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Review Of The Year 2001 - Part Two
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July 2001
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Darren Way at the first pre-season friendly against Brockenhurst
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Go to 2000 Season Review Part One and Part Two
Go to 2001 Season Review Part One.
Pre-season training begins at Huish Park with 7 triallists joining what's left of the squad, including the new managers son, former Brighton midfielder Lee Johnson; goalkeepers Jimmy Glass and Steve Collis; Danish utilty player Tommy Schram; defender Colin Pluck; striker Steve Cowe, a former transfer target of Yeovil in his Swindon days; and, last but not least, former Norwich City right back Matt Joynson.... Sky TV announces that the Nuneaton v Yeovil match scheduled for early September will be shown live..... Former Rotherham players, goalkeeper Paul Pettingerand defender Will Varty join pre-season training.... It turns out that Carl Alford hasn't actually signed for the club at all yet, merely agreed a contract and then gone on holiday.... Jimmy Glass is released, along with Varty, Pettinger, Cowe and Joynson.... Carl Alford returns from holiday and signs a 2-year contract..... Woking try to sign Dave Piper on a free transfer, but their approach is turned down. Speculation about his future as the only part-time player in the squad is rife however..... Surreysports make the Glovers 6-1 2nd favourites for the Conference title behind 5-1 co-favourites Stevenage and Doncaster. Boston are at 7-1 with Dagenham at 10-1..... Gary Johnson is a 10-1 shot to get the sack before the end of the season..... Colin Pluck and Lee Johnson sign contracts with the club, plus former Plymouth Argyle keeper Jon Sheffield.... Southend boss Dave Webb withdraws the offer made for Barrington Belgrave in June.... Simon Betts leaves the club, his contract being cancelled "by mutual consent". He eventually joins 3rd Division Darlington.... The vexed question of the supporters bar at Huish Park rears it's head again. The trouble is that it's simply too small for the numbers who want to use it. It's decided that a membership scheme will be put in place for the new season, details still to come, but plans are to be drawn up to build a new supporters bar behind the Westland Terrace. The long-term aim is to build a proper social club..... Weymouth midfielder Mark Robinson is training with the club.... There's more speculation about the future of Dave Piper with Woking still very much interested.... Tommy Schram is offered a contract but several other clubs are also chasing him, from Iceland and Scandinavia..... The FA vetoes the Conference's plans to bring in play-offs at the end of the season, the Conference will appeal.... Tom White signs a 2-year contract with the club..... The first pre-season friendly comes along, Brockenhurst being beaten 3-1.... Mark Robinson goes back to Weymouth.... The Glovers beat Isthmian Div 2 side Chertsey 8-1.... Tommy Schram signs for Icelendic club IB Vestmannaeyar, but he could return to Huish Park in September once the Icelandic season finishes.... Peterborough place striker Howard Forinton on the transfer list having paid £250,000 for him 12 months previously.... The world of journalism is rocked to its core when Dave 'The Boy' Coates leaves the Gazette, Steve Cotton takes over as YTFC correspondent.... The Glovers beat 3rd Division Exeter City 2-1 at St James's Park..... Youth team graduates Chris Weale, Andy Lindegaard and Chris Giles sign one-year deals with the club.... After 149 appearances for Yeovil and 6 goals, right-back David Piper signs for Woking for an undisclosed fee..... The FA rejects the Conference's appeal over the play-off farce - there will be no play-offs this season at least..... Yeovil draw 0-0 with Peterborough at Huish Park, Howard Forinton plays for the Posh, but doesn't impress.... Southampton defender Matthew Davies, plus Brockenhurst striker Stuart Hussey and Jamaica international sweeper Shavar Thomas come to Huish Park on trial.... Yeovil beat 1st Division Portsmouth 2-1 at Huish Park..... The club announces terms for membership of the supporters bar at Huish Park - £50 per person! Don't all join at once.....
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Three new arrivals at Huish Park as Colin Pluck, Lee Johnson and Jon Sheffield join the club
Photo © Richard Gibson
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August 2001
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Michael McIndoe scores the first goal of the season against Northwich
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New Zealand international midfielder Raffeale De Gregorio joins the club on trial, but Matthew Davies and Stuart Hussey are released.... Goalkeeper Stephen Collis signs a 1-year contract, as do youth team players Richard Parkinson and Faisal Mali..... Hereford supporter Rob Watkins sponsors his favourite player for the season - that's Yeovil's Michael Mcindoe.... The Glovers good run of results in the pre-season friendlies comes to a halt as 2nd Division Bristol City win 5-0 at Huish Park, followed by another home defeat - Southend winning 3-0.... Brighton striker Scott Ramsay signs a 3-month loan deal with the Glovers..... After no-one applies for membership of the supporters bar, the club changes it's terms for joining to £1 per match.... Yeovil beat Newport County 3-2 at Spytty Park..... Shavar Thomas is released, and Raffeale De Gregorio flies to Rome to obtain international clearance papers..... More play-off nonsense - the Conference announces that play-offs will go ahead at the end of the season unless the FA Council rules against the idea at their meeting in September.... In the final pre-season friendly the Glovers bash Bashley, 5-1.... The Football League gets in on the play-off furore, telling the Conference that they will only accept for promotion the team that finishes top of the league after the regular season, play-off winners need not apply..... Colin Pluck is sidelined with a mysterious head injury following a training ground accident.... A mixed start to the season proper for the Glovers - 3,290 turn up at Huish Park to watch Yeovil slip to a disappointing 3-2 home defeat against unrated Northwich, followed by a 2-2 draw away to Telford..... Belle Vue proves a happier hunting ground as Yeovil win their first game of the season, beating Doncaster 2-1..... Colin Pluck is hospitalized for tests as his head injury shows no signs of improvement..... Yeovil win at home to Hayes on Bank Holiday Monday, 2-1 being the score. The games are now coming thick and fast......
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Carl Alford came up against his old club as Yeovil won 2-1 at Doncaster
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September 2001
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Chris Giles can't help smiling at his goal against Dover that sealed a 2-1 win at The Crabble
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A midday start for the Glovers as they put in a good performance to beat Nuneaton 2-1 at Manor Park in a match televised live by Sky TV.... Bad news later on however as it emerges that former Yeovil manager Stan Harland has died after a heart attack, aged just 61.... The Glovers entertain a Woking side featuring what seems like (but probably isn't) an entire line-up of ex-Yeovil players. The Glovers dominate possession and chances on goal and somehow contrive to lose 3-1 after some comedy defensive moments. There's a home pattern beginning to develop here.... Music lovers unite - Tim Lancaster's drum is stolen from the club..... Defender Colin Pluck's health is still causing concern - he undergoes more hospital tests to try to determine what is wrong..... Doncaster buy striker Justin Jackson from Ru$hden for a cool £150,000.... For the 2nd year in succession the Glovers travel to Boston in hope and come away conceding four, the Pilgrims winning 4-0 after a second-half collapse by the Glovers.... Another defeat follows 3 days later with Farnborough winning 1-0 at Huish Park, Michael McIndoe is sent off in the last minute.... Colin Addison is unveiled as the new Swansea City manager.... It's rumoured that Warren Patmore hasn't settled at Ru$hden as a full-time footballer and is looking to get back into the part-time game.... Dave Webb makes another £40,000 bid for Barrington Belgrave - the offer is accepted by Yeovil.... Gary Johnson bids for two unnamed players.... Warren Patmore goes where all ex-Yeovil players go and signs for Woking for an officially "undisclosed" fee, unofficially he cost the Cards £50,000.... After 61 appearances and 12 goals in a Yeovil shirt Barrington Belgrave finally signs a 2-year contract with Southend. The fee - £40,000 plus a cut of any future transfer fee.... Home form continues to be problematic - struggling Scarborough go 2-up by half-time before a second-half rally leaves the final score 2-2. The desperately unlucky Roy O'Brien fractures his leg during the game, he'll be out until the new year.... Yeovil replace Dave Piper at last by signing 19-year-old defender Adam Lockwood from Reading initially on a month's loan.... Another 19-year-old defender, Gary Haveron, joins the club on a non-contract basis.... The Glovers home form may be dodgy, but the away form is picking up nicely - Yeovil beat Hereford 2-0 at Edgar Street with Adam Lockwood making his debut.... Yeovil's injury-list is starting to cause a bit of concern. In addition to long-term absentees Roy O'Brien and Colin Pluck, Darren Way and Michael McIndoe are now sidelined with various pulls and strains.... Yikes! Multi-millionaire Jon Goddard-Watts resigns from the board following rumours that he and fellow director Norman Hayward haven't been seeing eye-to-eye for some time. It's not known whether this will affect Yeovil's full-time status.... Common-sense rules eventually as the FA Council finally, and for good (well, for this season anyway) rejects the Conference's play-off scheme..... The Glovers get a plum tie in the 1st Round of the LDV Trophy - it's Queens Park Rangers at home.... Two away wins in a row for the Glovers now, this time it's Dover who are the victims, Yeovil coming away from The Crabble with a 2-1 win.... Better news for Colin Pluck, who is back in light training after being released from hospital.... The month ends on an optimistic note with that rarest of results - a home win! Leigh RMI are the fall-guys, going down 2-1 after initially taking the lead, but Adam Lockwood is sent off.... The Glovers end a busy month in 7th place, 7 points behind leaders Dagenham.....
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Carl Alford leaps for joy after scoring his first goal for the Glovers at Nuneaton in front of the Sky cameras
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October 2001
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Andy Turner celebrates his goal at Hayes - only for Yeovil's cup dreams to fade as they lost 3-1
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Striker James Bent goes to Dr Martens League side Chippenham on a month's loan.... The Glovers excellent away form continues with a 3-2 win at Barnet - 2 late goals from the Bees give the scoreline some respectability.... Sky TV pull the plug on their non-league highlights show The National Game, saying they have no plans to bring it back.... Midfielder Glenn Poole joins Bath City on loan for a month.... Oh the irony! John Fry appeals to the fans to be patient while Gary Johnson fine-tunes the team.... Got your passport up to date? The club announces that they'll be undertaking a pre-season tour of Latvia next July, playing friendlies against 3 of the country's best sides, including Skonto Riga, who have also been pencilled in for a friendly at Huish Park in November.... The poor to indifferent home form continues with a scrappy 1-1 draw against Morecambe, the Glovers equalising in the last minute.... Tommy Schram returns to Somerset after the Icelandic season ends, he agrees a month-long trial contract.... Goalkeeper Jon Sheffield and captain Terry Skiverton are the latest names on the injury list, both are expected to be unavailable for at least 3 weeks, local youngster Chris Weale takes over in goal.... Margate are the next team to enjoy the hospitality handed out at Huish Park, going away 2-1 winners - the 4th home defeat of the season. Fortress Huish seems a long time ago now.... Former Ghana international forward Kim Grant arrives at Huish Park, initially on a week's trial.... Former Glovers boss Dave Webb resigns as Southend manager on health grounds.... One of the men he took to Roots Hall, Gareth Risbridger, joins Dover on a month's loan.... A home win at last! Yeovil beat Minehead 3-0 in the 1st round of the Somerset Premier Cup.... An injury-ravaged Glovers side gain a very creditable 1-1 draw at league leaders Dagenham - Yeovil hit the post 3 times in a match described as 'pulsating'.... Adam Lockwood signs a permanent deal with Yeovil at the end of his loan spell, Reading agreeing to release him on a free transfer.... Fancy an FA Cup run this season? No chance - Yeovil are drawn against our cup bogey team in the 4th Qualifying round, yes, it's Hayes, away.... Fireworks (literally!) at Huish Park! In the best home performance for some time a rampant (though still injury-ravaged) Glovers thrash a full-strength Queens Park Rangers 3-0 in the LDV Trophy. Yeovil are drawn away to Bristol Rovers in the 2nd round.... Elmore forward Adam Stansfield joins the club on trial, along with French midfielder Stephane Auvrey and Chippenham defender Nathan Rudge.... Back to the bread-and-butter stuff with a 1-1 draw at a dank and dreary Stalybridge.... Up for the Cup? Yeovil aren't. Inevitably we lose at Hayes, going out 3-1. To add insult to injury the Londoners are drawn against our old rivals Wycombe in the 1st round proper, and the match is chosen as one of Sky's live games.....
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Nick Crittenden celebrates a vital 90th minute equaliser against Morecambe
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November 2001
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Anthony Tonkin in arguably the season's low point - a 0-1 home defeat against Chester
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Over 1,000 Glovers fans travel to the Memorial Stadium to watch Yeovil unluckily go out of the LDV Trophy against Bristol Rovers. The score is 1-1 after extra-time, but Rovers win the penalty shoot-out 5-4.... It emerges that Hayes striker Ian Hodges had been invited to spend a week with Yeovil on trial in the pre-season, but had opted to go to London to try his luck instead.... Still no news about any permanent deals for the non-contract trio of Tommy Schram, Kim Grant or Gary Haveron.... Rumours floating around town suggest that local firm Screwfix Direct want to buy Huish Park and relocate the club at Cartgate - John Fry denies all knowledge.... Terry Skiverton, Anthony Tonkin and Darren Way are picked for the FA XI England trial matches v the Dr Martens League later in the month.... It's business as usual at Huish Park as the Glovers crash and burn yet again, this time to relegation-haunted Chester. The result leaves Yeovil 14 points behind leaders Dagenham and only 9 points away from the bottom three.... Adam Stansfield is offered a contract, though Salisbury are also interested, Stephane Auvray and Nathan Rudge are released.... Tommy Schram, now out-of-contract, is offered a permanent deal. He returns to Denmark for a "short break".... Striker Scott Ramsay returns to Brighton at the end of his 3-month loan spell. He played 17 times for Yeovil, scoring 4 goals.... James Bent has his loan spell at Chippenham extended for another month..... The Youth Team reach the 3rd Round of the FA Youth Cup for the first time ever following a fine 3-2 win over Kingstonian.... Adam Stansfield signs a contract until the end of the season.... Another poor result for the first team as Yeovil lose 3-0 at Southport..... Football is put into it's proper perspective however when Tom White's daughter, two year-old Olivia dies after a long battle against cancer.... Yeovil win 1-0 at high-flying Margate despite a long injury-list.... Anthony Tonkin plays in the FA XI's 3-3 draw v the Southern League, Darren Way and Terry Skiverton are forced to withdraw with injuries.... Latvian champions Skonto Riga beat Yeovil 5-3 in an entertaining friendly at Huish Park.... A 'mixed' Yeovil side is beaten 1-0 by Street in the 2nd round of the Somerset Premier Cup.... Gary Johnson withdraws the offer made to Tommy Schram after the player fails to get back in touch with the club..... 19-year-old Plymouth midfielder Joe Broad signs on a month's loan to help with the Glovers player shortage - ten (count'em!) first-teamers are unavailable for the home game v Stevenage, despite that the Glovers win 2-1 to move up to 6th in the table, 11 points behind leaders Boston..... Out of the blue there are changes at the top at the club - director Norman Hayward resigns and sells his shares to Jon Goddard-Watts, who himself had resigned from the board two months previously. Goddard-Watts is now the sole major shareholder at the club and with over 50% of shares belonging to him is now the owner, in all but name, but he refuses to re-join the board. John Fry remains as chairman for the time being, though there are further rumours that he is considering his future. Fry, club secretary George Smith and club solicitor Stephen Allinson make up the new board.... The Youth team's excellent run in the FA Youth Cup finally comes to an end, losing 2-0 to Swindon Town in the 3rd round....
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Relief as Yeovil got a vital backs-against-the-wall win at Margate to end a barren run of form
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December 2001
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New signing Adam Stansfield grabs his debut goal at Northwich in a 3-1 win
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Yeovil begin the month in great style winning 3-1 at Northwich, avenging the opening day home defeat by the Vics.... The result moves the Glovers one place up the table to fifth position on 35 points, 9 behind leaders Boston.... Yeovil are drawn away to Tiverton in the 3rd round of the FA Trophy.... At last, the selection problems begin to ease with the likes of Darren Way, Terry Skiverton, Kim Grant (still without a contract) and Tom White available again, and with the likes of Jon Sheffield and Roy O'Brien beginning light training.... The Glovers are held to a 1-1 draw at home by Doncaster, or given our poor home form should that read - the Glovers gain a good home point.... As usual at this time of year the Huish Park pitch comes under increasing scrutiny because, as usual at this time of year it's deteriorating rapidly despite drainage work being undertaken in the close season.... Yeovil supporters are initially allocated 600 tickets for the Tiverton FA Trophy match, police set the capacity at Ladysmead to 2,320.... Haven't we been here before? The Western Gazette claims that contract talks with 4 players whose current deals end at the end of the season are on hold after the players all rejected the club's initial offers - the players concerned are named as Terry Skiverton, Darren Way, Anthony Tonkin and Nick Crittenden..... Gary Johnson condemns the state of the pitch, calling it "embarrassing"... James Bent has his loan spell at Chippenham extended for a 3rd month - the striker has scored 8 times in the past 2 months for the Wiltshire club.... Glenn Poole is also on his travels again, going to Ryman League Ford United for a month.... 2 youngsters from Leicester City, wing-back Carl Noble and striker Mark Webb arrive on trial, and former Chelsea defender David Lee is training at the club, but with no commitment on either side to take things further..... In the final home league match of the year 2,454 watch the Glovers draw 1-1 with in-form Telford, as usual the lions share of possession and chances falling to the home team and as usual the Glovers being unable to convert such possession and chances into goals.... In an effort to instill some goalscoring confidence into the side Gary Johnson plays the entire first team in the Reserves Western League fixture versus the unfortunate Elmore - The Glovers win 10-0..... And so to the final league match of the season and a trip to the rustic charms of The Lawn on Boxing Day in what is laughably regarded as a 'local' derby against Forest Green Rovers. 1-1 is the result in a match that serves as a microcosm of Yeovil's frustrating season so far - 16 goal attempts to FGR's 2, yet the points are shared. The result leaves the Glovers 3rd in the table, leaders Dagenham are 11 points in front with 2 games in hand, with Boston 1 point behind them..... The Glovers don't have a game on the final Saturday of the year, Boston take full advantage by showing us how it's done and thrashing Forest Green 6-1 to go top on 51 points from 24 games, 13 points ahead of Yeovil who end the year in 4th spot on 38 points from 25 games. Who said play-offs were a bad idea?!.... Over the year (not the season!) the Glovers played 46 league games, gaining 67 points at an average of 1.45 points per game.... At Fortress Huish we played 23, won 8, drew 7 and lost 8; on our travels we played 23, won 11, lost 7 and drew 4. Overall in 2001 Yeovil played 46, won 19, drew 11 and lost 15. Not exactly an annus horriblis, but as we know to our cost, not exactly championship winning form either. Happy New Year!
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Chairman John Fry heads for the terraces as Jon Goddard-Watts assumes control of the club
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Go to 2001 Season Review Part One
Go to 2000 Season Review Part One and Part Two
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