Glovers in good place ahead of new season

Newly-promoted Yeovil Town are in a good place to attack the new season, so says manager Mark Cooper after his side concluded pre-season with a 2-0 win at Weston Super Mare.

After a goalless first half, striker Aaron Jarvis gave the Glovers the lead in their last warm-up fixture, chesting down a through ball from Michael Smith before dispatching a clinical finish across Kelland Absalom in the home goal.

The visitors doubled their lead not long after through Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, who latched onto a ball over the top before firing in front a tight angle.

Post-game, a happy Cooper - who earlier this week penned a new three-year deal with the club - gave his thoughts, saying: “We wanted a really competitive game and we got that. We said to the players we wanted to treat it like a league game, both in terms of preparation, our training and the way we played.

“Of course it’s pre-season, it gets a bit slow at times, but the pitch was good, it was not as hot, so it was ideal conditions for a competitive game.”

In what has been a worthwhile pre-season programme for the Glovers, Cooper acknowledged it’s now time to crank things up with the National League Conference opener against Hartlepool United just a week away.

“With a week to go, we’ve got make sure people who are possibly going to start that game are getting close to 90 minutes or 90 minutes. There’s a case where some players are going to be upset if they don’t get the minutes they want, but we have to make some tough decisions.

“We’ve got a competitive squad here and I think they all understand if they don’t play that first game, they will get a chance to play that second game. What we’ve got to do is keep that harmony and united that we’ve got, work hard and do what we have to do.”

In what was a decent run-out against quality opposition for his side. Cooper was pleased to see elements of his game plan coming to fruition ahead of the new campaign.

“The way we worked, the way we’ve trained, the way we played, it was clear to see,” he said. “I want us to control games for as long as possible. I don’t want it end-to-end or chances in our box. I want to have the ball, control the game and we did that for large parts today.”

The victory capped a fine week for Cooper, who is looking to the future having tied down his own contract with club chairman Martin Hillier.

“I’m really happy,” he added. “Thanks to the owner for having that faith in me. We’ve got a great relationship and we’re aligned with where we want to go. Together we’re trying to build a football club. It’s slowly, slowly at this stage, but I am very happy.”

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