Charlie Lee's programme notes
Good afternoon and welcome back to Huish Park.
After such a busy schedule over the Easter weekend, this week has presented an opportunity for the group to reflect this week, on what has been promising performances at times.
At times against Aldershot, we let ourselves down, there's no hiding that, but we were much better against Weymouth and should've taken three points.
I'd like to thank you all for your support against Weymouth, to have over 1,200 of you in that away end was amazing. That kind of support at this level is exactly what makes this football club special.
We are going to need similarly vocal support this afternoon, there's no hiding from Stockport's quality, but we've gone toe-to-toe with the best and come out on top enough times this season to take confidence into the game. We know our qualities, and we have full confidence in them.
You may notice a new face on the sidelines with me this afternoon, this is Jody Brown who I worked with earlier this season at Billericay Town. As you can imagine I've become stretched due to the limited members of staff, so having Jody alongside me, someone who has previously been an assistant manager at this level with Dagenham, he will be an invaluable boost to our coaching capabilities.
We need you loud today, you can push us over the line.
Charlie.
The Big Interview - Mark Little
Mark Little is an elder statesman in the Yeovil Town camp with one of the youngest average age in the National League.
With the youthful feel to the Yeovil side, Little has been speaking about his responsibility to utilise his experience to help those around him and earn results for the club.
"It's sometimes very difficult, because if I need to do something, I know I can go and get on with it.
"Ushering a group of players, obviously not all of them, 'Wilko' (Luke Wilkinson), Reuben (Reid), 'Gorms' (Dale Gorman) know how important it is to strike at the right time.
"It's not all my responsibility, but I do feel it's part of my job here to relay my experience."
It's been a frustrating campaign for Little, who found himself on the sidelines throughout the first half of the season due to a 'freak' injury he picked up at the start of pre-season.
However, since his return from injury, the 33-year-old has been a mainstay in the Glovers side.
"I was extremely frustrated. It was a freak accident at the start of the season, something which nobody could have predicted or prevented. I got over that earlier than actually was expected and I've been able to play games.
"I've enjoyed playing and having my contribution. I'm still playing with pain, but actually I felt really good over the Easter weekend.
"I feel like I'm getting back to where I should be and hopefully the next few games will show that as well."
On the horizon in the next few games is table toppers Stockport who have been the benchmark in the National League this season.
Stockport boast talent with a wealth of experience which would not look out of place in league's above, some Yeovil fans know very well with the likes of Paddy Madden.
However, Little insists the Glovers are only focused on themselves for the fixture.
"Of course it's an opportunity to upset, but here's not much of a rivalry in it for us.
"We've got 'Barcs' (Ben Barclay) with us, who will probably have a bit of a weird one as he won't be sure who he's supposed to be supporting.
"Their business is what their business is. The most important thing to me is to put in a good performance and everyone around me do the same thing.
"It's the business end of the season, so people are playing for contracts, whoever is watching them, whether that be the owner, the scout or the new manager, they need to impress whoever will be handing out contracts."
Legends game
We're a matter of weeks away and Kevin Gall & co have confirmed the final squads for the upcoming legend's game at Huish Park.
In the Yeovil camp, Terry Skiverton will be leading out his former teammates once again, whilst Gary Johnson will manage the side.
Nick Crittenden and Arron Davies will be running down the wings whilst the likes of Lee Johnson and Paul Terry will be battling out in the midfield.
Darren Sarll will be returning to Huish Park for the first time since his departure as Yeovil Town manager. He will be managing the South West legends alongside Bath City manager Jerry Gill.
Yeovil Town promotion winning captain Jamie McAllister is amongst notable names for Glovers fans alongside favourites from other local clubs such as Lee Trundle, Scott Murray and current Exeter City manager Matt Taylor.
To purchase tickets, click HERE.
Rest in peace, Jethro Hill.
It is with great sadness that in the early hours of Friday 22nd April, Jethro Hill, a life long fan of Yeovil Town FC and a committee member of the Disabled Supporters Association sadly passed away.
Jethro followed the Glovers home and away for many years and he will be greatly missed by all.
The club would like to extend its sincere condolences to Jethro’s family and friends at this extremely difficult time.
Mascots
Regan Lock
Regan is a Yeovil & Manchester United fan. He plays football for Stoke Pumas, and loves Pokemon & Lego.
His favourite footballers are Charlie Wakefield, Tom Knowles & Bruno Fernandes.
Oliver Traves
Oliver is another Yeovil Town & Manchester United fan! His favourite players for them are our skipper Luke Wilkinson and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 8-year-old has two dogs Blue & Lucky. He enjoys playing Roblox in his spare time!
Freddie Owen
Freddie is a star player for Yeovil Pen Mill and is also a super swimmer! His favourite Yeovil Town player is Tanzania international Adi Yussuf.
In school, Freddie is a Maths wizz, so much so it's his favourite subject!
Opposition - Stockport County
It’s been a season to remember for the National League leaders, after a difficult start saw manager Simon Rusk depart, the Hatters have flown since Dave Challinor arrived. They are the most in-form side in the country and seem to be the league’s champions elect.
Manager - Dave Challinor
A young manager who knows exactly what it means to be successful in the National League, Challinor has reached two play-off finals (winning once) and won the FA Trophy. In late 2021, Challinor returned to Stockport, a club he captained as a player and has led them to a meteoric rise up the table after a tough start to the season. With a win rate of 80% since taking over, Stockport seem to be the National League’s champions elect.
Star man - Paddy Madden
A name synonymous with Yeovil Town history, supporters need no introduction to the Irishman. Madden starred for Yeovil in 12/13 and scored the historic opener at Wembley against Brentford. Now 32-years-old, Madden leads the line for the league leaders and has struck 19 goals this season.
A familiar face - Myles Hippolyte
Gloves fans do not need to look too deep into the history books to remember Myles Hippolyte’s one season stay in Somerset. The versatile midfielder signed as the club dropped into the National League and became a key player in Darren Sarll’s side. He departed for Scunthorpe in 2020 and now plies his trade for the Hatters.
Have we met before?
In September 2021, Yeovil went on the road to Edgeley Park where they recorded a memorable 3-0 win over Stockport County. This was a third successive win for Darren Sarll’s Glovers after they overcame Aldershot and Halifax in previous weeks. Charlie Wakefield and Adi Yussuf both scored their first goals for the club, while Joe Quigley notched his fifth goal of the season from the penalty spot to continue his good form. Yeovil ended up being unable to find another win for eight games after this victory, but all in all it provided the travelling fans with an unforgettable away day against a side who now look like they’re on their way to the EFL.
Darren Sarll named an unchanged eleven to both previous wins – something he cited as being the reason for consistency compared to the previous season. Grant Smith was in goal behind a back four of Dan Moss, Luke Wilkinson, Max Hunt and Jordan Barnett. Dale Gorman and Josh Staunton held down the centre of midfield with Tom Knowles and Charlie Wakefield on the flanks, while Sonny Blu Lo-Everton played just behind Joe Quigley up front.
Lo-Everton and Wakefield were combining well in the opening half hour and Wakefield used his turn of pace to create room in the box, but his tight-angled shot was palmed away by Hinchcliffe. These two would combine once again for the opener as Quigley did well to flick on a header to the Watford loanee who played in Wakefield on the edge of the box and he fired a low shot onto the inside of the post and into the back of the net to give Yeovil the lead.
It should have been 2-0 at half time as Staunton missed a gilt-edged chance at the far post. Lo-Everton played in Quigley who fizzed a ball right across the face of goal beyond everyone and Staunton was free at the far post. But stretching and on his weaker foot, the defensive midfielder skewed his effort wide.
Yeovil added a second seven minutes after half-time and Stockport went down to ten men. A long ball into the box saw Ash Palmer take out Knowles and the referee pointed to the spot and brandished a red card to the defender without hesitation. Quigley dispatched the penalty to double Yeovil’s lead. Despite ten-man Stockport’s best efforts to get back into the game, substitute Yussuf sealed the three points as he got on the end of a loose ball in Stockport’s box and calmly placed the ball past Hinchcliffe to make it 3-0 in the 86th minute.
Away day diary - Weymouth
By Jake Farrant
Every time the chant “What do you think of Weymouth” is started amongst Yeovil Town fans I always think the same thing – “nice town, good pubs”. However, there is a lot of history between the two clubs and with them being our historic main rival we are pretty much duty bound to give them some gyp.
We’d played them three times this season before this game and on each occasion the games have finished 1-1 after 90 minutes. I don’t think the games against them were of a particularly high standard, especially the FA Cup replay at their ground. It was certainly an entertaining game but there wasn’t much quality which was summed up pretty well during the dire penalty shootout.
As the clubs are only 27 miles apart many people will opt to either drive or go on the train so even though we had a large following only two coaches left Huish Park for this game. We left at 10AM which meant we arrived at the ground for just after 11 after a fairly easy journey with the only hold up being around Dorchester.
We actually got there before the ground opened so we had to hang around outside for a bit until the turnstiles opened at 11:30. Normally this isn’t a problem as we will often go and find a local pub for a pint but there aren’t any pubs near to the ground so we thought it best to wait until we could get into the ground.
Once we were in we able to get a drink in the away bar which was OK. They had a small selection of Cider and Lager which cost £4.20 per can so a bit pricey but there wasn’t an alternative option. Luckily as we weren’t far from Somerset we were able to get Thatchers Gold which is a definitely a rare thing on away days.
Weymouth have played at the Bob Lucas Stadium (formerly known as the Wessex Stadium) since 1987 after they moved from their old Recreation Ground near the sea front. It’s a basic ground with terracing surrounding most of the pitch and a raised seated stand behind the dugouts. Originally the ground had a capacity of 10,000 but is now at 6,600.
Yeovil supporters were housed in the Windowman stand behind one of the goals and were also given a section of seats in the main stand. As was to be expected we took a large number of fans to this game and we were given extra terracing and seated tickets as we sold out during the week before the game. A figure of around 1,350 Yeovil fans made the short trip down which was half of
the match attendance of a measly 2,609. I was expecting a crowd much larger than that for this game so to see the Weymouth stands mostly empty it didn’t help to create much of a derby atmosphere.
The game itself was mostly a non-event. The first half was particularly dull as neither side were making much of a go of it. Weymouth looked the more dangerous side on the attack but they didn’t get forward very often and the half just drifted by with little match action to get the crowd going.
Yeovil upped their game in the second half but it was still a bit dull. The best chance fell to Jordan Barnett in the 78th minute as a good bit of play on the right from Reuben Reid allowed him to put a cross to the far post but Barnett headed the ball into the ground and it bounced over the bar. Weymouth didn’t really threaten in the latter stages of the game but Yeovil weren’t able to find the goal that they needed to finally beat their rivals and we ended up sharing a draw for the fourth time this season.
Oddly – after the game the home supporters were held back and Yeovil fans were cleared from the ground first. The coach journey home was hold-up free and we arrived back at Huish Park at around 4PM.
Next Up
Our next away day is at Halifax Town on Saturday 30th April. If you fancy joining us on the coach we are leaving Huish Park at 7:00AM. The cost of travel is £35 for adults and £33 for concessions. Members of the GWSC can travel for £2 cheaper. To book a seat contact Paul Hadlow 07736 044570 (after 6PM only) or paulhadlow@outlook.com. Alternatively, you can see him in the programme shop before or after a home game.
GWSC
For all the latest travel information, news, match reports and supporters man of the match visit http://greenandwhites.co.uk/homepage.php or join our Facebook page by searching Green & White Supporters Club
Match Sponsor - McCarthy Marland
McCarthy Marland is an independent and fully licensed waste management company who have been providing waste recycling services to Bristol and surrounding areas for over 20 years.
We provide skip hire, roll-on roll-off, grab hire, wheelie bins and other waste management services to Bristol, Bath, south Gloucestershire and Somerset.
We deliver quality services and make resourceful use of the waste materials we handle to produce recycled products and renewable fuels.
Providing a responsive, friendly and reliable service is at the very heart of our values. We go the extra mile to deliver quality throughout our business and provide a first class service to all our customers
Somertonfield Rd, Somerton, TA11 6HY
Inside BA22
Yeovil Town can confirm that Olufela Olomola has been recalled by Hartlepool United.
The forward, who has netted once since his return to Huish Park, is needed in the North East due to a number of injuries within the League Two club’s squad.
All at Yeovil Town would like to thank Olufela for his efforts during his third loan spell with the club.
Match ball sponsor - C G Fry and Son
C G Fry and Son is a family owned and managed company established by Charles George Fry in the 1920’s and now operated by his grandson. It has built on its reputation for producing a high-quality build by maintaining traditional values combined with a modern and forward-thinking ethos.
C G Fry and Son is renowned for its extensive portfolio of high-quality projects ranging from private individual houses, commercial projects and major housing developments across the Southwest.
The Contracting team undertake major new build and refurbishment projects as well as delivering small works and maintenance projects. This is complemented by a traditional in-house joinery workshop producing a wide range of bespoke joinery.
We recognise and understand the significance of the local community within which we operate across our development and contracting activities. We aim to enhance our contribution these communities by adding value to their economic, social and environmental wellbeing.
In Review - Weymouth 0-0 Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town were held to a goalless draw by Weymouth at the Bob Lucas Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday.
It was a game where neither team really got going creatively, with both goalkeepers seldom tested throughout.
The Glovers did look to turn the screw in the second half, but a killer instinct in front of goal was lacking as Charlie Lee’s side drew for the third time in four National League games.
Interim manager Lee made two changes to the side which was defeated by Aldershot; Lawson D’Ath and Morgan Williams returned to the fold, with Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and Alex Bradley making way. These changes saw Jordan Barnett pushed forward into a midfield role.
Despite a bumper crowd which included 1,250 away supporters, the fixture never caught light in the first half, with neither goalkeeper particularly tested throughout.
Town’s sole shot on target fell to Mark Little who met Dale Gorman’s free-kick, and directed his header goal bound but didn’t have enough power on it to beat Ross Fitzsimons.
At the other end, the Terras did put the ball in the back of the net twice, but both goals were ruled out for offside by the linesman.
The second half saw Town begin with far more vigour, creating a chance from kick-off. Knowles was released down the right channel by Lawson D’Ath, he then drove into the box and forced a save from Fitzsimons with his driven strike.
At the other end, chances did fall for the Terras too, the best for Brad Ash after the ball broke loose in the box, but Grant Smith did excellently to smother his poked effort.
Yeovil’s best chance of the afternoon fell with 15 minutes remaining. Reid played the ball to Barnett who was lurking at the back-post unmarked, however he couldn’t direct his header on target.
In the closing stages, substitutions made an impact for Town as it was one-way traffic. Adi Yussuf did excellently to beat his marker and work room in the box, but his deflected cross narrowly evaded Lo-Everton.
From the resulting corner, Town won a free-kick at the edge of the box, which would be the last kick of the game. Skipper Luke Wilkinson stepped up but he was unable to beat the wall.
As the ball was cleared, the referee blew the final whistle in what was a fiercely contested derby clash.
Where are they now? - Byron Webster
By Marcus Duncomb
Leeds-born Byron Webster came through York City’s academy for whom he made his first team debut in 2004 at the age of seventeen. After spells in Yorkshire and the Czech First Division, the no-nonsense defender was signed by Championship Doncaster Rovers in 2009. Failing to cement a spot as a first team regular at Doncaster, Webster moved to Northampton Town after a loan spell but only made 21 appearances for the cobblers.
In July 2012 Webster made his way to Somerset and signed for Yeovil in what would be a historic campaign. He played in all but two of the league games that saw Yeovil achieve promotion to the Championship for the first time ever, scoring five goals on his way. In the Glovers’ maiden Championship season, Webster was a mainstay of the defence but ultimately they fell just short of survival.
Following the club’s relegation, Webster signed for Championship-side Millwall but couldn’t break into the first team and spent time on loan back at Yeovil as they looked to avoid a successive relegation. Both Millwall and Yeovil were relegated and Webster returned to south-east London making 84 appearances over two League One seasons for the Lions on their way back to the Championship.
Once again, Webster only made a handful of appearances for Millwall in the Championship and eventually moved permanently to Scunthorpe United in the division below but only managed nine appearances in Lincolnshire. In 2019 he moved further north, this time to Carlisle United before joining National League side Bromley at the beginning of last season. Webster will play at Wembley against Wrexham in the FA Trophy final in May after defeating his boyhood club York City in the semi-final.
