COMMENT: Yeovil Town's million-mile journey

ONE of the most well-worn phrases I have heard at Huish Park this season in the Sky Bet Championship is that Yeovil Town “aren’t a million miles away” – writes Steve Sowden, of the Yeovil Press website at www.yeovilpress.co.uk.

There have been several games where Yeovil have lost by the odd goal and you go away thinking “close, but not close enough.”

I have said before that if there was a mini-division between League One and The Championship, Yeovil would do really well.

But I am certainly not mentioning the dreaded R-word just yet, I am still confident that Yeovil can avoid the drop, my glass is still very much half full rather than half empty, and I am certainly keeping the faith!

But I have to say that although Yeovil Town “aren’t a million miles away” from really competing in The Championship – the end of the season “isn’t a million miles away” either and the Glovers need to start picking up points and wins quickly.

Hopefully Yeovil can start their very own version of the Great Escape tonight (Tuesday, February 18, 2014) and the visit of Watford to Huish Park.

PHOTOS: Byron Webster (top) and Joe Edwards (right) can be vital "on-field generals" for Yeovil Town in the closing weeks of the season.

Yeovil’s excellent 3-0 win at Watford back on November 30, 2013, heralded the start of a four-game unbeaten run in the Championship with eight points out of 12 with two victories and two draws.

How Yeovil could do with a run like that again NOW to kick-start their route to survival in the Championship and hopefully they can build on last week’s 1-1 draw with Millwall.

Yeovil manager Gary Johnson has said recently that he wants to see more “leaders” on the pitch from his team.

I don’t personally think that “leaders” are taught or coached, it has to come from within and Yeovil’s FA Trophy and Nationwide Conference winning side was packed with leaders with the likes of Terry Skiverton, Darren Way, Lee Johnson and Michael McIndoe to name but a few.

Yeovil today have got one leader in the form of skipper Jamie McAllister and he needs trusted on-field generals to help marshal and galvanise the troops as they go into the remaining battles of what has so far been a frustrating, but exciting, war for the Glovers.

You only have to look back to that 3-0 win at Watford to find three possible “leaders” – the goalscorers that day of Byron Webster, Ishmael Miller and Joe Edwards.

Webster has been immense this season at the heart of defence and deputising as skipper in the absence of McAllister; Miller should be passing on his undoubted experience to the younger lads; and it should be hoped that Edwards’ recent run of dogged and determined performances can rub off onto others.

But how far is a million miles? For those of you wanting to know a million miles is the equivalent of 5,280,000,000 feet and you could travel around the Earth just over 40 times.

Personally I think that Yeovil Town have come the proverbial “footballing million miles” themselves by winning the ICIS League championship in 1997 and taking their place in the Championship just over 15 years later.

It’s been one hell of a journey….

Tags:
Yeovil Town FC.