A cold but pretty much dry evening saw the pitch in good condition despite recent rain for the third round tie against 2004-05 cup winners Ipswich Town.

Phil Ormrod managed a shot, which went wide, after a Yeovil break in the third minute, but apart from that the visitors dominated the early exchanges. Glovers' goalkeeper Peter Burridge made a comfortable catch from a header following an Ipswich free kick, and Jai Reason had a shot from distance blocked as the game settled into a pattern involving just the midfield area and the Yeovil half.

Luke Webster's throw to Reason was played to Curtley Williams, but his left footed effort went wide. A cross from Webster was headed out to Jordan Rhodes but his shot ballooned over the bar. Ipswich had a good opening when a cross from Williams saw Burridge block Rhodes' effort and the ball went loose, but his follow up shot was well blocked by a Yeovil defender.

A turn and shot by Williams went wide of the mark before Ipswich earned the first corner of the game in the 14th minute. This reached a home defender, but his miskick gave the visitors a chance and saw a goal line clearance to deny a goal. Another good move allowed Rhodes to turn and shoot, and then Burridge dived to collect a long shot from Upson near his right hand post.

Russell Short fouled Tom Clarke as the Glovers strayed over the halfway line, but Ipswich soon won their second corner, which Reason floated across and Rhodes headed wide.

Midway through the first half Clarke charged down an attempted clearance and ran at the Tractor Boys defence, with him finally being beaten while surrounded by three opposing players. After spending twenty minutes or so seemingly in awe of their higher rated opponents the home side seemed to be getting some self belief and actually winning the ball, and it was at this stage that Yeovil first looked like they may be able to create something. Ipswich continued to impress, and Burridge bravely took the ball off the foot of a visiting forward before Rhodes shot wide after another neat turn.

On the half hour mark Matty Concliffe was spoken to after a foul, but was not booked. A minute later, however, Gary Bowles received a yellow card for a foul by him midway inside the Yeovil half. Burridge made a couple of fine catches from Ipswich crosses as Yeovil proved resilient.

Into the last ten minutes of the first period and Liam Horder headed wide from a good chance for Yeovil after a Clarke free kick. A couple of minutes later he did well in the visitors penalty area before sliding the ball back to Ormrod who shot straight at keeper Andrew Plummer. This was Yeovil's best spell of the half, and continued when a long throw from Harry Sherwood was volleyed over by Jamie Morgan.

The last five minutes of the half saw a third Ipswich corner, a good save by Burridge from a Reason header and a looping header by Clarke from a flick on by Horder, which Plummer collected comfortably.

Two minutes of stoppage time saw good work from Oliver Wake, who held off Rhodes in the penalty area to prevent a cross at the cost of only a throw-in.

Ipswich started the second half by winning their fourth corner, but Yeovil won the ball and broke away although they couldn't create a chance from the break. Five minutes into the half and the Glovers put the ball in the net, but only well after the referee had whistled for an offside flag. Oliver Fenn headed just over after a good cross, and a long ball played over the top was reached by Burridge just ahead of the onrushing Rhodes.

Ormrod ran into Tommy Smith after the ball had gone and received a booking from referee Andy Davies. Ipswich failed to create from this free kick, but two minutes later a free kick just in from the left corner flag was met well by Reason, but his downward header bounced once before being collected by Burridge. The game was more even than the opening period, but it took a good tackle to thwart an Ipswich attack at the cost of yet another corner.

With an hour gone a lovely ball reached Lewis Gundry, but his chipped pass was slightly too close to Plummer who collected the ball. At the other end Rhodes went down in the penalty area after what looked to be a shoulder to shoulder tackle from Bowles and a rather theatrical dive, but the referee awarded a spot kick and Jai REASON duly converted. 0 - 1.

Concliffe became the third Yeovil player yellow carded when he received a booking for a foul. Despite their lead it seemed that it was the visitors who were getting rattled, and certainly the tackles seemed to start flying in. After a scramble in the Ipswich area, and a Yeovil corner, there was an incident when Yeovil were awarded a free kick after an Ipswich foul. Oliver Fenn took offence at the decision and clearly pushed a Yeovil player, but bizarrely received no card.

Yeovil seemed to be sensing a chance and in the 71st minute a good ball saw Clarke charging into the Ipswich area with sight of goal, before being tripped before he could get his shot away. A lengthy delay saw a yellow card brandished, which appeared to be for Russell Short, although it is not clear whether he was considered the culprit although it seems more likely that it was for something he said. Harry SHERWOOD stepped up to crash the ball past the helpless Plummer. 1 - 1. As is often the way, a Yeovil player stepped forward to celebrate by banging the rebounded ball back into the net. However, on this occasion it hit the goalkeeper and another booking followed, which seemed to be for Tom Clarke although amidst the celebrations it was hard to tell.

Yeovil followed the equaliser with a substitution, and Reynold Turnock replaced the hardworking Danny O'Brien. Upson ran at the Yeovil defence, and shrugged off several tackles before bringing a good save out of Burridge. Within a minute Clarke was stopped by a last ditch tackle at the other end as the game really began to open up. For a second time Jack Ainsley ran into Burridge after the Yeovil custodian had taken the ball, but the referee seemed reluctant to hand out cards to players wearing shirts that were not green! Moments later he collected good cross from Kurt Robinson, but scooped his shot high over the bar.

In the 78th minute Upson tripped Concliffe, which gave Yeovil a free kick but saw the right back limp off. After a couple of minutes with ten men it was clear that Matty couldn't continue and James Hatcher came on to replace him. Ipswich withdrew Ainsley and sent on Kieran Leabon, which almost paid dividends immediately as within a minute he made a good run and set up a team mate who shot just wide. A foul on the substitute allowed Ipswich a fairly central free kick about 25 yards out, which Reason touched to Rhodes whose shot was blocked by the Yeovil wall. Another free kick was headed over for an Ipswich corner as the visitors pressed.

In the final minute of normal time a low shot from Clarke forced a save from Plummer, and during the three minutes of stoppage time he tried a chip from midway into the opposing half but it floated high and wide.

Having taken the game into extra time against all expectations the Yeovil side still had the proverbial mountain to climb, and things could hardly have been worse when they went a goal behind within 30 seconds of the restart. Virtually from the kick-off substitute Leabon ran down the right and passed to Edward UPSON, who let fly with an excellent shot from 25 yards, which gave Burridge no chance. 1 - 2. Upson is no stranger to extra time goals, having scored the 118th minute winner in the final against Southampton two seasons ago.

Burridge collected a free kick taken by Reason from the right touchline as Ipswich pressed again, and it would have been no surprise if the Yeovil youngsters had crumbled against their highly respected opponents. However, the boys on the pitch had no intention of doing so, and in the fifth minute of exrtra time Horder broke through for a one-on-one with the Ipswich keeper, but his shot from inside the area was superbly parried away by Plummer for a corner.

Eight minutes into extra Yeovil won a free kick midway inside their opponents half, and the ball was floated in and met by substitute James HATCHER with a looping header which beat Plummer and nestled in the corner of the net. 1 - 1.

The final Yeovil substitution saw Greg Taafe replace Phil Ormrod, who had had a very fine game. Ipswich pressed again, but their final effort went wide, and the game had now become very open and chances were beginning to appear at both ends.

The final fifteen minutes began with an Ipswich free kick in the Yeovil half, but the subsequent cross was well taken by Burridge. Three minutes into the period a clash of heads saw two players grounded and both trainers on the pitch, but with a player from each side also down with cramp the scene resembled a battlefield. I thought that the superior fitness of the Academy players may be a factor as time elapsed, but the home side matched them and as many Ipswich players were suffering in extra time as Yeovil ones.

A Yeovil throw taken by Sherwood midway in the Ipswich half was headed out, then back, then out again before reaching Sherwood again who half-volleyed over from 30 yards. The visitors made their final changes within a three minute spell, with Ian Nimmo and Tony Boto replacing goal scorer Upson and forward Rhodes respectively.

Ipswich created a couple more chances, with a good move ending when the final touch from Leabon only took the ball into the grateful arms of Burridge, and then a free kick for a foul on Boto which came to nothing.

With three minutes of stoppage time the final chance fell to Yeovil, when a long throw from Sherwood led to a trip on Jamie Morgan, and the resulting free kick was taken short but the shot blocked by the Ipswich wall.

The referee blew his whistle, and the teams prepared for the penalty shoot-out.

Liam Horder stepped up to take the first spot kick for Yeovil. Plummer got a hand to the ball, but didn't manage to keep it out. 1 - 0.

Oliver Fenn shot the ball to the left, with Burridge going the wrong way. 1 - 1.

Lewis Gundry slotted the ball into the right hand corner, with Plummer diving the other way. 2 - 1.

Jai Reason, who scored the penalty for Ipswich during normal time, slotted the ball into the left hand corner, with Burridge going the right way but unable to reach. 2 - 2.

Harry Sherwood, Yeovil's penalty scorer for the equaliser in the initial ninety minutes, shot high and right giving Plummer no chance. 3 - 2.

Luke Webster slotted the ball into the left hand corner, with Burridge again choosing the right way and going close. 3 - 3.

Tom Clarke shot low to the right, and for a second time Plummer got a hand to the ball but failed to keep it out. 4 - 3.

Ian Nimmo shot low to the right hand side, and Peter Burridge dived and got a hand to the ball keeping it out of the net and giving Yeovil the advantage. 4 - 3.

Gary Bowles, youth team captain, stepped forward and smashed the ball into the right hand side of the goal, sparking wild celebrations from home players, bench, officials and fans alike. 5 - 3, and a place in Round Four.

It would be easy to single out players for their efforts, for well taken penalties, for headed goals, or for match winning saves, but to do so would be undermining the fact that this was a fantastic result achieved by an excellent TEAM performance. Not one of the eleven starters or three used substitutes had a poor game, and each and every one can be proud for his part in attaining the best result EVER achieved by a Yeovil Town Youth team.

Robin Evans

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