The football world is buzzing with controversy as Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley faces serious accusations from his former club, Walton & Hersham. The Surrey-based club claims Rowley has been aggressively attempting to poach their players—allegedly going as far as crashing their end-of-season party in person.
Rowley made the move from Walton & Hersham to Yeovil Town back in November, where he guided the Glovers to a 16th-place finish in the National League. Meanwhile, his former club celebrated a historic promotion to National League South for the first time in their history this season—meaning the two sides will be just one league apart next year.
But instead of celebrating each other's successes, tensions have boiled over. Walton & Hersham released a scathing statement on their website, accusing Rowley of repeatedly approaching their contracted players without permission. They claim he sent correspondence containing "profane and threatening language" to the club's owners and even gatecrashed their end-of-season staff event.
"We believe Billy has made repeated attempts to influence contracted players regarding their futures, contributing to unnecessary instability within the club," the statement read. The situation escalated further when Yeovil reportedly made a "formal offer" for Walton & Hersham midfielder Mason Obeng, who had just rejected a new contract with the Surrey club.
Walton & Hersham say they've now submitted a formal complaint to the Football Association (FA) about Rowley's conduct. Frustrated by what they describe as "the lack of meaningful action or acknowledgement," they felt they had "no alternative but to make our position public."
This isn't the first time Rowley's move to Yeovil has raised eyebrows. Walton & Hersham previously revealed that Yeovil's initial approach to hire him came during a Southern League Premier South game against Hungerford Town—a move that certainly didn't sit well with their former club.
We've reached out to both Yeovil Town and the FA for comment, and we'll keep you updated as this story develops. In the meantime, it's a reminder that in football, as in any sport, loyalty and professionalism matter—both on and off the pitch.