Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley praised his side’s resilience after a physical contest at Kidderminster ended with a 1-0 win for the Glovers.
Johl Powell’s second-half goal separated the teams and secured all three points for Yeovil. The result also inflicted Kidderminster’s first home defeat in 90 minutes since November 2025.
Rowley said the match was decided by a small number of key moments, with Yeovil’s goalkeeper and defence having to withstand sustained pressure before Powell delivered the decisive finish.
Powell decides a physical contest
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Ian Randall after the match, Rowley said the atmosphere and intensity made it difficult to communicate with his players from the touchline. He admitted the performance was not Yeovil’s most polished, but said the team had plenty to build on.
“Yeah, I thought they were really, really tough opponent. We knew it was going to be today. I think they’ve got the fourth highest average attendance. I think their home support is fantastic. Our away support today was equally as good. So I thought the crowd made for a really intense affair. It was so difficult to get information onto the lads, hence why I’ve lost my voice a little bit. It was a game of like, just one or two moments here and there that have that have changed the outcome. I’m so proud of the boys to win in this fashion. It was by no means our most pretty performance. It’s a lot of stuff that that we’re going to review and try and improve on. There’s obviously goalkeeper moments, there’s last-ditch blocks, Johl Powell coming again on for the second week in a row with a late a late winner, so like loads of positives to take from it”
Rowley highlighted Powell’s confidence in front of goal, saying the forward had shown the same hunger to score from a young age. Powell had scored 22 or 23 goals while playing two leagues below last season, according to the manager.
“I’ve seen Johl do that since he was 12 years old. He’s so hungry for a goal. I think when he could sniff the moment where he could go one-on-one with the goalie, there was no way he’s going down and yeah, he’s a superb superb finisher. Obviously playing two leagues below this last season, but he got 23 goals, I think, 22 goals, so that shows what he’s like in front of goal.”
Defensive resilience earns the points
The Yeovil manager said the victory ultimately came down to a strong goalkeeping display, a resilient defensive effort and one outstanding finishing moment.
He also described Kidderminster as a physical side that changed shape and attempted to press Yeovil man-for-man. Yeovil were calmer in possession when goalkeeper Jos was included in the build-up, Rowley said, but found it harder to progress when that approach was not used.
Rowley described the match as “bitty”, with frequent stoppages, but felt his team dealt well with the challenge. The management team will review the performance and identify areas for improvement.
Worthing and Boston next at home
Yeovil’s next two fixtures are at home against Worthing on Tuesday and Boston on Saturday. Rowley said Worthing would be the immediate focus, describing both upcoming opponents as difficult and saying the team would prepare for the matches in the coming days.
There was also an update on Luke McCormick’s situation. Asked whether it could be resolved by Tuesday, Rowley said it was potentially possible but that he would provide an update once there was greater transparency and a definite answer.