(FM 16) Yeovil Town: What If

[FinleyYTFC]

The 2015-16 season was a strange one for Yeovil but in some ways not surprising. Relegated from the Championship and then again from League One back down to League Two a league they had won only 10 years ago at the time (2015). Yet 2 wins in 24 games had them bottom of League Two when the final whistle blew at Huish Park (0-0 Vs Oxford) 2 points behind York in 22nd. They then won 9 games in 22 games with 7 draws which kept them up in 19th. Yet only 3 years after the 2015-16 season they were in the Conference with the likes of Boreham Wood, Harrogate Town and Chorley. 3 years after that they are now a midtable Conference team with an owner somehow worse than the previous dead set on a housing project on the clubs land but that's another story. With this save I have relegated Yeovil to the national league 3 years early and will be attempting to take them back out and up the league. I will post every transfer, injury, result etc. and take you all along on the journey which can hopefully give Yeovil fans myself included a bit of joy. 

Edited March 12, 2022 by FinleyYTFC

[FinleyYTFC]

March 2016:

A couple of things of note in this month in terms of early releases. The first being former Southampton player Simon Gillett (Currently at Barnet) who as well as being a player was the chief scout and an average one at that combined that with an awful season to that point and I decided to cut short his time in Somerset. The 2nd one was a bit tougher as Chris Weale (Currently a free agent) is obviously one you'd rather keep but with better options at goalkeeper coaching and him not wanting to only be a player meant I had to release him with limited coaches allowed.

May 2016:

With March being quite a slow month I've also added in May which was most notable for releasing most of the U21s and U18s as I decided I'd rather have all the wage bill going into the first team and Staff. Most notable being Callum Morton who I nearly kept. The U21s will still play games so we can keep players fit that aren't in the team or returning from injury.

[FinleyYTFC]

June 2016:

Glovers announce first signings:

- Striker Ryan Rowe (28) signs on a free from Telford having scored 6 goals with 1 assist in 29 games. Manager Finley Charles has refuted claims that the player isn't of the standard to play for the club and has released this statement 'Ryan gives us something which will be vital next season when we are 1-0 up and defending our lead which is strength which will be vital in keeping the ball up the pitch'. He signs a 1 year deal.

- The second signing is 23 goalkeeper Chris Kettings of the Crystal Palace reserves for an undisclosed fee. Manager Finley Charles had this to say 'He's got good height and will claim a lot of crosses which will be vital in keeping clean sheets alongside his excellent communication for his age'. If what Finley says is true it sounds like a real coup for the glovers. He signs for 1 season.

- The 3rd and penultimate signing is 18 year old Brandon Griffiths from the Swansea academy. 'He's a real threat on the counter with his pace and natural ability to get past defenders, still young but will be useful of the bench and with the occasional rare start' says Charles. Will be a Yeovil player for 2 seasons.

- The final signing today is talented fullback on both sides Tyler Reid (18) signing on a free from the Manchester United academy. He has natural pace can play on both feet has a good cross but on the defensive side loves a tackle and in this league you need players to cover multiple positions and he does that' says Charles. Signs a 2 year deal at the club.

 

Glovers announce departures:

- Wes Fogden- Eastleigh (10k)

Really didn't turn up in League Two and I decided we needed a change so move him on.

- Darren ward- Hartlepool (Free)

One of many Players who requested to leave and of the back of a poor season by his standards I decided to ship him off.

- Matthew Dolan- Walsall (60k)

Another Player who requested to leave and I decided I'd rather get rid of him for any fee than wait and have him stick around.

- Ryan Dickinson- Chesterfield (40k)

Yet another one who wanted to leave and again decided to grant it.

- Kevin Dawson- Swindon (100k)

I didn't want to but with him wanting to leave and being on a wage that could get me 2 Conference players I decided to move him on.

- Ryan Bird- Newport (Free)

Had no interest in keeping him as I thought we could do better.

New Staff at the club (as follows):

Assistant Manager: Terry Skiverton

General Coaches- Steve Gritt, Martin Scott, David Thompson and Steve Hodge.- All New

Fitness Coach- Rhys Owen-New

Goalkeeper Coach- Carl Emberson-New

Head Of Youth: Geoff Harrop

Chief Scout- George Rooney-New

Scout- Tim Davies-New

Head Physio- Mike Micciche

Physio- Simon Baker- New/Return

[FinleyYTFC]

July 2016 (First Half 1st till the 14th):

What a month July was transfers in and out, Injuries and everything in between. With Pre-season I intend to so full reviews during the season. Starting with the retained list.

Released:

- Francois Zoko

- Marc Laird

- Shaun Jeffers

- Jakub Sokolik

- Jordan Gibbons

- Nathan Smith

- Arthur Krysiak

- Jack Compton

Rejected new contract:

- Ben Tozer

Accepted new contract:

- Omar Sowunmi

New Signings:

- Lee Collins (27)- Excellent center back and the best captain we've had since McAllister and as such I decided I had to sign him and hopefully win him what he came here to win which was promotion. He signs a 1 year deal from Mansfield.

- Fraser Franks (25)- Joins from League 2 Stevenage on a free where he did well and will form and excellent partnership with Collins at the back. He signs a 2 year deal.

- Luke Conlan (21)- My goto left back for the national league in the second season as he offers good stamina, decent speed and is a solid player at this level. Signs from Burnley's academy on a 2 year deal.

- Adam Marriott (25)- A really good striker at this level signing from Stevenage who will be the main goal scorer in the team. Scored 8 in 27 in league 2 last season with 3 assists. Signs on a 1 year deal.

- Carlos Pifarre (26)- A solid winger signing from Oxford City of the Conference south. He scored 7 and assisted 11 last season. He signs a 2 year deal.

- Kevin Mellor (24)- A right back signing from Plymouth Argyle on a 2 year deal. Solid as they come and has good physicals.

- Jason Davis (21)- A right winger with good speed but will need to develop provideds good cover of the bench as someone who can run an already tired left back into the ground. Signs on a 2 year deal from the Brighton academy.

- Chris Lewington (27)- A backup goalkeeper who will provide cover to a young starting keeper. He signs a 1 year deal from Conference south side Margate but has played league 2 before.

- Clovis Kamdjo (25)- A defensive midfielder who has good strength, heading and a decent tackle. Also able to play a full 46 game season without injury. Signs from Boreham Wood where he got 5 goals and 8 assists in 46 games. He signs on a 1 year deal.

- Ryan Brunt (23)- A target man from Plymouth Argyle where he got 3 goals and 3 assists in 19 sub appearances. Realy good player mentally and decent physically. He signs a 1 year deal.

-  Savvas Mourgos- A Greek youth player from arsenal's Academy. Plays midfield and has some potential and can provide cover. More offensive than defensive. Signs a 2 year deal.

- Jack Harper (20)- Signs on loan from Brightons academy after scoring 4 goals and 2 assists in 9 games at the back end of the league 2 season. He is a striker/Winger and it's a full season loan.

- Matthew Worthington- Another goto signing of mine in League 2 and the Conference. Will provide depth and energy. he signs a 2 year deal.

- Curtis Weston- A solid midfielder who has good defensive stats for the level and another who shouldn't be an injury risk after playing 45 games last season. He signs a 1 year deal after previously being at Barnet and doing well in League 2.

- Ale Lawless- A familiar face to Yeovil fans all be it in League 2 and not the Conference but a solid midfielder who played very little at Luton last season and is experienced at this level and being promoted from it. He signs a 2 year deal.

Pre Season (First Half):

08/07/16- Yeovil Town 2-1 Bath City (Fraser Franks 37' Jason Davis 61' and Nick McCootie 77')

12/07/16 Yeovil Town 2-1 Hereford FC (Adam Marriott 51' 71, and Matty Ayre 11')

14/07/15 Torquay 0-1 Yeovil Town (Brandon Griffiths 20')

[FinleyYTFC]

July 2016-Part 2: The injury Bug:

The 16th of July wasn't exactly the best of times with 2 major injures. One to star striker/winger Jack Harper who will miss the first game at Lincoln with a pulled hamstring (4 weeks) sustained against Plymouth. The 2nd being a trialist former YTFC Midfielder Anthony Barry who had an ok season for Accrington. He suffered a strained neck against Plymouth (11-14 days). It was made worse on the when loanee Bancessi suffered a bruised head in training and will be out for 7-10 days. Later in July Adam Marriott suffers a thigh strain and is out for 2 weeks right before our fist game.

Further Signees:

- Michael Coulson (28)- An experienced winger from York where he did well enough in League 2. He signs a 2 year deal.

- Lawson D'Ath (23)- Signs on loan from Northampton to give us some creativity in our midfield. The loan is full season and he'll look to bounce back after a poor season with Northampton.

- Rakish Bingham (22)- Signs on loan from Hartlepool as without Marriott we lack a goal scorer up top so he will try to cover that. Joins on a 3 month loan. Scored 2 in 14 (5 starts) for Hartlepool last season.

Pre-Season:

16/07/16- Yeovil Town 2-3 Plymouth (Bancessi 14', Jack Harper 62', Tyler Harvery 27' 36' and Graham Carey 61')

19/07/16- Yeovil Town 2-1 Exeter City (Adam Marriott 6', Curtis Weston 88' and Jake Taylor- Penalty 89')

23/07/16- Yeovil Town 1-0 King's Lynn (Pifarre 13')

27/07/16 Yeovil Town 0-5 Swansea (Emnes 4', Cullen 13' 17', Routledge 72' and Montero 88')

30/07/16- Yeovil Town 3-0 Chelmsford (Coulson 2', Ekpiteta- OG 68' and Griffiths 84')

Overall Pre-Season Games record: W:6 D:0 L:2 GF:14 GA:11

Season Preview:

1- Bristol Rovers

2- Tranmere Rovers

3- Yeovil Town

4- Cheltenham

5- Eastleigh

6- Grimsby

7- Gateshead

8- Ebbsfleet

9- Wrexham

10- Lincoln

11- Bromley

12- Woking

13- Macclesfield

14- Chester

15- FC Halifax

16- Braintree

17- Boreham Wood

18- Southport

19- Sutton United

20- Aldershot

21- Altrincham

22- Guiseley

23- Nuneaton

24- Solihull Moors

August:

06/08/16- Away @ Lincoln

09/08/16- Home Vs Southport

13/08/16- Away @ Boreham Wood

20/08/16- Home Vs Gateshead

23/08/16- Home Vs Wrexham (TV)

27:08/16- Away  @ Macclesfield

[FinleyYTFC]

August 2016- Disaster:

Going into this season my aim is simple 'win the league' and I've promised the board as much but it's going to be hard as Rovers managed to keep Matty Taylor and Tranmere are always a threat. Opening day isn't the easiest of starts going to real-life winners Lincoln City but I'm confident we can pull it off. Unfortunately August 2nd disaster strikes and Myles Weston picks up an injury and will miss the start of the season with a twisted ankle (5 weeks). First the star striker and now this I'm suddenly less confident against Lincoln.

Squad Numbers:

1- Chris Kettings

3- Luke Conlan

4- Lee Collins

5- Alex Lacey

6- Fraser Franks

7- Michael Coulson

8- Alex Lawless

9- Adam Marriott

10- Lawson D'Ath

11- Brandon Griffiths

13- Chrs Lewington

14- Ryan Brunt

15- Matthew Worthington

16- Clovis Kamdjo

17- Omar Sowunmi

18- Savvas Mourgos

19- Jason Davis

21- Carlos Pifarre

22- Tyler Reid

23- Jack Harper

24- Kelvin Mellor

26- Curtis weston

27- Ryan Rowe

28- Ollie Bassett

32- Rakish Bingham

34- Mark Beck

00- Eusebio Bancessi

Game 1/46:

Lincoln City 1-3 Yeovil Town (2,528)

A nervy first 11 minutes where Lincoln missed a chance to score ended when Yeovil's right winger heading in at the back stick off a Luke Conlan cross in the 12th minute. This was followed up when Coulson put the ball in to the other back post for Carlos Pifarre to head in at the back post on 33 minutes. A close free-kick was the closest Lincoln would get in the first half as it was a whisker wide of the left hand corner on the 44th minute. With Yeovil in the ascendancy a Alex Lawless ball over the top found Bingham who skied it over the bar on 47 minutes. A through ball from the Lincoln number 4 Stanley found Hewitt on 52 minutes clean through but he shot straight at Lewington and then missed the rebound. Coulson nearly scored from a near post cross on 54 minutes but wast stopped by a save from Farman. On 70 minutes Muldoon fired in a cross to Simmons who headed past Lewington. Not to be dettered Yeovil replied almost instantly when Conlan fired a cross into an unmarked Bingham who took a touch and fired past Farman with his left into the top left on 71 minutes. A game yeovil ended up dominating in parts and deservedly won.

Starting Lineup:

GK: Chris Lewington

LB: Luke Conlan-Man of the match

LCB: Lee Collins (C)

RCB: Fraser Franks (Alex Lacey 67')

RB Kelvin Mellor

CDM: Clovis Kamdjo      

LCM: Alex Lawless

RCM: Lawson D'Ath (Matthew Worthington 81')

LW: Carlos Piferre

RW: Michael Coulson (Brandon Griffiths 61')

ST: Rakish Bingham

Game 2/46:

Yeovil Town 1-0 Southport (2,419)

A very poor home opener from a Yeovil side who looked anything like they did away in Lincolnshire but they still claimed the 3 points from a sloppy Southport side. Donnelly missed a sitter by hitting it straight at Lewington on 2 minutes in a sign of things to come for the visitors. An injury to Kamdjo in the 27th minute was no the gretest sight to see. A poor tackle from Franks saw him sent of on 37 minutes leaving Yeovil in dire straits. However Bingham found Pifarre who slotted to the goalies right side in front of the thatchers. Chaloner found Donnely who again hit it straight at Lewington but from a tighter angle on 69 minutes. A Lacey free-kick found Worthington who fired it straight at the Southport keeper on 73 minutes. Lacey then got a yellow for a foul on Donnelly which lead to a 76th minute penalty which was missed by Gary Jones who hit it straight at Lewington. Pifarre then hit a 90th minute free kick over the middle of the goal. On a night where things went so wrong for Yeovil they still got the 3 points that move them up to 2nd. 

Starting Lineup:

GK: Chris Lewington

LB: Luke Conlan

LCB: Lee Collins (C)

RCB: Fraser Franks (Double Yellow)

RB Kelvin Mellor

CDM: Clovis Kamdjo (Matthew Worthington 27')      

LCM: Alex Lawless (Brandon Griffiths 69')

RCM: Lawson D'Ath (Alex Lacey 37')

LW: Carlos Piferre

RW: Michael Coulson

ST: Rakish Bingham-Man of the match

Game 3/46:

Boreham Wood 2-4 Yeovil Town

An abysmal performance defensively for Yeovil was made up for by spectacular sub appearances for Brandon Griffiths and Ryan Brunt. 

-Further Report to Follow

Starting Lineup:

GK: Chris Lewington

LB: Luke Conlan

LCB: Lee Collins (C) (Omar Sowunmi 57')

RCB: Alex Lacey

RB Kelvin Mellor

CDM: Matthew Worthington      

LCM: Savvas Mourgos (Ryan Brunt 45')

RCM: Lawson D'Ath

LW: Carlos Piferre

RW: Michael Coulson (Brandon Griffiths 47')

ST: Rakish Bingham

August:

06/08/16- Away @ Lincoln- 3-1 Win

09/08/16- Home Vs Southport- 1-0 Win

13/08/16- Away @ Boreham Wood 4-2 Win

20/08/16- Home Vs Gateshead

23/08/16- Home Vs Wrexham (TV)

27:08/16- Away  @ Macclesfield

Edited March 13, 2022 by FinleyYTFC