Yeovil Town will go into their upcoming National League fixture against Altrincham with Brett McGavin as their new permanent captain, manager Billy Rowley has confirmed.
The appointment comes after the departure of Luke McCormick, with Rowley describing McGavin as a natural successor and praising the midfielder’s leadership, professionalism and technical ability. The match brings together two sides competing among the play-off hopefuls and follows a demanding week for the Glovers.
McGavin takes on the captaincy
Speaking to Jack Killah of BBC Somerset, Rowley said McGavin had earned the opportunity after elevating his performances during the season. The manager said the players around him had helped bring him “up a level”, while also highlighting his tactical understanding.
Rowley’s decision makes McGavin the permanent replacement for McCormick. He said: “Brett McGavin will step step into that position. I yeah, I can’t speak highly enough of of Brett as a as a bloke and as a lad. He’s top professional, he’s one of the sort of technically most gifted players I’ve ever ever seen really.”
The manager also called McGavin “tactically really astute” and a “natural replacement” following McCormick’s departure.
Storm Austen could change Yeovil’s approach
Yeovil’s preparations have been complicated by a forecast of Storm Austen, with gusts of between 40 and 50 mph expected. Rowley said the conditions could force his players to adapt their plans during the match, particularly if strong winds make it difficult to play passes into the channels.
He said Yeovil needed to be effective “in all weathers, good in all conditions, and good on all pitches”. The manager added that the players would need freedom to respond to what was happening on the field rather than relying rigidly on pre-planned attacking ideas.
“You’ve got to be really good at adapting on the spot, and the players need to be given some freedom to understand that if we’ve worked on certain ideas and, certain ways to score, if there’s 40 mile an hour winds in their faces and you can’t play a ball in the channel, it probably changes the plan a little bit…the boys have to be intelligent, have to think on their feet,” he said.
Injury update after busy cup week
Yeovil reached the fixture after a thrilling FA Cup tie with Leatherhead, with Rowley saying the additional match had brought more goals for supporters, useful minutes for players and an impressive appearance from youth-team player Liam Nardiello. He also credited Leatherhead with making both ties difficult and helping Yeovil set a record for the most times a non-league club has qualified.
The manager said Yeovil had emerged from the week largely unscathed. Zain Westbrooke was suggested to be back in contention, while James Daly had suffered an ankle scare during the warm-up on Tuesday. Daly continued initially but was withdrawn at half-time after swelling developed; Rowley said he was training fully again.
Altrincham were described by Rowley as being in strong form, exciting to watch and capable of testing Yeovil. Although the Glovers will expect to win at home, he warned that they must remain mindful of the visitors’ quality.
With Yeovil seeking to maintain their place in the play-off picture, Rowley urged the squad to focus on the immediate preparation rather than look too far ahead. His message was to concentrate on the next training session and perform well against Altrincham before turning attention to the following week.