With Yeovil's playing squad being torn apart, and Doncaster fielding the same eleven that won at Huish Park last week, one might have expected the Glovers to have lost heavily this afternoon. But after being perhaps a little lucky to be leading at half-time, a fine second-half performance saw Yeovil to a comfortable win.

The impact on the side of this week's turmoil wasn't, in the end, quite as large as many had predicted. The Best Defender In The Conference (Kev Brown for the uninitiated) was dropped to the bench ahead of his expected move, while Paul Tisdale was not in the squad. However, some players whose Huish Park futures are unknown (e.g. David Piper) still made the starting line-up, reserve player Andy Lindegaard started, and his Western League colleague James Bent came on from the bench.

The game got off to a slow start, the first effort of note being a 20th minute Mark Atkins free-kick that Tony Pennock could watch go over his head and the bar. But Doncaster really should have taken the lead five minutes later when Pennock came out to punch clear, and missed the ball completely. With an open goal awaiting his nod, Dino Maamria put his header wide. Yesterday we described Tony Pennock on our news page as the 'Best Shot-Stopper in the Conference'. However, he still has a weakness at crosses, and this showed up a few times in this game, Terry Skiverton being called to the rescue early in the second half after another similar miss. Of course if this part of Tony's game was as good as his shot-stopping, he could be playing at a much higher level.

Doncaster were getting good crosses in from both Marples and Cauldwell, the latter looking particularly sharp in the first half, but faded later on. Penney should have done much better with a far post header, but gave Pennock the opportunity to prove that he's the Best Shot Stopper (etc etc).

We're over half-an-hour into the game, and I haven't described a Yeovil attack yet. That's because they hadn't had any. Smith was working well in midfield, and Patmore was solid up front, but he wasn't getting much support from Adie Foster, and Yeovil weren't really getting good ball into the area. The first decent cross produced the first goal. Andy Lindegaard put the ball into the near post area, and in the scramble Dean Walling headed it past his own keeper. He had a good chance to make amends shortly afterwards at the other end, but headed well wide.

If Yeovil already felt a bit lucky to be ahead, Rovers should really have got one back just before the break. A goal-wards shot hit the hand of Ben Smith, and the referee must have concluded that Smith had time to get out the way of it, so awarded the penalty. Up stepped Kevin McIntyre, who knocked his spot-kick wide enough to put the corner flag in more danger than the net.

The second half seemed to see Yeovil improve greatly, and Doncaster soon ran out of ideas, especially after Cauldwell was subbed. Yeovil were now working much better as a team. Rovers couldn't cope with Smith in midfield, resorting to fouling him far too often, and he was also got back into defence making important contributions there. And it was Smith's brilliance that brought the second goal, the one that killed off any challenge from the home side. A jinking run down the left channel was followed by a super cross that Warren Patmore met close-in to head home.

There were some odd refererring moments, and perhaps the newish lenient approach was taken too far. A few players from both sides could consider themselves lucky not to have been yellow-carded for fouls, and the only player to trouble the referees notepad was Dino Mammria, a player who couldn't live up to his good performance of last week. He tripped Smith (yes, Smith fouled yet again), then went mad when the free-kick was awarded, for reasons that escape me. He was lucky to get only a yellow card for his dissent, but the way that Yeovil's Chris Sparks went steaming into the melée means he was lucky not to get any punishment.

Reserve striker James Bent came on, and made an impact at Doncaster tried to push forward. He got away from the defence within a few minutes of coming on, and put a decent shot across the goal only just wide of the far post. He went one better with five or so minutes remaining. Yeovil had scrambled the ball off their own line, and Bent picked up the clearance on the half-way line. He raced on into the Doncaster area, seemed (from the far end of the pitch) to have fumbled his chance, but then recovered to beat Warrington to give Yeovil a much-needed 3-0 win, the first Conference victory since the game at Kettering in January.

It's been an oft-stated opinion on these pages that reserve players should have had more opportunity to break into the first team at Yeovil. Although the move to full-time is happening too quickly, losing quality players like Matt Hayfield already, at least some reserve players are getting their chance. Andy Lindegaard has surely earned another chance, and James Bent must be in with a good shout of starting next week ahead of Adrian Foster.

I still think that the transformation of the team is happening too quickly, but like all true fans, I'm fickle ;-) So, with this 3-0 win at Doncaster, I'm happy. The board are heroes, etc, etc. Long live John Fry (you're fired! - Ed).

Results and updated table

---

Small pictures in report, from top: 1. Andy Lindegaard on his first conference start for Yeovil. 2. Adrian Foster, perhaps not one of his better games for the club. 3. Warren Patmore and Ben Smith are helping out the defence in the 2nd half. 4. Warren Patmore and Doncaster's Dean Walling (scorer of the own-goal)

Above: David Piper takes a first-half free-kick. He's one of the players who is rumoured to be on the way out of Huish Park.

Above: Doncaster should have put themselves back in the game just before half-time. Kevin McIntyre steps up to put his penalty kick well wide.

Above: Second-half action, Hale and Poole defend as Simon Marples gets in a cross.

Above: Maamria tried to start a ruck for no discernable reason, and Chris Sparks decided to help him, for no discernable reason. Doncaster boss Ian Snodin did the sensible thing and immediately removed Maamria from play.