The 2012–13 season was the 10th season in the Football League and the 8th consecutive season at the third tier of English football played by Yeovil Town Football Club, an English football club based in Yeovil, Somerset.
Manager Gary Johnson signed nine players before the close of the summer transfer window. The season started promisingly with the club briefly topping the Football League One table in August before a 6-match losing run in September and October saw them drop in to mid-table. Having stood 12th in the league table after Boxing Day, Yeovil went on an 8-match run winning run which transformed them into promotion candidates. The signing of Paddy Madden permanently in January saw Yeovil win 11 of their final 20 games, and the team finished the season 4th in the table, a new record high finishing position, and qualified for the play-offs. Where they faced Sheffield United in the semi-final, a 1–0 away defeat in the first leg before a late Ed Upson goal gave Yeovil a 2–0 victory in the home leg. Brentford faced Yeovil in the 2013 Football League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium, Yeovil won 2–1 courtesy of goals from Madden and Dan Burn and were promoted to the second-tier of English football for the first time in the club's history.
Yeovil's first fixture of the season came in the League Cup first round, beating Colchester United before being defeated by Premier League side West Bromwich Albion in the second round. They were knocked out of the FA Cup by Preston North End in the first round and reached the Southern Area semi-finals of the Football League Trophy before being beaten by Leyton Orient. Paddy Madden was the club's and League One top scorer with 23 goals, with all but one of these coming in the league.
Background
The 2011–12 season was the club's seventh consecutive in the third tier of the English football league system, it was Terry Skiverton's third full season in charge as manager. Yeovil started the season slowly winning only two of their first ten matches and picking up only 8 points, the sluggish form continued and by the middle of October they had slipped to the foot of the table with just 11 points from 15 matches. Two consecutive victories over Hartlepool United and Notts County were followed with the embarrassment of their FA Cup second round home replay defeat against Conference National side Fleetwood Town. With two defeats over Christmas and a draw against relegation rivals Exeter City in early January, Yeovil were still in the bottom four having picked up 21 points from 24 matches. On 9 January 2012, the club announced the return of Gary Johnson as manager and the demotion of Skiverton to the role of assistant manager. Johnson transformed Yeovil's form as they picked up 25 points from a possible 36 and the club briefly entered the top half of the table in March, with a brief blip in form in April when the club suffered their record Football League defeat 0–6 at home to Stevenage but the club secured their League One status with two matches to spare and finished the season in 17th position with 54 points from 46 matches.
The end of the season featured another large turnover of players with eight being released, these included defenders Kelly Youga and Alistair Slowe, midfielder Billy Gibson, forwards Kieran Agard and Steve MacLean who were all released and the three first-year professionals Rhys Baggridge, Lewis Clarke and Rob Clowes were released without making a first team appearance. Seven players were offered new contracts and two contracts were also offered to Middlesbrough loanees Jonathan Grounds and Jonathan Franks. Vice-captain Luke Ayling and midfielder Ed Upson agreed to new two years contracts whereas Dominic Blizzard, Richard Hinds and Gavin Williams all agreed new one-year deals. But top scorer Andy Williams and captain Paul Huntington both rejected offers of new contracts, joining Swindon Town and Preston North End respectively. Middlesbrough duo Grounds and Franks also both rejected Yeovil's approaches. Player-coach Nathan Jones left the club after seven years and 211 matches, three years of which were spent as assistant manager to Terry Skiverton, to take up a role at Charlton Athletic as their Under-21 Professional Development Coach.
Review
Pre-season
The squad returned for pre-season training on 2 July. The squad was joined by five players who were signed during the off season, former Bristol City and Scotland international full-back Jamie McAllister, released Oldham Athletic duo Keanu Marsh-Brown and Reuben Reid, former Doncaster Rovers forward James Hayter and attacking midfielder Sam Foley after he rejected a new contract with Conference side Newport County. Midfielder Michael Woods was invited back for pre-season training after a non-contract spell at the end of last season, but did not return and Oxford City full-back James Clarke was also invited for a pre-season trial. The first day of pre-season saw the signing of versatile left sided player Nathan Ralph following his release from Peterborough United and former Northampton Town winger Lewis Young. These two new players were supplemented by trialists including Clarke, Canadian goalkeeper Lucas Birnstingl, former Kilmarnock midfielder Ross Lindsay and former Southampton trainee Aarran Racine. On 4 July 2012, despite being half way through his two-year contract defender Bondz N'Gala left the club for fellow League One side Stevenage. Central defender Byron Webster, who had been released by Northampton Town earlier in the day, was signed on a two-year contract and the following day the club sign former loan goalkeeper Marek Štěch on a two-year contract. On 13 July 2012, Chelsea youngster Rohan Ince signed on a six-month loan deal.
Yeovil faced rivals Hereford United at Edgar Street on 14 July, included in the team were three more trialists; former Swansea City youngsters Casey Thomas and Joe Walsh, and Salif Cissé, the brother of former Bristol City midfielder Kalifa. The game ended in a 1–1 draw with Ed Upson scoring for Yeovil. The subsequent friendly away against Southern League side Poole Town saw a cull of trialists with only Cissé and Racine remaining in the side, although Clarke's absence was due to injury, they were joined by former Chesterfield defender Aaron Downes. The game ended in a 2–0 for Yeovil thanks to a brace from Marsh–Brown. On 19 July, young forward Gozie Ugwu arrived on a six-month loan from Reading making him Yeovil's eleventh signing of the summer. The same day the club confirmed that Racine and Cissé's trials had been terminated, the club also revealed that previous shirt sponsors Jones Building Contractors had chosen not to take up the option to extend their deal and so the club were in negotiations with businesses to become the club's main sponsor for the 2012–13 season. Midfielder Dominic Blizzard missed the first six pre-season friendlies having suffered a broken hand in training. On 21 July, Yeovil faced League Two side Plymouth Argyle at the home of Dorchester Town The Avenue Stadium due to problems with the Huish Park pitch, Yeovil strolled to a 5–0 win with a hat-trick from Reuben Reid and goals from Hayter and Marsh-Brown. On 24 July, trialist Aaron Downes signed for League Two side Torquay United. The same day Yeovil faced Dorchester Town in an away friendly and beat the Conference South side 3–0 with a brace from Reading loanee Gozie Ugwu and a goal from Lewis Young. The following day long term transfer-listed midfielder Anthony Edgar left the club for League Two side Barnet. Yeovil did suffer their first defeat of pre–season on 26 July but in a Twenty20 cricket match against North Perrott Cricket Club losing the contest heavily by 71 runs. The following day Yeovil played their first home friendly against Bristol Rovers and despite taking the lead through Rohan Ince the game ended in a 1–1 draw.
The club then embarked on a brief pre–season tour to southern Wales commencing with a friendly against Welsh Premier League side Llanelli on 31 July. Trialist James Clarke returned to the club after injury and in a high scoring encounter Yeovil triumphed 5–3 courtesy of a brace from James Hayter, and goals from Ince, Sam Foley and Gozie Ugwu. Later in the week the side embarked on a team–building white water rafting exercise, before their second friendly against Conference side Newport County. The match allowed a return to Newport for Sam Foley, as Yeovil's good pre–season form continued with a 3–1 victory courtesy of goals from Reid, Nathan Ralph and Gozie Ugwu. Following the match, Johnson announced the departure of final trialist James Clarke after failing to earn a contract. Following the lack of interest in a new shirt sponsorship deal, the players were convinced by manager Gary Johnson to take part in a topless photo call to fuel interest. On 7 August, Yeovil faced their only pre–season match against higher league opposition in the shape of Premier League side Stoke City. Yeovil took the lead through a Reuben Reid penalty with Stoke equalising through a Kenwyne Jones header nine minutes later and the match finished 1–1. With national press coverage for the squad photo publicity stunt, on 10 August, the club announced a deal had been agreed with W+S Recycling to be the club's new shirt sponsor, and on the same day it was announced that local Italian restaurant chain Tamburino's had agreed a deal to have their logo on the rear of Yeovil's shirts. Yeovil completed their pre–season preparation the following day with a 2–2 draw against Exeter City with goals from Upson and Reid, pre–season finished with an unbeaten record in all nine matches with five victories and four draws, scoring 23 goals and conceding just nine.
+ Pre-season match detailsDateOpponentsVenueResultScoreF–AScorersAttendanceHereford UnitedAD1–1UpsonPoole TownAW2–0Marsh Brown (2)421Plymouth ArgyleAW5–0Reid (3), Marsh Brown, HayterDorchester TownAW3–0Ugwu (2), YoungBristol RoversHD1–1Ince1,125LlanelliAW5–3Ince, Foley, Hayter (2), Ugwu137Newport CountyAW3–1Reid, Ralph, Ugwu729Stoke CityHD1–1Reid2,106Exeter CityHD2–2Upson, Reid817
August