At their first board meeting on 5th May, the directors appointed the Club's first manager,
Jack Gregory from
Queen's Park Rangers. He was immediately successful, for the Club won the Western Section
of the Southern League.
During the summer of 1923, tennis courts were marked out on the pitch and hired out at
£2 per court for the summer season. Also that summer 750 loads of earth were
brought to the ground by Bartletts Ltd., to form a terrace at the Queen Street end of
the ground. The pitch was lengthened by 4 yards at a cost of £15 and a telephone was
installed. In October and November, a further 100 tons of materials were given by
Westlands and hauled to the ground at a cost of £9 and the Club opened negotiations
with the Southern Railway Company to purchase 1000 railway sleepers, at a cost of
£50, to add steps to the terraces.
FA Cup Results 1923-24:
Prel. Round Yeovil 2 Frome Town 0
1st Qual. Yeovil 12 Westbury Utd 0
2nd Qual. Welton Rovers 1 Yeovil 2
3rd Qual. Yeovil 1 Torquay Utd 1
Replay Torquay Utd 2 Yeovil 1.
Comments in the Club programme regarding the Frome Town match:
"Safely over the first ditch! Our 'Boys' duly administered the knock-out blow to our
neighbours, Frome, by two clear goals in their first 'airing' for the English Cup.
The game, from a spectacular point of view, was nothing to enthuse over, and we were
distinctly relieved to see the 'pill' reach the billet for the second time".
Of the Westbury game, the programme editor wrote: "Hats off to a very gallant little
team - Westbury United. Although outclassed in every department of the game they never
gave up trying and we were glad to see their efforts rewarded by a goal."
At Welton a
penalty was awarded against us and the editor stated: "We confess we were none too easy
in our minds when, a goal behind, the opposition were awarded a penalty, but by goalkeeper
Vallis saving the weak attempt our boys appeared to wake up to the fact that it was
time to be 'doing' and proceeded to 'do' it."
After our replay defeat at Torquay, the programme editor had this to say:
"Alas! Poor Yeovil. Tis better to give than to receive, the philosophers assure us,
and so we give our best wishes to our seaside friends from Torquay for a long run in
the Cup, from which competition we have now made a graceful exit. But oh! What a
different tale might have been told - if the ref had stuck to the strict letter of
the law with regard to the penalty incident!! Three vital moments. Such, however,
is the fortune of war and soccer."
Even eighty years ago, referees seemed to pick up stick!
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