We've Met Before - Yeovil Town

As the headline suggests, Duggie Price is just off target at the Huish in November 1958.

The match at Roots Hall eventually ended goalless but United only had defender Sandy Anderson to thank for their second stab in a replay. Goalkeeper Harry Threadgold had to leave the field with concussion early in the first half and defender Anderson donned the vacant red keepers jersey and made a string of fine saves to keep his side in the match.

Threadgold reappeared after half time, but only as a striker and playing virtually in a daze United still effectively only had ten men despite boss Eddie Perry insisting that Threadgold was "more of a nuisance value than anything else".

The Southend side for the first meeting was as follows:- Harry Threadgold; Arthur Williamson, Sandy Anderson; Ray Smith, Jim Stirling, John Duffy; Duggie Price, Sam McCrory, Roy Hollis, Bud Houghton, Bill Punton and the attendance at Roots Hall was 15,285.

The replay took place five days later on the famous sloping pitch at Yeovil's old Huish ground, here we reproduce the report from the following days Southend Standard (21-11-58):-

"JUST five minutes before extra time was due to start, and after 85 minutes of the most anaemic-looking football it has been anybody's misfortune to watch, Yeovil's Huish ground was set alight yesterday (Thursday) by 11,000 frenzied fans when 18-years-old right winger John Dennis hammered home a picture goal to smash United's hopes of a Cup run and to relieve the Blues of the ordeal of perhaps a second replay.

On yesterday's showing it was obvious the Blues tired much more quickly than the Somerset part-timers. They were yards slower moving to the ball, showed no method in their attack, and in the first half matched the Southern League men for atrocious finishing.

Southend can have no complaints. They are out of the Cup and deserve to be. They claimed as much of the play as Yeovil and had the same number of chances. They threw away all those opportunities while the Somerset part-timers seized just one to steer them into a second round tie at Colchester on December 6th.

When young Dennis drove a clearance from a MacKay corner into the top of the net in the 85th minute it was a relief even to Southend fans who had watched nearly three hours of poor football.

The goal meant that yet another professional club had come to grief on a pitch noted for its slope, which is said to drop 8ft 6in. between the touchlines. Bury and Sunderland have also known the humiliation of defeat to Yeovil.

But this can be no consolation for Blues. The play up to that 85th minute was a repeat performance of Saturday's goalless draw at Roots Hall.

Neither attack had any real punch although match-winning Dennis, who was given a free transfer from Crystal Palace this season and who was nearly dropped after a poor showing at Southend, proved a big handful for Sandy Anderson who had a heavy cold.

Once again Yeovil's player-manager, Jimmy Baldwin, played his heart out and kept his defence knitted closely together.

Bill Punton, on United's left wing, was always covered by two men and on the few occassions he managed to find a way past them Baldwin was there in a flash to present a third obstacle.

Also the the 1958 replay, striker Roy Hollis is thwarted by the goalkeeper.

Sam McCrory was never given an inch of space in which to scheme an opening and Duggie Price was never allowed to use his speed on the right.

Only big Brian Houghton had any success and his clever ball distrubution in the first half instilled some hopes in an otherwise disappointed section of the crowd wearing blue-and-white rosettes. But even United's inside-left faded as the game progressed and slipped further away from Blues' grasp.

In the first half the man who came closest to scoring was Lou Costello. Brought in at right half in place of Ray Smith, he raced into the Yeovil goalmouth after 12 minutes to meet a Punton corner kick. His header looked a winner, but goalkeeper Davy Jones leapt brilliantly to tip the ball over the bar.

Roy Hollis broke round centre-half Len Harris when the game was just four minutes old, but his shot was deflected out to the right wing. Duggie Price placed it neatly back into the centre, but the ball crossed the Yeovil goalmouth unhindered.

A back-header from centre-forward Terry McConnon minutes later gave ex-United player Don Travis the chance to go through on his own, but the Yeovil inside-right was too slow to take advantage of a perfect opportunity.

In the 17th minute Yeovil again missed the chance to take a certain lead. Inside-left Ernie Emmonds went through the middle and, with only Brian Ronson to beat, tried to walk the ball into the net instead of shooting and had the ball takewn from his feet by Jimmy Stirling.

Ronson was giving a wonderful performance in United's goal and he more than earned his place in the side when Emmonds was again put through. He dived at the feet to smother the shot and clear upfield with the whole defence appealing for offside.

Hesitancy lost Southend at least three chances to take the lead in the 10 minutes before half time. Hollis and Houghton were robbed just 10 yards out and a minute before the break Costello crashed in a loose ball which centre-half Harris deflected over the bar with his boot.

United lost 1-0 in Somerset for a second time in November 1963.

John Dennis beat Anderson in the 72nd minute and laid on a gloriouds pass for Travis, standing 10 yards out and unmarked, but the Yeovil inside-right missed badly with his shot.

Ten minutes from time Houghton was seemingly brought down by Harris as he moved into the penalty area, but referee A.W. Sparling ignored United's appeals for a penalty.

Then with five minutes to go young Dennis was standing on the right wing when Johnny McKay took a corner kick from the left. The ball was pushed out and the 18-years-old London boy ran in to smash Southend out of the Cup.

Now Blues have no more Cup worries they will get their noses to the grindstone and make Divsion II a football reality instead of a dream."

The United line-up for that single-goal defeat, which of course saw concussed Threadgold miss out, was as follows:- Brian Ronson; Arthur Williamson, Sandy Anderson; Lou Costello, Jimmy Sirling, John Duffy; Duggie Price, Sam McCrory, Roy Hollis, Bud Houghton, Bill Punton.

The Shrimpers returned to the Huish five years later for another First Round tie, but the following Southend side could only come away with another 1-0 defeat courtesy of a strike from Town forward Foley:- Peter Goy; Lou Costello, John Neal, Tony Bentley, Peter Watson; Terry Bradbury, Malcolm Slater, Ken Jones, Johnny McKinven; James Conway, Barry Ashworth.

However, a 3-0 friendly victory arrived at Huish Park in August 2001.

Southend have however visited Town's new home at Huish Park, with goals from Leon Johnson, Tony Richards and Mark Rawle earning United a 3-0 pre-season friendly victory in August 2001.

Mark Wallis
www.thelittlegazette.com