Match Report – Oldham Athletic 2 Yeovil Town 0

Venue: Boundary Park
Saturday October 22nd, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: Dry and bright
Pitch: Held up well

Attendance: 6,483 (144 away supporters)

Scorers: Oscar Threlkeld 6 (0-1), Mike Fondop 71 (0-2)

Bookings: 

Yeovil Town: Lawson D’Ath 74
Oldham Athletic: Nathan Sheron 49

Referee: Greg Rollason

Yeovil Town : (3-5-2)

Grant Smith

Morgan Williams   Owen Bevan  Ben Richards-Everton

Sam Pearson      Chiori Johnson (for Jake Scrimshaw, 82) Josh Staunton Lawson D’Ath   Jamie Reckord

Malachi Linton (for Alex Fisher, 58) Gime Toure (for Ollie Hulbert, 46)

Substitutes (not used): Max Hunt, Sam Perry.

Match Report

Yeovil Town slid to within a point of the National League relegation zone after going down with a whimper at Oldham Athletic.

Having gone behind to Oscar Threlkeld’s sixth minute deflected effort, the Glovers put in a performance lacking in effort, direction and ability for the opening 45 minutes.

Despite a second half which offered a little more in terms of attacking intent, there simply was not enough to see off an Oldham side who sealed the win with Mike Fondop’s goal after 71 minutes.

Here’s how a rather angry Dave saw it from the away end at Boundary Park…..

First half

After some tepid opening exchanges, it was a piece of defensive suicide which gifted Oldham a lead after just six minutes. A ball in from the left by Zaine Francis-Angol  you was ignored  by the entire defence, including an uncharacteristic mis-kick from Josh Staunton, and broke to Oscar THRELKELD whose effort was deflected past Grant Smith.

With the exception of an eighth minute foray forward where Malachi Linton had a shot which went well wide, the performance from the visitors in the 15 minutes which followed the goal was characterised by aimless balls, disinterested recipients and a team looking to someone else to make something happen.

The most frustrating thing was that this was against an Oldham side who offered very little themselves. An effort wide from John Rooney on 13 minutes, and a couple of crosses in to the box were all they offered in response.

It was not until the 40th minute that Smith was called in to action when Rooney found Ben Tollitt whose effort was turned aside by a smart stop by the keeper.

In 30 years of watching Yeovil Town – the Darren Way era of whimpering out of the Football League, even the two seasons we spent in a tier below this one in the 1990s – that was as bad a performance as I have seen from a side. Utterly devoid of effort and direction.

Half time: Oldham Athletic 1 Yeovil Town 0

Second half

Within two minutes of the restart, Yeovil achieved more than the first 45 minutes had offered. Ollie Hulbert, on as a substitute for Gime Toure, put a ball in from the left found Chiori Johnson on the far post but the ball was behind him and he was unable to get his header away.

There was more effort, an attempt at passing the ball, and guess what? It worked. A lukewarm spoon press against a block of butter, but more effort at least.

Alex Fisher replaced Linton after 57 minutes with Yeovil preparing  for a corner that met the head of Ben Richards-Everton who forced a save from Magnus Norman in the Oldham goal.

Moments later, Staunton’s interception set Johnson away down the right, but his effort avoided everyone in the box. For all the better forward play, there was little to threaten Norman’s goal.

On 65 minutes, a good ball forward by Lawson D’Ath found three Yeovil players queuing up despite Fisher and Pearson being in the vicinity, no-one could get a touch.

Two minutes later, Owen Bevan glanced a header just over from D’Ath’s corner.

But on 71 minutes, an Oldham side which had offered nothing all half doubled their advantage. From their own corner, Yeovil found themselves with just Morgan Williams against three attackers and it was Mike FONDOP who was there to turn it in from close range.

Six minutes from time, a ball from Pearson was met by a header from Fisher which force Norman in to a stop to turn it on to the post. That was the nearest to a goal we had got and it wasn’t near  enough.

Full time: Oldham Athletic 2 Yeovil Town 0