Yeovil Town paid the price for a slow second half start as they went down by two goals to one against Leicester City at Huish Park tonight.

 

Goals from Lloyd Dyer on 54 minutes and a David Nugent penalty on the hour put the Foxes two up. A James Hayter penalty, Yeovil’s first league goal at home this season, pulled a goal back seven minutes from time but it was no more than a consolation as Yeovil suffered their fifth defeat of the season at home. It left the Glovers rooted in 22nd place in the Championship table.

 

Manager Gary Johnson named the same starting eleven as had drawn at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday with the only changes on the bench. Michael Ngoo and Sam Hoskins dropped out of the eighteen to be replaced by Kieffer Moore and Byron Webster, returning from suspension.

 

Ed Upson sliced Yeovil’s first chance wide in the fifth minute as the hosts made a confident start against one of the division’s fancied teams lying in third place. Promising Foxes centre back Liam Moore headed wide soon after and Lloyd Dyer hit the first of many chances he had into the side netting.

 

After a lull in play where neither side threatened and the battle was fought in midfield, the next ten minutes saw a flurry of chances for both sides. Dyer sliced his effort well wide and Jamie Vardy shot over after Anthony Knockaert played him in. Yeovil midfield pair of Upson and Joe Ralls both got shots away but neither troubled Kasper Schmeichel in the visitors goal.

 

Liam Davis and Joel Grant both fired over and Upson pulled his shot wide as the half drew on while Schmeichel then saved from Andy Williams.

 

Leicester started much more energetically in the second period and after Knockaert and Vardy had spurned chances, they took the lead nine minutes in. Nugent broke the offside trap down the left flank and after bursting forward, crossed for Lloyd Dyer to finish easily.

 

Six minutes later and it was 2-0. Ritchie de Laet broke into the Yeovil penalty area and seemed to be tripped by Danny Seaborne. Ref Brendan Malone pointed to the penalty spot and Nugent made no mistake from twelve yards, putting his spot kick straight down the middle.

 

Seaborne injured himself in the challenge and was immediately replaced by Byron Webster. Within two minutes, Paddy Madden came closest to scoring for Yeovil when his driven free kick went a couple of feet wide. Yeovil then had a scare when Vardy appeared to foul Webster but his pass to Dyer ended in the winger slicing his shot again.

 

Dyer then had an even better effort that he created himself after a sixty yard run through the Yeovil midfield and defence. Gary Johnson made two quick subs, withdrawing Luke Ayling and Andy Williams and bringing on Jamie McAllister and James Hayter. And Hayter was right in the thick of the action on 83 minutes when former Nottingham Forest centre back Wes Morgan brought the striker down in the box. Hayter got up and confidently stroked home the penalty for the first home league goal for 444 minutes this season.

 

Both keepers were called into action late on as the game opened up for both sides. Vardy shot over the crossbar and Wayne Hennessey saved from Paul Konchesky with Schmeichel saving from Joel Grant’s effort.