Well, Fat Harry would, for one. The closet Di Canio fan takes exception to the final part of chairman John Fry's address to the meeting (the part about the local press being naughty boys and girls) and defends the Clarion from accusations of negativity while blaming former manager Dave Webb for being remote from the press and pointing out that if the club would like the press to be less negative it perhaps wasn't the wisest course of action to ban them from the shareholders meeting in the first place! It's a storm in a teacup, but it should be interesting to see what the Gazette and Express make of the whole business tomorrow.....

In other news - and probably of far more concern to Yeovil fans - the paper reports that the trio of players whose contracts run out at the end of the season, Warren Patmore, Tony Pennock and Ben Smith, are still waiting to hold serious talks with the club. All three players are quoted by the paper, Tony Pennock saying, "I desperately want to stay at Yeovil and I hope we can get things sorted out soon." Warren Patmore says, "The ball’s in the club’s court and I can’t do anything until they approach me, if they wish to." The story from Ben Smith is the same: "I suppose the fact I’m playing regularly has tended to push the contract business to the backround, but of course I want to stay at Yeovil and I hope we can sort something out shortly."

The paper quotes manager Colin Addison in response: "All three players figure in my long term plans and I want all three to stay at Huish Park. I’m very much aware of the situation and I can assure you we will be addressing the situation very soon."

Addo has also confirmed to the Clarion that he is still actively seeking to add to the squad, with a striker and midfielder very much top of his shopping-list. One player he has definitely ruled out however is Exeter midfielder Chris Holloway (see local press review last week), insisting he has no interest in the player.

Only one more item to report - Tony Pennock has admitted to wearing ladies underwear. Er, that's it!

They leave Yeovil Bus Station at 8:30am, and bookings can be taken by phoning chairman Mark Kelly on (01935) 412236.

According to Page 243 of Sky Sports One, which details forthcoming games due to be broadcast live on Sky, the Yeovil Town vs Hayes Nationwide Conference tie will be used as a "warm-up" game - kicking off at mid-day - for an England International which is due to be shown later that same day.

The missing piece in the jigsaw is that - at the time of writing - the club were unable to confirm or deny any involvement with Sky Television. Doubtless all will become clear soon.

Update 31/1/01 :
The club have now confirmed the news officially - Yeovil v Hayes on March 24th will be shown live on Sky TV, kick-off 12 noon.

Nick Crittenden put Yeovil into the lead in the 21st minute, beating the offside trap in Di Canio-esque style before slamming the ball home from 15 yards. The Pitmen's response was typically robust according to Ciderspace's man-on-the-spot, with 3 men being booked in the first half.

The Glovers dominated the game therein without getting the second goal really needed to make the game safe, and it looked as if they would be made to pay when an error in the penalty area let in Hednesford's Val Owen for a free header to equalise at 1-1 on 71 minutes. However, as so often in the last 5 years, Warren Patmore popped up (or more accurately, lay down) in the right place at the right time on 82 minutes to scramble the ball home from a prone position.

Final score, Hednesford 1 Yeovil Town 2. The official website's match report can be found by clicking here.

Exeter City's Chris Holloway © Action Images / Brandon Malone

That all said, the Gazette admit that they know of no formal bid for the player with their Devon source saying "Noel Blake has not received any official contact from Yeovil but we understand that Colin Addison has inquired about Holloway."

And Addison refuses to be drawn on the situation, saying "I do not like to mention names before deals are complete. The only reason I spoke about the Peterborough lad was because details got onto the Internet." At Ciderspace we can only speculate as to which dodgy fanzine site could have been circulating such rumours!

Elsewhere, the Gazette claims that the potential transfer of Peterborough United attacking midfielder Richie Hanlon is still very much on, suggesting that the delay has been caused by Hanlon's preference for a permanent move to Somerset, as opposed to the loan move first mooted. Colin Addison is quoted as saying, "We are still talking with the player and his agent and there is a possibility that something could happen this week."

The striker is quoted as saying: "I've been impressed with the set up here [Kidderminster] and the training we did this morning. I'm confident I can do well here. My career has stuttered a bit since I moved to Peterborough but after spending two relatively successful loans spells at Dagenham and Stevenage this season I've got my confidence back. I feel my career began again this season and I am hopeful I can impress the Manager enough to extend my stay beyond the initial loan period."

Nationwide Conference football will feature in a weekly half hour bulletin on the Sky Sports channels. Commencing on Thursday 1st February, the programme will feature highlights of a key match in the Conference, along with goals from any other games that they can obtain footage of.

Sky's cameras were at the Yeovil Town vs Southport match yesterday, and will use the footage as input into the opening title sequences for the programme. A spokesman for Sky TV told Ciderspace, "we're hoping to establish it as a non-league Match of the Day."

The opening featured game on the programme - imaginatively entitled The Non-League Football Show - will be Stevenage vs Rushden & Diamonds, due to be played on Saturday 27th January.

The first edition of the programme will be broadcast on Sky Sports One on Thursday 1st February, between 7:30pm and 8:00pm. It will be repeated later that same evening between 0:30am and 1:00am.

Yeovil Town are investigating setting up links with Wessex League side Christchurch as a 'feeder' club next season - if they achieve League status. Christchurch manager Colin Williams says that "Yeovil have shown a keen interest because we have a lot of good young players. It would make sense if Yeovil are promoted for them to tie themselves with a club like ours. And it will be excellent experience for our players to sample playing with better players."

A number of young players have already been invited to Huish Park and the first visible sign of this was this Saturday when Dan Hopkins made his debut for the club as a second half substitute in a 4-1 win over Richard Huish College from Taunton. Hopkins has been struggling to get match fitness, due to lack of opportunity in the Christchurch team, but with Yeovil having an organised Youth set-up, he now has a chance of regular football at a suitable level. Presumably, this will give both Yeovil and Christchurch options in the future, should either their respective Western League or Wessex League sides want to see him promoted within the ranks.

Reports coming from the meeting of Conference chairmen at Nene Park the week before last also seem to add weight to the story in a Ciderspace editorial back in July 2000. Our source from inside the meeting says that the 10,000 ground minimum for any club wishing to go up to the League is definitely on the agenda, as Ciderspace highlighted last year.

The Task Force of five Conference chairmen set up to press and promote the case for increased promotion into the League will have their first meeting with the F.A. chief executive Adam Crozier on Monday.

There is no game until the visit to Keys Park on Monday 29th January, and Colin Addison will take the team away to Bournemouth for a few days rest and relaxation after the taxing series of cup and league games since Christmas.

With Yeovil having only dropped 12 points from a possible 66 this season, they head up a table based on the top five English leagues, with Fulham (14 points dropped) and Manchester United (16 points dropped) close behind.

Meanwhile the press release reports that Warren Patmore and Barrington Belgrave are two of ten Conference strikers featured in this month's Total Football magazine. It isn't clear, however, exactly what is featured, but it could be worth looking out for. As an aside, Yeovil Town also feature on the front cover this month's Team Talk

Steve Sowden, of the Yeovil Express, is on Warren Patmore's testimonial committee, and has asked for as many people as possible to pledge one pound for every goal Warren scores between the 29th January (away to Hednesford) and the end of the season. Thus if Warren scores 10 goals between the Hednesford game and the end of the season that supporter would donate £10 to the Warren Patmore Testimonial appeal. Obviously the more goals Warren scores the more he gains, but also the more chance there is that Yeovil Town Football Club will be promoted into the Nationwide Football League!

This is a great oppurtunity to show Warren how much he is appreciated by the supporters and how we would all like him to sign for us for a few more seasons.

Please help this appeal. Steve Sowden can be contacted on 01935-479811 (Yeovil Express Offices) or his brother James can be contacted at james@bakery.co.uk - James will pass on all pledges to Steve. You can also write to Steve c/o the Yeovil Express offices at 46, Princes Street, Yeovil, Somerset, BA20 1EQ or by faxing them on 01935-432251.

Please supply your your name, address and contact telephone number when you make your pledge.

This week's edition of the Western Gazette leads with the news that transfer target Ritchie Hanlon could be in The Glovers squad for Saturday's crunch game with Southport - but as a month's loan signing and not the permanent transfer that has been widely forecast.

Glovers boss Colin Addison is quoted as saying: "I spoke with Barry Fry (Peterborough's manager) about Hanlon at the weekend and something coud be sorted out this week. It is an ongoing process but if it comes off he could be in our squad to face Southport on Saturday."

However, as reported in our news story on Tuesday, it seems that the chase for Posh striker Drew Broughton is now over, with Broughton joining Reading on trial. The Gazette quotes Addison as saying, "We were interested in him as well as Hanlon but he has gone to Reading so that would appear to put him out of the picture."

Looking forward to this weekend's top-of-the-table clash at Huish Park, Addison says, "Southport are a very good side and this will be a very important game for both clubs - but it will not decide anything. I am sure they still have title aspirations and they will be looking to come here and turn us over - but we will be ready for them."

The Gazette reports that Simon Betts will deputize again for injured Anthony Tonkin at left-back, Tonks is likely to be out until mid-February with a stress fracture of the shin. Both the Gazette and this week's Clarion report that Watford scout Luther Blisset was in the crowd for last weekend's FA Trophy match v Bath - apparently specifically to watch Tonkin. The Gazette reports that Southport have no injury worries and could feature Michael O'Brien, who has just signed on loan at Haig Avenue from Torquay.

The news that Yeovil reserves will be playing all their home games at Taunton has not been universally welcomed - the Gazette says that some season-ticket holders have asked the club to provide free transport to watch games at Taunton. According to the paper, club officials are due to meet to discuss the implications the switch has for season-ticket holders.

The news that Tom White's baby daughter Olivia is undergoing chemotherapy following an operation to remove a tumour is updated in this week's Clarion, which features an interview with Tom in which he talks extensively about how he and his family are coping. The good news is that at present all is going according to plan, though obviously nothing can be taken for granted.

Finally, the Gazette reports that former Yeovil defender Neil "Psycho" Coates has been granted a testimonial match by his last club Dorchester - and West Ham United will provide the opposition. The Hammers have promised to bring a full first-team squad to the game, a date for which has yet to be arranged.

John Moules, Chief Executive of The Nationwide Conference, said: "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to build our excellent relationship with Nationwide even further. They are a prestigious organisation and have a huge profile within the UK, and it's a privilege to have their backing. The commitment of Nationwide across all levels of football also helps to elevate the profile of our competition."

In addition to the sponsorship of the Conference and The Football League, Nationwide also sponsors football in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as being the team sponsor for England in both the men's and women's game. Peter Gandolfi, Head of Sports Marketing for the building society, said: "Our links with football in the UK are broad and extensive, with sponsorships from the grass roots right through to national teams. Nationwide is an organisation rooted in the community - just like the 22 teams in the Conference. The extension to this sponsorship re-inforces Nationwide's commitment to the community and all levels of football, and demonstrates our long term commitment to The Nationwide Conference - we are delighted to be on board until 2004."

Magpies manager Morris explained, "They probably have around 25 players on their books and I want to see what their reserves are like. If there is anyone who can do a decent job against my first team I could be interested in doing a loan deal."

With Yeovil's main first team squad still a little thin at the edges, it's unlikely that Colin Addison would allow any of his first choice sixteen players to head for mid-Dorset, nor for any to transfer on a permanent basis. However, such a move could be beneficial to both clubs in giving the more inexperienced players first team football. The likes of Chris Giles, Bradley Peters, Gareth Risbridger and Adam Manley could be near the top of the Magpies list by the end of this evening.

Drewe Broughton is the target once again of several clubs. Reading were interested in taking the striker on a week's trial, but were refused by Barry Fry. Kidderminster and Posh have agreed a £50,000 fee for the striker, but want to take him on loan initially. Barry Fry is leaving it to the player to decide, but has said he can see out the remainder of his 18 month contract if he wishes. Yeovil and Rushden have also expressed an interest in the striker.

Any talk of a £50,000 fee for the player would therefore appear to rule Yeovil out of the running. It's ironic that Ru$hden are said to be interested in the striker seeing that it wasn't very long ago that ex-West Bromwich Albion manager Brian Talbot said he wouldn't be paying inflated prices for players anymore and would be relying on his Youth and Reserve teams to provide him with the raw talent needed.... The road to good intentions is indeed twisted and winding and full of cracks and crevasses. Aside from Broughton, The Glovers were also said to be interested in Posh midfielder Ritchie Hanlon, but no news on any deal over him has reached us as yet.

Bilston Town v Canvey Island
Chester City v St Albans City
Emley v Yeovil Town
Evesham United v Burscough or Morecambe
Hereford United v Leigh RMI
Histon v Billericay Town
Hyde United or Blyth Spartans v Maidenhead United
Kings Lynn v Trafford or Telford United
Marine v Rushden and Diamonds
Matlock Town v Forest Green Rovers
Scarborough v Burton Albion
Staines Town or Kingstonian v Southport
Stevenage Borough v Margate
Tiverton Town v Boston United
Weymouth v Ashton Town
Worksop Town v Congleton Town

Yeovil Town Reserves are set to play their remaining Screwfix Direct Western League fixtures at Wordsworth Drive, home of Taunton Town.

At a meeting of the League’s Management Committee permission was given to Yeovil Town to transfer their remaining home fixtures to Taunton. The move follows discussions between the two clubs and the League, and has been brought about by the poor condition of the pitch at Huish Park.

The pitch is due for a complete makeover at the end of the current season, but the recent spell of extremely wet weather has led to more than the usual batch of postponed matches.

League Chairman Cliff Ashton said "We are mindful of the fact that if Yeovil Town secure a place in the Football League it should prove beneficial to all football in our area and we will give them as much support as we can, but our first loyalty lies with the Screwfix Direct Western League and this temporary move should ensure that our clubs do not suffer by fixtures not being completed."

The Directors of Yeovil Town were concerned that playing two matches a week on the deteriorating playing surface could result in the pitch becoming totally unplayable, and putting in jeopardy all the fixtures scheduled for both teams at the club. In their push for Football League status this could have far reaching consequences.

Club spokesman, Chairman John Fry, said "We are within striking distance of bringing League football to Somerset which, when this is achieved, will raise the profile of the game in this part of the West Country. We are therefore extremely grateful to both Taunton Town FC and the Management Committee of the Screwfix Direct Western League for their help with our pitch arrangements whilst major improvements are being undertaken at Huish Park Stadium."

Football finance is always difficult and some days it blows your mind. It is staggering to see how much running a Conference club costs and where the money goes. We've just sent out our shareholders' notes and we show a considerable loss for the last financial year. So the F.A. Cup run helps, but people get carried away when they see we've had a couple of giantkilling results. They think there is a lot of money lying around in our vaults - but there isn't.
The F.A. Cup money is there to pay off the creditors and the players' wages. In saying that, the cash does give us a tremendous boost. We didn't have this scale of money last season, which put us on a downturn. Now we have a financial injection at the critical time of the year when there are cashflow difficulties. So the board can plan ahead with strengthening the squad and pushing towards the final objective of promotion to the Nationwide League.
The F.A. Cup run was good news, but the bad news is that the money has already been spent!

A Scrooge is not just for Christmas then, John? Seriously, it seems from this statement that whilst wanting to lower expectations, the board is minded to spend the necessary money to reinforce the drive for promotion.

City took the lead on the 50th minute, local boy Martin Paul putting his adopted club 0-1 up with a close range header. It seems that the worst thing opposing teams can do to Yeovil Town these days is score first however, and The Glovers came storming back with goals from Darren Way and substitute James Bent to seal the win and put Yeovil into the hat for the 4th round draw, which can be heard live on Talksport Radio (1053Mhz and 1089Mhz), 2.30pm tomorrow (Monday). The ytfc.net match report can be found here.

The match itself was soured by a number of on-field incidents largely characterized by the 'handbags at ten paces' pushing-match confrontations which always seem to happen whenever we play Bath, but funnily enough very rarely seem to occur when we play anyone else. The last of these flare-ups was the most serious, with Barrington Belgrave in particular appearing absolutely incensed by what was later alleged to be racist remarks by an un-named player or players. We trust that if such an incident did take place that the player concerned will be punished accordingly. Yeovil Town is making its own investigations. Colin Addison said: I have talked to the referee and he didn't hear anything. But our club will be making a statement on Monday.

New signing Simon Betts made his first appearance in the starting line-up, replacing Anthony Tonkin who, it seems, could be out for a month or more with a stress fracture, though this has yet to be confirmed by the club. Get well soon Tonks! Nick Crittenden was also substituted yesterday - the rumours are that he has a hamstring problem, though again, this has not been confirmed by the club.

Kingstonian, holders of the trophy for the past two seasons, and undefeated in all cup competitions this season, are given very generous looking odds at 16-1.

Yeovil Town's main title challengers Rushden & Diamonds are priced at 5-1, whilst the remaining Conference clubs are priced as follows:

7-2 Yeovil Town
5-1 Rushden &aqmp; Diamonds
8-1, Hereford United and Southport
9-1 Dagenham & Redbridge
10-1 Scarborough
14-1 Boston United and Stevenage Borough
16-1 Chester City, Kingstonian, Leigh RMI and Telford United
20-1 Doncaster Rovers
25-1 Dover Athletic, Forest Green Rovers and Woking
33-1 Kettering Town, Morecambe, Nuneaton Borough and Northwich Victoria
50-1 Hayes and Hednesford

Elsewhere in the Bulletin, they report that Yeovil Town's Nationwide Variety Club Trophy semi-final, against Kingstonian, will play over two legs in mid-February and early March.

They also repeat Wednesday's article on Ciderspace detailing the Football Stadia Improvement Fund's award of £121,150 to The Glovers. There's little new detail added except for a claim that the capacity increase of the 8,761 ground will be 900.

Taken from the Nationwide Football Web Site their article, following up on a piece in last Saturday's Daily Telegraph reads:

Addison waits on contract offer 11 Jan

Colin Addison, manager of Conference leaders Yeovil Town, is playing down suggestions that he is unhappy he hasn't been given a contract by the Somerset club.

In national newspaper interviews prior to Yeovil's trip to Bolton in the FA Cup, Addison talked of the contract situation and said: "People down here seem to think I don't want one. But to my surprise I was never offered one."

Chairman John Fry believes bringing Addison to Somerset was a master stroke but he has never been a fan of contracts. "They never seem to work in favour of the club," is his often repeated quote.

Addison says: "I was surprised that the comment I made was blown up. I don't want to make anything of it."

Following a meeting of Club Chairmen, the Nationwide Conference were extremely disappointed that The Football League are not yet able to confirm the agreement to increase the number of promotion places from the Conference to The Football League.

The Conference find this position totally unacceptable. It is understood that The Football League have not defined their decision making process. The Conference are urgently seeking a joint meeting with the Football Association and The Football League for the purpose of reaching a satisfactory conclusion that allows additional promotion from the Conference at the end of the season 2001/2002.

Given the current progress both on and off the field, it is vital that an early decision to complete the agreement is made in order for the Conference clubs to continue with planned investment in stadium development, commercial activities, and playing staff.

A sub-committee of Phil Wallace (Stevenage Borough), Andy Shaw (Telford), Charlie Clapham (Southport), Terry Smith (Chester) and Graham Turner (Hereford) has been set up to spearhead the campaign to achieve the goal of increased promotion for next season.

Ciderspace notes with an air of cynicism that three out of the five clubs mentioned could have sought to influence proceedings whilst they were football league clubs. It can only be hoped that whoever goes up this season - be it Yeovil, Rushden, Southport or whoever - that they will continue to campaign just as vociferously once they land up there with the big boys.

Speaking to the daily newspaper, Kettering Chairman Peter Mallinger explained, "We set up a loan deal and also a permanent transfer which would have meant spending a record amount of money for this club. But although the Peterborough manager (Barry Fry) agreed to what we offered in both cases Hanlon's agent telephoned to inform us that the player was not interested in moving. That's the end of the matter and now we will switch our attention elsewhere."

Hanlon's personal rejection of a move to Rockingham Road could open the door for Addison. With the Glovers now able to offer such players the carrot of full time football, and the possibility of a move up into the Third Division next season, Yeovil Town are now in a good position to tempt such players into making a move.

However, with Mallinger claiming that his bid was "a record amount of money" for the Conference basement club, it seems that Hanlon will not come cheap - Kettering's record signing, Dale Watkins, cost the club £35,000 just over a year ago.

But all signs seem to point to the possibility of Hanlon and fellow team-mate Drewe Broughton signing up. Yesterday's revelations on Ciderspace fit in nicely with the Western Gazette's claims that the club are chasing a midfielder and a striker, whilst news on the Official Yeovil Town Web Site says Addison is close to making "one or two" signings.

All three of this week's local papers concentrate on the FA Cup defeat at Bolton last weekend with their own various views and match reports on the game. There's a consensus that Yeovil deserved to bring Bolton back to Huish Park for a replay at the least and universal praise for the supporters who made the trip.

The Express unusually (for them) features the game in a pull-out middle section and includes the usual post-game quotes from players, managers and pundits, plus a selection of quotes from the national press. Fat Harry's Clarion does much the same, but does it online as well as doing it earlier than the others, and, as an added bonus, Harry's match report comes from the Reebok Stadium itself, rather than a Yeovil bar.....

It's today's Western Gazette that carries the most meat however, the usual match reports and news being augmented by the Gazette's Half-Term Report as they insist on calling their mini-review of the season so far. Their verdict? Much better than expected - keep up the good work. Is it me, or is that damning with faint praise? The Gazette also carries an interview with ex-Yeovil and Bolton star John McGinley following the cup game where John comments on the match with all the authority you might expect of someone who, er, wasn't actually there.

For its back page lead the Gazette looks at the upcoming FA Trophy tie with supposed rivals Bath City on Saturday. City manager and failed penalty-taker (there must be an acronym in there somewhere) Paul Bodin tries in vain to create a little needle before the game by claiming that "The players I have are as good as Yeovil. But the difference is Yeovil are full-time professionals." Resisting the temptation to ask why, if Bath are as good as Yeovil, are they not at the top of the Conference instead of bumbling along at the upper mid-table of the Doc Marten's League, and why does he think our players are professional when his are not; we go on to see BCMAFPTPB* saying, "we are looking forward to enjoying their (Yeovil's) facilities"... Well, of course they are. After Twerpton, who wouldn't?

All three local papers report that striker Warren Patmore has had discussions with the club regarding a new contract, with Ben Smith and Tony Pennock, both also out-of-contract at the end of the season due to start discussions at the end of the week. No news as yet on how initial negotiations with Wazza in particular have gone, but Fat Harry in the Clarion is vehement in his insistence that the club should sign up Patmore to a new contract as soon as is possible, saying, Where would Yeovil replace him from at present? Eighteen goals, hardly ever injured or suspended, blimey that would cost a million!! Come on guys lets get the signature on that contract NOW. Hear hear, says Ciderspace.

The Gazette reports that Yeovil chairman John Fry is to attend a meeting of Conference club chairmen at Nene Park tomorrow (Friday) to try and push on with proposals to increase the number of promotion/relegation places between the Conference and Division 3. Conference chairman Bill King is quoted as saying, "we have an agreement in principle with the Football League and we feel we are as close as we have ever been. If I was a betting man I would be inclined to put a fiver on us having the two-up, two-down system by next season" (Ciderspace's emphasis). A whole fiver, eh, Bill? Fills us with confidence, you bet! According to the Gazette if the Conference chairman agree to push the 2-up/2-down proposals forward, no final decision would be made until the League's AGM in June.

Last, but in no way least, The Gazette reports on the club's finances for the last financial year - at least, they do in the online edition of the paper. The real-life version has been taken apart and searched with a magnifying glass, but in my copy at least doesn't appear to be present. Doubtless it is there somewhere, but I can't find it! No matter - the online version has all the details and reports that the club made a loss of just over £270,000 in the last financial year as opposed to a £45,000 loss the previous year. The wage bill in the year ending in May 2000 was up by a whacking £125,000 to approximately £733,000, whilst admin expenses were also up to £150,000 from £95,000 the previous year. On the bright side subsistence and travelling expenses went down from £ 150,000 the previous year to £90,000 this time; but one trend the club will not want to see repeated this time next season will b e income from match receipts dropping again - that went down to £297,000 from the previous year's £360,000. Chairman John Fy will present the accounts to shareholders at the club's annual general meeting at Huish Park on Thursday 25th January.

* BCMAFPTPB = Barf City Manager And Failed Penalty Taker Paul Bodin - what else?!

Both players have excellent track records at Conference level, and have attracted interest from Yeovil Town in the past. David Webb once bid for Hitchin-born Broughton, who has spent time on loan at Nuneaton and Dagenham is currently at Stevenage Borough on a month's loan. He has scored eight goals so far this season for Dagenham and Stevenage. At 6'3" tall, he would make an excellent addition to the squad as much needed cover and competition for leading Conference goalscorer Warren Patmore. Broughton is 22 years old and before his arrival at Peterborough, he represented Norwich, Wigan and Brentford. Broughton scored against Yeovil Town whilst playing for Nuneaton in the 1-3 home defeat for the Glovers in February 2000.

The name of Ritchie Hanlon should need little introduction to Conference clubs. Born in Wembley, the 6'1" 22 year old has had three spells with Welling United, plus a brief session with Rushden & Diamonds. He is an attacking midfielder in the Ben Smith mould who led the Conference goalscoring lists with Welling United last season until he was recalled by Peterborough during the Christmas 1999 period. Hanlon, who has also represented Chelsea and Southend, was once believed to be a target of Steve Thompsons just before he returned to Posh during the winter of 1999. Hanlon has also made an annoying habit of scoring against Yeovil Town, scoring both of Welling's goals in a 5-2 win for Yeovil at Park View Road in September 1999.

A strong team augmented by squad players Bradley Peters and Glenn Poole took the lead on 33 minutes, Darren Way with a fine individual effort putting The Glovers 1-0 up before the break. Glenn Poole added to his already impressive reserve-team scoring record in the 74th minute to make the game safe at 2-0. The ytfc.net match report can be found here.

Yeovil now go on to play Kingstonian in the 2-legged semi-final, the dates yet to be arranged.

The bad news is that the pitch at Huish Park is in an appalling state apparently, cutting up very badly and generally in no fit state to try and play any kind of passing football on. The good news is that work on the roof over the home terrace has indeed started at last.

The Glovers took the lead in the match on 25 minutes, a Ben Smith pass splitting the Bolton defence to let in Warren Patmore for his 18th goal of the season and to put Yeovil 1-0 up. Bolton equalised on the stroke of half-time, a scruffy O'Kane effort being allowed to stand, despite what seemed like a clear foul being committed on Skiverton or Pennock, if not both.

The Glovers were on the verge of bringing The Trotters back to Huish Park for a well-deserved replay when super-sub Michael Ricketts broke the gallant, plucky and brave giant-killers hearts won the game for Bolton with an injury-time strike, leaving Yeovil no time to try and force a replay themselves. Final score, 2-1 to Bolton.

In all seriousness, this was a wonderful effort by both team and 3,000 travelling fans, but in the end it just wasn't to be. No matter - there are more important matches ahead this season with potentially an infinitely greater prize awaiting us. A replay, while welcome financially, would have meant yet another game in a season already overloaded with games. Michael Ricketts may well have done us all a favour in the long-run.

Wins over Telford Utd, Blackpool, Northwich and Forest Green meant that Addo ended up with a points average of 3.75 as compared to nearest rival Neil Thompson of Scarborough, who averaged 3.00 in second place. No, Ciderspace doesn't understand how you can average over 3 points a match, perhaps league clubs count double, or something.... Let's hope that the traditional fate of a manager winning this award doesn't apply this time around and that Yeovil go on to win their next game! But don't hold your breath waiting.

Hendry won't be the only regular missing from the Bolton line-up according to the Wanderers Website. Gudni Bergsson will be rested and manager Sam Allardyce will call up fringe squad players for the game after the Bolton first team have played 4 matches in the space of 10 days over the holiday period.

No change in the top three places in the Conference; with Southport and Rushden both winning Yeovil remain 7 points ahead of the 2nd-placed Diamonds, with 2 games in hand. The latest Conference table can be found by clicking here.

It was being reported at Huish Park today that young left-back Anthony Tonkin has been the subject of a bid from Bristol Rovers. It's not known how much Rovers offered for Tonks, but the story goes that Yeovil rejected the 2nd Division side's offer and told them that the player would not be available for sale for less than £250,000.... We will try to confirm this story with the club as soon as possible.

There was another surprise for Glovers fans at the game - striker Alex Meechan turning out in Forest Green's colours! It turned out that Meechan, who had been on loan from Bristol City at Huish Park for the previous month, turned down Yeovil's offer of a second month on loan, preferring the security of an 18-month deal at The Lawn.