Stevenage twice fought back to pick up a point with a 2-2 draw at Yeovil Town this afternoon.
After a goalless first half Yeovil took the lead with a fine effort into the bottom corner from Harry Cornick on 51 minutes, only for Dean Wells to fire home an equaliser three minutes later. Back came the Glovers again and retook the lead with Shaun Jeffers’ header on 57 minute but Boro kept battling and Tom Pett’s flicked header earned them a late point.
With both sides eager for three points in their quest to move up the table it was a lively start at a wet and windy Huish Park with Chris Day called into action on four minutes, turning an early lobbed effort behind and Gnanduillet firing wide of the near post at the other end.
Steven Schumacher should have given the visitors an 11th minute lead from inside the box, only to snatch at the chance which flew wide, but it signalled the start of a good period for Stevenage with Pett and Gnanduillet linking up well in particular.
Boro forced a number of corners and attacking throws to keep the attacking momentum up midway through the half and Whelpdale went close with a header which Weale gathered. With Teddy Sheringham's men pressing well and forcing errors, the home faithful were getting frustrated but they gradually came into the game with right-back Roberts firing off-target twice around the half hour mark.
Chris Day pushed a Sowunmi header around the post in a rare chance for the Glovers on 38 minutes, before Ryan Bird should really have given the hosts the lead but saw his shot rise high over Boro's bar.
Good early pressure saw Boro retain possession at the start of the second half but within six minutes Yeovil struck to take the lead. The lively Cornick was allowed to run at goal from 30 yards and found the bottom corner with a low effort. It was a great strike but Stevenage will be disappointed at how far the Bournemouth loanee was allowed to advance with the ball.
Stevenage won a free-kick and then a corner as they sought an immediate response, which came on 54 minutes through Dean Wells. Tom Conlon's corner found its way to the back post where the centre-back finished calmly to level things up.
Parity was restored for just three minutes in this topsy-turvy game as the hosts retook the lead from a corner of their own. This time it was sub Shaun Jeffers who rose highest to thump home a header off the left-hand post to send Huish Park wild.
The Glovers certainly had the upper-hand and cometh the hour, cometh Chris Day with the veteran 'keeper saving well from close range as Fogden looked to finish a swift counter attack.
Chris Whelpdale went close with a header that beat Weale but dropped the wrong side of the far post, but back came Yeovil with Jeffers dragging a 65th minute shot wide and Bird seeing a header fly over.
Stevenage hung on and were rewarded with some sustained possession in the final 20 minutes as the chances dried up for the Glovers and instead began to fall in the visitors' favour. Chris Weale had to be alert to deny Franks with a header and Whelpdale again went close 13 minutes before time but saw his shot fly past the far post.
Adam Marriott and Brett Williams came on for the closing stages of the game as Boro kept plugging away and they were rewarded just two minutes from time. Despite Yeovil sub Dickson seeing a free-kick hit the post minutes before, Marriott won a free-kick for Boro out wide and when Ogilvie clipped the ball in, there was Tom Pett to flick a header home for a deserved equaliser.
Even after that Schumacher went close to winning the game with a thunderbolt of a free-kick in injury time that Weale did well to palm over.
A draw was probably the right result on reflection and Boro will be hoping to go one better when they return to Huish Park in the FA Cup in early December. Next week sees Luton come to town and ticket details are here.
Yeovil Town: Weale, Tozer, Smith, Dolan (Dickson 84), Bird, Sowunmi (Jeffers 46), Fogden, Lacey, Cornick, Roberts, Ward
Subs not used: Krysiak, Allen, Beck, Bassett
Stevenage: Day, Henry, Franks, Wells, Ogilvie, Schumacher, Parrett (Williams 84), Whelpdale, Pett, Conlon (Marriott 74), Gnanduillet
Subs not used: McCombe, Hughes, Okimo, Lee, Gordon
Referee: Phillip Gibbs
Attendance: 3,230 (126 away)