With just nine days until the new season fixture list is released, it seems as good a time as any to look back at last season now that the dust has well and truly settled.
Sit back and enjoy the 2009/10 season as we look back over manager Terry Skiverton's first full season in charge. We'll be splitting it into five parts for easier digestion with parts two to five to follow shortly.
The young management team of Terry Skiverton and Nathan Jones, along with goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts had enjoyed a busy summer with numerous alterations to the staff both on and off the pitch. So it was almost a relief when the opening weekend of Saturday August 8th came along and the planning could finally be put into practice.
The fixture computer had thrown Yeovil a home opener for the second year running against Tranmere Rovers. The Merseysiders had appointed a manager with even less experience than Skiverton as they gave the job to former England and Liverpool legend John Barnes.
Seven players made their debut for Yeovil as the season kicked off with a 2-0 victory over Rovers. One of them, Dean Bowditch, made a blistering start to his Yeovil career with a header on 23 minutes but it was to be a bittersweet match for the ex-Ipswich striker as he was later carried off with a dislocated shoulder. Gavin Tomlin, one of the old boys, added a second half penalty as the Glovers started in near-perfect fashion.
Elsewhere, League One new boys Norwich City crashed 7-1 at home to Colchester United; a result that, with hindsight, shaped the landscape more than any other all season. Canaries manager Bryan Gunn lasted just one more game, against Yeovil, before being fired and replaced by his Colchester nemesis Paul Lambert.
The Carrow Road outfit had responded to the defeat in positive fashion with a 4-0 win over the Glovers in the Carling Cup First Round tie at Huish Park. More than 700 Canaries made the lengthy trip down to see Grant Holt grab a treble and Wes Hoolahan claim another as an impressive riposte from Norwich got their season back on track.
Yeovil's first away game was to a new stadium, the Weston Homes Community Stadium which was the new home for Colchester United. A Ryan Mason free kick near the end wasn't enough to overturn the two goal lead given to the U's by David Fox and Ashley Vincent.
A win and a loss in the league was followed by a draw, this time in the first ever league game with Exeter City. More than a thousand Glovers crammed into the tiny away end at St James' Park to see Stefan Stam endure a torrid first twenty minutes. The big ex-Oldham defender was booked, scored an own goal and left the field with a hamstring injury as Exeter settled into life in the higher division. A spectacular strike from Mason saved a point for Yeovil in the end.
The third game of the campaign at Huish Park produced a six goal thriller with a 3-3 draw against Leyton Orient. Tomlin grabbed his second goal of the season and further goals from Jonathan Obika and Danny Schofield looked to have given the Glovers their second maximum of the season but a goal on the hour from Ryan Jarvis earned a point for the O's.
It was alarm clocks at the ready for the next away trip. Huddersfield Town brought their home clash with Yeovil forward by three hours meaning a 4.30am start for some travelling fans. Thankfully, the team started equally quickly taking the lead with a Keiran Murtagh blockbuster and spurning the chance to go two up when Tomlin missed a spot kick. The Terriers fought back and claimed all three points with goals from Theo Robinson and Michael Collins.
The decidely unimpressive form continued into the early days of September when Yeovil exited the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at the first round stage. A team made up of sparingly-used players went down 2-1 at Bournemouth with the only bright spark being a late consolation from Obika.
Swindon Town were the first visitors to Huish Park in September and they made the short trip back to Wiltshire with all three points in a poor game. The fixture was decided by a Terrell Forbes own goal four minutes before half time.
The second of three home fixtures in the month brought struggling Stockport to Somerset. The game saw a league debut for keeper Richard Martin but not in the circumstances he would have wanted. First choice gloveman Alex McCarthy was dismissed for bringing down Nick Bignall in the box and Martin's first job was to pick the ball out of his net from Carl Baker's penalty. Tomlin equalised before Baker added a second only for Sam Williams to produce a second leveller and a final score of 2-2.
The Glovers then made another first with their first league game against Southampton at the St Mary's Stadium. Two dubious penalties from League One's top scorer Rickie Lambert gave the Saints a 2-0 win in front of almost 20,000 spectators.
After nine games without a win, the management team were keen to reverse the run of results and the turnaround arrived with a 2-0 win over Brentford. Craig Alcock and Andy Welsh netted to lift the Glovers back up to seventeenth position and the change of fortune continued three days later with a fine goalless draw at promoted Millwall. The visitors could easily have pinched all three points with both Shaun MacDonald and Jean-Paul Kalala thumping shots against the woodwork.
Part 2 will appear on Thursday with subsequent parts following every two days until the end.
