Venue: Huish Park
Tuesday, March 22, 7.45pm kick-off
Conditions: Clear, cool night
Pitch: Continues to be a credit to the groundsman, held up well
Attendance: 1,732 (53 away supporters)
Scorers: Lawson D’Ath 11 (1-0), George Alexander 24 (1-1), Tom Knowles (2-1) 71
Bookings:
Yeovil: Knowles 45, Worthington 83
Bromley: Webster 53, Vennings 55
Referee: James Durkin
Yeovil Town : (4-3-3)
Ted Cann
Mark Little, Josh Staunton (for Wilkinson, 75), Ben Barclay, Morgan Williams
Matt Worthington Dale Gorman Lawson D’Ath (for Josh Neufville, 68)
Charlie Wakefield (for Olomola, 86) Reuben Reid Tom Knowles
Substitutes: Jordan Barnett, Alex Bradley.
Bromley: Balcombe, Partington, Coulson, Arthurs (for Bloomfield, 76), Cheek, Whitely, Vennings, Alexander (for Alabi, 56), Webster, Cawley, Parsons (for Trotter, 46). Substitutes: Wagstaff, Forster.
Match Report
A stunning winner from Tom Knowles saw an impressive Yeovil Town turn up at Huish Park with a long-awaited winning performance in front of the home faithful.
The three points was nothing less than the Glovers deserved against a Bromley side who (at the start of the game, at least) still considered themselves in the hunt for a play-off place in the National League.
Lawson D’Ath opened the scoring after just ten minutes before a mistake by on-loan goalkeeper Ted Cann gifted Bromley’s George Alexander an equaliser on 24 minites.
It was a superb team goal after 71 minutes which won it, starting from a great pass by Cann to Reuben Reid, Dale Gorman and then substitute Josh Neufville whose delicious delivery found Knowles who made no mistake.
Here’s how Ian saw it from his position at Huish Park……
First half
Team news saw Darren Sarll replaced the absent Adi Yussuf, who had received a call-up by Tanzania, with Reuben Reid, only his second National League start of the season which he missed the first half of through injury.
Lawson D’Ath replaced Jordan Barnett in midfield for the other change with captain Luke Wilkinson returning on the bench having missed out of the squad in recent week.
The 2-0 win at Dover Athletic at the weekend seemingly sparked the Glovers in to life with a fast start and had two decent efforts inside the first five minutes. Reid drew a save from the keeper and from the resulting corner Dale Gorman‘s effort was parried away by on-loan Brentford keeper Ellery Balcombe.
In the hosts’ goal, Ted Cann, playing his second game since joining on-loan from West Bromwich Albion at the end of last week, was called into action with a low save shortly after which he dealt with comfortably.
Five minutes later the home side deservedly took the lead. Tom Knowles turned his full-back inside out and delivered a brilliant low cross which was turned in by Lawson D’ATH with 10 minutes on the clock.
That was the first goal seen by the Huish Park crowd since Adi Yussuf’s equaliser (yes, it was an own goal but the record books show it was Adi’s) in the 1-1 draw with W*ymouth at the start of February.
Reid was definitely in the mood and got another decent effort away which had to be dealt with by Balcombe.
The Glovers were not shot-shy in the first half and a typical Knowles strike from distance was matched by Balcombe, although the referee thought it hit the post. The visiting stopper was keeper his side in this.
Bromley his back in calamitous circumstances in the 25th minute. A low cross somehow snuck through Cann and put in the empty net by George Alexander.
Reid showed his back to goal credentials with a smart turn and shot which Balcombe was equal too.
Cann redeemed himself before the break with a good low stop from Alexander who was bearing down on goal.
Yeovil made a good account of themselves in the first half and offered a vast improvement on their previous Huish Park performances.
Half time: Yeovil Town 1 Bromley 1
Second half
Great distribution from Cann (see the comments of Ed Turnbull in Gloverscast #154) found Reid with what was definitely a pass not a clearance, he controlled it beautifully and linked up with first Gorman, then Neufville did unbelievably to feed Tom KNOWLES to drill one home.
Two goals in a game for the second consecutive match and it came at home. This. Is. Not. A. Drill.
If Knowles needed more energy, that gave it to him. On 77 minutes, the human dynamo burst forward and he was brought down as close to the edge of the box as you can get – was it a penalty? The Thatchers End thought so. The resulting free-kick came to nothing.
With seven minutes remaining, a long throw by Cawley was missed by a wild punch from Cann and if a Bromley player could find it, it would only take a smashed effort to find an equaliser. Luckily it was Luke Wilkinson, on for Josh Staunton moments earlier, who was there to clear.
Neufville flashed an effort wide soon after before Cann came roaming outside of his box and was very lucky to be saved by the assistant’s flag. Having been saved by a similar decision at Dover at the weekend, it’s a bit of worry.
Wakefield was replaced by Olomola with four minutes of the game remaining, as Bromley turned the screw knowing that their play-off push is coming off the rails.
And it did. Two wins in a row, more than one goal scored in two games. We’re claiming this as a run of form.