Joel Grant’s superb strike two minutes before the break is the difference between Town and Yeovil at the break.

Daryl Murphy returned to the Town starting line-up in place of Frank Nouble up front, while skipper Carlos Edwards came back into the side for Paul Anderson, who missed out with a minor groin injury.

Murphy struck the game’s first shot in the opening minute from the edge of the box, but failed to significantly test Wayne Hennessey in the Yeovil goal.

The Irishman hit another shot wide from the right soon afterwards as the Blues started brightly. On six, Ryan Tunnicliffe scuffed a low shot through to Hennessey from the edge of the Glovers’ box.

Aside from a couple of Joel Grant breaks and Christophe Berra dispossessing Andy Williams inside the Town area, the early stages had been all Town. In the 16th minute a long spell of Blues passing ended with David McGoldrick hitting a powerful shot which Hennessey blocked.

Grant saw an 18th minute effort deflect wide for the Glovers, but the game was largely being played in the visitors’ half with the Blues set the challenge of breaking down the Yeovil defences. On 22 Murphy just failed to get his head to a corner coming in from the left.

The Blues continued to push and in the 26th minute McGoldrick tricked his way to the byline on the left but his cross was cleared to Tunnicliffe, whose shot was blocked.

Three minutes later, McGoldrick cut in from the right and hit a low shot across the face of Hennessey’s goal.

Town went close again in the 34th minute when Aaron Cresswell sent Tunnicliffe away down the left and the on-loan Manchester United man cut the ball inside to Murphy. The Irishman took a touch when he should have shot first time, allowing a defender to get across to block his effort on goal.

Soon after, Cresswell struck a couple of efforts, Luke Ayling painfully blocking the first and Hennessey grabbing the second, then at the other end Williams shot at Gerken. Moments later, the Town keeper had to react sharply to clear Luke Chambers’s backpass ahead of the Yeovil striker.

The half had been almost all Town, but as so often happens it was Yeovil who would go in front. The Blues failed to clear from the edge of the box and Grant — a player who might have been wearing a Town shirt had circumstances been different — twisted his way around Cole Skuse, found himself space and smashed a left-foot shot into the top corner of Gerken’s net.

In injury time, Tunnicliffe crossed from the left but Chambers’s knock-down was too far in front of his team-mates.

The half-time scoreline of 1-1 was hardly a fair reflection of a first 45 minutes which the Blues had dominated for the most part, however, without making the most of their possession or opportunities.

But Yeovil had defended stoutly and Grant’s brilliant strike was one which few keepers would have stopped.

Town: Gerken, Chambers, Berra, Smith, Cresswell, Edwards, Skuse, Hyam, Tunnicliffe, Murphy, McGoldrick. Subs: Loach, Hewitt, Veseli, Wordsworth, Tabb, Taylor, Nouble.

Yeovil: Hennessey, Ayling, McAllister, Fontaine, Seaborne, Edwards, Upson, Ralls, Grant, Hayter, Williams. Subs: Dunn, Dawson, Foley, Moore, Hoskins, Davis, Ofori-Twumasi. Referee: Darren Deadman (Cambridgeshire). Att:

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