Match Report: Aldershot Town 1 Yeovil Town 1

Yeovil Town were restricted to just a single point on the road this Tuesday night as a scrambled Michee Efete goal cancelled out Slavi Spasov’s first goal in green and white.

The Glovers played over an hour with 10-men after Loick Ayina saw red in the first half.

First half

The game started in the same theme as just about every other game this season, breathless.

James Daly had been reinstated to the starting line up and was quickly into the fold causing trouble down the left hand side, he forced an early corner which Ryan Jones whipped into a good area. Joe Gubbins unable to double his goal tally for the season.

The Glovers were playing some nice football in the early exchanges and the opening goal was a thing of beauty.

Gubbins, Jones and Zain Westbrooke all worked together to find space in the box and the ball was slid in towards Slavi Spasov who tapped in the easiest goal he will ever score. Yeovil 1-0 up and deservedly so.

The next 15 minutes were physical, both sides giving away silly free kicks and trying to break up each other’s fancy footwork.

Hayden Muller saw yellow for a frustrated tackle, but the big flash point came just short of half an hour in.

Loick Ayina failed to control a clearance and in his haste to try and regain the possession, overstretched his challenge leaving a mark high on the leg of an opponent – malicious? No? Reckless? Probably.

The final 15 minutes of the half was a rejigging process for Yeovil, Muller slotted back into the defence and they had to hold out firm – Jos Barker a commanding presence claiming multiple crosses and clearing his lines.

Half-time: Aldershot Town 0 Yeovil Town 1

Second half

Yeovil Town opted against making any half time changes, and Aldershot came out all guns blazing.

Basil Tuma looked primed for a run through on goal following a break away but Archie Davies found the afterburners pulling off one of the best tackles we’ve ever seen. Not able to get it wrong by a millimetre, he made the challenge and celebrated like he’d scored a goal. We love it, Archie.

Brett McGavin was fouled on 52 minutes, the referee pulling the game back to award the yellow card to Dom Odusanya despite the Glovers being through on goal.

That frustration started to creep in with the official’s decision making with more petty fouls going unpunished. Unless you wore green of course, Zain Westbrooke going in the book.

We had barely played an hour when Tristan Abrahams had a free kick clip the post on the way out, a fierce effort keeping the Glovers on their toes.

Luke McCormick replaced Slavi Spasov then Muller was fouled by Michael Stickland… it was a yellow card that on another day could have been a red.

Yeovil still looked dangerous on the counter attack and Brett McGavin had a glorious chance to double Yeovil’s advantage, the midfielder did everything right with his shot squirming under Jonathan Macauley and creeping towards the line. The keeper scrambled back and clawed it into his grip. Just.

But, no more than 60 seconds later, the ball was in Yeovil’s net.

A deep cross was nodded back and scrambled in, by some way shape or form – Michee Efete certainly made his presence felt over James Daly at the back post and the equaliser was landed.

Conor Lawless was next to go into the book, living up to his name and breaking a law or two by fouling McCormick.

The Skipper was in the mood, he so nearly capitalised on the keeper spilling a Brett McGavin free kick but that came after he had the ball in the net.

James Daly chased down a lost cause, won the ball on the edge of play and squared to McCormick who found the net. After waiting an age, the referee decided that Daly had committed a foul.

Ryan Jones’ evening came to an end on 83 minutes, he had run the Aldershot defence ragged, drawn fouls, had a solid penalty claim turned down and been unfortunate not to be on the winning side against his former employers.

The final few moments saw Yeovil negotiate the final throws of the home dice.

A point a piece, but plenty of what might have been moments.

Full time: Aldershot Town 1 Yeovil Town 1

Substitutes: Luke McCormick (for Spasov ’57), Mason Obeng (for Jones ’84)
Not Used: Gould, Kingdon, Lennon, Powell, Radcliffe

Aldershot Town: Macauley, Efete, Stickland, Dyce, Adom-Malaki, Oshilaja, Odusanya, Borgnis, Lawless, Abrahams, Tuma

Substitutes (not used): Tenconi (for Borgnis ’36), Peart (for Abrahams ’62), Sandah (for Dyce ’64), Wyllie (for Tuma ’84), Alves, Matton, Oladunjoye,