2001-02 » Match Report: Yeovil 0-5 Bristol City

Att: 2,155

Line up : (4-4-2 to start switching to 3-5-2)

		Jon Sheffield
Nick Crittenden	Terry Skiverton		Roy O’Brien	Anthony Tonkin
Darren Way	Lee Johnson		Michael McIndoe	Andy Turner
	Barrington Belgrave		Carl Alford

Subs used: Colin Pluck (58, for O’Brien)

Bristol City Squad:
1. Mike Stowell 2. Lewis Carey 3. Kevin Amankwaah 4. Tom Doherty 5. Mark Lever 6. Joe Burnell 7. Greg Goodridge 8. Robin Hulbert 9. Steve Jones 10. Lee Matthews 11. Brian Tinnion

Subs used:
12. Matthew Hill (58, for Hulbert) 15. Scot Murray (62, for Amankwaah) 16. Mickey Bell (62, for Goodridge) 17. Simon Clist (58, for Carey) 18. Tony Thorpe (45, for Matthews) 19. Aaron Brown (64, for Tinnion) 20. Albano Corriera (83, for Matthews) 21. Danny Coles (86, for Doherty)

Scorers:
Steve Jones (15, 0-1), Brian Tinnion (28, 0-2), Robert Hulbert (49, 0-3), Steve Jones (58, 0-4), Tony Thorpe (83, 0-5)

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This report courtesy of Fe7:

Following their calypso performance in Saturday’s summer sunshine today Yeovil entertained Bristol City. The weather has been overcast and damp, but can it, or their second division opponents, dampen Yeovil’s encouraging run of success. Bristol City come into this match from a defeat against Exeter City so surely football logic suggests Yeovil are in for a tough game. The Yeovil fans must have felt, having beaten first division opposition, they would be a strong test for Bristol City.

Throughout the season every team will dominate a game, they will create chance after chance, their skill, ability and decisiveness will overwhelm their opponents, but they will take nothing from the game. This was not such a game for Yeovil. Without giving too much away: the 0-5 score-line understates how dominant Bristol City were.

Today, both stands were open, a total gate of 2155, with over two hundred Bristol City supporters in the Bartlett Stand.

Back to the game.

Yeovil had the same starting line-up as the Portsmouth match and welcomed White back to the bench. Giles was unfortunately omitted following a tendon injury sustained in a reserve game, hopefully he will be back within two to three weeks. The Bristol City side looked not over-physical, but with sleek full-backs.

With conditions brightening and a relatively dry atmosphere the game began. The opening minutes of the first half swung from one end to the other. A Bristol attack was followed by a MacIndoe free kick, Alford just failing to make contact.

On four minutes Yeovil escaped when a Bristol shot beat Sheffield only to hit his left hand post and rebound across the goal, fortunately for Yeovil no Bristol striker was following up for the rebound.

A minute later good work by Alford finished with a Belgrave shot flashing past the Bristol left hand post. Soon Belgrave reciprocated when an excellent back heel put Crittenden down the left wing, Alford just failed to meet his hard, low, cross to turn the ball into the Bristol goal.

On thirteen minutes Bristol should have taken the lead for the second time: good work down the right wing by the full back produces a good low cross, but the incoming striker could only blast the ball over the cross-bar from six yards.

By now the competitive element of the game became evident and crunching tackles and niggling fouls became an integral part of the conflict.

On fifteen minutes Bristol made amends for any earlier misses: as a result of intense physical pressure, be it fair or foul, O’Brien failed to cut out a high ball, Bristol’s Jones, left with space inside the Yeovil box opened the scoring for Bristol.

Yeovil 0 Bristol City 1

Yeovil continued to push forward, reverting to a 3-5-2 with Crittenden making many excursions up the right wing. Yeovil, still not overawed by their opponents, or their predicament, continued to move the ball around well, and made progress towards the Bristol goal. However, rarely causing the Bristol defence any great concern.

Bristol were content to soak up any pressure, they were able to move the ball forward decisively on the counter attack and cause much danger down each flank. At all times Bristol hassled and applied pressure. On one such occasion after 27 minutes Way was stranded just outside his own penalty box, with the only route back to Sheffield played a weak back-pass, Tinnion latched onto this and coolly chipped over Sheffield to make it 0-2.

Yeovil 0 Bristol City 2

Yeovil continued to work hard and move the ball around well, but again rarely making clear-cut chances. However, on 34 minutes Yeovil had their best chance of the game. Turner broke down the left wing and played a good hard cross into the centre for MacIndoe. MacIndoe, steaming into the box, made good contact with the ball, but unfortunately managed only to direct his shot straight at the Bristol keeper. The ball rebounded straight back to MacIndoe, he reacted quickly, but with less accuracy, and was unable to keep his second attempt on target.

Towards the end of the first half a number of Bristol attacks ended with shots fizzing across the Yeovil goal, and Yeovil were fortunate not to concede again.

At the other end: Way snuck in behind the Bristol defence following a delightful chip by Alford, unfortunately, Way, beating the Bristol keeper to the ball, was only able to direct his flick into the keeper’s body, and the ball was quickly cleared.

The first half finished: Yeovil 0 Bristol City 2. Yeovil felt unlucky to have conceded the two goals in the way they did, but fortunate in that, had the Bristol finishing been more clinical, the score could easily have been four or five. At the other end Yeovil failed to create many clear-cut chances, the strike force of Belgrave and Alford relegated picking up crumbs from the middle of the park.

Half-time Yeovil 0 Bristol 2

The second half started much the same as the first finished: Yeovil working hard to create any half-chances while Bristol broke on the counter, usually quickly, decisively and menacingly down either flank.

It was such a counter, as Yeovil worked harder and harder to get back into the match, pushing forward leaving larger gaps at the back, that on 49 minutes Skiverton was left exposed and Jones put through his team-mate who gave Sheffield no chance with a shot which ended up in the top right hand corner of the Yeovil goal.

Yeovil 0 Bristol 3

The Yeovil fans were heartened on 52 minutes when Johnson, despite his lack of stature, shrugged off typical Bristol pressure to retain the ball within the Bristol half. From about thirty yards the Bristol keeper managed to push his shot over the crossbar for a Yeovil corner.

It was really all over on 58 minutes when Skiverton, again stranded at the back, under continuous Bristol pressure, failed to clear a long ball. Jones latched onto his poor header and lobbed the on-coming Sheffield for Bristol’s fourth.

Yeovil 0 Bristol 4

Immediately, Gary Johnson made his only substitution of the game, Pluck replacing O’Brien in the Yeovil defence. Danny Wilson also made numerous substitutions throughout the rest of the second half.

The game continued with Yeovil still working hard, and Bristol looking ever more dangerous on the counter attack down each wing.

On 82 minutes Bristol hammered the final nail in the Yeovil coffin to make the score 0-5, the ungenerous Bristol supporters chanting for six.

Yeovil 0 Bristol 5

To compound Yeovil’s frustration, despite good work by Belgrave to put through Turner in the penalty box, Bristol defenders were able to recover and block his shot for a corner. Not even a consolation goal.

The final whistle blew: 0-5.

As the Yeovil faithful made their way home from the game it was difficult to ponder not on how well or how badly their team had played, but to admire Bristol City. They were undoubtedly a class or two above the home side tonight. They were almost faultless. They were solid at the back, they allowed Yeovil few opportunities in the last third of the park, all players appeared confident and capable with the ball, they appeared well drilled, and counter-attacked with such speed and decisiveness. Only a pleasure to watch: Well done Danny Wilson and his men. Special praise to their No. 3. Bristol City, certainly worth a fiver for promotion?

From Yeovil’ s perspective, there were some good points: at least we won’t have to play Bristol City each week. If we never meet a team playing like that again, it will be too soon.

The big plusses are: we did not look in awe of Bristol, despite considerable and continual pressure we kept at it. We stuck to the task, stuck to the game-plan, we continually tried to play football. If we do that for the next forty-odd matches we will be there or thereabouts.

MacIndoe ran his socks off – he is a better player in the middle than he was on the wing last year. Johnson’s second half performance in front of the back four was supreme. The back four obviously struggled, but O’Brien was supreme, Skiverton was Skiverton. Belgrave was Belgrave, and, now and again, set the crowd alight in expectation. But most significantly, I believe Alford came of age tonight and showed his worth. He is getting back to peak fitness: even against division two defenders he does exactly the same as he always does – and with the same success: he is very strong, has a delightful touch – and will, I am confident, show us much magic this year.

However, two concerns: under such pressure the midfield played very deep, we looked as if we needed Wazza there tonight.