The return of Jean-Paul Kalala from suspension meant one change for the trip to bottom four side Bournemouth. On loan winger Peter Sweeney shuffled out to the bench to make way for Kalala, whilst Daniel Webb and Ishmael Welsh dropped entirely out of the sixteen, with Marcus Stewart making his return to the side on the bench, albeit with minimal time on the training field. The intiguing part of the night would be that Leon Best, in his last match for the Glovers, would be up against childhood friend David McGoldrick, who was making his debut for the Cherries in attack - both players formerly of Notts County and currently Southampton players. It would be an interesting comparison between the two strikers. Also of interest would be Portsmouth midfielder Marc Wilson, currently on loan at the Fitness First Stadium, who spent a minor loan spell at Huish Park last season but was unable to break seriously into the first team, eventually making just one start.

Bournemouth took the game to Yeovil and as early as the second minute, a Darren Anderton corner was headed goalward by David McGoldrick but Terry Skiverton blocked the ball close to the line and Steve Mildenhall was able to collect. Overall the Glovers found it difficult to cope with the pace of McGoldrick during the early stages, who was popping up on both wings as well as through the centre and they were failing to work out how to mark him. The best Yeovil could come up with from the early action were long drives from Leon Best and Jean-Paul Kalala.

Terrell Forbes was really having trouble settling into his right-back slot during the early stages, and he made an error of judgement when he tried to let a ball go out of play as a cross was put into the box, not realising that winger Bjarni Vidarsson was coming in on his blind side. Thankfully Terrell's mistake was as bad as Vidarsson's shot as the winger shot wildly and out for a goal kick. A minute later Vidarsson again got the better of Forbes forcing a free kick which Darren Anderton took, but Steve Mildenhall beat the attempt out to safety. Then Forbes committed a trio of mistakes when he fouled Vidarsson again and unsurprisingly a yellow card was produced. Perhaps a little more surprisingly, the yellow card actually seemed to benefit Forbes - it ensured that he held his concentration throughout the rest of the match and thus improved his game threreafter.

The Glovers were creating very little at all, losing out badly in midfield with all bar Jean-Paul Kalala looking uncomfortable in their roles in the centre of the park. JP, in his favoured role in front of the defence and having had the weekend off, looked calm and assured. However, it was mostly a rearguard action during the early stages and the best Yeovil could muster in the early stages was an Arron Davies free kick after Leon Best had been fouled but even that was not in danger of troubling the Bournemouth goal.

Despite all of this, much as with the Carlisle United match 10 days ago, as the game reached the half hour mark, the Glovers took the lead against the the run of play and with their first effort on goal. Nathan Jones produced an excellent long pass into the box, finding Wayne GRAY with his back to goal. The Yeovil striker turned Neil Young inside the box leaving the Bournemouth defender sat on the deck, then cut the ball in from the angle of the box, slotting it into the bottom corner to give Yeovil an unexpected lead!

The goal radically changed the pattern of the match with the Glovers looking far more dangerous thereafter, with Leon Best and Wayne Gray suddenly starting to find the space that they no longer thought they had and the dangerous David McGoldrick no longer receiving as much of the ball as he had been during the early phases. Suddenly Yeovil's team shape that had made little sense early on, began to look authoritative whilst Bournemouth's self-confidence appeared to evaporate as fast as a drop of water in the Sahara.

In the closing stages Josh Gowling almost conceded an own goal as he tried to block off a forward move involving Terrell Forbes but was lucky enough to find his own goalkeeper anticipating the move and saving the ball and the defender's embarrassment. The new dominance of the Glovers was stalled slightly when Terry Skiverton had to leave the field for several minutes following a head wound, changing both shirt and shorts due to the amount of blood he had managed to drip onto his clothing as part of the wound.

Right at the end of the half, David McGoldrick reminded everyone that he was still on the pitch when the Glovers defence backed off him inadvisably and Steve Mildenhall could only watch and sigh with relief as the ball went wide of the post. The half time whistle blew and the Glovers could at least go into the half time break feeling moderately satisfied even if the performance hadn't been quite as good as the half time scoreline would have suggested.

Bournemouth restarted the second half by bringing on Steve Fletcher and changing formations, withdrawing a midfielder and switching to a 4-3-3 formation. Yeovil reappeared with Terry Skiverton yet again appearing for the Glovers with a "Terry Butcher" head bandage to protect his head wound. Steve Mildenhall had to dive to his left from a James Hayter header, palming the ball out for a corner, as Bournemouth started the second half in the same way that they had started the first - forcing Yeovil onto the back foot as their new attacking line-up took the game to the Glovers.

At the other end, Arron Davies caused some amusement around the ground when he picked up on a block and ball out of defence by Terrell Forbes, but after a great run towards the Bournemouth goal, he inexplicably lifted his boot and hit ... air! ... thus completely missing any opportunity to get the ball in the back of the net. Let's hope no-one spots that one for the end of season video compilations.

James Hayter missed a great opportunity to equalise from close range when clean through but cleared miles over the crossbar, with Terrell Forbes screaming at the linesman for an offside flag that never came. Then Darren Anderton was booked for a dreadfully late challenge on Nathan Jones, whilst David McGoldrick should really have been booked seconds later for the same sort of standard of challenge on Terrell Forbes at the other end of the park.

Brett Pitman replaced Bjarni Vidarsson as the Cherries introduced their fourth striker onto the field of play in an attempt to increase the pressure on the Glovers as Bournemouth tried to claw the game back but despite Vidarsson having been rather quiet since his early flurry, the second change didn't really appear to make the difference it was meant to, mainly because it gave Yeovil the space to counterattack their opponents.

Wayne Gray almost repeated his opening effort, turning and shooting but straight into the arms of Neil Moss. Then Gray forced a corner when Neil Young deflected a chance out for a corner. From that set piece, Moss came for the ball and both himself and Leon Best challenged for the ball, with neither managing to get much contact. The loose ball was struck by Jean-Paul Kalala but he couldn't keep the shot down as it went out into the car park. A wasted chance given the position of the Bournemouth keeper on the deck.

At the other end a superb save by Steve Mildenhall, tipping over a strike from Brett Pitman that came out of nothing with the Glovers custodian brilliantly sending the ball out for a corner. Then Marc Wilson forced Mildenhall to turn around another long distance attempt out for a corner, as a running period of pressure kept the away fans biting their nails, with Bournemouth just coming back into the match once again.

Russell Slade perhaps sensed this and decided to make his own switch as Peter Sweeney came on as a substitute for Arron Davies. Within two minutes of his arrival on the field of play once again Yeovil got a goal at a point when they had been under pressure from the home side. Sweeney put in a cross from the left, and ghosting in on the back post, unmarked two yards out was none other than Leon BEST to score the easiest of goals of his loan period and to put the Glovers 2-0 up. What a wonderful way for him to complete his three month loan spell, and to shut up the rather ungracious Bournemouth fans who had barracked him during much of the game despite his efforts for the Cherries earlier in the season.

As the home side tried to hit back, Darren Anderton's shot took a strong deflection, Steve Mildenhall somehow saved the ball despite diving the wrong way producing a brilliant block and Brett Pitman couldn't react fast enough to get the ball under control, sending the loose attempt wide with Mildenhall stranded. Happening so soon after Yeovil's second strike, a goal back for Bournemouth could have set up a nervous final 10 minutes, but Mildy's brilliance and Pitman's wastefulness ensured that didn't happen. Then a long range attempt by Marc Wilson was forced around the post for yet another Bournemouth corner with the Yeovil keeper having an outstanding match between the sticks.

Chris Cohen curled a long range effort just over the top of the goalnet, dipping the ball over keeper Neil Moss from 30 yards out after he had been set up by Leon Best. Then as Bournemouth faded, the Glovers could have been 3-0 up in the closing minutes when Leon Best broke clear and slipped the ball through to Wayne Gray. His strike partner shot but Moss blocked and Peter Sweeney coming in late couldn't keep his shot on target. But with the points in the bag there weren't likely to be too many complaints.

A curious game overall and one that fitted the pattern of many of Yeovil Town's away victories this season. They came under plenty of pressure from the home side at various stages of the game, but were extraordinarily lethal in front of goal. Now nine points clear of the edge of the playoff positions, the Glovers are in a wonderful position in the table, and if they can only bring what they do on their travels into Saturday's home match against Swansea, with the Welsh side in 7th place any win could strengthen that cause even further.

MOTM Vote Result:

Pos	Player
1	Steve Mildenhall
2	Leon Best
3	Wayne Gray

Overall match rating: 7.5 / 10
Performance: 7.2
Entertainment: 7.8

32 votes received.

Any comments/questions please email ytfc.motm@tiscali.co.uk

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