Fleet were so close to repeating the 2-2 draw of their previous away trip against Yeovil Town after two goals in three second-half minutes from the visitors saw them fight back from a two-goal deficit. But Yeovil managed to get their noses back in front with 10 minutes left to break the Fleet resolve.
There were four changes for the visitors as Wes Fonguck came in to add another number to midfield, with Tom Dallison, Louis John and Craig Tanner also starting. Out went Franklin Domi, Tyler Cordner, Giles Phillips and Dom Samuel.
Yeovil started well and their first meaningful attack on six minutes forced Fonguck into conceding a corner but noting came of it in a quiet opening. Fleet earned their first corner on 15 minutes as both sides had passages of play in command but without any real penetration.
On the couple of occasions Aaron Jarvis and Josh Sims did threaten through the middle, Dallison was on hand to clear. Josh Wright got in the way of Sims’ next direct effort from close range on 21 minutes and that looped up for Cousins to reach for.
But with Fleet matching the home side, Yeovil then went ahead on 25 minutes. Frank Nouble’s clever back heel into the path of Alex Whittle released him down the left. His cross was missed by Sam Pearson but much like Gateshead’s opening goal just over a week ago, it fell kindly for Brett McGavin who arrowed it into the bottom corner.
Six minutes later, Jarvis drew some oohs from the crowd as he chased down a loose pass across the Fleet defence but his optimistic effort from distance went well off target. Fleet were forced into a change on 39 minutes when No.39 Kwame Thomas sustained a knock and made way for Samuel.
And it got worse for the visitors on the next attack. Sam Pearson managed to force it through two Fleet defenders to make it into the six-yard box, Jarvis’s touch was blocked by Cousins but Michael Smith ran on to poke it over the line.
Matt Worthington then saw Cousins pluck his close-range chance out of the air before Sims curled a shot just past the upright.
Danny Searle sent Poleon into the fray at the start of the second-half but it was opposite number Nouble who had a couple of half-chances at the other end that he sent wide and over.
Fleet’s best chance to that point arrived just past the hour mark when substitute Domi released Ben Chapman down the right and his cross into Samuel was a good one but intercepted by goalkeeper Ollie Wright.
That, however, was just a warm-up for the goal on 64 minutes. Another delivery hoisted long from the right, this time by Luke O’Neill, wasn’t dealt with by the Yeovil goalkeeper and coming in on the loose ball was Lewis Page who was able to fire in off a green shirt.
That signalled a good spell for the Fleet and the equaliser arrived on 67 minutes. Domi wrestled the ball on the edge of the box but couldn’t quite bring it down. It didn’t matter as Samuel was on to it and he swung his foot through the ball from the edge of the box to convert.
Shellshocked, Yeovil tried to regain the initiative. Pearson flashed an effort right across Cousins’ goal towards Nouble at the far post but he failed to make contact. Harvey Greenslade got up well on 77 minutes as he went up for a ball into the box with Cousins but his header went the wrong side of the post.
Fleet were looking more likely to win it but Yeovil struck with 10 minutes left. Nouble’s footwork created space for a shot that Cousins did well to save and the same Yeovil man followed up with a second shot that Cousins again got a hand to. There was huge good fortune for Yeovil as it bounced back into play off the post for substitute Harvey Greenslade to finally bury a shot past the two Fleet defenders on the line.
Domi’s right-footed response on 84 minutes was deflected behind for a corner and Chapman won another set-piece with a delivery to the far post but Fleet ran out of time to force another equaliser.
EUFC: Cousins, O’Neill, Page (Cundle 83), John, Dallison, Wright (Domi 55), Kellermann, Fonguck (Poleon 46), Chapman, Tanner (Edser 55), Thomas (Samuel 39). Subs: Cordner, Berry
YTFC: Wright, Whittle (Araoye 46), Williams, Wannell, Pearson (Young 73), Worthington, Jarvis (Greenslade 68), Nouble, McGavin (Lo-Everton 71), Sims (Cooper 46), Smith. Subs: Gould, Thomas
Attendance: 3,295 (95 EUFC)
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