Match Reports (Page 2)

Former Yeovil Town striker Brandon Goodship came back to haunt his old employers as he scored twice to earn the old enemy W*ymouth a place in the fourth round of the FA Trophy at Huish Park.

The frontman opened the scoring after 12 minutes when he curled in a brilliant effort before Aaron Jarvis’ brave header saw him draw the visitors level with ten minutes of the first half remaining.

But, with just five minutes of the second half played, Goodship was picked out at the back to post to net what turned out to the winner. There were changes from manager Mark Cooper, but they failed to make any difference.

The final whistle was met by a chorus of boos from the home supporters with those travelling over the hill from Dorset cheered and the most sickening thing is you cannot argue they deserved it.


First half

 
The 257th meeting between these two old rivals saw Josh Sims replace on loan Bristol Rovers’ youngster Kofi Shaw in the starting XI, the only change from the 2-0 win at Woking ten days before this rearranged tie. The original tie was scheduled for the previous weekend but fell foul to the bad weather brought by Storm Darragh.
 
There were a couple of opportunities for Yeovil in the opening quarter-of-an-hour. Firstly, a great incisive pass by Nouble and Plant looked like he was through on goal, but the Port Vale loanee could not under control as the ball hit the back of the winger’s leg, and then Plant poked one wide at the near post after good effort by Pedro Borges,
 
But with 12 minutes gone, it was a moment of magic which broke the deadlock. Fabien Bartolo burst down the right and picked out former Glovers’ striker Brandon GOODSHIP who curled a beautiful effort in from 20 yards out past a helpless Ollie Wright. I hate to give that lot any credit, but that is a brilliant effort albeit Goodship had a lot of time to pick his spot.
 
Yeovil almost hit back immediately when Plant found Nouble who was denied by a good save from visitors’ keeper Josey Casa-Grande, who joined on loan from Bristol City to replace Yeovil player Will Buse, who was unable to face his employers. 
 
The frustration was palpable inside Huish Park and there were shades of last season with the visitors happy to frustrate their hosts. For all the passing, it was a ball over the top from Charlie Cooper after half-an-hour which unlocked the defence as Aaron Jarvis beat the offside trap and was clean through on goal, but Calvin Brooks got enough on it to put it out for a corner.
 
But, the leveller came after on 35 minutes when a ball was floated in by Brett McGavin and Aaron JARVIS rose with Casa-Grande to head bravely in to the net. However, there was immediate concern for both the scorer and the keeper who collided sickeningly and physios were on for both players. That is the epitome of what Jarvis was all about, willing to put his head in where it hurts for a goal and he certainly did that. 
 
Bartolo forced a comfortable-looking save out of Wright soon after and thankfully Jarvis is back on the pitch. The Yeovil goal seemed to re-spark W*ymouth back in to life and this tie has certainly be an all-action one.

The visitors lost captain Tom Bearwish to an injury in the final minute of the half, replaced by Swansea City loan defender Harry Jones at right back.

Jarvis almost got his second in the third minute of seven minutes added on at the end of the first half when his great running off the ball saw him get on the end of a ball in, but credit to Casa-Grande who got a great hand on the ball to deny the striker.

It has not been a vintage performance (to put it mildly) with some credit having to be given to the W*ymouth midfield (sorry to have to do that twice) who denied Yeovil the time and space to be able to get their usual passing 

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 W*ymouth 1

 


Second half

The opening exchanges of the second half saw ex-Yeovil striker Malachi Linton suffer a sickening fall to the Huish Park pitch in an innocuous-looking challenge in the air with Finn Cousin-Dawson. Fortunately Mal was okay, he was a nice lad.
 
But, with just five minutes of the second half played, W*ymouth took the lead for a second time. An error from McGavin saw Bartolo break forward and pick out Brandon GOODSHIP at the back post. The visiting players were queuing up at the back post to turn it in. A poor, poor goal to concede.
 
Morgan Williams headed one over on 53 minutes, before an end-to-end moment as Yeovil had the Terras’ defence rocking with a couple of balls in to the box before one ball out to Bartolo saw him flash an effort wide with Goodship screaming for the pass for his hat-trick. It’s hair ’em, scare ’em to be sure.
 
On the hour mark, Mark Cooper made two changes with Michael Smith replacing Josh Sims and Kofi Shaw coming on in place for Pedro Borges. That led to a change in formation with Alex Whittle moving to a more familiar left-back position with Smith at right-back, whilst Shaw took a position behind Jarvis. The intent was obvious with both full-backs getting up whenever they could.
 
There was a flurry of chances for Yeovil on 68 minutes with the best falling to Jarvis who just needed to swing a boot at the ball but instead took a touch and allowed the W*ymouth defenders to get back and block the effort before McGavin flashed an effort wide.
 
Picture courtesy of Tom Balch.
 
On the 70th minute, Dylan Morgan replaced Whittle with James Plant moving to the left-back position. W*ymouth are working hard to protect their lead, but there’s no intent to Yeovil’s game.
 
McGavin was replaced by captain Matt Worthington on 76 minutes. Time is running out and it was only thanks to Ollie Wright that we were not further behind on 78 minutes. A good break by W*ymouth and it was good play by Linton to find Bartolo who forced a fine stop out of the keeper.
 
With eight minutes remaining, Dylan Morgan found himself in a great position, had a great opportunity to shoot first time on his left foot but checked back on to his right and gave the Harry Jones the opportunity to get back and defend. 
 
Wright made another good stop from Genesini on 88 minutes and the Yeovil keeper has been tested more than Casa-Grande in the W*ymouth goal and that says everything about our display. Euan Pollock had the ball in the net as the fourth official put the board up to announce eight minutes of stopping time, thankfully offside.
 
There was one golden chance to force a penalty shoot-out with just seconds remaining, but Nouble headed it wide. 
 
The final whistle was met by a chorus of boos from the home supporters who had to witness their old rivals inflicting the first competitive defeat at Huish Park. It’s another exit from the FA Trophy at the first time of asking, but we all know this one means much more than that.
 

Full time: Yeovil Town 1 W*ymouth 2


Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Tuesday 10th December 2024 – 7.45pm kick-off

Competition: Isuzu FA Trophy Third Round

Scorers: Brandon Goodship 12 (0-1), Aaron Jarvis 35 (1-1) , Brandon Goodship 50 (1-2)

Pitch: In amazing nick given the weather which Somerset has suffered over the past few days
Conditions: Not as cold as Ian thought it was going to be

Attendance: 3,168 (375 away supporters) 

Bookings:

Yeovil
 Town: None
W*ymouth:
Leo Hamblin 90+1, Joey Casa-Grande 90+6

Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes: Michael Smith (for Josh Sims, 60), Kofi Shaw (for Pedro Borges, 60), Dylan Morgan (for Alex Whittle, 69), Matt Worthington (for Brett McGavin, 76), Ed James (not used), Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

W*ymouth: Josey Casa-Grande, Tom Bearwish (for Harry Jones, 44), Calvin Brooks, Jordon Thompson, Leo Hamblin, Josh McQuoid (for Ben Greenwood, 90+5), Andy Robinson, Jaiden Bartolo, Christie Ward, Malachi Linton (for Euan Pollock, 80),  Brandon Goodship (for Brooklyn Genesini, 70). Substitutes (not used): Keelan O’Connell, Jacob English.

Yeovil Town got back to winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 victory against ten man Woking at the Kingfield.

The home side were reduced to ten men after just 17 minutes when Jack Stretton was shown red for an off-the-ball incident which was apparently an elbow on Finn Cousin-Dawson albeit not seen by pretty much everyone inside the ground.

The Glovers took the lead through another spectacular finish from Brett McGavin to volley home a James Plant cross just after the half-hour mark, and the game was wrapped up when Cousin-Dawson arrived at the back post to turn home a Frank Nouble centre with 79 minutes gone.

Not one for the ages, but three points, a clean sheet and two goals. The losing run is over and bring on the W*ymouth next weekend.


First half

With no Michael Smith in the starting XI, it was Pedro Borges and James Plant as wing-backs either side of a back three which included Finn Cousins-Dawson following his return from a one-match suspension.

Frank Nouble had the game’s first opportunity warming the palms of Woking keeper Will Jaaskelinen after just four minutes and then on ten minutes Morgan Williams had an effort blocked from a corner.

But the first meaningful chance of the game came after 12 minutes Aaron Jarvis was slipped in on the left side of the box, but his effort was well blocked by Jaaskelinen. One of those you really have to stick away.
 
Fuce me minutes later came a bizarre moment. The referee showed the hosts’ Jack Stretton a red card seemingly out of nowhere following a long conversation with his fourth official. The consensus is it was for an elbow on Cousin-Dawson, but neither sets of players or supporters saw anything. Tellingly Stretton seemed to accept his fate with little complaint.
 
On 20 minutes, there was a scare when Ollie Wright came to the edge of his box to meet Matt Ward, lost the ball and was lobbed. Fortunately, Williams had spotted the danger and was back on the line to clear.
 
On 25 minutes, a break down the left by Borges’ driving run down the right was making its way towards Nouble, only for Woking’s Dion Kelly-Evans to intervene.
 

But on 31 minutes the deadlock was broken in some style. Plant got a ball in from the right, dropping from the heavens, Brett McGAVIN met it with a sweetly struck thumping volley. 

Despite the one-man advantage, it was far from a one-sided encounter with Woking showing more fight than their league position would suggest their performances up until now have included.

They had the ball in the net three minutes in to first half injury time when former Yeovil loanee Jamie Andrews turned a ball in, but the offside flag had already been raised for some time before it hit the back of the net.

Half time: Woking 0 Yeovil Town 1


Second half

McGavin had the first chance of the second half when his free-kick, awarded for the most common thing at Kingfield on Saturday, a foul on Plant. It went just wide of the left-hand post.
 
The opening 10 minutes were played in almost an eerie silence, so much so that Cousin-Dawson tried to liven things up attempting to lob Jaaskelinen from 20 yards. The keeper got a hand to it to see it out for a corner.
 
 
On 64 minutes, Josh Sims replaced Kofi Shaw with ex-Glovers’ midfielder Dale Gorman coming on for the home side. It took Gorman six minutes to get a booking for mouthing off to the referee.
 
To be honest, that was as exciting as it got for another 15 minutes until the second goal went in. A great ball fantastic ball in from Nouble in from the right and Finn COUSIN-DAWSON arrived at the back post to turn it home.
 
With the points all but secure, Mark Cooper made a couple of substitutions with Dylan Morgan and the returning Matt Worthington coming on. 
Aside from the goal for Cousin-Dawson, the second half was a thoroughly forgettable affair, but who cares, right? Three points and back to winning ways.
 

Full time: Woking 0 Yeovil Town 2


Match Details

Venue: Kingfield
Date: Saturday 30th November 2024 – 3:00pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Brett McGavin 31 (1-0), Finn Cousin-Dawson 79 (2-0)

Pitch:  Heavy
Conditions: Dry and calm 

Attendance: 2,911 (766 away supporters)

Bookings:
Woking: Cian Harries 43, Dale Gorman 70
Yeovil
 Town: James Plant 36, Morgan Williams 70

Sendings off:
Woking: Jack Stretton 17

Referee: Aaron Farmer

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes: Josh Sims (for Kofi Shaw, 64), Dylan Morgan (for Aaron Jarvis, 83), Matt Worthington (for Brett McGavin, 88), Harvey Greenslade (for Frank Nouble, 90+4), Ed James (not used), Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Yet again we are finishing a National League match talking about refereeing decisions. This time the man in the middle was Andrew Humphries who denied Yeovil Town what looked a stonewall penalty with the last kick of the game.

On loan defender Ed James was felled inside the box from what the DAZN cameras show was a spot kick, but you’ll not be surprised to hear was not given. Even the Barnet manager Dean Brennan admitted it was a penalty in his post-match interview.

That came after a poor first half performance when Barnet were completely on top and took the lead after just ten minutes through Yeovil-born Ryan Glover, and they could have scored more with top scorer Nicke Kabamba spurning a glorious opportunity.

But it was a much improved performance after half-time and deservedly equalised when James Plant drove down the right and his effort found the far corner.

There was high drama in injury time with first Josh Sims seeing his stabbed shot turned on to the post by Nick Hayes before James was denied what everyone – except the man who matters – thought was a penalty.


First half

With four minutes played, a good run from Jarvis saw him fire a ball across with Frank Nouble arriving in the middle, but a Barnet defender saw the ball out.

The first real opportunity fell to Yeovil-born Ryan Glover on six minutes, who was given time and space to move to the edge of the box and fire in a shot which whistled the wrong side (for him!) of the post.

Four minutes later the visitors took the lead. After a good block on an initial effort from midfielder Bailey Hobson, the Yeovil defence did not react enabling Hobson to get a shot in on goal which found its way to Ryan GLOVER arriving at the back post. There were appeals for offside from the hosts’ defence, but they were in vain.

Ryan Glover arrives at the back post to open the scoring.

The opening 15 minutes was all Barnet who seemed to be running at Yeovil at will with Glover finding pockets of space and causing all kinds of problems.

In the 19th minute, a slip from Ed James down the Yeovil right side gave Callum Stead the opportunity to charge towards goal. Luckily rather than squaring it to one of his team-mates arriving inside the box, Stead tried to beat Ollie Wright at the near post who did well to make himself book and deny him.

The Barnet frontline are not giving us a second to breathe here, but the next chance came after Morgan Williams attempted a step over with Stead in close attendance. The Barnet man robbed him and floated a ball in for Nicke Kabamba who you would have put your house on heading home. Amazingly he put his header over the bar. A massive let off.

Yep, just 1-0 at the moment, Mark.

Just after the half-hour mark Idris Kanu, who has had the freedom of Huish Park, made another aggressive run down the Barnet left, the ball across the face of goal fell to Hobson who dragged his shot wide of goal. Minutes later Kanu was at it again, but this time Hobson could not get his shot away. We are completely unable to cope with the speed of the visitors’ attack and they are dictating everything.

In a similar way to the previous game at Huish Park, we seem to be matching Barnet up in terms of shape and they are doing it much better. Our forward players have not had a sniff, Barnet have utterly dominated. Manager Mark Cooper obviously spotted this and switched to a back four with Whittle and Smith on the left and right with Williams and James in the middle, whilst Pedro Borges moved in to a more central role with Nouble and James Plant in the wide positions.

That seemed to slow the pace of the game a bit and the wave after wave of Barnet attacks stopped, thankfully. But at the other end there was absolutely nothing to shout about. Very fortunate to only be 1-0 down at half-time. We need a spark in the second half.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Barnet 1


Second half

Perhaps surprisingly there were no changes from Yeovil with the back four which we finished the first half with, there were no changes. Perhaps not surprisingly there were also none for Barnet.
There was more intent from the home side and their first chance of the game came in the 52nd minute. Good footwork for James Plant on the edge of the box. He got his shot away but pulled it wide of the post. Better.
James Plant pulls his shot wide.
 
Just before the hour mark, a nice corner in to the box was met by the head of Ed James whose header flashed across the face of goal. The young defender could not quite stretch his neck far enough to get his effort on target.
 
Even more worryingly, the 19-year-old went down with what looked like an injury. Thankfully after a massage on his left knee, he was okay. Literally not a defender in sight anywhere on the bench. Plenty in the stands sadly.
On 68 minutes, a great ball over the top from Borges found Plant running down the right side, but he lifted his shot in to the Thatcher’s End.

Kofi Shaw replaced Brett McGavin on 72 minutes and seconds after his arrival the home side were level. James PLANT drove in from the right side and fired a ball across. Possibly a touch from a Barnet defender? We’ll give it to you, Planty!

It’s been much better from the Glovers and if there’s a player who has run more than James Plant, I would like to meet him.

James Plant’s ball in finds the back of the net.

But there was almost an immediate reaction Stead miscued and the ball landed to Kanu, who fortunately fired it over the away terrace. That is a big miss.

The momentum was with Yeovil, the Thatcher’s Stand was in full cry and there was plenty of forward endeavour which has

However, it was Barnet who regained the advantage with nine minutes remaining. A corner was initially dealt with but was smartly fed back out to Hartigan who put a superb cross in to the box and Danny COLLINGE met it with a header which beat Ollie Wright.

That took the sting out of the game and the Yeovil attack. There was a free-kick over the bar from Hartigan which Wright touched over the bar as the game ticked in to injury time. Barnet have slowed this game superbly, a great away performance.

But with almost the last kick of the game there was a glorious opportunity to find an equaliser. Charlie Cooper lifted the ball in to the box following a cleared effort, Williams tried an overhead kick but the ball fell to Josh Sims, on as a substitute, but his effort agnosingly hit the post.

There was still time for more drama as free-kick in to the box and the ball broke to James who looked to go down under a challenge. It was a foul, a penalty all day long, but referee Andrew Humphries decided otherwise. No appeals for a dive from the Barnet players and, as someone who watched it several times on the replays, we have been robbed of one there.

Having been thoroughly second best in the first half, Yeovil performed much better in the second half and deserved a point. But yet again we are ending a game talking about the decisions of a referee.

Ed James goes down inside the box. A penalty all day long.


Full time: Yeovil Town 1 Barnet 2


Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Wednesday 27th November 2024 – 7.45pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Ryan Glover 10 (0-1), James Plant 73 (1-1), Danny Collinge 81 (1-2)

Pitch:  Very wet, a few slips
Conditions: Absolutely chuffing freezing

Attendance: 2,722 (112 away supporters)

Bookings:
Barnet: None
Yeovil
 Town: Charlie Cooper 89, Michael Smith 90+3

Referee: Andrew Humphries

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes: Kofi Shaw (for Brett McGavin, 72), Harvey Greenslade (for Aaron Jarvis, 82), Josh Sims (for James Plant, 86), Dylan Morgan (for Pedro Borges, 90+2), Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (not used), Matt Gould (not used) .

Barnet: Nick Hayes, Danny Collinge, Nicke Kabamba (for Rhys Browne, 69), Callum Stead (for Mark Shelton, 86), Idris Kanu (for Zak Brunt, 79), Ryan Glover,  Anthony Hartigan, Adebola Oluwo, Nik Tavares, Myles Kenlock, Bailey Hobson.

Substitutes (not used): Jordan Cropper, Billy Clifford, Ben Coker, Giosue Bellagambi.

Yeovil fell to a 4-0 defeat at high-flying York City, in an afternoon where everything that could go wrong, did.

An early red card for Finn Cousin-Dawson saw the Glovers reduced to ten men and facing an uphill struggle and the hosts made the most of the advantage with Ollie Pearce grabbing a hat trick.

A late red for Dom Bernard topped the afternoon off leaving Yeovil without FCD, Bernard and Wannell for the next three matches.

Dave was there…


First half

The first chance fell to the returning Morgan Williams who headed over the bar from a recycled corner, but his defensive team-mate Finn Cousin-Dawson had a more meaningful impact soon after when he pulled down Tyrese Sinclair on the edge of the box. Straight red for FC-D and a free-kick on the edge of the box. 

Up stepped Ollie PEARCE to rival a low shot under the wall and in to the net. Yes, from outside the box. You get the feeling this could be a long day.

With a gap in defence being exposed by the home side, Dom Bernard replaced Pedro Borges with 17 minutes gone.

The gaps were still apparent with York finding both time and space all over the pitch with the only opportunities going forward likely to come from a mistake. That nearly happened on 25 minutes when James Plant got away and was clipped by onrushing keeper Harrison Male. No foul given by the referee, who did give Aaron Jarvis a yellow card for his protests.

Pearce came close to adding his second on 32 minutes when he beat the offside trap, chested it down and his shot beat Ollie Wright, but not Williams on the line.

From that moment Yeovil began showed some spirit and, whilst not doing too much to threaten the York goal, they certainly held them at bay. That was until a minute before half-time when what could only be described as a howler from Ollie Wright gifted the hosts a second.

It looked as if the keeper had control of the ball only to spill it to the feet of Tyrese SINCLAIR who stabbed it home. 

Half time: York City 2 Yeovil Town 0


Second half

The start of the second half saw Josh Sims replace Jarvis with Kofi Shaw given the job of running around up front. With Jarvis on a booking already, it was probably a sensible move.

David Ajiboye flashed a shot wide with ten minutes of the second half gone, before Harvey Greenslade replaced Michael Smith with 58 minutes gone.

But, on 63 minutes, Pearce made it 3-0. A long ball forward Fagan-Walcott found PEARCE running with Williams who seemed to misjudged the flight of the ball and the striker ran through to hit an angled shot past Wright, in off the post.

Wright made a smart stop to deny Pearce his hat-trick as he turned the ball out of a corner, but PEARCE got a flicked header on the resulting flag kick to get his third and Yeovil’s fourth with 71 minutes gone.

Ollie Pearce flicks home his third

There was a worrying moment on 78 minutes after Wright went down with what looked like a concussion after making a brilliant save from York substitute Luca Thomas with what appeared to be his face. Thankfully the Gods of fate decided that playing 80 minutes with ten men and being 4-0 down was enough suffering.

Ollie Wright received treatment

Just when you thought it could not get any worse, Dom Bernard put in a full-blooded tackle on Nathaniel George in the middle of the pitch. Red card. 

If you are going to the Barnet home match on Wednesday night and can play centre half, bring your boots!


Full time: York City 4 Yeovil Town 0


Match Details

Venue: LNER Community Stadium
Date: Saturday 23rd November 2024 – 3pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Ollie Pearce 11 (0-1), Tyrese Sinclair 44 (0-2), Ollie Pearce 63 (0-3),

Pitch:  Held up remarkably well considering the amount of rain.
Conditions: Constant rain 

Attendance: 5,642 (348 away supporters)

Bookings:
York City: Sinclair 49,
Yeovil
Town: James Plant 25, Michael Smith 35, Charlie Cooper 54

Red Cards:
York City: 
Yeovil Town:
Finn Cousin-Dawson 10, Dom Bernard 89

Referee: Oliver Mackey

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes:  Dom Bernard (for Pedro Borges, 17), Josh Sims (for Aaron Jarvis, 46), Harvey Greenslade (for Michael Smith, 58), Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (for Charlie Cooper, 66), Frank Nouble (for Kofi Shaw, 72), 

York City: Male, Felix, Walcott (for Fallowfield, 75), Howe, Crookes, Hunt, Aguiar (for Thomas 68), Ajiboye, Pearce (for Battym 75) , Armstrong (for George 68), Sinclair (for Akinyemi 53)

Substitutes (not used): Watson, King

Yeovil Town’s seven-match unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of FC Halifax Town in a match which saw defender Jake Wannell red carded late in the game.

Following a thoroughly forgettable first half, the visitors took the lead on 57 minutes when Florent Hoti rifled home from the edge of the box, but it was a double substitution nine minutes later which changed the game for the home side.

Michael Smith and Josh Sims replaced Frank Nouble and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton as Yeovil pushed for an equaliser with Sims spurning some great opportunities and Pedro Borges forcing a fine save out of Halifax keeper Sam Johnson.

With 90 minutes on the clock, Wannell was given a straight red after an off-the-ball tangle with visiting defender Will Smith, who accused the Yeovil man of stamping on him.

The result means Halifax leap-frog their hosts in to seventh place in the National League Premier Division table with the Glovers dropping to eighth.

 


First half

Yeovil were on top from the start and were spraying some lovely accurate passes around Huish Park, but there was nothing to trouble either Ollie Wright or Sam Johnson in the opposing goals in the opening 15 minutes.

The first chance fell to the visitors’ Billy Waters on the 15 minute mark. A long ball over the top saw the Yeovil defence stand still expecting an offside flag which did not come and they were indebted to Ollie Wright who made a superb save with his legs. Seconds later Florent Hoti flashed an effort just wide of the left-hand post. A let off for the Glovers.

Ollie Wright dives as Florent Hoti’s shot goes wide. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

For the next 15 minutes, the similar formations and styles of the two sides boasting the third and fourth-best defensive records in the division rather cancelled each other out.

On 33 minutes, Hoti called Wright in to action again, this time with a long range effort which the on loan Southampton keeper got down smartly to parry away. 

There were no efforts on goal for Yeovil but Kofi Shaw gave the crowd something to get excited about on 35 minutes. He produced a Cruyff turn about 25 yards from the visitors’ goal, drove forward and fired a ball back across goal which Johnson did well to cut out with green-and-white shirts arriving behind him.

The half finished with Waters’ chance in the 15th minute the only meaningful effort on goal from either side. Stalemate.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 FC Halifax Town 0


Second half

The first opportunity for the home side came three minutes after the restart and a great opportunity for Nouble to play a sideways pass to Shaw who was in a great position, but instead he tried to chip it forward to Jarvis. Almost a great opportunity. Almost.

The opening ten minutes of the second half were more lively than the opening 45 minutes. The game has become a bit of a scrap with Hoti firing another effort wide for the visitors.

But on 57 minutes, Hoti broke the deadlock. A free-kick in to the box was not dealt with by the Yeovil defence, Adam Adetoro laid it off to Florent HOTI on the edge of the box and he smashed it through a crowded area past Wright.

Florent Hoti’s effort flies past Ollie Wright to put FC Halifax Town in to a 1-0 lead. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

With still no efforts on goal from the home side and Halifax having the best defensive record in the division on their travels, this is a test.

On 66 minutes, Yeovil rang the changes with Michael Smith and Josh Sims replacing Frank Nouble and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton. That mean a back four with Whittle, Wannell, Cousin-Dawson and Smith, whilst Borges moved in to the middle alongside McGavin.

Sims almost had an instant impact when he got his head on a left wing cross from Whittle a minute after his arrival, but it was straight in to the hands of Johnson.

Soon after the same combination saw Whittle’s ball drop to Sims on 70 minutes and the former Southamnpton man’s volley went over.

But the best opportunity came from Jake Wannell two minutes later when he got a close range header in from a superb cross from Shaw, but Johnson was there. We have definitely upped the tempo since the changes, but Johnson’s not really been tested yet.

The keeper was at full stretch with 79 minutes on the clock. A scruffy clearance from the Halifax defence landed to Borges who did superbly to chest the ball down and fire in a shot which Johnson parried wide.

On 85 minutes, another great opportunity when Sims burst in to the box and side-footed it to Shaw who went down in a bundle inside the six-yard area. The roar went up from the Huish Park crowd, but it was not given by the referee.Two minutes (yet) another chance, McGavin’s corner fell to Shaw (I think) and it was scrambled away, then seconds later Wannell found himself inside the box and yet he could not get enough on it to scramble it home. How Yeovil have not scored in these last ten minutes, I do not know.

Undoubtedly, the impact of Michael Smith and Josh Sims has had an impact, ever since their arrivals it has been chance after chance – but still nothing over the line.

“1-0 to the referee” was ringing around Huish Park and they got louder with a minute of normal time remaining when Jake Wannell was sent off. An off-the-ball incident between the defender, who had been playing up front for the past five minutes, and Halifax’s Will Smith led to loud complaints accusing Wannell of stamping on his opponent from the visitors and a red card shown by referee Jason Richardson.

Jake Wannell cannot believe his eyes. Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

No way could the referee have seen that incident, presumably one of his assistants did. If there is no appeal (or an unsuccessful one), that would be Wannell’s second red card of the season and a four-match ban.

That did not stop the Yeovil efforts to find an equaliser, so much so that Ollie Wright even went forward for a free-kick deep in to injury time. It was not enough.
 
You would never have predicted that second half after a tepid first half, but the changes from manager Mark Cooper made all the difference and they pushed hard for an equaliser. Not to be.

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 FC Halifax Town 1

 


Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 16th November 2024 – 3pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Florent Hoti 57, 

Pitch:  Skiddy
Conditions: Grey, cold, damp 

Attendance: 3,829 (69 away supporters)

Bookings:
FC Halifax Town: Florent Hoti 82
Yeovil
Town: Sonny Blu Lo-Everton 32, 

Red Cards:
FC Halifax Town: None
Yeovil Town: 
Jake Wannell 90

Referee: Jason Richardson

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

 

Substitutes:  Michael Smith (for Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, 66), Josh Sims (for Frank Nouble, 66), Dom Bernard (not used), Dylan Morgan (not used), Harvey Greenslade (not used), Matt Gould (not used) .

FC Halifax Town: Sam Johnson, Adam Senior, Angelo Cappello (for Jack Evans, 75), Will Smith, Jo Cummings, Adam Adetoro (for Adan George, 72), Tom Pugh, Jack Jenkins (for Andrew Oluwabori, 83), Jamie Cooke, Billy Waters, Florent Hoti (for Owen Bray, 84).

Substitutes (not used): Nathaniel Ford, Frankie Sinfield, Zak Emmerson.

A second half goal from James Plant saw Yeovil Town earn three points against ten-man Southend United in Essex on Saturday.

The home side saw goalkeeper Zach Jeacock dismissed with 27 minutes gone when he handled outside the box under pressure from loanee Pedro Borges. Referee Abigail Byrne showed him read and gave Southend manager Kevin Maher his marching orders before half-time for two yellow cards.

Plant’s cross which curled in to the Yeovil net with 66 minutes gone was enough to break the deadlock and in a game of few chances that proved enough to earn the victory.

Here’s how Dave saw it from his view in the Roots Hall away end…..

 


First half

With five first-team squad members (and arguably starters) missing through injury and suspension, the visitors started with loanees Pedro Borges and James Plant in the wing-back positions.

The opening 15 minutes did not offer much in the way of attacking threat, there was a lot of hard running by Harvey Greenslade, who took the lone frontman role previously held by the suspended Aaron Jarvis. But it took until the 17th minute before either side had a meaningful effort with Southend’s Aribim Pepple pulling a shot wide of Ollie Wright’s goal.

Soon after a bit of attacking purpose saw Kofi Shaw turn skilfully but saw his shot blocked before Pedro Borges was just over the head of Greenslade.

But the moment of the first half came on 27 minutes when Borges ran on to a ball forward and hosts’ keeper Zach Jeacock came out of his box to meet him. The ball appeared to hit the Lincoln City loanee on the leg before bouncing up and hitting one of his outstretched arms which referee Abigail Byrne considered to be in an unnatural position and showed him a red card. After much ‘consultation’, his replacement was Colin Andeng-Ndi and his first action was to watch a Charlie Cooper free-kick go wide.

But aside from an effort over the bar from Sonny Blu Lo-Everton in first half injury time, there was not much to talk about from either side until a Southend striker found himself bearing down on Ollie Wright in first half injury time. The two collided but referee Byrne decided it was a corner, a decision which Southend manager Kevin Maher disagreed with to the extent he got his second yellow card.

To say the woman in black got a hostile reception from the home support inside Roots’ Hall would be quite an understatement.

Half time: Southend United 0 Yeovil Town 0


Second half

The open effort of the second half saw Andeng-Ndi forced in to his first action to deny Kofi Shaw’s effort at the near post after some good pressure from the visitors before Plant and Borges combined for the latter to get an opportunity which he could not quite fashion in to a meaningful chance.
 
On the hour mark, Dylan Morgan and Brett McGavin replaced Greenslade and Lo-Everton. For Greenslade making his first start since suffering a shoulder injury at Boston United at the end of August, it was a tireless performance which saw him plug the void left by the absence of Jarvis.
 
The referee seemed determined to try and win some friends back amongst the home support with a flurry of yellow cards for the visitors. Jake Wannell picking up one of four which would be handed out.
 
 
The breakthrough came after 66 minutes when James PLANT got away down the left and lifted a ball to the back post, whether it went straight in or if it got a touch from Andeng-Ndi, I could not tell you from the away end. But I can tell you the away end did not mind at all how it got in to the end. 
 
There was an effort from Dylan Morgan with 77 minutes gone, but chances for either side seemed few and far between for either side. There was plenty of the ball seen by Southend but nothing which came close to threatening Ollie Wright in to a save, whereas Yeovil were typically controlled when they had possession.
 
On 87 minutes, Nouble found himself bearing down on Andeng-Ndi, hitting a powerful shot which the keeper did well to turn wide.
 
With two minutes gone, Jordan Thomas replaced Kofi Shaw as the visitors looked saw out the match to retain their seventh-placed spot in the National League Premier Division play-off places.

Full time: Southend United 0 Yeovil Town 1


Match Details

Venue: Roots Hall
Date: Saturday 9th November 2024 – 3pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: James Plant 65 (1-0)

Pitch:  Looking in good nick
Conditions: Cold but dry 

Attendance: 6911 (251 away supporters)

Bookings:
Southend United: None
Yeovil
Town: Cooper 32, Finn Cousin-Dawson 37, Jake Wannell 58, Alex Whittle 78

Red Cards:
Southend United: Zach Jeacock, 27
Yeovil Town: 
None

Referee: Abigail Byrne

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes:  Brett McGavin (for Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, 61), Dylan Morgan (for Harvey Greenslade, 61), Jordan Thomas (for Kofi Shaw, 88).

A brace from striker Aaron Jarvis and a blistering strike from Charlie Cooper saw Yeovil Town cruise to a 3-1 home win over Maidenhead United at Huish Park.

The Glovers took the lead after ten minutes when Jarvis did superbly inside the box before lashing home the opener, before the visitors’ Kevin Lokko pulled the game levelled when he flicked a header past Ollie Wright on 26 minutes.

But when Jarvis added his second on 52 minutes with a poacher’s finish from a cross from the impressive Kofi Shaw before a thunderous strike from Cooper sealed the win with 63 minutes on the clock.

Yeovil were good value for their three points which moves us in to the National League Premier Division play-off places in seventh place, ahead of eighth-placed Solihull Moors on goal difference.


First half

Manager Mark Cooper made four changes to his starting line-up following the goalless draw at Tamworth four days earlier. Finn Cousin-Dawson replaced the suspended Morgan Williams, Alex Whittle came in for injured captain Matt Worthington with Dylan Morgan dropped to the bench in place of Bristol Rovers’ loanee Kofi Shaw and Frank Nouble replacing Ciaran McGuckin, who was recalled by Rotherham United in the week.

Following a quiet ten minutes, the first action of the match led to the opening goal for Yeovil. Neat play between Shaw and Brett McGavin found Nouble who picked out Aaron JARVIS. The striker still had a lot of work to do, he turned his defender one way and then the other before stroking a composed finish pass Craig Ross. A great start.

Jarvis had another shot blocked two minutes later before Shaw played a great ball through to Nouble who forced a fine stop from Ross. Jarvis was typically all-action and had a couple on ‘discussions’ with manager William Davies. A dangerous game to play with  the striker on four bookings this season, one more means a suspension.

But on 25 minutes the visitors equalised. A soft free-kick conceded by Jake Wannell on Sam Barrett saw Barrett float a superb ball in to the box and centre half Kevin LOKKO got the faintest of touches on it to guide it in to the net. Maidenhead had created nothing in open play, but pick your cliche about the importance of set-pieces at this level.

Remember I mentioned about Jarvis? On 27 minutes, he got the booking which he had been warned about for a shove on Lokko and that means he will miss the next fixture at Southend United in a couple of weeks.

There was a nervous moment on 35 minutes when a quick break saw Shawn McCoulsky got the better of Cousin-Dawson and tried to lob Ollie Wright but the keeper did well to get something on it to turn the ball wide.

Four minutes before half-time, Jarvis almost got his second goal when his goal-bound header from Whittle’s cross was denied by a full stretch save from Ross. From the resulting corner, Cousin-Dawson glanced a header over from Brett McGavin’s corner.

As the game ticked in to injury time, a lovely shimmy from Shaw saw him create something from nothing and get a ball to the far post where McGavin could not quite get on the end of it. Shaw has definitely shown there is a lot of talent in his legs and someone who has a trick up his sleeve.

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Maidenhead United 1


Second half

If you liked the early goal to the first half, how do you fancy it again in the second half? Okay fine. Shaw was involved with a lovely back heel which created space from Jake Wannell whose cross took a slight deflection and landed at the feet of Aaron JARVIS who turned home his second with 52 minutes on the clock.

Jarvis almost made it a hat-trick on 55 minutes when he could not quite get on the end of an early James Plant cross after good play between McGavin and Whittle, and then again five minutes later after another nice back heel from Shaw saw him pick out Jarvis whose effort was well saved by the knees of Ross.

On XX minutes, a wonderful bit of build up play found Wannell inside the 18-yard box and tried to find Jarvis but it was well defended by Maidenhead for a corner. From the resulting corner, Nouble had an effort blocked on the post by Barratt.

You just felt a goal was coming and then it came in some style. A McGavin corner was defended by the visitors and fell to Charlie COOPER who blasted it back through a crowded area and past an unsighted Ross. That is his first goal for Yeovil Town – and his first since scoring for Wealdstone in April 2022. Worth the wait.

For the second weekend in a row, the game feels like it has been put to bed with time to spare. Maidenhead have not threatened to create much and made a number of changes off the bench including ex-Yeovil striker Tristan Abrahams as the game crept towards the end.

The Glovers’ changes came soon after with Josh Sims replacing Alex Whittle and then Sonny Blu Lo-Everton replacing Shaw, who got a rapturous reception from the Huish Park crowd. Sandwiched in between them there was a booking for Dom Bernard, his fifth of the season as well. That means we will be without both Jarvis and Bernard and the already suspended Morgan Williams for the match at Southend in the next match.

Full time: Yeovil Town 3 Maidenhead United 1


Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Saturday 26th October – 3pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Aaron Jarvis 10 (1-0), Kevin Lokko 25 (1-1), Aaron Jarvis 52 (2-1), Charlie Cooper 63 (3-1)

Pitch:  Looking decent for October – despite the burst sprinkler which required a pre-match repair
Conditions: Low autumn sunshine meaning goalkeepers requiring baseball caps

Attendance: 3,333 (70 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Aaron Jarvis 28, Dom Bernard 85
Maidenhead United: Will de Havilland 34

Red Cards:
Yeovil Town: Text
Maidenhead United

Referee: William Davies

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

 

Substitutes:  Josh Sims (for Alex Whittle, 84), Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (for Kofi Shaw, 87), Harvey Greenslade (for Aaron Jarvis, 89), Dylan Morgan (for James Plant, 90+3), Caleb Hughes (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Maidenhead United: Craig Ross, Will De Havilland (for Alan Massey, 84), Kevin Lokko, Thierry Latty-Fairweather, Nathan Ferguson, Shawn McCoulsky (for Tobi Sho-Silva, 74), Casey Pettit, Reece Smith (for Ruben Carvalho, 80), Miles Welch-Hayes (for Owen Cochrane, 80), Sam Barratt (for Tristan Abrahams, 64), James Golding.

Substitutes (not used): Harvey Collins, Kane Ferdinand.

 

Ten-man Yeovil earned a point on the road at Tamworth this evening, in a match where the Glovers could have scored two or three, before Morgan Williams 70th minute red card.

Ian was on National League TV  and here’s how he saw the goalless draw…

Thanks to Matt Crivelli for the Pic

First half

Mark Cooper named an unchanged side for the trip to Tamworth, with Bristol Rovers loanee Kofi Shaw adding further depth to the bench.

The hosts had the better of the opening exchanges with a couple of long throws causing problems for the Glovers defence. Kyle Finn came close to opening the scoring for Tamworth with an effort that skidded across the surface wide of Ollie Wright’s post.

Yeovil were forced into a change after five minutes following an injury to Matt Worthington. Jordan Young replaced the skipper on the right hand side.

Morgan Williams should have given the Glovers the lead in the 8th minute. Brett McGavin found the unmarked defender in the box and he could only head wide of the goal.

Ciaran McGuckin had Jas Singh on his toes moment later with a wicked cross (or was it a shot) that the Tamworth keeper had to help over the bar.

Yeovil enjoyed plenty of possession, controlling the ball and finding areas out wide. Nathan Tshikuna tried an audacious shot from the halfway line when Yeovil did let a pass loose, but his effort was no trouble for Wright.

Tamworth striker Dan Creaney felt he should have had a penalty in the 18th minute, going down under a challenge from Williams. The commentators on the stream felt a penalty would have been harsh. #balance

20 minutes in, James Plant had his first sight of goal, cutting inside from the left and striking a low effort towards goal. Singh claimed it at the second time of asking.

 Yeovil continued their dominance of the ball and Singh’s gloves were stung again, this time from Dylan Morgan’s long ranger.

Tamworth had another effort from the halfway line, this time from Tom Tonks. Looking forward to seeing the xG on those ones.

Tonks, a long throw specialist, got his chance to launch another one into the box before the half hour mark and Creaney couldn’t wrap his foot around the ball enough to get it on target.

The hosts had a great chance in the 32nd minute. After neat play on Yeovil’s right, the ball was worked into the box and Tshikuna snatched at it and sliced the ball high and wide.

 Tonks had another couple of long throws that weren’t dealt with convincingly by Wright or his defenders, the second of which saw Haydn Hollis snap a shot over the bar.

Jake Wannell had a free header late in stoppage time that he could only direct straight at Singh. That one will go down as another good chance for the Glovers.

On the whole, a even first half that, but for the Wannell header in stoppage time, petered out as it reached it’s conclusion.

Half time: Tamworth 0 Yeovil Town 0


Second half

The second half began with a similar pattern, a long throw from Tonks and then controlled possession from the Glovers. 

For total transparency – I was on baby duties for the 10 minutes between 55 and 65. There were some substitutions – including the new man Kofi Shaw – and Jordan Young got booked.

With 20 minutes left to go, Morgan Williams was given a straight red card for a mistimed tackle Rico Brown as Tamworth looked to break from a Yeovil corner. It looked harsh given the area of the pitch it happened in, and Williams protested but Mulligan in the middle was not swayed.

Mark Cooper immediately shored up the defence, bringing off Jordan Young for Finn Cousin-Dawson.

Kofi Shaw should have given Yeovil the lead in the 77th minute. The substitute nabbed the ball from a Tamworth defender and found himself clean through on goal but his effort was low and straight at the keeper.

McGavin had a hopeful effort deflected wide for as corner as the clock ticked down towards 90 as the hosts made multiple substitutions.

An uneventful 8 minutes of stoppage time were played out as the sides shared the points.

Full time: Tamworth 0 Yeovil Town 0


Match Details

Venue: The Lamb Ground
Date: Tuesday 22nd October – 19:45 Kick Off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: 

Pitch:  Plastic.
Conditions: 

Attendance: 1,068 (220 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Plant 33
Tamworth:

Red Cards:
Yeovil Town: Morgan Williams 71

Referee: John Mulligan

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes:  Frank Nouble (for Aaron Jarvis, 66), Alex Whittle, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Jordan Young (for Matt Worthington, 5), Finn Cousin-Dawson (for Jordan Young, 73), Kofi Shaw (for Dylan Morgan, 59), Matt Gould

Tamworth: Jas Singh, Tom Tonks, Kyle Finn (for Enoru, 79), Dan Creaney, Luke Fairlamb, Jordan Cullinane-Liburd, Tom McGlinchey, Nathan Tshikuna (for Digie, 89), Kieran Wallace (for Fletcher, 77), Haydn Hollis, Rico Brown (for Curley 84, for Okafor, 89)

Substitutes (not used): , Williams, Phillips

Yeovil Town scored three times without reply as they romped to a resounding win at struggling Wealdstone on Saturday.

The Glovers always looked in control and took the lead ten good play from Aaron Jarvis saw him pick out Brett McGavin to open the scoring with a diving header after 26 minutes.

Two goals in six second half minutes then wrapped up the biggest win of the season. Jarvis headed home a Dom Bernard ball into the box on 52 minutes before Ciaran McGuckin stabbed home a third to seal the win.

Dave was in a bouncing away end at Grosvenor Vale and here is how he saw it…..


First half

Whatever the formation prediction was before the game, it ended up with Aaron Jarvis playing as a lone striker.

Ollie Wright picked up the game’s first yellow card after just seven minutes after colliding with Alex Reid on the edge of the box. A free-kick given although hosts’ midfielder Max Krestchmaer wanted more and quickly became the second player to get a booking for his protests.
 
First meaningful chance fell to the home side withJack Wells-Morrison’s rasping effort from the edge of the box turned away by the flying Wright on 13 minutes.
 
On 16 minutes, Ciaran McGuckin had the ball in the net but his run was not quite good enough to beat the linesman’s flag. Nice finish to lift it over the keeper though.
 
The opening nearly came after 23 minutes when good play down the left from James Plant saw him pick out  Jarvis inside the box. The striker  turned his man but pulled his shot wide of goal. Such was the excitement, a green pyrotechnic went off in the away end!
 
But, the deadlock was broken three minutes later when great play from Jarvis saw him lift a ball to the back post where Brett McGAVIN was there to meet it with a diving header.
 
 
Just two minutes later, McGavin almost turned creator when he threaded a ball through to Jarvis for a one-on-one chance only to be denied by a fine stop from Howes. That should have been 2-0.
 
Five minutes before the break, Matt Worthington slid in on the goal line to try and turn home a Morgan ball in from the left. 


Half time: Wealdstone 0 Yeovil Town 1


Second half

It was almost 2-0 the visitors immediately after the restart, Morgan’s low effort looked to take a nick off Matt Worthington on its way in to the net. The linesman’s had his flag up and even after a conversation with the referee (is that non-League VAR?) the decision stood.

But it was 2-0 on 50 minutes after a brilliant run forward by  Dom Bernard saw him then lift an inch-perfect ball in to the box where Aaron JARVIS was on hand to meet it with a neat header.

Three minutes later, a great run from James Plant down the left wing and a curled effort just over the bar. Close to three.

A third did arrive on 58 minutes a corner from the right picked out Jake Wannell who drove the ball across the face of goal where Ciaran McGUCKIN was on hand to prod it home.

On the hour mark, Frank Nouble replaced Aaron Jarvis, who had put in a typically tireless performance but his goal was the most important thing. Hopefully that can help him to ‘catch fire’ as his manager Mark Cooper called on one of his strikers to do ahead of the match.

If you wondered know much the visitors wanted to keep a clean sheet, just watch Ollie Wright’s save from Krestchmaer on 66 minutes. The on loan Southampton man did superbly to get down to deny him before Dom Bernard cleared away the danger.

Alex Whittle replaced Matt Worthington on 69 minutes and five minutes later Sonny Blu Lo-Everton replaced Dylan Morgan.

But for the closing 20 minutes it was all about keeping that clean sheet. Wealdstone substitute Henry Sandat did his best to assist on 73 minutes when he shanked an effort in the same location Malachi Linton’s penalty went on our last visit to Grosvenor Vale (high over the bar if you can’t remember that), and  there were half-chances for defenders Craig Eastmond and Jack Cook. You got the feeling the Stones could be out there all night and still not score.

As the game drew to a close, first Nouble and then Lo-Everton both had opportunities to extend the advantage even further in Yeovil’s favour but there was plenty of gloss on the performance for the Glovers.

The disappointment of the exit from the FA Cup just up the road in Chesham seven days ago seems a distant memory and Yeovil moved up to eighth place, just two points outside the National League Premier play-off places. I know it’s only mid-October, but it is nice to be looking at the league table with a smile on your face.

Full time: Wealdstone 0 Yeovil Town 3


Match Details

Venue: Grosvenor Vale
Date: Saturday 19th October – 15:00 Kick Off

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Brett McGavin 26 (1-0), Aaron Jarvis 52 (2-0), Ciaran McGuckin 58 (3-0).

Pitch:  Held up well considering it was subject to a pitch inspection at 1pm.
Conditions: Glorious sunshine – if irritatingly low and in the eyes of the travelling supporters throughout,

Attendance: 1,510 (250 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Ollie Wright 7,
Wealdstone: Max Krestchmaer 8, Adrian Mariappa 10, Micha Obiero 22, Craig Eastmond 

Referee: Sam Mulhall

Yeovil Town (5-2-1-2)

Substitutes:  Frank Nouble (for Aaron Jarvis, 60), Alex Whittle (for Matt Worthington, 70), Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (for Dylan Morgan, 75), Jordan Young (for Ciaran McGuckin, 81), Finn Cousin-Dawson (for Brett McGavin, 85).

Wealdstone: Howes, Barrett, Mariappa, Cook, Mundle-Smith, Wells-Morrison, Dyer, Boldewijn, Kretszchmaer, Obiero, Reid.

Substitutes (not used): Adams, Georgiou, Eastmond, Hammond, Ashford, Sandat, Thorpe.

Yeovil Town were dumped out of the FA Cup by a late winner at lower league Chesham United on Saturday.

With the game seemingly drifting towards a replay at Huish Park, Jack Cawley’s header at the back post from a late corner gifted the National League South side a win and a place in the competition’s first round.

Here was how Dave saw it from the away end in Buckinghamshire…..


First half

A booking for loan striker Ciaran McGuckin was the only action of the opening 20 minutes with neither side able to do much more than try to thread a pass through a defence.

Then on 20 minutes, efforts from first Jordan Young, then Ciaran McGuckin and Brett McGavin were blocked before the ball went out for a corner. From the resulting flag-kick a Frank Nouble effort came back off the post and away from danger.

Five minutes later, McGuckin challenged with Chesham keeper Ben Goode on the edge of the area, the gloveman spilt the ball but his effort was blocked by one of the defenders back.

Without question the best chance of the half so far fell to the home side on 36 minutes. A misplaced pass in midfield saw them break away and Joe Grant’s effort forced a fine stop out of Ollie Wright.

The first half came to an end with the distinct feeling that you could have had an extra 45 minutes in bed instead. Not much of a Cup tie yet.


Half time: Chesham United 0 Yeovil Town 0


Second half

The second half started with a bit more impetus from the visitors with a good bit of quick passing leading to the ball breaking to Josh Sims inside the box with 48 minutes gone. His snap shot was well saved by Goode and two minutes later McGavin’s effort went just over the bar after being set up by McGuckin.

That same combination linked up nicely on 56 minutes to earn a corner from which McGavin had an effort over and then on the hour mark Young tried to jink in to the box but could not pull the trigger.

With 20 minutes remaining, Young, who everyone had been screaming at to ‘have a go’ rather than take another touch, unleashed one which cleared the crossbar….and the covered terrace behind the goal.

On 74 minutes, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and Sam Pearson replaced Josh Sims and Ciaran McGuckin.

Five minutes later, Nouble got away and fired in a shot which pinballed around inside the Chesham area but there was no-one there to turn it home.

Three minutes from time, Young was on the wrong end of a crunching tackle in the middle of the pitch. He was replaced by Harvey Greenslade.

As the game ticked in to injury time, there was another bit of pinball inside the box with Lo-Everton among those with having an opportunity to shoot.

If like me you were at the opposite end of the ground to see what happened for the winner, the Chesham United tweet, below, will tell you what you need to know. A corner to the back post saw Jack CAWLEY out jump Araoye at the far post to head a famous winner.

If you play with the lack of tempo and urgency we had for the majority of the game, the risk of getting hit by a sucker punch is huge. That is exactly what happened and we honestly have no-one to blame but ourselves.

Full time: Chesham United 1 Yeovil Town 0


Match Details

Venue: The Meadow
Date: Saturday 12th October – 15:00 Kick Off

Competition: FA Cup, 4th Qualifying Round

Scorers: Jack Cawley 90+3

Pitch:  In surprisingly good nick considering it had been played on Tuesday
Conditions: After a pre-match cloud burst, a glorious autumn afternoon broke out 

Attendance: 1,321 (approx 250 away supporters)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Ciaran McGuckin 7
Chesham United: Jack Connors 52

Referee: Scott Tallis

Yeovil Town (4-2-3-1)

 

Substitutes:  Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (for Josh Sims, 74), Sam Pearson (for Ciaran McGuckin, 74), Fin Cousin-Dawson (not used), Matt Worthington (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Chesham United: Ben Goode, Lewis Rolfe, Alex Lafleur (for Bradley Clayton, 81), Jack Cowley, Connor Stevens, T’Sharne Gallimore, Nathan Minhas (for Eoin Casey, 90+5), Mitchell Weiss (for Samson, Easan, 81), Jack Connors (for Ashley Lodge, 69), Joe Grant (for Omar Rowe, 69), Callum Adebiyi.

Substitutes (not used): Steve Brown, Avan Jones.