Match Report: Yeovil Town v. Leeds United

By Alex O'Loughlin
April 5 2010

Yeovil and Leeds took to the field in front of the Sky cameras for what turned out to be a David vs. Goliath encounter.

The game began swiftly, with both sides looking to stamp a dominance on the game.

The bumper crowd of over 6,000 people had little to shout about in the opening minutes, but could not falter both sides effort and commitment.

On the 12th minute, the first notable chance took place, when Gavin Tomlin found space cleverly, before lashing a powerful shot goal wards which Shane Higgs saved well.

This aroused Leeds, who soon responded when Robert Snodgrass was allowed to shot forcing a neat save from Alex McCarthy.

With the 20 minute mark approaching, the deadlock was nearly broken by a speculative volley from JP Kalala, whose effort rose over the bar.

Just minutes later, many of the on looking fans thought Yeovil had taken the lead, when Steven Caulker headed into the side netting, sending half of the crowd delirious, all in vein.

The game continued to be fast flowing, as Leeds- as in recent times- struggled to create any meaningful chances. 

However, on the 28th minute Leeds got their first goal in over 300 minutes when Richard Naylor's back post header looped over McCarthy, whose positioning was suspect. 0-1.

That goal stunned Yeovil, who then slumped into the shadow of Leeds who grew in confidence.

Their advantage was nearly doubled when Max Gradel saw his effort tipped over after a good run.

But they didn't have to wait long, when from a Neil Kilkenny corner, Richard Naylor grabbed his second when he took advantage of some shocking marking to make it 0-2.

At half time the Glovers trudged in 2 goals down, whilst Leeds looked to gain their first win in four.

The second half began ferociously, with Neil Kilkenny corners causing the Green and Whites some concern.

Jermaine Beckford tried his luck from 25 yards but his effort was comfortably saved, marking a poor day for the striker.

In contrast, Robert Snodgrass continued to have a good day, when his shot was again tipped over by Alex McCarthy.

By the 60th minute, it had become apparent that Yeovil could not deal with Leigh Bromby's throw-ins, causing the Glovers constant issues.

Max Gradel nearly capitalised from this when he lashed a shot at goal after Yeovil failed to clear. Only denied by a fantastic save by McCarthy.

With Yeovil struggling, Skiverton made a substitution, replacing Scott Davies with Andy Welsh.

Dead on the 65th minute, Gavin Williams nearly repeated what he did in his last game, when his curling free kick nearly grabbed a goal back.

But they didn't have to wait long, when Dean Bowditch found space well in the box to fire into the far corner of the net to re-start the game. 1-2.

From then on the Glovers became rampant, with constant barrages coming Leeds' way, who slowly slumped back into their own half.

Shaun MacDonald saw his effort sail over the bar, before Gavin Williams saw his headed effort cleared off the line.

Leeds looked to cling on the lead and withdrew Jermaine Beckford and Neil Kilkenny replacing them with Sanchez Watt and Bradley Johnson.

Yeovil continued to press until the end but Leeds hung on for the win. However, Terry Skiverton will take many positives ahead of Saturday's trip to Stockport.

Full time: Yeovil Town 1-2 Leeds United