Match Report | Hemel Hempstead Town 2-1 Yeovil Town

Written by Ollie Heathcote

Hemel Hempstead Town 2 (Ajayi 39, Wilkinson 87) Yeovil Town 1 (Greenslade 71)

The magic of the FA Cup continued at the Focus Community Arena after an 87th minute header from Finley Wilkinson saw Hemel Hempstead Town defeat Yeovil Town 2-1.

After the Tudors were reduced to 10 men in the 26th minute, the togetherness and constant pressure remained until the final whistle as Hemel showcased their quality and overcame the National League outfit to put their name into the first round hat for the first time since 2013.

The opening stages at the Focus Community Arena proved to be a high-competitive affair between the two teams, with the hosts looking the more threatening. Whilst numerous attacks proved to come to nothing, Yeovil were the first team to have an opportunity as Andrew Oluwabori received the ball and cut in on his right foot before shooting over the bar.

Photography by Jemma Sear

However, the first big decision came in the 26th minute as Isiah Noel-Williams received a red card after an off the ball incident. This did not stop the constant pressure from the hosts, as captain Kyle Ajayi opened the scoring in the 39th minute following a short corner routine. The first minute of added time saw the hosts almost double their lead, as George Williams’ free kick struck the post, with the rebound unable to be tapped in. The last action came from a free kick for the visitors, as their shot ended up in the hands of Michael Johnson which was the last action before the interval.

The second half started with the visitors in control of the game as the Glovers had numerous attacks towards the Hemel area. After shouts for a penalty were waved away after Matthews-Lewis went down in the area and Joe White’s deflected effort trickled into the hands of Ward, the Glovers equalised through a combination of their substitutions. Byron Pendleton reversed his pass into Harvey Greenslade who produced a composed finish into the bottom corner to level up the tie.

This looked to have fired up the visitors, who had a further effort through Tahvon Campbell. He took the ball down from a corner and blasted his shot over the bar from close range. After attacking changes were made by Hemel, the Tudors did reply with an effort of their own as a Joe White shot was dragged past the near post in the 83rd minute. Just four minutes later, a driving run down the left flank saw Darion Dowrich deliver a pinpoint cross to find the head of Finley Wilkinson. His header looped up and over Ward in the Yeovil goal to put the score in Hemel’s favour once again.

After 10 minutes were added on after 90 had been played, Yeovil tried to throw everything to force a replay. The 94th minute saw Campbell swing in a threatening cross, which was sliced wide from a tight angle by Andrew Oluwabori. Just three minutes later, a goalbound effort was heroically blocked from Kyle Ajayi which proved pivotal. Following this, the hosts were able to control the tempo of the closing stages as the Tudors held on for a 2-1 victory.

Following the final whistle, a delighted Lee Allinson said: “I spoke to the players all week about creating more history at the football club and they’ve done it”. In what was a fantastic result for the football club, their attention will turn to the next fixture away to AFC Totton.

The Tudors will find out their first round opponents in Monday night’s draw, which takes place on TNT Sports. It is a chance for the Tudors to reach the Second Round of the competition for the first time in their history, as excitement continues to build for Hemel Hempstead Town.