It wasn't to be another famous FA Cup scalp for Yeovil Town, as Championship side AFC Bournemouth proved too strong for the Somerset outfit in this third round tie.
A hat-trick from Dane Emiliano Marcondes was the reflection of a highly professional outing for the Cherries despite the hosts clawing one back at 1-2 with ex-Bournemouth man Joe Quigley capitalising on a Orjan Nyland mistake.
Bournemouth fans will be happy in knowing the future looks bright for their south coast side, as manager Scott Parker fielded a much changed squad packed with young emerging talent.
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Teams
Coming in to this game, gaffer Darren Sarll made three changes following Yeovil's 1-2 home defeat to Torquay United in the Vanarama National League. Dan Moss, Luke Wilkinson and Joe Quigley all came in to face the Championship opposition.
Charlie Wakefield, Jack Robinson and Abdillahie Yussuf all made way for this cup switch up. The Glovers side had two former Bournemouth players - with striker Joe Quigley and Matt Worthington involved.
Yeovil Town: Barnes; Moss, Hunt, Wilkinson (C), Williams, Gorman, Worthington, Staunton, Barnett, Knowles, Quigley.
For the Championship table-toppers, Scott Parker opted for wholesale changes across the park. All except Jaidon Anthony were cut from the side that beat Cardiff City 3-0 last time out.
Amidst a mix of youth and squad players, Parker handed a debut for right back Nathan Moriah-Welsh. The 19-year-old Guyana international was the poster boy for the youthful selection.
Adding a little more experience were the likes of Chris Mepham, Jamal Lowe and Emiliano Marcondes. Between the sticks, Orjan Nyland was there for his second appearance for the south coast team.
AFC Bournemouth: Nyland; Moriah-Welsh, Mepham (C), Rossi, Davis, Anthony, Pearson, Marcondes, Rogers, Lowe, Kilkenny.
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Story of the match
In the early exchanges, Yeovil played as if they were mirroring their boisterous, sold out Huish Park crowd. The first main event was an over excited tackle from Dale Gorman as he kicked straight through winger Morgan Rogers. He was booked for his robust efforts.
Seven minutes later, Gorman would be involved yet again. The ex-Glentoran man just got to the ball on the left just before Jamal Lowe and won his side a free kick. He got up and took the set piece, having perhaps a name in lights sort of moment as he blasted the well hit drive up into the stand. It was a big opportunity wasted.
Inside 15 minutes, Parker's Bournemouth utilised some clever build up, but Yeovil did well to get a foot in - presenting some pretty industrial clearances. The home side even managed to press high and win a corner but Nyland was hardly troubled.
19 minutes finally saw not only the deadlock broken, but a goalless duck too. Emiliano Marcondes got on the scoresheet for the first time since August of 2021. Chris Mepham's ball over the top split the defence and the Dane’s brilliant control took him before the ‘keeper before coolly sliding home.
In the ascendency it seemed, Bournemouth nearly doubled their lead shortly after as Jamal Lowe curled wide right from the edge of the box. At first looking like a miss, it was deemed good defending from captain Luke Wilkinson as the ball went out for a corner.
Despite being one behind, Yeovil continued to press fearlessly high and even caught Orjan Nyland napping. The Norwegian played his defender Zeno Rossi into danger and the home side won back the ball. Alas, the finish wasn't good - rising high of the blushing keeper's goal.
In this spell, Sarll's men pushed on and although the flag was up 34 minutes in, Chris Mepham was scrambling along the floor in the box to clear from the mischievous Tom Knowles.
With half time beckoning, Bournemouth ramped up the pressure and Jaidon Anthony expertly slid in Marcondes down the right of the box. Calm and composed, he finished well across goal and bagged his brace - leaving the visitors in a comfortable position going in to the break.
Second half
Similar to the beginning of the first period, the hosts flew out of the traps. First, Tom Knowles burst down the left before being calmly dealt with by Moriah-Welsh.
Then jubilation, as Orjan Nyland yet again was caught on the ball. Bournemouth couldn't deal with the press and an excellent tackle from Knowles on Nyland saw Joe Quigley with an easy finish into the empty net.
After this, it felt as though the volume had been turned all the way up - especially when the Norwegian keeper was on the ball. In this period of play, a good battle continued to emerge as Jordan Barnett went up against Leif Davis. Barnett was left bloodied after a stray Davis boot went unnoticed by the ref. Minutes later inside 55' he returned the favour with a poorly timed trip.
63 minutes saw more heated exchanges as Millwall loanee Dan Moss threw his head right in where it hurt. Ben Pearson went for the falling ball as the defender burst towards him, he instead connected with the Yeovil man's head.
Robbie Brady was introduced for Jaidon Anthony on 65' and his involvement was instant. Getting involved in the link up, the Irishman played in Jamal Lowe who forced an excellent stop from the sprawling Dillon Barnes.
On 70 minutes, the QPR loanee was yet again called in to action from Lowe but this time was unlucky as the ricochet dropped kindly for Marcondes to seal his hattrick from close range.
Breaking the final ten minute mark, the game fell into a spell of game management for the Championship side and the 82 league places between the two teams looked more and more evident. That said, Yeovil didn't stop running.
The Glovers threw all their cards on the table with several changes. Goal scorer Quigley and Matt Worthington made way. Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and Abdillahie Yussuf came on. So too did EFL mainstay Reuben Reid, replacing Dale Gorman.
The last minutes saw Bournemouth mainly in possession despite any threat Yeovil could carve out on the break. The final whistle blew on a massive note, Brennan Camp stopping a last gasp consolation with a heroic block. Now, Bournemouth move into the draw for the fourth round.