Match Reports

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Yeovil Town went down to an all-action Aldershot Town side who deservedly took the three points in an important match at the bottom of the National League Premier Division table.

The visitors had more attacks, shots on Jed Ward in the Glovers’ goal and claimed the victory courtesy of an early opening goal from Olly Scott and a brave header from James Inwood either side of a stunning striker from Fulham loanee Terrell Works.

That equaliser was the only real attempt that the hosts had on goal as Yeovil never got to grips with a dominant performance from the impressive visitors.

First half

It took all of five seconds for the first shot of the game to arrive as the visitors’ player-coach, the experienced James Henry, put a volley wide of Jed Ward’s post, but Aldershot starting on the front foot and put plenty of pressure on the Glovers in the opening five minutes.
That pressure told after just seven minutes as the Shots took the lead. Patton got away down the right side and the picked out full-back Olly SCOTT was on the edge of the box to fire a low shot in to the net. It had been coming and Aldershot thoroughly deserve their lead. We have not got on the ball at all and whenever we do there is a swarm of red shirts pressuring us.
Five minutes later, Henry had another effort on goal as Ward pushed a free-kick wide of the post, and then five minutes after that the same two players were in action as Aldershot got in to the box again and Henry got a shot off which Ward pushed away. We are architects of our own problems here, but you have to give credit to the visitors who are not giving us a moment.
But, just as it looked like it was going to be a long night, an equaliser came. A fortunate bounce just outside the Aldershot area landed to James Daly, he found Luke McCormick who laid it off to Terrell WORKS who bent an unstoppable shot in from the left. Completely out of nothing, but what a finish from the young Fulham loanee. Nice on Terrell.
Terrell Works shoots….and scores. Nice one, son.
There was a bizarre moment on 33 minutes when Dakari Mafico played a back pass to what he thought was Ward who was nowhere near it and it relied on Skura to clear it away with the ball rolling towards an unguarded net.
Following the equaliser, Yeovil have looked more composed and Aldershot have been a bit more muted, but as it drew towards half-time it was Ward-versus-Henry again. The experienced midfielder worked some space on the edge of the six-yard area and fired in a shot which the Bristol Rovers’ stopper did well to push it aside.
The first opening 20 minutes certainly belonged to the visitors and we simply could not deal with their pressure and Works’ goal came against the run of play, but there is work for Billy Rowley to do to.

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Aldershot Town 1

Second half

The second half saw Josh Sims replace Dakari Mafico and move out to the right side with James Daly out on the left. Hopefully the change will allow us to get more on the front foot than we did in the first half.

Jake Wannell, who had gone off after heading the back of an Aldershot player’s head, got a fifth booking – and with it a two-match ban starting with Saturday’s visit to Carlisle United – for coming on to the pitch too soon. Referee Greg Rollason is not endearing himself to the home fans.

The visitors have come out of the blocks fast again in this second half, but do look shaky when Yeovil get a bit of tempo going. But, unsurprisingly, the game’s next chance fell to the visitors as Jed Meerhoz got a shot away inside a crowded area and the ball appeared to come off the post before Ward leapt on top of it.

A grateful Jed Ward clutches the ball.

On 67 minutes, Billy Rowley made a double change with Joy Mukena and Ryan Jones, coming on against his former club, replaced Declan Skura and Troy Perrett. The young Cardiff City loanee, who has impressed in his spell in Somerset so far, has had a quiet night. The reshuffle saw Jones go out on the right with Sims dropping in to a number ten role.

A minute after the arrivals, Aldershot had another effort on goal. A storming tackle release Patton and his effort came off the outside of the post and away. I’m no fan of these modern football stats, but the visitors ‘box entries’ will be off the charts!

Jed Ward has made some amazing stops this season, but few better than he did in the 73rd minute. A ball in to the box came off the knee of Wannell and the keeper did superbly to turn it over the bar. But, from the resulting corner the ball dropped inside the box and James PATTON‘s initial shot came off the underside of the bar who bravely headed home. Ward booked for dissent in the aftermath.

You cannot say it had not been coming. A proper mess inside the area for the goal, but the law of averages say that many ‘box entries’ are going to lead to a goal. Reaction required now.

….in the middle of our goal.

Tahvon Campbell replaced Harvey Greenslade and was involved in the move which led to McCormick finding Works inside the area, but he was denied by a good save from Aldershot keeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke, who had had little to do all evening.

Three minutes in to second half injury time, James Daly put a low ball in to the box and Kyle Ferguson, on as a substitute, was sliding in but did not make a connection with it.

After such a good performance in the 1-1 draw at home to leaders Rochdale at the weekend, it was a difficult one to fathom from the Glovers, but it will be no surprise to anyone that our lack of strikers has been telling again tonight. Credit to Aldershot though, they thoroughly deserved their win.

Aldershot go above us in the table and we drop to 18th in the table, five points clear of the dotted line at the bottom of the table.

Full time: Yeovil Town 1 Aldershot Town 2

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 17th February, 7.45pm kick-off

Competition: Enterprise National League

Scorers: Olly Scott 7 (0-1), Terrell Works 26 (1-1), James Patton 74 (1-2)

Pitch: Looking good considering the weather 2026 has thrown at Somerset
Conditions: Dry but on the chilly side

Attendance: 3,058 (283 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Jake Wannell 50, Finn Cousin-Dawson 55, Jed Ward 74
Aldershot Town: Sam Inwood 64, Jed Meerhoz 65,

Referee: Greg Rollason

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes: Josh Sims (for Dakari Mafico, 46), Joy Mukena (for Declan Skura, 67), Ryan Jones (for Troy Perrett, 67), Tahvon Campbell (for Harvey Greenslade, 75), Kyle Ferguson (for Finn Cousin-Dawson, 86),  Jonathon Page (not used).

Aldershot Town: Coniah Boyce-Clarke, Cameron Hargreaves, Broady Peart, Jed Meerholz, James Henry (for Matt Penney, 85), Ryan Hill, Scott, Hady Ghandour, Will Nightingale, Sean Patton, Sam Inwood.

Substitutes (not used): Pat Nash, Jenkins, Christy Grogan, Nelson, Tristan Abrahams, Rhyheem Sheckleford.

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Yeovil Town secured a hard-earned point against top-of-the-table Rochdale, thanks to a first half equaliser from Finn Cousin-Dawson. The defender’s excellent header cancelled out an Aidan Barlow strike in a frantic first 15 minutes.

The Glovers came out firing in the second half, before Aaron Jarvis was dismissed for a heavy challenge on Kyron Gordon; however the Green and Whites held on for a valuable point against tough opposition.

First half

The Glovers had to rotate thanks to injuries, suspensions and midweek action, as Billy Rowley made three changes ahead of Saturday’s game – Ryan Jones, the suspended Kyle Ferguson and Terrell Works all dropped out of the starting XI in favour of James Daly, Troy Perrett and Tahvon Campbell.
The first action of note came just four minutes in, as a very soft free kick was given against Finn Cousin-Dawson, however it was headed away well by captain Jake Wannell.
Twelve minutes in though, Rochdale took the lead, as an incisive through ball from Mani Dieseruvwe found Aidan BARLOW; the Yeovil defence all called for offside, but the flag stayed down as the Rochdale forward slotted home.
Just three minutes later, Yeovil found themselves level though – a free kick swung in from thirty yards out found the head of Finn COUSIN-DAWSON on the edge of the box – his header looped over the top of young Oliver Whatmuff, and nestled in the back of the net – 1-1 before quarter of an hour, game on!
The Glovers celebrate with Finn Cousin-Dawson.
This spurred the hosts on, with a flurry of activity inside the Rochdale half following, shots from Luke McCormick and Troy Perrett well blocked by the boys in blue. A lull in any meaningful action came, before incisive linkup play between the Cardiff contingency Dakarai Mafico and Troy Perrett almost led to another goal for the Green and Whites.
The rest of the half belonged to Rochdale, as they went from side to side, trying to find a way through the stubborn setup of Yeovil, the only real breakthrough they had was a curled shot whizzing past Jed Ward’s left post from Tarryn Allarakhia.

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Rochdale 1

Second half

Before the action got underway, there were substitutions for both sides; Rochdale swapped Liam Hogan and Jake Burger for Ethan Ebanks-Landell and Devante Rodney, while Joy Mukena made way for Wycombe loanee Declan Skura to make his YTFC debut.

Right from the whistle, Yeovil were on the front foot – shots from Luke McCormick and Tahvon Campbell looked to threaten the Rochdale goal, but both were stopped well. James Daly quite literally put his foot through the ball moments later, with the referee halting play for a replacement.

Cries of MA-FI-CO-CO rang out from the Thatchers terrace just after the fifty minute mark, as he intercepted a Rochdale attack on the edge of his own box, then ran almost the length of the pitch, before being halted by Ebanks-Landell. While this didn’t result in a chance for Yeovil, I was so amazed that I had to include it!

A few heart-in-mouth moments followed around the Yeovil goal, with Mafico having a clearance blocked, and a few corners for Rochdale ultimately leading to nothing.

The next flashpoint came just ten minutes after Aaron Jarvis was introduced, and it involved… Aaron Jarvis. The former Torquay forward shoulder barged Kyron Gordon, and received a straight red card for it… down to 10 men, with twenty minutes to go, the Glovers had it all to do.

75 minutes in, and Rochdale had another chance, this time from a corner – the ball swung towards the back of the six yard box, Ethan Ebanks-Landell chested it down but couldn’t keep it under control, another sigh of relief swept across Huish Park.

A shot from distance from Casey Pettit stung the fingers of Jed Ward as he turned the ball past the post for another ‘Dale corner, before another shot a few minutes later cannoned into the visiting crowd. Pettit had another go soon after, but it was sliced wide for another goal kick.

If fingernails hadn’t been shredded enough already, the fourth official raised for six minutes of injury time; Devante Rodney had a free header from about eight yards out but it floated over the bar.

Another Casey Pettit shot was hit from the edge of the box, but Jed Ward dived to his right and caught it expertly as the minutes ticked down into seconds… and FINALLY, the full time whistle blew! Top of the league… you know the rest.

It’s Luke McCormick’s world, we’re just living in it.

Full time: Yeovil Town 1 Rochdale 1

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 14th February, 3pm kick-off

Competition: Enterprise National League

Scorers: Aidan Barlow, 12 (0-1); Finn Cousin-Dawson, 15 (1-1)

Pitch: Looking very green considering the rain we’ve had over the last few weeks!

Conditions: Dry and fresh

Attendance: 3,161 (272 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Aaron Jarvis (69 – OFF)
Rochdale: 

Referee: Niall Smith

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes: Declan Skura (for Joy Mukena, 45), Aaron Jarvis (for Tahvon Campbell, 59), Harvey Greenslade (for Troy Perrett, 67)

Rochdale: Oliver Whatmuff, Kyron Gordon, Ryan East, Liam Hogan (for Ethan Ebanks-Landell, 45), Tarryn Allarakhia (for Dan Moss, 65), Mani Dieseruvwe (for Ian Henderson, 65), Tobi Adebayo-Rowling, Casey Pettit, Aidan Barlow (for Joe Pritchard, 80), Jake Burger (for Devante Rodney, 45), Callum Perry

Substitutes (not used): Bryce Hosannah, Ed Francis

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Ten-man Yeovil suffered a sickening 3-2 defeat to Boreham Wood, with a 92nd-minute goal for the hosts proving decisive.

Jake Wannell had given us the lead – albeit against the run of play – but the advantage was cancelled out by two Zak Brunt goals either side of the break.

Kyle Ferguson was given a second yellow on the hour mark, but substitute James Daly’s beauty looked to have earned the Glovers an unlikely point. That was until Aaron Henry stepped up at the death to steal the win with a fantastic free-kick.

First half

Billy Rowley made four changes from the weekend’s win over Altrincham, with Luke McCormick flanked by Terrell Works and Ryan Jones at the top of the pitch. Finn Cousin-Dawson came in for Josh Tobin in midfield.

The Wood started strongly, and the first of many attacks came inside the opening two minutes. A long throw into the box was recycled and Marley Marshall-Miranda’s shot had to be headed behind by Brett McGavin.

Moments later, Abdul Abdulmalik was left free and when Jed Ward pulled off the save, only the woodwork denied Lewis Richardson from tapping home.

The dampened Yeovil fans on the away terrace could have been forgiven for thinking a long night was in store, but when Rowley’s side finally got forward just before the half-hour mark, they made it count.

McGavin did well to keep hold of the ball in and linked up with Terrell Works, who worked the shooting opportunity and saw his low strike deflected behind. From the resulting corner, the hosts failed to clear and Wannell took advantage with a fine finish.

However, the lead lasted just five minutes. Jed Ward managed to get a hand to Matt Rush’s attempted Peter Dinklage, but with every red and black shirt seemingly in a different postcode aside from Wannell on the goalline, Brunt managed to tap home the rebound anyway.

Ward was tested twice more before the break, first when Abdulmalik pounced on a loose pass and fired across goal. Our number one then had to be alert when a clever free-kick slipped Rush through.

Half time: Boreham Wood 1 Yeovil Town 1

Second half

In truth, Ferguson’s second half was one the defender will want to forget. When he wiped out a Wood player and received his first caution, there was an air of inevitability about the second one soon following.

He did indeed receive his marching orders for a foul on Rush, but not before our back line was robbed again, and Brunt swept home to bag his brace.

Strangely, falling behind in terms of scoreline and number of players actually seemed to awaken Yeovil. When Daly, fresh from the bench, got on the ball, he ran and ran until the shot was on for him, and he dispatched a beauty of a finish in off the far post.

There were even signs that there was more in the game for the Glovers. Wannell’s volley from the edge of the box wasn’t too far off target, and when Daly ran the length of the pitch, skinned his man and touched past goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore, the ball trickled agonisingly wide.

In the final ten minutes, Ashmore – who I think has been Boreham Wood’s goalkeeper since their inception in 1948 – was called into action. Tahvon Campbell’s excellent hold-up play set up Troy Perrett to test the shot-stopper, with Ashmore getting down well to smother the low effort.

Despite the promising signs, when the hosts were awarded a foul right on the edge of the box in added time, there was an almost immediate sinking feeling amongst the travelling support. To be fair, Henry’s free-kick was as well-struck as they come, leaving Ward no chance.

There was no shame in the loss, especially in the circumstances, but that doesn’t make the result feel like any less of a gut punch.

Full time: Boreham Wood Yeovil Town X

Match Details

Venue: Meadowbank
Date: Wednesday 11th February, 7:45pm

Competition: Enterprise National League

Scorers: Jake Wannell (0-1, ’27), Zak Brunt (1-1 ’32), Zak Brunt (2-1 ’52), James Daly (2-2 ’71), Aaron Henry (3-2 ’92)

Pitch: “Like running on ice” according to Billy Rowley pre-match
Conditions: Damp

Attendance: 923(!), [125 Yeovil fans]

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Jake Wannell ’45, Kyle Ferguson ’49
Boreham Wood: None

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Kyle Ferguson ’64 (Second bookable offence)
Boreham Wood: None

Referee: Harrison Blair

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1? 3-1-3-3? 3-7-0?)

Substitutes: Matt Gould, James Daly (for Sims ’66), Troy Perrett (for Jones ’66), Josh Tobin, Aaron Jarvis, Tahvon Campbell (for McCormick ’83), Harvey Greenslade (for Works ’74)

Boreham Wood: Nathan Ashmore, Cameron Coxe, Femi Ilesanmi (for Joe Newton ’85), Chris Bush, Charlie O’Connell, Zak Brunt, Abdul Abdulmalik, Lewis Richardson (for Luke Norris ’66), Marley Miranda, Ollie Kensdale (for Aaron Henry ’77), Matt Rush

Substitutes (not used): Ted Curd, Jack Payne, Junior Robinson, Erico Sousa.

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Yeovil Town stepped over a potential banana skin to make it through to the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy with victory at AFC Telford United.

The Glovers took the lead when Harvey Greenslade’s ball was deflected in to the net by Telford defender Amaar Dyer after 27 minutes before striker Tahvon Campbell seized on a defensive lapse to double the advantage just after the hour mark.

Telford, who were unbeaten at home since November, applied some pressure in the closing stages but Yeovil stood firm to make it in to Monday’s draw for the competition’s last eight.

First half

With three first-team squad members, Jonathon Page, Ryan Jones and Terrell Works, all cup-tied and striker Aaron Jarvis and midfielder Luke McCormick unable to start through injury, Billy Rowley had to shuffle his pack. Striker Tahvon Campbell was paired alongside Harvey Greenslade up front with Joy Mukena coming in for a debut as part of a defensive three, and there was a place among the substitutes for Under-19s defender Jaydon Biss and striker Liam Nardiello.
It did not take long for the first chance to fall the way of Yeovil who made a positive start against an in-form Telford side which had not lost at New Buck’s Head since November. Josh Sims combined with on loan Cardiff City midfielder Troy Perrett to pick out Campbell who had a shot blocked before falling to Greenslade whose effort was blocked by Amaar Dyer. It was good, positive play to create the opening, but Greenslade really should have opened the scoring.

The positive start continued with plenty of balls in to the box from the visitors with Sims in particular looking a threat down the right, but Mukena’s header in to the arms of Telford keeper Josh Gracey after 14 minutes was the nearest we came to another opening

Telford look like they are happy to sit behind the ball and hit their visitors on the break, whilst we played the ball around and looked for an opening. One almost came on 25 minutes when Sims got away down the right before finding Dakari Mafico just inside the area, but he lifted his effort over the bar. Telford’s first opening a minute later when Dylan Allen-Hadley found himself through on goal, only to scuff his effort allowing Jake Wannell to recover and clear the danger.

The breakthrough came on 27 minutes with another break from a wide position. This time it was Harvey Greenslade was released down the left and his ball in to the box found its way in to the goal via a deflection off Amaar Dyer. I’d love to give it to Harvey, but that has to go down as an OWN GOAL.

A couple of yellow cards for Josh Tobin and then Kyle Ferguson were about the only talking points for the final 15 minutes of the first half.

Half time: AFC Telford United 0 Yeovil Town 1

Second half

Tobin’s first half booking for an unnecessary challenge saw him withdrawn at the start of the second half with Finn Cousin-Dawson replacing him in a defensive midfield role.

Three minutes after the break, Mafico and Campbell linked up well but the Cardiff youngster’s effort was easily gathered by Gracey in the Telford goal.

With 55 minutes played, Telford striker Matt Stenson tumbled inside the box before getting straight up and pushing Ferguson to the ground. Stenson’s short temper and Ferguson’s reputation for sh*thousery combined for the inevitable yellow card for the striker.

Just before the hour mark, a moment of Yeovil dawdling in an attacking position was broken up by a solid Telford tackle on Cousin-Dawson to allow Allen-Hadley to break forward. He had Stenson available but his effort was deflected wide for a corner. Telford are making more of a game of this in the second half.

But, it was Yeovil who found the game’s next goal just after the hour mark. A moment of indecision by the Telford defence was pounced upon by Tahvon CAMPBELL who found himself one-on-one with Gracey inside the area and coolly finished. To be fair to the striker, he’s done little all game, but he’s turned up when it counts there.

Stenson had a great opportunity to reduce the arrears soon after good play by the dangerous Hadley found the in-form striker who lashed his effort over from an angle after 68 minutes. Telford were not giving up and with 77 minutes on the clock, a ball in to the box just evaded Hadley who would have had an easy opportunity.

Jacob Maddox replaced Joy Mukena with Cousin-Dawson dropping back in to the back line. Yeovil have looked controlled and handled the pressure which the home side have applied.

The final ten minutes saw Telford turn up the pressure with a number of balls in to the box, but the back line stood firm to book a place in the quarter finals.

There was a nice moment in second half stoppage time played as Under-18s’ players Jaydon Biss and Liam Nardiello replaced Campbell and Greenslade to make their Yeovil debuts.

Full time: AFC Telford United 0 Yeovil Town 2

Match Details

Venue: New Bucks’ Head
Date: Saturday 31st January, 3pm kick-off

Competition: FA Trophy, 5th Round

Scorers: Ammar Dyer o.g. 27, Tahvon Campbell 63

Pitch: A bit bare in places, but playable which is enough after the past couple of games.

Conditions: Dry but dull

Attendance: 2,162 (507 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Josh Tobin 32, Kyle Ferguson 37, Tahvon Campbell 78
AFC Telford United: Matt Stenson 55, Oliver Cawthorne 78.

Referee: Aaron Farmer

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Yeovil Town (3-4-1-2)

Substitutes: Finn Cousin-Dawson (for Josh Tobin, 46), Jacob Maddox (for Joy Mukena, 72), Jaydon Biss (for Tahvon Campbell, 90), Liam Nardiello (for Harvey Greenslade 90+2, Matt Gould (not used).

AFC Telford United: Josh Gracey, Amaar Dyer, Jordan Cranston (for Rhys Hilton, 81), Jordan Piggott, Oliver Cawthorne, Alex Fletcher, Khanaya Leshabela, Remi Walker (for Jimmy Armson, 71), Jamie Meddows, Matt Stenson (for Ricardo Dinanga, 71), Dylan Allen-Hadley.

Substitutes (not used): Jahdahn Fridye-Harper, Ola Lawal, Edward Ikpakwu, Charlie Williams.

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Former Yeovil Town loanee Ben Wodskou came back to haunt his old side as he scored the winner for Brackley Town on a frustrating afternoon for the Glovers on their first visit to St James’ Park.

The Birmingham City striker stabbed home from close range after a corner from another ex-Glover Scott Pollock was not dealt with by the visitors’ defence just before half-time.

Yeovil had gone behind to Shane Byrne’s opener after just four minutes before defender Kyle Ferguson drew the game level with a 12th minute header, and then the visitors were unable to break down a resolute Brackley despite dominating possession in the second half.

The stats show the Glovers had far more of the possession, but the hosts did more with less to take the win. Here’s Dave’s on the whistle report.

First half

Yeovil boss Billy Rowley gave just one debut to his six news signings with Jonathon Page, who joined from the manager’s old side Walton & Hersham, starting in midfielder. On the bench were defender Joy Mukena, midfielder Ryan Jones, on loan Cardiff City youngster Troy Perrett and Terrell Works, the attacker on loan from Premier League Fulham.

The game started about as badly as it could have for the Glovers with Brackley taking the lead with their first attack. A long ball forward saw Scott Pollock challenging with Kyle Ferguson whose poor back pass to goalkeeper Jed Ward was massively underhit allowing the midfielder to hit an effort which the keeper blocked. But it only broke to Shane BYRNE who was able to tap in to an unguarded net with the Yeovil defence jogging back in to position. Another poor, poor goal and our defence proving the creators of their own problems yet again.

It did not take long to get a response with Ferguson atoning for his earlier error with the equaliser after 11 minutes. A corner from James Daly was cleared out as far as the winger who floated it back in to the area and Kyle FERGUSON rose highest to head home.

Six minutes later, Brackley had a golden opportunity to restore their advantage when a long throw from Yeovil was easily dealt with by the hosts and a long ball up the middle of the pitch saw Ben Wodskou easily get past Josh Sims, the only player anywhere near him. The former Glovers loanee was one-on-one with Ward, but he took his shot early and the keeper was able to save with his foot. Wodskou should have done much better there.

Ten minutes later there was another chance for Brackley when Tyler Lyttle was unchallenged to put a cross in from the right side and striker Danny Newton rose at the back post to head just wide.Yeovil were dominating possession, but doing nothing to threaten to find their way through a well-organised Brackley. Meanwhile, we looked fragile every time we went forward with the home side seemingly able to get balls in to our box at will.

Danny Newton rises highest for a header whilst the Yeovil defence look on.

Sure enough with two minutes of normal time remaining in the first half, Brackley took the lead and there was more sloppy defending on display again. Pollock’s corner was met at the back post by another unchallenged header this time from defender Kyle Ferguson, Ward pushed it out but Ben WODSKOU was there to stab it home.

Ben Wodskou, who scored Yeovil’s winner in the reverse fixture in August, celebrates with Danny Newton.

In general play we have dominated possession, but Brackley have kept us where they want us and aside from a goal from a set-piece, we have not threatened to create a chance. Even more concerning is our defence which has a massive Morgan Williams-shaped hole in it, the ease at which Brackley have scored their two goals has been appalling.

Half time: Brackley Town 2 Yeovil Town 1

Second half

Striker Tahvon Campbell replaced the anonymous Aaron Jarvis at half-time and with three minutes of the second half played James Daly curled an effort wide which was speculative at best. Then with fewer than ten minutes of the second half elapsed, manager Billy Rowley made two further changes with Fulham loanee attacker Terrell Works and midfielder Josh Tobin replacing Harvey Greenslade and Jonathon Page with 53 minutes on the clock.The difference? Not very much, to be honest.

The square root of nothing happened between that set of substitutions and ten minutes later when new boy Ryan Jones, who joined from Aldershot Town during the week, was introduced. Brackley are quite happy to sit there and watch us pass the ball around without enough urgency; the amount of times a player in a green-and-white shirt has put their foot on the ball because there is no-one making a move is unbelievable.

The final throw of the dice came 20 minutes from time when Cardiff loanee Troy Perrett replaced Finn Cousin-Dawson, with Tobin dropping back in to defence. At this stage there were a lot of players on the pitch for us who have never played together outside of training, but we have looked like this for much of the match with players who have played countless matches together. Brackley have offered very little to threaten us, but they don’t need too – we are the side which is behind in this game!

Loanee Terrell Works was introduced in the second half.

Perrett offered that rarest of things, a player who looked to positively move forward when we were in possession and he had a couple of efforts blocked after coming on the pitch. It was therefore not surprising when he was involved in our best (only?) meaningful opportunity with five minutes remaining. His Cardiff City team-mate Dakari Mafico found him on the edge of the box and he cleverly laid it off to Luke McCormick whose effort was turned aside by Brackley keeper Cameron Gregory. I think that is the first time I have mentioned Gregory in this report and that tells its own story.

McCormick had another shot late on which Gregory was able to hold and then with four minutes of second half stoppage time played there was a late corner which goalkeeper Ward came up for. But, on this day after this performance, it was no surprise to see it turn in to a farce with an appalling corner leading to a Brackley break away with the goal unprotected. Ward raced back towards his goal and luckily Ferguson was able to get back with a covering tackle.

The final whistle was met by the sound of boos from some in the travelling support and it is difficult to blame them after a performance where we had dominated possession but never looked like we were going to do anything with it. Brackley did a job on us and we made it easy for them to do one.

Full time: Brackley Town 2 Yeovil Town 1

Match Details

Venue: St James’ Park
Date: Saturday 17th January, 3pm kick-ff

Competition: Enterprise National League Prem,ier Division

Scorers: Shane Byrne 4 (1-0), Kyle Ferguson 12 (1-1), Ben Wodskou 44 (2-1 )

Pitch: Sloped in about six different directions
Conditions: Dry but cool

Attendance: 1,125 (319 Yeovil Fans)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Jake Wannell 45, Kyle Ferguson 72, Josh Tobin 80.
Brackley Town: Tyler Lyttle 16, Shane Byrne 24, Zak Brown 75.

Referee: George Laflin.

Yeovil Town (3-4-1-2)

Substitutes: Tahvon Campbell (for Aaron Jarvis, 46), Terrell Works (for Harvey Greenslade, 52), Josh Tobin (for Jonathon Page, 52), Ryan Jones (for Josh Sims, 64), Trey Perrett (for Finn Cousin-Dawson, 71), Michee Efete (not used), Joy Mukena (not used)

Brackley Town: Cameron Gregory, Tyler Lyttle, Kyle Morrison, Scott Pollock, Zak Brown (for Jack Price, 90), Danny Newton, Matt Lowe, Michael Nottingham (for Zak Lilly, 70), Ben Wodskou (for Morgan Roberts, 59), Byron Pendleton, Shane Byrne.

Substitutes (not used): Alastair Worby, Connor Hall, Yahya Bamba, Riccardo Calder.

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Yeovil Town progressed into the Fifth Round of the FA Trophy following yet more penalty heroics from Jed Ward, as they won 3-1 on penalties over Southern Premier Division Central side Alvechurch.

The Glovers appeared to be the dominant side in the first half, before a red card for Brett McGavin threatened to derail the Glovers’ hard work. Alvechurch grew into the game but both sides remained level at half-time.

The second half provided even more entertainment, but it remained goalless, with both sides  searching for a winner but unable to find that final bit of quality.

First half

Alvechurch took kickoff, but the first chance of the game came just three minutes into the game, as a good cross from James Daly found the head of Josh Sims; he connected well with the ball, but it landed safely in the arms of opposition ‘keeper Jenson Kilroy.

Moments later, a nice ball from Brett McGavin found Harvey Greenslade on the left wing, he cut past his man with ease before having a shot on goal blocked by Jessy Bavanganga. Positive signs from the Glovers as they looked to stamp their authority on the game early on.

Both sides looked to get themselves comfortable into the game, before a high boot from McGavin earned himself a spot in the referee’s book – Elliott Swallow had used his whistle with liberty within the first ten minutes, awarding the Glovers two soft free kicks, to set the scene for a stop-start affair.

11 minutes in, and it was another chance for Yeovil, as a Brett McGavin free kick floated towards the back of the six yard box; Aaron Jarvis won the header, nodding it towards Greenslade but his header went over the bar.

From the goal kick, Alvechurch enjoyed a rare foray into the Yeovil half, showing what they were capable of, their spell of possession ending with an offside flag against Kieran Wakefield. The Glovers made their way downfield from the free kick, earning a corner which tested the visiting ‘keeper once again via the head of Kyle Ferguson.

An incisive through ball from Obadeyi almost found an Alvechurch striker, but it trickled to Jed Ward who fumbled his collection. Wakefield almost pounced on the opportunity but Ward recovered to parry the shot for a corner.

As 20 minutes came and went, Yeovil had their first clear cut chance of the game as Luke McCormick fed a lovely ball through for Josh Sims, but an excellent recovering run from Bavanganga just about blocked the number 19’s shot on goal.

The Glovers continued to probe, as James Daly came down the right hand side and approached the touchline just inside the box, his cross across goal found the left boot of Luke McCormick but he was off balance, sending the ball out for a goal kick.

24 minutes in, and Brett McGavin stretched for a heavy touch and tackled the number 12 of Will Merrett; the referee felt it was grounds for dismissal, and the former Torquay man left the field shaking his head. The sending off led to Yeovil’s first substitution of the game, as Josh Tobin entered play to fill the gap in the middle of the field, replacing Harvey

Following the restart, Luke McCormick came down the right hand side and laid off a ball for Kyle Ferguson to cross in; the cross found an Alvechurch defender, who cleared back to the Scot and proceeded to receive a high boot from another visiting player inside the penalty box; the referee decided to wave play on…

37 minutes in, Joe Willis received Alvechurch’s first yellow card of the game for a heavy challenge on Josh Tobin; the Yeovil fans wanted more for later challenges committed by the opposition, but just the one yellow was dished out.

Lovely play from Kyle Ferguson and James Daly down the right hand side allowed debutant Dakarai Mafico to surge forwards; the 19 year old burst past three defenders into the box, before floating a cross into the six yard area. The ball was cleared and fell to Josh Tobin on the edge of the box, but his shot flew over the bar.

A strong challenge from Kieran Wakefield on Tobin followed a few minutes later, earning himself a spot in the referee’s notebook and Yeovil a free kick. Before the resulting kick was taken, Alvechurch manager Kyle Storer was also booked, assumedly for his reaction to the booking to his attacker.

The free kick floated towards the back of the box, then ping-ponged around the six yard area but Alvechurch lived to fight another day; the visitors then counter-attacked down the left, switching play to the right but the shot from Obadeyi was tame and easy enough for Jed Ward to stop.

Just as the 45th minute struck, Yeovil had yet another good chance, as Aaron Jarvis played a fantastic ball through for Luke McCormick, but in uncharacteristic fashion, the number 8’s shot whizzed past the post.

Alvechurch had a couple of half chances before Yeovil made their way down the other end for a couple of corners but neither resulted in anything for the Glovers.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Alvechurch 0

Second half

The first chance of the second half fell to Alvechurch, as they won a header at the back post from a corner, but the referee blew for a free kick to Yeovil.

Yeovil continued to grow into the game and show why they were the National League side, stopping any opposition attacks with ease, and Jarvis in particular demonstrated his physicality in an impressive battle with Bavanganga, however no clear cut chances were created.

55 minutes in, and Josh Sims chested down a great ball from the Yeovil defence, coming centrally and working his way to the edge of the box; he was then deemed to have fouled Will Merrett, much to the derision of the Thatchers terrace.

Alvechurch had a good chance from a poor free kick conceded by Jake Wannell, as Tope Obadeyi opted to blast a shot from 25 yards out, his shot stung the palms of Jed Ward and kept the Glovers in the game.

Another flashpoint came just outside the Alvechurch box, as McCormick and Bavanganga both went for a 50/50, and the referee waved it away; Alvechurch went on the counter and drew a foul from James Daly, who ended up in the referee’s notebook.

Following the introduction of Michee Efete, Alvechurch continued to impress and frustrate, but Yeovil made themselves another chance, as McCormick found Mafico in some space on the edge of the box, he cut onto his weaker foot and took the shot but it was deflected and saved by multiple yellow shirts, giving the Glovers a corner.

Yeovil felt they should’ve had a penalty 73 minutes in, as a ball rolled up the body and onto the arm of Josh Dugmore, but the referee didn’t see it and waved play on.

78 minutes on the clock, and Yeovil found themselves frustrated once again, as a great ball from Mafico found Josh Sims, he cut inside and drilled a low shot, but it was well saved by Kilroy, Jarvis collected the rebound but his shot was blocked for a corner.

More subs took place, including the seemingly unplanned introduction of Jacob Maddox for an injured Josh Sims; the former Forest Green man was last seen at Rochdale last January. Both sides looked to go for the win, as chances came at either end without success.

The full time whistle blew, and in familiar circumstances, it’s penalties once again.

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 Alvechurch 0

Here’s how the penalties went…..

  • Yeovil Town – Tahvon Campbell – SCORED (1-0)
  • Alvechurch – Tope Obadeyi – SAVED by Jed Ward (1-0)
  • Yeovil Town – Luke McCormick – SCORED (2-0)
  • Alvechurch – Joe Willis – SAVED by Jed Ward (2-0)
  • Yeovil Town – Dakarai Mafico – SCORED (3-0)
  • Alvechurch – Szhem Whyte-Hall –  SCORED (3-1)
  • Yeovil Town – Finn Cousin-Dawson – SAVED by Jenson Kilroy (3-1)
  • Alvechurch – Ethan Sephton – SAVED by Jed Ward (3-1)

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Tuesday 3rd January, 3.00pm kick-off

Competition: Isuzu FA Trophy Fourth Round

Scorers: 

Pitch: Very soft and slippery
Conditions: Fresh… but dry

Attendance: 1,870 (80 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Brett McGavin 8, James Daly 64
Alvechurch: Joe Willis 37, Kieran Wakefield 41

Sendings Off:

Yeovil Town: Brett McGavin ’24

Referee: Elliott Swallow

Yeovil Town (3-4-1-2)

Substitutes: Josh Tobin (for Harvey Greenslade, 26), Michee Efete (for James Daly 68), Tahvon Campbell (for Aaron Jarvis 81), Jacob Maddox (for Josh Sims 81)

Braintree Town: Jenson Kilroy, Josh Dugmore, Ethan Sephton, Sam Perry, Joe Willis, Jonny Ngandu, Tope Obadeyi, Will Merrett, Callum Sullivan (for Elliott Dugan 82), Kieran Wakefield (for Szhem Whyte-Hall 65), Jessy Bavanganga

Substitutes (not used): Redman Evans, Krystian Pearce, Dieter Schwarm, Nile Timson, Jack Sang

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Yeovil Town started 2026 with a comfortable win at home to Braintree Town on a freezing night at Huish Park.

After a non-event of a first half, the Glovers took the lead when midfielder Luke McCormick stabbed home just after the hour and James Daly headed a second after Jake Wannell’s initial header had been superbly kept out by the visitors’ goalkeeper Mason Terry.

Braintree pulled one back through striker Lewis Walker with 20 minutes remaining, but an 86th minute superb Brett McGavin free-kick restored the two-goal advantage.

First half

The changes which Glovers’ boss Billy Rowley alluded to following Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with Eastleigh did not come as soon as the 5.30pm kick-off time with the only change being Finn Cousin-Dawson coming in for loanee Max Jolliffe. On the bench, Jacob Maddox made his first appearance in a squad since February 2025. In a similar way that Jolliffe did four days earlier, FC-D started on the right side of defence. It looks like 4-4-2 when we are in possession and 3-5-2 when we are out of it.

With eight minutes gone, James Plant had a press down the left and fired in a shot which went wide, but was not seriously troubling Mason Terry in the Braintree goal. A shot at goal even if it wasn’t on target.

The first meaningful effort came in the 20th minute with a nice bit of football from Yeovil. Jarvis lifted a ball across which was touched down by Luke McCormick to Josh Sims whose effort was pushed away by Terry. Moments later Brett McGavin linked up with Jarvis and Sims and McGavin did not quite have the pace to get on the end of it and then Daly had an effort in to the midriff of Terry soon after. Daly showing what his left foot can do when he cuts in from the right side.

Yeovil were the in the ascendancy and thought they had taken the lead when McGavin’s corner was met by the head of Kyle Ferguson. But the assistant referee had his flag up seemingly against McCormick on the line. Was he interfering with play? Referee Zack Kennard (son of) Kettle sided with his official.

Luke McCormick on the line adjudged to have blocked the view of Braintree keeper Mason Terry as Ferguson’s header arrows in.

Just before the half-hour mark, Terry was called in to action again to deny McCormick’s effort from the edge of the box before Chay Cooper fired one high in to the Thatcher’s Stand at the other end.

Both teams are playing the same tactics here and therefore trying to break each other down in the same way. We have had more shots on target which I assume means we are doing it better, and we had some nice patterns of play to create decent changes. But the most important statistic remains level at half-time.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Braintree Town 0

Second half

Neither side came out of the blocks at the start of the second half with Yeovil attacking the Thatcher’s Stand after the break. You can see the frustration in Billy Rowley’s body language on the sidelines when his side have possession and are not moving it forward and in the opening 15 minutes of this half, there’s plenty of frustrated body language.

But with 61 minutes, Plant had a low shot from the edge of the box which Terry could not hold on to and who was there? You guessed it, Luke McCORMICK was the fox in the box there to pick up the rebound and stab it home for his eighth of the season.

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It might not have been the best start to the second half, but Yeovil definitely had the better of the chances in the first and four minutes later they doubled it. McGavin’s free kick in to the box was met by the head of Jake Wannell who was denied by a fantastic save by Terry who could only push it as far as James DALY who headed it in to the net.

Well, Billy Rowley said after the game against Eastleigh that he wanted us to look to get more goals and his side have done that. But, four minutes later, Braintree got one back and it was another sloppy goal for Yeovil to concede. The visitors brought the ball forward as the Yeovil defence stood off and let them work it out to Lewis WALKER on the right of the box and his shot took a nick off Ferguson and over the head of Jed Ward.

Rowley responded by bringing on Andrew Oluwabori and Harvey Greenslade in place of Josh Sims and James Plant, but it is another disappointing goal to concede.

There was almost another self-inflicted wound in the 82nd minute when Wannell gifted the ball to substitute Elliot Thorpe who played in fellow sub John Akinde and were fortunate to the big striker dragged his shot wide.

But three minutes later the Glovers added a third – yes, THREE goals! A great free-kick from Brett McGavin was hit hard in to the near post and it looks like it has come off Braintree’s James Vennings on its way in to the net. Definitely NOT an Own goal, but a 3-1 lead regardless.

Braintree have brought on four changes including Akinde, Thorpe and ex-Bristol City striker Jay Emmanuel Thomas and both Thorpe and Emmanuel-Thomas forced good saves out of Jed Ward as normal time was running out.

One of Yeovil’s subs Oluwabori put one over the bar in the sixth minute of second half injury time, but we started 2026 with three points, three goals and three different goal scorers.

Real improvement in the passages of play which we did not see against Eastleigh on Tuesday night or Truro City on Boxing Day, hopefully this is the start of more to come.

Full time: Yeovil Town 3 Braintree Town 1

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Tuesday 3rd January, 5.30pm kick-off

Competition: Enterprise National League Premier League

Scorers: Luke McCormick 61 (1-0), James Daly 65 (2-0), Lewis Walker 69 (2-1), Brett McGavin 84 (3-1)

Pitch: Slippy in places
Conditions: Absolute baltic

Attendance: 3,573 (53 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: None
Braintree Town: Jacob Pinnington 77, Aidan Francis-Clarke 84

Referee: Zac Kennard-Kettle

Yeovil Town (3-4-3)

Substitutes: Andrew Oluwabori (for Josh Sims, 70), Harvey Greenslade (for James Plant, 70), Tahvon Campbell (for Aaron Jarvis, 87), Max Jolliffe (for Luke McCormick, 90+1), Jacob Maddox (not used), Josh Tobin (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Braintree Town: Mason Terry, Ben Drake, George Langston, Aidan Francis Clarke, Calum Logan (for Goran Babic, 65), Harrison Dudziak (for Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, 80), James Vennings, Jacob Pinnington, Chay Cooper, Lewis Walker (for Elliot Thorpe, 80), Aramide Oteh (for John Akinde, 73).

Substitutes (not used): Manny Omrore, Sahid Kamara, Freddie Hockey.

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Yeovil Town played out a draw at home to Eastleigh in their final fixture of 2025 on a cold night at Huish Park.

The Glovers took advantage of a slip by visiting defender Temi Eweka to open the scoring when Luke McCormick fired in his seventh goal of the season just before the half-hour mark, but it was sloppy defending which gifted Eastleigh an equaliser.

Having failed to clear the danger, Morgan Williams, returning to the side after three matches out through suspension, tripped a visiting player inside the area and Aaron Blair stepped up to fire home the resulting penalty.

First half

Defender Morgan Williams returned to the starting XI having missed the past three matches through suspension and was one of four changes for the Glovers. Striker Aaron Jarvis replaced Tahvon Campbell with Josh Sims and Max Jolliffe in for Josh Tobin and Michee Efete, whilst Finn Cousin-Dawson made way for Williams.
The game came to a standstill within just five minutes when Eastleigh defender Richard Brindley went down in a seemingly innocuous incident involving James Plant in the corner in front of the away end. The experienced full-back was replaced by James Waite, who is on loan from Weston-super-Mare, following a long delay.

The first opportunity fell to the visitors after 15 minutes when Sam Pearson, who was weirdly booed by some in the home support, was released by Waite down the right side and found Aaron Blair at the near post, who put his effort in to the Thatcher’s Stand. The striker will be disappointed with the finish and Yeovil manager Billy Rowley will be as upset with the defending.

Jarvis collapsed in the centre circle four minutes later following an off-the-ball clash with visiting defender Aaron Pierre. The pair continued their contest with some verbals after the incident and got a booking each from their troubles.

Josh Lundstram put one over the bar shortly after and Yeovil are looking either a bit rattled by a feisty start to the game or a little unsure as to their roles.  But, the first attack of the game for Yeovil led to an opening goal. A slip from the visitors Temi Eweka allowed Jolliffe’s ball to release Josh Sims, who burst in to the box and fired a pass in to Luke McCORMICK who side footed it in to the net.
Yeovil Town celebrate Luke McCormick’s opener.

But with eight minutes of first half injury time put up due to the earlier stoppage time, Yeovil conceded a penalty. A lack of ownership from anyone in the Glovers’ defence saw Jed Ward sprawl underneath Blair to clear the ball as far as Saunders who went down under a clumsy tackle from Williams. Aaron BLAIR stepped up and fired it home.

You can’t say Eastleigh do not deserve it, they have not had too many opportunities but they have certainly been in the ascendency since they went behind. There were two or three opportunities to clear the ball before it got in to the danger area. That’s another sloppy goal we have conceded. Ugh.

Hopefully attacking the Thatcher’s Stand can bring some of the energy going forward which Billy Rowley spoke about ahead of the game.

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Eastleigh 1

Second half

The visitors started the second half as they finished the first in the ascendency. On 51 minutes, a corner was not dealt with by the Yeovil defence and Lloyd Humphries was given time to do keepy uppies inside the area before hooking a shot which fortunately went in to the hands of Jed Ward. We were so passive inside the box again which is what cost us at Truro on Boxing Day.

Shortly after Luke McCormick flashed an effort just past the post after good play by Jarvis and then Plant played a great pass to set McCormick free to fire a ball in to the box but Eastleigh were there to defend. That’s more like it, moving the ball quickly and the Thatcher’s is responding. Not rocket science, is it?

On 56 minutes, Michee Efete replaced Max Jolliffe and the defender, who played as part of a back three in the defeat at Truro, took a position on the right.

There was a heart in mouth moment when a terrible pass from Josh Sims went straight to Blair who thundered forward and Yeovil were grateful to some cool defending from Efete, who did not jump in with a tackle when he could have. Sims owes Efete a spud if he’s got any left!

Just after the hour there was another great opportunity when Pierre won a header at the back post from a corner, before Yeovil had two on one as McCormick thundered away down the left side, he squared it to James Daly whose shot was turned aside by Nick Townsend in the visitors’ goal.

With 73 minutes played, Yeovil made two changes with Josh Tobin and Andrew Oluwabori replacing Josh Sims and James Daly, and six minutes later Tahvon Campbell replaced Jarvis whilst Finn Cousin-Dawson coming on for Kyle Ferguson.

There was a minute of normal time remaining when an opportunity came Yeovil’s way with when Wannell’s ball in from the left went in to a crowded area when Tobin could only prod it wide.

We huffed and puffed in the second half but the quality in the final ball in the final third was still missing against an Eastleigh side which defended well. All in all, a draw was a fair result, but we are finishing 2025 the same way we started it – struggling to score.

Full time: Yeovil Town 1 Eastleigh 1

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Tuesday 30th December, 7.45pm kick-off

Competition: Enterprise National League Premier League

Scorers: Luke McCormick 28 (1-0), Aaron Blair pen 45+2 (1-1)

Pitch: Looking okay, a few slippy spots.
Conditions: Cold. Very cold.

Attendance: 3,102 (238 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Aaron Jarvis 19, James Plant 45+6, Morgan Williams 56, Jake Wannell 62
Eastleigh: Aaron Pierre 19, Aaron Blair 62, Josh Lundstram 83, Kieron Evans 90+5

Referee: Harrison Blair

Yeovil Town (3-4-3)

Substitutes: Michee Efete (for Max Jollifee, 57), Josh Tobin (for Josh Sims, 73), Andrew Oluwabori (for James Daly, 73), Finn Cousin-Dawson (for Kyle Ferguson, 79), Tahvon Campbell (for Aaron Jarvis, 79), Harvey Greenslade (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Eastleigh: Nick Townsend, Richard Brindley (for James Waite, 10, for Angel Wariuh, 88)), Lloyds Humphries, Temi Eweka, Kieron Evans, Aaron Blair (for Paul McCallum, 88), Harvey Saunders (for Tommy Whitehead, 90+2), Aaron Pierre, Josh Lundstram, Sam Pearson (for Luis Fernandez, 88), Archie Harris.

Substitutes (not used): Josh McNamara, Niall Maher.

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Yeovil Town fell to a humbling defeat at bottom club Truro City as they were sunk by a first half goal from striker Tyler Harvey on Boxing Day.

In front of 568 away supporters, the game’s only goal came after goalkeeper Jed Ward had kept out Truro’s Connor Riley-Lowe’s header with a fine stop, only for calamitous defending to allow Harvey to grab what would prove to be the winner from the resulting corner on 18 minutes.

The Glovers failed to offer much to test former goalkeeper Aidan Stone in the home side’s goal as they dominated possession for large periods of the game but offered very little going forward.

The nearest Yeovil came to a breakthrough when Jake Wannell’s header came back off the bar with a minute of normal time remaining.

First half

Manager Billy Rowley made two changes from last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat to Forest Green Rovers with Port Vale loaneee James Plant and striker Tahvon Campbell replacing Aaron Jarvis and Harvey Greenslade, who both started the first encounter between the two sides in Cornwall on the bench.

It was quite clear from the start that Truro were going to look to hold Yeovil inside their own half as much as possible and look to grab opportunities as they game. The Glovers seemed keen to keep possession and draw their hosts on to them, but this was not a trap which the Tinners were falling for.

The game’s first opportunity fell to the home side after just four minutes when a high ball over the top beat the Yeovil offside trap (assuming there was one) and fell to Dom Johnson-Fisher who laid it off to Tyler Harvey and his shot was well blocked by Jed Ward and Kyle Ferguson.

Two minutes later, Brett McGavin put a free-.kuck in to the box which dropped to Finn Cousin-Dawson whose effort was deflected well.

Those two opening chances aside, there was not much to separate the two sides in the opening 15 minutes. We played our usual ‘keep ball’ but again without the kind of speed or accuracy necessary to be too effective.

With 18 minutes gone, more nervous defending allowed Truro to put the pressure on and Ward had to pull off a great save to keep out a header from Connor Riley-Lowe. The second corner was headed up at the near post by Tahvon Campbell and a scramble inside the box landed to Tyler HARVEY who turned it home. An absolute shocker of a goal to concede.
Just after the half-hour mark, Campbell held the ball up and laid it off to James Plant whose effort went over the bar before the home side had an effort with six minutes remaining until half-time. Daly lost out to Johnson-Fisher who broke to the edge of the box and fired a shot which comes off the outside of the post.
Yassine En-Neya put a chance over the bar with two minutes of the half remaining before Campbell fired a tame effort in to the hands of Stone on the stroke of half-time.
The possession stats will have looked impressive for the visitors, but we did very little with it due in part to a lack of bravery to press for any kind of advantage and Truro’s happiness to stick to their game plan of keeping us where they wanted us.

Half time: Truro City 1 Yeovil Town 0

Second half

There were no personnel changes from either side at half-time and the game settled in to a very similar pattern to that which we had seen in the first half.

On 51 minutes, a rare moment of desire going forward saw James Plant get away down the left, beat his man and got a cross in which found Josh Tobin in the middle but his header was over the bar. Then four minutes later it was Plant again cutting in from the left and firing in a shot which was deflected over the bar. All the threat was coming through the Port Vale loanee.

Quick play saw McCormick find Tobin who tried to play in Campbell inside the box, but his effort was deflected wide before Johnson-Fisher put a shot in to the gloves of Ward after an hour.

On 65 minutes, Aaron Jarvis and Harvey Greenslade replaced Tahvon Campbell and Josh Tobin. Four minutes later Andrew Oluwabori replaced Plant and moments after coming on he was released down the left and got a ball in only for Stone to claim it easily.

With the game drawing to a close, Jarvis had two opportunities flashing one wide of the post for a corner from which he did well to hold off a Truro defender and try a low shot which took a deflection and go out for another corner. At best these were half chances, but still better than we had been offering up until that point.

At the other end, we were (again) indebted to the reflexes of Jed Ward who did superbly to keep out a volley from Lirak Hasani with nine minutes remaining before a minute from time a corner found Jake Wannell at the back of the box and his header came back off the crossbar and was scrambled away.
When the final whistle sounded, Stone, who had been reminded about his less than impressive spell at Huish Park by the travelling fans, celebrated with added fervor to add a final indignity on a miserable Boxing Day for the Glovers.

Full time: Truro City 1 Yeovil Town 0

Match Details

Venue: Truro Sports Hub
Date: Friday 26th December, 3pm kick-off

Competition: Enterprise National League Premier League

Scorers: Tyler Harvey 18 (0-1)

Pitch: In pretty good condition for this point of the season

Conditions: Absolutely freezing

Attendance: 3148 (568 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Andrew Oluwabori 84
Truro City: None

Referee: Ross Martin

Yeovil Town (3-5-2)

Substitutes: Aaron Jarvis (for Tahvon Campbell, 65), Harvey Greenslade (for Josh Tobin, 65), Andrew Oluwabori (for James Plant, 69), Josh Sims (not used), Max Jolliffe (not used), Dan Ellison (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Truro City: Aidan Stone, Connor Riley-Lowe, Will Dean, Tom Harrison, Yassine En-Neya, Tyler Harvey, Dom Johnson-Fisher, Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lirak Hasani, Ryan Law, Shaun Donnellan.

Substitutes (not used): Dan Lavercombe, Zac Bell, Billy Palfrey, Luke Jephcott, Max Kinsey, Aidan Marsh, Cole Deeming.

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Yeovil Town fell 2-0 to Robbie Savage’s Forest Green Rovers with a solitary goal in either half the difference between the sides.

Jed Ward could do nothing about the own goal attributed to him in the second half, and couldn’t do much more about Temi Babalola’s first half strike.

The result ends Billy Rowley’s 100% win record, the performance from the Glovers had it’s moments but lacked the final cutting edge.

First half

Yeovil Town started the brighter of the two sides, a couple of nice passages of play between Luke McCormick and Josh Tobin tried to break the defensive lines of their opponents, but it was Forest Green who had the first sight of goal.

Kyle McAllister was left with far too much space in the middle of the box, but following a cracking run from Jayden Clarke, his chance fell awkwardly and could only be skewed wide with 5 minutes on the clock.

The visitors were making their intentions clear, using the forward runs of Tom Knowles and Jili Buyabu to overload the wide areas and were getting a fair amount of success, even if clear cut opportunities were few and far between.

That was until the 15th minute, Clarke and Buyabu combined well down the left hand side, the latter’s cross fell perfectly to Temi BABALOLA who had too much room on the penalty spot, and he smashed past Jed Ward with minimal fuss. 0-1.

The pace of the game was really starting to crank up; Michee Efete ran pretty much the entire length of the pitch, but couldn’t produce a cross, that led to a chance at the other end with Nick Haughton firing towards goal, but a big block from Kyle Ferguson prevented any further damage.

There was a moment of utter calamity on 21 minutes, a mix up with Brett McGavin at the back, left Jed Ward stranded and only some dilly dallying from Clarke allowed defensive reinforcements to clear the danger off the line.

The Glovers had their first proper sight of goal on 26 minutes, Josh Tobin worked a ball wide to Daly who clipped a nice ball in, but it was just too high for Aaron Jarvis and Harvey Greenslade couldn’t keep the ball in play to salvage the move.

Harvey Bunker was the first man to go into the referee’s notebook, after a cynical foul on Brett McGavin, the resulting free kick was flicked on by a Glovers’ head, but trickled out harmlessly for another Forest Green goal kick.

Tom Knowles was causing all kinds of havoc down the right (pretends to be shocked), he latched onto a ball from Haughton and forced another cross which resulted in the third corner for the Vegans.

With 38 minutes gone, Yeovil had the ball in the back of the net, but a pesky flag from the assistant ruled the goal out, Aaron Jarvis’ flick fell into the path of Luke McCormick perfectly, he slotted home, but no sooner had McCormick pulled the trigger, the flag had risen.

The final ten minutes of the half had probably been the Glovers’ best spell of the game, but Harry Isted hadn’t had a proper save to make.

As the clock ticked beyond 45 minutes, two minutes were added.

And that’s how it stood at the break, the only meaningful shot on target was the difference between the sides.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Forest Green Rovers 1

Second half

No changes at the break for either side (other than the direction they’re attacking), and the early exchanges were once again in favour of the visitors, but some good work from Greenslade forced a free kick on the right hand side. It was taken quickly to Greenslade, but he couldn’t convert.

This woke the Thatchers Stand up and a second free kick a moment later provided Daly with a chance to whip the ball in, his cross didn’t beat the first man but McCormick would eventually flash a shot over.

With 52 minutes on the clock, Greenslade forced a corner with a charge down the left hand side, but, McGavin’s corner evaded everyone.

McGavin let fly from distance shortly after and to the surprise to most, his effort went high over the bar, 30-yards is normally tap-in territory for McGavin normally!?

Yeovil Town should have been 2-0 down just before the hour mark, Finn Cousin-Dawson slipped and handed the ball to a Rovers striker, the eventual effort somehow deflected over, hearts in mouths.

The game was getting a tad spicy, the referee had given some strange calls tackles were flying in and when it came to settle, the ball fell to the left hand side where Buyabu had acres of space, his cross-cum-shot was cleared off the line, but in the end FC-D’s clearance hit the leg of Jed Ward who could do nothing but see his goal breached. 0-2.

It was nearly 0-3 on a couple of occasions, Ward was called into action not once, but twice.

At the other end, Luke McCormick was still causing trouble and with 65 minutes gone, Harvey Bunker gave him a little push, second yellow, red. Things about to get interesting.

Free kick to the Glovers, but first, shenanigans and subs.

Referee Alan Dale – who had probably not had his finest evening – spent ages doing… nothing, saying… something. He might have booked Jake Wannell.

The free kick… came to nothing, a near post clearance out for a corner.

More shenanigans and more nothingness from the ref and more underwhelming set piece delivery from the Glovers’ number 14.

Yeovil though, with the extra man were certainly feeling upbeat, some neat footwork from Daly allowed McCormick to swing a cross in, but that, like the rest, was well blocked.

With 20 minutes remaining, Tobin, Efete, McGavin and Greenslade were taken off with Max Jolliffe, Josh Sims, James Plant and Tahvon Campbell coming on – the lesser spotted quadruple substitution. FGR had one of their own too. But by that time, I’d lost track.

Sims’ first action saw him take a couple players on, lose the ball and then when trying to track back, he took out his man and picked up a booking.

Yeovil were trying to make the extra man count, but some sloppy play and strong defensive work from the visitors were keeping the hosts at arm’s length.

Jolliffe was out to make an impact, his break up play allowed James Plant to make a charge down the left hand side, his cross was inch perfect to find Tahvon Campbell, his effort at goal excellently saved by Isted in goal.

The resulting corner also found itself to Campbell who couldn’t direct it goalwards as the ball squirmed to the side of the post.

Time was ticking away from the Glovers, there was huff and puff, but the away side wouldn’t have their house blown down,

Six additional minutes were shown, and to be fair to the hosts, there was still plenty of effort; McCormick was still getting kicked about and Daly was still trying to create chances. James Plant had a shot blocked when he chose to place an effort from the edge of the box rather than hit the spots off it.

There was just time for Aaron Jarvis to go into the book for a flap of the hand in the direction of a FGR player… might have been closer to an Orange Card that, Aaron…. careful!

That was all she wrote, see you on Boxing Day!

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 Forest Green Rovers 2

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 20th December, 7:45pm kick-off

Competition: Enterprise National League

Scorers: Temi Babalola ’15 (0-1), Jed Ward (OG) ’61 (0-2)

Pitch: Holding up well

Conditions: Cool with light showers

Attendance: 3179 (256)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Jed Ward ’62, Jake Wannell ’64, Josh Sims ’74
Forest Green Rovers: Harvey Bunker ’33,

Sendings Off
Yeovil Town:
Forest Green Rovers: Harvey Bunker ’65

Referee: Alan Dale

Yeovil Town (3-5-2)

Substitutes: Max Jolliffe (for Tobin ’70), Tahvon Campbell (for Greenslade ’70), James Plant (for McGavin ’70), Josh Sims (for Efete ’70)

Unused: Matt Gould, Dan Ellison, Andrew Oluwabori

Forest Green Rovers: H, Istead (GK), T Knowles, L Mendy, A Kanu, J Buyabu (for A Dausch ’85), H Bunker, K McAllister, H Whitwell, N Haughton (for M Robson,’67), J Clarke (for T Pemberton ’74), T Babalola (for C Doidge ’85)

Substitutes (not used):  L McNicholas,, M Robson, Y Bamba, K Mitchell,