Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley expressed mixed feelings after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Scunthorpe United in the opening National League fixture of the season. The Glovers took an early second-half lead through Mason Obeng, who calmly finished at the back post. However, Scunthorpe mounted a persistent attack and secured a last-minute equaliser through substitute Luke Brennan.
Despite the disappointment of conceding so late, Rowley praised his newly assembled squad for their competitive performance in their first match together. “I think it’s a classic case of coming to Scunthorpe away and, before the game, you’d have taken a point,” he said. “But after being a part of the game, I’m a little frustrated we didn’t win it.”
Rowley believed Yeovil created enough chances to secure all three points and felt the team were unfairly penalised by a couple of offside decisions. “We’ve had a couple of big chances and two offsides which, having seen the freeze frames, weren’t actually offsides,” he stated. “I think Luke McCormick goes on to score one of those to make it 2-0.”
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The game also featured several competitive debuts, particularly in defence, which the manager commended. “It was a big part of our preparation,” Rowley explained. “Scunthorpe are really good at what they do; they put the ball on your back line and are great at making runs off you. We dealt with all of that really well.”
One standout was new goalkeeper Jos Barker, who made a vital first-half save to deny Pat Jones on his league debut. “I’m really happy with all the lads, especially Jos,” Rowley said. “He’s come up two leagues, made his debut in front of 6,000 people, and hasn’t put a foot wrong.”
Another former Walton & Hersham player to impress was goalscorer Mason Obeng, whose goal was described as exceptional. “It’s an unbelievable goal,” said the manager. “Mase’s finish might go down as goal of the week in this league.”
There was some concern when Ryan Jones had to leave the field in the second half, but Rowley confirmed the number ten was fine. “It was just cramp,” he revealed. “He did a lot of backtracking, defending set plays, jumping and bursts of energy.”
Rowley concluded by lauding the Yeovil supporters who travelled north. “The support was incredible-I was smiling throughout the warm-up,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough. The players loved it as well; it made the warm-up and the whole day really special.”
Yeovil Town now return to Huish Park for their first home game of the season, where they will host fellow promotion hopefuls Carlisle United.