David Coates (Page 190)

The course of this game against promotion-chasing FC Halifax Town at Huish Park changed in the space of 60 second half seconds.

In the 83rd minute, Reuben Reid broke in to the box and was seemingly hauled down by defender Niall Maher, but shouts for a penalty by referee Elliot Swallow were waved away.

The visitors immediately broke down the other end where Luke Sumerfield’s shot from the edge of the box was only parried by Adam Smith as far as Kieran Green who stabbed home the second.

Now, you do not lose any game 3-0 and think you deserve to go away with all three points, but there are definite grounds for scrapping the first rule of the Gloverscast – don’t moan about referees at this level.

We had enough chances to take something from the game but, whilst visiting keeper Sam Johnson made some superb saves, we simply were not clinical enough in front of goal.

With top-scorer Rhys Murphy missing again today with a groin injury, we lacked that killer instinct. Halifax didn’t and that is one reason why they’ll be among the play-off places and we won’t.

Here’s how I saw it……

FIRST HALF

The one change to Yeovil starting line-up saw Reid come in for Charlie Lee, suspended after his booking for dissent (grumble, grumble) at Wealdstone two days earlier, with Jimmy Smith dropping to the base of the diamond,

On the bench midfielder Toby Stephens, who came through the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust set-up and Under-18s, replaced Reid.

Yeovil started playing towards the away end at Huish Park with a strong wind behind them and Reid fired the first chance from just outside the box over after five minutes following good work from Tom Knowles.

Former loanee Martin Woods, who played three times in 2008, had a long-range effort well held by Smith  in the Yeovil goal shortly after, but on 14 minutes Albi Skendi bundled Danny Williams over in the box to concede a penalty.

No complaints with the award and ex-Plymouth Argyle midfielder Summerfield sent Smith the wrong way from the spot to put Halifax ahead.

That goal probably came a little against the run of play with the home side having had some good early pressure, but things started to unravel after going behind.

The bad conditions – there was wind, hail and rain – seemed to hinder us with Carl Dickinson in particular struggling to find the right length with his set-pieces, whilst the visitors started to find some rhythm.

Summerfield‘s long shot from a well-worked free kick was well held by Smith in the 20th minute and then next chance fell to Billy Sass-Davies 15 minutes later when he headed wide from a corner.

The on-loan Crewe man could have had a couple of goals from set pieces at Wealdstone and should have at least made the keeper work here.

The final chance of the half fell to Smith – yes, Adam, the goalkeeper – whose long clearance forward went wide.

That gave former Glovers’ manager Steve Rutter, who was on co-commentary on the live stream, the chance to recall the time keeper Dave Fry scored from his own penalty box in an equally minging day back in 1991.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 FC Halifax Town 1

SECOND HALF

Reid, who had an anonymous first half, started the second brightly with a stinging drive from the edge of the box superbly tipped wide by Halifax keeper Sam Johnson, and shortly after Knowles bent a free-kick inches wide.

On Reid, I have been called out for being critical of his lack of goals and, whilst his link up play and creativity has brought something to the side since joining us, I wish he’d have more efforts like he did here.

A fantastic run by Josh Neufville soon after was ended by a cynical trip by Summerfield on the edge of the box and Johnson made another great stop to keep out Knowles’ free-kick.

On the hour mark came the Glovers’ best chance so far, Michael Kelly’s ball in to the box was headed down by Joe Quigley to Chris Dagnall, but a combination of the keeper, defender and striker contrived to give Johnson  a chance to grab the ball.

The first 20 minutes of the second half showed clearly that having at your backs is not the benefit that some amateur analysts (see above tweet) thought it might be, with the visitors failing to take advantage of the conditions in the second half as their hosts had in the first.

It was Yeovil who were asking all the questions. Dickinson made Johnson work from a wide free-kick and then, with 10 minutes remaining, a superb cross-field pass from Skendi found Knowles but his ball across the box was cleared away by Halifax.

The game changed with seven minutes remaining when Reid broke in to the box and looked to be pulled back  by Niall Maher, but referee Swallow was not interested.

The Shaymen then broke down the other end with top-scorer Jake Hyde, on as a substitute, getting a ball in that was cleared as far as Summerfield whose shot was parried by Smith as far as Kieran Green who stabbed it in.

In 60 seconds, Yeovil went from potentially getting level to being 2-0 down.

Then, in the first minute of injury time, Alex Bradley failed to cut out a forward ball and Hyde ran through to slot past Smith.

The linesman had his flag up, but unfortunately got enough on it to make Hyde onside and referee Swallow gave the goal. He was due getting a decision right, I guess.

Yes, I know, first rule of the Gloverscast…..

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 FC Halifax Town 3 (Summerfield, pen, Green, Hyde)

YEOVIL TOWN: A. Smith, Dickinson (c), Kelly, Sass-Davies, Skendi, J.Smith, Knowles, Neufville, Dagnall, Quigley, Reid.
Substitutes: Bradley (for J. Smith, 74), Sonupe (for Dagnall, 84), Hunt (for Skendi, 86). Not used: Evans Stephens.
Bookings: Dickinson, Skendi, J.Smith, Reid, A.Smith.

FC HALIFAX TOWN: Johnson, King, Bradbury, Byrne, Clarke (c), Maher, Woods, Summerfield, Chadwick, Green, Williams.
Substitutes: Hyde (for Bradbury, 66), Stephenson (for Chadwick, 78). Not used: Davison-Hale, Senior, Spence.
Bookings: Bradbury, Summerfield, Green.