Something is wrong. Yeovil are in the sort of form you'd expect of a team heading for relegation. Defeats against Hayes, and Forest Green Rovers were worrying, and although Dover are a pretty decent side, the gap between the teams today leaves coach Steve Thompson with a lot of work to do.
People I spoke to at half-time generally considered the game fairly even at that point, although Dover were leading 1-0. I thought that the score was fair, Yeovil had only gone close once, and were never to repeat the pressure they put on the home side around the 15-minute mark. The home side, on the other hand, looked dangerous after their lucky opening goal. But one thing's for sure: We agreed on what happened in the second half, and that Dover clearly deserved the three goal margin.
Yeovil's challenge fizzled out when Murray Fishlock was lost after about half-an-hour. It looked serious, as he seemed to aggravate his back problem, and was stretchered off. Glenn Poole came on to replace him, but had a tough time as Dover attacked freely down the right in the second half. Poole's first contribution, on the other hand, produced Yeovil's closest effort, as his cross was met by the head of Warren Patmore. Paul Hyde did well to tip the ball over to prevent a 40th minute equaliser.
The opener came in a period of good pressure from Dover, but had an element of luck about it. A poor cross was match with an equally poor clearance, and the ball fell to Jake Leberl, whose shot took a strong deflection to give Tony Pennock little chance. This led to Yeovil being penned back for some time, with the front two getting little chance to hold up the ball before Dover won it back and fired it in again.
The home side controlled the second half, and it was only a matter of time before they added to their total. A rebound off the bar fell to Simon Wormull who got the second, and Steve Brown it the third beating Tony Pennock from a close angle.
Steve Thompson has a lot to do, and the squad is showing some weaknesses. The left side of the centre of defence continues to be a problem. Chris Sparks came in for Dean Chandler, but didn't look comfortable. Terry Skiverton returned from injury but struggled. The loss of Murray Fishlock could well be long-term, and the lack of pace up front was a big problem today. In my opinion, there's not too much fundamentally wrong with the midfield, although a number of reliable players (e.g. Pitman and Tisdale) weren't at their best today.
All-in-all, this game goes down as another sign that the team is in a falsely high position in the table. Something needs to be done. Chairman John Fry was questioned by a fellow-fan about the situation, and Mr Fry clearly stated that he felt it was the responsibility of the coach. At the independent web site we think that the buck stops at the top.
