Yeovil Town thrashed 4-1 at home by AFC Fylde

Yeovil Town's unbeaten home record this season was emphatically ended by AFC Fylde. The Glovers were beaten 4-1 at Huish Park on Saturday in a performance that manager Billy Rowley will want to quickly forget.

Greg Olley and Luca Thomas each scored twice for the visitors, who were promoted as National League North champions last term. Luke McCormick's 75th-minute strike proved only a consolation for a Yeovil side that struggled to contain Fylde's attacking threat throughout the afternoon.

How the game unfolded

The match began in dry, bright conditions on a pitch that was arguably the most impressive thing about Yeovil on the day. The first half was a tight affair until the visitors struck twice before the break. Greg Olley, a former Gateshead player, opened the scoring in the 35th minute. Then, in first-half stoppage time, former Glovers loanee Luca Thomas doubled the advantage, finishing off a move created by Millar Matthews-Lewis.

Any hopes of a second-half fightback were dashed just six minutes after the restart. Thomas got his second of the game, assisted by Olley, to make it 3-0. Yeovil boss Billy Rowley responded with a double substitution at half-time, bringing on Slavi Spasov and Johl Powell, and later introduced Joe Gubbins, Charlie Lennon and Zain Westbrooke in an attempt to change the game's momentum.

Luke McCormick gave the home fans something to cheer about when he pulled a goal back in the 75th minute, assisted by Rhys Jones. But any flicker of hope was extinguished five minutes later when Olley completed his brace, sealing a comprehensive 4-1 victory for the Coasters.

Manager's reaction

Yeovil Town boss Billy Rowley acknowledged the frustration within his squad after the heavy defeat. "There was clear frustration from Walker at the end of the first half," Rowley said, referencing forward Ste Walker's reaction to the team's performance.

The result sees Yeovil drop to 10th place in the National League table, having taken 12 points from their opening eight games. Their recent form shows two wins, one draw and two defeats from the last five outings.

Discipline was also an issue, with Ben Radcliffe booked in the 32nd minute and substitute Joe Gubbins seeing yellow shortly after coming on. The attendance of 2,792 at Huish Park included just 34 away supporters.

What comes next

Attention now turns to a quick opportunity for redemption. Yeovil Town are back at Huish Park on Friday to face Solihull Moors, who currently prop up the table in 24th position. It is a fixture the Glovers will be targeting to get their season back on track.

The team will need to tighten up defensively, having conceded 13 goals so far this campaign. With the squad depth tested, the likes of unused substitutes Loick Ayina and James Daly will be pushing for involvement in the coming games. A look at the squad shows the options available to Rowley as he plots a response to this setback.

This story first appeared at gloverscast.co.uk