MATCH REPORT: Yeovil Town v Northwich Victoria

NATIONWIDE CONFERENCE

YEOVIL TOWN 2, NORTHWICH VICTORIA 1

STEVE SOWDEN REPORTS FROM THE AVENUE STADIUM

GOALKEEPER Jon Sheffield rose from the bench like a phoenix from the flames on Saturday and made an immediate impact to force his fiercest of critics to eat their own words of cruel criticism.

It was 50 minutes into the Nationwide Conference fixture with Northwich Victoria at the Avenue Stadium and Yeovil Town were leading 2-1 - although their advantage should have been much greater such was their overall dominance of proceedings.

Yeovil's regular custodian between the posts, Chris Weale, was sent-off after felling the oncoming Northwich forward Greg Blundell inside the box and referee Mr A. Williams had little option but to send the talented young keeper for an early bath and award a penalty.

In the ensuing moments there was frantic activity on the Yeovil bench as manager Gary Johnson and his lieutenants prepared Sheffield to take to the field with the unlucky Kim Grant having to make way for the replacement keeper.

Sheffield raced over towards the goal in-front of the massed ranks of Yeovil supporters and he was given a warm reception - ironically by many of those who had ridiculed him at the start of last season following a number of costly mistakes.

Moments later his name was being chanted from the rafters in adulation as he dived correctly to his right and saved Blundell's spot-kick which, it has to be said, was not the best struck penalty ever to be taken.

Sheffield had gone from villain to hero in a split second. And you could not feel nothing but delight for the former Plymouth Argyle man who had, unjustly in my opinion, been something of a scapegoat among supporters for Yeovil's erratic form at the beginning of last term.

And Johnson was delighted more than most that the keeper he had kept faith with, when some felt he might have been shown the Huish Park exit door during the summer, had proven to be a match-winner.

"Sheff has been working himself into the ground during every training session and he was ready," he said. "He hasn't dropped his head - he's waited and waited. He's worked hard with Weale and Steve Collis and that save epitomised for me all that Sheff is.

"Now the ball could have gone into the other corner and no-one would have mentioned anything, but I think you make your own luck and with Sheff's hard work over the past few months, he has earned that penalty save."

Yeovil were down to ten men for the second match on the trot and despite all of Northwich's efforts they could not force an equaliser with Sheffield dealing well when called upon, but once again the defence was in superb form with skipper supreme Terry Skiverton in inspirational form and Colin Pluck in commanding mood.

It was Skiverton who gave Yeovil the lead in the 23rd minute when he netted after getting on the end of a cross put through by the enigmatic Scottish midfielder Michael McIndoe - who was subjected to some good natured banter by the fans later on over his country's dismal showing that afternoon against the Faroe Islands.

The goal was nothing more than Yeovil deserved having continually carved open a Northwich defence but failed to produce the killer touch.

But, as so often, Yeovil suddenly found themselves at 1-1 when Adam Lockwood failed to clear and Joe Allan let rip an unstoppable shot from well outside the box which not even the acrobatic Weale could do anything about.

One of the most satisfying aspects of Yeovil's go-and-get-them play this season is that the Glovers seem to be at their most dangerous when they have just conceded a goal - just like the great Liverpool side of the 1980s.

And they regained the lead shortly before the interval when Kim Grant netted with a header that went in off the underside of the bar following a McIndoe corner.

After a dodgy opening period in the second-half, Yeovil regrouped following Weale's dismissal and took the game to their visitors, but could not grab that all-important third goal.

Northwich had plenty of hustle and bustle but their shooting was not up to standard - although Nick Crittenden had to clear the ball off the line from one last-gasp goalmouth melee.

It was Yeovil's fifth victory in succession despite not yet getting into top gear and no wonder the Glovers' gaffer was delighted and even more pleased that the spirit within the camp was shining bright at present.

"We've got a Yeovil spirit here both on and off the field and if you are going to do well in the league, these are the sort of games where that spirit has to come out," he said.

They say that winning games becomes a habit - and Yeovil are currently becoming addicted to claiming maximum points regardless of the potentially difficult situations they are finding themselves in.