2017/18 Prediction League; Game 2 v Yeovil Town (away)

Div3North · 09-08-2017, 22:05

Yeovil Town

V

Accrington Stanley

2017/18 Prediction League; Game 2 v Yeovil (away)

Lest it be forgotten, amid the euphoria of our beating Colchester 3-1 and PNE 3-2 and the humbling of Yeovil 8-2 at Luton followed by their EFL Cup loss at Wolves by the odd goal in one, it’s only four years since the Glovers were a Championship side .............. I know four years is a long time in football (ask any Manager!), and I’m very well aware that their sojourn in the Heady Reaches lasted but one season, going back down in 24th place with a record of 8 wins, 37 points and a GD of -31 (actually, they went down again the season after as well, joining us in the Basement); but my point is, let’s not assume in Week 2 that they’re cannon fodder and we’re the footie equivalent of Genghis Khan’s Army. Truth is that there really aren’t any easy games in League Two; optimistic, certainly, but not cocky ..... or Chucky, come to that!

And am I the only one who smiles when I hear that “Plonkers United FC are so upset by the manner of their unacceptable defeat by Goldenboys Athletic that they’ve decided to refund all their travelling fans their bus fare”? You can see it, can’t you; final whistle gone, troop back to the dressing room, and – to a man – the whole squad choruses as one, “That wasn’t good enough Boss, we need to give The Faithful their money back”. And anyway, where is the line? Does losing 3-0 at a lower league side in the Cup qualify for a Squad Refund? Or is it 4-0? 5-0? 7-4? (I was there!!!!!!!) And is it handed over in person, like the Maundy Money? And do you get reimbursed for your Pie?............... Just a thought

Last season wasn’t Yeovil’s best ever, either; by November of the previous season they’d won just twice in the League, and that saw Paul Sturrock on his way to the DSS, replaced by former player and First Team Coach Darren Way; 2016/17 started well enough, but from 4th December they only won 3 of their last 27 games, sliding from the playoffs to 20th with a record of 11 wins, 17 draws, joint second lowest 49 goals scored (-15 GD) and 50 points; Francois Zoko was leading scorer with 13, 8 of them in the League (one against us); and they went out of the FA Cup in Round One to Solihull Moors (There Are No Pigging Moors In Solihull, How Many Times!) after a replay. Both our games finished as half-Desmonds, Rommy getting our equaliser at home in the 91st minute, and Omar Beckles putting us ahead at Huish Park despite Scotty Brown having been red-carded (didn’t I say that last week too? That “S Brown Esq” had been written in the Referee’s Notebook? How many times did he get sent off last season?) Our record against them the year before was a 2-1 win at home (McWindass and McCrookes with the goals) and a 1-0 defeat away – so P4 W1 D2 L1 ...............

They released six in the summer, including skipper Darren Ward, 6’ 5” striker Tom Eaves (who joined Gillingham), Brandon Goodship (who shipped out to Weymouth..... “shipped” .....”Goodship” ....gerrit? .....oh suit yourselves) and 32 year-old def/MF Alex Lawless (ex Luton, FGR, York, Torquay and Ton Pentre), who was one of the 73 players signed by Leyton O ..... they offered new contracts to quite a few, but MF Kevin Dawson declined and went to Cheltenham, def Alex Lacey signed for Gillingham (see “Tom Eaves”, above), and MF Matthew Dolan joined The Exiles

They ProperSigned seven, although Guadeloupe-born def Stephane Zubar (30) – whose previous clubs include Romanian 4th Division side Fotbal Club 2002 Vaslui, Plymouth, Bournemouth and various loans – lasted from 28th June to 8th August before he was released; Antigua and Barbuda international Rhys Browne arrived from Grimsby, MF Jake Gray (21) from Luton, Irish MF Connor Smith (Watford and the Wombles) from the Pilgrims, MF James Bailey (Crewe, Derby, Barnsley and Ottawa Fury) from Carlisle, Brazilian-born winger Alefein Santos D’Abadia from Derby; Welsh defender Daniel Alfei left the fleshpots of Aberystwyth

(“There was a Young Girl from Aberystwyth,
Who took grain to the Mill to get grist with,
But the Miller’s son Jack,
Laid her flat on her back,
And ............that’s quite enough of that!”)

for the fleshpots of Yeovil – which is an interesting thought! And additionally to that, they’ve LoanSigned Southampton’s Olufela Olomola, Keston Davies from Swansea, and Sam Surridge (didn't he open the batting for England?) from the Cherries .........

Going back to 8-2, it matches their previous record defeat in the League (6-0 at Stevenage, which is embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as 8-2); their biggest League win is 6-1 against Oxford; in their day, they’ve been managed by Ron Saunders, Malcolm Allison, Russell Slade, David Webb, a Pratt (David Pratt), a Rutter (Steve Rutter) and one Basil Hayward, who also played Sherlock Holmes on the silver screen (no he didn’t; that was Basil Rathbone – known to afficiandos of Fawlty Towers as “Basil the Rat” (but only behind his back)); the Club was founded in 1895 as Yeovil Casuals – a name they lived up to on Opening Day; Huish Park was built on an old Army Camp, ’tis said, and replaced their famous ground with its sloping pitch (it went down 8 feet (2.4 metres) from one side to the other)

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 12th August; Yeovil’s current squad – which appears to total 18 – is one of the smallest around, I suspect ............ and with a squad of 18, and a GD of - 6 after one game, it could be a long hard season ............... but at least they haven’t got to worry about the EFL Cup this year!

Good luck to everyone! ................ Keep the Faith! ............ And thanks for playing!