Taking a closer look at…..Yate Town

Who are the new faces at Lodge Road.

Pitching In Southern Football League Premier Division South club Yate Town have undergone a massive change over the summer months, with a new manager at Lodge Road and a plethora of signings – several of whom followed their former boss.

The new man in charge is Paul Michael.

A head of PE during the day, he played in the Welsh Premier for Haverfordwest County and in the Southern League with Clevedon Town.

He took over as player-manager at Risca United where he led the club to back-to-back promotions from the Welsh League Division Three to Division One and a highest-ever finish before making the move to Cinderford Town in 2016.

With the Foresters he undertook a team re-build and led them to the Southern League Cup final and Southern Division One South play-off final in 2019 – ironically losing to Yate before taking over at Lodge Road earlier in the summer.

One of his first jobs was appointing vastly experienced forward Stuart Fleetwood as his player-coach.

The 34-year-old joined Yate having been with league rivals Swindon Supermarine since June 2018 having played for Redditch United and Merthyr Town the previous season.

He joined the Cardiff City` youth set-up as a 12-year-old before going on to play for several other clubs, including Bath City, Sutton United, Eastleigh, Luton Town, Hereford United, Charlton Athletic and Hereford United.

It`s the attacking end of the pitch that Michael has strengthened considerably as they only managed 38 goals in the 31 games played before lockdown in 2019/20.

Apart from Fleetwood, Michael added Craig Norman, Olly Mehew and Aaron Ward-Baptiste to his attacking options.

The new boss was especially keen to re-unite with Norman, who he managed at Cinderford.

The 29-year-old stonemason is a former players’ and supporters’ player of the year whilst also finishing top scorer, despite playing many games at full back.

He has an uncompromising style and winning attitude.

Mehew (right) returned to Lodge Road after leaving in November 2019 for Southern Division One South side Bristol Manor Farm.

The 22-year-old son of former pro David Mehew, he originally joined Yate in July 2018 after being released by Forest Green Rovers at the end of the previous season.

He was a scholar at Blackburn Rovers before joining Bristol Rovers, and has previously appeared on loan for a variety of non-League clubs including Mangotsfield United, Cirencester Town, Bideford, Salisbury, Evesham United, Taunton Town and Dorchester Town.

Ward-Baptiste is a 24-year-old who was a product of the Bristol Rovers academy where he turned professional before heading off to university in America at the James Madison University in Virginia.

He returned to the UK earlier this summer after a successful four years playing for Madison Dukes.

Michael also brought in two new goalkeepers to compete for the number one jersey in Andrew Hannah and Josh Langley.

Hannah is another to have followed the manager from Cinderford.

He had been signed by Michael in the summer of 2019 after a spell with Evesham United.

He also played in the Vanarama National League South for Gloucester City and also has experience at Paulton Rovers and Mangotsfield United since arriving in the area to study at Hartpury University following his release from Plymouth Argyle.

Langley joins after spells with Cirencester Town, Malmesbury Vics and Highworth Town.

He has also dual registered with Toolstation Western League outfit Chipping Sodbury.

Defensively, Michael has brought with him from the Causeway, full back Sam Turl, who numbers Slimbridge, Gloucester City, Bishops Cleeve and Bridgwater Town amongst his other former clubs, 6`5” Matt Bower, who was released by League Two side Cheltenham Town and had spells with Vanarama National League South clubs Bath City and Weston-super-mare and also turned out for Cirencester Town, Stratford Town and then Cinderford.

Former Cardiff City youth player Liam Angel has also followed his manager to Yate.

Later a Newport County professional and Wales international right up to under-19 level, the centre-back arrived at Cinderford in the summer of 2017.

The experienced Nick Rhodes is another to make the switch having been a member of Cinderford`s 2015/16 Southern Division One South title winning squad after arriving from Bishops Cleeve in 2014.

He left for a spell at Evesham United before returning in the middle of the 2017/18 season.

Andy Lewis is another centre-back who had three spells with Cinderford before.

He first arrived at the Causeway after re-locating to study at Worcester University.

Now a Primary School teacher, he returned from Shortwood United in the summer of 2017 but left for a brief spell with Evesham.

Michael also brought in Will Tunnicliff, a 20-year-old who was initially joined Southern Division One South club Cirencester Town on loan from National League South side Gloucester City at the end of the 2017/18 season.

He had been with Gloucester since he was 15 after youth spells at Cheltenham Town and Birmingham City. Whilst with the Tigers he had dual spells with Bishops Cleeve and Evesham United and signed a permanent deal with Cirencester in June 2019.

Midfielder Joe Hall completes the new faces at Yate.

The youngster made a permanent move to Southern Division One South side Mangotsfield United in June 2019 following his release by Bristol City.

He made 10 appearances for Mangos on loan from December 2018 to February 2019, scoring once, and made a big impact and was keen to step up a level with the Bluebells.

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