Malachi Linton’s late strike secured a valuable point for Yeovil Town against FC Halifax Town.
After a positive first half, Town fell behind in the second after Matt Warburton opened the scoring.
Piling on late pressure, Linton turned home Andrew Oluwabori’s effort to secure a point on the road.
It was a rocky start for Town, who gave away some needless chances in the opening stages. Josh Staunton was caught in possession with just two minutes on the clock, and gave away a free-kick in a crossing position, which was eventually well defended.
Two minutes later, it was an even bigger let-off for Yeovil. Some major miscommunication between Grant Smith and Owen Bevan gave Warburton an open goal, but he spurned his opportunity at the edge of the six-yard box.
When the game settled, Yeovil began to enjoy vast spells of possession, which culminated in good crossing positions. A driving run from Andrew Oluwabori in the 12th minute released Jordan Maguire-Drew into a crossing position. He looked for Matt Worthington at the back post who couldn’t connect to the No.10’s cross.
Two minutes later, Maguire-Drew was involved again as he looked for Fisher in the box who was inches away from the ball for a tap-in.
Lawson D’Ath had been integral to the Glover's control in the early stages, but after he pulled up, the midfielder was forced off and replaced by Malachi Linton. This forced Worthington into a deeper role and disrupted Town’s flow for a spell.
There were significant claims from the Yeovil bench beyond the half-hour mark as D’Ath’s replacement Linton seemingly fouled in the box. The forward got to the ball first after being found by Maguire-Drew, he was then dragged down under significant pressure from the Halifax defence, but the referee waved play on.
Halifax were largely limited to shots from distance, with Warburton going closest with 44 on the clock.
The last chance of the half fell to the Glovers in stoppage time. Oluwabori found Fisher in the box, but his flicked finish was well saved.
The second half saw the game drop in tempo, with far fewer entries in either box. Town’s first chance fell with 50 played after the ball was dropped into Cooper’s path, he shot from distance and forced a save from Johnson.
On the hour mark, the hosts took advantage of bodies forward and took the lead. Warburton was found driving into the box and produced a cool finish beyond Smith to grab the lead.
Looking to bounce back, Agbaje had a header on target just three minutes after the goal, but it was well saved by Sam Johnson. However, just a matter of minutes later, Agbaje was forced off with a nasty injury, leaving the pitch on a stretcher after taking a heavy knock from a Halifax player.
This had seemingly knocked the stuffing out of Town before the game was ignited out of nowhere. Oluwabori took the onus on himself a number of times, driving towards the Halifax defence and creating chances late on.
With a minute of normal time to play, Linton levelled the scoring after great work from Oluwabori. His cross-cum-shot found the no.14 at the back post who stabbed at the ball beyond a stranded Johnson to level the affair.
The closing stages saw an extremely stretched game with both teams looking tired in the final moments. The best chance fell for the hosts, but a heroic block from Staunton ensured Yeovil travelled back to Somerset with a point.
Yeovil Town: Smith; Law, Bevan, Staunton, Agbaje (Johnson); Cooper, D’Ath (Linton), Worthington, Maguire-Drew, Oluwabori; Fisher (Reckord).
Bookings: Bevan, C.Cooper, Linton, Worthington
Subs not used: Buse
