Who Are Ya? - Yeovil Town (#2) - Vital Lincoln City

Thank you to Yeovil Town supporter Harry for answering these questions!

How Long Have You Supported Yeovil?

17 years.

Last Season’s League Finish?

20th.

What Do You Think Of Your Manager?

Darren Way will always be a legend as a player, but his spell as manager has tarnished that somewhat. He performed a minor miracle when he came in after Paul Sturrock which had me optimistic for the future, but since then we’ve really struggled. Whilst I have some sympathy with him that there are serious issues at the club which he can’t control, he does need to take more responsibility for the situation we are in. His management of games leaves a lot to be desired, with us conceding late on in significant games (surrendering two-goal leads to Morecambe twice and Forest Green stand out in particular), and once the opposition starts to get on top in a game he struggles to get us back in it. His interviews have also caused a mixture of anger, frustration and bafflement amongst the fans, as he continues to shift blame from himself on to the players, and has recently started talking of finishing top 7 next season, which seems a tad optimistic given that we could end the season one point above relegation.

What were for hopes and expectations at the start of the Season?

Not high to be honest, I just wanted a season where we weren’t stuck in a relegation fight as we have been for the past five seasons.

One(s) To Watch?

Francois Zoko, at 34 is still doing a great job leading the line for us and has been our top scorer three seasons running and is closing in on being our top scorer in the Football League. His strike partner Alex Fisher has also been excellent since joining from Motherwell in January and his goals have been crucial in keeping us in the league.

What were your top seven predictions?

Luton, Mansfield, Coventry, Notts County, Exeter, Carlisle and Chesterfield (but the less said about the last one the better).

Who do you think will go down with Chesterfield?

I’ll go for Morecambe.

Thoughts on Lincoln City?

I won’t deny that I’m a bit jealous, Lincoln are very much a club on the up. You’ve capitalised on the successes of last season and seem to have created a real positive vibe around the club, reflected in your attendances this season. The Cowleys seem to have a great relationship with the fans and with them in charge, I imagine you’ll be in League One sooner rather than later, possibly even this season as I’d back you to do well in the playoffs.

Score Prediction?

3-1 to Lincoln.

Random Fact About Your Club?

Yeovil currently holds the record for victories over Football League clubs in the F.A Cup as a non-league club with 20.

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

Proudest moment was the winning the play-off final in 2013 against Brentford, reaching the championship was an unbelievable achievement given the budget and size of the club. Also, the 2008 play-off semi-final against Nottingham Forest where we came from 2-0 down in the first leg to win 5-4 on aggregate at the City Ground will go down in Yeovil folklore.

Most embarrassing is probably the 8-2 defeat to Luton on the first day of this season, the fact that the club felt the need to refund the fans who had travelled said it all.

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

Yes, the Glovers Trust was set up in 2015, when we were in real danger of dropping out of the Football League and relations between fans and board were at an all-time low. Currently, it is independent from the club and acts as a platform for voicing concerns, pointing out ways to improve the club and trying to get the club to be more forthcoming with information, but the board seem very reluctant to interact with them. There are some who want it to challenge the ownership more, with a view to being part of a takeover of the club.

Which was your favourite match involving Yeovil?

Winning 6-2 at Coventry this season ranks right up there, but I’ll go for beating Watford 3-0 at Vicarage Road in the Championship season, they were one of the favourites for promotion and the atmosphere in the away end was on of the best I’ve been in.

Which was your least favourite match involving Yeovil?

I’ve already mentioned the Luton game above, and we lost 6-0 at home to Stevenage in 2012 which was just awful, but losing 3-0 away at Leyton Orient in 2015 was the worst for me, it was a relegation 6 pointer and we showed no fight and were torn apart, and pretty much confirmed our relegation to league 2.

Discipline seems to have been a huge problem at the Club this season (10 red cards?!). Has that been down to refereeing decisions or just a lack of discipline through the squad?

It’s definitely a lack of discipline, and I can’t remember a season quite like it. 8 of them have been straight red cards and rather than for horror tackles they’ve been for players lashing out, including pushing the referee, a couple of punches and a few stray elbows.

You had a money-spinning FA Cup tie against Manchester United in the FA Cup. Was the money from that spent on players, or on Club infrastructure?

The club is pretty tight-lipped about these things but from what I can tell some of the money was spent on players, with three brought in in January (Shaun Donnellan, Alex Fisher and Stuart Nelson), while some of it was used to help balance the books, and make the accounts look a bit healthier.

Who Are Ya? – Yeovil Town (#1)