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3 August 2012 : Newport 1 Yeovil 3 : Glovers Complete Welsh Tour With Win
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Yeovil Town completed their week in South Wales tonight, with a 3-1 win over Newport County that continues their good pre-season form. Having played seven fixtures, all against lower league opposition, the Glovers have clocked up five wins and two draws, and gained victory tonight thanks to two first half goals from Reuben Reid and Nathan Ralph, whilst Reading loanee Gozie Ugwu got his fourth in pre-season as he netted in the second period, with Newport's goal coming late on from the penalty spot as Andy Sandell converted after a handling offence.
The first half saw a somewhat experimental starting line-up with trialist James Clarke getting another chance to impress as a centre-back. The line-up saw Gozie Ugwu and Nathan Ralph tried out as wingers, whilst Ed Upson rested his legs on the bench. There was only one player missing, with Gavin Williams still out with a calf injury - Dominic Blizzard got his first pre-season outing as he recovers from a broken hand.
The game's opening goal came from Nathan Ralph's advanced position on the field, as his cross into the box gave Reuben Reid the chance to finish from close range with quarter of an hour gone. Overall the first half was played at a slightly slow pace at times, with Yeovil passing well, but without serious end product, even if Gozie Ugwu should have extended Yeovil's lead when his header on goal was blocked. County's chances were rarer, with Mike Flynn having the best chance for the home side.
Yeovil doubled their lead when former Newport County hero Sam Foley crossed into the box, and Nathan Ralph was on hand to head powerfully home, just as the game went into first half injury time. Foley got an excellent reception from the home supporters, and even received a Fair Play Award from the club prior to kick-off, but did not allow room for sentimentality once he got on the pitch.
Half time brought a significant reshuffle with four players coming on at the break and a series of substitutions. Luke Young came on as a right-winger, allowing Gozie Ugwu to go up front, whilst the introduction of Ed Upson and Rohan Ince allowed Sam Foley to move out onto the left wing. The substitution of Richard Hinds and Jamie McAllister allowed Nathan Ralph to drop deep down to left-back, whilst Curtis Haynes-Brown took a central position.
Within five minutes of the restart, Yeovil went further ahead, with Reading loanee Gozie Ugwu getting his fourth pre-season goal. Collecting a Rohan Ince pass, he controlled it well, beat his marker and confidently fired home to set up a 3-0 scoreline.
The second half had a higher tempo to it, with the Glovers looking a more organised unit and midfield pairing Ed Upson and Rohan Ince powering forward at times. With five minutes to go though, that organisation was disrupted somewhat as Max Porter's tackle on Ince left the Chelsea man in pain and needing to leave the field, looking distinctly unimpressed by the situation.
Perhaps surprisingly Yeovil played out the remaining time with just ten men rather than make another substitution, or reintroduce any of the substituted players. During that time, the home side pulled a late goal back - Jefferson Louis' shot was handled by James Clarke, gifting Newport a penalty. Andy Sandell took it, and scored past Gareth Stewart to give the Exiles a late consolation on the night.
Final Score: Newport County 1 Yeovil Town 3
Scorers: Reuben Reid (14 mins, 0-1), Nathan Ralph (45 mins, 0-2), Gozie Ugwu (50 mins, 0-3), Andy Sandell (89 mins, 1-3).
Yeovil Town:
12. Gareth Stewart
2. Luke Ayling, 4. Richard Hinds, 18. James Clarke, 3. Jamie McAllister (C)
19. Gozie Ugwu, 6. Dominic Blizzard, 14. Sam Foley, 16. Nathan Ralph
9. James Hayter, 11. Reuben Reid.
Substitutes:
1. Marek Stech, 7. Keanu Marsh-Brown, 8. Ed Upson (46 mins for Dominic Blizzard), 15. Lewis Young (46 mins for James Hayter), 17. Rohan Ince (46 mins for Richard Hinds), 20. Curtis Haynes-Brown (46 mins for Jamie McAllister).
Attendance: 729 (including 13 Yeovil fans).
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3 August 2012 : Team News For Newport County vs Yeovil Town
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Yeovil Town have selected their squad for tonight's trip to Rodney Parade that sees them play their seventh pre-season friendly of the 2012-13 campaign, with Conference National side Newport County their opponents. Gavin Williams (calf) and Byron Webster (ribs) are absent from tonight's squad, however Luke Ayling (foot) is able to return to the side.
The most welcome sight in the line-up is that of midfielder Dominic Blizzard who takes part in his first pre-season friendly of the season, having broken his hand in training.
There is a bit of juggling about for tonight's line-up with Marek Stech and Ed Upson sitting this one out, and also the hint at either a new formation, or a few new ideas of where players could play, with a 5-3-2, 4-3-3 or a diamond formation possible to construct out of the starting line-up, with three forwards selected along with two left-backs. The eleven that start read as follows:
Yeovil Town:
12. Gareth Stewart
2. Luke Ayling, 4. Richard Hinds, 18. James Clarke, 3. Jamie McAllister (C)
19. Gozie Ugwu, 6. Dominic Blizzard, 14. Sam Foley, 16. Nathan Ralph
9. James Hayter, 11. Reuben Reid.
Substitutes:
1. Marek Stech, 7. Keanu Marsh-Brown, 8. Ed Upson, 15. Lewis Young, 17. Rohan Ince, 20. Curtis Haynes-Brown.
Tonight's match though is all about Sam Foley's return to Newport County. Having spent three and a half years with the South Wales side, this is his first chance to say goodbye to their fans and the playing squad, having signed for the Glovers over the summer. He has told the South Wales Argus today that he didn't expect this situation to develop, but is relishing his return:
"I had absolutely no intention of going anywhere and I certainly didn’t think at the end of the game at Wembley that it would be my last performance for County. I would have stayed on but there was a lot of interest from Yeovil and suddenly I was faced with the chance to move to a League One club. It was a great move for me, a chance to prove myself at that level.
"Not many players get to say a proper goodbye like I will and I am relishing it. I’ve got so many friends at the club and had such a great rapport with the fans. This game is an absolute bonus for me. As soon as it was announced I was buzzing and I am really hoping to get some game time."
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3 August 2012 : Dickson Transfer-Listed By Saints
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Premier League side Southampton have transfer-listed three of their players, including former Yeovil Town loan signing Ryan Dickson. The 25 year old joins strikers Lee Barnard and Jonathan Forte who have been all told they can find new clubs.
All three are still under contract at St Mary's Stadium, and so will need to agree severance deals with the club, but the implication is that with the Saints having been promoted back to the top flight that they do not form part of their future plans. Boss Nigel Adkins has said told BBC Radio Solent that there is already interest in the players:
"It's fair to say that (they can leave). There has been interest in them because they are of good quality. We want to try and do it early enough for them and I know their agents have been working actively. They are fit but they need to play football as well so everyone is working very hard to create a win, win situation. There has been interest in them because they are of good quality and I would imagine as the month progresses something more concrete will materialise."
All three had played in Southampton's pre-season friendly against Sholing on Tuesday night, in what was meant to be an outing for their Under-21 side, and thus have been separated from the Saints first team squad already.
Glovers manager Gary Johnson did say earlier in the summer that he would be keen on the idea of signing Dickson, but doubted that he could afford his wages. With Jamie McAllister, Nathan Ralph and Curtis Haynes-Brown all able to play left-back and McAllister likely to take the captaincy for the 2012-13 season, this probably isn't a priority position for the Glovers to fill - and with a severance deal needed, may not come cheap. With Brentford stating they are aiming to sign a left-back within the next week, it's much more likely that Dickson would be looking for a return to his former club.
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3 August 2012 : Newport County Friendly Ground, Directions and Ticketing Info
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Yeovil Town play the second and last of their matches in South Wales tonight, when they make the trip to Rodney Parade, to take on Conference National side Newport County. As the seventh of a nine game pre-season friendly schedule, the club are now moving into the final couple of weeks before the season starts on August 14th, and this will be the final match on the road.
This will be third time a Glovers side have taken on a County first team side - with all three taking place at different grounds! Back in September 1988, the club's one and only competitive league match came at Somerton Park, just before the original Newport club went bankrupt. That 1-1 draw was later expunged from the seasonal records. Back in 2001, Gary Johnson took a pre-season side to Spytty Park - one of several venues the reformed club have used - with the Glovers coming out with a 3-2 win.
Newport now find themselves playing at Rodney Parade for this season - home of Newport Gwent Dragons and Newport Rugby Club. This is an 11,000 capacity stadium with just over 2,500 seats, and has staged full rugby union international matches in the past. This is a town centre ground, and is situated on the east side of the River Usk. If you're coming in via public transport, the railway station is on the opposite side of the river to the ground, but is easily walkable.
Address: Rodney Parade, Rodney Rd, Newport NP19 0UU
Assuming you're travelling from the East, take Junction 25a from the M4, then take the first exit off the motorway roundabout onto Heidenheim Drive (A4042). Go through a set of traffic lights and take the first exit off the flyover. Stay in the left-hand lane and take the second exit off the roundabout. At the next roundabout take the first exit across the River Usk, then at the next lights bear right onto Chepstow Road. Then take the first right onto Cedar Road, then the next right onto Corporation Road. Then take the first left onto Graffton Road and you'll find the ground on your left hand side.
Note that there is no spectator car park at the stadium, and most of the adjacent roads have a residents only parking scheme in place. So you either need to find street parking further away, or try one of the town's public car parks. The nearest car park is on Chepstow Road, but it's small and therefore may sell out on matchdays.
Admission prices are as follows:
Adults: £12.00; OAPs and Students: £10.00; Under-16s: £5.00.
As usual if you're going to tonight's game and want to write anything about it, or keep other supporters up to date with your views, drop us an email, or tweet us at @ytfcciderspace where matchday updates will be collated.
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2 August 2012 : Quedam Extension Gives Food For Thought
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Yeovil Town's plans to build a Food Store at Huish Park appear to be under threat from expansion plans for the town's Quedam Shopping Centre. The freehold owners UBS Triton have written to South Somerset District Council, via their planning advisors Iceni Projects objecting to the club's supermarket plans on the basis that they have similar town centre proposals lined up.
UBS Triton have had long-standing plans to expand the current Quedam Centre lay-out and plan to use land surrounding Vincent's Car Centre in Market Street to expand the shopping centre into that area. In their letter to SSDC, UBS's objections - recorded in this week's Western Gazette - are largely in line with SSDC's planning department report on the application. However, the key problem for the football club is that UBS have their own plans for a supermarket within that expansion. Their letter states:
"UBS is presently formulating proposals for the (Vincent's Garage) site which would include an anchor food unit. The intention is to bring forward a detailed planning application as soon as possible, but in any event, within the next 12 months. The redevelopment of the Vincent's Garage site would incorporate structural and aesthetic changes to the Quedam Centre, and would conclusively read as an extension to the Centre."
The argument presented by UBS is that their site fits more rationally into the Government's National Planning Policy Framework, which requires local councils to perform a 'sequential test' which assesses the suitability of town centre locations for retail outlets ahead of out of town outlet. They claim that allowing the Huish Park proposals to proceed ahead of theirs would result in a "significant loss of investment (that) would undermine the performance of the Quedam centre and Yeovil town centre as a whole, and in turn, (affect) retailer and customer confidence."
Yeovil Town's planning advisors MWA have previously claimed that there are no suitable town centre locations for a supermarket within the town, and therefore that permission should be granted for an out of town store. At the time MWA's argument was that the Vincent's Garage site would not be available until 2016, and potentially required road junction improvements and compulsory purchase orders to be realised. The test of whether Vincent's Garage is a suitable location will therefore be a crucial one, regardless of whether UBS realise their overall plans.
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2 August 2012 : Johnson Still Has Room For Clarke Deal
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Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson has confirmed that he still has room in his playing budget if he decides to take on Oxford City defender James Clarke. The 22 year old had been on trial at the club, playing in the opening pre-season friendly against Hereford United but did not appear in the four games that followed, due to an injury picked up after that match.
On Tuesday night, the former Oxford United trainee reappeared as a half time substitute against Llanelli and he is part of the squad who are spending the week in South Wales, suggesting that Johnson is quite keen on him. The Glovers boss has told this week's Western Gazette that this is certainly on his mind, although admits Clarke has a few other options as well:
"He was injured and he left us for a week to get rehabilitation and a bit of treatment. He has just come back in time for this tour so he joined us for the two games. We have got to see a little bit more of him. There are a lot of clubs interested in him at the moment but he would like to join us more than anybody else so we will have to wait and see."
Johnson had previously spoken of targeting a squad of eighteen players to start the season, and achieved that with the six month loan deals for Reading striker Gozie Ugwu and Chelsea midfielder Rohan Ince. However, since then Anthony Edgar has left the club, allowing the out of favour player to come off the club's wage bill. Hence, it could be that this has opened up enough money to make way for Clarke to come in.
The Glovers travel to Rodney Parade tomorrow in the last day of their stay in South Wales where they will take on Conference National side Newport County, with midfielder Sam Foley returning to his old club. They will take a check on Luke Ayling (foot) and Gavin Williams (calf) who missed Tuesday night's game at Llanelli, whilst Byron Webster (ribs) picked up a knock in that game. Today the team went white water rafting, as a team bonding exercise, perhaps taking their inspiration from the 2012 Olympics!
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2 August 2012 : Blue Sky Deal Killed Off
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Yeovil Town's partnership with American Artificial Turf company Blue Sky International has unsurprisingly been killed off. After BSI had struck a deal with League Two side Port Vale, the Glovers announced a £1.25 million commercial deal with the firm last October that would give them a new artificial pitch, combined with ten years worth of pre-season tours to the USA and Caribbean.
All the warning signs were that this deal was on shaky ground, when BSI pulled out of their deal with the Valiants last December, establishing a chain of events that eventually saw them go into administration in March of this year.
Having kept silent on the issue for the last ten months, Yeovil Town have released a statement to this week's Western Gazette that confirms the deal is dead. However, they suggest that the problems are caused by the inability to find a suitable location for the artificial surface to reside:
"Yeovil Town FC and Blue Sky International have reached a mutual agreement to cancel the sponsorship agreement which provided for the installation of an artificial playing surface for use by the local community. Problems identifying and acquiring a suitable location for the surface and the lack of progress with the Huish Park site has led both parties to conclude the project cannot proceed at this time."
The inability to locate a plot of land for an artificial pitch to be implemented could be relevant to the club's Food Store application. Back in March, South Somerset District Council and Government body Sport England advised the club that they needed to provide replacement pitches as well as land that was accessible to the community. In the four months that has passed, no further application has been made by the club to cover this gap, and the above statement would suggest that the search for land has so far been unsuccessful.
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1 August 2012 : Bell-Baggie Completes Wirral Move
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League One side Tranmere Rovers have completed the signing of former Yeovil Town winger Abdulai Bell-Baggie. The 20 year old Sierra Leone player has signed a twelve month contract at Prenton Park, having featured in a series of pre-season friendlies on the Wirral.
Having played under Rovers boss Ronnie Moore during a loan spell at Rotherham United, the two parties are already familiar with each other. Moore told his club's website that he saw the former Reading trainee as a bit of a crowd-pleaser:
"He’s done well since he has been here, he’s been lively and quick and he likes to take people on. He’s a very attacking player who will twist and turn and give defenders a headache and I think he’ll be a real crowd favourite. I’m delighted he has agreed to join us."
During his time at Huish Park, Bell-Baggie failed to clock up a first team appearance, spending the first half of the 2011-12 season on the club's books. Since then he's been playing for Hayes and Yeading United and Salisbury City, but now gets an opportunity to work his way back into the Football League.
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1 August 2012 : No Away Terrace For Potters Visit
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Yeovil Town have changed ticketing arrangements for next Tuesday evening's home pre-season friendly against Premier League side Stoke City. The original plan was to have all four sides of the ground open for this fixture. The Copse Road Away Terrace will now no longer be opened for the match, with all visiting supporters housed in the Screwfix (East) Stand.
The change to arrangements would suggest a lower than expected uptake on tickets for the game from Potters fans. The game is to take place on Tuesday 7th August at Huish Park, with a 7.45p.m. kick-off. For full ticketing prices on that and other fixtures, follow the links below.
Link: Ticketing Information For Home Pre-Season Friendlies.
Link: Admission Prices For Newport County vs Yeovil Town.
Link: Date And Ticketing For The Colchester Cup Match.
Link: 2012-13 First Team Fixtures and Results Page.
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