Match Report: Yeovil Town 0 Solihull Moors 1

Yeovil Town went down to their third home defeat of the season as they failed to break down a well-drilled Solihull Moors side on a miserable night at Huish Park.

The only goal of the game was one of the few moments of quality on offer as Conor Wilkinson lifted a beautiful chip over stranded Glovers’ keeper Ollie Wright with 11 minutes on the clock.

Brett McGavin’s free-kick off the top of the crossbar in the first half and Jake Wannell had a goal ruled out for offside after the break, but Yeovil never got better than an arm’s length from their opponents.

It was a performance as flat as the weather in Somerset and the final whistle was met with some boos among the home supporters.

First half

The Glovers got turned around from the off and were forced to attack the Thatchers’ Stand with a strong wind and plenty of rain behind them.

But, despite being against the elements, the first effort came from Solihull with John Bostock flashing past the post with Ollie Wright at full stretch.

Unfortunately, it was a sign of what was coming as the next attack led to the opening goal for the visitors. With 11 minutes gone, Dom Bernard misread a forward pass from Solihull and slipped and Conor WILKINSON picked it up and lifted an inch perfect chip over Wright.

In any game that finish was something special, but in these awful conditions and over a keeper who stands 5’8″ that is even more special. Huish Park which started in lively mood, fell silent.

A loose pass back from Nouble put Cooper in trouble and Jamey Osborne broke away and got the ball in to Wilkinson whose effort came back off the inside of the post. The Yeovil defence was statuesque there and it should have been 2-0.

There seems to be a lot of fingers being pointed at each other in the hosts’ backline and Solihull are taking advantage of it. Matt Warburton warms the palms of Wright. We really need to wake up.

Definitely contrasting styles, Yeovil playing their usual controlled, possession-based style whilst a lively Solihull side want to play it to the big man Wilkinson and then play some short, sharp passes. In the first half-an-hour, it’s working out better for the visitors.

It was going to take something special to get past a wall of yellow shirts that banked behind the ball whenever Yeovil were in possession. Brett McGavin almost found it when his tried an audacious free-kick from fully 30 yards and Moors’ keeper Laurie Walker could only watch it bounce off the top of the bar.

Osborne caused problems for the Yeovil defence on 42 minutes, he scrambled his way through the defence but flashed his shot wide and a minute later he put one wide of the other post. The speed of Solihull’s passing versus their more ponderous hosts is the difference. Pass and move from the visitors, pass and wait from the hosts.

A couple of boos from some inside Huish Park as the half-time whistle sounded.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Solihull Moors 1

Second half

Mark Cooper responded with two changes at the start of the second half with Morgan Williams and Jordan Young coming on in place of Dom Bernard and Brett McGavin. That reunited Williams alongside Wannell whilst Young and Pearson took up wide positions with Nouble playing closer to Aaron Jarvis as Yeovil went in search of an equaliser.

The first chance of the second half fell to the hosts on 52 minutes. Good endeavour from Pearson down the left side and the ball was cleared as far as Michael Smith who controlled it on his chest and lashed an effort just over the bar.

But not long after some more shaky defending at the other end with Wannell allowing Newton to hit a shot in which was saved by the legs of Wright.

Another promising moment for Yeovil on 57 minutes as Cooper picked out Nouble who was in a good position on the corner of the penalty area, but rather than pick out a team-mate, he tried the spectacular and it went (spectacularly) over the bar. That one has gone in to the car park behind the empty away end.

Morgan Williams put a header wide from a Cooper corner, and you just feel that a set-piece is going to be where a chance is going to come from. No luck from breaking down that yellow wall.

Huish Park is dead and I really can’t blame it.

Josh Sims replaced Michael Smith with 12 minutes of normal time remaining. But the next chance fell to Solihull, a mistake from Matt Worthington in the middle allowed ex-Glover Matt Warburton to get away down the left and put one in to the box where Newton was barrelling in. The effort went wide, luckily.

Yeovil thought they had equalised on 83 minutes when Charlie Cooper lifted a free-kick towards the back post where Jake Wannell was to meet it with a header. The ball flew in to the net, the offside flag went up. Ugh.

As the game ticked in to six minutes of injury time, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton replaced Pearson, who appeared to be suffering with cramp just before.

There was not to be any more late drama and the final whistle was met by some boos from sections of the Huish Park crowd. In truth, we never really laid a glove on Solihull.

Full time: Yeovil Town 0 Solihull Moors 1

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Tuesday 10th September – 7.45pm kick-off

Competition: National League Premier

Pitch:  Held up remarkably well in the conditions
Conditions: Pretty miserable

Attendance: 2,489 (42 away supporters)

Scorers: Conor Wilkinson 11 (0-1)

Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Charlie Cooper 84, Sam Pearson 87
Solihull Moors: Conor Wilkinson 15, Jamey Osborne 55, Laurie Walker 79, Sam Bowen 90+2

Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo

Yeovil Town (4-2-3-1)

Substitutes:  Morgan Williams (for Dom Bernard, 46), Jordan Young (for Brett McGavin, 46), Josh Sims (for Michael Smith, 79), Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (for Sam Pearsonl, 90), Finn Cousin-Dawson (not used), Corey Koerner (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Solihull Moors: Laurie Walker, Joe Newton, Olly Tipton, Alex Whitmore, Jordan Tunnicliffe, John Bostock, Jacob Pinnington (for Joss Labadie, 66), Jamey Osborne, Sam Bowen, Matty Warburton, Conor Wilkinson (for Bradley Stevenson, ).

Substitutes (not used):  Aaron Flahavan, Finn Howell, Kian Ryley, Kyle Moseley.