Yeovil Town are back in SkyBet Championship action this Saturday and back at Huish Park too as the Glovers host Sheffield Wednesday in another massive fixture.
Yeovil are currently on a run of form to match any previous from the Somerset side this season, four games unbeaten including draws against Millwall and Reading as well as a huge win over Doncaster Rovers. As for Wednesday, they currently lie in 15th on 39 points.
This points tally is 12 more than the sides in the relegation zone; however, teams in the lower mid table will be looking to avoid being dragged into the scrap at the bottom of the table.
The Owls have won their last two Championship fixtures, those victories against Middlesbrough and Huddersfield have sandwiched an FA Cup exit at the hands of Charlton Athletic.
But, if you count just league form, the South Yorkshire side have won four of their last six and haven’t suffered a defeat away from home in nine fixtures. Yeovil are coming into this fixture off the back of an eventful game against Reading.
The record books will show that the game ended in a 1-1 draw but that doesn’t even come close to telling the full story.
Shane Duffy got his first goal in a Yeovil shirt, before Reading earned their second controversial penalty against Yeovil of the season, this time however; Marek Stech made an incredible save from the spot kick.
The resulting corner did see Reading equalise, from one of the more bizarre own goals you’ll see from John Lundstram.
In all of this, Byron Webster was sent off for the indiscretion that led to the penalty – since the weekend, Yeovil have appealed the sending off and have been successful.
Webster will more than likely take his place back in the starting eleven for the Sheffield Wednesday game. That might have been the end of the scoring, but it wasn’t the end of the card waving.
Joe Ralls was sent off for a reckless challenge before Kieffer Moore was also had an early bath after two yellows. Despite having just eight men for the final few minutes Yeovil’s defence was simply too strong and the Glovers held out for a valuable point.
Ralls and Moore will both be suspended from the game on Saturday following those dismissals; however Moore will be available again for Tuesday’s game against Ipswich.
Both sides may have had a full week off since their last fixture but two of Yeovil’s loan stars have been away on international duty.
Shane Duffy once again captained the Republic of Ireland Under 21 side, however they were beaten 2-1 by Montenegro. Tom Lawrence was also in action, he starred for the Wales Under 21s who narrowly lost out to England on Wednesday.
Lawrence was probably Wales’ most impressive performer in the 1-0 defeat at Derby County’s iPro stadium.
Sheffield Wednesday’s side will be missing one of their main attacking outlets from the first half of the season as Connor Wickham returned to Sunderland before being loaned out to Leeds. But they have bolstered their attacking line up with former Glovers’ loanee Leon Best.
Best scored a number of vital goals for Yeovil during the 2006/07 season that saw the Glovers reach Wembley for the first time.
Wednesday have also had their own international representative this week, defender Oguchi Onyewu started for the USA in their defeat to Ukraine.
Elsewhere, Joe Mattock came off injured their last fixture while Giles Coke and Michael Antonio could both also miss out with longer term problems. When these two sides met earlier in the season, the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Atdhe Nuhiu scored an extremely controversial opener, after netting from an offside position.
Joe Ralls did snatch a second half equaliser but only after Byron Webster had seen red following an incident with the goal scorer.
Meetings between the two sides have always had a controversial element to them; in September 2011, Kieran Agard netted twice in a 3-2 defeat for Yeovil, but his first goal was debated long into the night.
Goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell got in a mix up with his centre back when receiving the ball back after a stoppage and Agard took the loose ball and finished it off into the empty net.
In January of the same year, Yeovil were reduced to nine men at Hillsborough after Trevor Kettle saw fit to send off both Luke Ayling and Adam Virgo.
By the time Dean Bowditch and Paul Huntington had twice given the visitors the lead Wednesday had been snuffed out by a defence that ended up including striker Andy Williams and midfielder Paul Wotton.
Giles Coke scored a penalty – but missed the retake when it was deemed that his colleagues had encroached on the area. A brilliant and eventful match and a heroic performance from all involved including loan goalkeeper Stephen Henderson.
The best bits of the match can be found on the club’s YouTube channel, which can be viewed here. www.youtube.com/ytfcofficial
As the business end of the season hurtles towards us it could be forgiven if Yeovil fans have half an eye on the results of sides in and around them.
Barnsley host Nottingham Forest, Doncaster are at home to Huddersfield and Millwall travel to Derby County this weekend.
Elsewhere Bolton travel to Leeds and Blackpool host Bournemouth. Charlton are in FA Cup action so will have to make up this weekend’s fixture at another time.
But it’s all about Huish Park this Saturday, #MissionSurvival is well underway at Yeovil now and your support is more important than ever before.
Tickets for the game are available right up until kick off, but it’s time to get the Thatchers Gold stand rocking and packing out the Augusta Westland and Screfix stands will help create that atmosphere to be Yeovil’s 12th man (or ninth, if you were at the game on Saturday).
As always, if you are unable to make the game, tune into Glovers Player or stay in touch with any one of the YTFC social networks.
Wednesday’s Famous Fans
All of the Arctic Monkeys, Cricketer Michael Vaughan, Olympic legend Seb Coe and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker.
A foot in both camps – who have played for both sides?
Guy Wittingham, Craig Rocastle, Darren Purse, Lloyd Owusu, Leon Best, Steve MacLean .
