17th March 2014

Yeovil Town are back in SkyBet Championship action this Tuesday night and it is another huge opponent for the Glovers to take on.

Off the back of a loss to big spending QPR at the weekend, it’s the small matter of playing the FA Cup holders, Wigan Athletic, away.

The Tuesday night trip is a rearranged fixture due to the Latics’ continual involvement in this season’s FA Cup.

Last season’s Wembley winners beat Man City in the showpiece final and yet still went on to be relegated.

Despite dropping a division they find themselves back in the final four after overcoming Man City once again.

Before Uwe Rosler’s side can think about their Wembley suit fittings however, they still have the league to think of and currently lie just outside the play-off places in the Championship.

On Saturday, Wigan continued their fine form overcoming Ipswich Town 3-1 with James McClean scoring twice to wrap up the points.

To put into context the run of form Tuesday’s hosts are on, the Ipswich win was their eighth consecutive win in all competitions. That run includes two Premier League sides dumped out of the FA Cup.

Yeovil are themselves still trying to use the momentum from a good spell to project them forward.  However in the last two games, Ipswich held out for a 1-0 win at Huish Park with a brilliant rear guard display and QPR were probably flattered by their 3-0 winning margin.

The team news for the Glovers is a mixed bag of positive and negative updates.

Joe Ralls has now served all three matches of his suspension and is available once more, however Ruben Palazuelos had to be pulled out of the QPR during the warm up with an injury and so Ralls may just take his place in the side. Loanee Duane Holmes has now returned to parent club Huddersfield Town after a month loan at Huish Park.

Elsewhere, Liam Davis is a long-term absentee while Gary Johnson has suggested he may have to manage knocks and niggles picked up by squad members carefully.

For Athletic, midfielder Leon Barnett was forced off in Saturday’s fixture with a hamstring problem. This could mean a return to the starting line up for former Glovers loanee Rob Kiernan. Elsewhere, Chris McCann and Roger Espinoza are longer term absentees.

When the two sides met in November, Wigan came out of that fixture 1-0 winners. Marc Antoine Fortune scored late on to break Glovers’ hearts.

Joe Edwards, Joel Grant and Paddy Madden were all denied by another top goalkeeping display from the opposition ‘keeper Lee Nicholls.

Since then, Wigan have changed a number of personnel, none more important than the manager. Owen Coyle has been replaced by Uwe Rolser and the former Brentford boss may feel he has a score to settle with the Glovers.

 

Yeovil fans will need no reminders that he was in charge of the Bees at Wembley back in May in that unforgettable 2-1 win.

Tickets purchased for the original fixture are still valid and for those who don’t fancy a Tuesday evening in Lancashire, Glovers Player will have all the match action and action and reaction will be available on the club’s YouTube channel.

Famous fans
Sky reporter, Kay Burley. Verve front man Richard Ashcroft and former President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev … Apparently.

Who have represented both sides?
Fraser Fyvie, Rob Kiernan, Scott Green, Neil Mustoe, Roy O’Brien, Tony Pennock and Paul Warne.