Yeovil Town 2003/04 Home Shirt

This shirt is a ghost: it exists, but the season it was made for never saw it. In 2003, Yeovil were preparing the biggest moment of their 108 years, their Football League debut, and opened a tender for their kit supply. Italian manufacturer Essegi came to play with this proposal: green and white hoops faithful to tradition, long sleeves, a classic buttoned collar, the sponsorship of Bradfords Building Supplies, the builders' merchant that has been Yeovil's neighbour for generations, already printed on the chest, and a number 2 on the back ready for the first choice right back. The contract went to Paulas Benara, the brand that had dressed the Glovers since 1999 and would stay until 2007, and Essegi never appeared on a Yeovil team sheet. What remains is this complete example, with official crest and sponsor, of a shirt that lost its only match before ever taking the pitch. In the history of Yeovil's kits, this is the chapter that was never written. It lives here.