The last time Yeovil Town played a match in which they had no absolute interest in the outcome was in April 2003. Chester City were the opponents with the Nationwide Conference title already won. Entry into the Football League was beckoning and none of us knew what was likely to follow. I doubt that too many people would have believed that 138 games into Yeovil Town's journey into the Football League that the first 'meaningless' fixture would finally appear on the cards.

Not that the visitors would have seen the game as 'meaningless'. Colchester United, the first club to play a competitive fixture at Huish Park, were also hoping that Huish Park would see their last match in League One - the Essex side tantalisingly one point away from automatic promotion. Thus 1,600 Essex boys and girls were in attendance to complement the three home sides of the ground that were also filled nearly to capacity to see out the final match of the 2005/06 season.

Steve Thompson selected the same starting line-up for the third game running - it can be no coincidence surely, that form returned to the Yeovil line-up at a point when they were able to offer on the field stability rather than the mass of changes that have been in the main forced upon Steve Thompson this season.

The match started with the Glovers taking the game to Colchester - shooting towards the packed away end. Craig Rocastle forced an early chance but goalkeeper Dean Gerken smothered the attempt. But in an end-to-end opening 20 minute period, Colchester went close when Chris Iwelumo knocked the ball across the face of the area to Greg Halford whose stinging shot was parried by Steve Collis but only partially. Just as well then that skipper Terry skiverton was stood on the goal line to head the ball away and out for a corner. From the resultant set piece, Phil Jevons of all people was deep inside the six yard box ready to hack the ball away from close to his own goal line.

Phil Jevons has developed a bit of a hot streak at the end of this season and he gave Colchester fans and players a real scare in the 18th minute when a quick turn with the ball gave him the space he needed on the corner of the penalty area and before you knew what was coming, a shot was lashed on goal, with Gerken somehow getting something in the way of the shot, knocking it onto the post and watching as the ball ricocheted out into play. 1,600 travellers from Essex heaved a big sigh of relief!

Those sighs went to screams a minute or two later when Terry Skiverton won a header inside the penalty box, flooring Scott Vernon in the process, but the on-loan striker's going to ground did appear to be a little after the event to say the least. Those kindly folk in the Westland Stand did the gentlemanly thing upon hearing that Brentford had gone a goal up at Bournemouth with a rousing chorus of "1-0 to the Brentford" but the Colchester fans were having none of it, convinced that it was still going to be their day. Chris Iwelumo tried to get in front of Terry Skiverton as Colchester pressurised the Yeovil defence with a Greg Halford cross, but in the end he got too far in front of the Yeovil captain, landing his attempt into the advertising hoardings.

A classic Yeovil counter-attack though kept Colchester on their toes. David Poole skinned Jamal Campbell-Ryce for pace out on the flank and when he put the ball across the face of the Colchester goal, Phil Jevons was there, right place, right time, but his shot flashed a yard wide of the post.

It's not often that referee Andre Marriner comes in for criticism from these parts but four minutes before the break, he certainly got plenty from the Yeovil crowd. Colin Miles executed a superb sliding tackle on Greg Halford, only to find Marriner blowing his whistle and brandishing a yellow card to Miles for the apparent foul. Miles was not the only furious Yeovil player letting Marriner know what he thought of the decision, and when a 50:50 throw-in went the wrong way shortly after, Craig Rocastle gave a string of verbals in Marriner's direction, perhaps a little lucky not to land in the book for dissent. All was getting just a tiny bit over-heated, so it was perhaps not a bad idea for the Yeovil players to cool off in the dressing room for 15 minutes.

No changes at half time although perhaps a few more smiles around the Colchester camp on learning that Steven Foley had equalised for Bournemouth right on the stroke of half time. Those smiles were almost wiped out sixty seconds after the restart when a fantastic series of one touch passes saw the ball fed through from David Poole, to Phil Jevons who put the ball into the path of Arron Davies. Crossing the ball into the centre, no-one picked up Paul Terry who got a clean head on the ball, but couldn't quite keep the rising cross down enough to get the ball under the crossbar.

The frenetic game couldn't continue at the kind of pace that it had managed to do all the way through the first half though, and the majority of the opening period of the second half turned into a game of cat and mouse - Yeovil the more interested in forcing the lead, Colchester anxious not to drop too deep but perhaps recognising that the scoreline they had at present was the one they really wanted.

Karl Duguid's effort midway through the second half suddenly woke up what was threatening to fizzle out into nothingness. His shot from long range deflected nastily off the boot of Andy Lindegaard looping over the crossbar and for a corner. Then at the other end came the chance of the second half and again it was Yeovil at their best, creating one-touch passing out of nothing. Arron Davies fed Phil Jevons whose first time header was planted right in the path of David Poole whose quick thinking saw the ball lob the advancing keeper but go just wide of the post.

Pooley was taken out by Colchester keeper Dean Gerkin and looked a little dazed as he returned to play. When his next part in the game was to manage an air shot on the ball when wide out on the wing, Steve Thompson decided his winger needed a long sit-down and replaced him with Matt Harrold, with Arron Davies moving out wide. With five minutes to go there was a great moment when Youth Team captain Dale Williams was given his first ever League One start, replacing Arron Davies to generous applause.

Those cheery Westland Stand types had informed Colchester that Brentford were by now 2-1 up and for the first time there was a slight sign of panic in the Colchester back line. Clearances were skied up in the air, balls were pumped into the stands unnecessarily and they were getting sucked into their own half a touch. Andy Lindegaard put in a devil of a cross that spun right across the face of the Colchester goal leaving keeper Dean Gerkin back-pedalling to his rear post as the ball span beyond the post and ran along the touchline.

But the away side survived, and in fact didn't need the result anyway with Bournemouth grabbing a last minute equaliser to send Brentford into the playoffs and Colchester firmly into the automatic slots. They ended up with the final chance of the game - Steve Collis forced to tip over a long range effort for a corner with what was a rare save needed from him. But then after three minutes of injury time, the final whistle blew and 1,600 fans, eleven players and a bench load of coaching staff leapt into the air to give Huish Park the sort of scenes that have been seen so often in recent years but this time with another club enjoying them. Credit though to both Colchester and Yeovil fans, who unlike a club up the A37 in the league below kept the occasion completely sporting with an enormous amount of mutual respect gained from all parties concerned.

Not a bad point by any means even if the three best chances of the game went Yeovil's way. The return out of the last three fixtures will doubtless give Steve Thompson and his players some heart to believe that the 2006-07 season may not be quite the struggle that it felt like this season. Some valuable experienced learned and if the club can only tie up the cream of the squad on new contracts for next season, there is no reason why slightly more lofty heights can be looked forward to next term.

Badger

MOTM Vote Result:

Player MOTM Score Chris Cohen 18 584 Terry Skiverton 3 289 David Poole 5 205 Phil Jevons 2 174 Andy Lindegaard 1 137 Paul Terry 1 53 Arron Davies 1 42 Colin Miles - 32 Steve Collis 1 26

Overall match rating: 7 / 10
Performance: 7
Entertainment: 7

38 votes received.

Any comments/questions please email yeo.motm@ntlworld.com

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