So here we were, 5 games from the end of the season and people were already booking their tickets for Wembley
Sure the table suggested that this was a winnable game and I for one expected (hoped) us to win - but against a side fighting for their Championship status this was far from a walkover
We followed tradition and went to the Airfield Tavern for pre match beers and in keeping with tradition there were only 2 bar staff to cope with the 2000 of us and they ran out of the best beer in the first 20 minutes
The beer bought for me by my daughter having just turned 18 was especially tasty though - the first of many, I hope :-)
Lunch was provided by the chippy next to the pub and once I'd got the hang of the fact that they'd clearly been cooked on the SUN I managed to tentatively enjoy the food
The ground was only a 10 minute walk away but worth every step to ensure that we could get away without delay
I'd done a q and a session for the Yeovil programme and had been promised a free copy but as there was no one wearing a rose in the lapel, carrying a copy of the guardian I guessed my answers hadn't been up to scratch and bought one anyway - you can't hide from vanity :-)
Despite being at the ground nearly an hour before kick off the stands were quite full but we found a good vantage point just to the right of the goal
Unfortunately it did mean that we had to keep our wits about us because the nets they put up behind the practise goal were actually lower than the goals so we had to ensure a good 10 minutes of being peppered by some truly woeful shots - maybe they were saving the good ones for the game...
We'd brought so many and to see the Hillsborough minute's silence observed so well was very moving
Little was I to know that this silence was more of a theme than a special occasion .....
Yeovil were big and strong all over the pitch and it is one of our Achilles heels that we don't seem to fare well against bruising sides so I just hoped we were up to the task
In the first 2 minutes it was like the start of the Reading game as Grabban quickly showed his pace and was away down the left
He cut back and found Ritchie and as we all waited for the net to billow he smashed the ball over the stand
Oh ok, not quite like Reading then
Yeovil then started to make their presence pay with some fantastic chasing down and some bone crunching tackles
They looked like they wanted it more and were prepared to run through anyone to get what they wanted
Sometimes that skirted legality but more often it was down to honest endeavour and strength that kept AFCB on the back foot
Keiffer Moore in particular was causing us all kinds of problems with his height and power, winning every header and shielding the ball well
It was he that had Yeovil's first meaningful shot on goal shortly after Fraser had had a tame effort saved on 18 minutes
Cutting inside from the right he sent a stinging shot towards Camp who could only just parry it but had the presence of mind to jump on the ball before it could be bundled in
Yeovil were very much on top as Bournemouth looked a shadow of the side from Tuesday
Fraser has good reason to be running slower as he was floored by a tackle better suited to wrestle mania than the football match but as for the others - maybe I should roll out Atkins' "bad day at the office" excuse
That, though, would be doing Yeovil an injustice as on 25 minutes they got the lead their play richly deserved
A free kick from the half way line was lobbed up into the box and was only limply headed away to Moore, who thumped the ball into the top right corner to make it 1-0
No more than they deserved and no less than we as supporters deserved as we put up a performance as flat as the players
When you are outsung by the supporters in the seats you really do have to think whether these arguments for better atmospheres at safe standing areas hold any truth at all
Grabban had 2 chances to raise everyone's spirits before the half time whistle but the first, a low cross from Francis, he missed completely and the second, after he had chipped a defender brilliantly to create a shooting chance, almost went for a throw in
That summed up the first half really - we weren't awful, in fact on the counter we looked quite good but we just seemed out of sorts
Either we couldn't decide when to cross the ball or we crossed with so little accuracy we'd have needed 500 in the box to have a chance of getting near the ball
Half Time 1-0
After a slightly improved opening 10 minutes of the second half where we started to gain some possession without actually looking that threatening, Howe made a surprise (to me) substitute
He brought Smith on and took Harte off
I didn't even realise he could play on the left
What I also didn't appreciate was how this move was to change the feel of the game
I have nothing but praise for what Harte has brought to the team with his composure and fantastic ball delivery but even he'd be the first to admit he's no Usain Bolt
Smith, on the other hand, has pace to burn and suddenly we were as threatening on the left with him and Fraser as we were in the right with Francis and Ritchie
Within 2 minutes of being on the pitch he was charging down the left and threaded a ball through the defence for Fraser to run on to
Unfortunately he over hit the pass just slightly which allowed the defender to come across, right to left, to smash the ball clear
That was the intention, anyway
What actually happened was that he hoofed the ball straight into Fraser's chest and the ball looped back over his head
But that wasn't the end of it
The ball continued to loop up and their 9 foot 6 goalkeeper could only look up in anguish as it sailed over his head and nestled into the top right corner to make it 1-1
Finally the crowd cheered
We'd said before the game that any goal would do and so maybe fortune was on our side and we'd go on to win this
Instead of AFCB raising their game it was Yeovil that rose to the challenge
Despite us looking dangerous on the break it was Yeovil that created the most panic
On 63 minutes a series of corners had AFCB flinging themselves at man and ball as the ball pinballed around the box and we were all waiting for the scoreboard to click over but the ball was finally clawed away
Three minutes later it was Ritchie that was carrying the charge forward down the right
Instead of using the tireless Francis overlapping him he cut inside and had he had a haircut that allowed a clear field of vision I'm sure he'd have seen the players free to the left and he wouldn't have shot tamely
Again though, the story of the day - it was like going back in time to December - lots of threat but always the final ball was lacking
If the Smith substitute was inspired, the next baffled me
Even if we guess that Grabban wasn't fully fit, I'm not sure what Pitman brings to the team
With him and Kermorgant up front we have no pace at all
Sure Rantie doesn't look like he could finish his dinner let alone finish a move but he has got pace and when we are playing on the break that is exactly what you need
On 68 minutes it almost didn't matter as for once Francis was beaten to the ball and their striker was away
Rather than running to the byline he charged at goal and tried to beat Camp at his near post but he was equal to the shot and the defence was able to scramble it away
Five minutes later and we were all wondering if the team were wearing new spoon sponsored boots as another chance went begging
This time it was a Ritchie low cross that was stepped over by Pitman (surely he wasn't brought on just for this move) and there was Fraser to smash it out of the ground
I think we've been spoilt in recent weeks with all shots at least hitting the target
Today that strike rate was being evened out
With 15 minutes to go a rare Cook slip gave the ball away and an instant strike sent the ball just over the bar
Finally Rantie came on but it was for the unfortunate Fraser so while we gained speed in the middle we now had fewer options on the wing
Maybe Howe's decision to not bring Rantie on earlier was justified as he made no impact on the game except for a sluggish challenge on him which got the yellow it deserved
In fact it was Yeovil that had the final chance just 9 minutes from the end where more chaos was created in the box and only a last gasp clearance prevented the home side from collecting all 3 points
Summary : AFCB just weren't at the races today
In previous games their work rate had been phenomenal and the pace of attack a joy to watch
Today there was no such spark and they were far too static and slow to truly trouble a well drilled team
You might say Yeovil are a little one dimensional but I prefer to think they play to their strengths
They have big men all over the pitch and they make sure the opposition know they are there
AFCB just didn't have enough pace or guile to break them down and when it wasn't working we started to lump the ball forwards which was just food and drink to the giants of Yeovil
This might well have ended the dream of the play-offs but it's still been a fantastic season and I'm looking forward to what the future brings
Star Man - O'Kane - surprisingly strong in the challenge and was good at doing the simple things well
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