Memorial Stadium Saturday, October 24th, 2009   League One Attendance: 7,812       Bristol Rovers 1-2 Yeovil Town       Dickson (46)   Obika (61), Forbes (64)   Anthony (69), Campbell (90+5)   Kalala (44)
2009 /10

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Bristol Rovers vs Yeovil Town 1 - 2 Date: 24/10/2009 Venue: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 7,812 Referee: N Swarbrick A defensive lapse in the second half cost Rovers three points at the Memorial Stadium this afternoon. The Gas took the lead early in the second half thanks to Chris Dickson, but two almost identical set pieces gave Yeovil the lead in a devastating five minute spell. Paul Trollope made just one change to the side that lost at Roots Hall last weekend, with Danny Coles recovering from illness to replace Steve Elliott. Rovers had not played at home for a month, and they started the game brightly creating a number of chances in the opening exchanges. Jeff Hughes had two early chances to give Rovers the lead. First he came charging on to the end of a Carl Regan cross, but was unable to control the ball, and then he scuffed a clear chance past the left hand post. Rovers forced a number of corners to put the pressure on the visitors, then Chris Dickson was muscled off the ball by three defenders after getting on the end of a cross from Mark Wright. Yeovil keeper Alex McCarthy made a save with his knee, before Jo Kuffour brought the ball down well and fed Chris Lines who skied his shot high above the bar. Yeovil failed to put much pressure on Mikkel Andersen in the first half, but Danny Coles did well to block a header from Andrew Welsh, before Scott Murray pulled a long range shot wide of the post. Rovers fans held their breath as Chris Lines was stretched from the field just before the interval, after a challenge from Jean-Paul Kalala - Dominic Blizzard was the man to replace him. The Pirates made a perfect start to the second half when Dickson chipped the keeper to give the home side the lead. A Stuart Campbell corner found Danny Coles who headed the ball down to Dickson. The big striker controlled the ball with his chest and fired the ball into the roof of the net. But the lead did not last long. There was a definite sense of deja vu as Yeovil went on to score two goals from set pieces and silence the home supporters. Rovers fans were glad to see the back of former City player Scott Murray when he was substituted on the half hour mark, but the delight didn't last long. Replacement Jonathan Obika made an instant impact, scoring with his first touch of the game. Welsh took a free kick from the right hand side of the pitch, which Rovers failed to deal with, and Obika made the best of the goal mouth scramble to slot home from close range. Minutes later another free kick in a similar position ended with another goal for the Glovers. Welsh sent in another dangerous free kick which Andersen and the Rovers defence again failed to clear, allowing Terrell Forbes to score his first ever goal for Yeovil. The two goals galvanised the Glovers, and Rovers were lucky not to concede a third goal, when the Somerset side were awarded another free kick to the right of the penalty area. Andy Williams almost made a similar explosive impact for Rovers when he replaced Mark Wright, but his run into the box was brought to an end by the Yeovil defence. Rovers struggled to find and equaliser, and when Chris Dickson unleashed a speculative long range shot, it was well dealt with by McCarthy. Andersen was then called back into action to make another couple of saves from Obika and Shaun MacDonald as the seconds ticked away to the end of the game. This was the third defeat in a row for Rovers, who will be hoping to bounce back on Tuesday night, when high-flying Leeds visit the Memorial Stadium. Rovers: Mikkel Anderson, Carl Regan, Byron Anthony, Danny Coles, Aaron Lescott (Ben Swallow 80), Mark Wright(Andy Williams 61), Chris Lines(Dominic Blizzard 45), Stuart Campbell, Jeff Hughes, Chris Dickson, Jo Kuffour. Substitutes: Steve Elliott, Darryl Duffy, Charlie Reece, Rhys Evans. Yeovil: Alex McCarthy, Craig Alcock, Nathan Jones, Steve Caulker, Terrell Forbes, Andrew Welsh(Kieran Murtagh 84), Ryan Mason, Scott Murray(Jonathan Obika 60), Jean-Paul Kalala, Shaun MacDonald, Sam Williams. Substitutes: Richard Martin, George O'Callaghan, Andy Lindergaard, Danny Hutchins, Nathan Smith. Attendance: 7,812 Referee: Neil Swarbrick.