Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley expressed a measure of satisfaction after his team were held to a 1-1 draw by National League South side Farnham Town in a pre-season friendly.
The Glovers took the lead early on through Brett McGavin’s signature free-kick, following a dominant first half in which Yeovil created numerous chances. Farnham responded soon after the interval with a goal from Sam Evans. Numerous substitutions from both sides in the latter stages saw the match gradually lose intensity, finishing all square.
Despite missing out on victory, Rowley found plenty of positives in the performance. “We were quite pleased with the game and I thought we were quite dominant,” he commented. “I was pretty happy with the use of the ball. One thing supporters don’t see, or if you’re not playing in the game, is that they weren’t able to water the pitch before the game, so it was quite sticky and dry.”
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Rowley also acknowledged the strength of their opponents. “I thought it was a good test,” he said. “Farnham are on the up, only a league below us and have got some lads who’ve played in our division.”
A notable feature during the match was the appearance of trialist Brad de Jesus, who made his debut after recently departing Fulham. Rowley revealed the circumstances that led to his inclusion: “Brad de Jesus has just left Fulham as a professional after being there a long time. I had a phone call from a good friend who coached him for years. He had a move to Portugal fall through a couple of weeks ago and asked if he could get involved.”
The Yeovil manager is optimistic about de Jesus’s prospects with the club. “I’ve known Brad for a couple of years, he has a great attitude and is a great player,” Rowley noted. “I’ll be catching up with him over the next couple of days to see what that looks like medium to long term.”
With only one pre-season game remaining before the National League campaign begins, Rowley feels he is gaining a clearer picture of his squad. However, he emphasised that team selection will continue to be influenced by the opposition. “You get a good idea of who’s looking sharp, fit and hungry,” he said. “Every game looks different. Sometimes you’ll be at home against a back five and need creative players; sometimes you’ll be away from home against a team that presses and might need fast players. We try to build a team who can compete in different style games and that might look different week to week.”
Yeovil Town are set to return to Huish Park twice this week. The first occasion is a public training session on Thursday, with Rowley praising the pitch conditions: “It will be nice, the pitch is in incredible condition at the moment.”
Their pre-season campaign concludes at Huish Park on Saturday when they host League Two side Newport County.