Yeovil Town lost their fifth league game out of six as they let a two goal lead slip to lose 4-2 at home to Morecambe this afternoon.

Harry Cornick gave Yeovil the dream start with the lead on 59 seconds but Shaun Jeffers then saw red for a challenge on Aaron McGowan. Amazingly, Yeovil doubled their lead straight after through an Omar Sowunmi header but then manager Paul Sturrock also saw red for disputing Jeffers’ dismissal, sent to the stands by ref Nick Kinseley.

The Shrimps comeback started on the hour through sub Aaron Wildig to set nerves jangling and when Andrew Fleming equalised, it looked inevitable that the visitors would go on to win and eventually did. Goals late on from the other two subs, Lee Molyneux and Kevin Ellison sealed e game.

Unsurprisingly given the lack of luck with injuries, , The Yeovil boss was unable to name an unchanged line up after Tuesday’s Johnstone Paint Trophy win over Barnet. Josh Wakefield suffered a knock in the 1-0 victory and was replaced by Jordan Gibbons. Such was the lack of bodies that Yeovil could name only four subs on the bench!

The Glovers couldn’t have wished for a better start. Shaun Jeffers controlled in the right channel and found Jack Compton; the winger then crossed to Harry Cornick who side footed into an empty net at the back post.

Morecambe then controlled the next period of the game without really testing Glovers keeper Artur Krysiak, the Pole easily holding on to chances from Tom Barkhuizen and Alan Goodall and watching Shaun Miller’s sliced shot go wide.

Morecambe left back Laurence Wilson could count himself very lucky not to receive a card of some colour after kicking out at Connor Roberts as he shepherded the ball out for a throw in and it looked even more of a lucky escape when Yeovil were reduced to ten men on 27 minutes. Jeffers and Aaron McGowan clashed in midfield but with three visiting players chasing the ref demanding a card be shown, ref Nick Kinseley obliged, issuing his third red card in six games and maintaining his incredible record of a red card almost every two games.

Just two minutes later through and it was Yeovil who doubled their lead. Nathan Smith sent in a cross and Omar Sowunmi looped a header back over Barry Roche into the far corner. But in the aftermath of the goal, manager Paul Sturrock was dismissed after having words with the fourth official.

The remainder of the half saw Morecambe continue to dominate but referee Kinesley still taking centre stage by giving yellows to Jamie Devitt and McGowan for tackles as bad as the one that had seen Jeffers red carded.

At half time, Shrimps boss Jim Bentley took McGowan off to prevent him from being sent off and replaced him with Lee Molyneux. The ex Crewe player looked really lively in the opening quarter of the second half, blazing way over with his first effort, wide with a free kick then hitting one from 25 yards that forced Krysiak to save.

It was a warning sign that Morecambe would make their pressure count and after Andrew Fleming had missed a sitter, they pulled a goal back on 63 minutes courtesy of a bicycle kick from Aaron Wildig that flew into the top corner. And seven minutes later, it was 2-2 when the influential Molyneux released left back Wilson and his cross was slid into the net by Fleming in a carbon copy of Yeovils first goal.

Ryan Edwards did superbly to stop Harry Cornick from regaining the lead for Yeovil when he had dispossessed the keeper and shot on goal, Edwards heading his shot off the line. It was resembling attack v defence by this time in the match and although Yeovil sub Ryan Bird headed a Gibbons cross wide, it was a rare chance. Then with six minutes left, the goal that stuck a knife into Yeovils hopes of getting anything from the game. From a Yeovil corner, Morecambe counter attacked at pace and Molyneux rifled home after the ball had been played across to him from the centre of the box.   

The third Morecambe sub, experienced Kevin Ellison, had come on with fifteen minutes left and after he had seen one diving header rebound off the post, it was second time lucky when he scored the fourth, another header from Krysiak’s parry of a Molyneux shot.

So the taste of defeat for the Glovers after two wins from the last three games but the Yeovil fans in the crowd of 3,024 will be wondering what would have happened if the game had stayed eleven v eleven or even ten v ten.