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.
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
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.
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.
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.