Catch-up time. This blog is a Holdingsgate-free zone, at least for today. We've seen a couple of unexpected new signings since the last time I blogged as well as the confirmation of longer-term loans on a couple more; added to which the rumour-mill, fuelled by no less a source than Skivo himself, has gone wild with the possibility of one more big signing before the transfer window shuts at 6pm tomorrow. Oh, the possibilities! If one was of a cynical frame of mind then one might conclude that the Glovers Board had relaxed the purse-strings somewhat in order to distract attention away from Holdingsgate, but we're not that cynical are we? Hell, no. Oh, I nearly forgot, we also earned a good point away yesterday against a decent Oldham side for which we were full value and were evidently somewhat unlucky not to come away with all three points after having what seemed like a perfectly good goal disallowed as well as a cast-iron penalty refused, again. What is it that referees have against Yeovil Town?
The two loanees who have penned longer-term deals are the expected ones: Millwall keeper John Sullivan and Watford midfielder/defender Rob Kiernan will remain at Huish Park until at least January 3rd 2011. Good news there, but the really good news came on Friday. In hindsight everyone and his dog and cat could see after the Hartlepool debacle that the weak link in the squad was the central midfield, especially when JP Kalala was missing. That has now been addressed, firstly with the arrival of Welsh international Owain Tudur-Jones from Norwich City, back for a second month's spell at Huish Park after his month long loan deal last season; and secondly with the massively welcome news that Shaun Macdonald is back and on a reasonably long-term basis too, also until January 3rd. We won't actually see the Ginger Ninja in action until the September 11th home game v Tranmere as he's off for the next week on Welsh u-21 international duty, but the news that both he and Tudur-Jones have signed was a huge boost on Friday after a pretty dismal week. Welcome back boys, with so many Welshmen back on the playing staff how can we go wrong?
And then there's the possibility that's got the rumour-mill in overdrive. Speaking after the Oldham game, Skivo stoked the fire: "I am still trying to add one more and I am not going to say who it is yet, but I am still trying and I think if we get this one that I am looking for we will be very strong this year." ITK's suggest the mystery man is none other than Gavin Williams. The Welsh international is out of favour at Bristol City, barely appearing on the bench so far this season under former manager Steve Coppell or current boss Keith Millen and is set to go out on loan. According to the rumour-mill L1 rivals Southampton were thought to be keen on signing Super Gav, but with the shock sacking of manager Alan Pardew - who signed Williams from Yeovil when in charge at West Ham United - that move must now be in doubt, which may just leave the Glovers in pole position. It might be a case of 2+2 equalling 5, but there have been whispers all summer about the possibility of the player returning to Huish Park at some stage, and it might just be that this time the rumour-mill's got it right. Fingers are very firmly crossed.
The thought occurs to me that if Gav did sign (I know, I know, let's not count any chickens, but I can't help myself and it's my blog so I'll say what I like), but if he did sign then not only would we have three Williams's in the squad, we'd have a grand total of six (count 'em!) Welshmen as well, if you count Andy Williams as being Welsh which I do seeing as he was born in Hereford. Six Welshmen! Plus one with a surname of Welsh! That's more sons of Wales than Cardiff City and Swansea City combined managed to name in their first team squads this weekend! Cymru am byth!
Ahem! Back to reality. The Glovers entertain Exeter City in a Football League Trophy 1st round match at Huish Park tomorrow night, a game I'm hoping to get to if my sodding electric wheelchair can be fixed before then. My back wheel fell off as I was taking the dog for a walk today, not an experience I want to repeat in a hurry. To add insult to injury it happened at Huish Park as I was foolishly going to see if the ticket office was open so I could buy a ticket for tomorrow night's game. The ticket office open on a bank holiday? What was I thinking? The bookies make the Glovers 6/5 favourites for the win, the draw is priced at 12/5 and an Exeter win at 15/8. My fiver's going on the home win. Running total: +£3.25p.
Just read: Time's Arrow by Martin Amis. Life starts at the moment of death and winds backwards in this Booker Prize-winning novel. Our sympathy is with the protagonist as he gradually gets younger until we realise that his present life hides an appalling past as an assistant to Mengele in Auschwitz. A clever, very readable novel which horrifies and amuses in equal measure. I finished it nearly two weeks ago and I still find myself haunted by the scenes set in the concentration camp, as time inexorably flows backwards, with all that implies. Frightening and absorbing.
Showing posts with label John Sullivan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Sullivan. Show all posts
Monday, 30 August 2010
Sunday, 25 July 2010
PSF: Yeovil Town 3 Manchester United Reserves 2
A crowd of 6,664 turned up at Huish Park yesterday to pay tribute to Glovers hero Darren Way in his testimonial match against Manchester United Reserves, and they were treated to a competitive and entertaining game, the Glovers coming out on top by 3 goals to 2. United's kids started brightly, Ravel Morrison missing the target with a free header right in front of goal early on, but Yeovil gradually took control of possession and were creating more chances. Dean Bowditch was unlucky not to score with a shot from the edge of the box that hit the bar, and both JP Kalala and Andy Williams came close as the half went on. Somewhat against the run of play the visitors went in front on 36 minutes, Rodrigo Possebon scoring with a low drive from the edge of the box past trialist keeper John Sullivan. The goal knocked the Glovers out of their stride a touch, and United came close to extending their lead before half-time, Sullivan doing well to save another Possebon effort amongst other attempts on the Yeovil goal.
The Glovers came out invigorated after the break and drew level on 47 minutes with a JP Kalala special from fully 30 yards. The visitors keeper got his hands to the shot, but such was the power behind it could only parry the ball into the back of the net. If JP scores a better goal this season I'll eat my season ticket! Two minutes later and a short corner caught the visitors napping allowing Andy Williams to provide the perfect cross for Sam Williams to find the net unchallenged in the 6 yard box. A further 2 minutes on and Yeovil were 3-1 up, another corner causing chaos in the vistors defence with Sam Williams heading the ball across the 6 yard box for trialist Adam Virgo to nod in from close range. The match settled down again thereafter, the flow of the game not being helped by the usual wholesale substitutions from both sides as the second half wore on. Manchester pulled a goal back on 77 minutes when Robbie Brady scored with a shot into the corner of the net, but that was the end of the scoring. There just remained a brief cameo from Glovers gaffer Terry Skiverton and, with a minute left, the appearance of the man of the moment, Darren Way.
Seeing both Skivo and Weasel on the pitch together was quite a lump-in-the-throat moment. The end of an era most definitely, but what an era. I remember seeing Darren make his debut in a Yeovil shirt in a reserve team pre-season friendly back in August 2000 and I've been fortunate enough to watch most of his career since. A small man in stature, he was a huge presence on the pitch and his central midfield partnership with Lee Johnson was pivotal in propelling this club up the leagues to it's present lofty status. It's been a privilege to watch him over the years and it was a privilege to be present yesterday to pay tribute to him.
As usual, merit marks for the match:
1. John Sullivan: 7/10 - impressive performance, couldn't be faulted for either of the visitors goals. Controlled his box, claimed the high balls and looked to be a good shot-stopper.
2. Craig Alcock: 6/10 - Quiet game, did his job.
3. Nathan Jones: 4/10 - No lack of effort from Nathan, but badly exposed for pace by his opposite number. Bailed out by Luke Freeman tracking back a little too often for comfort.
5. Paul Huntington: 5/10 - I must say I didn't really notice our new signing feature too much yesterday, at either end of the pitch. Subbed at half-time.
14. Stefan Stam: 5/10 - Not the best of displays. Bothered by the pace of the visitors attack and nearly gave a goal away with a suicidal pass across goal which left Adam Virgo with nowhere to go. Unconvincing.
8. Luke Ayling and 16. JP Kalala: 8/10 for both. The more I see of Ayling the more I like him. Combative in the tackle and bags of time on the ball. I know it's early days yet and only the pre-season, but he looks a real find. As for JP, he really imposed himself on the game when United's youngsters were threatening to take control, and scored a cracker. Excellent stuff.
7. Andy Williams: 7/10 - Another very promising outing. Again provided a stream of crosses from the flanks and looked direct and threatening, with plenty of pace.
9. Sam Williams: 8/10 - Big improvement on last weekend. Looked fitter, faster and sharper; took his goal well and set up another. More of the same, please!
10. Dean Bowditch: 7/10 - As with Big Sam above, a big improvement on last weekend. Looked fitter, faster and sharper, and was unlucky not to score himself. More of the same, please!
11. Luke Freeman: 8/10 - My man of the match. My first look at Luke and he didn't disappoint. Spent most of his time on the left wing and showed himself to be a tricky and direct player with plenty of channelled aggression. Worked extremely hard for the team and unlucky not to score himself. Very encouraging.
What I particularly liked about our performance going forward was the way the two wingers interchanged with each other and Dean Bowditch up front. One minute Freeman and Andy Williams were on the left and right respectively, the next they had swapped positions. At times it was Bowditch up front with Sam Williams, at other times it was Freeman, with Bowditch taking his place. At other times it looked like we changed from the usual 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1, with Sam Williams the lone striker and the other three interchanging behind him. It all looked pretty seamless anyway and more importantly, effective.
Subs:
15. Adam Virgo (for Huntington, 45 minutes): 5/10 - I was impressed with Virgo last week but I'm not so sure after yesterday's performance. Good in the air and took his goal well, but looked a little ungainly at times and was caught out for pace against United's youngsters too often for my liking. Against that I don't suppose he'll face such a pacey attack every week in League 1.
I won't give marks for the other subs, for the record they were:
12. Danny Hutchins (for Alcock 75), 17. Billy Gibson (for Kalala 75), 18. Craig Calvert (for Bowditch 75), 19. Sean McAllister (for Andy Williams 75), 20. Scott Guyett (for Stam 75), 21. Lloyd Matthews (for Sam Williams 75), 22. Ed Upson (for Ayling 75), Terry Skiverton (for Freeman 87), Darren Way (for Jones 89).
For what it's worth Gibson and McAllister are trialists and of course we all know who Scott Guyett is! It may or may not be telling to suggest that he looked no worse, or better, than any other central defender on show yesterday for the short time he was on the pitch.
Two weeks to go to the start of the season then and the squad is beginning to take shape. I've been generally impressed by the new contracted players but the obvious concern is the sheer lack of numbers. The starting XI looks to be full of pace and flair going forward, the worries come when looking at the replacements - not that there's anything wrong with them, there just isn't enough of them! Hopefully that will be addressed before the season proper starts in two weeks time. Bristol City up next on Wednesday night anyway and I'll be looking forward to seeing this team play again. On the evidence of the last two friendlies they're going to be well worth watching this season.
The Glovers came out invigorated after the break and drew level on 47 minutes with a JP Kalala special from fully 30 yards. The visitors keeper got his hands to the shot, but such was the power behind it could only parry the ball into the back of the net. If JP scores a better goal this season I'll eat my season ticket! Two minutes later and a short corner caught the visitors napping allowing Andy Williams to provide the perfect cross for Sam Williams to find the net unchallenged in the 6 yard box. A further 2 minutes on and Yeovil were 3-1 up, another corner causing chaos in the vistors defence with Sam Williams heading the ball across the 6 yard box for trialist Adam Virgo to nod in from close range. The match settled down again thereafter, the flow of the game not being helped by the usual wholesale substitutions from both sides as the second half wore on. Manchester pulled a goal back on 77 minutes when Robbie Brady scored with a shot into the corner of the net, but that was the end of the scoring. There just remained a brief cameo from Glovers gaffer Terry Skiverton and, with a minute left, the appearance of the man of the moment, Darren Way.
Seeing both Skivo and Weasel on the pitch together was quite a lump-in-the-throat moment. The end of an era most definitely, but what an era. I remember seeing Darren make his debut in a Yeovil shirt in a reserve team pre-season friendly back in August 2000 and I've been fortunate enough to watch most of his career since. A small man in stature, he was a huge presence on the pitch and his central midfield partnership with Lee Johnson was pivotal in propelling this club up the leagues to it's present lofty status. It's been a privilege to watch him over the years and it was a privilege to be present yesterday to pay tribute to him.
As usual, merit marks for the match:
1. John Sullivan: 7/10 - impressive performance, couldn't be faulted for either of the visitors goals. Controlled his box, claimed the high balls and looked to be a good shot-stopper.
2. Craig Alcock: 6/10 - Quiet game, did his job.
3. Nathan Jones: 4/10 - No lack of effort from Nathan, but badly exposed for pace by his opposite number. Bailed out by Luke Freeman tracking back a little too often for comfort.
5. Paul Huntington: 5/10 - I must say I didn't really notice our new signing feature too much yesterday, at either end of the pitch. Subbed at half-time.
14. Stefan Stam: 5/10 - Not the best of displays. Bothered by the pace of the visitors attack and nearly gave a goal away with a suicidal pass across goal which left Adam Virgo with nowhere to go. Unconvincing.
8. Luke Ayling and 16. JP Kalala: 8/10 for both. The more I see of Ayling the more I like him. Combative in the tackle and bags of time on the ball. I know it's early days yet and only the pre-season, but he looks a real find. As for JP, he really imposed himself on the game when United's youngsters were threatening to take control, and scored a cracker. Excellent stuff.
7. Andy Williams: 7/10 - Another very promising outing. Again provided a stream of crosses from the flanks and looked direct and threatening, with plenty of pace.
9. Sam Williams: 8/10 - Big improvement on last weekend. Looked fitter, faster and sharper; took his goal well and set up another. More of the same, please!
10. Dean Bowditch: 7/10 - As with Big Sam above, a big improvement on last weekend. Looked fitter, faster and sharper, and was unlucky not to score himself. More of the same, please!
11. Luke Freeman: 8/10 - My man of the match. My first look at Luke and he didn't disappoint. Spent most of his time on the left wing and showed himself to be a tricky and direct player with plenty of channelled aggression. Worked extremely hard for the team and unlucky not to score himself. Very encouraging.
What I particularly liked about our performance going forward was the way the two wingers interchanged with each other and Dean Bowditch up front. One minute Freeman and Andy Williams were on the left and right respectively, the next they had swapped positions. At times it was Bowditch up front with Sam Williams, at other times it was Freeman, with Bowditch taking his place. At other times it looked like we changed from the usual 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1, with Sam Williams the lone striker and the other three interchanging behind him. It all looked pretty seamless anyway and more importantly, effective.
Subs:
15. Adam Virgo (for Huntington, 45 minutes): 5/10 - I was impressed with Virgo last week but I'm not so sure after yesterday's performance. Good in the air and took his goal well, but looked a little ungainly at times and was caught out for pace against United's youngsters too often for my liking. Against that I don't suppose he'll face such a pacey attack every week in League 1.
I won't give marks for the other subs, for the record they were:
12. Danny Hutchins (for Alcock 75), 17. Billy Gibson (for Kalala 75), 18. Craig Calvert (for Bowditch 75), 19. Sean McAllister (for Andy Williams 75), 20. Scott Guyett (for Stam 75), 21. Lloyd Matthews (for Sam Williams 75), 22. Ed Upson (for Ayling 75), Terry Skiverton (for Freeman 87), Darren Way (for Jones 89).
For what it's worth Gibson and McAllister are trialists and of course we all know who Scott Guyett is! It may or may not be telling to suggest that he looked no worse, or better, than any other central defender on show yesterday for the short time he was on the pitch.
Two weeks to go to the start of the season then and the squad is beginning to take shape. I've been generally impressed by the new contracted players but the obvious concern is the sheer lack of numbers. The starting XI looks to be full of pace and flair going forward, the worries come when looking at the replacements - not that there's anything wrong with them, there just isn't enough of them! Hopefully that will be addressed before the season proper starts in two weeks time. Bristol City up next on Wednesday night anyway and I'll be looking forward to seeing this team play again. On the evidence of the last two friendlies they're going to be well worth watching this season.
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