2nd October 2015

Yeovil Town are back in SkyBet League Two action this coming Saturday with a trip to high flying Portsmouth.

The game at Fratton Park is a 3pm kick off and tickets for the away end are available right up until kick off.

Both sides are looking to react to midweek defeats, Yeovil travelled to Accrington and came away on the wrong side of a 2-1 loss, while Pompey fell at home to Exeter by the same score line.

It leaves both sides third, albeit at opposite ends of the table; Portsmouth lie only behind Wycombe and Plymouth at the top with only Dagenham and Newport keeping Yeovil off the bottom at the other end.

A win for the home side could see them return to the top while Yeovil could rise four places with a vital three points.

The hosts were on a decent run of form prior to Tuesday’s loss; they were unbeaten in the League and had only lost in the JPT… again at the hands of Exeter City

Five wins and four draws have gained the south coast side 19 points and they’ll be looking to add to that against Yeovil this week.

As for Yeovil, results have gone against them against both Accrington and Hartlepool in the past week and despite some encouraging individual performances and passages of play Yeovil are not getting the points on the board.

On Wednesday, a young Yeovil side also progressed through the first round of the Somerset Premier Cup, this is significant as the youngest members of the Glovers squad, Max Melanson and Ollie Bassett were both involed. Bassett scored on the night, doing his chances of remaining in and around the first team no harm.

Against Hartlepool, Ryan Bird found the scoresheet for the fourth time while it was returning loanee Josh Sheehan who found the net for his first professional goal.

Sheehan’s return was announced shortly before last weekend’s fixture; however the Portsmouth game will be his last for Yeovil for a while.

Sheehan has been called up to the Wales Under 21 squad and will miss the Coventry and Dagenham games that follow this weekend’s fixture.

However, team news is starting to look a bit better; Shaun Jeffers was back in action this past Tuesday after suspension and Wes Fogden started for the first time since breaking his hand against York.

There are returns for Marc Laird, Omar Sowunmi, Ryan Dickson and Jack Compton on the horizon too.

It is thought that a couple of these could find their way into the reckoning this Saturday or possibly in the JPT the following Tuesday night.

The other members of the injury list edge closer to returns but putting dates on their come backs isn’t quite possible just yet.

Portsmouth’s real injury concerns surrounded their goalkeeper with both Paul Jones and Brian Murphy suffering injuries – even third choice ‘keeper Michael Poke cut his loan with Eastleigh short due to injury.

They dipped into the loan market to secure Aaron McCarey on an emergency loan deal.

They can call on their captain again after Michael Doyle served a one match ban and returned to the bench on Tuesday – he could be considered for a return to the starting XI this coming Saturday.

Other than that, Portsmouth are pretty much at full strength for the game.

Yeovil are travelling the 100 miles east hoping to return with three points and a clean bill of health.

You can be there at Fratton Park by purchasing tickets on the day from the away fans’ ticket booth.

Last time we met

The two sides last crossed paths in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy last season and  it was a game that saw the League Two side overcome the League One side 3-1.

Jed Wallace scored twice and Craig Westcarr added a third before Nathan Ralph scored a consolation late on.

Only two of the starting eleven that night for Yeovil is still at the club (Chris Weale and Nathan Smith) while just four of the entire squad are still on the Glovers pay roll.

Prior to that, Yeovil and Portsmouth met during the 2012/13 season which eventually saw the Glovers promoted out of League One.

In each fixture, the away side won, with the Glovers getting the three points at Fratton Park thanks to goals from Dom Blizzard and Byron Webster.

A similar result this Saturday would go down just fine with the travelling support.

Tickets

Tickets for the game are available up until 12pm on Friday 2nd October from the Glovers ticket office, after that, you’ll have to wait until match day and purchase your tickets from the ticket booth at the away end.

They’re priced at £20 for adults with a drop in price for concessions and juniors under the age of 17.

Commentary and Social Media

Commentary for all of Yeovil Town’s matches can be heard through the online club service Glovers Player, you can sign up for this by clicking HERE!

BBC Radio will also have full match commentary of the Green and White’s matches, stay tuned to your local station for all the details.

Stay tuned to all things Yeovil Town through the club’s social media outlets.

YTFC can be found on TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and even SNAPCHAT just search for @YTFC or click on the links provided. Use the Hashtag #YTFC across all platforms to make sure you connect with other Glovers fans the world over.