An 85th minute header from former Bristol Rovers midfielder Jeff Hughes settled the match at Huish Park this afternoon.

It was harsh on a Yeovil side who had double the number of chances that Fleetwood created but were wasteful in front of goal with keeper Chris Maxwell outstanding, pulling off several top class saves to deny Yeovil’s attackers.

The result drops Yeovil to bottom position in League One but Fleetwood’s 72 away fans today will enjoy their long trip back to Lancashire with their first three point away haul since August.

Town boss Gary Johnson unsurprisingly named an unchanged eleven from that which beat Crawley in the FA Cup last Saturday. Fleetwood gave an instant debut to new loan striker Martin Paterson, signed from Huddersfield this week. And the former Burnley forward was in the action immediately, breaking down the right flank and crossing but his hard work was fruitless as no one got on the end of it.

Yeovil went even closer on eight minutes when Sam Foley’s cross was headed on to the back post by Ajay Leitch-Smith. It was the first in a series of five corners that Yeovil won but failed to convert any chance, Ben Nugent also heading way over.

Keeper Maxwell was alert to save from Jordan Clarke’s flick header and then saved superbly after Jordy Hiwula’s jinking run created space for a left foot shot. Joe Edwards also tested the Cod Army defence with a thirty yarder that was deflected for a corner.

The Yeovil defenders, resolute at one end, then pushed forward at times with Steven Arthurworrey heading a corner at Maxwell and Liam Davis thumping a left footed shot well wide. Former Yeovil loan midfielder Josh Morris and Kevin Dawson clashed twice, earning the game’s first two yellow cards for each other while Edwards followed them into the boo shortly after.

Edwards next contribution was a positive one as he released Leitch-Smith down the left. The attacker burst forward before cutting inside and unleashing a goalbound shot that Maxwell tipped away fantastically. Clarke again went close with a stooping header but although the visitors replied with a couple of speculative shots from Gareth Evans, the expectancy was that Yeovil would come out in the second half and push on.

Apart from a Hiwula effort that was ruled out for offside, the second half offered little for the Glovers in terms of chances. Yeovil keeper Jed Steer saved from Evans then got down well to deny Hughes early on after the break. James Berrett lashed wide on 62 minutes but the opportunities were too sporadic to build up any momentum. Hiwula smashed a shot against the crossbar but play had already stopped for a handball previously.

After Hiwula’s miscontrol had cost him a clear cut chance, Berrett curled in a beauty of a shot that Maxwell saved brilliantly. The game livened up after that and Clarke went close with another glancing header before Dawson broke down the right, fed Hiwula but again, his control let him down and the chance was lost.

The miss was vital though as Fleetwood grabbed the only goal two minutes later. From a corner delivered by Steven Schumacher, Jeff Hughes met the cross with a perfect bullet header into the net. Yeovil had only one more chance to grab a leveller but Sam Foley’s free kick sailed over the crossbar harmlessly.