Yeovil Town are back in SkyBet Championship action on Tuesday night and away days don’t come much tougher than this.
The Glovers travel to top-of-the-table Leicester City and their promotion campaign looks like being a successful one with the stats backing up their credentials.
Sitting top of the pile, the Foxes have gone 17 games without losing, they currently have a gap of five points to second place Burnley and more importantly a 15 point gap to third place Derby County.
They’ve scored 69 goals, more than any other side and more than any two of the bottom four sides put together. Leading the pack is David Nugent with 19 and Jamie Vardy not far behind on 16.
Added to all that, they have a game in hand on those around them, just in case they need that extra cushion. Promotion seems to be a mere formality for Nigel Pearson’s side.
However, it’s time to find a reason or two for Yeovil to be positive heading into the big game and there are a few. Firstly, Leicester actually slipped up in their last fixture, a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday shows that they are capable of being broken down. Matt Kilgallon found an equaliser to cancel out Vardy’s opener.
Elsewhere there are some injury doubts over key players; Sean St Ledger remains a doubt and the Foxes are reporting a knock to defender Richie De Laet might be monitored over the next 24 hours.
Manager Nigel Pearson was also taken ill over the last 48 hours and was admitted to hospital, however, this is merely a precaution and Pearson is described as being in “very high spirits” and is expected to return in time to take control of the match on Tuesday night.
Yeovil’s form going into the game is not that of a side sitting in 23rd place. Only two defeats since the 11th of February, picking up very creditable results against high flying sides like Watford, Reading and Wigan as well as getting vital wins against Doncaster and Sheffield Wednesday.
The last two fixtures for Yeovil have ended in draws and have been quite dramatic; last gasp equalisers, missed penalties and just about everything in between have left fans on a rollercoaster of emotions.
But with the bottom of the table as tight as ever, a single win could take Yeovil out of the drop zone, as well as clawing teams like Birmingham, Doncaster and Blackpool right back into the fight.
You could argue that beating the best team in the division, in their own back yard could send the perfect message to teams in the bottom six or eight of the division.
After this fixture, Yeovil don’t play anymore of the current top six this season, eighth place Brighton are the highest placed fixture left on the run in.
When these two sides met at Huish Park in the reverse fixture, the Blues came out as 2-1 winners.
Lloyd Dyer opened the scoring before Nugent scored one of his many penalties this season.
James Hayter also netted from the spot late in the game but it was too little too late.
Prior to that, the clubs have met before in League One. The Foxes won 1-0 and 2-0 in the two fixtures during the 2008/09 season with neither game giving Yeovil much to shout about, so we’ll gloss over those nice and quickly.
Back to Tuesday’s game and tickets are available on the night of the game, but the £2 pre-match discount is wiped away.
For those who aren’t making the long trip, it’s another chance to use Glovers Player or by keeping up to date with all the goings on via the club’s social networks.
Of course, it’s that time of the season where we keep an eye on those around us, and it’s a full round of fixtures this midweek.
Millwall and Birmingham meet in London, Bolton and Blackpool play one another, while Charlton travel to Nottingham Forest and Doncaster travel to second place Burnley.
Yeovil Town have four home games left, all of them could be crucial in the club’s bid for Championship survival.
Tickets for Barnsley (Sat 29th March), Bournemouth (Sat 12th April), Huddersfield (Mon 21st April – 3pm) and Middlesbrough on the final day (Sat 3rd May – 12:15pm) are all available right now from the ticket office and online.
Get your place secured for the rest of this rollercoaster ride. They’ll be snapped up fast, especially if the Glovers can get a positive result this Tuesday night, so don’t delay.
Famous Fans
Match of Day presenter Gary Lineker, as well as his Football League Show compatriot Manish Bashin. Two members of Kasabian and not forgetting Engelbert Humperdinck.
A foot in both camps. Who have played for both sides?
Lee Cox, Kerrea Gilbert, Lee Morris, Lee Peltier, Tom Parkes, Andy Welsh, Chris Weale and Leicester legend Muzzy Izzet did turn out for a Yeovil XI in Terry Skiverton’s testimonial.