A bumper crowd flocked to Huish Park to witness the clash of two South West sides in a match that held greater importance than just regional pride. With both Swindon and Yeovil languishing at the wrong end of League One the result of the game could prove crucial in the teams' scrap for survival.
Both clubs came into the tie after suffering defeats during the week and a win for either side had the potential to propel them up the table, three points closer to safety. Steve Thompson was unable to name the same side that performed so gallantly at Chesterfield the previous weekend, with a defensive reshuffle taking place.
Kevin Amankwaah's knock against Brentford was sufficient to keep him out of contention for a starting place, with Scott Guyett accompanying Terry Skiverton as centre backs and Adam Lockwood moving over to right back. Andy Lindegaard started on the right of midfield, whilst new loan signings Michael Jordan and Marc Wilson were named as substitutes.
The opening ten minutes saw both sides look to push forward and test the defences of their opponents. Despite this attacking desire clear-cut chances were hard to come by, with both the Glovers and the Robins struggling to find a telling final ball.
In the 11th minute Yeovil struck the post with visiting 'keeper Rhys Evans left standing. A neat cross from Arron Davies on the Yeovil right was met by Paul Terry who headed across goal, agonisingly hitting the upright.
The Glovers were targeting the Swindon left, with Lockwood, Lindegaard and Terry all firing in balls from that flank. With 14 minutes on the clock Evans was called into action again, confidently punching clear a looping Terry ball.
Twenty-seven minutes into the game the Glovers lost captain Skiverton. Kevin Gall replaced the defender, as Lockwood moved to the heart of defence and Lindegaard to right back.
As the half wore on Swindon slowly came out of their shells, putting pressure on their hosts. However, reflecting the nature of the first period, Swindon's shooting was errant and a number of balls ended in the Westland Terrace. Without Skiverton's influence at the back Yeovil's new look defence and midfield appeared to take time to gel.
With seven minutes left before the break, Yeovil came close to finding the elusive score sheet. Davies's persistence found Gall who supplied Mark Harrold from the right. Despite the presence of his marker Harrold got his header in, although this was comfortably saved by Evans.
Five minutes later Swindon were presented with an opportunity that should really have been converted. Nathan Jones was unable to pick out a diagonal through ball that found the experienced Jamie Cureton with only Guyett for company. The forward sprinted towards goal only to shoot wide and across a diving Steve Collis.
The scores remained level at half time with the referee blowing up to end a turgid half. Both managers would have been urging their teams to adopt a more dynamic approach, with Paul Terry's header proving to be the only distinguished opportunity of the half.
Half Time: Yeovil Town 0 Swindon Town 0
Yeovil started the second half with intent, wanting to get the ball to the front men as quickly as possible. David Poole, surprisingly quiet in the first half, regained his touch, running at Swindon and trying the occasional shot from distance.
Six minutes after the restart Davies unlocked a fragile red and white defence, getting behind the Wiltshire outfit. His pass was aimed at an unmarked Terry. Unfortunately, the ball was just behind the former Dagenham and Redbridge midfielder, allowing Swindon vital seconds to regroup.
Swindon, however, were not content to sit back and earned a corner after 54 minutes. Cureton's mazy run was blocked by a combination of Guyett and Lockwood, resulting in a corner that Yeovil took over a full minute to effectively clear.
Cureton, Pook and Peacock were allowed to shoot, with Yeovil hanging on by the skin of their teeth and sheer determination pulling them through. First Collis saved well before a flurry of green and white shirts flung themselves in front of the ball to help maintain the score line.
A minute before the hour mark a superb passing move from the Glovers saw them take what the majority of the 7451 crowd thought to be the lead. Lockwood sublimely knocked the ball forward to find Gall. His cross was converted by Davies, only to discover that the referee's assistant had his flag raised as Gall was adjudged to be offside when Lockwood passed forward.
After a dour first half the tempo of the game had increased and both teams looked hungry to break the deadlock. Yeovil employed their normal silky passing routine whilst the Robins looked to bamboozle the home team with pace and effective link-up play.
Chances were more forthcoming and after 78 minutes Swindon somehow failed to take the lead. Substitute Ricky Shakes hit Yeovil on the counter attack, and provided an inch-perfect defence splitting ball for Cureton. However with the goal at his mercy the former Norwich City striker managed to hit both the post and bar and the Glovers gratefully cleared.
Despite both sides willingly throwing players forward and five minutes of injury time the game ended goalless, with both teams having to settle for a point. The second half demonstrated the guts and determination of both teams, with flair in attack and dogged defending.
A point will not really have helped both sides, and Steve Thompson knows that there is still plenty of work to do. Davies continued to shine in attack, whilst Jones impressed tracking back. Honours were even from this derby and after such an open second half a win for either side would have seem unjust. Next Saturday sees the Glovers make the short trip to Bournemouth, where they will be hoping to return to winning ways.
Full Time: Yeovil Town 0 Swindon Town 0
Report by Chris Sweet
