Match Report: Yeovil Town v Dagenham & Redbridge

A late goal by Tom Knowles gave Yeovil Town all three points at Huish Park this afternoon in a scrappy encounter which saw Dagenham spurn a lot of chances. Dagenham had plenty of good opportunities to ensure they at least walked away with a point but they simply weren't ruthless enough in front of goal and Yeovil punished them late on with a cracking free kick from Knowles.

Darren Sarll named the same starting XI that beat Weymouth 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Yeovil Town lined up in their usual 4-4-2 formation with Alex Bradley, Max Hunt, Billy Sass-Davies and Carl Dickinson in front of Adam Smith. Jimmy Smith, Matt Warburton, Josh Neufvulle and Albi Skendi made up the midfield while Rhys Murphy and Reuben Reid lead the attack.

On the bench was Michael Kelly, Charlie Lee, Tom Knowles, Joe Quigley and Chris Dagnall.

Yeovil Town kicked off towards the home terrace.

The opening 10 minutes of this game was fairly slow but Dagenham had the better of the early exchanges. The first corner of the game came Dagenham's way on the left hand side which was taken short and crossed into the far post by George Saunders which went out for another corner on the opposite side. This time it was crossed in first time to the center of the box but the header was straight at Adam Smith

On 9 minutes Dagenham had a goal ruled out as Liam Gordon raced onto the ball from an offside position and the linesman's flag was up before he unleashed a shot which flew into the back of the net.

After this scare Yeovil began to settle down and they were starting to play some neat football. A good team move on 13 minutes allowed Yeovil to work themselves into a good position and the ball eventually found Matt Worthington who's shot at the near post was saved by Elliot Justham.

On 15 minutes Dagenham won another corner on the far side which was again crossed to the center of the box and fell to the near post. Adam Smith came to gather the ball and in doing so caught a Dagenham player in the face un-intentionally and Dagenham were protesting for a penalty but the referee was unmoved.

Just 1 minute later Matt Worthington came to Yeovil's rescue as Matt Robinson's header beat Adam Smith but Worthington was on the line to head his effort away and kept the scores level much to the releif of Yeovil.

On 21 minutes it was Yeovil's turn to have a few good chances as Rhys Murphy and Matt Worthington both saw close range shots blocked brilliantly by Elliot Justham in the space of a few seconds and Reuben Reid then saw his effort fly over the bar and Yeovil's best chance of the game so far was wasted.

Yeovil continued to play some neat football and on 28 minutes an excellent team move was almost capped off with a goal. Rhys Murphy won the ball in midfield and held up the ball well and eventually played in Albi Skendi who's excellent run allowed him to lay the ball off to Josh Neufville on the edge of the box but his shot was blocked.

As half time approached Yeovil were putting the pressure on their opponents but they couldn't turn that pressure in to a goal and after 1 minute of added time had passed the teams went in all square.

Half Time: Yeovil Town 0-0 Dagenham & Redbridge

The second half was a much more scrappy affair as Yeovil weren't able to play their neat football that they showed in the first half.

On 48 minutes Yeovil won their first corner of the game which was taken by Alex Bradley on the right hand side but it came to nothing and went out of play for a Yeovil throw in.

From the throw in Yeovil worked the ball well and manage to win another corner this time on the left and Carl Dickinson took the kick but once again it was a disappointing corner and came to nothing.

Yeovil were forced into making their first substitution on 52 minutes as Matt Worthington went down injured and had to be replaced by Tom Knowles.

On 56 minutes a decent chance went begging for Yeovil as Josh Nuefville received the ball and held off the Dagenham defenders well to get into a good position inside the penalty area and he crossed the ball across the box but nobody in a green shirt was there to meet it and the chance had gone.

Shortly afterwards Dagenham made their first substitution as former Yeovil Town player Angelo Balanta was introduced to replace George Saunders.

On 58 minutes Yeovil survived a major scare as a good cross into the box by Myles Weston found Matt Robinson but his effort cannoned off the bar and Yeovil just about manage to clear their lines.

Yeovil were finding it hard to stop Dagenham from creating chances but more worryingly Dagenham looked dangerous in attack and throughout this game so far they had the better opportunities than Yeovil.

On 68 minutes another good chance came and went for Dagenham as Myles Weston went on a fantastic run from his own penalty box on the right wing and Yeovil simply couldn't keep up. He managed to get get a cross into the Yeovil penalty area but once again Yeovil were just about able to clear the ball away.

On 70 minutes Yeovil made their second substitution as Carl Dickinson was replaced by Micheal Kelly.

On 76 minutes Yeovil survived another scare as a free kick from Myles Weston was crossed to Callum Reynolds who had a free header but it was just wide of the target when he really should have done better.

On 81 minutes Yeovil made their final substitution as Joe Quigley was introduced for Rhys Murphy.

With the end of the game fast approaching it was becoming clear that a single goal from either side would probably win the game. Yeovil were upping the pressure on their opponents and were starting to look a lot more dangerous.

On 84 minutes Dagenham made their second substitution as Paul McCallum was replaced by Scott Wilson.

On 86 minutes some excellent goalkeeping by Eliott Justham kept the scores level as a free kick into the box from Micheal Kelly found Billy Sass-Davies who in turn found Reuben Reid and his shot on the turn was excellently saved to keep the game alive for Dagenham.

Then, on 89 minutes - it happened. Yeovil won a free kick just to the left of the D for a foul and as a result Callum Reynolds was sent off for picking up his second yellow of the afternoon.

Tom Knowles stepped up to take the kick and his curling effort around the wall nestled into the bottom corner to give Yeovil the lead late on.

3 minutes of time was added on and Dagenham made their final change as Charlee Adams was replaced by William Wright but Dagenham had run out of time and Yeovil held on to claim their sixth successive home win.

Full Time: Yeovil Town 1-0 Dagenham & Redbridge

This game certainly won't go down as one of the classics at Huish Park but the result is all that matters and another three points comes Yeovil's way. They have turned Huish Park into a fortress since the turn of the new year and it is a real shame that the fans can't be there.

Dagenham will probably feel quite disappointed that they didn't get at least a draw out of this game. They certainly had enough chances to ensure they weren't beaten but they just couldn't take them and Yeovil punished them right at the death when they simply didn't have enough time to respond.

The win sees us move into 13th place with 31 points and now six points off a play off place. With so many points still to be played for Yeovil's season certainly isn't over yet.

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

Yeovil Town

1 - Adam Smith, 27 - Alex Bradley, 26 - Max Hunt, 35 - Billy Sass-Davies, 3 - Carl Dickinson (replaced by 14 - Micheal Kelly on 70 minutes), 10 - Jimmy Smith, 7 - Matt Worthington (replaced by 21 - Tom Knowles on 52 minutes), 24 - Josh Neufville, 18 - Albi Skendi, 9 - Rhys Murphy (replaced by 19 - Joe Quigley on 81 minutes), 33 - Reuben Reid

Substitutes

14 - Michael Kelly, 22 - Charlie Lee, 21 - Tom Knowles, 19 - Joe Quigley, 34 - Chris Dagnall

Dagenham & Redbridge

1 - Elliot Justham, 2 - Callum Reynolds, 3 - Elliott Johnson, 4 - Dean Rance, 6 - Kenneth Clark, 9 - Paul McCallum (replaced by 25 - Scott Wilson on 84 minutes), 11 - Myles Weston, 12 - Matthew Robinson, 14 - George Saunders (replaced by 10 - Angelo Balanta on 56 minutes), 24 - Charlee Adams, 27 - Liam Gordan

Substitutes

10 - Angelo Balanta, 18 - Mohammed Sagaf, 19 - Thomas Smith, 20 - William Wright, 25 - Scott Wilson

Next Fixture

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Yeovil Town v Torquay United

Date: 29/03/2024
Competition: National League (South)
Venue: Huish Park
Kick Off: 15:00

Latest Result

Braintree Town

0-1

Yeovil Town

Attendance: 1,985 (Unknown from Yeovil Town)

National League (South) Table

Last Updated: 26/03/2024

Pos
Team
Pld
GD
Pts

1
Yeovil Town
40
+29
83

2
Chelmsford City
41
+28
76

3
Braintree Town
40
+18
68

4
Hampton & Richmond
39
+11
67

5
Maidstone United
39
+10
67

6
Worthing
40
+19
66

7
St Albans City
40
+13
63

8
Aveley
41
+4
63

9
Bath City
39
+16
62

10
Farnborough
40
+4
60

11
Chippenham Town
40
+5
57

12
Slough Town
39
+8
56

13
Tonbridge Angels
41
+3
55

14
Weymouth
39
-3
50

15
Weston-super-Mare
37
-7
48

16
Hemel Hempstead Town
40
-14
45

17
Torquay United
39
-5
44

18
Welling United
40
-17
44

19
Truro City
34
-7
41

20
Taunton Town
36
-15
40

21
Dartford
39
-13
39

22
Eastbourne Borough
39
-24
38

23
Havant & Waterlooville
40
-30
33

24
Dover Athletic
40
-33
23