Anyone suggesting that the 4-3 scoreline the last time Yeovil Town and Scunthorpe United met would be repeated would doubtless have been greeted with sniggers. Anyone with the courage of that conviction could have got 50/1. We doubt the bookies took many bets on that.
Although four were conceded in the second half on Tuesday caretaker manager Steve Thompson began the match with the same eleven that had started at Roots Hall. The only changes were on the bench, with Adam Lockwood coming in for Colin Miles and David Poole replacing Luciano Alvarez.
The poor finish to the Southend United game seemed set to continue as the home side raced into a 2-0 lead within twenty minutes. Andy Keogh opened the scoring after thirteen minutes. Although everyone in the stadium wearing green and white was convinced Keogh wasn't just offside but was yards offside the one third of a very poor officiating team that mattered on this occasion decided otherwise. Seven minutes later that lead was doubled through the other half of Scunny's striking partnership, Billy Sharp. Things were looking decidedly bad for the visitors, and the home fans were gleefully indulging in this season's naffest and most irritating chant : easy, easy!
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Staring at a situation that could easily have become ugly Thompson did not blink. Nathan Jones was sacrificed for Matt Harrold, and he was put up top to replace Pablo Bastianini, who had looked completely out of sorts leading the line. The Argentinian dropped back to play off Harrold, and immediately looked a different player. It was a match changing moment.
Within a minute of the change the Glovers were back in the game as Darren Way burst into the box to net his second goal of the season. And on 37 minutes Phil Jevons had Yeovil on level terms as he crashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner. All to play for. Which manager would make best use of his fifteen minutes in the dressing room?
It was Town who continued the control established towards the end of the first period, and a brace of goals seven minutes apart laid on by Bastianini and finished by Harrold seemed to have the game sewn up, 2-4. No more chants of 'easy, easy' from Scunny fans now. The away supporters tried a few, but (pleasingly) then showed a preference for the more traditional, and far better : 2-0, and you ****ed it up!
However a tiring Pablo was withdrawn, to be replaced by Paul Terry, on 73 minutes and Yeovil lost a bit of momentum. Scunthorpe pushed forward and brought the score back to 3-4 on 77 minutes with a second from Billy Sharp, setting up a very tense final quarter of an hour. Virtually on the stroke of full-time the home side did get the ball into the net for a fourth time, but the same assistant referee who had allowed their first stuck his flag up this time, whether rightly or from guilt it was hard to tell. The four minutes of time added on seemed more like four hours as Yeovil clung on desperately. With only seconds to go Scunny crashed a rocket of a shot against the bar and.............it was all over. Referee Clive Oliver blew his much over-used whistle for the last time, and Yeovil Town had secured a three points that had seemed very unlikely at 3.20 p.m.
Final score : Scunthorpe United 3 Yeovil Town 4
A full Ciderspace match report will appear here.
Yeovil's spirited fight back sends us up to 15th. The highest ever placing in our history moves forward a few more notches. Elsewhere in League One the top two, Swansea City and Southend United, both won again and open up a two point gap over Huddersfield Town who could only draw 2-2 at home to AFC Bournemouth. Brentford are in fourth spot after a 2-1 victory over Rotherham United. Below that the table is incredibly tight, with only six points separating 5th from 23rd. Some club up the A37 had their necks stretched 0-1 by the Monkey Hangers. Swindon Town, beaten 3-1 in the bottom of the table clash away at Franchise F.C., are the only team beginning to slip behind the pack so far.
Yeovil Town's next game is at Huish Park against current table toppers Swansea City this coming Saturday, with a 12.30 p.m. kick-off.
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1 October 2005 : 
