Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll would no doubt have been disappointed to see the Glovers lose out to Barnet in the semi-finals of the National League play-offs, however there were a number of positives which he could take from the 2019-20 campaign.
First of all, by finishing fourth in the National League the Glovers recorded their first top half finish since the 2012-13 campaign, when they won promotion to the Championship against all odds under Gary Johnson.
Secondly, Sarll assembled the most prolific strike partnership seen at Huish Park for many a year in Courtney Duffus and Rhys Murphy for many a year, and they are widely tipped to be amongst the goals again in 2020-21.
Midfielder Albi Skendi turned out to be one of the finds of the season after joining the Glovers from Stratford Town, which saw him score four goals in 37 appearances.
Winger Myles Hippolyte, who made the move to League Two to sign for Scunthorpe United, has been the Glovers only high profile departure, but Sarll has retained the core of last season’s squad and utilised the loan market to bring in former Gulls’ right-back Daniel Leadbitter on loan from Newport County and Ryan Burke from Birmingham City.
The two Smiths, Adam and Jimmy, both return to the club from Forest Green Rovers and Crawley Town respectively; Goalkeeper Adam on a season-long loan and Jimmy on a permanent basis.
Other new arrivals include defender Josh Staunton, who was an ever-present for the Glovers' fellow play-off side FC Halifax Town, and combined with the experience of the likes of Charlie Lee and Carl Dickinson all the signs suggest that Yeovil are more than capable of reaching the play-offs again.
Player to Watch: Courtney Duffus
After scoring once in 16 appearances in the 2018-19 season which saw the Glovers relegated from the Football League, Courtney Duffus received a new lease of life in the National League - scoring 16 times in 36 appearances as he formed a prolific partnership with Rhys Murphy. Duffus, who is in a relationship with GB tennis star Heather Watson, could yet be making a return to the EFL with the Glovers, or possibily even without.
