Few people would consider it coincidence that the re-emergence of a run of wins for Yeovil Town has coincided with the back four becoming more stable for a run of games. Hence the only change to the Glovers starting line-up from last Saturday's match at Darlington was the welcome reintroduction of top scorer Phil Jevons, who had sat out the previous week's match with a hamstring tweak. Only debate was which striker would make way for him, with the unlucky player being Kevin Gall, with Andrejs Stolcers moving across to the role he played for Fulham on the right flank.

The Glovers started a match played in persistent rain by clearly imposing themselves on the game. Perhaps caused by Stolcers keeping wide, Southend were having trouble in picking up their markers and only Adam Barrett seemed to be holding the Essex side's defence together. Fouls were being committed all over the place, mostly around the edge of the box, and it was perhaps a disappointment that the many first half set plays that the Glovers produced did not result in a goal.

Lee Johnson and Michael Rose were the main pairing to try their luck but Barrett and Co just about stood firm. But with Stolcers, Tarachulski and Jevons all repeatedly being fouled it was a surprise that referee Mick Fletcher did not produce anything yellow to brighten up the gloomy conditions. Phil Jevons actually went the closest for Yeovil - rattling the crossbar on about the fifth Yeovil attempt at a set piece.

Wayne Gray was providing the visitors only real outlet in attack. He produced their best first half chance when he swivelled and shot from a narrow angle, with Chris Weale producing a strong save from a shot that skidded off the wet turf. But otherwise Southend were not really looking at the races and the only frustration was that Yeovil had nothing to show for the domination.

Two minutes from the break though, all that changed. Darren Way received the ball on the left flank, played it backwards to Gavin Williams, whose excellent near post cross was helped on by the head of Phil JEVONS who succeeded in diverting the ball past a wrong-footed Bart Griemink in the Southend goal.

Darren Way could have doubled the lead almost immediately after the goal, when he shot just wide, but as the game reached half time, and Mr Fletcher finally having found his cards - for Southend's Adam Barrett and Mark Bentley - there seemed little doubt who was on top.

Five minutes into the second half, it was becoming obvious that things were not going to be going quite as smoothly as planned. With the wind now against Yeovil, Southend had come out with a far more organised attitude to their game, and were finally managing to get routes out of their own half.

Former Barnet midfielder Mark Gower, who had an anonymous first half, seemed to be the main playmaker and his runs started to keep Andrejs Stolcers and Paul Terry far deeper than they had been in the first half. Significantly though, refereee Fletcher seemed to also come out with a different attitude, taking little account of the weather conditions and yellow carding anything that moved - a world away fro his first half hour in charge. Of note was Kevin Maher's booking, for mouthing off after Fletcher had awarded a free kick against him for high feet.

Perhaps ironically, after all of the set pieces the Glovers had during the first half, it was Southend who equalised with one of the few that the home side had conceded. Maher floated a ball across, and central defender and top scorer Adam BARRETT headed home from close range to put the Shrimpers back in it.

With their tails up, Gower and Gray began to run the show, and there were certainly fears that after so much domination that Yeovil could lose this game at the death. Gray could have put Southend 2-1 up but for an incredible save by Chris Weale, who had to react to a team-mate's deflection from Gray's shot, superbly tipping the ball round the post for the save of the match.

Gary Johnson decided that Yeovil's right flank were no longer as dominant as they should be, and decided to test Southend's resolve with some pace - Andy Lindegaard and Kevin Gall sent on to examine just how fit Southend's wide men were. Six minutes later, Johnson was to get his answer.

Last week, Yeovil got the break they needed at Darlington via a sending off and a Lee Johnson free kick. This week it was a case of deja vu. Gavin Williams went on a weaving run and when Kevin Maher clipped the back of the Yeovil winger's ankles, Fletcher ran out of players to give yellow cards to and dished out his first red, completely missing the Southend skipper's act of sarcasm in shaking the referee by his hand for his decision.

From the free kick, Yeovil finally got what they needed from a set-piece but it was from an unlikely source. As Johnson floated the ball in, Scott GUYETT chested the ball down with grace, and then lashed the ball home from eight yards, celebrating with enthusiasm his first ever Football League goal and to restore Yeovil's lead slightly against the run of play.

Straight from the kick-off, a dejected looking Southend lost the ball, and Yeovil fed Kevin Gall, who left Mark Gower standing still as he hammered down the right wing and delivered yet another peach of a cross for Bartosz TARACHULSKI to splash into the mud and head the ball home. In less than two minutes, the course of the game had been totally changed.

To be fair to Southend, they never looked that far behind Yeovil in their footballing pedigree, and there could have been a few nervy last minutes when Mark Bentley stuck the same crossbar Jevons had struck in the first half, but thankfully no such worries arose and Yeovil ran out with a comfortable victory.

Badger

MOTM Vote Result:

Player MOTM Score Bartosz Tarachulski 19 545 Scott Guyett 5 271 Chris Weale 6 231 Darren Way 6 192 Phil Jevons 5 176 Colin Miles 3 106 Lee Johnson - 59 Paul Terry 2 55 Andrejs Stolcers 2 43 Michael Rose 1 43 Kevin Gall 1 31 Gavin Williams 1 31

Overall match rating: 7.35 / 10
Performance: 7
Entertainment: 7.7

51 votes received.

Any comments/questions please email ytfcmotm@ntlworld.com

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