Judging by Yeovil's celebration, anyone would think they had just won promotion. In fact they had merely beaten the club with the longest occupancy of the Football League's basement division. The point of dancing joy with their 2,000 travelling fans was that it was their first ever League match.

Like others before them Yeovil, breaking into the League after 108 years, found it was promotion down - less mystique, almost mistake. In the last six years Macclesfield, Cheltenham and Rushden have all got out at the top end of the Third Division. On this bright showing Yeovil look equipped to follow. They carried the confidence of routing the Conference by 17 points.

The manager Gary Johnson was well satisfied: "We trusted our training, trusted our judgment and finished strong. It means our preparation was good. I told them I wanted everyone to affect the game. They did that for me. I think our reputation went before us and we enhanced it here. But we have 45 hard games to go."

Rochdale's Alan Buckley was generous: "They played with understanding and took advantage of our inadequacies. I felt we were here to honour their promotion." Certainly there was an air of inevitability, a tide in the affairs of Yeovil taken on the flood. Their new green and white Celtic hoops may have helped. Johnson's two years as coach of Latvia may also have prepared him well for Spotland.

Oven conditions made it a day for water-carriers. Where was Didier Deschamps? Rochdale are more hewers of wood, taking uneasily to Buckley's wish that they should be sewers of silk. Yeovil were not the only ones knocking off firsts; this was Buckley's League start with Rochdale. He had six debutants. They may take longer to fit than the Glovers.

Kevin Gall scored Yeovil's first league goal from a typically slick move. He got 14 in 16 games after joining Yeovil from Bristol Rovers in February. He is less Henrik Larsson than Craig Bellamy with his slippery speed. He started at Newcastle; Kirk Jackson is his Shearer, laying on a later tap-in.

Between times Paul Connor equalised while Yeovil's new Portuguese defender Hugo Rodrigues, a substitute, was still finding his feet. They are a long way away. He is 6ft 8in. But Lee Johnson restored the lead with a quick free-kick. "It's nice to see someone a bit bright," said his manager, who is also his father. "A chip off the old block," he added.

The seven fans who cycled to Rochdale had their reward. Carlisle in January may be a different proposition but their visit to Huish Park on Saturday will be historic. Tomorrow there is Luton in the League Cup. History is almost daily.

Man of the match: Adam Lockwood (Yeovil)

Rochdale: Gilks; Evans ,Burgess, Grand, Simpkins; Bertos (Betts, 71 ), Beech (McEvilly, 71 ), McClare, McCourt (Doughty, 45); Shuker, Connor.

Subs not used: Edwards, Townson.

Booked: Burgess, Connor, Grand, McClare, Shuker.

Yeovil: Weale; Lockwood, O'Brien, Pluck (Rodrigues 41), Williams (Lindegaard 65); Gosling (El Kholti 79), Way, Johnson, Crittenden; Gall, Jackson.

Subs not used: Stansfield, Collis.

Booked: Gosling, Rodrigues.

Referee: M Warren (Walsall).

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003

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