YEOVIL TOWN (H) MATCH PREVIEW by Steve Harris

TT PREVIEW

Steve Harris – @steveharris84

Steve Harris previews the game at Plainmoor

TORQUAY UNITED VS YEOVIL TOWN – NATIONAL LEAGUE

Match details: Torquay United versus Yeovil Town

Venue: Plainmoor, Torquay

Date: Monday 26^th December 2022

Kick-off: 3pm

CURRENT FORM

Torquay: L, L, D, W, L, W

Yeovil: D, W, D, W, D, L

TOP SCORERS

Torquay: Will Goodwin (8)

Yeovil: Alex Fisher (4)

HEAD TO HEAD

Torquay: 8

Draw: 3

Yeovil: 5

YEOVIL FACTFILE

Year founded: 1895

Nickname: The Glovers

Last season’s league finish: 12th in National League

Yeovil notable honours: Division Four/Division Three/League Two:

Winners 2004-05

Conference/Blue Square Premier/National League

Winners 2002-03

FA Trophy winners:

2001-02

MANAGER: MARK COOPER

Former Exeter City, Birmingham City and Fulham midfielder Mark Cooper took charge of the Glovers in October 2022 following the dismissal of former Gulls player and manager Chris Hargreaves.

As a manager, Cooper made his name in non-league circles with Tamworth and Kettering Town – winning the National League North title with the latter. He was given his first shot at managing in the Football League with Peterborough United in 2009, when he was named as the successor to Darren Ferguson.

His tenure at London Road proved to be short-lived and his next role saw him take charge of Darlington, with whom he won the FA Trophy in the 2010-11 season. He was dismissed by the Quakers early in the 2011-12 campaign and then had a second spell with Kettering before taking charge of AFC Telford.

In 2013, he became assistant manager of Swindon Town under Kevin MacDonald and would later succeed MacDonald early in the 2013-14 season. Under his guidance, the Robins finished 8^th in League One in 2013-14 before reaching the Play-offs in the 2014-15 season where they were beaten by Preston North End in the final.

Following his dismissal from the County Ground, he had a short spell in charge of Notts County in 2016 before he was appointed as Forest Green Rovers manager. In his first full campaign in charge at the New Lawn, Cooper led the Gloucestershire side into the Football League for the first time as they defeated Tranmere Rovers in the National League Play-off final to win promotion.

After helping to establish the Green Devils in the Football League, Cooper parted company with the club in 2021. He then had a brief spell in charge of Barrow before taking charge of the Glovers.

Cooper is also the son of former Leeds United and England left-back Terry Cooper.

PLAYER TO WATCH: ALEX FISHER

Torquay United fans will probably remember Alex Fisher from his spell at Plainmoor under Paul Cox and Kevin Nicholson in the early part of the 2015-16 season. Fisher scored five in 23 appearances in all competitions for the Gulls. This tally included a strike on his debut against Macclesfield Town on the opening day of 2015-16.

He then had two spells with Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Motherwell before he returned to the South West for his first spell with Yeovil in the 2017-18 campaign.

After being released by the Glovers following their relegation from the Football League in 2019, Fisher signed for Exeter City and remained with the Grecians for two years until he was let go at the end of the 2020-21 season.

He then spent a year with Newport County before he returned to Huish Park after he was released by the Exiles.

FISHER STATS:

Position: Centre-Forward

Date of Birth: 30th June, 1990 (32 Years Old)

Birthplace: London

Height: 1.90m

Former Clubs: Oxford United, Brackley, Oxford City, Jerez Ind., KVK Tienen, Racing Mechelen, KSK Heist, Monza, Mansfield Town, Torquay, Inverness CT, Motherwell, Yeovil Town, Exeter City, Newport County.

NL Stats 22-23: Played 21, Goals Scored 4, Yellow/Red 1/0

OLD BOYS

Torquay: Shaun Donnellan

Yeovil: Chiori Johnson, Alex Fisher, Louis Britton

LAST MEETING

Yeovil 1-2 Torquay

2nd January 2022

Dan Holman’s late strike gave Torquay a last gasp win over Yeovil Town – as they completed their first ever league ‘double’ over the Glovers.

After beating the Glovers 3-0 at Plainmoor on Boxing Day, the Gulls showed real bouncebackability to come from behind after a stunning 35-yard strike from Jordan Barnett gave Yeovil the lead on 65 minutes.

The Gulls then rallied as Connor Lemonheigh-Evans equalised in the 77th minute directly from a corner, despite the Glovers’ debutant keeper Dillon Barnes, who joined Yeovil on loan after Grant Smith’s red card on Boxing Day, managing to get a hand to it.

In the dying minutes of the game, United’s QPR loanee Sinclair Armstrong, who came off the subs bench in the 59th minute, had a goal disallowed as the Gulls pressed on in search of a winner.

With one minute remaining, United finally found that all-important second goal. Armstrong played the ball inside towards Lemonheigh-Evans, whose chipped pass found Armstrong’s fellow sub Holman, who drilled home an angled finish to send the 1,044 Gulls’ fans in the Huish Park away end into raptures.