Glovers boss Steve Thompson believes his side have "not ensured safety yet" but considered that yesterday's 4-3 win had "gone a very long way towards it". Speaking immediately after the game, Steve answered the following questions:
Qu: Steve, congratulations. In the past Yeovil have saved their best results for the big games and today was another example of that although you were left hanging on at the end weren't you?
ST: Yes, we were. Obviously it was a fantastic result for us - to win 4-3. There is still work to be done as we are not ensured safety yet but as you can see from other results it was a very important result. We sweated it at the end. I was hoping that at 4-1 up, we would be more comfortable than that but we don't seem to do things the easy way, do we? But I am very pleased with the three points.
Qu: Gillingham will point to the penalty decision and the sending off of Brent Sancho as the turning points. Did you think it was a penalty and did you think the lad was unlucky to be sent off?
ST: I thought it was a penalty but I thought he was unlucky to be sent off. But we have had bad luck at times, if you call that bad luck when a player gets sent off undeservedly. I'm not going to say that they all even themselves out because that's another cliche I try to avoid but you have to manage your own luck a bit. At least we had the finishing power to score four goals from that one piece of luck.
Qu: Chris Cohen was instrumental in goals two and three, and he had a very good day at the office.
ST: Yes, he did. He gave us a great energy down the left side and that was important.
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Chris Cohen reels away after scoring his first ever Yeovil goal
© Ciderspace 2006
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Qu: At 4-1, Gillingham were almost having an inquest out on the pitch, worried that they might concede five, six or seven goals. What has prevented that from happening, and how come Gillingham had such a good 30 minutes at the end of the game?
ST: We made a few changes, but two of them we had to make. You would think that changing Poole for Davies and bringing Gall on at a time when legs were tiring in the Gillingham defence, with Kevin Gall's athleticism would be the right decision. But that is easy to say about that with hindsight. The other two decisions were forced upon me with Colin Miles and Craig Rocastle feeling that they couldn't continue. So we have only really made one change that wasn't enforced and that was a straight swap - Arron for David Poole, going to the right side and Gally going up front. Kevin Gall in many times during his Yeovil career has run defences ragged in the last 20 minutes of a game when they are tiring. So bring the critics on - decisions are easy in hindsight, but I will bet they were not saying it at the time.
Qu: No, not at all. And you did hang on - that is the most important thing and you got those important three points that you were really up for at the beginning of the game.
ST: Yes, it was obviously a vital three points and we knew that. I was hoping that it would pretty much ensure our safety. It hasn't done that because of other results but it certainly has gone a very long way towards it. We have got two very tough games and we need to go to Huddersfield and get a result.
Qu: Having checked out the other results, I see that Swindon lost today but the MK Dons won, and I think you are 18th today.
ST: Yes, we have moved up a couple of places which is nice but we are not ensured safety yet, so there is work to be done.
Qu: So when the players were celebrating at the end, it wasn't about survival but the three points. It will put you in good spirits for those final two games.
ST: Yes it does. We would have preferred not to have ended the game like that, but you have got to look at the big picture. We have won the game 4-3 and we have moved up two places in the table. That is the big picture. The even bigger picture is that we are not safe yet and we have to remember that.
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Some great crosses set up Yeovil's goals, with Paul Terry taking advantage of Chris Cohen's run down the left flank
© Ciderspace 2006
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Qu: There was great quality out wide today and some fantastic crosses.
ST: Yes, well we went 4-4-2 and you hope that when you go 4-4-2 that your wide men can get crosses and quality into the box. To be fair, this season at times when we have played 4-4-2 we haven't managed to do that. I think that has been one of the problems in our attacking play. But today you are right - we put some very good crosses in and deserved the victory. We had a golden spell during the 25 minutes that opened the second half and we made Gillingham pay. I'm obviously delighted with the result and the decision to go 4-4-2 has worked out. But our last home win over here we went 3-5-2 and won 3-0 with obviously the Scunthorpe game inbetween. So it's nice to have won two of our last three home games. I think I said three or four games ago that we needed to get back to winning at home and we have taken six points from the last three home games so that is good and hopefully we can continue that against Colchester.
Qu: Might Amankwaah be fit for one or two of the last games?
ST: I hope he is going to be fit and available for Saturday but this time on the week before I was thinking the same thing for this week. So fingers crossed!
Qu: What about Chris Weale as well? I've heard he is going to be out until Christmas?
ST: Yes. Chris Weale has damaged his anterior cruciate ligament and the prognosis is that he will be out for a minimum of eight months.
Qu: But he's got the Queen's surgeon hasn't he?
ST: So Glenn Schmidt tells me! I might have to check up on that. He has certainly got a very good surgeon who has done a lot of professional players and maybe even the Queen! I'm sure that Glenn did tell me that he did the Queen's knee but I hope he doesn't mean the Queen's corgie's knee!
Qu: Rocastle and Miles - what was the nature of their knocks or was it a fitness thing?
ST: Not knocks. They just felt that they couldn't continue on fitness. I might have to keep them on next time if they say that! You don't feel at 4-1 up that you need to take any chances on any player that says he is feeling that he can't continue. But we might have to think twice about that policy!
Qu: Rocastle especially really justified his inclusion today.
ST: Yes, he has come on in the last two games and got on the ball. In this pressure situation it is as much about having the courage to get on the ball as it is about having the courage to run, fight, jump and all those things you have got to do in football. That is a different type of courage and it is a courage that a lot of people find it hard to have, than the physical courage.
Qu: What is the mood in the dressing room? Has that win notably boosted everyone?
ST: Yes, although the first five or ten minutes in the dressing room were awful because it was as if we'd lost the game as everyone was going berserk at each other. But that is because they care and we care. The thought of throwing away that 4-1 was unbelievable. However, the spirit is good and it always has been. It has been difficult circumstances this year when you think of the situations we have faced in terms of change of manager, important players leaving, changes of ownership, contractual situations - there has been no end to problem situations. It is important that the team spirit and the basis for that team spirit stays there.
Qu: And the one constant that you alluded to in mid-week is the fans.
ST: Yes, the fans were fantastic. We have had to dig deep at times and find a couple of results. It was looking bleak when we went to Rotherham earlier on, in December, then when we went to Chesterfield in March, then when we went to Walsall, then again at home to Doncaster and then again today. Players have responded and the crowd have responded. I remember them up at Walsall - the 300 or 400 who travelled and they were absolutely magnificent. It has been a real fight this year to stay up. We are not there yet but todays result gives us a very very good chance of doing it.
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23 April 2006 : 
