January 2022

January 2022
During the month of January, Yeovil Town F.C played 4 League matches, 2 Carabao Cups fixtures and 3 FA Cup fixtures.

They ended the month 11th in the League, in the Round of 16 in the FA Cup and into the Final of the Carabao Cup.

FA Cup: Round 3
"I wasn't expecting that. Honestly, I thought today would be a cut and dry victory that would see us secure our place in the next round. But Brighton had a lot of spirit and quickly equalised after both of our goals. Which forces us into a replay, which basically makes our January as long as December, what with the double-header against Coventry in the Carabao cup semi-final.

We'll do well to gain a win at home as they are more than up for this tie!"

Carabao Cup: Semi-final
"So before we get to the game, we were obviously in the news this week unveiling the signing of Dru Yearwood from Southend United for £5,000,000. It's a hefty fee, but the kid is clearly talented and at 21-years old, has a long road ahead of him. We want him to help him become the future star of the England national team and I think he could achieve that if he works hard!

With that said, I wanted to throw him straight in today to give him a taste of working with the team. But a cold, snowy evening perhaps was not the best environment for him, in hindsight. Not for a debut. He struggled, but so did most of the team. It's okay, however. We'll get him integrated into the team throughout January and we'll see what happens from there.

So in terms of loans, Charles Harrison returned from Spain after leaving last year, returning as a 19-year old. He has been developing really well, but part of the reason why we let such a talented, young goalkeeper go out on loan in the first place is because of his attitude and thinking he deserves to play ahead of everyone else. I wanted to give him a chance to right some wrongs today and gave him a start ahead of Foster, and I am honestly pretty impressed! We're going to put forward a new contract to him and it's up to him how we move forward together. Liam Price rejected a move to Brighton and instead has selected to spend a year away on loan at Marseille, which is a fantastic opportunity for him!

So the game was tough and the conditions didn't help at all. But I think we can take them back to Huish Park and get the win we need. Coventry had nearly three times the number of shots as us, so they weren't going anywhere without a fight. No doubt that this will be the case again in 2 or so weeks.

Finally, congratulations to Steve Mounie on a well earned EPL Player of the Month award!

Premier League: MD22
"Well, it was an improvement on the reverse fixture anyway. They are one of the best defensive teams in the league for good reason. And although we have someone snuck our way into being the best attack, it truly reveals how deceiving statistics are. We struggled to get into this match and despite pulling ourselves within a goal of equalising twice, it never really looked like happening.

I did give D. Yearwood 20-minutes to make his debut and this was much more like it! He instantly looked like the most energetic player on the pitch and it was only a question of time before he would threaten their goal. We'll give him a start against Brighton.

I am going to have to re-evaluate our tactical approach. We need to change something and I would sacrifice some of our attacking play in favour of a tighter defence. Brighton at Huish Park will be a great opportunity to give this a try. Because they're going to go for goals. If we can resist them, then I think there will be some promise to the tactical shift!"

FA Cup: Round 3 Replay
Brighton Post-match Interview

"Today was all about a perfect game. We absolutely wanted to get the clean sheet, and we were so close... But when you have a corner and Dan Burn is the box, it's always going to be a tough ask to stop him. Not forgetting that he hit the post from another one ten minutes later! But if you take out the corners, it really was a much-improved performance and something that I think we can definitely build on! And with a visit to Spurs at the weekend, we have a great match to make amends for our previous sloppy play!

Now we have a huge fixture with Arsenal Away next weekend, just to add to the January madness. We're being pushed to our limits, but get through this and the rest of the season should be smoother sailing!"

Premier League: MD23
"So, technically, it was an improvement? We were in the game for a long time and it was a quick brace which ended our hopes. But we can't escape the fact that they had us pressed into our box for most of the match. There needs to be some tweaking, but I think we're on the right path.

Another great display from Yearwood! I am very excited by his performances since arriving and I am sure he'll be a key figure for us for the remainder of the season. But he is still so young. He will be inconsistent from time to time. But that's OK and we will manage him the best we can."

Carabao Cup: Semi-final
Coventry City Post-match Interview

"I think we had a lot of confidence about doing the job today, which is exactly what we did. A clean sheet and great individual performances really didn't give Coventry much of a chance. Dru continued his fine form in front of goal, Seager added to his tally as the top scorer in the competition with 5 goals, and C. Harrison had another good showing in goal. But Declan Kelly was immense today and his 2-assists helped turn the performance in our favour.

Now we've set up a final against Crystal Palace at Wembley! A fantastic occasion for all of the fans of the club and I see no reason why we can't win the cup. Palace is a very strong side this year, but in a final, anything can happen."

FA Cup: Round 4
Arsenal Post-match Interview

"There was the difference in the teams fielded today, with Arsenal choosing to mix their squad with more youth players, but you can't take anything away from our performance today. It was an excellent victory and we've certainly got the cup fever this year! Yearwood scoring a fine goal from 25-yards was delightful, Duffus bending the ball in at the top corner like a certain former Arsenal legend and Osei Yaw breaking his dry spell with a real poachers effort from inside the box. A good day out and we're feeling good lately. Let us hope we can continue this against Wolves!

Unfortunately, it's not looking good again for Lasse Sorensen. It's another injury for him and we think he's aggravated his previous injury. He's going to be out for a few months I think. But on the better note, T. James and L. Benkovic are only a few weeks away from training again, so I think we can manage these few weeks!"

Premier League: MD24
"3-points today against Champions League chasing Wolves! It came late but it was a deserved victory, in my opinion. I have always believed that at Huish Park, we can take on anyone. Much like Wolves when they first arrived in the Premier League, we're not afraid to take on any team and that's telling in all of our results!

Saying that - Schram did save the penalty, which would have made it 1 - 2 so it's little moments like that which can define a game. It was never a penalty anyway! Just one more game to go against Fulham and we can finally shift gear to prepare for the final month of the season!"

Premier League: MD25
"Well, that was an awful note for us to end the month on. Not only have we lost Declan Kelly to injury, but we were lazy in defence. The third goal deceives, but it was coming as the goal came after Schram denied them from their penalty.

But that injury is a real blow for us and means that we'll struggle for depth. Probably meaning some players will have to be flexible in where they play. We're already in a scrap and injuries piling up just doesn't help us. We're frustrated, but it is what it is."

Contract news
C. Harrison extended his contract until 2026

YeoLaTengo Monthly Review
If you thought December was long...

With January came the opening of the winter transfer window and we did some business, but perhaps not the kind that fans were hoping for. Dru Yearwood arrived from Southend United for £5,000,000 and a lot of questions were asked as to why! We have the worst defence in the league, and yet we signed a CM! But with his quick start, energy in midfield and his goal returns, it seems that the solution for Premier League survival is not to become rock solid in defence, but just to try and outscore everyone! Thankfully, we're seemingly quite the distance away from the teams in the bottom three. Once we hit the 40-point mark, we can relax a little and hopefully see the team start to evolve ahead of next season!

And assuming we're still in the Premier League, our defence looks like it will receive a nice facelift! Daley Blind of Ajax, Cyrus Christie of Fulham and Antonee Robinson of Wigan Athletic have agreed to join the club on free transfers!

Blind is a seasoned player with international pedigree and experience in the best competitions available. He's a real coup for the club and he should bring a lot of calmness to our defence at CB, while also being able to play DM too!

Christie is an Ireland International and will probably an alternative option to James who has had his fair share of injuries. 29-years old and a seasoned player, he's going to play a key role in improving our defence!

But with Antonee Robinson, we have picked up an exceptional talent who is clearly above the level he's playing at right now. 24-years old and one of the hottest prospects to come out of the USA, he will take his game to another level and he will give A. Bell a run for his money, as he doesn't really have any competition right now at LB.

But that's all for next season! Right now, the team is playing well and score plenty of goals, but we still have the defence of a Championship side and it is telling at this level. You have to be concerned for some of the futures of these players, but turning our fortunes around before the end of the season could very well change the record!

Our league form this month was horrible, granted. But this month was all about the cup and we're flourishing right now! A cup final and a trip to Wembley lined up against Palace and the Round of 16 of the FA Cup is a huge accomplishment for the club and it's very exciting right now. If we can stay in the Premier League, win the cup and progress further than ever before under Krause in the FA Cup - that would be a brilliant outcome for Yeovil and would arguably be the best season in our history!

YeoLaTengo Player of the Month
Plenty of players stepped up this month and helped us progress in the Cup, but there is one winner for us and that's Dru Yearwood. Came into the club after plying his trade at League one for 5 years and jumping straight into the Premier League is a huge ask. So he got plenty of minutes in the Cups and he completely owned it! 21-years old. The future can be anything he wants!

League Table Preview
A snapshot of Yeovil Town in the Premier League, with the teams in close proximity.