“I expect us to finish there again this season.”


During their first season back in the Football League, The Imps picked up four points against tonight’s opponents Yeovil Town. The first meeting of last season between the two sides was played on Saturday 9th December at Huish Park, in front of a crowd of 2,472. The Imps won 2-0 that day, with goals from Matt Green (50′) and Matt Rhead (69′).

The meeting at Sincil Bank took place on Saturday 5th May, in front of a crowd of 10,004. Jordan Green put The Glovers ahead in the 10th minute. In the 30th minute, The Imps were given a penalty after Bevis Mugabi handled in the area. Matt Green stepped up and his effort from the penalty spot was saved. It was another nervy ending, but Tom Pett showed his class in the 77th minute with a superb right-footed finish from just inside the area. The match finished 1-1.

Fast forward to this season and Yeovil away, which was played on Tuesday 22nd January in front of a crowd of 2,486. The Imps won 2-0 that night, with Danny Rowe scoring both goals (27′ and 45+1′). It was a very long journey there and back on a cold and wet Tuesday, but it was well worth it. It was a very comfortable victory for City that night.

Anyway, time for the Q&As!

Thank you to Yeovil Town supporters David, Jay and Jamie for answering our questions! The answers have been published on three pages. To get to the next set of answers, simply click “click here for the next set of answers!” at the bottom right of the article, or click the names above!

How long have you supported Yeovil Town?

The 1991-92 season was my first proper season, albeit I’d been to a few matches in the seasons prior. We finished 15th in the GM Vauxhall Conference that year – I had to look that up, I was only 11 when that season finished!

Where did you finish last season?

19th in League Two.

What do you think of your Manager?

When he was appointed (December 2015) we were headed out of the Football League in freefall after relegation from the Championship and League One and managed by Paul Sturrock (the wrong man and not a well man).

Darren Way, who was on the coaching staff after an impressive playing career, was undoubtedly the cheap option and did a good job to keep us up (we finished 19th) by sheer force of personality.

The two seasons which have followed we’ve finished 20th and 19th due largely to the fact there were two worse teams than us in the division, and I expect us to finish there again this season – if we’re lucky.

Based on this the manager that taken us precisely nowhere and yet unfathomably he was given a new contract at the end of 2018 which tore opinions apart among our supporters.

I think he’s not up to the job. He’s is tactically naive, makes the same mistakes repeatedly and has a personality which is at best Marmite and has an endless repertoire of excuses albeit nothing ever appears to be his fault.

He was a decent player though.

What were your hopes and expectations at the start of the season?

Probably what we’ve got, another scrap against the drop.

Our start to the season was fantastic and seven games in we were looking great – playing open, attacking football, scoring goals and looking solid at the back, which gave me optimism that maybe we’d cracked it and this season would be better.

In the 28 games that have followed, we’ve got the worst form in the division, five points worse than Port Vale who are second worst. So much for optimism!

One(s) to watch?

I’m an exiled fan living in Lancashire, so my last match was at Oldham almost a month ago during which time a few recent arrivals have shone.

I’m a big fan of Nathan Baxter, our young keeper on loan from Chelsea, a great shot stopper who I think has a big future in the game.

Tristan Abrahams, on loan from Norwich, for a couple against Morecambe last weekend and has looked lively, so he could be worth a watch.

Who do you think will finish in the top 7?

Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Bury, Milton Keynes Dons, Exeter City, Swindon Town and Carlisle United – though not necessarily in that order!

Who do you think will finish in the bottom 2?

Hopefully not us. I’d go with the current bottom two, Notts County and Macclesfield Town.

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

I put a fiver on you to win League Two in July and have seen nothing to prove me wrong yet. Saying that I put a fiver on Liverpool to win the Premier League as well!

What do you think the score will be?

3-0 to Lincoln.

Random fact about your Club?

Ron Manager, the nonsense-spouting pundit from the Fast Show, was based on our former manager Alec Stock, who took us to our most famous Cup win against an all-conquering Sunderland side in 1949 which were known as ‘the Bank of England club’ because of the amount of money they spent.

Also, we once had Ian Botham, who grew up in Yeovil and obviously played cricket with distinction for Somerset and England, play for us in the late 1970s (17 matches, one goal) before he went on to play for Scunthorpe United.

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

Akinde. Always thought he was an absolute beast at Barnet and would love to be able to see someone who could do something with our aimless punts upfield.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Yeovil Town Supporter?

Proudest has to be winning the League One playoff at Wembley in 2013. Most embarrassing would be losing at Walton & Hersham in the Cup in 1994-95, sticks in my mind as a really humiliating result.

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

I’d say, Carl Dickinson, our full back who has been around quite a lot of clubs and joined us having been released by Notts County at the end of last season.

He’s got huge desire, loves a tackle and is one of the more experienced heads in our side, so he knows when to hand out a bollocking to his team-mates.

That said, he’s been dropped for the past couple of matches and we’ve won them both – so what do I know, eh?!

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

We do, The Glovers’ Trust. It has only been established for a couple of seasons, so it’s still finding its feet/voice/membership.

I’d describe it as a critical friend of the club, but possibly more critical than friendly, but with good reason of late.

Which was your favourite match involving Yeovil Town?

Our League One play-off semi-final, second leg at Nottingham Forest back in 2007.

We’d lost the first leg 2-0 at our place and I remember turning up at the City Ground and being asked “why are you even here?” by someone selling pin badges with a Forest badge saying ‘Wembley 2017’.

We went 1-0 in the first half, but they equalised soon after half-time and with eight minutes left their fans were in celebration mode.
Then we scored again and with three minutes to go Marcus Stewart (remember him?) scored again and took it to extra time – we scored twice in extra time, they scored once and we won 5-4 on aggregate.

An unforgettable night which totally over-shadowed the final where we lost 2-0 to Blackpool and basically failed to show up.

The story goes that you couldn’t get a train ticket from Nottingham to London the weekend of the final because Forest fans had booked them all immediately after the first leg.

Which was your least favourite match involving Yeovil Town?

Friday, September 5 1997. The night before Princess Diana’s funeral and our match got shifted to the evening before – away at Halifax Town.
It was our first season up from the ICIS League (what they call the National League South these days) and we got thumped 4-1 by a Halifax side which went to win the title comfortably.

It was cold, wet, miserable, we stood on a crumbling piece of concrete and got abuse from Yorkshiremen for 90 minutes and got home sometime around 4 am.

Do you have a Former Players Association at Yeovil Town?

Not that I’m aware of.

What’s the best thing about Yeovil?

As someone who’s lived 250 miles away from the place for the past 18 years, I may not be the best person to ask!

Where has the wonderfully titled Cider Space forum gone?

It became one of a long chain of web forums where the perpetually angry folk won and the forum owners decided to do something better with their time instead.

Ciderspace still exists as a thriving place for independent club news and comment and there’s a Facebook page where the perpetually angry folk hang out these days!

Are you nicknamed “The Glovers” because you’re handy or because you play like Brian Glover in “Kes”?

Definitely, Brian Glover, I hear he was a big fan. No, glove-making was a big industry in Yeovil in the 18th Century, so that is where the nickname comes from.

Do you still have the famous sloping pitch?

No, it’s a Tesco these days – minus the slope. The club relocated from Huish to Huish Park back in 1990. They took the name from the road the old ground was on, even though it’s nowhere near where the current ground is.

With hindsight would you substitute that one season in the Championship for ongoing mid-table security in League One?

No. As a football fan, I think you have to live for the moment and, even though we knew we didn’t have a cat in Hell’s chance of staying up, the Championship season was fantastic going to some great stadiums.

Why do so many managers come back to the club? According to Wikipedia, five managers have had two spells and Steve Thompson has had four.

Well, two in my time never actually left. Steve Thompson was an experienced player for us when our then manager quit and he took over as caretaker and then got offered the job permanently in November 1999. However, he only held the job until March 2000 when David Webb took over and Thommo became a player-assistant manager.

That was around the time the club was transitioning from part-time status to full-time, so Thommo stayed on as an assistant under Webb and his successors Colin Addison and Gary Johnson, and was appointed manager again after Johnson left for Bristol City in September 2005.

He went back to coaching at the end of that season when Russell Slade came in. Thommo had a fourth and final spell in charge as caretaker when Slade got the boot in 2009.

Funnily enough, his successor, Terry Skiverton, our Captain Fantastic when we came out of non-League, took over as player-manager and kept us up and got the job.

He did the job for three years (2009-2012) before stepping down to become Johnson’s assistant when he returned for his second spell and then took over as caretaker again when Johnson left in February 2015.

Still with me?! So, in summary, Thompson and Skiverton never actually left during the many times they took charge and stood down. The better question might be why did our board stick with managers who weren’t really that good for so long?!

Have any of the returning managers been more successful/liked on their return?

Gary Johnson is widely considered the greatest manager we’ve ever had with the possible exception of Alec Stock who is mostly revered for his FA Cup exploits.

Johnson joined us having left managing Latvia as an unknown and took us out of the non-League after 108 years there and then (after one season in League Two) up into League One, playing some of the best football I can remember.

When he went to Bristol City nobody begrudged him the opportunity, but when he returned to rescue us from a shaky season in League Two he was the returning hero without a doubt.

He then rebuilt us and ultimately took us into the Championship, cementing his legendary status at the club and therefore as successful and popular the second time around as the first.

Obviously, we only stayed one season in the Championship and they were on a downward trajectory in League One the following season and we were bottom of the table when he left in February 2015.

By his own admission, he could not pull rabbits out of the hat any longer and the time was probably right when he left.

How does a team beat Newport 6-0 away and then win only four of their next 29 games? Quite how did the wheels fall off?

A very good question! The critic in me says the team which were playing some great stuff for the first seven matches got the chance to fall under the spell of our manager, who I don’t believe is up to the job of taking us forward.

However, another school of thought is that we got some injuries to important players at that time, results dipped, confidence dipped and things spiralled. Take your pick of one of those reasons.

What has happened to Francois Zoko this season and will he ever score again?

Zoko was crucial for us last season, scoring 15 goals which were the difference between us staying up and going down, but he picked up an injury this season and has not really been the same since.

He’s still capable of doing something but at 35 years old he’s not really up to 90 minutes of football any longer. Let’s hope he scores tonight!

Of your many loan players, who are the ones that stood out?

I’m a massive fan of Nathan Baxter, our young keeper on loan from Chelsea, who I think has a big future in the game and Alex Pattison, a creative midfield player from Middlesbrough who we’ve really missed when he’s been out through injury.

I haven’t seen a lot of Tristan Abrahams, a winger/striker on loan from Norwich City, but he scored twice against Morecambe last weekend, so hopefully, he’ll be a good find.

How big a loss was Jordan Green?

Not massive and his departure was a bit of a surprise to a lot of our fans. On his day he was unplayable, but he blew hot and cold a lot of the time.

Do you think the referee made a real howler not sending off Toffollo at your place for the high challenge?

I am told decapitation is legal in Lincoln and therefore Toffollo thought it was alright! But, yes, I think he should have walked for that.

Why is your home record at Huish Park so poor this season?

As someone who lives 254 miles away from Huish Park I’m not the right person to ask, I’ve not been to a home game this season, but I have heard the atmosphere is not great.

And now for the answers provided by Jay:

How long have you supported Yeovil Town?

Since my first game in 2006/7, a loss against Portsmouth so I really should have known.

Where did you finish last season?

19th but in reality, 24th would have been fitting.

What do you think of your Manager?

I like Darren Way but feel he is beginning to ostracise himself from the supporters by his poor choice of words in press conferences.

What were your hopes and expectations at the start of the season?

I put a bet on for us to win the league so I guess I was hoping for mid-table in reality. After the start I had hope, then Yeovil came back to reality and we kept sinking to the usual.

One(s) to watch?

I believe that Ojo, Rogers and Gyebi will be the future ones to watch for the club for various reasons, each has benefits but I just hope they get blooded into the team rather than loaned out for years like some of our precious prodigies.

Who do you think will finish in the top 7?

Lincoln City, Bury, Exeter City, Tranmere Rovers, Mansfield Town, Milton Keynes Dons and Carlisle United.

Who do you think will finish in the bottom 2?

Morecambe and Notts County. I think we will scrape by, just.

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

I’d give anything to have your budget, support and position in the league so count it as envy. But I guess you’ve also gone through hard times as have we.

What do you think the score will be?

A surprising 6-2 Yeovil win. Toffollo red card and an Abraham hat trick.

Random fact about your Club?

Yeovil women’s team have been watched more online than our men’s team this season. One of under 5 clubs in the country to do so.

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

I would steal Bruno Andrade as I can see him tearing it up with big Sessi and having a good little link up.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Yeovil Town Supporter?

The proudest moment’s I have of the club have to be the League One playoff win where we reached the Championship and then the first Utd cup game where we looked like a really strong side. In regards to the most embarrassing, conceding 8 against Luton in the opening game of last season and various years in which we have had only loan/free signings whilst seeing our best players leave for peanuts. Even for our league, it’s peanuts.

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

I think Baxter is currently the most under-rated, simply because he has kept us in so many games but as a keeper, you don’t get the same consideration and respect despite your ability.

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

Yes, we have a supporters club who often try and get involved in the club and held meetings with our outgoing owners. It was a tumultuous relationship and often ended badly so I’m hoping it’s rectified with our new owner.

Which was your favourite match involving Yeovil Town?

There are three games which stick in my mind as a Yeovil fan so I’m counting them all. There was the playoff semi-final win against Nottingham forest to take us to the final 5-4 on aggregate with a 5-2 win on the night, at Nottingham, due to a 92nd min goal to take us to extra time. Then there was the 2013 semi-final win against the blades with an 85th-minute winner to take us to the final. And then there was my first trip to Wembley where we won the final. Goosebumps just thinking about it.

Which was your least favourite match involving Yeovil Town?

My least favourite match was the loss to Huddersfield at the end of our only season in the Championship. The atmosphere was bleak, zero chanting and watching Nahiki Wells and Adam Hamill with his beard dyed brought me to tears nearly. The dream died that day.

Do you have a Former Players Association at Yeovil Town?

I’m not aware of a former players association.

What’s the best thing about Yeovil?

There are good things about Yeovil? I’d say the military base but that’s personal bias due to work.

Where has the wonderfully titled Cider Space forum gone?

It appears that whoever set up the Cider Space Forum, had a **** up in a brewery and is still going now.

Are you nicknamed “The Glovers” because you’re handy or because you play like Brian Glover in “Kes”?

I’m sad to say it’s due to the glove factory that used to be in Yeovil, I reckon we should be ‘The Roadworks’ now due to having them taking an eternity to finish and being everywhere.

Do you still have the famous sloping pitch?

The pitch was levelled and now the car park. It feels sad parking an 04 Renault on a piece of history but life goes on.

With hindsight would you substitute that one season in the Championship for ongoing mid-table security in League One?

I’d trade that one season for security in League Two. I miss our players such as Ayling, Stech, Madden, Edwards, Cohen and co who all were what made the club. Never been the same without the stalwarts.

Why do so many managers come back to the club? According to Wikipedia, five managers have had two spells and Steve Thompson has had four.

I think they come back to the club as they probably get offered a golden contract like Darren Way has. Sponsors have it negotiated that he cannot be sacked without their say which is unfathomable.

Have any of the returning managers been more successful/liked on their return?

Gary Johnson is the one who always seemed to do well and is loved by the club. Throughout everything, I’m sure virtually every fan would take him back in a heartbeat. Sadly he’s turned Torquay into title winners but c’est la vie.

How does a team beat Newport 6-0 away and then win only four of their next 29 games? Quite how did the wheels fall off?

Haha, that sums up this club in a nutshell. We can pull off the unthinkable and then slip into mediocrity. As a fan it’s winning free drinks for life, to find out its actually Wine that’s warm.

What has happened to Francois Zoko this season and will he ever score again?

I’ll let you know what’s happened to Zoko when we all know. At least he seems happy on Instagram.

Of your many loan players, who are the ones that stood out?

The loan players who looked amazing were: Hennessy, Townsend and then Steiber. All have done well in their careers though so it’s to be expected.

How big a loss was Jordan Green?

Jordan Green has hurt to lose but Arquin /Abraham has stepped up so it’s not as awful as expected.

Do you think the referee made a real howler not sending off Toffollo at your place for the high challenge?

Toffollo was lucky to keep his contract let alone stay on the pitch. I thought ABH/GBH was illegal. But I’m only jealous as he’s a very talented player and if it was our team I’d also be happy he’s on the pitch.

Why is your home record at Huish Park so poor this season?

More than just this season, been since the Championship sadly. We can hope it improves but time will tell.

And finally, the answers provided by Jamie:

How long have you supported Yeovil Town?

I have been a Yeovil supporter all my life!

Where did you finish last season?

Last season we finished 19th.

What do you think of your Manager?

I think he has done a good job with the tools he has been given.

What were your hopes and expectations at the start of the season?

At the start of the season, I was hoping for at least a mid-table finish.

One(s) to watch?

Alex Dobre, on loan from Bournemouth, Tom James and Nathan Baxter, who is currently on loan from Chelsea.

Who do you think will finish in the top 7?

Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Bury, Milton Keynes Dons, Exeter City, Tranmere Rovers and Colchester United.

Who do you think will finish in the bottom 2?

Morecambe and Notts County.

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

A team with a lot of good support, a very strong team going forward and very well organised. Deserving of the current position you are in!

What do you think the score will be?

3-0 Lincoln.

Random fact about your Club?

The club released a song in 2004 before the FA Cup game against Liverpool called Yeovil True, it reached #36 in the UK Charts!

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

For me, it would be John Akinde. Been in the game for a while and knows how to unlock defences using power and skill with a deadly finish.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Yeovil Town Supporter?

The proudest moment for me was representing Yeovil Town at the FA Cup final in 2015 with the FA Cup Fans Choir getting to perform Abide with Me before 89,000 people. Most embarrassing moment for me was probably getting dumped out of the FA Cup a few years ago against Fleetwood, who were non-league at the time. 2-0 up away from home, they brought it back to 2-2 then beat us 2-0 at Huish Park in the replay, a certain Jamie Vardy getting on the scoresheet!!

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

For me, our most underrated player is Courtney Duffus. Signed him in January and he constantly puts in 100% effort. Scored his first goal recently, hopefully, the first of many!!

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

We do have a supporters trust, which was formed in 2016 called the Glovers Trust.

They are a democratic, not for profit, one member, one vote organisation committed to giving supporters a strong voice in the decision making the process at our Club and together, strengthening the links between the Club and the Community it serves.

Which was your favourite match involving Yeovil Town?

My favourite match involving Yeovil Town was Watford away in the Championship. Went there expecting nothing, came away with a 3-0 win!!

Which was your least favourite match involving Yeovil Town?

For me, my least favourite match involving Yeovil Town was the 2007 playoff final against Blackpool. After getting past Nottingham Forest against the odds in the semi-final, we lost 2-0 to stay in League One, where we stayed for another 6 years.

Do you have a Former Players Association at Yeovil Town?

As far as I’m aware we don’t have a former players association.

What’s the best thing about Yeovil?

The best thing about Yeovil is the local countryside walks, and ease of access to the coast.

Where has the wonderfully titled Cider Space forum gone?

The Ciderspace forum is no longer in use, it’s all moved to Facebook now!!

Are you nicknamed “The Glovers” because you’re handy or because you play like Brian Glover in “Kes”?

We are nicknamed The Glovers because of the town’s history of glove making!!

Do you still have the famous sloping pitch?

No, the sloping pitch went a long time ago!! It’s now a Tesco’s!

With hindsight would you substitute that one season in the Championship for ongoing mid-table security in League One?

Absolutely not!! Some unbelievable memories made in the Championship, definitely a season no Yeovil fan will forget!!

Why do so many managers come back to the club? According to Wikipedia, five managers have had two spells and Steve Thompson has had four.

Managers keep coming back to Yeovil because I think the current owners have always gone for people that they can trust, rather than give someone new a chance.

Have any of the returning managers been more successful/liked on their return?

The one manager that was more successful was Gary Johnson when he came back for his second spell. Came in to save us from relegation for half a season, the following full season we got the promotion to the Championship!!

How does a team beat Newport 6-0 away and then win only four of their next 29 games? Quite how did the wheels fall off?

This is something that has puzzled a lot of people, and the honest answer is I don’t quite know!!

What has happened to Francois Zoko this season and will he ever score again?

Unfortunately, Francois got injured at the start of the season, during the game against Mansfield, so hasn’t played much this season. Hopefully, he will rediscover his scoring touch soon though!!

Of your many loan players, who are the ones that stood out?

One loan signing that stood out was Paddy Madden. We signed him from Carlisle in the 2012/13 season, he impressed so much that we signed him permanently in January. He was influential in getting us promoted to the Championship including the opening goal in the playoff final against Brentford!!

How big a loss was Jordan Green?

I don’t think the loss of Jordan Green is as significant now that we have Alex Dobre. Yes, we have lost a good player in that position but now we have someone equally as good if not better!!

Do you think the referee made a real howler not sending off Toffollo at your place for the high challenge?

Yes, I think he made a big mistake in not producing a red card, but also I don’t feel he was given enough help from his assistants who were maybe in a better position to see the incident.

Why is your home record at Huish Park so poor this season?

Most of our early matches were based entirely around counter-attacking teams with pace. That worked away from home, but when we were playing at home, the opposition would sit men behind the ball and we couldn’t break players out successfully.

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