Venue: Huish Park
Sat 30th Oct 2004, 3pm kick-off.
Conditions: Dry with 50% cloud.
Pitch: Perfect but wet on top
Scorers: Phil Jevons (25, pen, 1-0), Adrian Caceres (56, 2-0), Phil Jevons (63, pen, 3-0), Daryl Clare (73, pen, 3-1), Phil Jevons (90, 4-1)
Attendance: 5,741 (including approx 200 Chester fans)
Referee: Richard Beeby (Northamptonshire)
Assistants: Martin Cassidy (Somerset); James Linington (Isle of Wight)
Bookings:
Yeovil:
Chester: Cortez Belle (27, foul), Andrew Harris (51, foul), Michael Branch (53, foul), Chris Mackenzie (63, foul), Kevin Ellison (66, foul)
Yeovil Town : (4-4-2)
1. Chris Weale
7. Paul Terry 5. Colin Miles 25. Liam Fontaine 3. Michael Rose
20. Gavin Williams 6. Darren Way 8. Lee Johnson 10. Adrian Caceres
11. Phil Jevons 27. Andrejs Stolcers
Subs: 9. Kevin Gall (87, for Stolcers) 13. Steven Collis (GK) 16. Andy Lindegaard (84, for Caceres) 17. Scott Guyett (36, for Miles) 18. Bartosz Tarachulski
Chester City: (4-4-2)
21. Chris MacKenzie
20. Darren Edmondson 5. Phil Bolland 16. Richard Hope 15. Sean Hessey
7. Stewart Drummond 4. Paul Carden 14. Ben Davies 11. Kevin Ellison
18. Cortez Belle 8. Michael Branch
Subs: 31. Colin Doyle (GK) 2. Stephen Vaughan 19. Kevin Rapley (61, for Belle) 10. Daryl Clare (61, for Branch) 12. Andrew Harris (33, for Edmondson)
Noddy Elms’ View of the Game
Yeovil Town ended their recent poor run with a convincing win against former Conference rivals Chester City. The 4-1 score line was more impressive considering Chester’s recent run of good form. This being their first defeat in eleven games.
Chester started brightly and Belle came close as he beat Weale to a low cross at the near post. Fortunately for Yeovil his delicate shot drifted comfortably wide. Chester continued to post their attacking intentions, winning a handful of corners early on and shooting from distance, but nothing troubled the Yeovil keeper. Belle continued to cause problems for Miles and Fontaine, his challenges not always to the liking of the home crowd. Having put both defenders on the ground the Westland Terrace began to goad him whenever in possession. Miles rose to the challenge and looked inspiring in leading his defence. However, as the opening minutes faded it became obvious that he was struggling with an injury and Scott Guyett eventually replaced him after thirty-six minutes.
The Chester defence also left no doubts concerning their policy: conceding two early free kicks just outside their box. Any attack was met with uncompromising challenges. This lead to Yeovil’s first chance after five minutes when Colin Miles’ guided Williams’ free kick to the back post, but the Chester defence cleared for a corner. The next free kick, in a similar position, saw Darren Way break through the Chester defence, but he shot straight at the Chester keeper who collected comfortably.
It was apparent that Yeovil had weathered Chester’s opening enthusiasm and were now well on top, and stringing good passes together. The next chance fell to Adrian Caceres on twenty minutes after good work by Paul Terry and Phil Jevons down the right wing. Williams’s corner was headed on towards the far post, but Caceres’s header came back off the Chester crossbar.
After twenty-three minutes Yeovil took the lead through a Phil JEVONS penalty. The best move of the game saw Fontaine surge out of defence, before Paul Terry found Phil Jevons with plenty of space. Jevons precision through ball found Andrejs Stolcers who nudged the ball past his defender and was unceremoniously felled. Jevons easily stroked his spot kick inside the right hand post of MacKenzie’s goal: Yeovil town 1 Chester City 0.
Immediately after the restart the Westland Terrace’s favourite player, Cortez Belle, clattered into Chris Weale as he challenged for a high ball, consequently ending up in referee Mr Beeby’s book.
Yeovil should have increased their lead when Stolcers set up Jevons after twenty-nine minutes but the Yeovil striker shot wide. And, with Miles now having been replaced the home support began to wonder if this was going to be “one of those afternoons when …”.
The home crowd became more concerned when the familiar Yeovil defensive frailties appeared: First Caceres lost the ball in his own penalty area; Chester’s next through-ball had Guyett at full strength to concede a corner; and then Fontaine lost the ball, but Belle shot straight at Weale.
But when Chester broke just before half time and Ellison shot well over, the Yeovil crowd began to wonder if any Chester player were capable of hitting the back of the net.
Although neither side had shown great penetration in going forward the half-time score just about reflected Yeovil’s superiority and their ability to create the rare decisive chance.
Half-time: Yeovil Town 1 Chester City 0
The start of the second half was in marked contrast. Yeovil flew out of the blocks and Jevons and Stolcers shot inches over in the earlier minutes.
As Yeovil swept forward Chester defending became more and more desperate: Harris eventually finding himself in Mr Beeby’s book. It was only a matter of time before Yeovil scored again and that should have come on fifty-three minutes. Caceres dribbled into the box, but the Chester defenders had done well to keep him on his weaker, right foot, thus preventing a shot. But he managed to roll it onto Stolcers who should have lifted his shot over MacKenzie, rather than firing onto his legs.
The second goal did eventually come two minutes later. But Yeovil looked a little fortunate. Adrian CACERES cut in from the left and fired in a screamer that thudded into the Chester crossbar, it bounced down and back into play. Fortunately the “Russian” linesman in front of the Yeovil College stand was convinced it had crossed the line and sprinted back to the halfway line, indicating a goal. Yeovil town 2 Chester City 0. Well done Mr Cassidy, or Mr Limington, whichever linesman you were. Personally I wasn’t so sure, but – hey never argue with the officials. The Chester side were furious and their heads dropped from that point on.
Two minutes later Caceres should have made it three: Paul Terry charged down the right and MacKenzie failed to hold his low cross. As the ball bobbled up into Caceres’s path it looked impossible to miss. But Caceres’s header rebounded away of a post.
Chester replaced Belle and Branch with Rapley and Clare. At first neither substitutions made any impact. Yeovil continued to press forward and with the Glovers 2-0 to the good, it was a lively, thoroughly entertaining game.
Things got even better after sixty-four minutes when Hope and Hessey dallied on their penalty spot and Stolcers nipped in between them. MacKenzie had no chance in regaining the ball and brought the Latvian down. No doubt about a penalty but Mr Beeby delayed blowing his whistle for Jevons to fire the loose ball over the bar. Mr Beeby then brought play back, and awarded the penalty. Well done Mr Beeby. Phil JEVONS, League 2’s top goal scorer, had no problem in smashing the penalty into the roof of MacKenzie’s net. Poor MacKenzie continued to remonstrate long enough to convince Mr Beeby to take his name.
Chester City were beaten and now struggled to put two passes together, but Mr Beeby was intent on giving them hope. In what can only be described as an innocuous challenge, Paul Terry was judged to have fouled Ellison in the box. From where I was sitting it looked as if Ellison, going nowhere, with nothing more to hope for, ran into Terry and fell over. But that’s a penalty in today’s game and that’s a shame. The Westland Terrace’s favourite Daryl CLARE proceeded to execute the spot-kick with his usual precision: Yeovil Town 3 Chester City 1.
Any chance of a Chester City revival now? NO, the referee can only do so much. Yeovil ploughed on undeterred. Caceres made greater and greater impact as the game wore on and he and Rose surged at Chester down the left wing. But Caceres’s time ran out and was replaced by Lindegaard on eighty-three minutes. Gall came on for Stolcers and a fourth goal looked more imminent. That eventually came in injury time.
Up to that point Gall and Williams had had two great chances, but the Chester defence had managed to block each shot. But Gall had the last word. Switching to the left he picked up the ball on the half way line and, with acres of space in front of him, sped towards the Chester goal. His pinpoint cross found Phil JEVONS who headed home from six yards to complete his hat-trick. Yeovil Town 4 Chester City 1. Game Over.
Great second half performance from Yeovil Town. Very poor Chester City throughout: physical, often cynical. Can’t see how they managed an eleven game unbeaten run. Best player: Scott Guyett: Outstanding.
Noddy Elms
MOTM Vote Result:
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Overall match rating: 7.9 / 10
Performance: 7.8
Entertainment: 8
54 votes received.