Match Report - Yeovil Town v Dover Athletic

Yeovil Town came from behind to beat Dover Athletic 3-1 in a crucial match at Huish Park this afternoon. Ade Azeez put the away side in front on 13 minutes but Yeovil equalised just before half time through Joe Quigley. Yeovil then took the lead early in the second half and the points were made safe on 78 minutes through substitute Rhys Murphy.

Darren Sarll made three changes to the side that were beaten 4-2 at Maidenhead United on Wednesday night. Charlie Lee was out through injury and Carl Dickinson was suspended while Jimmy Smith dropped to the bench. Lee Collins, new signing Michael Kelly and Tom Knowles took their places.

Once again Yeovil opted for a 4-4-2 formation with Alex Bradley, Max Hunt, Matt Worthington and Michael Kelly in front of Adam Smith. Lee Collins, Tom Knowles, Josh Neufville and Albi Skendi made up the midfield while Joe Quigley and Reuben Reid lead the attack.

Dover Athletic kicked off towards the home terrace.

The opening exchanges were slightly scrappy but Yeovil had the better of the early chances but nothing that troubled the away side.

On 13 minutes Dover took the lead as they won a free kick near the goal line which was floated into the box and was twice blocked on the line and away for a corner. The corner was taken short and was well worked allowing Dover to shoot at goal which Adam Smith blocked but Ade Azeez was quickest to the rebound and fired home.

Yeovil struggled since that goal as they weren't able to play with any fluency and were resorting to long range shots at times.

As the half progressed Yeovil didn't look like they were going to be able to pull themselves back into the game any time soon. They did have a couple of free kicks but both were poorly taken - the first didn't even beat the 1 man wall and the second was a poor low shot from a good position.

On 43 minutes Yeovil nearly fell 2-0 behind as a shot from Travis Gregory flew just wide of the post after it looked to be heading into the top corner.

Just 1 minute later Yeovil found themselves level as Rueben Read's quick flick allowed Joe Quigley to drive into the box and slot the ball into the bottom corner to pull the game level out of nowhere.

Two minutes of time was added on and the teams were level at the break.

Half Time: Yeovil Town 1-1 Dover Athletic

The game was there for the taking for both sides and on 51 minutes Yeovil took the lead as a long high cross into the box from the right hand side from Alex Bradley found Joe Quigley who beat the keeper to the ball and his looping header found the back of the net.

This gave Yeovil a boost in confidence and they continued to play neat attacking football and preventing Dover from creating many chances.

On 60 minutes Dover won a free kick just to the left of the goal 25 yards out for a foul on Akheem Rose. Omar Mussa stepped up to take it but he blasted the effort way over the bar.

On 62 minutes a slight brawl broke out in the Dover penalty area as Yeovil were waiting to take a corner. It wasn't clear what caused the incident but thankfully the incident didn't last long and the game resumed with Lee Collins picking up a yellow along with a Dover player. The corner kick was poor and was defended with ease.

On 65 minutes Dover made their first substitution - introducing Steve Rigg for Travis Gregory.

They the made a double substitution on 72 minutes as Omar Mussa and Ade Azeez made way for Kurtis Kumberbatch and Louis Collins.

On 77 minutes it was Yeovil's turn to make their first sub as Rhys Murphy was brought on for Rueben Reid.

It would take just a few seconds for Murphy to have an impact as he scored with just his second touch of the match. A good cross to the back post found Murphy who fired the ball into the ground and the ball bounced in for 3-1.

With there being just 12 minutes of normal time left Yeovil just had to keep their heads and see the game out for a crucial three points.

Yeovil were gifted the opportunity to make it 4-1 on 85 minutes as Rhys Murphy was put through on goal but was fouled in the box by Dover keeper Oliver Webber. Joe Quigley stepped up to take the penalty to complete his hat trick but Webber made a great double save and kept the score at 3-1.

Yeovil made their second substitution on 88 minutes as Tom Knowles was replaced by Chris Dagnall.

The final sub came on 90 minutes as Josh Neufville was replaced by Matt Warburton

The rest of the game was fairly tame - Dover tried to rally to get back into the game but they it was too late and Yeovil ran out worthy winners.

Full Time: Yeovil Town 3-1 Dover Athletic

It was good to see that Yeovil had bounced back from the disappointment of the Maidenhead game on Wednesday and more importantly that they were able to defeat a side who are also struggling at the wrong end of the table at the moment.

The result sees us jump up a place to 19th - now 5 points above the relegation zone as Weymouth - currently occupying the final relegation spot - lost 1-0 at home to Notts County.

Yeovil have a whole week to prepare for their second trip of the season to Edgely Park to face Stockport County where they will be looking for revenge for their defeat in the FA Cup 2nd Round back in December.

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

Yeovil Town

1 - Adam Smith, 27 - Alex Bradley, 26 - Max Hunt, 4 - Lee Collins, 14 - Michael Kelly, 21 - Tom Knowles (replaced by 34 - Chris Dagnall on 88 minutes), 7 - Matt Worthington, 24 - Josh Neufville (replaced by 11 - Matt Warburton on 90 minutes), 18 - Albi Skendi, 19 - Joe Quigley, 33 - Reuben Reid (replaced by 9 - Rhys Murphy on 77 minutes)

Substitutes

9 - Rhys Murphy, 10 - Jimmy Smith, 11 - Matt Warburton, 34 - Chris Dagnall, 31 - Max Evans

Dover Athletic

26 - Oliver Webber, 3 - Sam Wood, 4 - Oscar Gobern, 6 - Will De Havilland, 9 - Akheem Rose, 17 - Travis Gregory (replaced by 10 - Steve Rigg on 66 minutes), 18 - Harry Ransom, 19 - Ade Azeez (replaced by 7 - Louis Collins on 74 minutes), 20 - Marvel Ekpiteta, 23 - Omar Mussa (replaced by 8 - Kurtis Cumberbatch on 74 minutes), 25 - Ryan Hanson

Substitutes

1 - Yusuf Mersin, 7 - Louis Collins, 8 - Kurtis Kumberbatch, 10 - Steve Rigg, 16 - Marshall Wratten

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