by Dan Howell

Yeovil Town extended their impressive league form into November with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Southend United at Roots Hall. A second-half strike from James Plant separated the sides, as Southend played most of the match with ten men following the first-half dismissal of their goalkeeper, Zachary Jeacock.

Mark Cooper’s side travelled to Essex missing several key players due to injuries, suspensions, and illness within the camp. Brett McGavin was among those benched, as Cooper made five changes to the squad that faced Maidenhead United last time out.

Southend began on the front foot, creating the first significant chance 17 minutes in. Aribim Pepple received the ball on the edge of the area, turned sharply, and curled a shot that deflected wide. This moment sparked the match into life, and Yeovil soon responded as Kofi Shaw progressed towards the Southend goal, only to see his shot blocked. The ball fell to Pedro Borges, who recycled the attack with a cross that just grazed Harvey Greenslade’s head.

The game’s major drama unfolded just before the half-hour mark. Pedro Borges broke through on goal with only Jeacock to beat, but the Southend keeper handled the ball outside his area in an attempt to stop Borges’ lofted effort. Referee Abigail Byrne promptly issued a red card, forcing Southend to introduce substitute goalkeeper Colin Adeng Ndi at the expense of an outfield player. Yeovil’s Charlie Cooper took the resulting free kick, which curled narrowly wide of the far post.

Just minutes later, Cooper received a yellow card following a brief exchange with the referee, while Yeovil’s Finn Cousin-Dawson joined him in the book in the 38th minute. As the half entered stoppage time, Cooper delivered a cross that was cleared only as far as Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, who unleashed a shot that sailed over the bar. Tempers flared once again when Pepple weaved into the penalty area, with Southend players appealing for a penalty after Ollie Wright denied his attempt. In the aftermath, Byrne approached the Southend bench and issued a second red card to manager Kevin Maher.

Yeovil came out for the second half with renewed intensity. In the 50th minute, after the ball bounced around in the Southend box, Frank Nouble set up Shaw, whose low shot was deflected and collected by Ndi. The Glovers maintained their pressure, and five minutes later Borges connected with a deep cross from Plant but skewed his shot wide.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 65th minute. Receiving the ball from Alex Whittle, Plant drove down the left before cutting back and delivering a lofted cross that took Ndi by surprise, sailing over his head and into the far corner. It was Plant’s first goal for Yeovil and proved decisive.

In response, Southend made a triple substitution in the 75th minute, introducing George Wind, Macauley Bonne, and Cavangah Miley to shift momentum. But Yeovil continued their attacking intent, with Ndi forced to make key saves in the closing stages to deny efforts from Dylan Morgan and Nouble. Yeovil’s final substitution saw Kofi Shaw make way for Jordan Thomas, who had returned from his loan at Salisbury.

The Glovers held firm through six additional minutes to secure a well-earned victory, much to the delight of the 251 travelling fans.