Match Reports (Page 21)

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Venue: Huish Park
Saturday, 24th April, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: A beautiful sunny Spring day.

Pitch: The groundsmen deserves huge credit for the quality of the surface this season.

Attendance: 2,786 (779 away supporters)

Scorers: Tom Knowles 39 (1-0), Josh Neufville 55 (2-0), Myles Hippolyte 70 (2-1)

Bookings:

Yeovil: Barnett 11, Knowles 90+2
Stockport: Ryan Johnson 45,

Sendings off:

Stockport: Will Collar 72.

Referee: Greg Rollason

 

Yeovil Town : (4-3-3)

Grant Smith

Mark Little, Luke Wilkinson, Max Hunt, Morgan Williams

Dale Gorman, Lawson D’Ath (for Alex Bradley, 87), Jordan Barnett

Tom Knowles, Reuben Reid (for Adi Yussuf, 78), Josh Neufville

Substitutes: Max Evans, Jack Robinson, Alex Bradley, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton.


Stockport County: Hinchcliffe, Minihan, Hogan (for Hippolyte, 46), Palmer, Cannon (for Crankshaw, 46), Madden, Collar, Johnson, Rydel, Croasdale, Quigley (for Jennings, ). Substitutes: Ashby-Hammond, Francis-Angol.

Match Report

Yeovil Town completed a double over champions elect Stockport County as goals from Tom Knowles and Josh Neufville earned Charlie Lee his first win as caretaker manager.

Having won in Greater Manchester back in September, the visitors arrived in Somerset having lost just once in the league since mid-December but came up against a Yeovil side in inspired form.

Having had to show enormous concentration against a free-flowing Stockport side, Knowles opened the scoring on 39 minutes and then, as the visitors adapted to a change of formation at the break, Neufville doubled the advantage.

Ex-Yeovil winger Myles Hippolyte pulled one back in the second half only for The Hatters to have midfielder Will Collar red carded for high tackle on Dale Gorman soon after.

Here’s the story of the afternoon………..

First half

Charlie Lee, assisted for the first time by his new caretaker assistant Jody Brown, made two changes with Max Hunt returning in the heart of defence in place of Ben Barclay, who was unavailable against his parent club, and Josh Neufville coming in for Charlie Wakefield, who was missing through illness.
Grant Smith saves well from Paddy Madden. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The opening chance of the match came from the right side with a cross finding the familiar face in Stockport striker (and former Huish Park favourite) Paddy Madden at the back post. His header was well stopped by Grant Smith in the hosts’ goal.

Six minutes later, Will Collar‘s superb cross-field ball found wing back Sam Minihan found himself in pace and got in behind Morgan Williams and found Madden on the edge of the box, but his shot went over. Thanks, Paddy, we appreciate it.

The opening 20 minutes saw possession almost entirely dominated by the visitors with the home side doing well to hold their shape.

On 33 minutes, Luke Wilkinson had a free-kick easily saved by Ben Hinchcliffe in the Stockport goal, but two minutes later Neufville had a strong penalty shout having been dragged down in the box.

Put that in the ‘seen them given’ category, but the ball then broke to Reid who slipped at the crucial moment with the goal at his mercy.

That seemed to sting the visitors who upped the ante and a venomous free-kick struck by Ryan Rydel dipped over the wall and was well turned over by Smith.

Then, just when you thought it was the visitors who were more likely to take the lead, Yeovil took the lead and it was no surprise that it was Tom KNOWLES who got it.

If there’s one thing which has been unquestionable from this team, it is the forward’s incredible commitment and after 43 minutes be burst down  the right, he cut inside, the Stockport defenders let him run and he finished it brilliantly. Well, that wasn’t in the script.

Despite being ahead, when the fourth official’s board went up to indicate three minutes of injury time, chants of “We want Priestnall Out!” were clearly heard around Huish Park. The chairman was in attendance for the first time since the televised FA Cup match with AFC Bournemouth back in January.

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Stockport County 0


Second Half

Stockport manager Dave Challinor made his intentions perfectly clear from the start of the second period introduction ex-Glovers’ winger Myles Hippolyte and Ollie Crankshaw at the break.

The changes saw a reorganisation in formation by the visitors which they did not immediately settle in to and, with ten minutes of the second half gone, it was this disorganisation in midfield that led to Yeovil doubling the lead.

Josh Neufville wheels away after scoring Yeovil’s second.

A great combination by combination by Lawson D’Ath and Dale Gorman sent Josh NEUFVILLE away and the Luton Town loanee ran through, holding off Minihan and coolly slotted home the second.

Challinor responded again with another change the of shape again as Connor Jennings came on for Scott Quigley after 58 minutes later. Seconds after, a teasing cross by Crankshaw was heading towards Jennings who was positioned to poke it home at the far post, only for Mark Little to get just enough on it.

Max Hunt, who played superbly on his return after injury, deflected a volleyed shot from Madden wide four minutes later.

But, after 70 minutes, Stockport halved the Glovers’ advantage. Another ball in from the right came to Madden who sliced his effort, but it broke nicely to Myles HIPPOLYTE and the former Glover came back to haunt his old employers.

A blue flare was lit and thrown from the away fans, leading to a delay and, when play did restart, the first action saw Stockport midfielder Will Collar was red carded for high foot challenge on Gorman. The Northern Irishman jumped for the ball and still managed to connect with the foot of his midfield opponent.

Stockport’s Will Collar goes in high on Dale Gorman. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

On 78 minutes, Neufville left his marker behind and was clear through on goal, but dragged his shot wide.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Stockport continued to press and as seven minutes of injury time were shown by the fourth official a half-volley from Hippolyte went just wide and then soon after Madden had the ball in the net. The ex-Glovers’ hero could not beat the offside flag.

As the sixth minute of stoppage time ticked over, there was incessant pressure from the visitors with corners from the box stopped by heroic defending and the game

Full time: Yeovil Town 2 Stockport County 1

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Venue: Bob Lucas Stadium
Monday, 18th April, 1pm kick-off

Conditions: Another glorious sunny day

Pitch: More green than brown (and as we all know, that’s a good thing – See podcast #160)

Attendance: 2,609

Scorers: None

Bookings:

W*ymouth: Thomson 55, Cordner 58, Bearwish 67, Drewe 86
Yeovil: D’Ath 36, Barnett 54,

Referee: Daniel Lamport

 

Yeovil Town : (4-4-2)

Grant Smith

Mark Little, Luke Wilkinson, Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams

Tom Knowles, Dale Gorman, Lawson D’Ath, Jordan Barnett

Reuben Reid, Charlie Wakefield

Substitutes: Max Hunt, Alex Bradley, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (For D’ath ’84), Adi Yussuf (for Reid ’87) , Josh Neufville (for Wakefield ’71)

 

Match Report

1300 Yeovil Fans at Weymouth
Pic Ian Perkins

The fourth meeting of the season with the old enemy in W*ymouth ended in yet another draw – and a pretty turgid one at that.

For most part of it, the game lacked the blood and thunder which is supposed to come from a derby with the home side, desperately in need of points in an increasingly futile battle against the drop, the more committed to the cause.

Yeovil looked like a team with nothing left to play for despite a travelling support which outnumbered their hosts.

But, the draw means the last time W*ymouth won a competitive derby against us is still Boxing Day 1988. Well, you have to take the positives when you can find them.

First half

The first effort of the match fell to the visitors when Charlie Wakefield’s ball in to the box found Morgan Williams rising highest, but the effort was blocked by the Terras’ defence.

But, after that scare, it was the home side who looked the more of a threat going forward. On eight minutes, Ben Thomson had the ball in Grant Smith’s net soon after the Yeovil defence had been caught napping. Luckily the linesman’s flag was up.
Tom Bearwish had the ball in the net again on 13 minutes, heading home after good interplay by Ben Thomson and captain Josh McQuoid. The linesman’s flag sparing the blushes again.
Mark Little battles for the ball against Grimsby. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Mark Little put a weak header in to the hands of W*ymouth keeper Ross Fitzsimmons soon after, but that was about all there was for any threats on goal.

Passes were not finding players and it was difficult to see where an attacking threat was coming from whilst, in fairness to them (is that allowed), W*ymouth were looking more threatening every time they came forward in the first half-an-hour.
There was more to fight for from the home side than those in white; every tackle, every pass was played with greater urgency. In terms of league position (if not supporters in the ground) the Terras clearly had more to play for.
Indeed, the highlight of the final 15 minutes of the first half was Luke Wilkinson’s altercation with a home fan who appeared to throw some kind of beverage at him as he prepared to return to the action after an injury. The ‘gentleman’ in question was removed from the stadium, much to the enjoyment of the away fans.

In terms of things to shout about, that was probably we good as it got. Goalless at half-time.

Half time: W*ymouth 0 Yeovil Town 0

Second Half

The opening attack of the second half offered more than the entire 45 minutes the preceded it. Tom Knowles broke forward down the right and his shot was smothered by Fitzsimmons.

But, as happened in the first half, the home were quicker to everything. On 52 minutes, the Yeovil defence tried to play offside and let Bearwish get a shot away which was stopped by a smart save from Smith.
Six minutes later, Ash shrugged off a timid challenge from Wilkinson forced Smith in to action again.
That did seem to spark a bit more of an energy from Yeovil, with the ball played on the floor seeming to reap more rewards – who’d have thought it?!
Josh Neufville was introduced for Wakefield on 71 minutes and his presence seemed to spark some greater urgency.
Jordan Barnett. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

On 74 minutes, Reuben Reid did everything right after picking the ball up on the right of the box, lofted a ball over to Barnett arriving at the far post, but he headed it in to the ground and over.

Three minutes later, a Gorman free-kick led to a melee in the box during which Morgan Williams went down under pressure. Big penalty appeals, but probably not for me.
At the other end, Bearwish was involved again lashing a shot across goal but no-one was on hand to turn it in.
There were driving runs down both sides from Knowles and Neufville but nothing which threatened to create more than a half chance.
In fact, it was another substitute, Adi Yussuf, who almost created something when he broke down the right but could not pick out anyone in the middle.
The games final chance came when Knowles was fouled on the edge of the box. The final chance of the game and Wilkinson’s effort came back off the wall.
There were some plenty of moments for heroes, just not enough heroes.

Full time: W*ymouth 0 Yeovil Town 0

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Venue: Huish Park
Saturday, 15th April, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: Glorious sunshine

Pitch: In remarkable condition in mid-April.

Attendance:  2,528 (293 away supporters)

Scorers: Giles Phillips 65 (0-1), Ryan Glover (0-2)

Bookings:

Yeovil: Ben Barclay 45

Aldershot: Ryan Glover 61, Giles Phillips 90+1, Ethan Ross 90+8, Ryan Glover 90+12

Sending off:

Aldershot: Ryan Glover (two bookable offences) 90+12

Referee: Steven Copeland

Yeovil Town : (4-4-2)

Grant Smith

Mark Little (for Adi Yussuf, 81), Luke Wilkinson, Ben Barclay, Jordan Barnett

Tom Knowles, Dale Gorman, Alex Bradley (for Lawson D’Ath, 70), Sonny Blu Lo-Everton

Reuben Reid, Josh Neufville (for Charlie Wakefield, 65)

Substitutes: Morgan Williams, Max Hunt (not used).

Aldershot Town: Ross, Kinsella (for Daniel, 81), Lyons-Foster, Berkeley-Agyepong, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sylla, Ndjoli (for Whittingham, 90), Phillips, Harris, Saunders, Willard (for Glover, 58). Substitutes: Hall, Bettamer (not used).

 

Match Report

Charlie Lee’s first league match at Huish Park ended in defeat his Yeovil Town side paid the price for wasteful finishing and sloppy defending.

After a first half lacking in quality from either side, the Glovers’ were laying siege to the opposition goalmouth and then on 65 minutes they gifted Aldershot defender Giles Phillips the freedom of the area to head home.

Then when substitute Ryan Glover smashed home a second four minutes later after Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain took advantage of more sloppy defending, the game was over.

Here’s how Coatesie saw it on a rare appearance (for him, at least) at Huish Park…

 

First half

The first chance fell to Tom Knowles after five minutes, played in by Reuben Reid, Knowles broke in to the right-side of the box and his shot cannoned off the outside of the post.

Five minutes later, Reid and Knowles combined again with the latter splitting the Aldershot defence to Reid who dragged his shot wide.

At that point it could have been 2-0 to the Glovers, but the possession had largely been dominated by the visitors who passed it nicely in midfield without creating an effort to threaten Grant Smith, who returned between the posts for the hosts.

Defensively the visitors looked shaky and the game was crying out for the likes of Knowles and Josh Neufville to test them.

Tom Knowles, who was a rare bright spot today.

Knowles was at the heart of the action again with ten minutes of the half remaining, getting away down the right and smashing a ball across the face which was begging for a touch home. No-one was there to do it.

From the following play, the ball broke to centre half Ben Barclay who smashed it wide.

Despite having the better of the chances, the half finished with as many goals as the quality on display. Goalless at the break.

Half- time: Yeovil Town 0 Aldershot Town 0

Second half

After opening exchanges which were as cagey as the first half, Yeovil turned up the heat with a string of corners before Knowles forced a smart stop out of Ethan Ross in the visitors’ goal.

A number of penalty shouts were voiced by the home side with Knowles, Bradley and then Neufville all going down under pressure in the area. From my position in the centre of the Thatcher’s Stand, none of them looked enough to ask much of a question of the referee.

But, as the missed opportunities mounted up, the fear was that only one mistake was needed at to give the visitors’ the advantage, and on 65 minutes exactly that happened.
A free-kick by skipper Lewis Kinsella found Giles PHILLIPS at the back post and he had a free header to nod home. One chance, one goal.
Five minutes later, sloppy defending gifted Aldershot a second. A ball forward found Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain in acres of space down the right hand sight and he had all the time he needed to fire it across to  Ryan GLOVER (yes, Glover!) who smashed home the second at the far post.
Having been totally in control but failing to convert their chances, Yeovil found themselves 2-0 behind against a side which has been only too happy to sit back and hit on the break before they even scored.
There was a break in play after three travelling supporters who had taken a tumble on the Screwfix Family Stand steps celebrating the second goal.
Mark Little. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

With Charlie Wakefield coming on for Neufville moments before the opening goal, Lee introduced Lawson D’Ath for Bradley and then Adi Yussuf for Little.

But even with countless attacking players on the pitch, the home side abandoned what had been working before going behind and returned to aimless long balls forward.
Aldershot were quite happy to sit back and continue their tactic of hitting us on the break.
As the fourth official held up the board for 12 minutes of stoppage team, a break away saw the ball come to substitute Alfie Whittingham, the son of former Glovers’ striker, Guy, but his shot went over.
To be honest, it would have taken more minutes and attacking players to see the home side muster a meaningful effort.

However, there was time for Glover’s day to turn sour as he picked up his second yellow card and a subsequent red in the final minute of time added on.

A mixed day for everyone connected with the Glovers’ name.

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 Aldershot Town 2

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Venue: The Walks
Saturday, 9th April, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: Dry and sunny but a bit windy

Pitch: Bobbly

Attendance: 1,148

Scorers: Dale Gorman pen 6 (1-0), Michael Clunan 38 (1-1), Gold Omotayo 45+3 (1-2), Charlie Wakefield 90+1 (2-2)

Bookings:

Yeovil: Lee 45, Knowles 95, Barnett 97
King’s Lynn: Sundire 6Denton 68, Jones 81, Kurran-Browne 85

Sending off:

Yeovil: Worthington 42
King’s Lynn: Sundire 70

Referee: Eliott Swallow

Yeovil Town : (4-4-2)

Ted Cann

Mark Little (for Adi Yussuf, 87), Luke Wilkinson, Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams

Josh Neufville (for Charlie Wakefield, 80), Dale Gorman, Matt Worthington, Tom Knowles

Reuben Reid, Sonny Blu Lo Everton (for Jordan Barnett, 44)

Substitutes: Alex Bradley, Jordan Barnett, Lawson D’ath, Adi Yussuf, Charlie Wakefield

King’s Lynn: Jones, Barrows, Coulson, Denton, Widdrington, Clunan (c), Hargreaves, McGavin, Omotayo, Sundrie, Barrett.

Substitutes: Bowry, Hickman, A Jones, Charles, Kurran Browne.

Match Report

A last minute minute moment of quality from substitute Charlie Wakefield saw Yeovil Town extend their unbeaten run with a 2-2 draw at relegation battlers King’s Lynn Town.

The Glovers took the lead through a Dale Gorman penalty before the hosts pulled one back through Michael Clunan as the first half finished in disastrous style.

Having been pegged back, Matt Worthington was red carded for a strong challenge and then Yeovil old boy Gold Omotayo put the Linnets ahead.

The second half was something of a non-event until Munashe Sundire saw red for his second yellow on 70 minutes and then Wakefield struck a late equaliser.

 

First half

The opening exchanges saw both sides finding each other out but when Tom Knowles broke down the left after five minutes he was body-checked by Munashe Sundire and the referee pointed to the penalty spot.

Dale GORMAN stepped up and made no mistake from 12 yards to put the visitors ahead.

Reuben Reid had an effort easily saved following good work by Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, who had been recalled to the starting line-up, presumably after impressing in the Somerset Premier Cup semi-final against Odd Down.

However, having gone ahead, the momentum was with the hosts with Theo Widdrington, the son of manager, Tommy, forcing Ted Cann in to action on 23 minutes.

Matt Worthington had the ball in the net five minutes later having been sent through by Lo-Everton,  but the next action saw King’s Lynn take the lead.

The move which led to the visitors’ equaliser on 38 minutes heralded two appeals for offside. One more convincing than the other, but the one that mattered  looked like it was off when a great pass Brett McGavin found captain Mark CLUNAN the wrong side of Mark Little and he fired past Ted Cann after 38 minutes.

Knowles put over with five minutes of the half remaining, but two minutes later Matt Worthington went in for what at best could be described as a full blooded challenge on Theo Widdrington and was shown a red card by referee Elliot Swallow. He did get some of the ball, but plenty of the player as well. Having been sent off in our opening game of the season against the same opponents, one assumes Worthy simply does not like playing against the Linnets.

Jordan Barnett replaced Lo-Everton with Neufville dropping back in to midfield, but more significantly the dismissal put further wind in to the sails of the Linnets.

Josh Barrett fired a shot over a minute in to injury time and it was the same player who created the opening to put the hosts ahead with three minutes of injury time played. Barrett got the better of Little and fired a shot which Cann spilled for ex-Glover Gold OMOTAYO who prodded Lynn ahead.

The fault for the goal was the goalkeeper’s but it was difficult to look beyond Marcus Duncombe’s comments about the ex-striker for the assist.

Half- time: King’s Lynn Town 2 Yeovil Town 1

 

Second half

With Yeovil down to ten men and the home side ahead, it was no surprise to see the opening 15 minutes not muster any significant chances for either side.
In fact, the only talking point was injuries to Gorman who had a collision of heads on the edge of the box and then on 66 minutes what appeared to be a lunging tackle on Knowles by Tyler Denton.

But referee Swallow decided he would level up the numbers with when Sundire caught Neufville with a late tackle o 70 minutes to earn his second yellow.

Seven minutes later, a corner saw the ball floated to the back post by Gorman and Wilkinson, to this observer, seemed to be grabbed by the throat as he rose. Omotayo’s concern for his former team-mate, immediately calling for the physio, was not matched by referee Swallow.

A second change saw Charlie Wakefield replace Neufville on 80 minutes and the substitute fired a shot over two minutes later.

The injuries turned in to seven minutes of stoppage  time added on and it was as the 90th minute ticked over that WAKEFIELD picked the ball up on the right and bent a beautiful shot in to level the scores.

Full time: King’s Lynn Town 2 Yeovil Town 2

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Venue: Huish Park
Tuesday, 5th April, 7.45pm kick-off

Conditions: Clear and dry
Pitch: A bit soft

Attendance: 356

Scorers:  Olufela Olomola 4 (1-0), Josh Neufville 51 (2-0), Adi Yussuf 54 (3-0), Josh Neufville 57 (4-0), Corey Andrews (5-0) 80.

Bookings:

Yeovil: None
Odd Down: None

Referee: Richard Hulme

Yeovil Town : (4-4-2)

Max Evans

Jake Graziano, Ollie Haste, Morgan Williams, Jordan Barnett

Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (for Korey Andrews, 66), Toby Stephens, Alex Bradley, Josh Neufville (for Fin Skiverton, 58)

Adi Yussuf Olufela Olomola (for Callum Deemer, 71)

Substitutes: Luke Wilkinson, Dale Gorman

Odd Down: Blammon, Humphries, Robinson (for Clark, 68), Watts, Yates, Adepitan, Ellis Ricketts (for Simpson, 61), Dunn, Simpson, Bryan, Waugh (for Best, 68). Substitutes: Pelliccia, Perkins.

Match Report

Caretaker manager Charlie Lee was rewarded with a 5-0 win of Odd Down in his first home game in charge at Huish Park which saw Yeovil Town book their place in the final of the Somerset Premier Cup.

Having taken an early lead through Olufela Olomola, three goals in six second half minutes saw Josh Neufville find the net either side of a goal from Adi Yussuf in his first match since returning from international duty.

Youth teamer Corey Andrews completed the rout with ten minutes remaining to set up a final with Southern League Bath City.

Here is how Ed Turnbull saw the match at Huish Park…..

First half

The Glovers got off to the perfect start as they scored in the fourth minute for the second home game in a row; Sonny-Blu Lo-Everton drifted off his left wing to find a pocket of space on the right hand side of the area and played it across to Olufela OLOMOLA who fired home from the edge of the six yard box.
Two minutes later Jordan Barnett‘s low cross presented Fela with another good chance but this time his shot was blocked.
Captain for the night Alex Bradley went down in the area in the 14th minute after being caught on the follow-through of an Odd Down defender’s clearance, but the referee waved away muted penalty appeals from home side.
With half an hour played there was a bizarre incident where Olomola received the ball on the left wing, but was completely topless and so a free-kick was given against him! It transpired this was because he had been halfway through removing his thermal underlayer.
Yeovil had several further shots as the half drew to a close, with the best chance probably falling to Adi Yussuf who blazed his volley high and wide after being found brilliantly by Josh Neufville after the winger blitzed past two defenders as though they weren’t there.
1-0 it remained at the interval, after a one-sided half which could have seen the hosts take a bigger lead.

Half- time: Yeovil Town 1 Odd Down 0

Second half

However, Yeovil came out for the second half seemingly a lot more clinical, as three goals in six minutes put the tie to bed, with NEUFVILLE playing a key role in all 3 goals.
Josh Neufville. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

On 51 minutes, he picked up the ball on the edge of the box and struck a firm low shot that Odd Down keeper Chris Blammon would’ve been disappointed he didn’t keep out at his near post. 2-0.

Almost straight from the restart, Lo-Everton played in Olomola whose left-footer shot was saved well.
But the Yeovil attacks were now more-or-less constant and just two minutes later Neufville again shot from left of the goal. Blammon could only parry this effort, leaving Adi YUSSUF with a tap-in that couldn’t be missed (even by him!)
Olomola then smashed a spectacular 25-yard strike against the corner of the woodwork.
Moments later, NEUFVILLE found himself perfectly positioned to place an effort into the far corner of the goal with a delicate finish after the ball came back to him in the box. His second and Yeovil’s third goal of the half, which was still only 12 minutes old.
With the tie done and dusted, Neufville was spared (with perhaps a start at King’s Lynn on Saturday in mind?) and on came Fin Skiverton. The game calmed down as further substitutions followed for both teams, and Yeovil’s potent attack was mixed up with Lo-Everton and then Olomola replaced for youngsters Korey ANDREWS and Callum Deemer respectively.
Still Odd Down struggled to get a sniff of a chance, although former Glover Omar Simpson showed a glimpse of real quality to control a long ball at full speed a get a shot away, which was blocked.
With 10 minutes to go, there was a lovely moment as two youth players combined to make it 5-0. Skiverton raced through on goal and, whilst he didn’t manage to get a clean strike off, the ball fell to the oncoming Andrews who fired the ball into the back of the net.
Yeovil remained on the front foot as they comfortably saw the game out to take them into the Somerset Premier Cup final and 90 minutes from glory! It must be a big game if David Coates is going to the travel down from Lancashire for it, right?!

Full time: Yeovil Town 5 Odd Down 0

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Venue: The Hive
Saturday, 2nd April, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: All four seasons in one
Pitch: “Crumbly” – Reuben Reid.

Attendance: 1,393 (288 from Yeovil)

Scorers: Tom Knowles (0-1) 8, Ephron Mason-Clarke (1-1) 23,  Adam Marriott (2-1_) 70, Reuben Reid (2-2) 82.

Bookings:

Yeovil: Wakefield ’30, Gorman ’36, Gorman ’85, Wilkinson ’90
Barnet: Beard ’26, De Havilland ’29

Referee: Tom Bishop

Yeovil Town : (4-4-2)

Ted Cann

Mark Little, Luke Wilkinson, Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams

Matt Worthington, Dale Gorman, Lawson D’Ath (for Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, 62), Tom Knowles

Charlie Wakefield (for Josh Neufville, 72), Reuben Reid (for Olufela Olomola, 86)

Substitutes: Jordan Barnett, Alex Bradley.

Barnet: Askew, Richards-Everton, Hall, Marshall, Mason-Clark, Marriott, Greenidge, Fonguck, Beard, Woods, Grego-Cox. Subtitutes: Howe (for Hall 82) Walsh (for Marshall 87) De Havilland (for Woods ‘3), Granville, Azaze.

Charlie Lee’s first game in caretaker charge of Yeovil Town saw him earn a point after an action-packed draw at Barnet.

Having taken the lead when Tom Knowles robbed the hosts from a hapless free-kick, burst forward and smashed home an eighth minute opener, only for Ephron Mason-Clark and Adam Marriott to put the Bees ahead with a goal in each half.

But, with just eight minutes remaining and the visitors finishing strongly, Reuben Reid grabbed his second in as many games to grab a well-earned point.

The travelling contingent from Somerset were in fine voice at The Hive and our own David Coates (who didn’t travel from Somerset, of course) was among them – here’s how he saw it…..

Match Report

Caretaker boss Charlie Lee changed absolutely nothing about the line-up – and why would you after three wins in your last three? – and stuck with the same squad which beat Southend United seven days earlier.

He and his ‘assistant’/injured midfielder Josh Staunton arrived on the the touch line to chants of ‘Charlie Lee’s green and white army’ from the away end, and the players he put out showed from the off that they were picking up where they left off.

Matt Worthington burst forward from the kick-off and within seconds of the start and testing Barnet keeper Jake Askew with an early effort.

If that was a signal of intent that Yeovil Town were not changing, Barnet boss Dean Brennan’s frustration will have grown after seeing Sam Woods limp off after just three minutes. Brennan had vented his anger at the number of players in the treatment room in his pre-match interview and there was another.

Tom Knowles scores v Southend. Pic: Mike Kunz.

Six minutes later he had even more to complain about as Yeovil took the lead. Barnet made a complete hash of a free-kick and Tom KNOWLES’ pressure saw him win the ball, burst forward and smash a beautiful angled shot home for the opener.

On 15 minutes, Luke Wilkinson headed wide from a Dale Gorman set piece before the centre half was the vital at the other end clearing, off the line as Barnet began to turn up the pressure.

It was a Gorman who had the next effort with a trademark free kick from range, albeit he forced Askew in to a smart stop after 22 minutes.

But two minutes later, a quick Barnet break led by Rob Hall saw the ball drop to Ephron MASON-CLARK who smashed a ball home off the underside of the bar to draw the hosts’ level. Morgan Williams was certainly struggling with the pace and trickery of Mason-Clark, so it was no surprise the see a goal come from that side.

Adam Marriott flashed a shot just wide shortly after and from there the game became a lot more even with Yeovil’s best opportunities coming on the break.

On the stroke of half-time, a set piece found the head of Ben Everton-Richards whose effort was easily stopped by Ted Cann in the visitors’ goal. It seemed both teams were waiting for a offside flag which ultimately never came.

But, the final chance of the half fell to Wakefield. Following good hold up play by Worthington saw him find Mark Little who broke in to the box and his shot was deflected out to Wakefield whose effort was tipped over the bar.

Half- time: Barnet 1 Yeovil Town 1

Second half

The second half started with Knowles, the highlight of the first half, having a shot just wide before having another blocked.

But, as the game progressed, neither side did too much to threaten with an effort wide from Knowles and one over the bar from Marriott the best the game had to offer.

If a goal was going to come, it would be a mistake and that was how it proved with the Bees taking the lead on  70 minutes. A loose ball in midfield gave Hall the chance to break forward and, having been allowed to walk through the Yeovil midfield, the ball broke to  MARRIOTT who shrugged off Mark Little to fire Barnet in front.

The response from Lee was instant sign was instant with Josh Neufville coming off the bench for Wakefield.

Within minutes of coming on, the Luton Town loanee was involved breaking forward and playing in Reid whose laid the ball off to Gorman whose effort was turned aside well by Askew.

From the resulting corners, Luke Wilkinson appeared to take at least two arms to the head, but referee Tom Bishop was unmoved.

Reuben Reid scores v Southend. Pic: Mike Kunz.

But on 82 minutes Yeovil drew level after constant pressure saw the ball ping-pong around the box before Gorman’s ball in from the left break to REID who smashed it home.

Three minutes later the striker found himself in a great position again but took one touch too many and opportunity disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

Great play by Neufville moments after let substitute Sonny Blu Lo-Everton who jinked his way past two defenders but his shot came back off the post.

Moments later Ben Barclay rose highest from a corner and inexplicably headed wide with the goal at his mercy.

If there was a team who was going to win it at the end it was Yeovil, but a point a piece was probably a fairer result.

Full time: Barnet 2 Yeovil Town 2

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Venue: Huish Park
Saturday, March 26, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: A clear, sunny day
Pitch: Carpet-esque

Attendance: 2,465 (411 away supporters)

Scorers: Reuben Reid 4 (1-0), Tom Knowles 8 (2-0)

Bookings: 

Yeovil: None
Southend: Clifford 74, Gubbins 78,

Referee: Gary Parsons


Yeovil Town : (4-4-2)

Ted Cann

Mark Little, Luke Wilkinson, Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams

Matt Worthington Dale Gorman  Lawson D’Ath (for Alex Bradley, 90), Tom Knowles

Charlie Wakefield (for Josh Neufville, 61)  Reuben Reid (for Olufela Olomola, 85)

Substitutes:  Josh Staunton, Jordan Barnett.

Southend United: Arnold, Hobson, Bridge (for Cardwell, 58), Dalby, Clifford, Atkinson, Neal, Clark, Davies, Dennis (for Powell, 70), Kensdale (for Gubbins, 46). Substitutes:  Gard, Gubbins, Demetriou, Cardwell.

Match Report

Yeovil Town picked up their third win in a row thanks to a quickfire start against Southend United on a glorious afternoon at Huish Park.

Reuben Reid‘s second goal of the season after just four minutes was swiftly followed by Tom Knowles‘ second in as many matches to see off a Southend side.

Having been given the runaround by the Glovers in the first half, the visitors changed their shape after the break and the second half was a much closer affair.

The win saw Yeovil leap-frog their opponents to take up 12th place in the National League table, 11 points off the play-off places and 24 points off King’s Lynn Town, who take up the division’s final relegation spot.

Here’s how it went down in sunny Somerset…..

First half

Both sides made just one change from their midweek matches with Luke Wilkinson coming in for Josh Staunton, who has been playing with a hernia injury in recent weeks, in the centre of the Yeovil defence.

For the visitors, loan signing Kenny Clark was thrown straight in to the Southend line-up in place of the suspended James Dunne as they reverted to a back three.

Having had success with a fast start in the 2-1 home win over Bromley, Yeovil did exactly the same thing and found the lead after just four minutes.

Reuben Reid opens the scoring in the 2-0 win over Southend. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

A ball in to the box from Lawson D’Ath picked out Reuben REID who turned superbly in the box and got his shot away which squeezed under visiting keeper Steve Arnold to open the scoring.

After just nine minutes, a quick throw from D’Ath caught the visitors napping and fed Charlie Wakefield whose ball found Tom KNOWLES at the back post to slot home the second. What. A. Start.

The non-stop Wakefield (where does he get his energy from?!) were exploiting the back three being employed by their visitors and it was no surprise to see them revert to a back four soon after.

A week ago, we had not scored twice in a National League match since the end of February and we’d won just once in the league in 2022 – but that monkey is definitely off our back!

After such a fast start on a very hot day in Somerset, Yeovil unsurprisingly slowed down soon after with the visitors seeing a lot more of the ball albeit they didn’t do a lot to test Ted Cann in the hosts’ goal.

At the other end, Knowles fed Wakefield on 24 minutes and the winger-turned-striker lifted his shot over and shortly after midfielder Jack Bridge broke in to the box but his effort was not enough to test Cann.

That was the start of a bit of the visitors coming back in to the game with on loan Norwich City striker Matt Dennis put a header just over from Leon Davies‘ cross, and then Clark headed a great opportunity over the bar from a Harrison Neal free-kick.

But three minutes before the interval it should have been 3-0 to Yeovil. A superb through ball from Reid found Knowles who nipped in ahead of Clark his goal-bound effort was brilliantly headed off the line by Shaun Hobson.

Cann made a good stop to deny Dennis moments later, but the home side went in at the break two goals to the good.

Half time: Yeovil Town 2 Southend United 0

Second half

If you needed proof that the back three they started with was not working for Southend, manager Kevin Maher introduced Joe Gubbins, the young QPR defender signed on loan in midweek, in place of Ollie Kensdale at half-time.

But it was Yeovil who started the brighter and on 47 minutes a great delivery by Dale Gorman found Wilkinson who got it across to Reid who appeared certain to score but was denied by a great interception by Hobson.

The quick start continued as Gubbins’ clearance landed at the feet of Wakefield whose effort was volleyed over and soon after Knowles had another effort which was well saved by Arnold in the visitors’ goal.

Josh Neufville runs at the Southend defence. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

On the hour mark, Josh Neufville came off the substitutes’ bench in place of Wakefield, but there was little more to talk about at either end until Southend substitute Harry Cardwell had a shot blocked by Ben Barclay on 70 minutes.

D’Ath put an effort just wide from a tight angle a minute later, but there was nothing much to shout about for either side until Barclay put one just wide on 83 minutes.

With five minutes remaining, Olufela Olomola came off the substitutes’ bench to replace Reid and the on loan striker almost had an immediate impact. He found himself clear on goal after a misplace pass by Clark, who did superbly to get back and deny the striker with a last ditch tackle.

Full time: Yeovil Town 2 Southend United 0

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Venue: Huish Park
Tuesday, March 22, 7.45pm kick-off

Conditions: Clear, cool night
Pitch: Continues to be a credit to the groundsman, held up well

Attendance: 1,732 (53 away supporters)

Scorers: Lawson D’Ath 11 (1-0), George Alexander 24 (1-1), Tom Knowles (2-1) 71

Bookings: 

Yeovil: Knowles 45, Worthington 83
Bromley: Webster 53, Vennings 55

Referee: James Durkin


Yeovil Town : (4-3-3)

Ted Cann

Mark Little, Josh Staunton (for Wilkinson, 75), Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams

Matt Worthington Dale Gorman  Lawson D’Ath (for Josh Neufville, 68)

Charlie Wakefield (for Olomola, 86) Reuben Reid Tom Knowles

Substitutes:  Jordan Barnett, Alex Bradley.

Bromley: Balcombe, Partington, Coulson, Arthurs (for Bloomfield, 76), Cheek, Whitely, Vennings, Alexander (for Alabi, 56), Webster, Cawley, Parsons (for Trotter, 46). Substitutes: Wagstaff, Forster.

Match Report

A stunning winner from Tom Knowles saw an impressive Yeovil Town turn up at Huish Park with a long-awaited winning performance in front of the home faithful.

The three points was nothing less than the Glovers deserved against a Bromley side who (at the start of the game, at least) still considered themselves in the hunt for a play-off place in the National League.

Lawson D’Ath opened the scoring after just ten minutes before a mistake by on-loan goalkeeper Ted Cann gifted Bromley’s George Alexander an equaliser on 24 minites.

It was a superb team goal after 71 minutes which won it, starting from a great pass by Cann to Reuben Reid, Dale Gorman and then substitute Josh Neufville whose delicious delivery found Knowles who made no mistake.

Here’s how Ian saw it from his position at Huish Park……

 

First half

Team news saw Darren Sarll replaced the absent Adi Yussuf, who had received a call-up by Tanzania, with Reuben Reid, only his second National League start of the season which he missed the first half of through injury.

Lawson D’Ath replaced Jordan Barnett in midfield for the other change with captain Luke Wilkinson returning on the bench having missed out of the squad in recent week.

The 2-0 win at Dover Athletic at the weekend seemingly sparked the Glovers in to life with a fast start and had two decent efforts inside the first five minutes. Reid drew a save from the keeper and from the resulting corner Dale Gorman‘s effort was parried away by on-loan Brentford keeper Ellery Balcombe.

In the hosts’ goal, Ted Cann, playing his second game since joining on-loan from West Bromwich Albion at the end of last week, was called into action with a low save shortly after which he dealt with comfortably.

Five minutes later the home side deservedly took the lead. Tom Knowles turned his full-back inside out and delivered a brilliant low cross which was turned in by Lawson D’ATH with 10 minutes on the clock.

That was the first goal seen by the Huish Park crowd since Adi Yussuf’s equaliser (yes, it was an own goal but the record books show it was Adi’s) in the 1-1 draw with W*ymouth at the start of February.

Reid was definitely in the mood and got another decent effort away which had to be dealt with by Balcombe.

The Glovers were not shot-shy in the first half and a typical Knowles strike from distance was matched by Balcombe, although the referee thought it hit the post. The visiting stopper was keeper his side in this.

Bromley his back in calamitous circumstances in the 25th minute. A low cross somehow snuck through Cann and put in the empty net by George Alexander.

Reid showed his back to goal credentials with a smart turn and shot which Balcombe was equal too.

Cann redeemed himself before the break with a good low stop from Alexander who was bearing down on goal.

Yeovil made a good account of themselves in the first half and offered a vast improvement on their previous Huish Park performances.

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Bromley 1

Second half

Bromley came out for the second half the stronger, putting the pressure on their hosts who had some nervy moments, however, there was little in the way of chances for either side.
The first opportunity came fell to Yeovil on 58 minutes when good play between Reid and Wakefield got behind the visitors defence, but Gorman’s effort went over the bar.
Two minutes later, Balcombe was in action again with Josh Staunton having an effort turned over the bar from the on loan keeper and Michael Cheek was on hand to hack it away.
On 69 minutes, a lovely moment as those inside Huish Park rose to acknowledge the efforts of D’Ath and welcomed back Josh Neufville, who made only his second appearance in front of fans after making such an impact in front of empty stadiums last season.
Tom Knowles. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Great distribution from Cann (see the comments of Ed Turnbull in Gloverscast #154) found Reid with what was definitely a pass not a clearance, he controlled it beautifully and linked up with first Gorman, then Neufville did unbelievably to feed Tom KNOWLES to drill one home.

Two goals in a game for the second consecutive match and it came at home. This. Is. Not. A. Drill.

If Knowles needed more energy, that gave it to him. On 77 minutes, the human dynamo burst forward and he was brought down as close to the edge of the box as you can get – was it a penalty? The Thatchers End thought so. The resulting free-kick came to nothing.

With seven minutes remaining, a long throw by Cawley was missed by a wild punch from Cann and if a Bromley player could find it, it would only take a smashed effort to find an equaliser. Luckily it was Luke Wilkinson, on for Josh Staunton moments earlier, who was there to clear.

Neufville flashed an effort wide soon after before Cann came roaming outside of his box and was very lucky to be saved by the assistant’s flag. Having been saved by a similar decision at Dover at the weekend, it’s a bit of worry.

Wakefield was replaced by Olomola with four minutes of the game remaining, as Bromley turned the screw knowing that their play-off push is coming off the rails.

And it did. Two wins in a row, more than one goal scored in two games. We’re claiming this as a run of form.

Full time: Yeovil Town 2 Bromley 1

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Venue: Crabble
Saturday March 19, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: Glorious sunshine with a strong breeze.
Pitch: A bit soft, but generally in good condition.

Attendance:

Scorers: Ben Barclay 19 (1-0), Gorman 56 (2-0)

Bookings: 

Yeovil: Worthington (72)
Dover: Krasniqi (22), Hessenthaler (58), Judd (66)

Referee: Matthew Russell


Yeovil Town : (4-4-2)

Ted Cann

Mark Little, Josh Staunton, Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams

Tom Knowles (for Olufela Olomola, 84) Matt Worthington Dale Gorman  Jordan Barnett

Charlie Wakefield (for Josh Neufville, 75) Adi Yussuf (for Reuben Reid, 87)

Substitutes: Lawson D’Ath, Alex Bradley.

Dover Athletic: Parkes, Goodman, Collinge, Wilkinson, Judd, Ransom, Moses, Krasniqi (for Agbebi, 75), Gyasi, Pavey, Parfitt-Williams (Arthur, 46). Substitutes: Byford, Baptiste, Andre.

Match Report

Two moments of quality in front of goal were the difference as Yeovil Town scored twice to relegate bottom-of-the-table Dover Athletic at Crabble.

A tidy first-half strike from on-loan defender Ben Barclay to turn home Jordan Barnett’s free-kick was all the Glovers had to show from an opening 45 minutes when they were in complete charge.

The home side rallied at the start of the second half but a Dale Gorman free-kick curled in to the top corner on 56 minutes sealed the victory – and made it the first time we have scored twice in a league game since the end of November.

Goals, a clean sheet, three points and debuts from on loan goalkeeper Ted Cann and Josh Neufville, who looked lively having come off the bench for the final 17 minutes. What’s not to like about that?

Here’s how it played out on the Kent coast….

First half

Darren Sarll made four changes to the team which had been beaten at home against Grimsby Town the previous weekend with Ted Cann, Jordan Barnett, Adi Yussuf and Tom Knowles in for Grant Smith, Luke Wilkinson, Lawson D’Ath and Olufela Olomola.

Injuries kept out Smith (groin) and Wilkinson (calf) with D’Ath and Olomola dropping to the substitutes’ bench as part of tactical changes lining up in a 4-4-2 with Knowles and Barnett on the flanks and Yussuf up front with Charlie Wakefield.

Yeovil made a fast start with Knowles and Yussuf linking up for the former to put a shot wide on four minutes before Staunton was found by a Knowles but could not trouble Adam Parkes in the Dover goal.

But on 11 minutes, an error from Josh Staunton gifted the ball to Alfie Pavey, the home side’s top scorer, who took a long-range shot at Cann who scrambled it wide for a corner.

The speedy Michael Gyasi caused problems again soon after but his effort was blocked by Morgan Williams.

Ben Barclay. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

A great free-kick delivery by Barnett got the slightest touch from Yussuf and landed at the feet of Ben BARCLAY whose lifted a striker-esque finish over the head of Parkes on 19 minutes.

Up front, Yussuf appeared to be playing in a deeper position with Wakefield playing further forward, perhaps this was Darren Sarll being “a bit more experimental” as he put it after the Grimsby defeat. Early on, Yussuf was certainly more involved that Wakefield.

There was an understandable nervousness from a Dover defence which has leaked 75 goals this season and on 33 minutes a great bit of play by Knowles saw him put in a great cross but could not quite find Wakefield at the back post.

Wakefield had another couple of good moments soon after, but he could not get punish the hosts who did certainly were not yet willing to roll over for their visitors.

A ball in from Gyasi took a deflection which wrong-footed Cann and dribbled wide with Dover striker Djair Parfitt-Williams lurking. A definite let off.

The final ten minutes was almost played entirely in the Dover half but again the issue was turning their dominance in to clear-cut chances.

Knowles had the final chance of the half after a fantastic pass by Cann found him in a wide position on the right side but his shot from a tight angle was blocked.

Half time: Dover Athletic 0 Yeovil Town 1

Second half

If Dover’s players knew they were relegated at the start of the second half they didn’t show it.

Substitute Koby Arthur and the tricky Gyasi combining to cause problems against the Yeovil defence which had leaked eight goals in their previous six games, and an over-hit cross from Pavey had Cann scrambling and the on loan stopper had to do well to turn it over.

But, ten minutes after the break, Danny Collinge, the Dover defender who wrestling slammed Knowles to the ground at the end of the reverse fixture back in November, was robbed by, you guessed it, Tom Knowles who was then fouled for a free kick 25 yards from goal.
Dale Gorman. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Barnett, Knowles and Dale Gorman were all over the ball, but it was only going to be one man’s shot and GORMAN hammered an unstoppable strike in to the top scorer to make it 2-0. That was the first time since December 18 and the 3-1 FA Trophy win over Woking, and the first since since the win at Wrexham at the end of November.

More importantly in the context of this game, the goal removed the wind that was in the sails of the home side who had taken the game to Yeovil.

On 68 minutes, a long ball forward by Dover to Cann who came out of his box to collect it, but he was closed down by Gyasi who caught him out and rolled the ball in to an unguarded net. Luckily for the hosts, the offside flag was raised. Blushes spared.

The 73rd minute saw the return of Josh Neufville in a Yeovil shirt replacing Wakefield and 11 minutes later Olomola replaced Tom Knowles, who had put an energetic performance.

Neufville took up the position on the right side of midfield with Olomola joining Yussuf up front. Reuben Reid replaced Yussuf on 86 minutes.

Barnett picked up a loose ball and had a shot from distance which Parkes turned wide.

 

Full time: Dover Athletic 0 Yeovil Town 2

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Venue: Huish Park
Saturday March 12, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: Blustery despite being dry and bright.
Pitch: A bit sticky in the goal mouths, but looking good despite the recent rain.

Attendance: 2,422 (over 200 away supporters)

Scorers: Sean Scannell 9 (0-1), Dieseruvwe  57 (0-2)

Bookings: 

Yeovil: Luke Wilkinson 59
Grimsby: Max Crocombe 90+3

Referee: Aaron Jackson


Yeovil Town : (4-1-2-1-2)

Grant Smith

Mark Little, Luke Wilkinson (for Jordan Barnett, 67), Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams

Josh Staunton

Dale Gorman (for Tom Knowles, 61) Lawson D’Ath (for Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, 61)

Matt Worthington

Charlie Wakefield, Olufela Olomola

Substitutes: Alex Bradley, Adi Yussuf.

Grimsby Town: Crocombe, Efete, Smith, Waterfall, Amos, Jones (for Abrahams, 85), Burgess, Clifton, Scannell (for Sousa, 79), Dieseruvwe (for Taylor, 82), McAtee. Substitutes: Pearson, Maguire-Drew.

Match Report

*cut* *paste* Yeovil Town‘s inability to score a goal saw them slip to another National League defeat and extend their run without a win to nine matches.

Yet another misfire in front of goal meant the two goals scored by second-from-bottom King’s Lynn Town saw them pass the Glovers in the division’s scoring chances. You heard it right, folks, we now have the second worst scoring record with only bottom club Dover Athletic doing worse.

The performance was actually an improvement on the 3-0 defeat against Dagenham & Redbridge four days earlier, but two pieces of poor defending led to goals either side of half-time.

A header off the outside of the post from Ben Barclay at the end of the first half was as near as the home side came to scoring.

Here’s how it went at Huish Park…….

 

First half

Darren Sarll made three changes from the midweek defeat against Dagenham & Redbridge with defender Mark Little and midfielders Matt Worthington and Lawson D’Ath coming in for Jordan Barnett, Alex Bradley and Tom Knowles, who were all named on the substitutes’ bench.

The Glovers lined up with Charlie Wakefield paired alongside Olufela Olomola in a front two with a diamond in midfield with Worthington at the tip, Staunton at the base and D’Ath and Dale Gorman on the left and right respectively.

Wakefield had the game’s first opening chance when he cut in from a wide position and had a shot which Max Crocombe in the visitors’ goal had to deal with.

But, it was the visitors who took the lead after nine minutes (three later than the previous game, I guess!) when Sean SCANNELL out fought Morgan Williams to win the ball, cut in from the left and beat Grant Smith, who will be disappointed to concede that – albeit not as disappointed as the second against Dagenham four days earlier.

All credit to Scannell for the finish, but it was another soft goal to concede from a side which has relied on its defensive solidity to overcome its inability to score.

Olomola lashed one over the bar soon after as the Glovers tried to rally after going behind early again, but they got a let off shortly after when captain Luke Wilkinson brought own John McAtee inside the box after 19 minutes. Referee Aaron Jackson waved away appeals, but you have certainly seen those given.

Olomola had another opportunity when he headed Josh Staunton‘s cross wide as the goal-scoring issues were very apparent.

Probably the biggest frustration was the desire to play the ball long in blustery conditions, leading to misplaced passes and so many nearly moments.

As the half moved in to the final third, Grimsby began to turn the screw with full-back Michael Efete firing a shot in to the side netting on 33 minutes, but the better chance fell to Harry Clifton two minutes later.

Scannell put his midfield colleague through for a one-on-one with Smith, who did superbly to deny him….but he really shouldn’t have been given a chance.

Ben Barclay. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Five minutes before the interval, Yeovil’s best chance of the half fell to defender Ben Barclay when his header from D’Ath’s corner came off the outside of the post. How many times can you write the word ‘nearly’ before it loses all meaning?

The statistics at half-time told the story with Yeovil enjoying the greater number of attacks and comfortably ahead in the ‘dangerous attacks’ stakes (36 to their 11) with four shots off target. Sadly, as the cliché goes, there’s only one statistic that matters.

An improvement on the previous match though. That’s positive, right? I’m trying here, folks.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Grimsby Town 1

Second half

With the wind behind them shooting towards the away end, Grimsby made a strong start with Clifton forcing a save out of Grant Smith on 49 minutes. The ball almost dropped to McAtee, but Josh Staunton was there to intercept it.
Just before the hour mark, the visitors doubled their advantage after another defensive mistake when a corner was swung in and Emmanuel DIESERUVWE was given time to volley home.

Make no mistake, the performance up until this point was an improvement on the ‘performance’ against Dagenham, but the same failings we have shown all too often in front of our own supporters cost us.

There can be no question about Darren Sarll’s desire to up the attacking ante which he demonstrated by bringing Knowles and Sonny Blu Lo-Everton on for D’Ath and Gorman shortly after going two goals behind.

Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and Tom Knowles. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

On 67 minutes, an injury to Luke Wilkinson, who the manager admitted was a doubt ahead of the fixture, was then forced off and replaced by Barnett with the Glovers switching to a back three with Barclay, Williams and Little in defence.

If you wanted to sum up our quality in front of goal, as the matchday announcer read out the amount of added minutes, Barnett found himself with the whole goal to aim from close range and yet Grimsby defender Luke Waterfall cleared it off the line.

We could have been out there all day and still not scored. Again.

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 Grimsby Town 2