Get the lowdown on our next opponents: Yeovil Town.
The Opposition
Yeovil Town have endured something of a chaotic campaign, and are already onto their fourth manager this season.
The Glovers, who won promotion to the top flight of non-league football in 2024, will have been aiming to build on their 18th place finish last term, and will now looking to secure survival after dropping to just one place above the drop zone on the weekend after a 3-0 defeat against Carlisle United.
Having begun the season with Mark Cooper in charge, their long-serving boss was dismissed after four years in the role back in August, and led to a hectic period which saw Chesterfield Assistant Manager, Danny Webb, take charge for just a week before opting to return to the Technique Stadium due to personal reasons, with Yeovil number two Richard Dryden being named as his replacement until the end of the season.
However, the Glovers opted to name Walton & Hersham boss Billy Rowley as Dryden’s successor after two months in the role, citing the quality of his setup, the clarity of his ideas, and the intensity of his football as a driving force for the decision to bring him to Huish Park as the standout candidate.
Since then, Rowley led his side to just four defeats from his opening 13 games in charge in all competitions, with the form of Luke McCormick central to this run, with the midfielder scoring five goals in six league games from the centre of the park at the start of Rowley’s run.
McCormick has since been joined in attack by Fulham loanee Terrell Works in recent weeks, having scored five goals for Braintree Town at the start of the season before adding a further two goals this month, along with Ryan Jones, who joined the club from Aldershot Town in January after a successful two years in Hampshire, adding quality to a frontline that includes Josh Sims, Junior Morias, Harvey Greenslade, James Daly, Tahvon Campbell and Aaron Jarvis.
However, the Somerset-based side have largely struggled for goals throughout the campaign; only two sides have scored less goals this season, and has seen them rely on their backline to grind out results. Goalkeeper Jed Ward has played more games than anyone else, while Jake Wannell, Finn Cousin-Dawson and Kyle Ferguson are also among their top appearance makers, and has led to only Woking and Brackley Town conceding less goals than Yeovil in the entire bottom half of the table.
Despite this, they have endured a difficult run of late, with their run to the FA Trophy Quarter-Final a saving grace, with the Glovers set to visit Southport in the last eight this weekend.
They have otherwise suffered a winless streak of four games and one win in their last six which has seen them slip to 20th in the table – a mark of how tight the table is – but will be something they will be looking to rectify sooner rather than later as they continue their quest of eventually returning to the EFL – a place where they had spent 16 years prior to their relegation in 2019.
The Manager
Billy Rowley
Billy Rowley became Yeovil’s fourth boss of the campaign when he was appointed back in November, replacing brief predecessor Richard Dryden, who in turn had replaced Danny Webb following his incredibly short tenure, a path which began when Mark Cooper was dismissed back in August after three years in charge.
Despite quite a chaotic period, Rowley arrived at Huish Park with a growing reputation across the English game, having recently attracted interest from several National League and League Two clubs.
He has built an impressive coaching CV, working within some of the country’s most respected academies, including Chelsea, Fulham and Millwall, the latter two being sandwiched by respective two-year stints overseas, taking on Academy Coach roles in America with Manhattan SC and Placer United Soccer Club.
He has developed a reputation for talent development, tactical detail, and progressive coaching, and first rose to prominence during his time with Walton & Hersham, playing a key role in their meteoric rise through the non-league pyramid and helping to establish an exciting, front-foot style of football that drew widespread praise.
With Walton, Rowley achieved back-to-back-back promotions as Assistant Manager before taking on caretaker duties in 2024 when Scott Harris stepped aside, and was followed by him being named their permanent boss ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. Having finished seventh the previous year, the 43-year old guided the Swans to an improved third-place finish in his maiden campaign in full charge, missing out on a fourth successive promotion at the hands of Gloucester City, who defeated Rowley’s side on penalties before losing in the final against AFC Totton.
Nonetheless, Walton continued their impressive run of form, and at time of his departure, had lost just twice in all competitions. However, the opportunity to make the jump up two divisions proved too attractive for the Swans’ boss, who signed a deal with the Glovers that runs until the end of the 2027/28 season.
One to Watch
Luke McCormick
Highly-rated midfielder Luke McCormick has proved to be a masterstroke of an addition, having joined Yeovil from Bristol Rovers in the summer.
A product of the esteemed Chelsea academy, McCormick joined the Blues at the age of six and rose through the youth ranks, though he was unable to make a senior appearance for the club.
Loan spells at Shrewsbury Town and Bristol Rovers saw him gain senior experience, most notably with the latter, with the midfielder going on to become a regular in the centre of the park during the 2020/21 campaign, with his highlight being when he scored a double as the Gas beat Doncaster Rovers, a result that saw Joey Barton’s side end a five-match losing streak and keep their survival hopes alive.
After scoring a total of six goals during his stint at the Memorial Ground, McCormick brought the curtains down on a 16-year association with Chelsea, departing Stamford Bridge permanently in order to join AFC Wimbledon, scoring on his Wombles debut and going on to appear 40 times.
He spent just a single season at Plough Lane though, opting to re-join Bristol Rovers in 2022 and going to spend a further three years there.
His time in Bristol Rovers came to an end in 2025 following a brief loan move to Forest Green Rovers, and led to him dropping into the National League on a permanent basis with a switch to Yeovil.
He has so far impressed during his stint with the Glovers, being a standout member of the squad with eight goals to his name from midfield.
Photo Credit: Yeovil Town Football Club
Recent Form
Carlisle United 3-0 Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town 1-2 Aldershot Town
Yeovil Town –1-1Rochdale
Boreham Wood 3-2 Yeovil Town
Altrincham 0-1 Yeovil Town
Last Time Out
Yeovil Town suffered a difficult afternoon at Brunton Park as Carlisle United struck three times in the first half to secure a 3-0 victory in Cumbria.
Carlisle took just five minutes to break the deadlock as a corner was initially cleared only as far as Jack Ellis, who delivered the ball back into the area. Captain Morgan Feeney rose highest and guided his header in off the post to give the Cumbrians an early lead, and after an opening for Yeovil soon after, the momentum swung firmly back in the hosts’ favour in the 16th minute when Finn Cousin-Dawson tripped Stephen Wearne inside the penalty area. The referee pointed straight to the spot and Luke Armstrong made no mistake, sending Jed Ward the wrong way to double Carlisle’s lead inside 20 minutes.
Additional chances for David Ajiboye and Wearne were followed by four additional minutes being indicated at the end of the half, and there was still time for Carlisle to strike again. A slick passing move involving Wearne carved Yeovil open, and Ryan Galvin was played through on goal, calmly slotting past Ward to make it three before the interval.
The Glovers showed improved resilience after the restart, and despite a more disciplined second-half display, the damage had been done before the break, and the hosts comfortably saw out the closing stages following four additional minutes of stoppage time.
