Venue: Huish Park
Tuesday, February 5th, 3pm kick-off

Conditions: Swirling wind
Pitch: Held up well

Attendance: 1,965 (65 away supporters)

Scorers: None

Referee: Greg Rollason

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: None
Solihull Moors: Cranston, 88.

Sending off: Cranston 90+2 (second bookable offence)



Yeovil Town
: (4-4-2)

Grant Smith

Mark Little (for Jack Robinson, 76) Luke Wilkinson Ben Barclay Morgan Williams

Matt Worthington (for Reuben Reid, 71)  Josh Staunton Dale Gorman Jordan Barnett (for Lawson D’Ath, 22)

Charlie Wakefield Tom Knowles

Substitutes: Jack Robinson, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Adi Yussuf.

Solihull Moors: Boot, Clarke, Cranston, Gudger, Sbarra, Maycock (for Storer, 86), Osborne (for Barnett, 86), Dallas, Ellis, Newton, Maynard. Substitutes: Rooney, McNally, Myatt.


Match Report

Yeovil Town made it five points for the week with a goalless draw at home to in-form Solihull Moors at a windy Huish Park.

Once again, it was a solid defensive performance from the Glovers who kept out the visitors’ forward line who had scored 15 times in their previous four games, but going forward was (yet again) the struggle.

The best chance for the home side came right at the end of the first half when Charlie Wakefield broke clear but his shot was saved by visiting keeper Ryan Boot.

Having been dominated in the opening period, the Glovers upped the tempo after the break but for all their resoluteness at the back, could not find a breakthrough.

The result sees us drop one place to 12th in the National League table, leap-frogged by Torquay United who have played a game more, ten points off the play-offs and 19 off W*ymouth who occupy top spot in the division’s relegation zone.

First half

For the first 30 minutes of the half, there was very little to make any of the missing home fans who decided against returning after the midweek draw against W*ymouth to question their decision.

Solihull certainly looked the more confident and controlled on the ball, perhaps unsurprising given they had won their last four matches, scoring 15 times and conceding none in the process, whereas Yeovil looked more than a little disjointed.

The first chance of the game fell to Moors’ midfielder Callum Maycock who was found by Andrew Dallas‘ ball in from the right after six minutes, but Grant Smith in the Yeovil goal was equal to the effort.

The visitors stranglehold on the game continued with full-back Jordan Cranston, who saw red in the reverse fixture in the Midlands at the end of October, found defensive colleague James Clarke who was unable to get a shot on target.

On 22 minutes, Jordan Barnett limped off with what looked to be an injury to his foot and he was replaced by Lawson D’Ath, who had played 23 minutes in the past nine months. The took up Barnett’s position on the right side of midfield.

To say his manager was less than impressed with Barnett’s decision to come off would be an understatement.

Solihull forward Joe Sbarra, who has eleven goals to his name this season, had a great opportunity on 36 minutes when Maycock found him inside the box, but his header went wide.

As we crept in to the final five minutes of the half, the hosts were still looking for their first shot of the match.

Charlie Wakefield. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

It came in the 42nd minute when Charlie Wakefield broke clear of the defence, but seemed to have too much time to think on it as he journeyed from the edge of the centre circle, and Ryan Boot in the visitors’ goal saved with his feet.

Three minutes later, Knowles tried an audacious chip over Boot from almost on the halfway line which went off target.

Having weathered a storm for the majority of the half, those opportunities towards the end of the half gave the performance a bit more of a balanced feel. Goalless at the interval.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Solihull Moors 0

Second half

There was a swirling wind blowing around Huish Park which seemed to be favouring the team shooting towards the Thatcher’s End, and that was Yeovil Town.

It was certainly a brighter start for the Glovers with the quality of D’Ath shining through whenever he had the ball on the left side of midfield.

On the 56th minute, Matt Worthington found Knowles who broke in to the box, beating two visiting defenders and poked a shot in and his effort was deflected away for a corner.

Just after the hour mark, Danny Newton fashioned the visitors’ first opportunity of the second half when he got clear of Luke Wilkinson, rounded Smith but fired his shot in to the side-netting.

With Solihull starting to carve out more opportunities and the shot-shy Yeovil forward line starting to quieten down, Sarll brought on striker Reuben Reid in place of Worthington after 72 minutes.

As the game entered the final ten minutes, Maynard had another good opportunity blocked at one end before Wakefield went forward at the other and his ball found Knowles whose shot went for the near post, but only found the side netting.

Five minutes from time, good forward play by Dallas saw him clipped, the referee played the advantage and Cranston fired wide.

That was the final chance of the game, but there was still time for Cranston to get his second red card of the season against Yeovil, picking up his second booking for a cynical foul on Tom Knowles.

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 Solihull Moors 0

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