TIME is a great healer and there is no doubt that Yeovil Town fans gave a wry smile last night when former Huish Park favourite Michael McIndoe netted a great goal to clinch Bristol City's place in the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium.
McIndoe, an exciting and attacking left-winger, rifled his long-range free-kick past the Crystal Palace keeper to put City 4-2 up on aggregate and secured the Robins' date with Wembley on May 24.
For all that has been written and said about McIndoe, and I have said enough down the years, you cannot argue with the fact that he is a talented footballer.
The way in which he departed Huish Park for the "bigger club" of Doncaster Rovers in the summer of 2003 after helping Yeovil to the Nationwide Conference championship left a bitter taste in the mouth and probably, for many supporters, soured the memories of the Scottish lad.
McIndoe made 110 appearances and scored 25 goals in all competitions for the Glovers after arriving from Hereford United in February 2001. He put in some terrific performances, scored some great goals and shared in some of the club's greatest moments.
But, for many and I include myself in that bracket, all of those memories were tarnished by the accrimonious way in which McIndoe, amidst stories of how he was unsettling the dressing room, left Yeovil.
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But, like I said, time is a great healer and it is now five years since that disappointing scenario of 2003 which could have quite easily have spoilt the excitement leading up to Yeovil's debut season in the Football League.
McIndoe enjoyed success at Doncaster Rovers and then had spells at Derby County, Barnsley and Wolves before his old Yeovil boss Gary Johnson, rather surprisingly, came a calling in the summer 2007 and he signed a three-year contract with Bristol City.
That news certainly raised a few eyebrows among Glovers' supporters considering the "past history" between the manager and the player while they were at Yeovil.
But Johnson, who has never doubted the winger's ability on the pitch, now has to thank McIndoe for playing a major part in giving Bristol City a real chance of making the promised land of the Premier League.
And, for me personally as a Yeovil Town supporter, it has taken me five years to say this but, thanks for the memories Macca!
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