L1: Yeovil Town 1 Southampton 1

Well, that was better. The Glovers semi-bounced back from Saturday's 1-3 home defeat against Exeter with a well-deserved 1-1 draw against TBCDTR*, Southampton.

The Glovers began the game nervously, content to hammer the ball upfield whenever the opportunity arose. Andy Williams got on the end of one such long-ball in the sixth minute, skinned his fullback and drove into the penalty area. With only the keeper to beat he was pulled down from behind but incredibly neither the referee nor linesman saw anything wrong and play went on. A cast-iron penalty and red card for Dan Harding should have been the outcome and who knows what would have happened from there on, but inconsistent referee Simon Hooper bottled the decision - not by any means his only baffling decision of the night.

The Saints were next to threaten, Rick Lambert finding space in the Glovers box but crashing his shot off the bar when in all honesty it looked easier to score, a let-off for the home side. Gradually however Yeovil were beginning to find their form. There was no nonsense in defence with agricultural clearances the order of the day, but elsewhere the ball was being passed on the floor and half-chances being created. Shaun MacDonald hit a shot from outside the box which Saints keeper Kelvin Davis pushed round the post at the second attempt; and wingers Andy Welsh and Andy Williams both fired efforts over the bar. Dean Bowditch came close to giving the Glovers the lead at the end of the half after a lovely one-two with Gavin Williams, but his shot squirmed wide of the Saints post.

Early on in the second half Yeovil were again unlucky not to open the scoring when Andy Williams beat Davis in the Saints goal to a through ball from MacDonald. The winger's cross-cum-shot looked to be heading into the net but was intercepted by defender Radhi Jaidi on the line. Against the run of play the visitors went ahead on 56 minutes, and it was a frustrating and familiar goal to concede. Morgan Schneiderlin picked up the ball in his own half and with the home side's midfield AWOL drove forward unchallenged to the edge of the Glovers box before laying the ball off to an unmarked Guly Do Prado. Glovers keeper Stephen Henderson got his hand to the ball but couldn't keep out the Brazilian's shot. Heads could have dropped at that point but it's to Yeovil's credit that they kept going forwards. Eight minutes later they got their reward when Gavin Williams was dragged down in the box, an offence so blatant that even Mr Hooper couldn't avoid penalising it. Adam Virgo's penalty was placed perfectly, low and hard into the corner of the net. With substitutions from both sides breaking the flow of the game that was more-or-less the end of the Glovers as an attacking force with little in the way of chances being created in the final quarter. Southampton pressed again towards the end and were unfortunate to only hit the post in injury-time, but in truth a point was the least the Glovers deserved from their evening's work. An entertaining game played in a good atmosphere from both sets of fans, with a well-observed minute's applause for Len Harris at the start.

We lined up as follows in a 4-4-1-1 formation:

13. Stephen Henderson - 6/10: Well-protected by his defence apart from one lapse which led to the Saints goal. Did everything expected of him otherwise.

8. Luke Ayling - 6/10: Good defensive performance by the stand-in right-back who looked very solid in an unfamiliar position. Didn't venture forwards overmuch but perhaps that was no bad thing.

5. Paul Huntington - 7/10: Did what he does best by concentrating on his defending. Blocked shots, headed away crosses, thumped the ball out of the ground when necessary, or at least out of his own half. More of the same, please.

19. Adam Virgo - 8/10: Much the same comments apply as for Huntington, but he gets the extra point for a well-taken penalty, plus his clearances tended to be better placed. Indeed, some of his long passes to the right wing in particular were exquisite. Let's hope Skivo keeps him at centre half in future.

6. Nathan Smith - 7/10: Like the rest of the defence put his body on the line at times and one tackle in particular late in the second half was a goal-saver. Made some barnstorming runs forward which never actually came to much, if they had I'd have given him an 8.

7. Andrew Williams - 6/10: Should have been given a penalty in the first half as described above. Had something of a battle with his opposite number Dan Harding all match and the few times he escaped the full-back's attentions he always looked dangerous. Had an effort cleared off the line in the second half too. If I've got a criticism it's that sometimes he doesn't appear to have a huge amount of confidence in his own abilities but in my view he's got all the attributes to succeed - if only he would believe it.

20. Owain Tudur Jones - 7/10: He's been criticised for being lazy, not punching his weight, not looking interested enough and - bizarrely - for costing Norwich £250,000. Well, I thought he had a good game last night, linked up well with MacDonald and helped get the team passing the ball after a ropey start. I'd have liked to have seen him get forward more but had his hands full coping with an accomplished Southampton midfield and did well defensively, one lapse aside which cost a goal. More of the same against lesser sides would now be welcome.

25. Shaun MacDonald - 6/10: Decent performance from the Ginger Ninja who seemed to me to be consciously concentrating on the defensive aspects of his trade. Managed to get forward with good effect a couple of times, once with a shot that seriously bothered Davis in the visitors goal and he provided the pass that led to the penalty. Not quite back up to last season's level yet, but he's getting there.

11. Andy Welsh - 5/10: By no means a bad performance, tracked back well and linked up well with Smith going forward but not much in the way of end product. Had a couple of chances to test the keeper in the second half but because the ball was on his wrong foot chose to dribble or pass instead. Have a go next time, Andy! Subbed on 78 minutes.

24. Gavin Williams - 6/10: Quietish for most of the game but always capable of the odd bit of magic that changes games. Nearly did it with a lovely lay-off for Bowditch in the first half and of course was the man who was fouled for the penalty. Set-piece delivery wasn't quite on song, especially from corners. Went off injured at the end, hopefully it's nothing serious.

10. Dean Bowditch - 6/10: Busy performance without ever really threatening the opposition's goal, save for one effort late in the first half. I like the way he leads the line however and he never stopped running.

9. Sam Williams (87 mins for Andy Williams) - n/a: Won enough headers in his short time on the pitch to suggest he might have been worth bringing on a little earlier.

15. Cameron Stewart (78 mins for Andy Welsh) - n/a: The one chance he had to stretch his legs on the wing he was cynically brought down before he could get going. Spent most of the rest of the time defending.

One swallow doesn't make a summer and one decent performance on it's own means nothing, but at least Skivo got a response from the players last night after a bad couple of weeks. Results elsewhere meant that the Glovers dropped into the relegation zone. Walsall away are next up this Saturday, one of only three teams below us in the table. The pressure never stops.

*TBCDTR - The Big Club Down The Road, as opposed to TBCUTR.

Just read: Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks, writing as Ian Fleming. Faulks has written some wonderful books in the past but this one is unlike anything he's done before. A fan of James Bond from an early age, this is his homage to Bond's creator, Ian Fleming - a brand new Bond adventure set in the height of the Cold War and written in Fleming's style. And it works brilliantly. The plot is as far-fetched as any of the original books, Bond is as suave and dangerous as ever, and the women are as alluring and devious as you might expect. The villain gets his comeuppance most satisfyingly and the whole thing is a rollicking roller-coaster of a read and great fun. Just don't take it too seriously!