Shaymen suffer first league defeat in five at strugglers Yeovil

Matt Worthington's penalty won it for the hosts as Halifax lost to a solitary spot-kick at Huish Park for the second successive season.

It brings to an end The Shaymen's fine recent form, and sees them crash back to earth with a bump.

This was an opportunity missed for Halifax against a limited Yeovil team, but The Shaymen failed to get close to their performance levels of the last few weeks.

A defeat was still harsh on them though.

This was a clash of two of the three lowest scorers in the division, and it showed.

Rob Harker had two good chances early on when low crosses from the right found him in pockets of space in the box, but both times he skewed shots wide before reacting in the manner of a striker who knew he had spurned scoring opportunities.

The Shaymen were cleaner and more efficient on the ball, Yeovil were more untidy and hesitant.

Yeovil fans were impatient at their team's backwards and sideways possession, calling for forward passes, but when they came, the ball was invariably lost.

Jamie Cooke and Kian Spence were pressing the hosts' defence well, forcing caution, restricting options.

Apart from one dangerous cross from Chiori Johnson, requiring an excellent clearance by Tylor Golden, Yeovil had been impotent and Halifax's defence untroubled.

The home side had a nervy edge to them but Halifax weren't ruthless enough to take advantage.

The Shaymen were playing against the wind in the first-half, which was apparent when lofted passes upfield were attempted.

By contrast, similar passes by Yeovil tended to run out for goal kicks.

Such conditions didn't help a contest that failed to spark into life, played between two goal-shy teams.

The home side appeared there for the taking - inhibited, timid, passive - but The Shaymen weren't playing with the intensity or finesse to do so.

The opener was almost found by Jamie Stott, whose shot on the turn after a corner was recycled arced just over.

Moments later, Yeovil then won their first corner, from which Owen Bevan was fouled by Stott, and from the penalty, Worthington blasted in.

Whether the contact with Bevan was enough to warrant a fall is debatable, but the contact itself was obvious, and referee Aaron Jackson appeared to have little choice.

In a game of so few chances, it was careless to concede one so cheaply, and the visitors, despite their superiority and greater control over the match, unjustly trailed at the break.

Kian Spence's dipping, swerving shot from outside the box brought Grant Smith's first save of the afternoon eight minutes after the interval.

It possessed the type of venom and malice that Halifax needed to summon up, but of which there was precious little on show.

Halifax had the wind at their backs and more of the ball, but were too easy to defend against, not stretching the Yeovil defence or producing any sustained pressure.

Tylor Golden's low curling shot was tipped away by Smith ten minutes after Spence's effort, but shots needed to be coming at quicker intervals than that.

They did when Harker pounced on an error at the back five minutes later, but again squandered his chance by firing straight at Smith one-on-one.

Matty Warburton and Mani Dierseruvwe were on by now, and Town had switched to four at the back, but struggled to exert an influence.

Halifax's control of the game, which had wavered a little, was reinforced when goalscorer Worthington was shown a second yellow for diving with 15 minutes left.

The Shaymen could barely have wished for a better platform from which to find an equaliser, but toiled in their attempts.

A World Cup sized six additional minutes produced a final chance for Halifax, but Harvey Gilmour's shot was kept out before the rebound was blazed over from near the penalty spot.

Yeovil: Smith, Williams, Bevan, Hunt, Johnson, Staunton, Worthington, Reckord, Andrews, Oluwabori (Linton 68). Fisher. Subs not used: Buse, D'Ath, Georgiou, Britton.

Scorer: Worthington (pen 44)

Shots on target: 1

Shots off target: 1

Corners: 1

Halifax: Johnson, Arthur, Stott, Senior, Golden, Summerfield, Gilmour, Capello (Dierseruvwe 66), Cooke (Warburton 54), Spence, Harker. Subs not used: Scott, Minihan, Keane.

Shots on target: 4

Shots off target: 6

Corners: 2

Attendance: 2,123 (54 away)

Referee: Aaron Jackson

Town man of the match: Slim pickings this week, not many in a purple shirt were contenders. I'll give it to Kian Spence, who worked hard and looked fairly bright on the ball.