L1: Yeovil 2 Brentford 0

What a difference a change of formation makes! Skivo's been getting a lot of stick in the stands at Huish Park and on the green room lately over his tactical decisions and team selections, so it's very pleasant to report that he got it completely right yesterday, and was vindicated with a comprehensive win over the Bees of West London. Modesty almost forbids me from pointing out that this blog has been asking for a 4-4-1-1 formation with two holding midfielders and Ryan Mason as the second/striker/attacking midfielder since the Exeter game last month, and yesterday the gaffer obliged. Well, more or less. It was actually more like a 4-2-3-1, but the principle's the same. The real surprise was Gavin Tomlin lining up as the right midfielder, which brought much shaking of heads and sucking of teeth from fans around me at the start, but in the end proved an excellent decision.

We lined up as follows:

1. Alex McCarthy (GK): 7/10 - Well protected by his back four but very competent when called upon. I said at the start of the season that it was a big ask for a keeper of his tender years to be number one in an L1 side. Well, he's proving that he's more than up to the task.

2. Craig Alcock (RB): 7/10 - I've been quite critical of Craig's performances so far this season but yesterday he really stepped up to the plate. Kept the dangerous Cleveland Taylor quiet and popped up with a vital headed goal from a corner. If I'm being ultra-critical he still has a tendency to give the ball away too easily with misplaced passes, get rid of that flaw in his game and he'll be an excellent L1 right-back. What you can't ever fault is his enthusiasm and effort.

5. Steven Caulker (CD): 8/10 - Just excellent, again. Strong in the air, strong in the tackle, measured in his passing - if this lad isn't in the Spurs first team in the next couple of years then I'll eat my black Tottenham away shirt from a couple of seasons ago that I've never actually worn (it was an Xmas present).

6. Terrell Forbes (CD): 8/10 - As committed, passionate and effective as he's been in his time here. Forming a very good partnership with Caulker and now surely first choice alongside the Spurs youngster. Time for Skivo to extend his contract methinks.

3. Nathan Jones (LB): 7/10 - Noisily effective at left-back. I would have said quietly effective but still has an awful tendency to berate his own teammates at a loud volumne for any perceived shortcomings. A word to the wise Nathan, a quiet word is almost always more effective than a shouted bollocking, and doesn't make you look like a bad-tempered tit either.

10. Gavin Tomlin (RMF): 7/10 - Hands up anyone who expected Gav to start as the right-sided midfielder? No-one? Me neither. But he did a good job there, made Andy Welsh's goal and was always looking to get forward to support Sam Williams up front when possible. On the downside was caught out positionally a couple of times and I'm not convinced that he can be re-born in that position permanently, but did well yesterday.

25. Shaun MacDonald (CM): 8/10 - Fantastic to see him back in the green-and-white. Played as a holding midfielder alongside JP Kalala yesterday and between them they sewed up the middle of the park while always looking to release our creative players. Very similar to the lamented Gary Roberts, but better. Would be marvellous if we could sign him permanently, sadly I think he's probably too good for us.

21. JP Kalala (CM): 8/10 - As I've said before I was lukewarm about the return of JP to Huish Park, but I was wrong. He gives us the defensive solidity we need in midfield and I'm personally very excited about the partnership he formed with MacDonald yesterday, both of them hunting the ball as a pair and tidying up after each other. Very, very encouraging and something for the likes of Keiran Murtagh to watch and learn from.

11. Andy Welsh (LMF): 8/10 - Always provided a threat, and you can't ask for much more from your left-winger. Set-pieces were generally excellent as usual, but the one thing missing from his game (er, apart from the ability to tackle back, but let's not expect miracles) has been goal-scoring. Well, he finally broke his Glovers duck yesterday, and could easily have had another. More please, Andy!

13. Ryan Mason (AMF): 8/10 - We've been asking Skivo to play Ryan just behind the main striker for a while now and he finally obliged - and what a response from the Spurs youngster. Ran the game, spraying the ball around to both wings and linking up well with Williams up front. The only thing missing from his game was a goal. They will surely come if he stays in this position.

9. Sam Williams (ST): 8/10 - First-class display of target-man play. Never stopped running, linked up well with Mason and the widemen and won his share of balls in the air. Responded well to the arrival of Craig Davies.

Substitutes:
7. George O'Callaghan (90 mins for Jean-Paul Kalala): N/A - Not on long enough to have an effect.

28. Nathan Smith (90 mins for Andy Welsh): N/A - Not on long enough to have an effect.

30. Craig Davies (77 mins for Sam Williams): 7/10 - Looked full of running and threat against a tiring defence.

One swallow doesn't make a summer. Just as it wouldn't have been the end of the world if we had lost or drawn yesterday, nor is everything suddenly rosy in the Glovers garden just because we've won a game. What we can take from yesterday is that at last we seemed to be getting the best from our creative players while at the same time staying solid defensively. We had a plan and the plan worked well against a team that was in good form up until a week ago. Well done Skivo, well done boys. Now let's go and do it again at Millwall on Tuesday.

Just read: The Skinner and The Voyage of the Sable Keech by Neal Asher. Terrific science-fiction set in Asher's densely-imagined Polity universe, with both books dealing with events on the deadly planet of Spatterjay. Multi-layered action-packed storylines including golems, reifications, super-intelligent AI's and drones, hive minds, humans infected with a virus that makes their bodies immune to injury and disease - but at a price; and the nastiest, deadliest, goriest and downright evil alien invaders ever... What's not to like? Space opera at it's best, and I don't say that lightly.