Triple disappointment for the Glovers at the Memorial Stadium yesterday. Firstly we went down to a 2-1 defeat to Bristol Rovers, losing to a goal scored in the 4th minute of injury-time at the end of the game; secondly we lost Luke Freeman to a leg injury. At first it seemed the loanee might have broken his leg, but x-rays thankfully ruled that out; nevertheless it seems certain that the youngster will be sidelined for some weeks, though exactly for how long we will have to wait and see. A shame for him, and us. Thirdly, JP Kalala got himself sent off for 2 bookable offences which means he'll miss next Saturday's home game against Hartlepool. With such a small squad the last thing Skivo needs is a self-inflicted wound like this, it means that our central midfield against a streetwise Pools outfit next weekend will consist of two players whose League One starts can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
So far this season the Glovers have played 3 games and conceded 4 goals. All 4 goals conceded have something in common - their timing. The goals against have all come either in the last 5 minutes of the halves played, or in injury time itself. Now obviously 3 games is only 3 games, but nevertheless they are interesting stats. And of course we can all point to games last season when late, late goals cost us dearly - off the top of my head I can think of matches against Leeds, Millwall and Southampton from the run-in last season, in all of which we conceded injury-time goals which cost us points. What causes the late goals? No doubt fatigue, disruption caused by substitutions, maybe a lack of concentration or perhaps simply heavy pressure from teams desperate to score, all will play their parts. It's obviously something that Skivo and his coaches will be aware of, let's hope that a solution to the problem can be found sooner rather than later.
After 3 games in 7 days the Glovers now have a week to regroup before their next match. Three points out of a possible 6 and a narrow loss to a Championship side in the League Cup is by no means a bad start to the season. But the loss of Freeman for however long and Kalala for one match in the first week is a reality check. It's a long season and we have a very small squad. For all the optimism amongst the fanbase at the moment survival must still be this club's first goal.
Just read: Skippy Dies by Paul Murray. The blackest of black comedies set in a contemporary Dublin boys school. Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll are rife, and that's just the staff. What the boys get up to is worse... Hilarious, irreverent and at times moving and sad. It's on the long list for this year's Man Booker Prize and well recommended
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
League Cup R1: Yeovil Town 0 Crystal Palace 1
The Glovers entertained Championship outfit Crystal Palace last night in the first round of this season's League Cup competition. The match kicked off 5 minutes late due to the late arrival of Palace fans, held up by delays leaving London.
The visitors were all over Yeovil for the first 20 minutes or so, John Sullivan keeping us in the game with some excellent goal-keeping. Sullivan had an excellent match in fact, and if he carries on like this then not only will I be eating my words regarding my reservations as to his suitability as a no.1, but he'll have made the position his own, whether that's as a full-season loan or on a permanent basis. At any rate, the start Palace made threatened to blow us away, but gradually we began to catch up with the pace of the game and to create some chances of our own. Dean Bowditch was the recipient of a couple of those chances but unfortunately although he did well to get into good positions to score, the striker didn't have his shooting boots on last night and the chances went begging. Luke Freeman hit the bar for no reward, Bowditch got one on target but found a defender on the line, and Craig Alcock's header was saved. It was end-to-end stuff with both sides attacking with pace and verve and highly entertaining for the crowd of 3,720; but with no goals at half-time to show for it.
The second half was slightly less frenetic but just as entertaining and absorbing with both sides looking threatening without ever quite managing to make the breakthrough. The vast majority of fans in the stadium were convinced that the Glovers should have had a penalty with quarter-of-an-hour to go when Bowditch was upended in the visitors box by Paddy McCarthy. It looked a clear foul from where I was sitting but referee Phil Gibbs - who otherwise had an excellent game - waved play on, a pivotal decision in the outcome of the match as it turned out. The Glovers piled on the pressure for the rest of the game and in the last minute had the chance to win it when an Andy Williams cross found Bowditch in space in front of goal from 6 yards out. Somehow the ball bounced off the striker and a backtracking defender and looped gently into the Palace keeper's arms when a goal looked certain; and from the ensuing counter-attack the visitors finally did score. Sullivan did well again to block an initial shot but was left with no chance when the ball rebounded kindly to Alan Lee who scooped the ball into the back of the net. There was no time for the Glovers to respond and the Londoners were through to the next round.
We lined up as follows in a 4-4-2 formation:
1. John Sullivan: 9/10 - Top-class performance. I've been comparing him unfavourably to Alex McCarthy ever since his arrival, but this performance was every bit as good as McCarthy at his best. Mea culpa, again.
2. Craig Alcock: 7/10 - Better. More involved in the game than last Saturday, going forward and defensively.
5. Paul Huntington and 19. Adam Virgo: 8/10 for both - Our new central defenders look to be forming an effective partnership. Both are excellent in the air and no-nonsense on the ground. I was worried about their apparent susceptibility to pace pre-season, but they coped well with Palace's very pacey attack in this game. What I particularly like about them both is their refusal to take risks. If in doubt they kick the ball out and don't bugger about with it. Their other important attribute is that they both pose a threat from set-pieces. Encouraging.
3. Nathan Jones: 8/10 - Just when you think it's time for the old boy to retire then he comes along and has a game like this. Galloped up and down the left flank like somebody 20 years younger than he is, solid as a rock defensively and always prepared to get forward. A revelation.
18. Luke Freeman: 7/10 - Another very promising outing. Began the game on the right flank for a change but didn't look any worse for that, providing his usual threat running with the ball and his delivery from the wing. Was unlucky to hit the bar instead of the back of the net in the first half and is never afraid to shoot, which is very pleasing to see. Appeared to tire during the second half and was eventually replaced.
8. Luke Ayling and 21. Jean-Paul Kalala: 7/10 for both - Our central midfielders both appeared to be enjoying themselves last night and it showed in their performances. Ayling had far more time and space to pick his passes than he had against Orient and JP looked rather more like a footballer than the headless chicken he resembled on Saturday. Both of them roamed the length of the pitch in search of the ball and appear to be forming a good understanding.
7. Andy Williams: 8/10 - Started on the left and had an excellent game, whichever flank he was attacking from. Full of flicks, tricks and backheels, and provided some wonderful crosses which were begging to be put away. First-class.
9. Sam Williams: 7/10 - Decent all-round game. Didn't find it easy against Palace's experienced central defenders but stuck at it and won his share of flick-on's, one of which Bowditch really should have converted. At one point found himself clearing a Palace shot of his own line from broken play - an impressive example of his work-rate considering he's a striker!
10. Dean Bowditch: 7/10 - A frustrating game for Deano. No-one could fault his effort and ability to get himself into goalscoring positions, it was just that when he pulled the trigger he was firing blanks. He'll play worse than this and get a hat-trick.
Subs:
6. Nathan Smith (73 mins for Luke Freeman): 8/10 - Came on as a direct replacement for Freeman on the left wing and added plenty to the Glovers attacking threat. I've never rated him as an out-and-out winger before, but on this brief cameo he could do a job in that position. Fast and direct, he's surely too good to be starting on the bench for much longer, however well Jonesy played last night.
So we lost, but trundling home from the ground last night it didn't feel like we had. We were never going to win the League Cup whatever happened and despite the eventual result the performance was what counted. Terry Skiverton has put together a side with pace, flair, inventiveness and spirit. Last night we kept the ball on the ground in the main, used the flanks and looked every bit as good as our Championship opponents for most of the match. The challenge now is for the lads to build on this performance at Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
And talking of the Gas, the bookies make them evens favourites for the win at the weekend, the draw is priced at 12/5 and the away win at 11/4. Given Rovers poor start to the season and the fact that we won there last time out I reckon that's quite generous of the bookies, and my fiver's going on the away win. Running total: +£1.25p.
Just read: Orbus by Neal Asher, and Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds: Two terrific 'hard' science-fiction books written in two very different styles, but both immensely entertaining in their different ways. Orbus is a Spatterjay novel set in Asher's Polity universe, and if you're a science-fiction fan who doesn't know what I'm talking about when I say that then you owe it to yourself to check his books out. Densely-plotted and action-packed, Orbus is simply wonderful. Pushing Ice is very different in tone and style, but equally rewarding. A stand-alone novel with big ideas and a huge timescale, but rooted in human foibles. Thought-provoking, well-written, and again, very enjoyable.
The visitors were all over Yeovil for the first 20 minutes or so, John Sullivan keeping us in the game with some excellent goal-keeping. Sullivan had an excellent match in fact, and if he carries on like this then not only will I be eating my words regarding my reservations as to his suitability as a no.1, but he'll have made the position his own, whether that's as a full-season loan or on a permanent basis. At any rate, the start Palace made threatened to blow us away, but gradually we began to catch up with the pace of the game and to create some chances of our own. Dean Bowditch was the recipient of a couple of those chances but unfortunately although he did well to get into good positions to score, the striker didn't have his shooting boots on last night and the chances went begging. Luke Freeman hit the bar for no reward, Bowditch got one on target but found a defender on the line, and Craig Alcock's header was saved. It was end-to-end stuff with both sides attacking with pace and verve and highly entertaining for the crowd of 3,720; but with no goals at half-time to show for it.
The second half was slightly less frenetic but just as entertaining and absorbing with both sides looking threatening without ever quite managing to make the breakthrough. The vast majority of fans in the stadium were convinced that the Glovers should have had a penalty with quarter-of-an-hour to go when Bowditch was upended in the visitors box by Paddy McCarthy. It looked a clear foul from where I was sitting but referee Phil Gibbs - who otherwise had an excellent game - waved play on, a pivotal decision in the outcome of the match as it turned out. The Glovers piled on the pressure for the rest of the game and in the last minute had the chance to win it when an Andy Williams cross found Bowditch in space in front of goal from 6 yards out. Somehow the ball bounced off the striker and a backtracking defender and looped gently into the Palace keeper's arms when a goal looked certain; and from the ensuing counter-attack the visitors finally did score. Sullivan did well again to block an initial shot but was left with no chance when the ball rebounded kindly to Alan Lee who scooped the ball into the back of the net. There was no time for the Glovers to respond and the Londoners were through to the next round.
We lined up as follows in a 4-4-2 formation:
1. John Sullivan: 9/10 - Top-class performance. I've been comparing him unfavourably to Alex McCarthy ever since his arrival, but this performance was every bit as good as McCarthy at his best. Mea culpa, again.
2. Craig Alcock: 7/10 - Better. More involved in the game than last Saturday, going forward and defensively.
5. Paul Huntington and 19. Adam Virgo: 8/10 for both - Our new central defenders look to be forming an effective partnership. Both are excellent in the air and no-nonsense on the ground. I was worried about their apparent susceptibility to pace pre-season, but they coped well with Palace's very pacey attack in this game. What I particularly like about them both is their refusal to take risks. If in doubt they kick the ball out and don't bugger about with it. Their other important attribute is that they both pose a threat from set-pieces. Encouraging.
3. Nathan Jones: 8/10 - Just when you think it's time for the old boy to retire then he comes along and has a game like this. Galloped up and down the left flank like somebody 20 years younger than he is, solid as a rock defensively and always prepared to get forward. A revelation.
18. Luke Freeman: 7/10 - Another very promising outing. Began the game on the right flank for a change but didn't look any worse for that, providing his usual threat running with the ball and his delivery from the wing. Was unlucky to hit the bar instead of the back of the net in the first half and is never afraid to shoot, which is very pleasing to see. Appeared to tire during the second half and was eventually replaced.
8. Luke Ayling and 21. Jean-Paul Kalala: 7/10 for both - Our central midfielders both appeared to be enjoying themselves last night and it showed in their performances. Ayling had far more time and space to pick his passes than he had against Orient and JP looked rather more like a footballer than the headless chicken he resembled on Saturday. Both of them roamed the length of the pitch in search of the ball and appear to be forming a good understanding.
7. Andy Williams: 8/10 - Started on the left and had an excellent game, whichever flank he was attacking from. Full of flicks, tricks and backheels, and provided some wonderful crosses which were begging to be put away. First-class.
9. Sam Williams: 7/10 - Decent all-round game. Didn't find it easy against Palace's experienced central defenders but stuck at it and won his share of flick-on's, one of which Bowditch really should have converted. At one point found himself clearing a Palace shot of his own line from broken play - an impressive example of his work-rate considering he's a striker!
10. Dean Bowditch: 7/10 - A frustrating game for Deano. No-one could fault his effort and ability to get himself into goalscoring positions, it was just that when he pulled the trigger he was firing blanks. He'll play worse than this and get a hat-trick.
Subs:
6. Nathan Smith (73 mins for Luke Freeman): 8/10 - Came on as a direct replacement for Freeman on the left wing and added plenty to the Glovers attacking threat. I've never rated him as an out-and-out winger before, but on this brief cameo he could do a job in that position. Fast and direct, he's surely too good to be starting on the bench for much longer, however well Jonesy played last night.
So we lost, but trundling home from the ground last night it didn't feel like we had. We were never going to win the League Cup whatever happened and despite the eventual result the performance was what counted. Terry Skiverton has put together a side with pace, flair, inventiveness and spirit. Last night we kept the ball on the ground in the main, used the flanks and looked every bit as good as our Championship opponents for most of the match. The challenge now is for the lads to build on this performance at Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
And talking of the Gas, the bookies make them evens favourites for the win at the weekend, the draw is priced at 12/5 and the away win at 11/4. Given Rovers poor start to the season and the fact that we won there last time out I reckon that's quite generous of the bookies, and my fiver's going on the away win. Running total: +£1.25p.
Just read: Orbus by Neal Asher, and Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds: Two terrific 'hard' science-fiction books written in two very different styles, but both immensely entertaining in their different ways. Orbus is a Spatterjay novel set in Asher's Polity universe, and if you're a science-fiction fan who doesn't know what I'm talking about when I say that then you owe it to yourself to check his books out. Densely-plotted and action-packed, Orbus is simply wonderful. Pushing Ice is very different in tone and style, but equally rewarding. A stand-alone novel with big ideas and a huge timescale, but rooted in human foibles. Thought-provoking, well-written, and again, very enjoyable.
Adam Stansfield 1978-2010
Shocking news. Adam Stansfield has passed away. He had been diagnosed with bowel cancer and lost his battle with the disease last night, at the age of 31. My deep and sincere commiserations to his family and friends.
What can you say when something like this happens? There's no rhyme nor reason to it, nothing that can be said to make anyone feel better. All we have left are memories. I'll never forget Adam scoring against Stevenage Borough in the FA Trophy final and especially his interview afterwards, live on Sky Sports. 'I've come fucking miles for this,' he beamed in sheer delight and I can remember laughing out loud and thinking, yeah, haven't we all Lisa, haven't we all. I loved him a little bit for that and I loved him for the sheer effort he put in on the football pitch, loved him for the way he never stopped running, never stopped closing the opposition defenders down and for all the goals he scored in the green-and-white. And always with a smile on his face. And I loved him for refusing to celebrate when he scored against us for Exeter the last time he played at Huish Park, a short time before he was diagnosed with the bowel cancer that ended his life.
An Exeter fan, Nick Bryant, is doing a charity run from Exeter to Yeovil on the day the Glovers play Exeter City, Saturday 25th September, in aid of Cancer Research UK. Donations can be made here: www.justgiving.com/arunforstanno
Rest In Peace Adam, you'll be missed.
What can you say when something like this happens? There's no rhyme nor reason to it, nothing that can be said to make anyone feel better. All we have left are memories. I'll never forget Adam scoring against Stevenage Borough in the FA Trophy final and especially his interview afterwards, live on Sky Sports. 'I've come fucking miles for this,' he beamed in sheer delight and I can remember laughing out loud and thinking, yeah, haven't we all Lisa, haven't we all. I loved him a little bit for that and I loved him for the sheer effort he put in on the football pitch, loved him for the way he never stopped running, never stopped closing the opposition defenders down and for all the goals he scored in the green-and-white. And always with a smile on his face. And I loved him for refusing to celebrate when he scored against us for Exeter the last time he played at Huish Park, a short time before he was diagnosed with the bowel cancer that ended his life.
An Exeter fan, Nick Bryant, is doing a charity run from Exeter to Yeovil on the day the Glovers play Exeter City, Saturday 25th September, in aid of Cancer Research UK. Donations can be made here: www.justgiving.com/arunforstanno
Rest In Peace Adam, you'll be missed.
Monday, 9 August 2010
Get Over The Hump
Guest-blogger time. Cruncher is back with a powerful plea to the Board to start talking....
Get Over The Hump
Time is moving on, and the questions and worries about the club's restructuring plans continue to be met with a castle-wall of silence. As an enthusiastic manager with an enterprising on-field approach who can also easily connect with the support, Terry Skiverton is a promising prospect to bring more through the gate. It is worrying, though, that he might be hindered by the Board's reluctance to illuminate about their own enterprising endeavours.
On one hand there is much to draw in new punters and to re-enthuse old ones to return. On the other, the club is advocating what has proved elsewhere to be significant risk in divorcing the football club from its ground - and then significantly compounding that with no explanation. It's a subjective view, but I tend to think it feasible that while Skiverton is drumming up more support, the wall of silence could cause the potential returning masses to, at best, dither.
The first crowd of the season could be read two ways: disappointing because it was down by a couple hundred on last year's opener; or encouraging because three hundred more turned up than for Orient's last visit - which is significant because last year it was also an August fixture. Which leads me to conclude unsurprisingly that nothing can be concluded after one game just as equally with attendances as with on-field prospects. I do think though that the end of August sum total attendance compared to last August might be an early measure, and even tomorrow's Crystal Palace Carling Cup crowd will be interesting to compare against last year's 3,860, for the Norwich encounter at the same stage of the competition.
Anyway, we'll have to see. It's the dilemma that I particularly want to mention and for the Board to note its significance: a feeling that we could indeed be taking small exciting steps to better things, yet coinciding with a great and rational fear of where the restructuring proposals could lead. They need to appreciate that this is what is in hearts and minds at this time, including no doubt in those that are 'dithering' about either finding out what Huish Park is like, or returning to the fold. It is real, and needs to addressed.
For what this club both needs and wants, Terry Skiverton's approach to developing this club hits the mark. A clear long-term objective to continue on an upward climb, committed to sourcing and developing talented youngsters to play to an entertaining attacking plan. Combine this with his understanding of the perspective from the supporter and the press, as an effective and enthusiastic communicator, then Skiverton shows potential to follow the successful eras of Alec Stock, Mike Hughes and Gary Johnson that defined the football club.
John Fry, like all of us, may acquire criticism on specific issues, but he has also certainly done enough for this club to have earned his place in the history of the club as firmly as anyone. That though adds to the enigma. Start talking to us. When it comes to matters so important as ground, I like my terra to be firma.
I particularly enjoyed DNB's post on the Achieve by Unity forum about the last twenty years of wonderful mixed emotion since the move from the old Huish - I want someone doing that with similar fond memories in another twenty years. Matt Scott of The Guardian has learned that his persistence has given the club 'the hump'. Time for the club to get over their hump. Martin Starnes has stressed in The Western Gazette the need for people to attend games - while welcome to hear, it falls on the club to look into all aspects of why people may not be attending.
How frustrating it would be to negate the good efforts of the management team, and indeed the good efforts of many years of good practice with John Fry at the helm. Silence or insufficient communication though has been a long-standing bugbear - but all those occasions added up together cannot amount to the need for words as does this singularly important restructuring issue.
As the line says, 'Silence like a cancer grows ...'
Cruncher
Get Over The Hump
Time is moving on, and the questions and worries about the club's restructuring plans continue to be met with a castle-wall of silence. As an enthusiastic manager with an enterprising on-field approach who can also easily connect with the support, Terry Skiverton is a promising prospect to bring more through the gate. It is worrying, though, that he might be hindered by the Board's reluctance to illuminate about their own enterprising endeavours.
On one hand there is much to draw in new punters and to re-enthuse old ones to return. On the other, the club is advocating what has proved elsewhere to be significant risk in divorcing the football club from its ground - and then significantly compounding that with no explanation. It's a subjective view, but I tend to think it feasible that while Skiverton is drumming up more support, the wall of silence could cause the potential returning masses to, at best, dither.
The first crowd of the season could be read two ways: disappointing because it was down by a couple hundred on last year's opener; or encouraging because three hundred more turned up than for Orient's last visit - which is significant because last year it was also an August fixture. Which leads me to conclude unsurprisingly that nothing can be concluded after one game just as equally with attendances as with on-field prospects. I do think though that the end of August sum total attendance compared to last August might be an early measure, and even tomorrow's Crystal Palace Carling Cup crowd will be interesting to compare against last year's 3,860, for the Norwich encounter at the same stage of the competition.
Anyway, we'll have to see. It's the dilemma that I particularly want to mention and for the Board to note its significance: a feeling that we could indeed be taking small exciting steps to better things, yet coinciding with a great and rational fear of where the restructuring proposals could lead. They need to appreciate that this is what is in hearts and minds at this time, including no doubt in those that are 'dithering' about either finding out what Huish Park is like, or returning to the fold. It is real, and needs to addressed.
For what this club both needs and wants, Terry Skiverton's approach to developing this club hits the mark. A clear long-term objective to continue on an upward climb, committed to sourcing and developing talented youngsters to play to an entertaining attacking plan. Combine this with his understanding of the perspective from the supporter and the press, as an effective and enthusiastic communicator, then Skiverton shows potential to follow the successful eras of Alec Stock, Mike Hughes and Gary Johnson that defined the football club.
John Fry, like all of us, may acquire criticism on specific issues, but he has also certainly done enough for this club to have earned his place in the history of the club as firmly as anyone. That though adds to the enigma. Start talking to us. When it comes to matters so important as ground, I like my terra to be firma.
I particularly enjoyed DNB's post on the Achieve by Unity forum about the last twenty years of wonderful mixed emotion since the move from the old Huish - I want someone doing that with similar fond memories in another twenty years. Matt Scott of The Guardian has learned that his persistence has given the club 'the hump'. Time for the club to get over their hump. Martin Starnes has stressed in The Western Gazette the need for people to attend games - while welcome to hear, it falls on the club to look into all aspects of why people may not be attending.
How frustrating it would be to negate the good efforts of the management team, and indeed the good efforts of many years of good practice with John Fry at the helm. Silence or insufficient communication though has been a long-standing bugbear - but all those occasions added up together cannot amount to the need for words as does this singularly important restructuring issue.
As the line says, 'Silence like a cancer grows ...'
Cruncher
Sunday, 8 August 2010
L1: Yeovil Town 2 Leyton Orient 1
Goals from Dean Bowditch and Luke Freeman got the Glovers off to a winning start to the new season at Huish Park yesterday. Visitors Leyton Orient probably had more possession during the match and in truth looked the better side for much of the game, but a combination of good finishing and last-ditch defending won the points for Terry Skiverton's men.
The Glovers started the match well and dominated the first quarter-of-an-hour of the game, taking a deserved lead through a Bowditch solo effort. The striker received the ball wide on the right, cut inside to beat his marker and placed the ball wide of the keeper in the left hand corner of the goal from just outside the box. An excellent start, but strangely the Glovers couldn't capitalise and instead seemed to retreat into their shell, allowing the visitors to gradually take control of midfield and the match. It was no surprise when the O's pulled level on 41 minutes, Alex Revell nodding home a Dean Cox cross with the Glovers central defenders stranded. What was a surprise was the Glovers going into half-time with the lead intact, and it came about through a mistake from O's keeper Jamie Jones. A long ball out of defence found Andy Williams wide on the right who did well to take the ball down under heavy pressure and lob a cross into the box from the by-line. It looked easy for Jones but somehow the ball squirmed out of his grasp to fall into the path of Freeman, who side-footed gleefully into the open goal for probably one of the easiest goals he will ever score. 2-1 to Yeovil at half-time.
And that's how it stayed. The pattern of the game had been set: The visitors had most of the possession, passing the ball around nicely up to the home side's penalty box and invariably grinding to a halt there - all very familiar to long-time watchers of Russell Slade's sides, it must be said. Former Glover Terrell Forbes was unlucky not to score when a bullet header hit the post from a corner, and on the odd other occasion the visitors did break through Adam Virgo crowned an excellent competitive debut by clearing off the line. Orient huffed and puffed, the Glovers threatened sporadically on the break and that, in the end, was that. Not the the most convincing of performances from the Glovers, but a very welcome three points and plenty of room for improvement. I'll very happily take that.
We lined up as follows in a 4-4-2 formation:
1. John Sullivan: 7/10 - Good, competent performance. Not overly stretched by the O's attack but did what he had to do well and without fuss.
2. Craig Alcock: 6/10 - Decent game, without ever quite hitting the highs that we know he's capable of. Looked to be caught out of position for Orient's goal, but that's what can happen when your full-back is looking to attack as much as Craig does.
5. Paul Huntington: 7/10 - Very solid and reliable. I was a tad concerned about his parternship with Virgo beforehand and indeed they were caught out once looking at each other wondering who should have been marking who after Revell's goal; but apart from that lapse combined very well.
19. Adam Virgo: 8/10 - I take it all back! I said a week or so ago that I didn't think that Virgo would be a good signing, good in the air but too slow. I was wrong. Dominated at the back, dangerous at set-pieces, and kept us in the game with a couple of goal-line clearances where he literally put his body on the line. Mea culpa!
3. Nathan Jones: 5/10 - No doubting his enthusiasm, nor his effort and certainly not his spirit but these days the flesh is getting weaker. I assume Nathan Smith has some sort of knock?
7. Andrew Williams: 6/10 - Didn't quite get into the game with the same kind of positive effect we saw in the friendlies. Didn't have a bad game by any means and the second goal came from his assist, but was generally fairly quiet by his recent standards.
8. Luke Ayling: 5/10 - Tried hard but found it tough against Orient's 3-man midfield. Rarely had the time on the ball that he found in the pre-season, but kept going against the odds. It's all part of the learning curve for him.
21. JP Kalala: 6/10 - Looked like a one-man wrecking squad at times. Threw himself into tackles but was always swimming against the tide of that 3-man midfield. When he did get the ball his passing wasn't as precise as it might have been.
18. Luke Freeman: 7/10 - Decent game. Made one or two good runs down the left but guilty at times of trying to beat one man too many before delivering the ball. Again, it's all part of the learning curve for him. Attacking instincts led him to be in the right place at the right time for the winning goal.
9. Sam Williams: 5/10 - No lack of effort but no real penetration or anything much else really. Did okay, but you can see why Skivo has started talking about the need for an alternative target-man.
10. Dean Bowditch: 7/10 - Good game. Enthusiastic running, put himself about the pitch, always available for the pass, took his goal very well and was unlucky not to score again in the second half.
Subs:
14. Rob Kiernan (84 mins for Luke Freeman): N/A - Not on long enough to make an impression.
15. Cameron Stewart (77 mins for Dean Bowditch): 6/10 - Did enough in the short time he was on to suggest that Andy Williams is going to have real competition for the right-wing role.
One down then and 45 to go. Tuesday night sees the visit of Championship side Crystal Palace. The bookies make the Eagles favourites at 13/10, the draw is priced at 12/5 and a Glovers win at 17/10. My fiver is going on the home win. Running total: +£6.25p.
The Glovers started the match well and dominated the first quarter-of-an-hour of the game, taking a deserved lead through a Bowditch solo effort. The striker received the ball wide on the right, cut inside to beat his marker and placed the ball wide of the keeper in the left hand corner of the goal from just outside the box. An excellent start, but strangely the Glovers couldn't capitalise and instead seemed to retreat into their shell, allowing the visitors to gradually take control of midfield and the match. It was no surprise when the O's pulled level on 41 minutes, Alex Revell nodding home a Dean Cox cross with the Glovers central defenders stranded. What was a surprise was the Glovers going into half-time with the lead intact, and it came about through a mistake from O's keeper Jamie Jones. A long ball out of defence found Andy Williams wide on the right who did well to take the ball down under heavy pressure and lob a cross into the box from the by-line. It looked easy for Jones but somehow the ball squirmed out of his grasp to fall into the path of Freeman, who side-footed gleefully into the open goal for probably one of the easiest goals he will ever score. 2-1 to Yeovil at half-time.
And that's how it stayed. The pattern of the game had been set: The visitors had most of the possession, passing the ball around nicely up to the home side's penalty box and invariably grinding to a halt there - all very familiar to long-time watchers of Russell Slade's sides, it must be said. Former Glover Terrell Forbes was unlucky not to score when a bullet header hit the post from a corner, and on the odd other occasion the visitors did break through Adam Virgo crowned an excellent competitive debut by clearing off the line. Orient huffed and puffed, the Glovers threatened sporadically on the break and that, in the end, was that. Not the the most convincing of performances from the Glovers, but a very welcome three points and plenty of room for improvement. I'll very happily take that.
We lined up as follows in a 4-4-2 formation:
1. John Sullivan: 7/10 - Good, competent performance. Not overly stretched by the O's attack but did what he had to do well and without fuss.
2. Craig Alcock: 6/10 - Decent game, without ever quite hitting the highs that we know he's capable of. Looked to be caught out of position for Orient's goal, but that's what can happen when your full-back is looking to attack as much as Craig does.
5. Paul Huntington: 7/10 - Very solid and reliable. I was a tad concerned about his parternship with Virgo beforehand and indeed they were caught out once looking at each other wondering who should have been marking who after Revell's goal; but apart from that lapse combined very well.
19. Adam Virgo: 8/10 - I take it all back! I said a week or so ago that I didn't think that Virgo would be a good signing, good in the air but too slow. I was wrong. Dominated at the back, dangerous at set-pieces, and kept us in the game with a couple of goal-line clearances where he literally put his body on the line. Mea culpa!
3. Nathan Jones: 5/10 - No doubting his enthusiasm, nor his effort and certainly not his spirit but these days the flesh is getting weaker. I assume Nathan Smith has some sort of knock?
7. Andrew Williams: 6/10 - Didn't quite get into the game with the same kind of positive effect we saw in the friendlies. Didn't have a bad game by any means and the second goal came from his assist, but was generally fairly quiet by his recent standards.
8. Luke Ayling: 5/10 - Tried hard but found it tough against Orient's 3-man midfield. Rarely had the time on the ball that he found in the pre-season, but kept going against the odds. It's all part of the learning curve for him.
21. JP Kalala: 6/10 - Looked like a one-man wrecking squad at times. Threw himself into tackles but was always swimming against the tide of that 3-man midfield. When he did get the ball his passing wasn't as precise as it might have been.
18. Luke Freeman: 7/10 - Decent game. Made one or two good runs down the left but guilty at times of trying to beat one man too many before delivering the ball. Again, it's all part of the learning curve for him. Attacking instincts led him to be in the right place at the right time for the winning goal.
9. Sam Williams: 5/10 - No lack of effort but no real penetration or anything much else really. Did okay, but you can see why Skivo has started talking about the need for an alternative target-man.
10. Dean Bowditch: 7/10 - Good game. Enthusiastic running, put himself about the pitch, always available for the pass, took his goal very well and was unlucky not to score again in the second half.
Subs:
14. Rob Kiernan (84 mins for Luke Freeman): N/A - Not on long enough to make an impression.
15. Cameron Stewart (77 mins for Dean Bowditch): 6/10 - Did enough in the short time he was on to suggest that Andy Williams is going to have real competition for the right-wing role.
One down then and 45 to go. Tuesday night sees the visit of Championship side Crystal Palace. The bookies make the Eagles favourites at 13/10, the draw is priced at 12/5 and a Glovers win at 17/10. My fiver is going on the home win. Running total: +£6.25p.
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Mystic Taff's season's predictions 2010/11
So here we are only a couple of days away from the big kick-off and it's time once again to put on my Tommy Cooper fez and gaze into my crystal ball to see who's going to finish where next May. Now people laughed this time last year when, amongst other things, I said Stevenage would be promoted from the Conference; and that Spurs would finish 4th in the Premiership. Guess who's laughing now? So without further ado, here are this season's runners and riders:
Premiership: Another potentially fascinating season awaits. Six clubs, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool all have the wherewithall to finish in the top four, but four into six doesn't go. My gut feeling is that Man City will this season make the breakthrough into the top four, Spurs will consolidate into real title contenders, Arsenal will slip out of the elite group and Liverpool will improve now they have a competent manager, but perhaps not by enough. I just wonder about Man Utd. Last season they relied very heavily on Wayne Rooney bringing home the bacon and they've barely strengthened over the summer. Could they be surprise strugglers? One can only hope. At the other end of the table Blackpool have to be the biggest dead certs for relegation since er, Burnley last season.
Champions: Chelsea (Last seasons prediction: Chelsea - actual finish: 1st)
Runners-up: Manchester City (Manchester United - 2nd)
3rd: Tottenham Hotspur (Liverpool - 7th)
4th: Manchester United (Tottenham Hotspur - 4th)
Europa League: Liverpool, Arsenal (Manchester City - 5th, Aston Villa - 6th)
Relegated: Blackpool, Wigan, West Ham United (Burnley - relegated, Hull City - relegated, Stoke City - 11th)
------------------------------
Championship: Normally one would expect all 3 clubs relegated from the Prem to have a good go at bouncing right back the following season but I can't see that happening this time. Portsmouth will more than likely be relegated again, Burnley were lucky to be promoted in the first place and will be play-off contenders at best, and Hull City will be happy enough with mid-table mediocrity and avoiding administration. My choices for automatic promotion are Nottingham Forest and Reading, with Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers, Middlesbrough and dark horses Doncaster Rovers vying for the play-offs. As mentioned above it doesn't take a Nostradamus to see Pompey doing a Leeds and sadly I can see Cardiff City going the same way unless the club's new Malaysian owners start putting some money where their mouths are.
Champions: Nottingham Forest (last season's prediction: Middlesbrough - actual finish: 11th.)
Runners-up: Reading (Cardiff City - 4th)
Play-off winners: Doncaster Rovers (West Bromwich Albion - 2nd)
Relegated: Portsmouth, Cardiff City, Scunthorpe United (Newcastle United - 1st [oops!], Barnsley - 18th, Swansea City - 7th)
------------------------------
League One: Southampton have the stadium, money, team and resources to go the entire season without being beaten and must be red-hot favourites to go up as champions. Charlton's experience from last season will be enough to provide the impetus to make the other automatic promotion place their own. Huddersfield, Sheffield Wednesday, Peterborough and Plymouth are my tips for the play-off's. At the other end of the table there always seems to be one surprise struggler. Last season it was Southend, this season I have a feeling in my water about our 'friends' from up north. Keep your eye on the Gas.
Champions: Southampton (last season's prediction: Charlton Athletic - actual finish: 4th)
Runners Up: Charlton Athletic (Leeds United - 2nd)
Play-off winners: Huddersfield Town (Norwich City - 1st)
Relegated: Rochdale, Exeter City, Dagenham & Redbridge, Bristol Rovers (Exeter City - 18th, Swindon Town - 5th, Hartlepool United - 20th, Carlisle United - 14th)
------------------------------
League Two: This division is looking more and more like the Conference in disguise these days and even though I forecast it happening I still can't believe Stevenage are a football league side now. The division is also one of the tightest of them all, especially at the top. My three to be promoted automatically: Bradford City, Port Vale and Morecambe. Play-off's between Burton Albion, Chesterfield, Rotherham and Aldershot. It could be equally tight at the bottom, with Accrington, Barnet, Macclesfield and Cheltenham all fighting for the right to party in the Blue Square Premier next year.
Champions: Port Vale (last season's prediction: Northampton Town - actual finish: 11th)
Runners-up: Bradford City (Notts County - 1st)
3rd place: Morecambe (Bradford City - 14th)
Play-off winners: Aldershot (Rotherham - 5th)
Relegated: Cheltenham, Accrington Stanley (Grimsby Town - relegated, Accrington Stanley - 15th)
------------------------------
Blue Square Premier: Or League Three, or even Division Five depending on how old you are. The boundaries between league and non-league are becoming more and more blurred nowadays and this season half of the teams competing in non-league's premier division are ex-football league clubs and perhaps more to the point full-time. Luton will be once again the team to beat and I fancy York City, Wrexham, Cambridge United and Grimsby to make the play-off's. Can a part-time club bridge the gap? Almost certainly not, which doesn't bode well for the likes of our our old rivals Bath City or Forest Green Rovers.
Champions: Luton Town (last season's prediction: Luton Town - actual finish: 2nd
Play-off winners: York City (Stevenage - 1st)
Relegated: Hayes & Yeading, Bath City, Forest Green Rovers, Eastbourne Borough (Salisbury - relegated, Eastbourne Borough - 19th, Ebbsfleet - relegated, Chester City - relegated).
------------------------------
And finally, proving once and for all that hope continually triumphs over experience I will again this season be putting a fiver on each of the Glover's games as they come along. Last season this resulted in me making a profit of, (drum roll....) £3.88p over the season. Well, at least it wasn't a loss.
We start off with Leyton Orient at home on Saturday. The Glovers are 5/4 favourites, the draw is priced at 9/4 and an Orient win at 11/5. In accordance with my unwritten rule that says I must always bet on the home win if we are odds against, then my fiver is going on the Glovers win. And the best of luck to us all!
Premiership: Another potentially fascinating season awaits. Six clubs, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool all have the wherewithall to finish in the top four, but four into six doesn't go. My gut feeling is that Man City will this season make the breakthrough into the top four, Spurs will consolidate into real title contenders, Arsenal will slip out of the elite group and Liverpool will improve now they have a competent manager, but perhaps not by enough. I just wonder about Man Utd. Last season they relied very heavily on Wayne Rooney bringing home the bacon and they've barely strengthened over the summer. Could they be surprise strugglers? One can only hope. At the other end of the table Blackpool have to be the biggest dead certs for relegation since er, Burnley last season.
Champions: Chelsea (Last seasons prediction: Chelsea - actual finish: 1st)
Runners-up: Manchester City (Manchester United - 2nd)
3rd: Tottenham Hotspur (Liverpool - 7th)
4th: Manchester United (Tottenham Hotspur - 4th)
Europa League: Liverpool, Arsenal (Manchester City - 5th, Aston Villa - 6th)
Relegated: Blackpool, Wigan, West Ham United (Burnley - relegated, Hull City - relegated, Stoke City - 11th)
------------------------------
Championship: Normally one would expect all 3 clubs relegated from the Prem to have a good go at bouncing right back the following season but I can't see that happening this time. Portsmouth will more than likely be relegated again, Burnley were lucky to be promoted in the first place and will be play-off contenders at best, and Hull City will be happy enough with mid-table mediocrity and avoiding administration. My choices for automatic promotion are Nottingham Forest and Reading, with Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers, Middlesbrough and dark horses Doncaster Rovers vying for the play-offs. As mentioned above it doesn't take a Nostradamus to see Pompey doing a Leeds and sadly I can see Cardiff City going the same way unless the club's new Malaysian owners start putting some money where their mouths are.
Champions: Nottingham Forest (last season's prediction: Middlesbrough - actual finish: 11th.)
Runners-up: Reading (Cardiff City - 4th)
Play-off winners: Doncaster Rovers (West Bromwich Albion - 2nd)
Relegated: Portsmouth, Cardiff City, Scunthorpe United (Newcastle United - 1st [oops!], Barnsley - 18th, Swansea City - 7th)
------------------------------
League One: Southampton have the stadium, money, team and resources to go the entire season without being beaten and must be red-hot favourites to go up as champions. Charlton's experience from last season will be enough to provide the impetus to make the other automatic promotion place their own. Huddersfield, Sheffield Wednesday, Peterborough and Plymouth are my tips for the play-off's. At the other end of the table there always seems to be one surprise struggler. Last season it was Southend, this season I have a feeling in my water about our 'friends' from up north. Keep your eye on the Gas.
Champions: Southampton (last season's prediction: Charlton Athletic - actual finish: 4th)
Runners Up: Charlton Athletic (Leeds United - 2nd)
Play-off winners: Huddersfield Town (Norwich City - 1st)
Relegated: Rochdale, Exeter City, Dagenham & Redbridge, Bristol Rovers (Exeter City - 18th, Swindon Town - 5th, Hartlepool United - 20th, Carlisle United - 14th)
------------------------------
League Two: This division is looking more and more like the Conference in disguise these days and even though I forecast it happening I still can't believe Stevenage are a football league side now. The division is also one of the tightest of them all, especially at the top. My three to be promoted automatically: Bradford City, Port Vale and Morecambe. Play-off's between Burton Albion, Chesterfield, Rotherham and Aldershot. It could be equally tight at the bottom, with Accrington, Barnet, Macclesfield and Cheltenham all fighting for the right to party in the Blue Square Premier next year.
Champions: Port Vale (last season's prediction: Northampton Town - actual finish: 11th)
Runners-up: Bradford City (Notts County - 1st)
3rd place: Morecambe (Bradford City - 14th)
Play-off winners: Aldershot (Rotherham - 5th)
Relegated: Cheltenham, Accrington Stanley (Grimsby Town - relegated, Accrington Stanley - 15th)
------------------------------
Blue Square Premier: Or League Three, or even Division Five depending on how old you are. The boundaries between league and non-league are becoming more and more blurred nowadays and this season half of the teams competing in non-league's premier division are ex-football league clubs and perhaps more to the point full-time. Luton will be once again the team to beat and I fancy York City, Wrexham, Cambridge United and Grimsby to make the play-off's. Can a part-time club bridge the gap? Almost certainly not, which doesn't bode well for the likes of our our old rivals Bath City or Forest Green Rovers.
Champions: Luton Town (last season's prediction: Luton Town - actual finish: 2nd
Play-off winners: York City (Stevenage - 1st)
Relegated: Hayes & Yeading, Bath City, Forest Green Rovers, Eastbourne Borough (Salisbury - relegated, Eastbourne Borough - 19th, Ebbsfleet - relegated, Chester City - relegated).
------------------------------
And finally, proving once and for all that hope continually triumphs over experience I will again this season be putting a fiver on each of the Glover's games as they come along. Last season this resulted in me making a profit of, (drum roll....) £3.88p over the season. Well, at least it wasn't a loss.
We start off with Leyton Orient at home on Saturday. The Glovers are 5/4 favourites, the draw is priced at 9/4 and an Orient win at 11/5. In accordance with my unwritten rule that says I must always bet on the home win if we are odds against, then my fiver is going on the Glovers win. And the best of luck to us all!
Monday, 2 August 2010
We're going to score one more than you
This time last year I looked at the Glovers squad and compared it with the squad from the previous season and attempted to forecast where we would eventually end up at the end of the season. Quite clearly I knew what I was talking about as my forecast of a final position of 15th did indeed eventually come to pass, though we'll draw a veil over such comments as "An injury-free Scott Murray will score and provide goals." and "Keeping Danny Schofield was the third major bonus of the summer." Well, no-one can be right all of the time.
Here then, is my look at this season's squad (with last season's incumbents in brackets) and my thoughts as to what we can expect:
Goalkeepers: John Sullivan, Richard Martin (Alex McCarthy, Richard Martin). You've got to feel a little sorry for John Sullivan. Not only has he to follow in Alex McCarthy's footsteps, he still doesn't know if he's going to be here for more than a month, with rumours persisting that McCarthy may be on his way back to Huish Park eventually. At least, we don't know if Sullivan knows if he's going to be here for more than a month, if you see what I mean. Perhaps he does? Whatever, Sullivan's a competent enough keeper, but he's no McCarthy. This year's Martin looks to be an improvement on last year's Martin.
Fullbacks: Craig Alcock, Danny Hutchins, Nathan Smith, Nathan Jones, (Craig Alcock, Danny Hutchins, Nathan Smith, Nathan Jones. No change from last season, surprisingly. I've said it before and I'll say it again, in my opinion Alcock and Smith are as good a pair of starting fullbacks in this league and we're lucky to have kept hold of both of them. We'll hopefully see a lot less of Nathan Jones on the pitch this season and it would be wonderful if Danny Hutchins was to rediscover the form and enthusiasm he showed when he first came to the club on loan from Spurs.
Central defenders: Stefan Stam, Adam Virgo, Paul Huntington, Rob Kiernan (Stefan Stam, Steven Caulker, Terrell Forbes). I've included Kiernan as a central defender but he could equally be used as a midfielder. And currently he's only here for a month anyway. As for the rest, Stam unfortunately is liable to be injured more than he plays and from what I've seen so far in the pre-season both Virgo and Huntington have two things in common: They're good in the air and susceptible to being run at with pace. It remains to be seen whether the threat they'll pose from set-pieces will be greater than their vulnerability from open play.
Central midfielders: JP Kalala, Luke Ayling, Ed Upson (Kieran Murtagh, George O'Callaghan, Ryan Mason). Both Ayling and Upson look to have bags of potential but both are very young and relatively untried. Kalala's fitness and influence will be crucial.
Wingers: Andy Williams, Cameron Stewart, Luke Freeman, Andy Welsh (Scott Murray, Aidan Downes, Danny Schofield, Andy Welsh). If there's one area we've strengthened then this is it. All four of this season's squad are exciting, attacking players and 3 of the 4 are also capable of playing up front. Really looking forward to seeing them all play this season.
Strikers: Sam Williams, Dean Bowditch, Craig Calver (Gavin Tomlin, Sam Williams, Dean Bowditch, Andre McCollin). If Bowditch can stay fit then it's not impossible to see him scoring 20 goals this season. The key phrase is 'stay fit'.
Overall then we have at the time of writing a first-team squad of 20 (assuming Richard Martin has signed some sort of contract), the same as this time last year plus around a dozen academy players. Two of the first-team squad are loanees on long-term (6-month) deals and 2 are loanees on short-term (1-month) deals.
It's evident that Skivo is setting out to build on last season's pattern of play and then some. We're going to get the ball down, out to the flanks and then into the box and there's going to be plenty of attackers in and around the box looking for the ball. I fully expect us to start most games with a back four and two holding midfielders, but after that it's anyone's guess. It could be 4-4-2, 4-2-1-3, 4-2-3-1, even 4-2-4 at times. Whatever it is, it's going to be attacking, open - maybe to open for comfort at times - and exciting.
It's one of those beautiful ironies that football often throws up that our first opponents this season are Leyton Orient, managed by former Glovers boss Russell Slade. It's often forgotten that under Slade the Glovers played some breathtaking stuff at times during his first season at Huish Park even if he came to be regarded as - at best - a pragmatic manager, someone who's first concern was to stop his opponents scoring rather than one who takes risks. Skivo is shaping up to be his exact opposite in philosophy, one of the 'we're going to score one more than you' school. As much as I admired Slade and respected the work he did at Yeovil, I'll take Skivo and his attractive and attacking style of football any day.
For what it's worth I think this time around we're going to do better than last season. Last term we won a grand total of 13 games out of 46 played and finished 15th On 53 points. We look stronger going forward this season even if marginally weaker defensively, but I think Skivo has rightly decided that attack is the best form of defence. We will finish in the top ten, but out of the play-off's. Final position: 9th. As far as cup competitions are concerned I couldn't help noticing that we are 40/1 to win the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at the moment. 40/1! Say no more.
Here then, is my look at this season's squad (with last season's incumbents in brackets) and my thoughts as to what we can expect:
Goalkeepers: John Sullivan, Richard Martin (Alex McCarthy, Richard Martin). You've got to feel a little sorry for John Sullivan. Not only has he to follow in Alex McCarthy's footsteps, he still doesn't know if he's going to be here for more than a month, with rumours persisting that McCarthy may be on his way back to Huish Park eventually. At least, we don't know if Sullivan knows if he's going to be here for more than a month, if you see what I mean. Perhaps he does? Whatever, Sullivan's a competent enough keeper, but he's no McCarthy. This year's Martin looks to be an improvement on last year's Martin.
Fullbacks: Craig Alcock, Danny Hutchins, Nathan Smith, Nathan Jones, (Craig Alcock, Danny Hutchins, Nathan Smith, Nathan Jones. No change from last season, surprisingly. I've said it before and I'll say it again, in my opinion Alcock and Smith are as good a pair of starting fullbacks in this league and we're lucky to have kept hold of both of them. We'll hopefully see a lot less of Nathan Jones on the pitch this season and it would be wonderful if Danny Hutchins was to rediscover the form and enthusiasm he showed when he first came to the club on loan from Spurs.
Central defenders: Stefan Stam, Adam Virgo, Paul Huntington, Rob Kiernan (Stefan Stam, Steven Caulker, Terrell Forbes). I've included Kiernan as a central defender but he could equally be used as a midfielder. And currently he's only here for a month anyway. As for the rest, Stam unfortunately is liable to be injured more than he plays and from what I've seen so far in the pre-season both Virgo and Huntington have two things in common: They're good in the air and susceptible to being run at with pace. It remains to be seen whether the threat they'll pose from set-pieces will be greater than their vulnerability from open play.
Central midfielders: JP Kalala, Luke Ayling, Ed Upson (Kieran Murtagh, George O'Callaghan, Ryan Mason). Both Ayling and Upson look to have bags of potential but both are very young and relatively untried. Kalala's fitness and influence will be crucial.
Wingers: Andy Williams, Cameron Stewart, Luke Freeman, Andy Welsh (Scott Murray, Aidan Downes, Danny Schofield, Andy Welsh). If there's one area we've strengthened then this is it. All four of this season's squad are exciting, attacking players and 3 of the 4 are also capable of playing up front. Really looking forward to seeing them all play this season.
Strikers: Sam Williams, Dean Bowditch, Craig Calver (Gavin Tomlin, Sam Williams, Dean Bowditch, Andre McCollin). If Bowditch can stay fit then it's not impossible to see him scoring 20 goals this season. The key phrase is 'stay fit'.
Overall then we have at the time of writing a first-team squad of 20 (assuming Richard Martin has signed some sort of contract), the same as this time last year plus around a dozen academy players. Two of the first-team squad are loanees on long-term (6-month) deals and 2 are loanees on short-term (1-month) deals.
It's evident that Skivo is setting out to build on last season's pattern of play and then some. We're going to get the ball down, out to the flanks and then into the box and there's going to be plenty of attackers in and around the box looking for the ball. I fully expect us to start most games with a back four and two holding midfielders, but after that it's anyone's guess. It could be 4-4-2, 4-2-1-3, 4-2-3-1, even 4-2-4 at times. Whatever it is, it's going to be attacking, open - maybe to open for comfort at times - and exciting.
It's one of those beautiful ironies that football often throws up that our first opponents this season are Leyton Orient, managed by former Glovers boss Russell Slade. It's often forgotten that under Slade the Glovers played some breathtaking stuff at times during his first season at Huish Park even if he came to be regarded as - at best - a pragmatic manager, someone who's first concern was to stop his opponents scoring rather than one who takes risks. Skivo is shaping up to be his exact opposite in philosophy, one of the 'we're going to score one more than you' school. As much as I admired Slade and respected the work he did at Yeovil, I'll take Skivo and his attractive and attacking style of football any day.
For what it's worth I think this time around we're going to do better than last season. Last term we won a grand total of 13 games out of 46 played and finished 15th On 53 points. We look stronger going forward this season even if marginally weaker defensively, but I think Skivo has rightly decided that attack is the best form of defence. We will finish in the top ten, but out of the play-off's. Final position: 9th. As far as cup competitions are concerned I couldn't help noticing that we are 40/1 to win the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at the moment. 40/1! Say no more.
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