L1: Yeovil 1 Franchise FC 0

A tale of two halves: The first half the Glovers generally played well. After a nondescript first 10 minutes we took a grip of the game in midfield, started getting the ball out wide and created chances. The excellent Shaun MacDonald scored the only goal of the game in the 23rd minute with a stunning 20-yard drive into the top corner of the net following a flag-kick. The Glovers had much the better of the rest of the half and really should have added to their lead, Gavin Tomlin in particular coming close after a melee in the Franchise FC penalty area with the ball ricocheting around before somehow finding its way into keeper Willy Gueret's hands; and again right at the end of the half with a diving header which beat Gueret but also beat the far post. 1-0 at half-time and Yeovil were good value for the lead, with Alex McCarthy only occasionally employed.

The second half was a different kettle of fish. The pitch was by now cutting up very badly, negating the Glovers attempts to play passing football. The visitors pushed forwards, putting the home side under some pressure though with little in the way of end product. As time went on it became clear that the Glovers were employing a policy of 'what we have we hold', and the visitors ultimately weren't good enough to break through the defensive shield. 1-0 the final score, and two completely contrasting halves of football.

We lined up with a 4-4-2 formation, Owain Tudur-Jones missing out in the final game of his loan spell after failing a fitness test before the match. Merit marks as usual:

1. Alex McCarthy: 6/10 - Kept another clean sheet so a bit harsh to give him only 6, but didn't quite seem on the same page as his defence some of the time. One or two mis-communications led to a couple of hairy moments, but we and he got away with it. Deserves some luck for his all round excellence this season. I keep forgetting how young he is!

2. Craig Alcock: 7/10 - Back on form after a couple of slightly dodgy performances. Excellent defensively, didn't give the dangerous Easter or Townsend a sniff as they swapped wings. First-class.

5. Steven Caulker: 8/10 - What can you say about this lad? Only 18 but he performs with the assurance of someone twice his age. He's played 30-odd games consistently well and - as Skivo pointed out after the game - hasn't been booked even once this season. Astonishing.

6. Terrell Forbes: 7/10 - Back in the groove. Solid as a rock at the back. Good performance.

28. Nathan Smith: 7/10 - I said he needed games and now he's getting them, and it's paying off. Much more solid defensively, like fellow fullback Alcock kept the Easter/Townsend combination quiet all match. Improving all the time.

10. Gavin Tomlin: 6/10 - I like Gav, I think he adds something a little different to the team, a little bit of flair and the ability to do things other players won't try. If he had taken one of the two very good chances he was presented with in the first half he would have been a hero, as it was it was sad to hear some sections of the crowd getting on his back for a perceived lack of effort. Rubbish of course, but some Yeovil fans do like at least one scapegoat they can blame when things aren't going quite right.

21. Jean-Paul Kalala: 8/10 - Dominant performance in the centre of midfield. Did all the ugly things and did them well. Excellent.

25. Shaun MacDonald: 9/10 - Superb exhibition of box-to-box midfield play, culminating in his winning goal. I have a dream - well, more of a fantasy really - in which Swansea release him in the summer on a free and he signs a 3-year deal with us, leading us to Division 2 before we sell him to Spurs for £10 million and build a social club with the proceeds. It could happen!

7. Arron Davies: 6/10 - Decent first half, including one shot from the edge of the box that Gueret did well to save, but faded out of the game after the break.

9. Sam Williams: 7/10 - Typical performance, won his share in the air and led the line with energy and enthusiasm without ever looking like scoring, it has to be said. Reminds me more and more of Matty Harrold, and that is meant as a compliment. Again, he's a young player learning his trade and this season will be invaluable in his development.

14. Dean Bowditch: 5/10 - Bit of a nothing performance if I'm honest. Didn't get close enough to his strike partner often enough and I can't recall an effort on goal from him, though doubtless someone will now tell me I'm wrong. Went off with a hamstring strain early in the second half.

Subs:
8. Keiran Murtagh (86 mins for Gavin Tomlin): N/A - Not on long enough to impress, but I personally felt he should have been brought on 20 minutes earlier as Tomlin was appearing to struggle with injury.

11. Andy Welsh (70 mins for Arron Davies): 6/10 - Added fresh legs on the left wing for the final 20 minutes, but by then the pitch was too bobbly for any sensible wing play. Did as well as he could in the circumstances.

13. Ryan Mason (53 mins for Dean Bowditch): 5/10 - Replaced Bowditch but just couldn't get involved in the game at all. First touch seems to have deserted him in recent games, though of course the pitch doesn't provide any help at all. Frustrating.

The result leaves the Glovers on 41 points from 34 games played, a massive 9 points clear of the relegation zone. Isn't it amazing what 2 wins on the trot can do? Mid-table obscurity has never felt so good! Three more wins will surely see us safe from relegation this season, four more wins will guarantee it. Given that, I was mildly astonished at the reaction of some Glovers fans to some aspects of the team's play yesterday. I've already mentioned the (unjustified) stick Gavin Tomlin took from some supporters, and to hear boos directed at our own players near the end of the game because they were content to try and keep the ball from a corner rather than risk a counter-attack on the break was perplexing to say the least. I appreciate people want to see attacking football and goals, but at the same time we also want to see wins, and it would in my view have been the height of irresponsibility for us to have gone gung-ho to try to score from a corner at that stage of the match and risk being caught on the break. After putting the effort in that they did to secure the win, the players didn't deserve the reaction they got at that time.

And talking of fans, one of the joys of being in the Cowlin Stand where I sit is the close proximity of the away fans, particularly when the away terrace is closed. It means I get the benefit of all their songs and banter and can barely hear the home choir in the Blackthorn Stand for most of the match. Although most teams are indistinguishable from one another with everyone singing more or less the same songs, one or two do stand out. The best I've heard lately were the Colchester fans who had several original efforts including this one in praise of Steven Gillespie, which for some reason stuck in my mind:

Oh Steve Gillespie,
You are the love of my life
Oh Steve Gillespie
I'd let you shag my wife
Oh Steve Gillespie,
I want curly hair too

Sadly, Franchise FC'S fans yesterday couldn't come up with anything as original. Not content with stealing their football club, they were happy to steal other teams songs too; with a quite risible slow rendition of 'When the saints go marching in' a la Spurs fans, and a raucous version of 'MK til I die, I'm MK til I die' etc etc, sang without apparent irony or even shame. How about 'I'm MK til the original club dies', eh lads? The nadir was reached with the old Millwall favourite, 'No-one likes us, no-one likes us, no-one likes us, we don't care' etc... No-one likes you because you stole a football club you mugs, better get used to it.