Teenage Reading-loanee Lawson D’Ath spoke to the Western Gazette ahead of Yeovil's League One match against Carlisle at Brunton Park tomorrow, midfielder D'Ath hoping his first senior goal, which came against Colchester last week, will give him some confidence :
"It has been going slowly so far and I think I need to do better on the pitch. It was good to get the goal and that matters but I need to do better in my overall game. I just think it is me and confidence, trying to do the right things. It will come out eventually and I hope it will be sooner rather than later. A goal definitely helps, I was buzzing and I could not believe it had come to me and then hit the net.
“I ran into the fans and I was trying to find my family but they were high up and I do not think they were going to come down and jump on me. I thought at the start the atmosphere was lively and we did not get the goal, but they did. We were scrappy in possession and it did kill it a bit. In the second half we came out strong and we lifted the crowd. It is always down to us to lift the crowd and it is only our fault if it is down. We keep an eye on the relegation zone but we need to concentrate on ourselves rather than anyone else. If we keep getting the three points it will not matter, we will not get dragged down. As long as we keep winning we will be fine and will not be near it."
It’s where to start for Yeovil tomorrow with their team news in their 400th Football League game since they were promoted into the senior ranks of football in April 2003 after winning the Nationwide Conference with a bumper total of 95 points, the Glovers having two players out suspended, three out injured, while this week signing three new players as well as extending the loans of two youngsters out of the club.
As far as the suspensions are concerned, with Yeovil having the worst record for both yellow and red cards in League One matches, Kieran Agard and Paul Huntington will be absent. Striker Agard, now on a three match ban, remarkably as a substitute sent off for a bad tackle after just two minutes in Yeovil’s 3-2 win over Colchester last Saturday, while Huntington will still be making the trip up to Carlisle and will be joining in with his side’s pre-match warm-up as he sees out the last of his four match suspension following a red card at Preston, Huntington’s ban being extended from three to four matches after he pushed referee Oliver Langford following the decision to send him off.
Onto injuries, with Joe Edwards, Dean Parrett and Kelly Youga all missing. 21-year old right-back Edwards, one of six loanees at Huish Park at present, going back to Bristol City injured a fortnight ago after taking a heavy knock to his lower leg just as he was set to extend his loan spell. Meanwhile central midfielder Parrett, 20, on loan from Spurs, is only 60% fit at present after picking up a bruised knee last Saturday against Colchester, while finally left-back Kelly Youga is out injured with an Achilles problem, that meaning 38-year old coach Nathan Jones has been featuring in the back four for the Glovers recently.
So, as cover for those injuries Yeovil boss Gary Johnson has this week delved into the transfer market, Johnson first signing Middlesbrough pair Jonathan Franks and Jonathan Grounds on loan for a month, with a probable option to extend those deals until the end of the season with both players out of contract at the Riverside in the summer. Franks being a 21-year old right-winger who can also play upfront, while Grounds, 24, can play at either centre-half or left-back.
Perhaps the Yeovil signing of most interest in Carlisle circles this week though is that of 21-year old free agent Michael Woods on non-contract terms, the midfielder, along with United’s Tom Taiwo, making the controversial move at the age of 16 from Leeds to Chelsea in 2006, with Chelsea in the end paying what turned out to be a wasted £5 million in compensation for the pair. The final bit of news from a busy Huish Park this week then being that first-year professionals Rob Clowes, who is a striker, and midfielder Lewis Clarke, have extended their respective loan spells at Bridgwater Town and Weymouth until the end of March.
The referee for tomorrow's match is Scott Mathieson from Stockport and he will be assisted down the lines by Paul Curry from Morpeth in Northumberland and Paul Davison from Stockton-on-Tees. Meanwhile the fourth official is another Morpeth man in Richard Clark.