The Glovers continued their strong start to pre-season with a hard fought 2-1 win over National League North outfit Hereford.

In a first-half blighted by fouls to make the fixture's status as a friendly somewhat ironic, Matt Worthington looked to have had the game's only meaningful chance before Rhys Murphy broke the deadlock.

Turning cleverly in the box, the summer recruit dispatched a strike into the back of the net from 12 yards to give the Somerset outfit the lead at the break.

More than worthy of their lead, it was wiped out on 51 minutes when Tommy O'Sullivan rounded off a set-piece move.

With substitutions seeing six Academy products conclude the match for Town, the young Glovers secured victory in the dying embers of the match through an unnamed trialist.

In action for the second time in the build-up to the 2019/20 campaign, Darren Sarll started with a virtually unchanged starting eleven as Daniel Ojo came in as the only change.

Defenders Tom Bradbury and Craig Alcock marked their first appearances since signing contracts at Huish Park earlier this week, whilst Luke Wilkinson was the only absentee with a slight knock.

Bathed in evening sunshine on the coast - with AFC Bideford's The Sports Ground the host venue - the opening 45 minutes became a stop-start affair with chances at a premium.

The Glovers enjoyed the lion's share of possession as the sun began to set but a series of early corners only extended the wait for meaningful action in the final third.

Without a clearcut opportunity to feed off of, last weekend's two-goal man Murphy lashed a volley from the edge of the box high and wide before niggly fouls constricted the game's tempo.

In fact, those onlooking from the stands had to wait until the 31st minute for some excitement as Worthington almost broke the deadlock.

Neat interchange 20 yards out - the best football of the half - resulted with Town's midfielder driving a strike that had to be parried away by Brandon Hall.

Triggering a lively spell for the green and whites, they took the lead just over 10 minutes later when Murphy once again displayed his finishing capabilities following good work down the right from Alcock.

Having had to wait until the end of the half to open the scoring it was almost two moments later when Alcock's long throw was glanced over the bar by Ojo to round off an opening 45 minutes controlled by Sarll's side.

Taking virtually all of the first 45 to make their dominance count, the Glovers surrendered their lead just six minutes after the restart.

Rhys Davies' quick free-kick spotted the run of O'Sullivan who kept his cool to loop an effort up and over Stuart Nelson to restore parity.

Now a more equal affair, Town mirrored last Saturday's pattern with substitutes and wrung the changes just past the hour-mark when seven new faces entered the fold.

Adding Esdras Lama for his first taste of senior football from the under-18s, the defender joined George Calverley and Devon Arnold from the Academy as youth predominantly saw out the final half-an-hour.

Initially encouraged by an unnamed trialist just heading Gabby Rogers' cross just over, the Glovers were then on the backfoot as Hereford enjoyed a spell of pressure against youthful opposition.

First Kyle Finn was denied by the legs of Nelson before goal scorer O'Sullivan forced a brilliant full-stretch save from Town's stopper with a strike from range.

Marshaling a young team in front of him, Nelson continued to keep the Herefordshire outfit at bay and his performance was rewarded when an unnamed trialist nutmegged his man on the edge of the box and curled home a late winner for Town.

Hereford: Hall; Trialist, Cullinane-Liburd, Riley, Davies; Bray, Thomas, J. Cane, O'Sullivan; Nicholson, Liburd.

Yeovil Town: Nelson; Bradbury (Lama 63'), Collins (Shako 63'), Dickinson (Trialist 63'); Alcock (Arnold 63'), Skendi (Calverley 63'), Worthington (John 32'), Ojo; Seager (Rogers 46'); Murphy (Duffus 63'), Trialist (Trialist 63')