Football Season Guide

Yeovil Town

In


Jamie McAllister(def, Bristol City), Byron Webster(def, Northampton), Nathan Ralph(def, Peterborough), Sam Foley(mid, Newport), Lewis Young(att, Northampton), Gozie Ugwu(att, Reading - loan), Marek Stech(gk, West Ham), James Hayter(att, Doncaster), Keanu Marsh-Brown(mid, Oldham), Reuben Reid(att, Oldham)

Out


Kieran Agard(att, Cheltenham), Michael Woods(mid, released), Steve MacLean(att, released), Bondz Ngala(def, Stevenage), Billy Gibson(att, Cambridge), Anthony Edgar(mid, Barnet), Paul Huntington(def, Preston), Andy Williams(att, Swindon)

The spirits were high among the Glovers following the end of their previous campaign, as Gary Jones got the side playing some excellent football, and they secured their survival with four games to spare. However, this optimism turned into disappointment shortly after the season finished, as the club were unable to keep hold of star striker Andy Williams, who was lured away by Swindon, while key defender Paul Huntington also left the club, opting to join Preston. This means that the Glovers lost their best two players over the summer transfer window, although Gary Johnson deserves praise for his attempts to change the way the club operates. For years now, Yeovil are a club that lived and died by the loan market, but Johnson opted for a more long term approach over the summer. Last season's loanee Marek Stech signed on a free transfer, meaning that the Glovers will have a starting keeper of their own, and not a loanee, for the first time in years. The business done before the beginning of August was underwhelming, with several players unknown at this level signing, the only exception being Jamie McAllister, but that changed over the last couple of weeks, as experienced strikers James Hayer and Reuben Reid signed, as did winger Keanu Marsh-Brown, who has proven himself as a useful flair player at this level. The big question is whether Byron Webster will manage to fill the gap left by the departure of Huntington, while other areas of the side seem to have been properly addressed.

Target


The Glovers will be aiming for a solid midtable finish this time around. There is a big question mark hanging over their defensive stability - if Huntington's departure doesn't hurt them too badly, they can achieve this goal. Otherwise, they could get lured into the relegation fight.