After 45 minutes worth of battering the Macclesfield goal, the last thing that could have been expected by anyone would have been for Macclesfield to take the lead. But such is the perverse nature of football that this actually happened within three minutes of the restart. With Yeovil having commenced the half as they completed the first period, camped in and around the home side's penalty area, a 50 yard punt up field looked harmless enough. Colin Miles left the ball, perhaps feeling it would go straight to Chris Weale, but the ball bounced into no-man's land allowing Clyde WIJNHARD to race onto the ball. Wealey came off his line, but the on-loan Darlington striker got there first, and lobbed the ball high over the Yeovil keeper and wish a single bounce into the back of the net. 1-0 and about as against the run of play as a goal could ever be.
Worse was to come for Yeovil. With Wealey having been hurt in a collision with the Macclesfield scorer, he lay prone on the deck, and after a lengthy delay, he was helped gingerly to his feet and off the field, with Steve Collis replacing him directly from kick-off. It is perhaps just as well that Yeovil are one of the few Football League clubs though that can boast that losing their first choice keeper does not weaken their line-up and with most of the play still at the other end, the question was more about whether the Glovers could get the ball past the one-man brick wall that was Alan Fettis in the opposition goal.
Terry Skiverton struck the foot of the post as Yeovil began their attempts at a comeback as he shot through a crowded goalmouth after Macclesfield
couldn't clear a corner. At the other end Wijnhard hooked the ball over the bar in an increasingly rare Macclesfield attack after he received the ball down the left
channel. To be fair, Macclesfield were holding possession a lot better since scoring the goal and although they rarely got much further than Yeovil's
eighteen yard line, they were making it harder for Yeovil to put pressure on them, with the Glovers amount of possession cut significantly,
and thus the middle portion of the second half turned into a brief lull in the game. Thommo's answer was to introduce Kevin Gall for
Matt Harrold to try and scare the Macclesfield back line a bit more.
Pablo Bastianini became the latest player to be denied by Alan Fettis when the keeper beat out his shot from an Arron Davies cross. Fettis
managed the same minutes later, parrying Pablo's shot again, this time from a Kevin Gall cross. Liam Fontaine became Yeovil's final
substitution when he replaced Colin Miles as the clock ticked out and Yeovil began to push up in numbers.
Just when you thought it was never going to go right for Yeovil, suddenly a moment of madness within the Macclesfield back line gave Yeovil the lifeline that was needed. A cross in from the left was headed towards goal by Phil Jevons and Macclesfield defender Danny Swailes lost his composure and blocked Jevo's header with a clear 'goalkeeper save' even though one of his team-mates was stood behind him. An inevitable penalty and an even more inevitable red card resulted, and up stepped Phil JEVONS to place the ball on the spot. After plenty of 'gamesmanship' from the Macclesfield players trying to put off the Yeovil striker, up he stepped, but almost inevitably keeper Alan Fettis guessed the right way and parried the ball up into the air. Jevo had the last laugh though, throwing himself at the inviting ball
and heading it home on the rebound. At last Fettis had been proved to be human and Yeovil had the goal their play so richly deserved.
Now, with Maccy down to ten men, it was all about could Yeovil grab a late winner? Kevin Gall thumped a volley just over the bar after he
received a ball over the top. And as referee Pike awarded five minutes of injury time, mainly for Wealey's injury, Paul Harsley tried to do the
improbable and win it for the home side with a shot that whistled over the bar, deflecting off Kevin Amankwaah for a corner. But in the
opposite area, the ball was playing pinball. Firstly Pablo Bastianini had his shot cleared off the line by Kevin McIntyre and then in the
resulting melee, Arron Davies saw his thunderbolt crash off the underside of the bar, with McIntyre having not had time to leave his
position from his previous clearance, leaving him perfectly placed for another hoof out of danger.
Somehow Maccy survived. That they were even in a position to survive would not have happened were it not for the one-man goalkeeping show
on display in the home side's goal. If Yeovil had won the game 6-1 it would not have flattered them based on the way they peppered the
Macclesfield goal. But the FA Cup does that kind of thing. The heroics of Bertie Bossu, having his finest hour in the Hayes goal in the FA Cup
four seasons ago, or West Auckland keeper Andrew Sams continually thwarting Yeovil Town in 1998 before he finally succumbed to penalty kicks.
This season, Alan Fettis is the new scourge of Yeovil Town, and the Glovers will have to be patient if they are to breach the Maccy backline in
the forthcoming replay.
Badger
MOTM Vote Result:
Player |
MOTM |
Score |
Phil Jevons |
5 |
440 |
Lee Johnson |
2 |
360 |
Terry Skiverton |
5 |
333 |
Kevin Amankwaah |
1 |
160 |
Arron Davies |
1 |
120 |
Paul Terry |
1 |
107 |
|
Overall match rating: 7.2 / 10
Performance: 7.1
Entertainment: 7.3
15 votes received.
Any comments/questions please email [email protected]
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