NATIONWIDE CONFERENCE
Att: 1010
Sutton United – 0
Yeovil Town – 1 [Cousins 38]
Yeovil was the scene of one of this seasons best moments so far. Barry Laker’s bludgeoning header from 2 yards out snatching an unexpected 3 points and sending us lot behind the goal absolutely mental!
Yeovil were perfectly poised for revenge however, having thrashed the mighty Rushden 5-1 last weekend. Uh oh, so we’ll either get mullered or draw then?
It’s bloody cold as the tannoy announces an unchanged side for the U’s. Surprisingly, the normal west country invasion of GGL has’nt materialised. Whereas the Collingwood terrace is normally well stocked with Cider drinkers when Yeovil visit, for some reason they’ve only brought a rather sparse 150 or so today. Strange. Maybe the populace of this somerset town are becoming bored with their team? What? After a 5-1 tanking of Rushden? Naaaaah.
As with the encounter at Huish in September, the side in green & white start slowly and don’t look much like a side capable of sticking 5 past Carshalton let alone title favourites Rushden. That’s not to say there’s chances galore being created by the home side either! Both teams build well but seem to lack any real cutting edge in front of goal. We have a nervy moment about 15 minutes in when Howells hits a poor clearance straight to a Yeovil shirt some 30 yards out. The ball is returned immediately to the box where a retreating forward manages to get a flick onto the ball. Luckily, Gareth is switched on and takes a superb one handed catch to deny the visitors the lead. Yeovil have another chance soon after when the ball is driven into the box and a forward again flicks the ball goalwards. Gareth is forced into an agile fingertip over.
It would’nt have counted anyways as the striker has used his hand and not his head to divert the ball goalwards. It’s an act that produces the first yellow card of the game. st of our own forays forward seem to be coming to a halt around 20 yards out from goal. One dodgy moment for the visiting defenders, when they scramble the ball clear after a melee at the back post after from a corner is our only real chance of the half. Yet again the U’s awful habit of conceding a goal around half time rears it’s ugly head. A long ball forwards finds the lumbering, fat arsed Patmore. Sadly Laker, who had him in his back pocket at Huish, has given him a little too much room and he ambles into the box. Just as Bazza makes the challenge, Patmore gets a low ball into the centre of the box. Howells dives out to touch the ball off the toe of one striker but gets tangled up with Berry, Riley and Yeovil’s Rob Cousins whilst trying to recover the situation. Mr Cousins manages to get a toe on the ball and it just trickles inside the far post to give our mates from somerset the lead.
We spend half time talking crap about numerous stuff like the bloke who won the american version of ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’ and phoned his old man when on the Million dollar question, not for his help, but to tell him that he was just about to blag the Million! And my own mishap of having my fingers shut in a car door whilst talking to a mate on my mobile, friday night. Both topics result in much chuckling on the Shoebox.
Sutton come out in the second half with a bit more purpose and force a couple of corners early on. Yeovil’s breaks are becoming more infrequent, but our own pressure is providing little to really cause our guests concern. Winston and Watson work hard but get little change out of the well organised Yeovil defence. Howells makes 2 more outstanding stops, one from a dipping 25 yard drive that he palms wide and a shot on the turn by Patmore that may have been going wide, but Gareth’s stop prevents another striker from following up.
Nko comes on to try and give us more purpose going forwards and almost instantly a burst of speed from the big man takes him past his marker. A wonderful ball is flighted in from deep but is a fraction too high for Watson and it’s cleared for a corner. Another Sutton corner goes straight accross the face of goal and Riley is unable to turn the ball goalwards. Jimmy Dack, back from suspension and new signing Joe Baker are introduced as a last throw of the dice. Jimmy is woeful, with most of his passes going astray and Baker has only a fleeting involvement near the end, but at least he looks comfortable on the ball.
So, another home defeat. It’s still apparent that we desperately need to strengthen in midfield. Sears isn’t strong enough, Harlows passing is dodgy at best and Harford gives possession away far too easily. A bloody good goalscorer would’nt go amiss either! And to top it off, I think I’ve got a poxy cold! Bollocks. I’m off home to overdose on lemsip.
MAN OF THE MATCH : Gareth Howells. Several great stops to keep us in it.
ENTERTAINMENT : 6. Not earth shattering & it was bloody nippy!
TEAM : Howells, Berry, Laker, Brooker, Riley, Skelly, Harlow, Sears, Harford, Winston, Watson
SUBS : Baker, Ekoku, Dack, Rowlands