It was another test confidently passed as Yeovil Town made it 12 consecutive wins in all competitions with victory at pre-season title favourites Torquay United on Tuesday night.
The Glovers quickly took charge of the match against Gary Johnson’s struggling Gulls and it was former Plainmoor favourite Frank Nouble who opened the scoring on 23 minutes before a beauty of a strike from the impressive Sonny Blu Lo-Everton doubled the advantage on 34 minutes.
The home side came out with a bit more a spring in their step and pulled one back through a good hit from the edge of the box from Brett McGavin before Jake Hyde sealed it with a header from a corner just five minutes after coming on as a 64th minute substitute.
That restored Yeovil’s advantage at the top of the National League South table, temporarily narrowed by second-placed Aveley who played on Monday night, to three points – and the greens go marching on.
First half
Mark Cooper made two changes from the FA Cup win over Gateshead at the weekend with on-loan Exeter City striker Sonny Cox and Jordan Young coming in for Jordan Stevens and Will Dawes, who both dropped to the substitutes’ bench. Cox played out on the left side with Murphy and ex-Gulls’ frontman Frank Nouble paired up front.
Inside the third minute, the first chance fell to Murphy. A great bit of play from Cox fed Murphy who moved between the hosts’ centre backs but could only poke the ball wide of the post.
At the other end a good ball down the right hand side saw Michael Smith have to clear over the bar with a Torquay attacker closing in. Any other defender than the experienced Smith and your heart might literally have been in your mouth. The corner came to nothing.
The early pressure was certainly with the home side but when Yeovil got on the ball they played it around nicely, stretching their hosts.
In the 13th minute, great trickery from Jordan Young coming in from the right on his left foot saw him play a one-two with Murphy, but Young’s shot was blocked.
Yeovil’s first corner forced a fine save out of Torquay keeper Rhys Lovett. Referee Elliott Swallow gave a foul against Morgan Williams inside the box, but the keeper was not to know that and did well with a smart stop.
When Young got on the ball, you felt he had the beating of the experienced Dean Moxey. The Gulls’ defence looked at sixes and sevens and Yeovil were thriving in between the lines.
On 19 minutes, Cox headed one on to the roof of the net from a Smith cross, but four minutes later the visitors took the lead.
A great bit of play by Murphy saw him feed NOUBLE who had a lot of work to power his way through a crowded penalty area and fire the opener.
Gary Johnson had clearly seen enough. With 24 minutes gone, Callum Dolan, signed on loan from his son Lee’s Fleetwood Town, was withdrawn and replaced by Ryan Hanson. “Johnson is a Yeovil fan,” sang the away end.
Lovett was back in the thick of the action on 29minutes to deny Smith. The Northern Ireland international fed Young who returned the favour for Smith to force a great stop out of Lovett for a corner.
The switch definitely closed the gap in the midfield as Torquay began to find more of a foothold in the game. Moxey obviously felt confident firing a long range effort just past the post as the game ticked past the half-hour mark before Murphy whipped a long range free-kick wide.
But on 34 minutes, it was 2-0 as Sonny Blu LO-EVERTON burst in to acres of space just outside the area and smashed an unstoppable strike past Lovett. That is some strike and thoroughly deserved from the former Watford youngster who was sent off in his last outing at Plainmoor on Boxing Day 2021.
From the restart, Torquay had a glorious chance to reduce arrears. Morgan Williams got himself in knots and Brad Ash had the goal at his mercy but fluffed his lines. The ex-W*ymouth got no sympathy from either the away end or the home fans for that matter.
More direct play from Young, who seemed to be at the heart of everything which was good for the visitors, found Murphy who rolled his defender (again) and wriggled through, but scuffed his shot.
“Sacked in the morning, you’re getting sacked in the morning,” sang the away end. Anyone want to guess who those chants were directed at? The home fans inside Plainmoor agreed as the boos ringing around South Devon at the half-time whistle could probably have been heard back at Huish Park.
A glorious 45 minutes of football from Yeovil Town.
Half time: Torquay United 0 Yeovil Town 2
Second half
With five minutes of the second half gone, a great ball in from Jack Stobbs on the right side and Ross Marshall arrived at the back post and could only guide it in to the home end.
If you wanted an indication of Torquay’s problems, a slip on the edge of the box from Worthington saw them break away with four on two on at one point, but a terrible pass from Lewis Collins gifted the visitors possession back.
To add injury to insult, Marshall, who had been struggling since heading that one over, limped off on 59 minutes, replaced by Asa Hall who took up a place in midfield and ex-Glover Shaun Donnellan moved in to the heart of defence.
A good direct run by Donnellan, the ball worked out to the left side and the ball worked its way across the edge of the box and Brett McGAVIN arrowed one in the net. 61 minutes played and Plainmoor’s livened up a bit.
The home side pushed forward and a beautiful pass forward found Young clean through on goal, but he could not beat Lovett. Great chance, should have been 3-1 there.
Moments later, Alex Whittle was given a booking for taking too long on a free-kick. That makes it five yellow cards for the full-back and puts him out of the home match with Farnborough Town next Tuesday.
On 64 minutes, Mark Cooper made his first change with Murphy coming off, replaced by Jake Hyde.
A Jordan Young free-kick in prime Jordan Young territory hit the defensive wall and came back out to Worthington who smashed it wide.
Hyde almost made an instant impact forcing another good stop out of Lovett, but the substitute found the net with his next chance. On 69 minutes, a great corner from Young found the head of the striker and HYDE made his impact. He’ll hate being called a super sub, but that’s exactly what he is at the moment. Important goal.
The electric pace of Jordan Stevens was unleashed off the bench on 72 minutes, replacing Cox, and then seven minutes later Will Dawes replaced Young. Like to like changes for Yeovil and some serious pace.
On 82 minutes, Stevens and Nouble linked up superbly on the right hand side to find Dawes on the edge of the box, but the substitutes’ final product was not there as he scuffed it wide.
As the fourth official held up five minutes of injury time, a break saw Stevens burst away down the right, but he could not pick out Hyde in the middle. There’s quite an exodus from Plainmoor – from the home end, as you’d expect.
The home side had the final chance of the game as Theo Williams’ shot from an angle forced Joe Day drop on.
But then the final whistle sounded to huge cheers from the travelling fans and boos from the home support. Beautiful, just beautiful.
Full time: Torquay United 1 Yeovil Town 3
Match Details
Venue: Plainmoor
Tuesday 7th November, 7.45pm kick-off
Pitch: Slippy in places
Conditions: Dry but cold
Attendance: 2,817 (563 away supporters)
Scorers: Frank Nouble 23 (1-0), Sonny Blu Lo-Everton 34 (2-0), Brett McGavin 61 (2-1), Jake Hyde 69 (3-1),
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Alex Whittle 62,
Torquay United:
Referee: Elliott Swallow
Yeovil Town (4-2-4)
Substitutes: Jake Hyde (for Rhys Murphy, 64), Jordan Stevens (for Sonny Cox, 72), Will Dawes (for Jordan Young, 79), Zac Bell (not used), Josh Owers (not used).
Torquay United: Rhys Lovett, Ross Marshall, Lewis Collins, Brad Ash (for Dillon De Silva, 73), Brett McGavin, Shaun Donnellan, Theo Williams, Callum Dolan (for Ryan Hanson 24), Dean Moxey, Ollie Tomlinson, Jack Stones.
Substitutes (not used): Asa Hall, Filip Chalupniczak, Ethon Archer.