Yeovil Town slipped to only their third home league defeat of the season this afternoon when they went down to a 23rd minute strike from Nathan Eccleston.

The out-of-sorts Glovers had few real chances in the game except for the best of opportunities, a penalty, which Dean Bowditch blasted over the bar in the dying moments of the first half.

Manager Terry Skiverton made just two changes to the side that lost at Tranmere Rovers in midweek. Midfield duo Ryan Mason and debutant Owain Tudur Jones replaced Keiran Murtagh and Nathan Smith in the midfield.

The visiting Terriers were shouting for a penalty in the opening minute when top scorer Jordan Rhodes saw his shot blocked but referee Gavin Ward waved away their appeals.

Shaun MacDonald had Yeovil's first effort on goal on four minutes after good work down the right from Sam Williams and Dean Bowditch but his shot didn't trouble keeper Alex Smithies.

Tudur Jones was looking impressive in the early stages and h sent a rising shot over the crossbar nine minutes in. As the game settled down, the first clear chance of goal came to Nathan Eccleston but he just failed to turn in a cross from Gary Roberts.

Eccleston was soon on the scoresheet though after a mixup in the Yeovil defence. From a cross on the right, centre half Steven Caulker and keeper Alex McCarthy went foir the same ball, Caulker heading it a fraction before the keeper claimed it. The ball then fell to Eccleston who fired low and hard into the net.

Clear chances were few and far between for either side. Bowditch looped a keeper into the arms of Smithies while ex-Tranmere midfielder Antony Kay hit his shot two yards wide.

With four minutes of the first half left, Tudur Jones sent another shot whizzing over the bar but any frustration at the miss vanished two minutes later when Ryan Mason was tripped in the box, referee Ward awarding a spot kick.

All eyes were on Mason to repeat his success from twleve yards on Tuesday night but Bowditch claimed the ball then sent his penalty high over the bar and into the crowd.

Eccleston nearly made it two early in the second half which McCarthy held easily but the tide started to turn.

The Glovers had their best spell of the match. Mason flicked Craig Alcock's cross just wide, Williams turned and hit a shot that was blocked by the keeper and from the resulting corner, Alcock nearly grabbed his second goal of the season but Smithies got down and saved well.

Mason hit a shot straight at Smithies too as the home crowd got behind the previously subdued team. Visiting manager  Lee Clark brought on Lee Novak and James Berrett for Danny Drinkwater and Eccleston as he looked to shore things up.

Skiverton replied with Gavin Tomlin, returning from injury, replaced Bowditch with twenty minutes left and six minutes later, Andy Welsh came on for Mason.

With nine minutes left, Yeovil had their clearest chance of the second half. The two substitutes, Tomlin and Welsh, combined and the latter found himself eye-to-eye with the keeper but his flicked effort with the outside of his left foot missed the near post by a couple of yards.

Referee Ward, often fussy, booked Jean-Paul Kalala late on for an accumulation of fouls and the Congolese will now miss two matches after his tenth booking of the season.

Rhodes spurned the last real chance for the Terriers volleying wide after Williams header fell at his feet late on but despite five minutes of stoppage time following some timewasting from the visitors, Yeovil couldn't grab a point from the afternoon's display.