Match Report: Yeovil Town 2 Bath City 0

Yeovil Town extended their lead at the top of the National League South table back to ten points with victory over Bath City at Huish Park.

The home side opened the scoring after Jordan Young finished off a great move involving Frank Nouble and Michael Smith in the only real action of a tepid first half, before Nouble took his tally to ten goals for the season when he tucked home a second in the 77th minute.

With second-placed Hampton & Richmond beaten at Braintree Town and Worthing going down to fellow play-off hopefuls Chelmsford City, the results went in the favour of the table-topping Glovers.

First half

Mark Cooper made one change from the Boxing Day win over Taunton Town with Rhys Murphy replacing Will Dawes, as he did in the early stages of that game. New signing Dylan Morgan was named among the substitutes for the Glovers having signed from Taunton during the week.

After a quiet first ten minutes, Yeovil opened the scoring with their first attack after 13 minutes. A great ball from Frank Nouble found Michael Smith out on the right of the penalty box and his beautifully-cushioned ball in to the danger area was met by Jordan YOUNG who slotted it past Slav Huk in the visitors goal. Knife. Butter.

Yeovil Town celebrate Jordan Young’s opener.
Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

But in all honesty that was about all there was in terms of goalmouth action for the opening half-an-hour. The nearest the visitors came to offering a threat on Joe Day’s goal was on 33 minutes when former Glovers’ loanee Ewan Clark ran at Alex Whittle and got a shot in from the edge of the block which was turned down the bar by Charlie Cooper.

Day was in action with four minutes of the first half remaining, Clark’s free-kick was met by the head of defender Jordan Dyer, who also had a spell on loan at Huish Park, which the keeper patted over the bar for a corner which came to nothing.

If you are a fan of watching the ball get passed without any purpose, this was the game for you. Neither side really offering a great threat going forwards. Control, I guess you could call it.

An advantage at the interval.

Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Bath City 0

Second half

Bath came out for the second half with a bit of fizz but without really creating any real threat on Day’s goal and with six minutes of the half played visiting manager Jerry Gill decided he had seen enough and brought on striker Cody Cooke.

A coming together between Charlie Cooper and Tom Smith after 55 minutes saw a booking for both players from referee Elliott Swallow. From the resulting free-kick, a right wing cross from Joe Raynes found the head of Cooke and the ball hit his strike partner, Scott Wilson, in the face giving Alex Whittle the chance to clear.

That seemed to liven up the home side with a break forward involving Murphy, Courtney Senior before it broke to Cooper 25 yards out and his effort was fumbled around the box by Slav Huk with 58 minutes played.

Immediately after Yeovil made their first change with Jay Foulston replacing Courtney Senior whilst for Bath Clark was replaced by Oscar Thorn. Foulston went in to the left side of a back three with Smith and Whittle pushed in to wing-back positions.

On 66 minutes, Thorn came close when his hooked shot from Thomas’ left-wing cross past the post with the aid of a deflection off a Yeovil defender. The visitors are definitely asking the tougher questions.

Murphy had done a lot of running, a lot of it without the ball. Lo-Everton joined the three behind Nouble

On 71 minutes, tug on Scott Wilson by Jake Wannell gave Bath a free-kick on the edge of the box and Dan Hayfield fizzed one just past the post, rippling the side netting to the extent some in the away end thought it was in. It wasn’t.

But six minutes later, it was in…..in the other net as Yeovil doubled their advantage. A corner from Whittle was met by Wannell at the back post as Huk stayed on his line, the header landed at the feet of Frank NOUBLE inside the box and he could not miss from close range.

Frank Nouble celebrates putting Yeovil Town 2-0 ahead.
Picture courtesy of Gary Brown.

New signing Dylan Morgan was immediately introduced with his new side two goals to the good. He replaced Jordan Young.

With two minutes of the six added on at the end of the game, Morgan found a position at an acute angle inside the box but his shot hit the outside of the side netting.

That table’s looking pretty, isn’t it?