Match Report - Yeovil Town v Hartlepool United

Yeovil Town claimed a 2-2 draw with Hartlepool United at Huish Park this afternoon in a game that was very frustrating for the home side. Goals from Matt Worthington and Charlie Lee weren't enough to claim three points and Rhys Murphy's controversial straight red card with Yeovil 2-1 ahead made it very difficult for Yeovil to see the game out for three points.

Darren Sarll made three changes to the team that beat Hampton & Richmond 4-0 last weekend. New signing Marc Richards went straight into the side due to Courtney Duffus having a slight injury. Charlie Lee and Remeao Hutton also returned after short term injuries.

The match started off with very little chances for either side. Hartlepool had a brief spell of possession that allowed them to pass the ball around comfortably and Yeovil couldn't get the ball off them.

Despite this spell of possession Hartlepool failed to create any real chances and Yeovil were able to play their way back into the game.

Yeovil could have taken the lead on 20 minutes through a potential fortunate own goal as a long range shot from Charlie Lee was deflected narrowly wide by a Hartlepool defender.

Just three minutes later though Yeovil did take the lead as some excellent work by Rhys Murphy saw him hold the ball up front very well which allowed Yeovil players to arrive in the box. Murphy then produced a perfect cross across the box that allowed Matt Worthington to slam the ball home.

The lead didn't last much longer though as Hartlepool leveled just three minutes later. A free kick into the box found Peter Kioso un-marked at the near post and he headed home to level the match.

As the first half wore on the decisions being made by the match officials was getting more and more questionable until it became obvious that they were very keen to give any decision to the opposition. Throw-ins, corners and fouls were often being given the to Hartlepool despite not being justified.

Despite this Yeovil were still creating opportunities and Yeovil re-claimed the lead just before half time. A goal mouth scramble saw about 4 shots on goal attempted to be cleared and eventually Charlie Lee bundled the ball home.

Half Time - Yeovil Town 2-1 Hartlepool United

The second half started fairly uneventful until the game turned for the worse for Yeovil on 54 minutes. After an altercation between Rhys Murphy and Hartlepool's Peter Kioso, Rhys Murphy was shown a straight red card which completely baffled the home faithful. Nobody had any real idea as to what the red card was for and it seemed as though Murphy had been treated very harshly by referee Martin Woods.

Yeovil struggled from this point as it they seemed to have lost their spark that we've been accustomed to in recent weeks and Hartlepool were taking full advantage of this.

As in the first half - the match officials were not helping matters as again they were often awarding free kicks at the slightest touch to a Hartlepool player. This wasn't reflected when it was for the home side though which not only frustrated the home fans but also the players as they were clearly dis-heartened by this.

Inevitably Hartlepool drew the game level again on 71 minutes as the Yeovil defence were caught napping. A cross into the box by Nicky Featherstone found Gus Mufuta completely free to head home.

With such a long time left on the clock many fans feared that Hartlepool would go on to win but Yeovil dug deep to ensure they would get something out of the game.

5 minutes of time was added on but it passed without incident and Yeovil picked up a hard earned point given the circumstances of the game.

Full Time - Yeovil Town 2-2 Hartlepool United

The game today was marred with poor decisions by the match officials which spoiled the afternoon. At this point it is un-clear as to whether the club will be looking to appeal Rhys Murphy's red card however if they have sufficient evidence to support an appeal it wouldn't be uprising to see them seek out an overturn of the red card.

The result see's Yeovil slip to third place as Harrogate's win over relegation threatened Ebbsfleet saw them go second. Barrow and Bromley is currently being played as this match report is being typed however Yeovil could go 5 points behind the league leaders if they win this evening.

Man of the match voting for this result against Hartlepool is now open. You can cast your vote here.

Match Attendance - 2,716 (107 from Hartlepool United)

Yeovil Town

25 - Ted Cann, 24 - Remeao Hutton, 4 - Lee Collins, 7 - Matt Worthington, 3 - Carl Dickinson, 6 - Luke Wilkinson, 26 - Charlie Lee (replaced by 5 - Jimmy Smith on 75 minutes), 11 - Myles Hippolyte, 18 - Albi Skendi, 9 - Rhys Murphy (dismissed on 54 minutes), 17 - Marc Richards (replaced by 14 - Courtney Duffus on 60 minutes)

Substitutes

5 - Jimmy Smith, 14 - Courtney Duffus, 16 - Gabby Rogers, 19 - Tom Bradbury, 34 - Darren Behcet

Hartlepool United

40 - Mitchell Beeney, 2 - Peter Kioso, 16 - Gary Liddle, 15 - Gus Mafuta, 40 - Mark Kitching, 17 - Myles Anderson (replaced by 21 - Luke Monyneux on 63 minutes), 8 - Nicky Featherstone (replaced by 28 - Jason Kennedy on 79 minutes), 7 - Ryan Donaldson, 29 - Mark Shelton, 14 - Gavan Holohan

Substitues

1 - Ben Killip, 10 - Niko Muir, 20 - Aaron Cunningham, 21 - Luke Molyneux, 28 - Jason Kennedy