Our ticket to the Isuzu FA Trophy Fourth Round has been impressively secured after our first competitive away win to rivals Yeovil Town since 1988 on Tuesday night at Huish Park.
The valiant victory came courtesy of goal machine Brandon Goodship, whose double proved too much for The Glovers.
Assisting him on both occasions was 18-year-old Jaiden Bartolo, the Gibraltar international’s 12-year age gap from Goody doing no damage as the forwards looked the perfect pair that evening.
Importantly for our goal-machine Goody, his delightful double puts him just two off joining the 100-club, a recognition our forward truly deserves.
The hosts did equalise in-between via their own front man when Aaron Jarvis equalised 10 minutes before added time in the first half.
Though our united performance was ultimately too much for the hosts to handle, as we secured our first competitive win at Huish Park since Boxing Day 1988, and our second successive victory against our biggest rivals.
Both of which have come under Jason Matthews’ interim spells in the dugout.
More importantly for our season, Tuesday’s win secures our ticket to the fourth round of the competition, where we await Boreham Wood at the start of the new year at the Bob Lucas Stadium.
FIRST-HALF FLYER
In the buildup to derby day, Jase told us the most crucial thing was that our players “[went] out there and gave [their] all.”
With that in mind, we would have to show our diligence defensively in the opening 10 minutes when our backline were forced to clear behind for a succession of Yeovil corners.
Soon after, Mark Cooper’s side would muster their first chance.
It came from a low cross from Pedro Borges down the right-hand side, which found James Plant inside the box.
However, the Port-Vale loanee could only fire past the other side of the woodwork.
But with that close call, we produced the perfect response almost immediately.
Jaiden sprinted past the opposition down the right towards the edge of the box, before picking out Goody on the opposite flank.
Though one may have been able to predict what the goal machine was going to do, few could have envisioned exactly what would happen next.
Our forward stopped the ball dead in its tracks, proceeding to then curl his strike firmly into the top-right corner to give us a 1-0 lead inside just 12 minutes.
For the magnitude of the match, a goal like that was more than worthy of the occasion.
But if anyone felt that made us comfortable in the game, they were unfamiliar with a derby match in a cup tie.
In true end-to-end fashion, Cooper’s side broke down the pitch before Frank Nouble fired towards goal.
Luckily though, Welsh teenager Josey Casa-Grande pushed the first of his many heroic saves away with a low dive to keep the ball out the net.
We would then continue to hold firm as we did at the start of the match, Leo Hamblin and Jordon Thompson clearing away two inswinging deliveries, before Calvin Brooks stood strong against Jarvis inside the box, who went down but with no reward from referee Reubyn Ricardo.
But, with 10 minutes left before stoppage time, our dam finally broke when Brett McGavin sent a delivery into the box, which met the head of Jarvis to draw his side level in the 35th minute.
The goal itself was a brave one to score, as the Yeovil forward collided with our keeper in the process.
The game again appeared end-to-end when Jaiden was played through by Tom Bearwish five minutes later, though the Gibraltar international was under pressure from Yeovil shot-stopper Ollie Wright, who made a save.
We were then forced into an early change just before the fourth official’s board went up, which would indicate seven whole minutes, when Bear went down with an injury before being replaced by Harry Jones at right-back.
But neither of those setbacks were quite enough to fully prevent our early fortunes as both sides headed down the tunnel a goal apiece.
SECOND-HALF CELEBRATIONS
If the first half was anything to go by, we would need to quickly produce something special in the second.
Thankfully, we did just that.
We won back possession just four minutes in, before Jaiden danced through the Yeovil defence and picked out Goody, who was on the left this time.
But once again, he struck home from a pass by his partner up front, as he slotted past Wright into the bottom-left corner to give us a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute.
The celebration from our support was ecstatic; it seemed that a win away to our biggest rivals for the first time since 1988 was a real possibility.
Afterwards, the game began to repeat itself, our dazzling defence displaying heroics once again when JT headed away a clearance five minutes after Goody’s second.
Then once more we broke almost immediately afterwards, resulting in Jaiden firing just past the post.
If there was any proof of cup-game magic, it was this one.
But as it crept on, The Glovers continued to try and get their hands on the result, and very nearly did in the 68th minute when McGavin’s 20-yard effort hit the side netting.
Then, by the time the contest reached its final 10 minutes of regular time, the whole team was tasked with defending.
One impressive action came from Harry in the 82nd minute, the substitute dispossessing Dylan Morgan inside the box, who was in space.
This didn’t mean we were without our own chances, though, as substitute Brooklyn Genesini was played through by assist king Jaiden, whose first-time shot was pushed away well by Wright.
Stoppage time soon came, as the fourth official added on a gargantuan eight extra minutes.
But for all of the corner-kicks the hosts won themselves around this time, they could not find an equaliser as our monumental victory in Somerset was safely secured.
Soon after the final whistle, the players and coaching staff ran over to celebrate with our travelling supporters.
Though for our players, this is just one step in the right direction as we travel to Hemel Hempstead for a league game tomorrow afternoon [15.00 GMT].
