Ian was in the Thatchers Stand for Yeovil’s 3-1 victory over Aveley yesterday. Here are his Five Conclusions from a jubilant Huish Park.
What a wonderful first half. I can honestly not remember the last time I watched us play with such dominance in a League match. We blew Aveley away in the first half and could have gone into the break five or six goals ahead was it not for some wonderful saves from Jonathan North and a bit of sloppiness in front of goal. We were composed, we moved the ball quickly, especially in the wide areas and it was a complete performance.
What a different second half. Aveley changed shape, upped the aggression and gave Yeovil a very different battle in the second half. Moments before Charlie Hughes grabbed their only goal of the game, the Miller’s number 9 blatantly kicked Morgan Williams off the ball and shouldn’t have been on the pitch.The Glovers composed themselves, changed things up on the pitch and while it wasn’t as electric we managed to keep our opponents at arms length for second 45.
Will Dawes was my man of the match. With Jordan Stevens still nursing his hamstring, Mark Cooper had to make a decision out wide and what a decision it was. Will Dawes, on the mend after his glandular fever, had a brilliant first half. He was direct with his running, careful with possession and had the beating of his full back every time. His cross for Jordan Young was pinpoint and it was because of his determination that Yeovil got the third as he chased down and dispossessed the Aveley defender. Stevens has been effective since his return, but based on yesterday, it looks like he has competition in Dawes.
Josh Owers gets better with each match. Owers can feel hard done by on my previous conclusion, but he was a very close second. He’s had to be patient and wait for the inevitable suspensions of his fellow centre midfielders, but he’s really grabbed the opportunity. It was another all-action, combative centre midfield performance. He’s a gifted footballer and I think having that left-footed player adds such balance. He’s a tackler, he’s a passer, he’s a runner and as we’ve seen he’s got an eye for goal too.
It feels good to be at the top. It’s been a long long time coming and to hear “we are top of the league” being chanted from the Thatchers was a great feeling. The evolution and improvement of these players is evident and credit goes to Mark Cooper for making decisions that have brought us to this point. The signings of Joe Day and Michael Smith have been inspired, if not beyond belief. His post-match comments suggest to me that he’s settling on the centre back pairing of Jake Wannell and Morgan Williams. At the top of the pitch things are really clicking, with Jordan Young, Rhys Murphy and Frank Nouble finding their rhythm.
This certainly reads like vindication for Mark Cooper’s management