United 0.

Scorers: Gavin Tomlin (20 mins, pen, 1-0), Gavin Williams (38 mins, 2-0), Sam Collins (50 mins, own goal, 3-0), Dean Bowditch (71 mins, 4-0)

Yeovil Town:
1. Alex McCarthy
2. Craig Alcock 5. Steven Caulker 6. Terrell Forbes 28. Nathan Smith
10. Gavin Tomlin 21. Jean-Paul Kalala 20. Gavin Williams 25. Shaun MacDonald
9. Sam Williams 14. Dean Bowditch

Substitutes:
15. Richard Martin (GK) 7. Arron Davies 8. Keiran Murtagh (69 mins for Jean-Paul Kalala) 11. Andy Welsh (74 mins for Dean Bowditch) 16. Scott Murray (82 mins for Gavin Tomlin) 17. Aidan Downes 23. Danny Hutchins

Hartlepool United:
1. Scott Flinders
2. Neil Austin 4. Gary Liddle 5. Sam Collins 29. Peter Hartley
8. Ritchie Jones 30. Joe Gamble 15. Antony Sweeney 11. Andy Monkhouse
10. Adam Boyd 32. Roy O'Donovan

Substitutes:
21. Mark Cook (GK) 3. Ritchie Humphreys 6. Ben Clark 7. Leon McSweeney (66 mins for Adam Boyd) 12. James Brown (46 mins for Ritchie Jones) 16. Steven Haslam 26. Armann Bjornsson

Yeovil Bookings: Jean-Paul Kalala (55 mins, handball), Gavin Tomlin (56 mins, foul). Red Card: Gavin Williams (64 mins, violent conduct).
Hartlepool Bookings: Sam Collins (8 mins, foul), Andy Monkhouse (65 mins, retaliaton)

Referee: Steve Rushton (Staffordshire). Assistants: Richard Martin (Somerset) and Mark Philpott (Cornwall). Fourth Official: Andrew Bennett (Devon).

Attendance: 4,169 (including 96 Hartlepool Supporters)

13 March 2010 : No-Brainer For Williams To Make Huish Park Return

New loan signing Gavin Williams has said that the need to play football matches lay at the heart of his decision to temporarily leave Ashton Gate. Williams has featured in 17 matches this season with Bristol City but has only made two starts during that time.

The Welshman, who left Yeovil Town in 2004 for West Ham United said that he considered the decision as a 'no-brainer' when the opportunity came up and admitted that he had become 'frustrated' by only making bit-part appearances for the Championship side. Williams told BBC Somerset that it didn't take him long to make up his mind:

"Obviously I was getting frustrated at Bristol in not playing. When this opportunity arose for me to go out and get a few games, I thought it was a good idea."

Gavin will be of course in familiar company, even if the Yeovil Town side has obviously changed radically since he was last at the club. Striker Dean Bowditch was at Ipswich Town whilst he was there, whilst Scott Murray is a former Bristol City player. Meanwhile although Arron Davies replaced Williams in the Glovers squad, he knows him well from teaming up with him in the Welsh international squad.

But of course it is the Glovers management that Gavin knows well, with Darren Way now a first team coach. And the Welshman said that he liked what manager Terry Skiverton had to say about the game, having known him for a long time as a player and a team-mate:

"Obviously I know him well and from playing against him. I had a chat with him and I like his ideas and the way that he thinks about football. So it was a no-brainer really. I had some good times here and we were a successful team and it's good to be back. Hopefully we can have a good finish to the season and push on as far up the league as we can. The club has done really well over the past couple of years."

13 March 2010 : Skivo's Patience Over Williams Loan Deal Pays Off

Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton has revealed that he has had to wait for a long time to secure the services of attacking midfielder Gavin Williams. The Welshman was signed on a month's loan from Bristol City on Thursday, and Skiverton admitted that he had tried to get hold of the player a while back, but at the time was turned down.

Speaking to BBC Somerset, Skiverton said that when the opportunity finally came up, he felt he had to make his move:

"I'm very pleased to have him on board and I think everybody at the club knows the qualities that he does bring. It was someone who we did try to get a while ago, but there wasn't a chance then. I've been speaking with Gary (Johnson) about a few players at Bristol City, and the opportunity came up and we have to thank Gary and the Chairman (Steve Lansdown) for letting this happen."

Skiverton added that since Gavin had left Huish Park in 2004, that he had gained plenty of experience at Championship level, and that he would be a big asset to his side:

"I just think it's that quality, and that breaking from midfield and scoring goals. He's played at the Championship level for quite a few years now with Ipswich and Bristol City. I think he's been getting a little bit frustrated recently in that he's not been getting in and he needs games."

With Skiverton having been turned down earlier in the season in his attempts to take Williams on loan to Huish Park, the Yeovil boss explained that the opportunity came about due to Bristol City team-mates Marvin Elliott and Evander Sno coming back from injury and therefore City boss Gary Johnson feeling he had enough depth in his squad in midfield to allow Williams to head out on loan:

"It's taken a lot of persuading with Gary (Johnson) because he's definitely part of Gary's plans. He's been sub every single week, but with the developments regarding (Marvin) Elliott and (Evander) Sno it's become a case of getting Gavin some football in League One and we've been lucky enough to be the first in line."

13 March 2010 : Torquay United vs Youth Team Result

13 March 2010 : Skivo Previews The Hartlepool Game

As part of the build-up to Saturday afternoon's match against Hartlepool United, Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton spoke to the BBC about the game. With questions asked by BBC Somerset reporter Pete Simson, the transcript of that interview is available via the link below.

Link: Terry Skiverton Speaks To The BBC In The Build-Up To The Hartlepool Game.

12 March 2010 : Skiverton Explains Mason Situation

Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton has gone into some depth concerning his current views regarding on-loan Tottenham Hotspur midfielder/striker Ryan Mason. The 18 year old has been used sparingly since the turn of the year and has not completed 90 minutes during 2010, leaving a slight question mark over whether he would complete the season at Huish Park or return to White Hart Lane.

Skiverton admitted that the level of performances that he'd managed to get out of Ryan recently had not compared with his first half of the season, but said that there were circumstances that had affected his performance, and that it shouldn't be forgotten that it was his first full season playing at this level:

"In the first half of this season he's been absolutely magnificent for us. But then little bits of injury and illness have hampered him. But we've got to remember he's only a young boy and he's still learning his game. He's going back to Tottenham (during midweek for Reserve Team matches) and they are saying little bits and pieces about him as well."

Skiverton said that getting the player's professional development right had to be the priority and so he was prepared to treat Mason with kid gloves where necessary and listen to what Spurs had to say:

"With Ryan, we've got to monitor him and we've got to remember it's early on in his career as well and we've got to make sure that the development is right. Tottenham are making sure that the development is right and we're doing our best from our side too. We have been trying to put him in and see where we can play him, but with the way the pitches have been it's not really been conducive to playing with Ryan."

12 March 2010 : Stockport Still Left In Limbo

League One side Stockport County have once again failed to convince the Football League that their proposed new ownership structure is ready to take over the league membership Golden Share, on behalf of the old Stockport County company that fell into administration last April.

Just over a week ago, administrators Leonard Curtis announced that the Melrose Consortium had agreed all terms with them, paving the way for them to take over the running of the club. Last week they said:

"We can confirm that the administrators have agreed terms with the Melrose Consortium for the sale of the club. As with their previous offer however, the sale remains conditional upon them reaching agreement with the landlord, Cheshire Sports, and the Football League."

A meeting was held yesterday with the Football League, but the league have once again bounced their attempts to regain full membership of the league, with a statement saying:

"The Board raised a number of further queries about the proposed takeover of the club and these will be discussed in due course with the administrator and the proposed purchasers."

The transferring of the Golden Share from the old Stockport Company company to the company controlled by the Melrose Consortium is a necessary step for the club to come out of administration. If they are unable to agree terms with the Football League for the start of next season, which will include the way that the Cheshire club will honour its debts and the presentation of a credible business plan and ground lease, the belief is that Stockport would be expelled from the league over the summer. This is because without the Golden Share, Stockport would lose membership of the Football League and the league will not allow a club to go two seasons running without full membership.

12 March 2010 : Football League Appoint New Chairman

The Football League have appointed a new Chairman to succeed Lord Mawhinney, who is due to step down at the Football League Awards Dinner at the end of this month.

Greg Clarke is a former Chief Executive of Cable and Wireless Communications PLC and is 52 years old. His last position was as CEO for O3b, a Satellite Broadband company, who he left in February. His appointment was rubber-stamped at the League's Board meeting on Thursday 11th March.

Clarke is a lifelong Leicester City fan who had a brief period of time as the club's Chairman. He joined the Foxes board in 2000 before becoming Chairman in August 2002, with the club in administration. He was still Chairman when the club came out of administration, as part of a consortium that included Gary Lineker. He said of his appointment:

"As a lifelong football fan it is a privilege to serve the game in this capacity. My time at Leicester City provided an insight into the challenges clubs face on a daily basis. The lessons learnt from that experience will not be forgotten. I look forward to joining a highly successful organisation whose clubs are at the heart of their communities.I intend to build on The League's recent successes and represent all our 72 clubs."

Independent board member Ian Richie welcomed the appointment of Mr Clarke adding:

"Greg will build on the substantial progress made by Lord Mawhinney, focussing on further improving League football's professionalism and business structure, as well as maintaining the momentum on good governance. In short, he will aim to make the league even more effective on behalf of all its clubs."

A formal date for Mr Clarke to take over as Chairman has yet to be agreed. Meanwhile, the League's Board have also set aside a motion for Lord Mawhinney to be made an Honorary President of the Football League, in recognition of his services to the league over the past seven years.

12 March 2010 : Yeovil Town vs Hartlepool United Match Preview

Yeovil Town take on Hartlepool United in a League One fixture tomorrow afternoon at Huish Park, with both sides still needing points to keep themselves firmly away from the drop zone. With Yeovil in 13th on 41 points, and their visitors on 15th on 38 points, and only a single goal difference separating the clubs, this is a game that could put Yeovil six points clear of one of their rivals, or could see both teams swapping positions by 5.00p.m. Saturday. There may be a nine point gap between Yeovil and the last relegation position, but they will not want to be complacent, with around 10 points still probably needed to ensure League One football next season.

Back in October 2009, Hartlepool looked like they were going to be one of this season's away day specialists. Three wins, three draws and two defeats from their opening eight away matches was an impressive return, and probably just as well as they were struggling for wins at Victoria Park. On October 31st, they drew away at Brighton and Hove Albion, and thereafter the wheels came off badly - W0 D0 L8 - not a single away point for over four months. Make it nine defeats and they will equal their club record for consecutive away defeats, set in 1985. Just as well then, that their home form also turned around over that period.

Based on that sort of a run, there's little doubt that Yeovil Town will crave all three points. But the Glovers are a somewhat erratic beast this season - getting in two solid 1-0 victories against MK Dons and Walsall at the tail end of last month, but then looking a world away from League leaders Norwich City in a one-sided 3-0 defeat last Saturday. Normally at home the Glovers look more comfortable, although even there they have wobbled slightly with one win and two defeats in their last four.

They go into the game boosted by the return of the hugely popular Gavin Williams - back on loan from Bristol City for a second spell with the Glovers. There seems little doubt that he will start the match, just leaving the question of which loan player will drop out of the matchday squad, with once again the Glovers back with six loans on their books. Arron Davies and Ryan Mason are probably the two with most to be worried about, given that they occupy similar positions and roles to Williams.

Up front, the main question mark will be whether striker Dean Bowditch has recovered from a hamstring injury sustained two weeks ago. Central defender Stefan Stam remains the only definite absentee - expected to be absent for the remainder of the season. The back four therefore virtually picks itself with Alcock, Caulker, Forbes and Smith near certainties to start along with goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

For Hartlepool, they suffered a significant blow this week when striker Denis Behan was stretchered off in a Reserve Team match against Rotherham United in midweek. He is likely to be out for six weeks, and there are fears his season may be over. Ben Clark is available though, after completing a three match ban.

Hartlepool's official site has a bit of a cheeky moment today, suggesting that their supporters should bet on midfielder Ritchie Jones to score the opening goal against his old club, with him rated at 18/1. Slightly more likely is striker Roy O'Donovan, who is on loan from Sunderland and bagged all three goals in their 3-0 win over Southend United last weekend. Top scorer this season is Adam Boyd with nine goals, with Andy Monkhouse one strike behind. The aforementioned Jones has four to his name.

The December meeting between the two clubs at Victoria Park saw the points shared in a 1-1 draw as Sam Williams and Andy Monkhouse netted in each half. The last meeting at Huish Park was in April 2009, and saw Hartlepool grab all three points in a 2-3 away win, with Gavin Tomlin and Andros Townsend netting for Yeovil. But it was their inability to cope with striker Joel Porter that undid them as he netted two, followed by a winning goal from Daniel Nardiello, 18 minutes from time.

The game kicks off at 3.00p.m. with tickets available on the day of the game, subject to the usual matchday surcharge. For pre-matchday prices, call or visit the Huish Park Ticket Office before 6.00p.m. tonight on 09135-847888.

Don't forget that this is a Kids for a Quid match. Any supporter aged under 16 can gain admission for one pound only, with no conditions or limits to this offer attached. The offer will still be in place on the day of the match itself.

Link: Officials For Yeovil Town vs Hartlepool United.

Link: Hartlepool United : Kids For A Quid Offer.

12 March 2010 : Defensive Signing Due Early Next Week

Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton has confirmed that this week's trip to London was a scouting mission, and that he hopes that the journey will bear fruit early next week. As widely expected, he plans to bring in a central defender as cover for Terrell Forbes and Steven Caulker before the emergency loan transfer window shuts.

Skiverton says he hopes that he will be able to finalise a deal with an unnamed player early next week, having watched the player concerned in a practice match in London on either Tuesday or Wednesday. He told the Western Daily Press that he was confident of something being sorted out after the weekend:

"I've been away and I've been in London for a couple of days, watching a couple of clubs play in behind-closed-doors games. Hopefully we'll be having someone who will be coming in at the beginning of next week as cover to the two (central defenders) that we've got playing at the moment. As I've said before, we definitely need cover and I've been out and about, and we're quite close to sorting out a deal to bring someone else in."

Skiverton's Twitter account suggests that there should be movement on Monday: "Hopefully one more in on Monday."

12 March 2010 : A303 Closure Set To End Early

There's good news likely for Yeovil Town supporters planning to head to tomorrow's home match against Hartlepool United. The Highways Agency report that they hope to re-open the A303 section between Willoughby Hedge and Mere that has been closed for the past month. It is due to re-open sometime tonight, nine days earlier than planned.

The Highways Agency report that good weather during the past month has meant that contingency built into the plans was not needed and that therefore they expect to finish their work today.

Spokesman David Stock told BBC Somerset this morning that the only things outstanding were a series of safety inspections and a tidy-up operation before the barriers could be removed. Mr Stock added that if all went well today, then the road could well open by early evening:

"We're looking at opening it early evening. So what people will see are the signs being taken down and the closure being removed. We have had people working out there overnight and we've got people undertaking safety inspections. They are now doing the final tidying up. Literally as soon as they've finished all that, then they will open up the road. If we can do it sooner than early evening, then we are pushing to do that."

Naturally we'd suggest a degree of caution for drivers setting out to Yeovil first thing tomorrow morning, in case there are any last minute hitches, but given that a press release has been put out, it can probably be assumed that the Highways Agency are very confident about this.

11 March 2010 : Bridport Boss Claims Glovers Bid For Symes

Bridport manager Trevor Senior has confirmed that Yeovil Town have tried to sign 16 year old midfielder Jamie Symes. However, the manager of the Western League First Division side believes that he has done enough to persuade the youngster not to go anywhere until the end of the season.

Symes has already had a trial with Championship side Blackpool earlier this year, albeit one that was curtailed by bad weather, and they were impressed enough to invite him back to Bloomfield Road for a second trial when he turns 17 in the summer.

Yeovil already know plenty about Symes - he was part of the club's Centre of Excellence until last summer when he left to sign dual registration forms with Bridport and Dorchester Town. However, he is currently there on a non-contract basis, meaning that any club coming in only has to give seven days notice of approach to the two clubs. He will be able to sign a full contract after his 17th birthday.

At present though, ex-Reading, Watford and Middlesbrough player Senior's advice to the player is to continue his studies at Kingston Maurward College for the academic year, and to see the season out with the Dorset side. His course at the College runs until the summer of 2011 and so he may be swayed in the long run by any arrangements that would allow him to complete the course. Senior explained to the Dorset Echo his conversation with Symes:

"I spoke to Jamie a couple of nights ago and my advice was to see the season out with us. We’ve plenty of football and he is in a comfortable environment. He agreed with what I had to say and said he is happy where he is at the moment. It may only be for two months but a lot has happened to him in a short space of time. When he’s 17 I can see a lot of clubs clambering for his signature and I think it’s a safe bet to say he will be moving on at the end of the season. He’s in a good position because he’s got clubs like Yeovil interest in him, which is down to how well he’s been playing so it makes sense for him to continue to do that."

11 March 2010 : Somerset Premier Cup Semi-Final Draw

Yeovil Town have been drawn away in the Semi-Final of the Somerset Premier Cup, if they win their outstanding Quarter-Final tie. The winners of the Bishop Sutton vs Yeovil Town Quarter-Final match, which is due to be played on Monday 29th March, will face a trip to Welton Rovers, who currently lie in second place in the Western League Premier Division. Welton got through the Quarter-Final stage by beating Wellington 4-3 away in front of a crowd of 31.

In the other semi-final draw, Wells City take on Bridgwater Town. Wells needed an 8-7 penalty shoot-out to get past hosts Street with a total of 263 spectators watching the game, whilst Bridgwater were 2-0 winners over Frome Town as 159 watched the match that saw the holders knocked out at Badgers Hill.

Both semi-final ties are due to be played during the week beginning 12th April.

Semi-Final Draw:
Welton Rovers vs Yeovil Town or Bishop Sutton
Wells City vs Bridgwater Town

11 March 2010 : Taff's Gloversblog : The Loan Arranger Bites Back

In what has been a deathly quiet week at Huish Park up until today, Taff has posted another blog entry piecing together everything from last weekend's defeat at Carrow Road against Norwich City to this morning's signing of Gavin Williams on loan from Bristol City.

There's an in depth look at fans' expectations at the club, as well as manager Terry Skiverton's usage of the home season. Then there's Saturday's match against Hartlepool United to consider. Oh, and it's all kicking off again at the Little Club Down The Road, with former Glover Jerry Gill quitting as the captain of the ship, currently sinking into the English Channel.

All this and inevitably more, can be found in the latest edition of Taff's Gloversblog, readable via the link below, with comments and views always welcomed.

Link: Taff's Gloversblog : The Loan Arranger Bites Back.

11 March 2010 : Caulker And Mason Lose Out To California Side

Yeovil Town loan pair Steven Caulker and Ryan Mason featured for Tottenham Hotspur Reserves yesterday in a friendly against Californian side San Jose Earthquakes. In a match played at Spurs lodge, Spurs lost against a side who act as their club partners in the USA, with the goal coming from Bobby Burling in the 50th minute.

Ryan Mason played a full 90 minutes in the match, whilst Steven Caulker came on as a 60th minute substitute and so played no part in the conceded goal.

Two former Glovers also featured in the match, with left winger Andros Townsend (on loan at Milton Keynes Dons) and Jonathan Obika (on loan at Millwall playing for Spurs.

Spurs: Alnwick; Walker, Dervite (Byrne, 84), Kaboul (Caulker, 60), Smith; Townsend, Parrett (Oyenuga, 81), Livermore, Rose; Mason; Kane (Obika, 46).

San Jose Earthquakes: Weber; Morrow, Opara, Burling, Beitashour; Sanchez, Elliott, Ribeiro; Amerikwa, Wondolowski, Glen.

11 March 2010 : Super Gav Returns To Huish Park

As reported earlier, Yeovil Town have signed a player on a month's loan. Although it wasn't quite what we were expecting. Manager Terry Skiverton has added another attacking midfielder to his ranks, and the name of the player is the rather familiar one of Gavin Williams.

He has joined from Bristol City on a month's loan, thus becoming the latest player to make a 'second return' to Huish Park, having left in December 2004 for West Ham United for a fee of £250,000.

Since leaving Huish Park, Gavin's career has been somewhat blighted by injury - with his ankles being particular problems. Just over two years after arriving at Upton Park, Gavin joined Ipswich Town for £300,000, before being reunited with Gary Johnson at Bristol City in the summer of 2008. He has been involved in three Bristol City games during 2010, with the last coming against Ipswich on February 27th. He has made 17 appearances for the Championship side this season.

First time round in green'n'white colours, Gavin made 110 appearances, scoring 21 goals. He arrived at the club in the summer of 2002 from Hereford United, but really came into his own once the club got into the Football League, playing either on the wing or in the hole and scoring 13 goals during the 2003-04 season that made him the club's leading goalscorer for that season, despite operating in midfield. Legendary for both his mazy runs and for his practical jokes on his team-mates, Gavin will certainly liven up the dressing room and the pitch. Good luck to him in his stay at Huish Park.

Perhaps significantly, he has taken Squad Number 20, until recently held by Owain Tudur Jones, suggesting that one Welshman will not be returning to Huish Park in the near future. Bristol City manager Gary Johnson has told their official site that there is an option for Yeovil to take Gavin on for more than a month:

"He knows Yeovil and they know all about him. They made an approach and we're happy for him to go down there for a one month and play first team football. After the month there is the chance to extend it with us having a 24-hour recall, so it's a good deal for all parties."

Now, back to that central defender we need ...

11 March 2010 : New Signing Imminent

Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton has said that he expects to announce a new signing very soon. On his Twitter account the Glovers boss says "Just signed a player, find out in next twenty mins". Whilst it may take a little longer than 20 minutes for the news to reach us, it's probably safe to say that there will be an announcement today, with a central defender the most likely outcome.

Skiverton's Twitter account indicated earlier in the week that he was heading to London on Tuesday and he reported back a day later that he had a "very productive two days". Would it be adding two and two together to suggest that the Yeovil boss may have been up in the Smoke watching a spot of Reserve Team action or Academy football somewhere?

As the saying goes - watch this space.

Update: The new signing is ~~central defender~~ attacking midfielder Gavin Williams. See the later news article for more details. It would rather suggest that Crystal Palace vs Bristol City was one of Skivo's chosen matches for his two days in London - although Gavin did not feature in that match.

10 March 2010 : Venue And Directions For Saturday's Youth Game

Saturday's Youth Team game against Torquay United will be played at Bovey Tracey AFC. Kick-off on Saturday is at 11.00a.m.

For those wishing to travel to the game, assuming you are travelling from the Exeter direction, take the A38 to Plymouth, turn off at Drumbridges Roundabout signposted Trago Mills. Take the 4th exit signposted Bovey Tracey.

Proceed down Bovey Straights, to the end where upon reaching a roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Monks Way, then follow the road to next roundabout. With the firestation in front of you, turn right, signposted Town Centre and after about 25 metres take a left into St Johns Lane. At the end of this road is the entrance to Mill Marsh Park, the Western Counties Roofing Ground is to the left of this entrance.

Address: Bovey Tracey AFC, Western Counties Roofing Ground, Mill Marsh Park, St Johns Lane, Bovey Tracey, Devon, TQ13 9FF.

10 March 2010 : Southend Tax Case Adjourned Again But Chester City Wound Up

League One side Southend United have been given another 35 days by the High Court to cough up their outstanding tax debts, after a judge adjourned their ongoing case today. Their battle against HMRC concerns a financial dispute to the tune of £183,000, which Southend have held from its PAYE payments to late last year, claiming that they had overpaid a £2.1million bill in November.

Their next court session will take place on April 14th, where they must either pay the outstanding sum, or persuade HMRC or the courts that they do not owe that amount. Chairman Ron Martin has said that the disputed sum relates to HMRC's calculations concerning late payment penalty charges, added to the main tax bill by HMRC due to Southend's failure to pay their tax bills on time. It is not clear whether Martin disputes the principle of applying penalty charges, or whether he disputes the mathematical calculations applied.

Meanwhile Martin has now gone public after weeks of silence and has admitted that Southend's players have not been paid in January or February. The Southend Echo yesterday reported that to be the case, and finally the Shimpers Chairman has admitted this to be the case although his views on the role the PFA play in the game should attract a few raised eyebrows at PFA headquarters:

"The PFA acts not dis-similar to a bank. It’s a bridging loan that in this instance is being automatically repaid in just five weeks. In an ordinary market it would be available from a high street bank but not currently. Without security the PFA would not advance money as it must be copper bottomed."

He stops short of explaining exactly why Southend have had to resort to this last resort of ensuring their players receive their wages. Martin also denies that the subsequent transfer embargo they've been placed under will affect the club, despite the Essex side dropping into the relegation zone this week, and having new blood in assistant manager David Webb who might have a view on the need to strengthen their side. It would appear that Webb and manager Steve Tilson will have to work with what they've already got:

"The downside in loans being facilitated by the PFA is that it attracts an embargo but with just a couple of weeks before the window closes, at this present time, is not an impediment."

If Martin needed any reminder of the seriousness of a winding up order in the High Court then it came today. Conference National side Chester City were wound up in the High Court today, over an unpaid tax bill of £26,125 - seven times smaller than Southend's debt.

Chester, who were Yeovil Town's last opponents in the Conference back in 2003, had already been expelled from the Conference for breaching five rules, including a failure to fulfil fixtures. Without any fixtures, and therefore matchday income, persuading any court that they would be able to raise the appropriate funds was somewhat unlikely. A fans group Chester Fans United (CFU) are expected to try and relaunch the club at a lower level.

Update: 10.00p.m. It now transpires that Southend's position is far worse than what was initially reported. The High Court bulletin indicates that in fact they owe £411,000 to HMRC. It now transpires that the earlier reported figure of £183,000 is an additional value on top of HMRC's claimed value of £228,000 due to Southend failing to make another month's payment. The Court bulletin provides no mention of Ron Martin's claims that the amount was under dispute - the only discussion appears to be about whether Southend are capable of paying the debt. The Court Registrar has awarded the adjournment based on the club's flimsy premise that they are due to get a sum of money for Roots Hall as part of their plans to build a new ground, with Sainsbury's having agreed to buy the Roots Hall land. However, this is hardly likely to happen in the next 35 days before the court sits again, and Mr Martin has been more than a little economical with the truth.

10 March 2010 : Officials For Yeovil Town vs Hartlepool United

Officials for Saturday's match between Yeovil Town and Hartlepool United have been announced. The man in charge will be referee Steve Rushton (Staffordshire). This will be our first experience of Mr Rushton as a man in the middle, and in fact to our knowledge we've only experienced him once as an assistant referee - a 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest in January 2007.

The reason for the lack of knowledge of Mr Rushton is that this is his first season as a Football League referee. He was promoted in the summer of 2009 after his final Nationwide Conference match - the Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg match between Histon and Cambridge United, which probably represents his high point in his short refereeing career so far.

He comes from a footballing family - his father was also a Football League referee. So far he's taken charge of 16 Football League matches, plus three cup matches this season, with a fairly modest 47 yellow cards and three reds from those 19 games. His last match was the 1-0 win for Notts County over Macclesfield Town on March 2nd.

Mr Rushton will be assisted by Richard Martin (Somerset) and Mark Philpott (Cornwall). The Fourth Official will be Andrew Bennett (Devon).

9 March 2010 : Tuesday Night League One Round-Up : Glovers Still 13th

Yeovil Town remain 13th in the League table despite four matches being played in the division tonight, plus one last night. Carlisle United, Leyton Orient and Tranmere Rovers all lost tonight, with only Oldham Athletic in the lower reaches of the League One table picking up maximum points.

Oldham's win was in fact over Leyton Orient, as they pulled four points clear of the drop, opening up a significant gap between 20th and 21st place, currently occupied by Tranmere Rovers and Exeter City respectively. Goals from Deane Smalley and Dale Stephens saw Leyton defeated, who stay in 16th as a result.

Tranmere Rovers occupy the last 'safety' slot tonight, after they were hammered 1-4 at home to second placed Leeds United. Before the game Tranmere captain Ian Thomas-Moore said Leeds were having "a little wobble at the moment". Two goals from Jermaine Beckford plus strikes from Robert Snodgrass and Luciano Becchio may cause him to revise his opinion, with only John Welsh answering back for the home side on 19 minutes when the scoreline was already 2-0.

Carlisle United also suffered a home defeat, with Millwall moving into 5th place in the play-offs as a result. Two goals from Sean Morrison put them on their way, before a 92nd minute Danny Livesey gave the Cumbrians some late hope. But the five minutes of injury time benefitted the Lions as former Glover Danny Schofield netted Millwall's third, giving them a 3-1 win.

In the evening's other game, Swindon Town suffered their second defeat in three days as their play-off charge stutters, losing 2-1 at Milton Keynes Dons, who still have their own play-off ambitions in 8th place. An early goal from Aaron Wilbraham and a first half James Tunnicliffe goal set them on their way. Daniel Ward's 93rd minute strike was merely a consolation for a Swindon side that have now slipped to sixth.

In last night's match, Colchester United and Brighton and Hove Albion ended up in a 0-0 stalemate in front of the Sky Sports cameras, although 17th placed Brighton looked far more likely to steal the points than 4th placed Colchester did.

Link: 2009-10 Latest League One Table.

9 March 2010 : Dates For Your Diary

The Football League have begun to plan out the key dates for the 2010-11 season. Next season will begin on Saturday 7th August 2010 and will end on Saturday 7th May 2011 (or a day later if you're a Championship side).

The fixture list for next season will be released on Thursday 17th June 2010 at 10.00a.m. A few days before that the First Round draw for the Carling Cup will be made, and the matches for that round will be played during the week commencing August 9th 2010. The first round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy will be played on August 30th 2010.

The Christmas fixture schedule looks a little more crowded this season, with an extra date to squeeze in. Games will be played on December 26th, December 28th, January 1st and January 3rd.

For all the optimists amongst you, the Carling Cup final will be played on February 28th 2011, whilst the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final will be played on April 3rd 2011. Both finals will be played at Wembley Stadium.

9 March 2010 : David Webb Returns To Football Management ... Again!

Former Yeovil Town manager, owner and Chief Executive David Webb has made a return to football management through League One side Southend United. Webb has been appointed as the Shrimpers' assistant manager, replacing Paul Brush, who was fired from his position yesterday.

The appointment of Webb as Steve Tilson's assistant presents an interesting bit of role reversal. Tilson was signed by Webb as a player back in 1988, whilst Tilson was at non-league Witham Town, with Tilson eventually becoming manager in 2003. Webb has had four spells at Roots Hall, between 1986-87, 1988-92 and 2000-01 with the latter coming after he left Huish Park as first team manager. The fourth spell came as a caretaker manager in November 2003, where he was replaced as manager by ... Steve Tilson.

Since then, the 63 year old has had a short spell of ownership of Yeovil Town between December 2005 and February 2006, as Chief Executive, before resigning and ultimately selling his shareholding to the Huish Park Stadium Partnership, currently controlled by John Fry and Norman Hayward. Webb has up until recently maintained his links at Huish Park, with current manager Terry Skiverton mentioning conversations he had had with Webb on a couple of occasions. However, the former Chelsea player holds no official position at Huish Park at present, and will now presumably concentrate his efforts on trying to save Southend from relegation from League One.

Whilst on the subject, the Southend Echo states that the Shrimpers are back under a transfer embargo again. This has been triggered because the PFA have had to step in to pay Southend's players' wages for January 2010, by providing a loan to the Essex club. Whilst that loan is outstanding, Southend will be barred from making any incoming transfers, subject to current Football League regulations. The paper reports that the February 2010 wages - due on Friday 26th February - have still yet to be paid.

Meanwhile Chairman Ron Martin claims that contrary to a statement issued yesterday where he stated that sacked assistant Paul Brush would not suffer financial hardship following his removal from the post, that he does not plan to pay up the full value of his contract. Martin claims that he does not have to honour the monetary value of the contract - something that the League Managers' Association and their lawyers may hold a different view on:

"The club is not contractually obliged to maintain Paul's salary for the entire period of his unexpired contract and I doubt there are many employers that would take this view."

9 March 2010 : February 2010 Player Of The Month

The month of February was a reasonably fruitful one on the scale of things, with Yeovil Town picking up three wins along the way, against Wycombe Wanderers, Walsall and Milton Keynes Dons. Two defeats and a draw meant that Yeovil gained 10 points from 6 games - a decent haul in their efforts to steer clear of relegation trouble.

There were six individual Man of the Match winners across the six matches. These were Dean Bowditch (Wycombe Wanderers), Steve Caulker (Gillingham), Arron Davies (Colchester United), Craig Alcock (Charlton Athletic), Sam Williams (Walsall), Shaun MacDonald (MK Dons).

Once the overall votes for February were tallied up, the final scorers saw left-back Nathan Smith sneak into third place, despite not being one of the individual MOTM winners. Nathan appears to be back on form following a somewhat below par first half of the season, and is now getting a regular run in the side. But the top two places for the month went to two loan players that have consistently come out near the top of many votes this season. Swansea City midfielder Shaun MacDonald was the runner-up for February, but top spot was taken by Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Steven Caulker, who once again proves to be a lynchpin in the Yeovil Town side.

Full results and percentage of the vote gained during the month is shown below:

1 Steven Caulker 14.9
2 Shaun MacDonald 13.5
3 Nathan Smith 12.6
4 Dean Bowditch 9.3
5 Craig Alcock 8.4
6 Sam Williams 7.3
7 Arron Davies 6.5
8 Owain Tudur Jones 6.0
9 Jean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala 5.0
10 Alex McCarthy 4.2

8 March 2010 : Argyle Youth Match Gets New Date

We haven't had much luck in getting matches on with Plymouth Argyle this season. The Youth Alliance league fixture, originally scheduled for 12th December 2009, has now been given a new date of Saturday 24th April 2010 at Elburton Villa.

The thrice postponed Youth Alliance Cup tie against Argyle remains listed as 'to be arranged'. Given its now utter purposelessness, with both sides knocked out of that competition, there must be doubts whether it ever will be.

8 March 2010 : Downes Has Mixed Feelings About Carrow Road Return

Yeovil Town winger/striker Aidan Downes has said that he has mixed feelings about making his return from injury at Carrow Road on Saturday. On the one hand, Downes put to an end a 10 month gap without League football, but on the other hand the Glovers were on the end of a 3-0 defeat at the hands of League leaders Norwich City.

Downes started the pre-season in July, but sustained cruciate knee ligament damage in a pre-season friendly against Dorchester Town, and also found he needed a shoulder operation following a dislocated shoulder. Prior to Saturday, his last piece of competitive football was the May 2009 home match against Colchester United, and the Irishman admitted after the game that he was glad to get that record out of the way:

"I was happy to get on the pitch, but it's disappointing overall really. For myself it's nice to get on, but at the end of the day we lost 3-0, and it's the team before me. But I'm happy to get back out there, I suppose."

Downes had to have secondary knee surgery when his initial operation resulted in an infection, and he said that added to his frustration as it lengthened the time that he was out. Having been through cruciate knee ligament surgery on his other knee whilst at Everton he added that it was disappointing to go through it all again:

"It has (been frustrating) because I've been through this before. Then to have a relapse on it has been very frustrating. Hopefully that's all behind me. Touchwood it's all gone and I can get a good run in the team."

Downes revealed that manager Terry Skiverton's half time substitution that brought him onto the field of play was cast in stone five minutes before the break, with the actual change being made during half time:

"The gaffer said during the week to just be ready because I might get a run. He said around five minutes before half time that I was coming on and said to try and stretch them a little bit because they were going really deep. So we wanted to stretch them a little bit and get in behind and open up play for ourselves, but unfortunately it wasn't to be."

Yeovil will now try to forget about their Carrow Road experience and concentrate instead on a home match against Hartlepool United. Pools lie three points and two league positions behind the Glovers in 15th place, and Downes agreed that this made Saturday's match a winnable game:

"I think so, yes. They are in and around us, so it's a vital game. The gaffer has said that it's a big game for us, so we just need to get our heads around that and get a good week's training ahead of us, and then focus on that and hopefully get a result."

Link: Downes To See Season Out As A Striker.

Link: Hartlepool United : Kids For A Quid Offer.

8 March 2010 : Downes To See Season Out As A Striker

With Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton hinting that he may not move for a loan striker prior to the emergency loan transfer window deadline, that has opened up the question as to which players he sees as covering for main strike pair Dean Bowditch and Sam Williams if either become unavailable.

The answer may surprise one or two Yeovil Town supporters, with Skiverton indicating that he plans to give Aidan Downes more of an advanced role between now and the end of the season. As yet, Glovers fans have not really seen Downes play as a striker, with the former Everton trainee being used almost exclusively as a right-winger in his 32 appearances as a Yeovil Town player so far.

The 21 year old did, however, sign for Yeovil after being used as a striker in Everton's academy sides, and so certainly would not find the more advanced position an unfamiliar one. Former assistant boss Steve Thompson's view was that Aidan was better utilised as a winger until he got more experience at League One level - Skiverton believes that after a long layoff for the Irishman that the time has come to put him up front, and use him to fill the gap left by Jonathan Obika, who cut his loan spell with the club short last month.

As a result, Downes was put on as a substitute at half time in Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Norwich City for his first appearance of the 2009-10 season, having recovered from cruciate knee ligament damage, and he was placed just behind Sam Williams as a supporting striker in a 4-4-1-1 formation. Skiverton has told the Western Morning News that he is likely to repeat this sort of a move in Yeovil's last 11 games of the season. Speaking about his second half performance he explained:

"He came on and had nothing to lose, really. I'll be looking for him to have a good end to the season now. He was very unfortunate to get the injuries in pre-season and he has worked very hard to get fit again. He looked good in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch and, with Jon Obika leaving, we'll be looking to use Aidan as a striker. We've got enough wide players so we'll use Aidan up top and hopefully he can do well for us up there."

8 March 2010 : Shrimpers Assistant Gets The Brush-Off

League One side Southend United have parted company with assistant manager Paul Brush today. The Shrimpers dropped into the bottom four on Saturday - their lowest point of the season so far - and are on a run of 10 matches without a win - not having picked up three points during 2010.

Perhaps more to the point, their last win happened whilst striker Lee Barnard was still on their books and whilst they were occupying the relatively safe position of 13th in the League One table. However, Barnard was sold to Southampton during the transfer window, already netting six times for the Saints to bring his tally to 23, and for the Shrimpers it's all gone a bit pear-shaped. They now are in 22nd position, and without Barnard - who had netted 17 times for them this season - their next top scorer has the grand sum of three goals, with five other players having contributed two each.

With all that in mind, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out what event has caused Southend's fall from grace. But with rumours of problems with the Shrimpers wage bill, and an ongoing financial dispute with the taxman seeing the Shrimpers due back in court on Wednesday to answer a winding-up order, the off-the-field problems haven't helped the Essex side.

Today, Brush has been given his cards by Chairman Ron Martin, rather than dismiss popular manager Steve Tilson, who has led the Shrimpers to two promotions during his time in the hotseat. Martin told his club's official site that today's decision was provoked by the club's drop into the relegation zone:

"When a club 'hits' the relegation zone there is a danger the mindset of players and management changes and we all get sucked into a downward spiral. Relegation for the Club and its supporters would be fatal and as Chairman I am never going to let matters with your Club drift and risk that calamity. It is therefore urgent that change is evident. Steve Tilson has attributes I wish to preserve but at this time we need to bring new energy, a fresh outlook, momentum and most importantly a positive approach to the on field activities. Therefore this morning Paul Brush has been relieved of his management responsibilities."

Despite Southend's precarious financial position, Martin has promised Brush that he will be getting an appropriate pay-off that will not see him lose out on the back of today's decision:

"I personally wish to thank Paul Brush for his contribution over the years. Paul's contract does not expire until the summer of next year and I have promised him that as a result of this necessary step he will not be financially hardshipped in any way."

No doubt Southend's players - rumoured to have not been paid or paid late (depending on your source on the rumourmill) during January and February would appreciate such a guarantee as well.

8 March 2010 : Angry Skivo Accuses Players Of Lacking Commitment

Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton has accused his players of lacking determination and commitment on the back of Saturday's 3-0 defeat against Norwich City at Carrow Road. The Yeovil boss said in Saturday's BBC post-match interview that he was "angry" with his players at half time, but wasn't explicit about where his anger stemmed from.

Speaking to the Western Daily Press Skiverton has expanded upon this, explaining that he felt his side lacked attributes that he felt they could match Norwich on - despite the financial gulf between the two sides. The Yeovil boss accused his side of shirking tackles and said that he felt that wasn't good enough:

"I thought we were beaten by the better team from start to finish. We were not on it right from the start. I told them to be aware of people and their abilities, but I did not think it was a game like that. I thought we lost it on other things - determination, tackles and commitment and that disappoints me more."

8 March 2010 : MK Dons Man Of The Match Result

Just over a week ago, Yeovil Town played host to Milton Keynes Dons in a match that finished with a 1-0 win for the Glovers. A Shaun MacDonald belter from the edge of the box was all that was needed to pick up a hugely valuable three points.

The Man of the Match voting saw MacDonald establish himself as the runaway winner on the day as well. Although left-back Nathan Smith continues to pick up acclaim, and Jean-Paul Kalala showed up well, MacDonald took over half of the outright votes, and so was an obvious winner.

Full results, with outright MOTM votes shown in brackets, are as seen below.

1 Shaun MacDonald 532 (38)
2 Jean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala 272 (15)
3 Nathan Smith 156 (9)
4 Steven Caulker 130 (4)
5 Sam Williams 66 (2)
6 Craig Alcock 62 (3)
7 Alex McCarthy 32 (0)
8 Terrell Forbes 16 (0)
9 Arron Davies 8 (0)
10 Gavin Tomlin 2 (0)

OVERALL MATCH RATING: 7.00

Performance: 7.10
Entertainment: 6.90

VOTES RECEIVED: 71

8 March 2010 : Defensive Cover Remains The Priority For Skiverton

Further to Terry Skiverton's Saturday post-match interview where he talked about his on-going need to provide central defensive cover, the Yeovil boss has also expanded upon his thinking in that area. Skiverton has confirmed that he will be definitely getting in a centre-back before the emergency loan transfer window closes, regardless of what standard of player is out there, purely because he feels he has no cover for Terrell Forbes or Steven Caulker, if either of them should get injured or suspended during the final six weeks of the season. Speaking after the match in the BBC's interview he explained:

"I'm still looking for a centre-half as back-up as I've got T (Terrell Forbes) and Steven Caulker playing with nobody that can really step in and play if there are any problems. So we'll have to wait and see, but I think we've got a week and a half to get a couple of players in and we're still looking to do so."

In this morning's Western Daily Press, Skiverton has said that although he has talked about getting a striker in to cover for target man Sam Williams, he sees the centre-back position as the outright priority of the two:

"We are still looking to strengthen a little bit before the loan window closes. I do not think we have been struggling that much for goals, but we definitely want a centre-half."

Whilst a move for a striker might be an optional need for the Glovers, Skiverton added that in the case of a defender it was a case of 'when', not 'if':

"I'll definitely get one in before the window shuts. It's just a case of seeing what will be. It's looking at whether it will be a young lad, or whether it will be someone who is a bit more experienced on a non-contract basis. Whatever comes up, and whatever comes up first, we'll grab them. I'm out and about this week looking at a couple of people and we'll have to wait and see how certain results and certain players have done."

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