By Dan Howell
Yeovil Town secured back-to-back wins with a commanding 3-0 victory away at Wealdstone, moving up to 8th in the National League table. Goals from Brett McGavin, Aaron Jarvis, and Ciaran McGuckin sealed the win, leaving the Glovers just two points off the play-off positions.
Manager Mark Cooper made four changes to the side that was knocked out of the FA Cup by Chesham, with Aaron Jarvis, James Plant, Matt Worthington, and Dylan Morgan returning to the starting line-up.
The match sprang into life in the opening 10 minutes, with a long-range effort from Wealdstone’s Micah Obiero and yellow cards for Yeovil’s Ollie Wright, Max Kretzschmar, and Adrian Mariappa. In the 14th minute, Wealdstone’s Jack Wells-Morrison forced Ollie Wright into a fine diving save with a shot from distance. Soon after, Ciaran McGuckin had the ball in the net, but it was ruled out for offside.
Obiero was fortunate to escape with just a yellow card after dragging back McGuckin when through on goal, as the referee did not deem it a denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
Yeovil began to take control and broke the deadlock in the 26th minute. After a spell of pressure, Aaron Jarvis found Brett McGavin with a lofted pass, and McGavin headed home from close range to make it 1-0. Jarvis had a chance to double the lead minutes later but was denied by a superb save from Wealdstone’s keeper Sam Howes.
The Glovers continued to dominate as the half progressed, with Matt Worthington coming close from a McGavin corner, but his header went wide. Yeovil entered the break with a one-goal lead.
The second half started much like the first had ended, with Yeovil in control. They thought they had scored again in the 48th minute, but Dylan Morgan’s effort was ruled out for offside after Matt Worthington was judged to have interfered with play. However, just two minutes later, Aaron Jarvis made it 2-0, glancing a header past Howes from a Dom Bernard cross.
James Plant nearly added a third on 53 minutes, cutting inside from the left and curling a shot just over the bar. The third goal finally came shortly after, in the 56th minute, when another McGavin corner found Jake Wannell on the edge of the box. His drilled shot deflected off McGuckin and into the net, marking McGuckin’s third consecutive league game with a goal.
Following the third goal, Aaron Jarvis was replaced by Frank Nouble. Ollie Wright made a brilliant save to maintain Yeovil’s clean sheet, before the second substitution saw Alex Whittle come on for Matt Worthington.
Wealdstone continued to threaten but failed to test Wright. Henry Sandat fired over the bar when through on goal, and Jack Cook saw his header cleared by Jake Wannell in the final 10 minutes. Dylan Morgan was then replaced by Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, while Jordan Young came on for McGuckin.
Yeovil’s final change came with five minutes left, as Finn Cousin-Dawson replaced Brett McGavin. Substitute Frank Nouble had a header saved by Howes, and Lo-Everton’s strike was blocked at close range.
The final opportunity of the match fell to Wealdstone’s Elliot Thorpe, who struck wide from distance. Yeovil controlled possession during six minutes of stoppage time to see out a comfortable victory, moving closer to the play-off positions with their second consecutive league win.
