Match ends, Yeovil Town 1, Doncaster Rovers 0.
YeovilYeovil Town1DoncasterDoncaster Rovers0
Bottom side Yeovil earned a vital victory over fellow Championship strugglers Doncaster courtesy of a second-half penalty from James Hayter.
Hayter converted from the spot after Duane Holmes was tripped by James Husband.
Yeovil had chances to add to the scoreline but Doncaster goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was in fine form, pulling off several key saves.
Kevin Dawson also rattled the crossbar from a late header for the home side.
It was Doncaster's 10th defeat on the road this season and reduced the gap between the relegation rivals to only five points on a day when Charlton and Barnsley completed an unlikely hat-trick of wins for the bottom three sides.
The victory was the least Yeovil deserved from a game in which they threatened from the start.
Striker Ishmael Miller took only four minutes to threaten Doncaster's goal but scuffed Joe Ralls' swept ball wide.
Rovers goalkeeper Johnstone came up against his former club following a short-lived spell in the south west earlier this season, and he thwarted his former employers with a terrific save in the 27th minute after Tom Lawrence's fizzing free-kick was glanced on by Byron Webster.
The visitors almost grabbed the lead after half an hour when captain Richie Wellens, returning to the starting XI after a two-match ban, found Jordan Bowery on the penalty spot but his shot was blocked by Yeovil's Shane Duffy.
At the other end, Yeovil forced Johnstone into two more saves before the break.
The Glovers last enjoyed a league win against Blackpool on 3 December but the hosts will not have created many more clear-cut chances than the one they spurned early in the second half. However Tom Lawrence could only head tamely at Johnstone from Holmes' cross.
Yeovil's fortunes turned shortly before the hour mark when debutant Holmes, who signed on loan from Huddersfield on Friday, was tripped in the box by Husband. Former Doncaster striker Hayter confidently stroked the ball home from the spot.
With the visitors' defence rocking, Kieffer Moore should have doubled the advantage moments later but his header was expertly saved by Johnstone from point-blank range.
Substitute Dawson rattled the crossbar from a late header for the home side but their defence was rarely tested in the closing exchanges.
Yeovil manager Gary Johnson:
"It's important when you're near the bottom of the league that you keep your shape and create chances, and we did that.
"We deserved the win. One-nil is a bit hairy-scary, and looking at today's results it was important we stayed in touch. The result has brought Millwall and Doncaster closer to us.
"It wasn't pretty but it's not easy to play on that pitch at the minute with all the rain we've had. Everyone put a shift in and credit to the team - they deserve it."
Doncaster manager Paul Dickov:
"I thought it was a scrappy game. The conditions and the pitch didn't help us play the way we wanted.
"We've created two or three great chances when we were on top in the second half before their penalty, and it's a completely different outcome if we put them away.
"I've not seen the penalty but at the time I thought it was correct. James (Husband) hasn't made any real complaints about it.
"I felt we should have also had a penalty. I'm not an advocate of players getting sent off, but their lad has swung his arm and smashed Bongani (Khumalo) in the face.
"The referee has seen it and did nothing about it, and the fourth officialtells me the decision wasn't given because it was open-handed."
Line-ups
Yeovil
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Stech
- 2Ayling
- 3McAllister
- 4Edwards
- 5Webster
- 15Duffy
- 20HolmesSubstituted forDawsonat 77'minutes
- 19Ralls
- 27MillerSubstituted forMooreat 10'minutes
- 9Hayter
- 11Lawrence
Substitutes
- 7Dawson
- 8Palazuelos
- 10Foley
- 13Moore
- 18Lanzoni
- 24Dunn
- 29Morgan
Doncaster
Formation 4-4-2
- 33Johnstone
- 2Quinn
- 3Husband
- 18Keegan
- 14Khumalo
- 20Méité
- 26Coppinger
- 19Wellens
- 34Bowery
- 9BrownBooked at 78mins
- 7DuffyBooked at 56minsSubstituted forCotterillat 65'minutesBooked at 90mins
Substitutes
- 4Furman
- 11Cotterill
- 12McCullough
- 13Maxted
- 21De Val Fernandez
- 30Peterson
- 31Stevens
- Referee:
- Darren Drysdale
- Attendance:
- 4,934
Match Stats
Home TeamYeovilAway TeamDoncaster
- Possession
- Home41%
- Away59%
- Shots
- Home13
- Away14
- Shots on Target
- Home5
- Away2
- Corners
- Home6
- Away6
- Fouls
- Home14
- Away12
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Yeovil Town 1, Doncaster Rovers 0.
Booking
David Cotterill (Doncaster Rovers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by David Cotterill (Doncaster Rovers).
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Tom Lawrence (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Shane Duffy.
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Attempt blocked. Jordan Bowery (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Richard Wellens.
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Foul by Paul Keegan (Doncaster Rovers).
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Joe Ralls (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Paul Quinn (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Joe Edwards (Yeovil Town).
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James Husband (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by James Hayter (Yeovil Town).
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Attempt missed. Tom Lawrence (Yeovil Town) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Joe Edwards from a direct free kick.
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Foul by Abdoulaye Méité (Doncaster Rovers).
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Kieffer Moore (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Abdoulaye Méité (Doncaster Rovers).
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Kieffer Moore (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Abdoulaye Méité (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Kieffer Moore (Yeovil Town).
