Yeovil Town F.C.

Football club infobox
clubname = Yeovil Town


fullname = Yeovil Town Football Club
nickname = The Glovers
founded = 1895 (as Yeovil Casuals)
ground = Huish Park
Yeovil | capacity = 9,400
chairman = flagicon|England John Fry
manager = flagicon|England Russell Slade
league = League One
season = 2007–08
position = League One, 18th
pattern_la1=_green_hoops|pattern_b1=_greenhoops|pattern_ra1=_green_hoops
leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FFFFFF|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=34B36B|socks1=FFFFFF
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_amber_sleeve_seams
leftarm2=000000|body2=000000|rightarm2=000000|shorts2=000000|socks2=000000|

Yeovil Town F.C. is an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004-05.

Along with Plymouth Argyle, they are one of the few clubs within England to play in a largely green strip. Since the 2003-04 season they have played in green and white hoops, similar to Glasgow Celtic, and Buckie Thistle in Scotland.

They won promotion to the Football League as Conference champions in 2003, and had long been established as the most successful non-league team in the FA Cup - having defeated major Football League teams, most famously Sunderland in the 4th Round in 1949, going on to play in front of more than 81,000 against Manchester United at Maine Road.

They play their home games at Huish Park.

History

They have spent almost all of their history outside of The Football League but are still one of the most famous FA Cup "giant-killing" teams that has earned them notoriety around the country and indeed, it can be said, around the world. The club, founded in 1890 as Yeovil Football Club, shared a ground for many years with the town's rugby club. In 1895 they became Yeovil Casuals and moved to play their home games at the Pen Mill Athletic Ground. The club became Yeovil Town in 1907, and in 1915 an amalgamation of Yeovil Town and Petters United led to a new club called Yeovil and Petters United. This seasons's away shirt, a predominantly black kit with amber trim, was inspired by the amber and black colours of Petters United.

In the 1948-49 FA Cup, Yeovil defeated Sunderland in the fourth round, in front of over 16,000 ecstatic fans (a club record) this gave them the "Giant-Killing" status. At the next hurdle, over 81,000 saw them lose to Manchester United at Maine Road 8-0.

Between 1955 and 1973 they lifted the Southern Football League crown three times, with the runners-up spot being reached on two occasions.

During this period, Yeovil Town applied for election to the Football League on a number of occasions, coming within a few votes of being elected in 1976. [http://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/LeagueTables/Season1975-76/Div41975-76.htm]

The year 1979 saw the birth of what is now the Football Conference the game's 'Fifth Division' - of which the Glovers were founder-members. In 1985 they were relegated to the Vauxhall Opel League. After three years Yeovil won the championship in 1988 and returned to the Conference.

There was success in the Bob Lord Challenge Trophy in 1990 and three years later Yeovil finished fourth in the Conference, their best finish ever. In January 1995 Graham Roberts was appointed manager, but demotion back to the Isthmian League (ICIS) soon followed. Yeovil secured promotion back into the Conference in 1997 after winning the ICIS League (as it was then known) with a record number of points - 101.

Gary Johnson took charge in June 2001 and he won the FA Umbro Trophy in his first season in charge with a 2-0 victory over Stevenage Borough in the final at Villa Park. This was their first major trophy in 106 years as a Football Club. Yeovil Town earned promotion to the Football League in the following season, by winning the Football Conference by a record 17 points margin. They accumulated a huge 95 points and scored 100 goals, remaining unbeaten at Huish Park

The team's first season in League football saw them finish in a creditable eighth place just missing out on the play off positions by goal difference, just four goals.

In February 2004, the team released the single "Yeovil True". The single reached #36 in the UK charts before dropping out of the top 75 the next week. The single was only available in major record stores in the town.

David Webb bought the club from Jon Goddard-Watts in December 2005, taking over the role of Chief Executive from Chairman John Fry. He resigned from this position in February 2006.

In September 2005, manager Gary Johnson left Yeovil Town for Bristol City, after having turned down job offers from both Plymouth Argyle and Derby County. He was replaced by second-in-command Steve Thompson, and Kevin Hodges was appointed as his number two, but at the end of the 2005-06 Thompson was demoted to first team coach, with the club advertising for a new manager. Russell Slade was named as his replacement on June 7 2006.

In June 2006, it was announced that John Fry had bought all of Dave Webb's share to become the new owner of Yeovil Town FC.

On September 30 2006, Yeovil moved into second place in League One after a 2-1 victory over Brentford, which was their highest-ever league position.

Yeovil finished the regular season in fifth position, securing a play-off semi-final against Nottingham Forest, twice European champions. On May 11, 2007, Forest won the first leg 2-0 at Huish Park. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/6641793.stm Yeovil 0-2 Nottingham Forest] - BBC Sport] Seven days later, Yeovil won the return leg at the City Ground 5-2 after extra time, taking the tie 5-4 on aggregate. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/6649773.stm Nottingham Forest 2-5 Yeovil] - BBC Sport] Yeovil met Blackpool at Wembley Stadium on May 27, 2007, and were beaten 2-0, thus missing out on promotion to the The Championship. Almost 30,000 supporters took the trip up to Wembley, a large following for a club based in a town with a population of only 41,871.

2007-08 was less successful, as Yeovil finished 18th in League One with 52 points.

Yeovil Town Football club have had many players who have played at the international level, for instance Marc Bircham, Jaime Peters and Joshua Wagenaar [Canada] , John McGinlay [Scotland] , Andy Kirk [Northern Ireland] , Andrejs Stolcers [Latvia] , Efe Sodje [Nigeria] , Lloyd Owusu [Ghana] , Jean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala [DR Congo] , Arron Davies and Gavin Williams [Wales] , Justin Cochrane [Antigua and Barbuda] .

Opened in 1990, Huish Park is Yeovil's latest stadium and there has been a mention that the current site could become the new home of a new 14,000 all seater stadium.

eason performance

Notable former players

* Sir Ian Botham: Joined Yeovil on a non-contract basis in January 1985 and left in March 1985, twelve hours before flying out for a tour of the West Indies.

* Dave Halliday: Player-manager for Yeovil in the 30s at the end of a goal drenched playing career where had top scored in the top division in both Scotland and England. Only Halliday and Alex Ferguson have managed Aberdeen to the Scottish championship.

* Len Harris: Played for Yeovil between 1958 and 1972 making a total of 691 appearances, a club record.

* Alan Pardew: Played for Yeovil during the 1986/87 season before joining Crystal Palace in the summer of 1987.

* Alec Stock: Took Yeovil to the 5th Round of the FA Cup during the 1948/49 season. Yeovil caused a giantkilling by beating 8th in the 1st Division Sunderland 2-1 in the 4th Round before going out to Manchester United 8-0 at Maine Road.

* Guy Whittingham: Played Premiership football for both Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday in the 1990's.

* John McGinlay: Scottish international who played football for Bolton Wanderers in the 1990's.

* Arron Davies: Welsh International left Yeovil for Nottingham Forest with Chris Cohen for a combined fee of £1.2m.

* Marcus Stewart: Played Premiership football for both Ipswich Town and Sunderland in between 2000 and 2005

* Hugo Rodrigues: Played for Yeovil during the 2003-2004 season and at 6ft 8in was one of the tallest players in the world.

Club honours

*Football League One Play-off Final Runners-Up 2006-2007
*Football League Two Champions 2004-2005
*FA Trophy winners 2001-2002
*Football Conference Champions 2002-2003; runners-up 2000-2001
*Isthmian League Champions 1987-1988, 1996-1997; runners up 1985-1986, 1986-1987
*Southern League Champions 1954-1955, 1963-1964, 1970-1971; runners up 1969-1970, 1972-1973, 1975-1976
*Southern League Western Division Champions 1923-1924, 1931-1932, 1934-1935
*Western League Champions 1921-1922, 1924-1925, 1929-1930, 1934-1935; runners up 1930-1931, 1931-1932, 1937-1938, 1938-1939

Club records

*Most Overall Appearances: Len Harris, 691 (1958-72)
*Most Goals: Johnny Hayward 743
*Most League Goals: Dave Taylor, 285 (1960-9)
*Record Attendance Football League: 9,527 v Leeds United, 25 April 2008 (Football League One)
*Record Attendance (new Huish Park): 9,527 v Leeds United, 25 April 2008 (Football League One)
*Record Attendance All Time: 16,318 v Sunderland, 29 January 1949 (FA Cup Fourth Round)
*Longest Serving Player: Len Harris, 14 years (1958-72)
*Longest Serving Manager: Billy Kingdon, 8 years (1938-46)
*Highest League Finish: 5th League 1, 2006/07 season
*Highest Transfer fee received: £1,200,000 Arron Davies and Chris Cohen, Nottingham Forest F.C. July 2007
*Highest transfer fee paid: £250,000 Pablo Bastianini, Quilmes Atlético Club August 2005

References

External links

* [http://www.ciderspace.co.uk/ Ciderspace - Unofficial club site]
* [http://www.ytfc.com/ytfc.mpl the green room - Unofficial Forum]
* [http://www.ytfcforum.co.uk YTFC Forum]
* [http://www.capitalglovers.com/ Capital Glovers (Supporters Club For Fans in London and the South East)]
* [http://www.ytfc.premiumtv.co.uk Official club site]
* [http://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/ClubbyClub/ClubHistories/YeovilTown.htm Every match result and League table while in the Football League]