Van-quished!
From the Echo, first published Wednesday 15th Oct 2003.
THERE will be no Millennium Stadium appearance for Cherries in the LDV Vans Trophy this season after they bowed out to Football League new boys Yeovil last night.
AFC Bournemouth lost out in the first round to Jake Edwards' 73rd minute opener and a penalty from Gavin Williams seven minutes later in front of a 5,035 crowd at Huish Park.
Cherries struggled to make an impact on the game and it was the Glovers who came away with a victory they probably deserved.
Bournemouth manager Sean O'Driscoll brought in goalkeeper Gareth Stewart for his first start this season in place of Neil Moss, who was rested and was not even used on the bench.
Neil Young, Danny Thomas and Warren Feeney also began the game in place of Karl Broadhurst, Steve Fletcher and James Hayter, who all featured in Cherries' 1-0 win at Notts County on Saturday but warmed the bench at first last night.
Yeovil's Kevin Gall fired in the first shot, but his 20-yard effort in the 11th minute flashed narrowly past the far post.
Soon after, Wade Elliott cut in from the right flank and curled a dangerous left foot shot goalbound, only for it to be deflected clear by Terry Skiverton.
Derek Holmes had another long-range effort deflected wide, this time by Colin Pluck, after Garreth O'Connor's probing run to the edge of Yeovil's box had been temporarily halted.
O'Connor then had to snatch the ball off Edwards' feet deep inside Cherries' box just as the Yeovil striker was set to fire in a shot from 10 yards which would have silenced the 1,500 travelling AFC Bournemouth fans at the Houndstone end of Huish Park.
Cherries then survived an even bigger scare in the 32nd minute after Darren Way's fierce 20-yarder had beaten Stewart but struck the bar.
As the ball dropped agonisingly down by the goalline, Way followed in his effort and bundled Stewart into his own goal with the ball in the keeper's hands.
Referee Mick Fletcher ruled the `goal' out because Way had clearly fouled Stewart, but it was a close shave as Yeovil enjoyed a good spell.
Abdelhalim El Kholti brought down Feeney in the 35th minute, but Thomas's well-struck 25-yard free kick was straight at Glovers' keeper Stephen Collis, who saved comfortably.
Then the lanky six feet eight inch Hugo Rodrigues was booked for bringing down Feeney, again, wide on the left touchline in the 42nd minute.
O'Connor's free-kick was helped on by Holmes inside the box to Jason Tindall, who slammed the ball into Yeovil's net from close range at the far post.
But Fletcher, with the help of his assistant, ruled Tindall had been offside and cancelled the `goal' out.
Tindall, clearly frustrated, picked up his first booking of the season less than 60 seconds later and it remained goalless at half time.
Stewart was happy to see Edwards' curling low shot drift wide of his far post two minutes after the Yeovil man had cut through Cherries' defence with a long weaving run.
Cherries' keeper then easily saved Lee Johnston's low-drilled effort following a sweeping Glovers' move, before Holmes limped off to be replaced by Steve Fletcher in the 58th minute.
Within seconds of Big Fletch's arrival on the pitch, Marcus Browning had picked up his fifth booking of the season after fouling Johnson, and O'Connor's name joined the Scotsman's in the referee's book as well, apparently for kicking the ball away.
Yeovil, who had looked the more dangerous, made the breakthrough in the 73rd minute when Edwards sidefooted home Williams' right flank cross from six yards.
Stewart got down well to smother Glovers substitute Adam Stansfield's angled drive after he had broken clear down the right flank.
But the keeper was sent the wrong way by Williams' late penalty after Carl Fletcher had been harshly judged to have handled inside his own box.
So it is Yeovil's name - not AFC Bournemouth's - that will go into the hat when the second round draw is made live on Sky Sports on Saturday morning.
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