The pre-match news saw Matt Harrold unable to recover from a training ground knock reducing Steve Thompson's options up front. However,
Colin Miles and Scott Guyett on the other hand were fit enough to travel following their illnesses although doubtless their lack of match
fitness influenced Thommo's decision to land both players on the bench. Otherwise, things were as you were, with the Glovers looking to get
a result at a new-look Bloomfield Road that has changed radically since Yeovil's visit there in the FA Cup in December 2000.
The game started off quietly although Blackpool as the home side really took the game to the Glovers, doubling up often on the wings and attempting
to push the Glovers onto the back foot. They succeeded in terms of territory but not really in terms of chances, with only a shot from
Ian Morris from the right flank swirling in the wind proving worthy of note, but Chris Weale comfortably caught the effort.
It took Yeovil about 10 minutes to get going, but when they did, they started to cause the Blackpool back-line significant problems, mainly
through the pace of Kevin Gall and David Poole. Poole burst down the left flank on one such run, cutting inside and shooting into the side netting.
His next effort went closer though - a similar run resulting in Blackpool keeper Lee Jones being forced to beat the ball out the the loose chance
dropping just behind an incoming Kevin Gall.
Midway through the first half it was Gally who got into a great position on the break. Another dink over the top saw the Welshman break the
offside trap racing straight down the middle of the pitch. Perhaps the poor surface of the Bloomfield Road pitch didn't help matters, with
the ball bobbling up off the surface, but with just the keeper to beat, Gally went to place his shot, and the ball bobbled agonisingly wide
of the target.
Gally and Poole combined well again, with the two switching positions resulting in Poole feeding Gall out on the left wing. Gally's cross
curled nicely in the direction of Phil Jevons who was coming in on the back post, but the strong end to end wind probably curled the ball
more than intended and the end result was closer to the goal than his striking partner with the ball just clearing the far corner of the
goal frame.
Blackpool had contributed little in the way of clear cut chances until the half hour mark but suddenly within a 60 second period they
had three chances to score. Firstly Keigan Parker broke through the previously resolute Yeovil defence, forcing Chris Weale to come off his line.
The Yeovil keeper parried brilliantly, and then was alert enough to deflect John Murphy's follow-up attempt and get it over his crossbar.
From the resulting corner, Peter Clarke was able to play head-ball from 10 yards out without a challenge from a defender, but his
second attempt saw the ball bounce wide of Chris Weale's far post.
Despite a reasonably promising first half, nearly all of Yeovil's play was going down Pooley's wing, and Steve Thompson chose to make
an early substitution, withdrawing a rather quiet Paul Terry, who didn't make his relationship with his manager too good by petulantly
brushing off Thommo's attempt to pat him on the back as he came off and sitting down in the dugouts in a decided huff.
Marcus Bean landed in the book after he deliberately obstructed an off the ball run by Arron Davies, denying him the chance to play a one-two
with Andy Lindegaard. From the resultant free kick, Nathan Jones and Anthony Barry played it short, and Chris Cohen's late run saw him rifle the ball
low and hard but wide of the post.
Arron Davies put a fairly tame looking shot straight into the arms of home keeper Lee Jones, and then right on half time a Phil Jevons cross
swung in towards the back post towards Kevin Gall six yards out. Had it been the other way round, it would have been a certain goal, but Gally
doesn't often score with his head and he couldn't keep the ball down as it went over the bar. A great half for the Glovers, and one in which
they probably should have been two or three goals up, but once again they were guilty of not converting those chances when they came their way.
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