Match Report: Havant & Waterlooville v Yeovil Town

It was a bit of a goal fest on the south coast this afternoon but unfortunately Yeovil came out on the wrong end of it as they were defeated 4-3 by Havant & Waterlooville, who picked up their first win as a result. Town went 2-0 down inside the opening 12 minutes but fought back to 2-2 through Jake Wannell and a Maguire-Drew penalty. Havant regained the lead in first half injury time after Buse saved a penalty but Muhammadu Faal reacted quickest to score the rebound. Right at the death Town thought they had salvaged a draw through Rhys Murphy but Havant found the winner 3 minutes later.

Mark Cooper made five changes to the side that beat Tonbridge on Saturday. Josh Staunton was dropped and Morgan Williams, Jake Hyde, Jordan Young and Rhys Murphy dropped to the bench. Jamie Sendles-White, Jordan Maguire-Drew, Zac Bell, Frank Nouble and Olly Thomas took their places.

Once again a 4-4-2 formation was chosen with Alex Whittle, Jake Wannell, Jamie Sendles-White and Zac Bell in front of Will Buse. Charlie Cooper was a the base of the midfield diamond with Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and Matt Worthington sat behind Jordan Maguire-Drew. Olly Thomas and Frank Nouble lead the front line.

On the bench was Morgan Williams, Jake Hyde, Jordan Young, Josh Owers and Rhys Murphy.

Havant kicked off towards the home end.

It was a pretty disastrous opening for Yeovil as they fell behind after just 8 minutes when Muhammadu Faal had a free header in the box which put the home side ahead.

Just four minutes later it was 2-0 when Callum Kealy turned and shot in the box to give Yeovil a mountain to climb.

Yeovil just weren't as well drilled as they were on Saturday and were struggling to defend any Havant attack.

With just under 30 minutes gone Yeovil pulled one back when Jake Wannell bundled the ball home (probably) with his arm from a corner.

Just before half time Yeovil were awarded a penalty when Jordan Maguire-Drew was fouled in the box by Billie Busari. He stepped up and fired the ball straight down the middle with Ross Worner diving to his left.

There was more drama before half time though as Havant were then awarded a penalty in the fourth minute of first half stoppage time. Jake Wannell tripped Muhammadu Faal who then saw his penalty saved by Buse but Faal reacted the fastest to fire in the rebound.

Half Time: Havant & Waterlooville 3-2 Yeovil Town

Yeovil made a substitute at half time, replacing Sonny Blu Lo-Everton with Morgan Williams.

Town made a bright start to the second half but they didn't create many chances and the game settled down as the half progressed.

The Havant manager was shown a red card on 51 minutes, presumably for arguing with the officials over Yeovil continuing to play while one of their players was "injured".

Yeovil had to make their second substitution on 62 minutes when Matt Worthington had to go off through injury, Jordan Young replaced him.

If Yeovil were to get anything from the game it was vital that they didn't give Havant the next goal. The home side came close on 65 minutes when Tom Blair unleashed a shot that hit the bar.

Three minutes later Muhammadu Faal's curling shot hit the post.

Yeovil made their last substitution on 69 minutes when Olly Thomas was replaced by Rhys Murphy.

As time ticked away it wasn't looking like Yeovil were going to find the equaliser but right on 90 minutes Rhys Murphy broke through and fired his effort past Ross Worner to level the game at 3-3.

Seven minutes of time was added on and Town once again were unable to deal with a Havant attack and Callum Kealy's shot found the bottom corner to restore Havant's lead.

There was more late drama though as Charlie Cooper was seemingly fouled in the box, but the referee deemed him to have dived and showed him a second yellow card.

Full Time: Havant & Waterlooville 3-2 Yeovil Town

The performance today wasn't a good one, especially defensively. To go away from home and score three goals is certainly a good sign but we have to be better at the back. Too many times we were carved open and didn't seem to close players down or put tackles in at crucial moments. A positive result is going to be needed on Saturday to put this result behind us.

Our next fixture is on Saturday when Chelmsford City visit Huish Park. Kick off is at 3:00PM.

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

Match Attendance: 1,744 (658 from Yeovil Town)

Havant & Waterlooville

1 - Ross Worner, 3 - Kai Innocent, 5 - Joe McNerney, 8 - Tom Mehew, 9 - Callum Kealy, 10 - Muhammadu Faal (replaced by 4 - Joe Oastler on 95 minutes), 11 - Billie Busari (replaced by 14 - Harry Jewitt-White on 88 minutes), 12 - Brendan Wilson, 19 - Tom Blair, 20 - Roarie Deacon, 21 - James Roberts

Substitutes

4 - Joe Oastler, 14 - Harry Jewitt-White, 26 - Billy Steadman, 29 - Leon Baker, 30 - Max Connolly

Kit

All White
Goalkeeper: Navy Blue

Yeovil Town

1 - Will Buse, 3 - Alex Whittle, 5 - Jamie Sendles-White, 6 - Jake Wannell, 8 - Matt Worthington (replaced by 11 - Jordan Young on 62 minutes), 10 - Jordan Maguire-Drew, 16 - Sonny Blu Lo-Everton (replaced by 2 - Morgan Williams on 46 minutes), 20 - Zac Bell, 24 - Charlie Cooper, 30 - Frank Nouble, 40 - Olly Thomas (replaced by 39 - Rhys Murphy on 69 minutes)

Substitutes

2 - Morgan Williams, 9 - Jake Hyde, 11 - Jordan Young, 15 - Josh Owers, 39 - Rhys Murphy

Kit

Green and White Pin Striped Shirts, Green Shorts, Green Socks
Goalkeeper: Blue