United 1
(Ellis 20′)
Yeovil 1
(Linton 64′)
United had to settle for a point on Boxing Day, as Yeovil came from behind to secure a draw at Plainmoor.
United took the lead in the 20th minute, when Mark Ellis’ header went in off the inside of the right-hand post, before in the second half, substitute Malachi Linton levelled proceedings on 64 minutes. In stoppage time, injury saw Ellis depart the pitch, before a second bookable offence for Dylan Crowe saw Gary Johnson’s side see the game out with nine men on the pitch.
United Manager Gary Johnson made three changes in the starting line-up that came from behind to progress in the FA Trophy last Tuesday. Ben Wyatt, Dillon De Silva and Aaron Jarvis returned to the starting eleven in the place of Dean Moxey, Ryan Hanson and Corie Andrews.
There was a lot of end-to-end play inside the opening ten minutes, before the first chance on target came three minutes later, when Wyatt and Kieron Evans exchanged a number of passes down the left flank, before the latter’s cross found Mark Ellis at the near-post whose glancing header was calmly gathered by Grant Smith.
On 16 minutes it was the visitors who went close to taking the lead. Yeovil captain Josh Staunton drilled a low-effort from just inside the United box, which deflected but was just stopped by Mark Halstead who managed to get a finger-tip to the ball, before scooping the ball up on the goal-line.
Four minutes later however, it was Gary Johnson’s men – sporting their third kit in support of the #NoHomeKit campaign – who went a goal ahead.
With McGavin’s deep free-kick only partially cleared, Kieron Evans sent the ball back into the penalty area, leaving Ellis to divert a header past Grant Smith and in off the inside of the right-hand post.
United visibly grew in confidence, and on the half-hour Wearne nearly doubled the advantage. After picking up the ball on the left, the Grimsby loanee drove forward into the Yeovil box, before his low driven shot was just pushed around the post by Smith.
More chances would follow.
Six minutes before the break, Evans broke into the area and saw a deflected effort loop up over the crossbar.
Three minutes later, Dylan Crowe’s right-wing cross picked out Jarvis, however on the turn he was unable to trouble the Yeovil glovesman.
Having bossed the majority of the first period, The Gulls deserved to be in front, yet they had a combination of Halstead’s heroics and well positioned goal frame to keep out Jordan Maguire-Drew’s overhead kick from the edge of the box, following a corner.
Following the restart, The Glovers continued to push for a leveller, with substitute Linton sending a shot across the face of goal, but wide, from an acute angle.
Although no longer enjoying the dominance they had during the first 45, Johnson’s men still created a few chances of their own, with Will Goodwin doing well to fashion himself a chances after breaking into the right-hand side of the box, before seeing his scuffed effort gathered comfortably by Smith.
Evans went close with a curling free-kick from 25 yards narrowly wide just short of the hour mark, but in the 64th minute, The Glovers drew level.
With Torquay sending numbers forward, a swift break upfield caught The Gulls out, with the recalled Wyatt just failing to intercept an inviting ball from the left, leaving Linton with plenty of time to drill the ball past Halstead and make it 1-1.
Two minutes later, things nearly got worse, however this time Halstead came out on top, as the United goalkeeper repelled Linton’s shot from just inside the box.
It was now Town who were threatening a winner, with visiting skipper Josh Staunton seeing a header narrowly clear the ‘bar from a corner on 77 minutes.
Low shots drilled wide from Maguire-Drew for Yeovil and United’s Wearne, in the 86th and 88th minutes respectively, failed to spark a winner, before a gilt-edged chance for former Gull Alex Fisher called Halstead to come to his side’s aid once more, in the last minute of normal time.
There was still time for a moment of controversy, as Dylan Crowe received his marching orders in the dying stages for an innocuous-looking foul, but when the final whistle sounded shortly after, a point apiece was probably a fair reflection of a match that could have ultimately gone either way.
United: 1. Mark Halstead (c), 2. Dylan Crowe, 9. Aaron Jarvis 11. Kieron Evans, 12. Stephen Wearne, 14. Brett McGavin, 15. Ben Wyatt (5. Ali Omar 82′), 16. Shaun Donnellan, 19. Will Goodwin (10. Corie Andrews 84′), 27. Dillon De Silva (4. Tom Lapslie 75′), 35. Mark Ellis.
SUBS NOT USED: 7. Ryan Hanson, 22. Rhys Lovett.
Yellow Cards: De Silva 51′, Evans 60′, Crowe 68′ 90+6′, Wyatt 75′
Red Card: Crowe 90+6′
Yeovil Town: 1. Grant Smith, 2. Morgan Williams, 3. Jamie Reckord, 5. Max Hunt, 6. Ben Richards-Everton, 7. Matthew Worthington, 10. Jordan Maguire-Drew, 17. Chiori Johnson (9. Alex Fisher HT’), 18. Jamie Andrews, 19. Charlie Wakefield (14. Malachi Linton HT’), 32. Josh Staunton (c)
SUBS NOT USED: 8. Lawson D’Ath, 20. Will Buse, 27. Andrew Oluwabori.
Yellow Cards: Staunton 28′, Williams 58′
Attendance: 3,805 (486 away)