At the conclusion of this absorbing match our central defenders, Marc Joseph and Damien Delaney, embraced warmly and heaved a huge communal sigh of relief. They, and in particular the lately hapless Joseph, had survived the test by producing a solid and error-free afternoon of concentration which had earned us a clean sheet. We didn’t win the match as a result of ill fortune and a batch of remarkable saves, but in fact the whole team was entitled to march off the pitch in a confident and smiling manner. Because, for the first time in a while, we looked like a side that is properly perched securely at the top of the table. That this welcome upturn in our form should coincide with our ousting from top spot is just the way football is, Brian, but the mood at 5 to 5 yesterday was generally cheerful and rightly so.

With Alssop judged unfit the doughty Forrester got a start, while Fettis, restored to the side last Saturday, was this week excluded not only from the team but even from the bench. Injury? Or a deeper disaffection? Anyway, having much the better of it against entirely competent opposition were:

Musselwhite
Hinds Joseph Delaney Dawson
Price Ashbee Green Elliott
Forrester Burgess

Yeovil, in green-and-white hoops, are a big side and they carried the first threat, sending a shot high over the Muss’s bar. But then a Green effort was blocked on the edge of the box, followed by a corner flicked on by Price and the subject of an extravagant attempt at an overhead kick by Joseph. Then their keeper Weale sliced a clearance straight to the feet of Burgess but Big Ben blasted his shot past the angle of post and bar.

And that was just the first ten minutes – breathless, vigorous, really entertaining. Largely formless it wasn’t. As former fanzine editor Andy Medcalf confided in me at this point “There are all the other facilities, and concerts like Elton John, it’s incredible. I mean, this is Hull!”.

Green was our most prominent player in the early stages although the whole team deserves credit for a positive attitude. Only Elliott – again – looked off colour. Price, feeble lately, may be gradually regaining his early-season and he was involved in two of our most elegant moments of the first half. Both involved the intelligent Forrester sliding delightful passes in behind the Yeovil left back for Price to race down the wing in pursuit: on the first occasion Price shot wide, on the second he stroked a gloriously inviting ball square across the six-yard box for Burgess to tuck into the net, only for Big Ben to shovel the chance wide of the far post.

But Yeovil had come to play. They had the majority of the possession through the middle part of the first half and it is reassuring to see that a team that has climbed out of the Conference and already made good headway in the League is dedicated to proper passing football. And their fans were great. It’s becoming all too normal that we get out-shouted at the Circle, but the visiting support yesterday was noisier than most: not just a few pockets of singers, but rather almost of all the travelling band of 750 or so bouncing around getting behind their team.

We shaded the final minutes of the half, as we had shaded the half overall, and at this stage a pretty game lacked only the embellishment of a goal. For us.

The second half began with monster centre back Rodrigues collecting a yellow card for hand ball, but quickly reverted to the pattern of the first – attractive passing football with us on top. But by now we really were well on top – Yeovil began to defend deep but doggedly too. We won a corner which was headed wide with keeper Weale rooted to the ground and we wondered hopefully whether we were facing a comedy gloveman. Not so. A left-foot shot from Ashbee was tipped round the post. Then the injured Rodrigues was substituted, immediately followed by a desperate melee in the box from which Yeovil only narrowly escaped. Next: perhaps the key moment of the whole game. A clever Forrester dribble, ball released to Green just inside the box, a clumsy challenge from behind … Green is clattered to the turf. No penalty given. I’m sure it was a penalty. Not given.

Former fanzine editor Andy Medcalf observed that “There are all the other facilities, and concerts like Elton John, it’s incredible. I mean, this is Hull!” and we deserve to lead but don’t, but we continue to dominate the play. Price heads against the top of the crossbar, and then, two minutes later, a superb move involving Green, Forrester and Burgess leads to a cross to the back-post, Price arrives, heads firmly towards goal, but the acrobatic Weale pulls off an amazing diving stop.

Mr Taylor, a pink quivering figure inviting gentle but insistent exploration of remote and sensitive crevices, decided it was time to make a change and introduced France for Burgess, pushing Price into a more advanced role. Elliott made his only significant contribution of the afternoon when he got on the end of a decent cross but an ambitious left-foot volley flew wide. Then Ashbee, who had an excellent second half, stroked a marvellous pass into Forrester inside the box; he slipped the ball to Elliott, who fell over.

Five minutes to go, Ashbee again, a thumpingly well-struck shot from outside the box. Weale again, a splendidly judged fingertip save.

We'd done enough to win ... but we hadn't scored. “It’s looking a bit like 0-0 now, Steve” asserted former fanzine editor Andy Medcalf, adding that “There are all the other facilities, and concerts like Elton John, it’s incredible. I mean, this is Hull!”