A cricket score seemed likely at one point in this game, with Kingstonian boss 'Hansie' Chapple leaving out most of his best players and Gary Pratterson. The Glovers went at the weakened Kingstonian side with little mercy, and should have been 3-0 up within ten minutes. However, a failure to capitalise on this left them hanging on to a single goal lead by the end.
Steele's goal opened proceedings, and it was a carbon copy of the one he bagged against Stevenage last week. An Andy Lindegaard corner swung into the near post was flicked on into the net by Steele, with reserve keeper Richard Hurst admiring from afar. I filled up a whole page of notes on what happened in the next ten minutes, but could précis it as "Yeovil created loads of chances, then missed them".
Barrington Belgrave caused Kingstonian all sorts of problems, and within a minute of the goal he opened up the defence with a neat pass to Matt Hale. He crossed but the ball didn't fall right for Warren Patmore to get in a decent shot. And within two minutes of the goal that carbon-copied one against Stevenage, there was nearly a similar facsimile of Saturday's goal at Hereford: Pitman's throw, Skiverton's flick on, but this time Belgrave's volley was deflected over. Barrington Belgrave (sounds like a village in Dorset to me) had a good run in the area, but his final shot went just wide. And then he crossed well for Matt Hale who couldn't get quite enough purchase on the ball as he slid in.
All this and the game less than ten minutes old. Yeovil really looked like they might get a hatful. And not just any old hat, more like one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's huge top hats. For the first time since Yeovil went 6-1 by half-time against Gateshead, we were wondering what'll happen to the scoreboard when the goals go into double digits.
But, it didn't happen. The chances weren't put away. One move that typified events was a Warren Patmore miss. He did superbly well to create a chance (recall that Gazza chip over Hendry in Euro 96, not unlike that), but then put the final shot wide.
The 18th minute saw Kingstonian get out of their own half for the first time, and Tony Pennock did well to save a curling low long-range effort from Junior Kadi (the player I thought was called Julia Carling when they read out his name at Kingsmeadow earlier this season). Still Yeovil went on the attack, and Luke Basford, within seconds of receiving some excellent quips from the terrace about his diminutive stature, stood tall to head off the line from a Warren Patmore header.
Kingstonian attacked for a second time just over half-an-hour into the game, and from this they equalised. Yeovil didn't clear a corner, the ball bobbled around a bit and O'Connor nodded it in (sorry this is a vague description, but it really was a mass of bodies at the far end of the pitch from where we stood).
It was late in the half that Yeovil got the lead they deserved. Warren Patmore was felled right on the edge of the area, and with the wall all of about six yards away, Ben Smith tucked the ball away into the corner of the net. And Matt Hale [pictured right from saturday's game] added a third just before half-time, as he volleyed home his first goal for the club from a Pitman throw that had threaded through the crowd to find Hale unmarked ten yards out.
Like last week, the second half was less spectacular for the home side. After the break they were facing the wind, and Kingstonian also upped their game. Firstly they brought on two more experienced players in Eddie Saunders and Phil Wingfield, then they later introduced the excellent Tarkan Mustafa, scorer of the Trophy final winner at Wembley last year.
Yeovil really should have sealed the game after 72 minutes. Neat work by Belgrave put in Andy Lindegaard, and he was hacked down in the box by Luke Basford. The decision should be a 'no brainer', if the ref thinks it was a foul then it's a red card. But no, this is the Conference and refs are WIMPS. A yellow card was awarded to Kadi for mouthing off, but nothing was shown to Basford (already booked for dissent in the 1st half). Up steps Warren Patmore, who would have put his spot-kick into row Z if there was a row Z. Instead, it landed somewhere in the middle of Chilthorn Domer. At least he forced a save from his previous spot kick!
If Yeovil hadn't won this game, then that would have been called a turning point, as Kingstonian scored soon afterwards, and applied some pressure for the rest of the match. But Yeovil held out to record their first home victory against the Ks since 1987.
The goal that put them back in the game came from Mark Harris, as he rose unattended to head in Kadi's corner. Within a minute Harris cleared off his own line when Lindegaard got in a great effort in the Ks' area. But for all Yeovil's domination of the first half, Kingstonian could have gone home with a draw. Lee Boylan missed the one of the great sitters of all time, sidefooting wide when presented with an open goal.
So, all-in-all another decent performance, and with better finishing the game would have been all over early doors (whatever that means), and the margin could have been much larger. Yeovil might have even got enough to eliminate their negative goal difference!
Results and updated table
