Yeovil Town face Gateshead for the first time since 1998 on Saturday afternoon (3pm).
After a promising second half performance on Tuesday, Mark Cooper has challenged his players to replicate that against The Heed at Huish Park.
Gateshead, who sit bottom of the league, will be on the hunt for their first victory in the National League since September.
Mark Coopers’ thoughts
The boss caught up with the press to discuss preview the match. When asked about the Glovers performance in front of goal this season, he said;
“I think Alex Fisher has done well, I’m not asking him to do too much work outside the penalty box, but he’s led the line well, he’s won his headers and got hold of things.
“We need to put more quality balls in the box, to give the strikers more opportunities to score.”
Team news
Cooper has been open about the Club’s progress in the signing of Louis Britton. On Thursday, he confirmed the club were still awaiting clearance on the former Bristol City striker, but was hopeful he could be involved on Saturday.
On the injury front, Lawson D’Ath, Morgan Williams & Charlie Wakefield are all not expected to be back in time for Saturday’s game.
Yeovil Town boast no suspensions for this weekend’s game.
What’s on at Huish Park
It’s a busy day at Huish Park as we mark the remembrance weekend. Firstly, we are delighted to be joined by the ship company of HMS Somerset, the Royal British Legion, and the Mayor of Yeovil; Evie Potts Jones.
Club chaplain Jim Pearce will lead the pre-match ceremony, we ask supporters to be in their seats from 2:50pm to pay their respects. The mayor, HMS Somerset and Yeovil director Stuart Robins will lay a wreath before kick-off. This will be followed by a minutes silence. Luke Thompson will be playing the last post.
Following the game, the players shirts will be auctioned off to raise funds for the Royal British Legion.
Elsewhere, we will be showing Manchester City vs Brentford in the Alec Stock Lounge, head up from around 12:15pm to enjoy a drink with fellow Glovers fans.
A foot in the opposition camp
Managed by Mike Williamson, the former Newcastle player led Gateshead to promotion from the National League North last season. They have struggled to adapt to life in the National League though, sitting bottom of the league on 13 points.
There’s a familiar face in the Gateshead forward line, with Adi Yussuf amongst the ranks in the North East. The Tanzanian international is yet to score this season.
Have we met before?
The last time we faced the Heed was in 1998, as the Glovers were the winners in a 9-goal thriller, which finished 6-3. Earlier that season, the Glovers won 3-0 in the North East.
The two sides haven’t met since, with Gateshead being relegated from the Conference that season, whilst the Glovers sustained themselves in the division, before promotion under Gary Johnson in 2003.
Tickets
Kids can attend Saturday’s game for just £1! All tickets for U16’s or under are able to take up the offer.
Tickets for the game can be purchased from the online ticket office until midday on match day for physical tickets, but until kick-off for e-tickets/print at home.
Following this, they can be purchased in person from the ticket office, however this is subject to a small price increased. We strongly recommend getting to Huish Park early to avoid queues.
