Season review - July 08

In the absence of any news or even much in the way of rumours coming from in or around the club I've decided to do a month-by-month review of last season, otherwise I can see a severe lack of updates to this blog, for the next month at least. Here goes with July:

It's the first of July which means contracts from last season have now expired and the following players have been released by the club: Darren Behcet, Stephen Maher, Mark Lynch, Jerahl Hughes, Anthony Barry, Ishmael Welsh, Wilfried Domoraud, Darryl Knights, and last and very much least, the Invisible Man aka James Brown. In addition to that lot, winger Marvin Williams has been sold for a small fee to Brentford, keeper Steve Mildenhall has joined Southend after refusing an offer to extend his contract, left-back Matthew Rose is a free agent after similarly refusing a new deal, and Marcus Stewart is in limbo as far as anyone knows. The former Sunderland striker's contract at Huish Park expires and with no agreement on a new offer in sight as chief executive Martyn Starnes is on holiday, the veteran starts pre-season training at Conference South new-boys Team Bath.... Glovers boss Russell Slade makes his first signing of the summer - former Huddersfield winger Danny Schofield puts pen to paper on a 2-year contract.... Also joining is Fisher Athletic youngster Kieron Murtagh for a "small fee" and former Everton youth teamer Aidan Downes, for nothing.... Crewe Alexandra are big spenders this month. The Alex buy striker Calvin Zola from Tranmere for £200,000, Joel Grant from Aldershot for £130,000, plus goalkeeper Adam Legzdins from Birmingham City and last but not least former Glovers keeper and free agent Steve Collis. That lot should keep the relegation wolf from the door.... Meanwhile, midfielder Darren Way is set to rejoin the Glovers after a frustrating few years at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins claiming the move is a done deal. Talking of the Jacks, former Glovers legend Tony Pennock is appointed as the club's new youth development supremo.... Roberto Di Matteo replaces Blackburn-bound Paul Ince as Franchise FC's new boss..... Former Glovers loanee Ritchie Jones signs for Hartlepool after being released on a free by Manchester United..... St Albans midfielder James Archer and Dutch striker Orlando Sneekes are on trial at the club for a couple of weeks.... And Weasel is officially confirmed as a Glover again, signing a 2-year deal with a £50,000 price tag, though in actuality no money changes hands as that's what Swansea still owed us from the original transfer to the Liberty Stadium.... Meanwhile Football League Chairman Lord Brian Mawhinney receives a mandate from this summer's FL AGM to conduct a root and branch review and reform of the League's insolvency practices and financial rules. Mawhinney resigns from the main FA Board to concentrate on his task.... Down to the south coast, and goal-keeping loan target Asmir Begovic signs a new 3-year contract with Portsmouth.... Newly promoted L2 outfit Exeter City deny twice that they are in talks with Marcus Stewart.... Speaking in the Western Daily Press club CEO Martyn Starnes announces that there will be an, er, announcement on the club's stadium expansion plans in "the not to distant future". Don't hold your breath.... After two years at Huish Park Marcus Stewart signs for Exeter. It later emerges that he signed for the Grecians after agreeing a 40% wage reduction with Yeovil that was withdrawn literally 10 minutes after the offer was made. Some blame the board, others blame the manager. You pays yer money and you makes yer choice .... The sponsor of the home terrace at Huish Park changes from Carlsberg to Blackthorn, the Carlsberg Stand (formerly the Westland Stand, of course) now being named the Blackthorn Stand. Last season the away terrace was the Blackthorn Stand but is now the Copse Road End. The Main Stand was the Yeovil College Community Stand but is now the Agusta Westland Community Stand and the Bartlett Stand is the Cowlin Stand. Confused? Me too.... French keeper Pierre Antoine Martini is neither shaken nor stirred at being on trial at Huish Park.... Jim Joyce is the latest to leave the club. The highly regarded physio is to work a month's notice after agreeing to join newly-promoted Aldershot in August. The official line is that he wanted to move nearer to his Hampshire home to spend more time with his family; unofficially there are rumours that he was unhappy that recommendations he made to improve working practices in the physio dept were ignored by the board.... Former Reading centre-half Aaron Brown and Fisher Athletic striker Gavin Tomlin arrive on trial.... L2 side Luton have their -30 point deduction for repeated administrations and agent irregularities confirmed. Bournemouth and Rotherham await their punishments.... Former Swindon keeper Rhys Evans moves on after spending a week on trial at Huish Park... An almost unrecognisable Yeovil XI beat Potters Bar 2-3 in Berkshire in the first friendly of the season, two days later a rather more identifiable Glovers side beat Championship outfit Barnsley 2-0 at Huish Park, Gavin Tomlin and Lloyd Owusu the scorers.... Triallist keeper Pierre Martini moves on, in comes two more keepers, Corrin Brooks-Meade and Canadian international Josh Wagenaar.... Gavin Tomlin signs a 2-year contract.... The friendlies come thick and fast and the Glovers go down to Uncle Gary's mob, losing 3-0 at home to Bristol City..... Jeral Hughes, released at the start of the month, signs for Dover, of the Ryman Premier League.... The Glovers head for North Devon at the start of the inaugural South West Challenge Cup tournament. If only we knew then what was alleged to have happened off the pitch and it's ramifications for later on in the season.... Yeovil beat Conference side Kidderminster 2-0 at Bideford, and two days later see off Ryman League Chertsey 4-1.... L1 rivals Cheltenham are linked with Glovers striker Lloyd Owusu.... The club are knocked out of the South West Challenge Cup, drawing 1-1 with Torquay United but losing the subsequent penalty competition 5-3.... Back home from Devon and two more triallists arrive: Albert Jarret, recently released by Watford, and Andre McCollin, a striker from (surprise, surprise!) Fisher Athletic.... Championship side Plymouth Argyle are next up at Huish Park and are despatched 1-0 in an impressive Glovers performance.... A rather more experimental side beats Hillingdon Borough 0-3 the following evening.... Centre of Excellence and Youth Team physio Phil Cole takes over temporarily from the outgoing Jim Joyce.... The Glovers forgotten striker Andy Kirk, who along with fellow high earner Lloyd Owusu has barely played any of the friendlies up til now, is rumoured to be talking to a Scottish club.... And central defender Scott Guyett, four years at Huish Park, mutually cancels his remaining year contract at the club to sign a 2-year deal at Bournemouth.