Yeovil Town are back in SkyBet League Two action this coming Saturday for the first of a home double header against high flying sides.
Portsmouth are the visitors to Huish Park this Saturday with Plymouth arriving the following Tuesday.
The Glovers are looking to bounce back after a disappointing defeat to Hartlepool last weekend.
A more than contentious penalty and a sloppy set piece goal put ‘Pools 2-0 up before a last gasp Francois Zoko goal was too little too late in the way of consolation.
To make matters worse, Nathan Smith – who had been filling in at centre back – was sent off after a scuffle with Billy Paynter. The blues’ striker only receiving a yellow card for is part in the fracas.
Smith’s absence is made slightly easier by the return of not one but two defenders to the match day squad.
Darren Ward and Alex Lacey are both vying for the starting spot next to Jakub Sokolik in the heart of defence.
Elsewhere, winger Jack Compton will be assessed in the lead up to the game, he hobbled off with a hamstring problem at the weekend and went for a scan in the build up to this game.
Apart from the result last week, Yeovil have been hitting a bit of form and Saturday’s loss was just the second League defeat of 2016.
A win this weekend could propel the Glovers back out of the drop zone and focusing on sides above them once more.
Standing in their way is a Portsmouth side who lie sixth in the table and have a sold out away end behind them for this fixture.
February has been a mixed month for Pompey; winning one, losing one and drawing one.
They beat Bristol Rovers last weekend but failed to get full points from Leyton Orient or Morecambe before that.
Recently the south coast side have swapped in one striker and let another one go, Michael Smith has joined from Swindon and Matt Tubbs has joined big spending non-league side, Eastleigh.
The Glovers’ front man Ryan Bird will be facing his second former club in as many weeks, the former Pompey striker played 20 times in the 2013/14 season scoring three times.
It’s promotion chasers vs survival hopefuls on both Saturday and Tuesday making for a great double header of Huish Park football.
Come on down to support the team and watch Darren Way’s side take on two of the best in the league in a spell of just four days.
Your support could make all the difference.
Last time we met
Earlier this season, back in October, the sides played out an uneventful 0-0 draw at Fratton Park.
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 this game are available in all the usual ways.
In person – pop to Huish Park right up until kick off and collect your tickets from the booths, or you can call in advance on 01935 874888 and someone will take your order and have it ready for you to pick up on the day.
Finally, you can click HERE and order online, it’s quick, easy and you can purchase more than one match’s tickets at the same time and pick them all up on matchday.
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!
Soccer Sight (for the Blind & Visually impaired supporter at Huish Park) will also have a full match commentary of the Green & White’s home matches.
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.