Match Report: Yeovil Town v Halifax Town

Yeovil Town picked up their second win in three National League games yesterday afternoon as they overcame Halifax Town 1-0 at Huish Park. Matt Worthington's late first half penalty was enough to see off The Shaymen to put Yeovil five points clear of the National League relegation zone.

Mark Cooper kept the same starting XI that drew 0-0 with Notts County last weekend.

Yeovil opted for a 5-3-2 formation with Jamie Reckord, Owen Bevan, Max Hunt, Morgan Williams and Chiori Johnson in front of Grant Smith. Jamie Andrews, Josh Staunton and Matt Worthington made up the midfield while Andrew Oluwabori and Alex Fisher lead the attack.

On the bench was Lawson D'Ath, Malachi Linton, Will Buse, Anthony Georgiou and Louis Britton.

Halifax kicked off towards the home end.

The first half saw little in the way of chances for either side which was perhaps unsurprising given that the two lowest scoring teams in the division were up against each other.

Neither side were playing particularly badly, just that chances were at a premium.

Just before half time, Yeovil were awarded a penalty when Owen Bevan was hurled to the ground by Jamie Scott. Matt Worthington stepped up and fired the ball into the back of the net. Sam Johnson did get a hand to it but he couldn't keep the ball out.

Half Time: Yeovil Town 1-0 Halifax Town

The second half continued in a similar manner to the first, whereby chances were few and far between but it was Grant Smith who was the busiest keeper, having to make some decent saves in the opening 20 minutes of the second half.

Halifax made their first substitution on 53 minutes when Jamie Cooke was replaced by Matt Warburton.

Yeovil and Halifax then made their final substitutions on 66 minutes when Andrew Oluwabori was replaced by Malachi Linton and Angelo Cappello was replaced by Emmanuel Dieseruvwe.

With 15 minutes to go, Yeovil were reduced to 10 men when Matt Worthington was shown a second yellow card for diving. Opinions were split on the terrace as to whether he dived or not, but even so a yellow card seemed to be harsh for the incident and it left the home crowd very frustrated with the referee.

The final 15 minutes were another masterclass in defending, as was seen at Notts County last weekend. Yeovil weren't in any danger of conceding and they were able to hold on for the three points.

Full Time: Yeovil Town 1-0 Halifax Town

The win was our second in three games and now lifts us five points clear of the relegation zone. After the heroic defensive display at Notts County last weekend, it was good to be able to back that up with a home win and now gives us some momentum going into our next away game at Bromley next weekend.

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

Match Attendance: 2,123 (53 from Halifax Town)

Yeovil Town

1 - Grant Smith, 2 - Morgan Williams, 3 - Jamie Reckord, 5 - Max Hunt, 7 - Matt Worthington, 9 - Alex Fisher, 17 - Chiori Johnson, 18 - Jamie Andrews, 26 Owen Bevan, 27 - Andrew Oluwabori (replaced by 14 - Malachi Linton on 68 minutes), 32 - Josh Staunton

Substitutes

8 - Lawson D'Ath, 14 - Malachi Linton, 20 - Will Buse, 24 - Anthony Georgiou, 40 - Louis Britton
Kit

Green and White Striped Shirts, Green Shorts, Green Socks
Goalkeeper: Orange

Halifax Town

1 - Sam Johnson, 2 - Tylor Golden, 3 - Jack Senior, 4 - Luke Summerfield, 6 - Jamie Scott, 8 - Kian Spence, 17 - Rob Harker, 18 - Angelo Cappello (replaced by 9 - Emmanuel Dieseruvwe on 66 minutes), 19 - Jamie Cooke (replaced by 10 - Matt Warburton on 53 minutes), 20 - Harvey Gilmour, 22 - Festus Arthur

Substitutes

9 - Emmanuel Dieseruvwe, 10 - Matt Warburton, 12 - Tom Scott, 16 - Jordan Keane, 24 - Sam Minihan

Kit

Purple and Gold Shirts, Purple Shorts, Purple Socks
Goalkeeper: Fluorescent Yellow Shirt, Black Shorts, Black Socks

Officials

Referee: Aaron Jackson
Assistant: Liam Beames
Assistant: Matt Eva
Fourth Official Haydn Lavender