12th August 2014

Yeovil Town went out of the Capital One Cup at the first round stage after losing by two goals to one to Gillingham at Huish Park tonight.

A terrible defensive muddle between Aaron Martin and keeper Artur Krysiak gifted the Gills a first half lead but after coming back into the game through a Simon Gillett screamer, Aaron Morris fired home the winner just before the hour.

Yeovil then had Seth Nana Twumasi harshly sent off for a late challenge on Luke Norris and although the Glovers had chances to level, they never really came that close to scoring and it will be Peter Taylor’s Kent side that take their place alongside 13 Premier League clubs in the second round.

After Saturday’s debacle against Doncaster, manager Gary Johnson rang the changes making five alterations to his starting eleven. He also changed formations bringing in Twumasi and Nathan Smith to use as wing backs with Ben Nugent coming in for his debut as a third centre back in a 3-5-2 formation.

Artur Krysiak also came in for Chris Weale and the big Pole was almost called into action early on when Joe Martin’s shot scuttled just wide of his far post. Twumasi was getting forward from his right wing back position and he tested visiting gloveman Glenn Morris with a shot that the keeper held down low.

On 22 minutes, the deadlock was broken in calamitous fashion. Aaron Martin was shepherding the ball back to Krysiak in the home goal but before the keeper could get two hands on the ball, Brennan Dickenson pinched the ball and slotted into an empty net.

Yeovil woke up after the goal and had an extended spell of pressure with Kieffer Moore coming closest to scoring with a goalbound effort saved well by Morris. Martin also went close with a header that was cleared off the line.

Ten minutes into the second half, Yeovil equalised with a stunning goal. A well worked free kick 25 yards from goal saw Joe Edwards and Smith combine a pass and a dummy to set up Simon Gillett to hit a rising shot into the top left hand corner of the net, giving Morris no chance.

The game swung in Gillingham’s direction massively in the space of three minutes soon after. Yeovil’s constant failure to clear the ball saw Aaron Morris lash home a shot from the angle on 58 minutes to put his side 2-1 up; the goal coming seconds after two Gills attackers had missed the ball with the goal at their mercy.

Then on 61 minutes, striker Luke Norris was caught late by Twumasi in an honest attempt to win the ball. Norris crumpled to the floor in a heap and with Gillingham players all surrounding the referee, official Darren Sheldrake issued a straight red card to the defender.

Norris surprisingly didn’t need treatment and was booed for the rest of the game by Town’s fans for his part in the dismissal. Yeovil’s best moment of the rest of the game came shortly after when Edwards and Hayter broke to feed Moore. The big striker crossed for Edwards who had continued his run but could only shoot at Morris.

John Egan headed just wide of Krysiak’s goal as he tried to finish the game off and Nathan Smith stung the hands of Morris with a swerving left foot shot but it seemed not to be Yeovil’s night way before the final whistle. Nathan Ralph and Martin went close late on while ex-Glovers loanee Antonio German, looking lively up front as a half time sub, headed way over near the end.