The Turris game was full of incident, but this game took footballing drama to new heights. Bari were one of the fancied teams, though they lost the first game to Bath City.
Gazette reporter John Lukins described the game thus: "One Bari player was sent off, four booked, and another carried off on a stretcher as Yeovil Town battled to victory in one of the most incredible games Huish has ever seen." He's got it right, there was more drama in this game than in some seasons.
In the 85th minute, the game looked lost as Bari broke away to take the lead for the third time. But this set up THAT finale: with three minutes to go, Dick Plumb rose like a salmon to head home an equaliser, and with Bari were down to nine men, Doug Hickton scrambled home a last gasp winner.
Qualification for this tournament was on the basis of which league teams played in; as Serie C was mostly semi-pro, Bari were allowed to compete even though they were full-time professionals. The previous week they attracted 22,000 to a league match.
The visitors took the lead after 23 minutes, when Mike Franklin could only beat out Raffaele's cross, and Marco Biloni pushed in the rebound. A penalty produced Yeovil's equaliser after Dick Plumb was felled in the area. The Italians contested the decision, and lost their cool; as the game was held up for five minutes while they argued, Sciammancio went too far, and was dismissed by referee Les Shapter. Frank McMahon was of course the first choice penalty taker, having scored from two against Turris, but he was suspended. Up stepped player/manager Stan Harland to coolly hit the equaliser home. But that would have been too simple for this game; Shapter decided that there had been an encroachment by a Yeovil player, and ordered a retake. Harland kept his head, and put it away again, 1-1.
Bari took the lead immediately after the break., Giuseppe Raffaele scoring before Yeovil had organised themselves. This prompted a change in Yeovil's attacking formation, Kevin Leigh being replaced by Rod Adams, and it paid off; in the 72nd minute a left wing cross was fumbled by keeper Gino Ferioli, and Adams stabbed home the loose ball. 2-2.
The Italians continued to play a physical game, but Yeovil kept cool against extreme provocation. However, when they went 3-2 down with just five minutes remaining. With a strike from Penzo, it seemed the game was lost. But this game was just warming up.
Afterwards, mystery still surrounded the 87th minute incident which resulted in Ambrosi being taken off. Bari claimed he was struck by a stone thrown from the crowd, but Harland said that he was flattened by a team-mate annoyed at Yeovil's goal!
Whatever the truth, Yeovil were back on level terms, and Bari were down to nine-men, having had one dismissed, and one carried off; they had already used their subs.
First Dick Plumb scored a header, then in the dying moment Doug Hickton put the ball away from a scramble in the box, to produce a 4-3 scoreline in Yeovil's favour.
Manager Stand Harland said: "If Yeovil folk won't turn out for a match like this, what DO they want?"
A good question; they missed the greatest game I ever saw at Huish (but then I'm not old enough to have seen the win over Sunderland!).
Teramo report
