Yeovil Town fought back from two goals down to earn a dramatic 3-3 draw at Leatherhead in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round on Saturday. The result forces a replay at Huish Park this Saturday night to decide who progresses in the competition. This cup tie follows their last league outing, a 3-3 draw with Leatherhead on Saturday 17 October.
Archie Davies gave Yeovil the perfect start to the second half, scoring just after the break following a pass from Jack Kingdon. Brett McGavin doubled the lead on 58 minutes, but the game turned in a frantic final quarter-hour. Louie Paget pulled one back for the hosts with a 77th-minute header before a deflected effort levelled the scores four minutes later. Marcel Barrington then put Leatherhead ahead in the 85th minute, seemingly sealing a shock.
Powell's late leveller
Johl Powell had the final say, however, reacting quickest to a fumbled save in the 89th minute to slot home the equaliser. Goalkeeper Jos Barker had earlier made a vital stop to deny Waters from a long throw, while a last-ditch block from Black in added time preserved the draw. The match ended 3-3 after seven minutes of stoppage time in front of 2,000 spectators, including 400 travelling Yeovil supporters.
Manager Billy Rowley named an unchanged side from the 6-0 league win over Wealdstone, though Owen Dean was cup-tied and omitted. That victory was part of an unbeaten run of three wins and two draws in their last five matches, a sequence that also includes a 6-0 thrashing of Boston United and a 1-1 draw with Worthing. Rowley made a quadruple substitution just after the hour mark, introducing Mason Obeng, Charlie Lennon, Joe Gubbins and Stephen Walker. Loick Ayina replaced goalscorer McGavin with 15 minutes remaining.
The cup drama comes as Yeovil Town sit fourth in the National League standings with 25 points from 13 games, a strong position built on recent form. Their record of seven wins, four draws and two losses has them ten points behind the leaders, Boreham Wood. The team has scored 32 goals while conceding only 15 this season. Their next fixture after the replay is a league match at home to Altrincham, who are sixth, on Saturday 24 October.
