Venue: Grosvenor Vale
Monday August 29th, 3pm kick-off
Conditions: Dry and warm
Pitch: Green all over
Attendance: 1,714 (251 away supporters)
Scorers: None
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Reckord 53, Wakefield 55, Pond 85, Scrimshaw 90+5
Wealdstone: Allarakhia 75
Sendings off
Wealdstone: Kinsella 9
Referee: Sam Mulhall
Yeovil Town : (3-5-2)
Grant Smith
Alfie Pond Josh Staunton Ben Richards-Everton
Morgan Williams Matt Worthington Sam Perry (for Charlie Wakefield, 46) Jamie Reckord
Gime Toure
Alex Fisher (for Jake Scrimshaw, 72) Malachi Linton (for Callum Rowe, 84)
Substitutes (not used): Max Hunt, Chiori Johnson.
Wealdstone: Howes, Cook, Habergham, Kinsella, Charles, Allarakhia (Hutchinson 75), Ferguson, Sesay, Napa, Kretzschmar (Dyer 66), Browne (Mongoy 83). Substitutes not used: Young and Mundle-Smith.
Match Report
If we’d stayed out there all day, we still would not have scored. That sentiment summed up a day where “disappointing” just does not cut it.
Having seen their hosts Wealdstone (league leaders, yes, but a part-time side nevertheless) reduced to ten men after Lewis Kinsella kicked out at Malachi Linton after just nine minutes, the game should have been there for the taking.
But, though the opposition was organised and had a plan of what to do as they faced up to 81 minutes with a man down, Yeovil did their level best to make it easy for him.
There was even a ‘Get Out Of Jail – Free’ card printed and handed to the visitors in the form of a 69th minute penalty kick which Malachi Linton put out of the ground. That one moment summed up Yeovil’s day.
Here’s how Dave saw it from the away end in the London Borough of Hillingdon…..
First half
The only change from the first win of the season 48 hours early saw Sam Perry replace the injured Lawson D’Ath in midfield, whilst Charlie Wakefield returned on the bench.
After a bright start with Matt Worthington warming the palms of hosts’ keeper Sam Howes with an early sighter, the first incident saw Wealdstone reduced to ten men after just nine minutes.
Lewis Kinsella tussled for a ball with Malachi Linton and appeared to kick out at his opponent. When referee Sam Mulhall went for his pocket, a yellow card looked most the likely course of action – but it was red.
But, as we have seen on many occasions, a man advantage and Yeovil Town do not always mix well. Possession, we saw plenty of it but the 15 minutes after the dismissal only saw us probe at the home defence without much cut through.
The next meaningful chance actually fell to the home side when Napa was found by a ball in from the left and stabbed it wide. Moments later, Gime Toure weaved in from the left and flashed one across the face of goal.
Two minutes later, saw a golden opportunity arrive a both ends. First a quick break away saw ex-Glover Rhys Browne inside the box but his effort was well blocked by Alfie Pond and scrambled away. The play swung to the other end where Ben Richards-Everton’s header was cleared off the line.
The opening 38 minutes had not seen a great deal of Jamie Reckord, still our top scorer let’s not forget, but it was his ball in front the left that picked out Alex Fisher whose effort went over.
A minute later, Morgan Williams’ cross from the opposite side needed to be turned over by Howes, but the resulting corner saw the other side of Williams’ attacking play, smashing a shot high, wide and not so handsome from the edge of the box.
Half time: Wealdstone 0 Yeovil Town 0
Second half
Almost as if Chris Hargreaves had heard the half-time thoughts of the away end, Charlie Wakefield replaced Sam Perry at the start of the second half.
But if you’re going to play Wakefield down the wing , he needs the opportunities to get forward and for the first 15 minutes he didn’t get many. When he did, he won a corner and from Worthington’s ball in, Fisher’s effort was goalbound but without the venom required and it was easily cleared.
For all the plaudits Worthington has had in recent games, he went missing on too many occasions. Far from the all-action midfielder we have enjoyed so early this season, his only meaningful contribution was from corners.
On 68 minutes, a golden opportunity as Linton made a nuisance of himself to squeeze in between Howes and his defence and was pulled down. The young striker, who had not had his most effective game, grabbed the ball – but skied his effort out of Grosvenor Vale.
It certainly wasn’t Mal’s day and having headed a cross further away from goal that towards it, he was mercifully substituted Hargreaves after 84 minutes. Definitely not his day.
By that Jake Scrimshaw had come on and, for all his running and effort, did little to effect the game. In reality, we could have stayed out there until the next bank holiday and still not scored.