Yeovil Town suffered stoppage time heartbreak as an equaliser in the third minute of second half injury time saw them have to settle for a point against Eastleigh at Huish Park on Boxing Day.

The Glovers looked like they had gift wrapped three points when a late Morgan Williams header from a corner (where have we heard that before?) saw them take the lead with a minute of normal time remaining.

But the visitors grabbed an even later goal when a suspiciously offside looking Richard Brindley snuck in on 90+3 minutes to grab an equaliser.

Here’s how Dave saw it from the Thatcher’s End….

First half

Yeovil gave new signing winger Sean McGurk, who joined from Swindon Town on Christmas Eve, an immediate start playing alongside Kofi Shaw in behind Aaron Jarvis. Josh Sims and Matt Worthington took up the left and right wing-back positions with no sign of Alex Whittle in the squad and Michael Smith on the bench.
 
The first effort on goal came from Shaw after four minutes following persistent play by Jarvis and the Bristol Rovers loanee, whose effort was blocked.
 
The Huish Park pitch looks to be suffering the after effects of weeks of non-stop rain and the ball held up well and had players from both sides slipping and sliding from early on. It was also clear the Eastleigh players had heard about Shaw who seemed to have three yellow shirts marking him for the opening exchanges.
 
On 15 minutes, McGurk flashed a shot across from goal after Sims got away down the left side. But it was Eastleigh who enjoyed a ten minute spell of pressure as the half reached the midway point, albeit without forcing Ollie Wright in to action.
 
On 28 minutes, sustained period of pressure saw the ball pinging around inside the Eastleigh area, before falling to Charlie Cooper who needed two goes at it but forced a stop out of Joe McDonnell in the visitors’ goal.
 
Cooper, who had been in commanding form in the middle of the pitch, had another effort with seven minutes to go until half-time. He found himself in space on the edge of the box, but McDonnell was equal to another fierce effort.
 
On 41 minutes, Shaw combined well with McGurk before bending an effort the wrong side of the post and moments later a low ball in to the box found the loanee at the far post but his effort was blocked by McDonnell.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Eastleigh 0

Second half

But it was Yeovil who started with more attacking threat with Jarvis just unable to get enough on a ball in from the right, before McGurk had a glorious opportunity to open his account on 47 minutes. He was found by Shaw but delayed his shot and McDonnell denied him.

It took just one more minute for the Swindon Town loanee to get a goal and he’ll never get an easier one. A long ball forward from Williams saw Jarvis battling (when doesn’t he?) for the ball and it broke for Shaw who fired across the face of goal, evading McDonnell and McGURK was completely unmarked at the back post to tap home the opener.

 
Having brought on Paul McCallum, a player with a history of being prolific at this level, at half-time and lost another player with a similar record, Scott Quigley, on 58 minutes through injury.
 
But on 69 minutes it was a great bit of skill from Waruih which saw him turn as Finn Cousin-Dawson slipped and chipped the ball over the onrushing Wright, only for Worthington to come to the rescue with an outstanding goal line clearance.
 
With 20 minutes remaining, McGurk was withdrawn and replaced by Frank Nouble and in 75th minute he almost had a great chance to open his account for the season. Worthington hooked a clearance back in to the danger area but the ball did not come down quick enough for the striker and Eastleigh cleared the danger.
 
Jake Wannell came close when his header from a McGavin cross crept agonisingly wide before Shaw had another effort blocked. But the next clear-cut fell to McCallum who found himself one-on-one with Wright after Williams tumbled under pressure from the substitute, only to be denied by a great save from the on loan Southampton keeper.
 
Ten minutes from time, the visitors found their equaliser. A long throw from McCallum, who had been chucking bombs since he arrived, found its way to the back post where Lloyd HUMPHREYS stole a yard of space to head it home.
 
With three minutes of normal time remaining, Michael Smith replaced Sims and the evergreen Northern Irishman was straight in to action, causing issues for the Eastleigh defence down the right side. And it was his  pressure which won a corner that put Yeovil back in front.
 
With a minute of normal time remaining, McGavin lifted one in to the middle of the box which landed on to the head of Morgan WILLIAMS who sent the Thatcher’s Stand in to raptures.
 
That looked for all the world to be enough to take three points until six minutes of injury time came up from the officials and in the third minute of stoppage time, Eastleigh grabbed an equaliser. Richard BRINDLEY stole in from what looked a decidedly offside position (admittedly looking from the Thatcher’s End) to grab the visitors a point. Having seen it again on the highlights, I still cannot tell you if it’s a botched attempt at playing offside from our defence or a botched attempt at being a linesman.
 
Whether it’s another hard luck story about National League officials again, the two goals we conceded in that second half  were soft and, when coupled with our inability to convert our chances, tell the story of our season so far.

Full time: Yeovil Town 2 Eastleigh 2

Match Details

Venue: Huish Park
Date: Thursday 26th December 2024 – 3pm kick-off 

Competition: National League Premier Division

Scorers: Sean McGurk 48 (1-0), Lloyd Humphries 80 (1-1), Morgan Williams 89 (2-1), Richard Brindley 90+3 (2-2)

Pitch: Looked heavy from the off with plenty of sand at the Thatcher’s end. Feeling the effects of weeks of relentless battering from the weather.
Conditions: Misty but mild 

Attendance: 4,355 (130 away supporters)

Bookings:

Yeovil Town: None
Eastleigh: Noa Boutin 52, Niall Maher 86

Referee: Ross Martin

Yeovil Town (3-4-2-1)

Substitutes: Frank Nouble (for Sean McGurk, ) Michael Smith (for Josh Sims, 87), Pedro Borges (for Kofi Shaw, 90), Dom Bernard, Ollie Hughes (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Eastleigh: Joe McDonnell, Richard Brindley, Lloyd Humphreys, Ludwig Francilleti, Jake Taylor (for Paul McCallum, 46), Tyrese Shade, Dominic Gape, Angel Waruhi, Scott Quigley (for Luis Hernandez, 53), Noa Boutin, Niall Maher.

Substitutes (not used): Scott, Hodson, Stepien-Iwuene, Ryan, Underhill.

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