Match report

Player ratings and comments

Swansea City 3 Yeovil 2

Gary Martin

Flynn's team selection was sound and we looked good for the 2 goal HT lead - except the ref disallowed Robinson's Rocket for Jenny Longrose pulling in the wall presumably?

The penalty decision was clear cut but not as clear as the forearm smash he disallowed on Maylett later in the 1st half.

Maylett's crossing in the first half was woeful (6 I counted) which just shows how valuable Durkan can be. You'd think with the advances in science these days that it would be possible to clone Durkan's crossing with Maylett's runnning - until then we have to make do with one or the other.

Did Hylton make a difference to our defence? NO, but he is not match fit yet so maybe he will improve it eventually.

Second half saw Flynn deploy the WW1 Christmas Day formation; we stuck with 4-4-2 but played a no man's land zone between our back 4 and our midfield 4. Yeovil being English and ergo cheaters, used this to their advantage and caused havoc by deploying men in this space so that they could attack our back 4 unchallenged.

Despite several close escapes, it was the Swans who increased the lead. Connolly was an excellent substitution for the off the pace Thomas and his intelligent play was something that has been missing for too long. He cleverly brought Maylett into play umpteen times and from one of these benefited when a goalmouth scramble ran to him and his carefully placed shot rocketed into the net.

With Yeovil even more determined to exploit no man's land, Flynn replaced the anonymous Britton with ... COATES??

It was an ideal role for O'Leary to beef up the empty passage to our goal but again he brings on Coates? Durkan probably couldn't get his sock on quickly enough.

Eventually we rode our luck once too often and Yeovil got one back - quite a soft goal too.

A section of the crowd thought that they had better play their part in lifting the team and a couple of rousing choruses of Sam Hammam's a Paki rang out coupled with stand up/sit down if you hate Cradiff. Bewilderingly this didn't give the team the expected lift and the pressure continued to build.

If you ever get the chance to play scrabble against our defenders and you hold a P, E, S, R, M, U, C and two O's don't bother making the word COMPOSURE because they won't have heard of it!

We kicked the ball up in the air, sliced it across goal and passed it into touch. This had the effect giving more possesssion to Yeovil who forced home an even softer goal in the last minute.

Some of the crowd left - not wishing to see Yeovil snatch the winner - but in true father xams style we were all given an extra unexpected present when Maylett was again intelligently played through wide and his oblique cross beyond the far post was met with an even more oblique shot on target by the irrepressible Lee Trundle - what a goal to win a match.

After the whistle Tate threw his shirt into the crowd and milked the applause which his two stays has richly desereved.

Roll on Macclesfield.

Player ratings

• Roger - 7 kept us in it with some point blank saves
• Duffy - 6 average performance. Fell asleep once in the 1st half but came close to scoring in the 2nd
• Hylton - 5 not match fit but no improvemnet on Howard on this showing
• Tate - 8 solid game for most of the 90
• Izzy - 7 lacked composure but got his foot in well several times
• Maylett - 7 getting back to his best but not there yet. Poor crossing but caused Yeovil problems by running at them
• Robinson - 8 unlucky to have his 'goal' ruled out
• Britton - 2 needn't have turned up today
• Johnrose - 6 like the curate's egg
• Thomas - 5 disappointing partnership with Trundle
• Trundle - 9 mom for his winner and entertainment value

  Subs

• Connolly - 8 his intelligent play enabled us to set up a winning platform
• Coates - 6 not sure he or Flynn know what role he is to perform when he comes on late like this?

  

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  Clive, Gareth & David Hughes

  Let's get the cliché out of the way first. What a difference a year makes. It was a year ago when the match report said the Conference beckoned, no such feeling tonight.

  Trundle returned for the suspended Nugent and Hylton in for Howard, who we can only assume is injured, as he had received good reports from Torquay..

  The line up

  Freestone
  Duffy, Tate, Iriekpen, Hylton
  Maylett, Britton, Johnrose, Robinson Trundle & Thomas

  With over 800 Yeovil fans there was a very healthy crowd of 9,800 on a perfect day for a holiday match.

  

  The game started brightly with both teams probing for an opening with Yeovil getting the first shot on target. Whilst Yeovil looked dangerous on the counter attack it was the Swans who dictated play for most of the half, peppering the Yeovil goal with a handful of shots. Twice Trundle worked space for himself only to see both shots go wide of the post.

  

  Maylett was also causing Yeovil problems with runs at their defence. With one mazy run he found himself close to the edge of the six yard box and off balance sliced his shot wide when a simple ball to Trundle could have seen us take the lead. With the half hour mark approaching we got the goal our play deserved. Robinson was brought down just inside the left corner of the area by Williams. As the usual pleas by the Yeovil players to the ref were taking place, the players and keeper did their utmost to wind Trundle up. The ref took an age to make sure everyone stayed outside the box. The wind up expert took it all in his stride coolly placing the ball past the keeper for 1-0.

  

  The Vetch erupted - yes he was back. Within 5 mins it looked as if we had doubled our lead as another foul and a booking for dissent saw the ball move forward 10 yards to centre goal a few yards outside the box. Robinson blasted the ball into the net only for the ref to disallow it for something (pushing ??) in the wall. With the Swans players still celebrating the 'goal ' Gall ran 20 yds to politely !! point out to Trundle & Robinson that it was not a goal. With the whole ground in uproar Yeovil broke down the right for Hylton to give away a foul and a double yellow cards for Hylton & Robinson. Yeovil were now starting to apply some pressure and their man mountain Rodriguez ( 6ft 8ins) put the ball over the bar.

  

  Tate joined in one attack before half time receiving a quick one two on the edge of the box his shot being saved. There were a further couple of attacks from Yeovil but half time saw the score stay at 1-0. Half time saw Yeovil bring on Way. A player who dominated the earlier season game at Yeovil. He made an immediate impact and was involved in all the early moves as Yeovil looked to peg the Swans pack. It was end to end stuff with Yeovil just shading the exchanges.

  

  On the hour Connolly replaced Thomas, who had battled well, but a change was needed. Within 5mins Connolly got the second after a couple of shots were blocked only for Connolly to fire home from outside the six yard box. This was the breathing space we needed. Or so we thought, as we pressed the self-destruct button. The midfield went missing. Maylett tired as did Robinson and Britton who had been having a poor game became no existent. Panic set in as the defence came under increasing pressure with Yeovil picking up all the loose balls. The players went for the same ball all missing it but luckily was eventually cleared, but a near carbon copy allowed Williams to loop a shot over Rog into the net. 2-1 and compounded the insult by his 'head slapping' in front of the NB. He was spoken to by the ref, where a yellow was surely warranted. With Yeovil now in command for the first time in the game, Coates replaced Britton when the better option of O'Leary would have been the answer. Connolly's experience showed as he brought some respite for the defence with cleaver movement, but the alarm bells were still sounding as Yeovil broke at pace at the defence. With the clock ticking away they got their second, when again bad defending allowed Gall to score the equaliser with a header on the six yard box.

  

  We had thrown the points away !!! One final attack saw Maylett cut in from the right and with a perfect cross ball found Trundle who put the ball back across goal into the top corner. The reaction on the NB can't really be described but everyone nearly hit the roof. What an ending to a very good game. We deserved the win against a useful Yeovil team. The final whistle saw Alan Tate, playing his last game, throw his shirt to the NB and revealing a 'T' shirt with 'Once a Jack always a Jack'. He applauded all the fans and left the field to warm applause.

  

  After such a game. The positives are that Maylett and Trundle are back will cause havoc to defenders. In the cold light of day there are negatives. We are still missing Martinez. Britton is a shadow of last season. Although only his first game back Hylton struggled but did clear two dangerous situations late on. Support play was weak and players on the ball were restricted for options. We are very reliant on Robinson, but his engine faded around the 75min mark. We must play as a unit. One final comment. The ref was a joke. He was very weak missing or allowing many incidents and then acting the 'strong ref' in charge at all the wrong times. He did this to both teams but even more against the Swans as in the first 20mins Yeovil constantly followed through on tackles.

  

  Apart from the 10mins of mayhem a very enjoyable game of high entertainment value.

  

  

  
  
  
  

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