Scorers :
Barrington BELGRAVE (0-1), Terry SKIVERTON (0-2), Andy TURNER (the senior) (0-3), Lee JOHNSON (0-4), Chris GILES (0-5), Andy LINDEGAARD (0-6), Neil Breslin (1-6), Chris GILES (1-7), Glenn POOLE (1-8)
Bookings :
Yeovil : None
Chertsey : None
Starting Line-Ups :
First Half: (4-4-2) Chris Weale (GK), Terry Skiverton (CB), Tom White (CB), Anthony Tonkin (LB), Nick Crittenden (RB), Andy Turner (senior) (LW), Roy O’Brien (RW), Lee Johnson (MF), Michael McIndoe (MF), Carl Alford (CF), Barrington Belgrave (CF)
Second Half: (4-4-2) Steve Collis (GK), Simon Baker (CB), Andy Turner (junior) (CB), Richard Parkinson (RB), Richard Lindegaard (LB), Andy Lindegaard (RW), Glenn Poole (LW), Steve Thompson (MF), Charlie Mapes (MF), James Bent (CF), Chris Giles (CF).
Just over four seasons ago, Yeovil and Chertsey Town were playing in the same league. The Glovers last game in the Isthmian Premier League was also Chertsey’s as they parted going in opposite directions, and the teams now lie three leagues apart. But that chasm seemed somehow wider at Alwyns Lane as Yeovil Town swept aside their hosts by putting eight goals past them in a pre-season friendly played in torrential rain. The game saw Yeovil manager Gary Johnson pick his wits against his brother Steve – now Chertsey first team manager – and there was little doubt as to who would have been smiling more at 9.30pm.
As with Saturday’s game at Brockenhurst, Johnson chose two different teams for both halves, and the first saw Yeovil line up with Nick Crittenden in a right-back position with Roy O’Brien just in front of him on the right. O’Brien got his chance to start after Darren Way pulled out of the evening session with a minor thigh strain. Chris Weale got his chance ahead of Jon Sheffield, who was not used at Chertsey. Otherwise, the starting line-up was identical to the Brockenhurst match, save for the formation this time being a 4-4-2 as opposed to the 3-5-2 employed in the New Forest.
The first half was near one-way traffic, with Yeovil creating chance after chance, largely through a far more positive looking Barrington Belgrave, who seemed to be the inspiration for all of Yeovil’s first half chances. He chipped in with the opening goal after 14 minutes when a Lee Johnson pass found Terry Skiverton, whose one-touch pass found Belgrave who fired home from 10 yards out with a confident strike.
Six minutes later and Terry Skiverton was this time the executor as he flicked a header over Chertsey keeper Paul Souke from a Michael McIndoe free kick.
Thereafter, Belgrave had his own purple patch, creating chance after chance for other team-mates, but without being extended. Carl Alford seemed to be the unluckiest of the lot – he had two shots superbly saved by Souke, and even after he landed the ball in the net a linesman’s flag denied him. “We created a lot of easy chances for other players to get on to,” said Johnson. “But to be fair, their keeper looks a useful prospect because he made some great saves.”
Tom White left the field towards the end of the half for Andy Lindegaard, allowing O’Brien to drop back into defence, and Lindegaard’s first move was to provide a right wing cross for former Rotherham winger Andy Turner to net his first goal since joining Yeovil this summer. Sixty seconds later and it was 4-0 as Alford turned provider with his left-wing cross being hammered home by Lee Johnson.
Half time saw the rest of the first half team disappear from action and they were replaced with a younger less experienced side. Chris Weale, who had to make only one real save all half was replaced by former Nottingham Forest trialist Steve Collis, whilst there was also another new face in midfield in the form of former Tottenham midfielder Charlie Mapes, who is the latest of the trialists to arrive at Huish Park.
The second half side were clearly keen to not be out-done by their more experienced team-mates and they started off in a tear-away fashion, netting twice in the opening eight minutes with James Bent the creator for both. Two right wing crosses were met firstly by Chris Giles on 47 minutes, then by Andy Lindegaard six minutes later.
The frenetic bustling style of a Yeovil side now on full song left the odd occasional defensive gap, and Chertsey temporarily put the breaks on the Glovers steam-train when Neil Breslin pulled a goal back by lifting the ball over Steve Collis.
But with 16 minutes left, Chris Giles got his second when he received a Richard Lindegaard cross, and then three minutes later Glenn Poole got Yeovil’s eighth and final goal when Giles unselfishly centred for him after the striker had gone on a lengthy right wing run.
Giles has netted four times in the opening two friendlies, will doubtless be hoping to convince Johnson that he is worthy of a first team place this season. “We showed some good pace up front through Chris Giles and James Bent, and Pooley showed me he could play, admitted Johnson. “Whether they are on my bench or playing, I want to be able to look round at those who are sat on the bench and be able to know that I want to get players of that quality on the field. They give me extra options. I know some of them are only young but I’d like them to come in and experience being part of the team. The second half team showed that they could carry on with what the first half team started, so I’m pleased about that..”
There was enough time for Faisal Mali to make another brief appearance, and for Charlie Mapes to test the Chertsey keeper with a strong drive, but the ball squirmed for a corner and safety.
“Charlie did alright,” said Johnson. “It wasn’t easy to shine because the job was almost done and the other team were tiring. But you could see he’d been at a club like Tottenham, and you could see he could play. He probably needs a stiffer test for me to be able to make a proper judgement on him.”
“It’s not just about the win at this stage, it’s how you win,” he said. “The boys showed a good attitude out there despite it chucking it down with rain. I was pleased to see us knocking it about, because you can have all the effort in the world but you’ve still got to have the quality to be able to knock it about like that.”
“They’ve been two good games for us to get our shape and our pattern,” added Johnson. “Now we’ve got to go out and prove that we can do it against the Exeters of this world. I’m looking forward to that to see how the boys react. It was a good exercise but obviously if you can do it against bigger opposition then you are going to be doubly pleased.”
Final Score : Chertsey 1 Yeovil Town 8