by Dan Howell
Yeovil Town returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion with a 3-0 victory away at Solihull Moors. A first half strike from Josh Sims, followed by second half goals from Ciaran McGuckin and Alex Whittle, secured all three points for the Glovers.
New signing Otis Khan was handed a place in the starting XI, with Marcel Lavinier, Brett McGavin, and the departing Frank Nouble making way.
The opening exchanges resembled a cagey boxing match, with both sides sizing each other up. The first booking came in the 11th minute when Alex Whittle put in a heavy challenge on Manny Duku. From the resulting free kick, Jamey Osborne tried his luck, only to see his effort blocked by the onrushing Josh Sims. Moments later, Osborne found himself in the referee’s book for a heavy tackle on Sonny Blu Lo-Everton.
The deadlock was broken in the 28th minute in unusual fashion, with Josh Sims claiming his first goal in green and white. Sonny Blu Lo-Everton played Sims in, and despite a crowd of yellow shirts in front of him, he drove into the area and fired a shot that deflected off Alexander Whitmore and into the net. A bizarre goal that left the travelling Yeovil fans momentarily delayed in their celebrations, given their position at the opposite end of the ground.
Yeovil continued to put the Solihull defence under pressure. Ten minutes later, Dom Bernard surged forward, latching onto a lofted pass from McGuckin before delivering a cross that was gathered by goalkeeper Ollie Wright. From the opposite wing, Otis Khan made inroads, linking up with Finn Cousin-Dawson, but his shot failed to trouble Wright. Just before half-time, McGuckin had a golden opportunity after Charlie Cooper intercepted play and set him up, but his low effort rolled narrowly wide of the post.
The Glovers picked up where they left off in the second half, continuing to stretch the Solihull defence. Sims and Lo-Everton combined well, delivering crosses that just evaded Khan and McGuckin before another found Charlie Cooper, who could only steer his effort wide.
It wasn’t long before Yeovil doubled their advantage, once again through the combination of Sims and Lo-Everton. Lo-Everton intercepted a clearance and played Sims through. The winger drove to the byline before cutting the ball back to McGuckin, who poked home in front of the delighted away supporters.
Soon after, the Glovers made it three with the goal of the afternoon. A corner from Khan fell to Cooper, whose initial strike was blocked. The clearance looped out of the box and into the path of Whittle, who struck a stunning volley over Wright and into the top corner.
With a comfortable lead secured, Yeovil made changes, bringing on Harvey Greenslade for goalscorer McGuckin. Greenslade nearly made an instant impact, just missing a dangerous Charlie Cooper cross that flashed across the penalty area. As the game neared its conclusion, the Glovers remained on the front foot while keeping Solihull at bay.
Further substitutions saw Ryan McLean and Lewys Twamley introduced, and in stoppage time, Solihull had their best chance. Finley Holmes capitalised on an error, rounded Aidan Stone, but Kyle Ferguson was on hand to make a crucial block.
The final change of the match saw young Corey Koerner make his professional debut for the club. The captain of Yeovil’s title winning Under 18s squad had been involved with the first team throughout the season and was finally rewarded with his first National League minutes.
As the final whistle blew, Solihull’s chances of a comeback had long faded, and Yeovil secured a well-earned three points along with a clean sheet. Attention now turns to next Saturday’s home fixture against AFC Fylde, as the Glovers look to build on this impressive performance.
