Venue: LNER Community Stadium
Saturday 25th February, 3pm kick-off
Conditions: Cold but dry and bright
Pitch: It wasn’t just the markings which highlighted this as a surface which regularly hosts rugby.
Attendance: 3,978 (167 away supporters)
Scorers: Dyson 15, Staunton 60, John-Lewis 83
Bookings:
Yeovil Town: Cooper
York City: Dyson, Fallowfield, Whittle
Referee: Ed Duckworth
Yeovil Town (4-3-3)
York City: Ross (Whitley) Crookes, Duku (Kouhyar) Dyson, Ellis, Fallowfield, John Lewis, Kougon (Forde), McLaughlin, Pybus, Whittle
Substitute not used: Hancock, Duckworth
Match Report
Yeovil Town slid into the bottom four following a 2-1 defeat against York City this afternoon. A late winner from Lenell John-Lewis consigned the Glovers to defeat on the road, leaving Mark Cooper’s side five without victory.
An goal from Olly Dyson set the hosts on their way after quarter of an hour but Josh Staunton was credited for Yeovil’s equaliser on the hour (although the consensus seems to have down as an own goal), before York’s second.
Here’s how Coatesie saw it…
First half
Mark Cooper handed debuts to new loan signings striker Seb Palmer-Houlden and midfielder Josh Owers, who were both announced as having joined from Bristol City on the morning of the match.
They replaced Lawson D’Ath and Alex Fisher as two of four changes from the midweek defeat at Maidenhead United. Jordan Maguire-Drew and Owen Bevan also return to the starting line-up in place of Edwin Agbaje and Jamie Reckord.
After a scrappy start to the first half, the first real action saw Grant Smith require treatment for what passes as a physiotherapist at Yeovil after a late tackle from Lennell John-Lewis.
But, it was York who were getting hold of the game before the goal and moments after the game restarted John-Lewis’ venomous strike was parried away by Smith for a throw.
From that resulting throw, it was another defensive horror show to gift the home side an opener. Mark Ellis’ throw was flicked towards the back post and Olly DYSON is on hand to smash home the opener with 14 minutes gone.
Six minutes later, Yeovil’s first opportunity came when Ryan Law was clipped and from Charlie Cooper’s resulting free-kick, Morgan Williams put a header over at the back post.
John-Lewis came close to doubling the advantage soon after before Jordan Maguire-Drew headed over on 30 minutes.
With six minutes of the half remaining, hosts’ keeper Ethan Ross who had clashed with Law a few minutes earlier had to be replaced by Ryan Whiteley.
If anything that seemed to spur York and it was Smith who was (again) the difference as he did superbly to turn a header from Duku over the bar. The striker took a knock in the process and had to be replaced. The tactic of trying to get the opposition’s team injured seemed like the most likely route to success at this rate.
The result of the stoppages was ten minutes of injury time. During that time, the dangerous John-Lewis warmed the palms of Smith and at the other end Palmer-Houlden could not get a shot away after a good run by Young.
The apathetic sigh which ‘greeted’ the half time whistle from the away supporters (most of whom had long since departed for the bar) summed up another 45 minutes which lacked everything required to survive in this division.
Half time: York City 1 Yeovil Town 0
Second half
With no changes made by Cooper at the interval, it was relying on a suitable rocket being placed in the necessary orifice to get a result.
There was no immediate sign of that with John-Lewis putting an effort over within two minutes of the restart, but soon after the visitors found a rhythm which had been sadly lacking in the first half. Young and Maguire-Drew both had shots well blocked before Law had another effort blocked.
On 57 minutes, Cooper made his first change with Alex Fisher introduced in place of Palmer-Holden, swiftly followed by Andrew Oluwabori who replaced Maguire-Drew.
The result was almost instant as Cooper’s free-kick after an hour was bundled home. The official Twitter account gave it to Josh Staunton but it looked like an OWN GOAL.
But, despite being level, the defensive frailties which had led to us going behind were still there for all to see. On loan Watford man Shaq Forde was denied by Smith, and on 73 minutes the striker gave the visitors a huge let off as he seized on a mistake, rounded the stranded Smith but lifted his shot over the bar.
The luck evaded us in the 83rd minute when a moment of quality saw Ryan Fallowfield’s cross headed home by JOHN-LEWIS at the back post. It was harsh on Yeovil, who had improved after the break, but summarised a season where we had made our own (bad) luck.