Mr Maynard's meeting

So, with the debt taken care of, the Mayor, Dr Colmer installed as the President, was it the catalyst for a brand new start and spring immediately into action? - unfortunately not!

Whether it was the timing, mid-season and without the commitment of league and Cup  matches, only friendlies, the whole club, association and rugby seemed to have sat back and waited to see what would happen next, the answer being not alot!

The ever continuing Kingston school, seemingly the only outlet for association lovers to enjoy a match, which they did on a regular basis against other schools and the ever trying Mr Mayo's XI. Players involved in these matches were the players such as W. Bond who would later be heavily involved in Yeovil Casuals, and by the end of the year find himself the captain of Yeovil football club 

1888, the months past, no matches reported on. However, it would appear a very good reason why there were no matches - the club was no more!

On the 21st September 1888, a report appeared in the Western Gazette of a meeting held at Mr W T Maynard's restaurant in The Borough , in the hope of forming a football club for the town. Which would indicate the previous one was by now defunct.

Mr Maynard's restaurant the venue of the 1888 meeting

The meeting was more of canvassing exercise to see the prospects of forming a new club in the town. Chaired by Albert Ernest Bradford, son of the ever growing Bradford company in the town, and still in operation to this day. He expressed

" that if such a club were formed, and properly worked, no town in the West of England could show better play than Yeovil could" 

Obviously an eternal optimist when taking into consideration the previous mismanagement and debt of the club. 

The gathered group of men, overwhelmed with enthusiasm were asked to canvass their various districts to gauge the likelihood of support for a new club . A Mr.Walker enquired whether the club should play rugby or association. Mr Maynard, replying 

"... there is material enough in the town to form two good teams, one for each game. I 

am glad to see association play is becoming more popular in Somerset, and I know Mr. Denning (captain of the county association team) who would be pleased to bring an association team to play the Yeovil team"

The meeting ended with the gathering promising to meet back two weeks later with their 'canvassing' results. Not before they had appointed officers of the club and Mr W. Bond as captain of the association side. Bond's captainship would last for quite a few years and in later years his son Fred Bond would follow in his Father's footsteps as captain of the club.

Two weeks later they were back with a spring in their steps, all declaring that support was positive for the formation of a new club and membership subscriptions taken - at a small price of course.

Dr. Colmer was back, elected again as President, fresh from marrying his dead first wife's sister and performing an autopsy on a recently deceased in the Pen Mill Hotel.

A field at Hendford, previously used by the Rugby team, was to be rented on match days and a small admission fee to be charged for spectators.

At last, it seemed Yeovil football club were off and running.

Happy days!