Venue: Huish Park
Sat 19th March 2005, 3pm kick-off.
Conditions: Warm, sunny
Pitch: Very good
Scorers: Simon Whaley (14, 0-1)
Attendance: 6,269 (including approx 100 Bury fans)
Referee: Joe Ross (London)
Assistants: Brendan Malone (Wiltshire), James Linington (Isle of Wight)
Bookings:
Yeovil: None
Bury: None
Yeovil Town : (4-4-2)
13. Steven Collis
16. Andy Lindegaard 4. Terry Skiverton 12. Kevin Amankwaah 3. Michael Rose
25. Arron Davies 6. Darren Way 8. Lee Johnson 7. Paul Terry
11. Phil Jevons 18. Bartosz Tarachulski
Subs: 1. Chris Weale (GK) 2. Adam Lockwood (23, for Lindegaard) 9. Kevin Gall (44, for Amankwaah) 10. Rory Fallon (73, for Davies) 27. Andrejs Stolcers
Bury :
1. Glyn Garner 2. Lee Unsworth 5. David Challinor 6. Colin Woodthorpe 4. John Fitzgerald 3. Thomas Kennedy 16. Simon Whaley 8. Dwayne Mattis 7. David Flitcroft 12. Chris Porter 29. Jon Newby
Subs: 21. Peter Collinge (GK) 23. Paul Scott (87, for Whaley) 24. Colin Kazim-Richards (72, for Porter) 11. Brian Barry-Murphy (80, for Newby) 25. David Buchanan
A View of the Game
Woeful is probably the best description that can be offered to Yeovil Towns’ performance this afternoon at a sun-drenched Huish Park! The sun was more than welcome following a long cold spell, but three points would have been the preferred ingredient.
Usually following a defeat Gary Johnsons’ post match analysis bears fruit come the next game, only once (in the league) have Yeovil lost two on the bounce this campaign, so following today’s second defeat in a row Johnson could do with a coroner to assist him with tonight’s post mortem – He may though, not have to look too hard!
Had Yeovil taken one of a number of good chances in the first few moments things may have been so different, instead Bury snatched the lead on 15 minutes and although conceding plenty of possession never looked like losing it. Too many players were out of sorts, and most worryingly some looking totally bereft of confidence, none more so than Lee Johnson, Aaron Davies and Kevin Gall. Far too often Yeovil conceded possesion by being bundled off the ball, or being put under pressure, but to see the Town hitting long and hopeful balls towards Tarachulski, later joined by Rory Fallon was disappointing, especially when we never looked likely to succeed that way. The midfield was bypassed, when it wasn’t the penetration and movement off the ball was poor, gone was the overlapping runs we have become accustomed to, instead, and quite often we went sideways and even backwards, that suited Bury perfectly as all they had to do was defend their lead, and with Flitcroft and his muscular men at the back they dealt with everything.
Attacking the home end in the first half, Aaron Davies produced a strong run and as the ball bobbled about a header goalbound was headed clear, Kevin Amankwaah then tore forward from his defensive position and forced a corner that again produced a header that was straight into the keepers hands. Then against the run of play Bury took the lead, Michael Roses’ clearance from the left back position was erratic and found the main car park, the resultant throw was not dealt with and the loose ball fell kindly to Simon WHALEY who stabbed home from inside the box.
Minutes later Rose sent in a great low cross into the box that begged for a touch, Johnson I’m sure at half time would have asked for one of his strikers to gamble and throw them selves at balls like that…sometimes he uses the phrase “cut eyes” and this would have been one of those moments! Yeovil’s defence took a blow in the 23rd minute when Andy Lindegaard was injured, and replaced by long term absentee Adam Lockwood. It was good to see Lockwood back and he, along with Skiverton were probably Yeovil’s best players on the day.
On 26 minutes Amankwaah forced another corner, the danger was cleared only for Paul Terry to loop the ball back into the box, Darren Way, the Vice-presidents man of the match fired hard, high and wide. Soon Way was in the thick of it again, his cross from the right found Skivertons head, Glyn Garner in the Bury goal parried well but again no one attacked the loose ball. Johnson and Davies both tried their luck from distance, before Jevons and Tarachulski produced the best moment of the game so far with a fine one-two, unfortunately the Big Poles’ angled drive was well saved by Garner and the chance of an equaliser had gone.
Yeovils’ defence suffered another blow just before the break as Amankwaah went down injured. This gave the manager an opportunity to call an impromptu team meeting with many players taking the chance of a drink in the dugout, with Johnson dishing out the instructions. Amankwaah was substituted, and looked a tad disappointed as he was replaced by Kevin Gall, with only a few minutes to go before half time you could understand his frustrations. Just before the whistle blew the Glovers survived another scare as Skiverton’s backward header beat his own keeper, Steve Collis in for Chris Weale, and grazed the top of the bar. Collis then saved well with his legs, and as the players left the pitch for the interval, they no doubt would have heard the few boos of disapproval from the Westland Terrace. Sure, it was not a great half but the boo boys had been advised to “keep the faith bruvvers” and it was a shame they did not heed that advice.
Half-time: Yeovil Town 1 Bury 0
On 54 minutes came a great opportunity to get back into the game. Lee Johnson, so not his usual self missed a golden chance to score when – with the goal at his mercy- he snatched at the ball and shot well wide, Rose too should have done better with a long range effort that sailed miles over, but Skiverton managed to force another fine save from Garner with a powerful shot from the edge.
As Yeovil pressed, Bury when the chance arose counter attacked and they so nearly doubled their lead when two against two the ball found its way to Whaley on the edge of the box. Fortunately his weak but well placed shot was simple for Collis to deal with. As the game neared the end, and Bury as any team would, did their best to wind the clock down. Jevons – twice could have salvaged something, his first chance came following a knock down from Tarachulski, but his volley flew high over, his second chance following Paul Terry’s longball, again a volley flew agonisingly wide of Garners’ left post, for a moment the Bury fans had their hearts in their mouths, but they survived, and won their first away game since back in November.
Yeovil now must pick themselves up, re-group, bond, gel and do what ever it takes to get the promotion campaign back on track. This team has character and flair, if any one can get them back it’s Johnson. But he needs his inspirational players to inspire the rest, next week he needs eleven captains, eleven cut eyes and eleven rampant Glovers on the field because when you go to Boston…you damn well need them, and right now those eleven players who have flown the flag so fantastically need us, the supporters to inspire them too!
Jeremy Gear