Yeovil Town are back in SkyBet League One action this coming Saturday when the Glovers host Coventry City at Huish Park.
This Saturday’s fixture is coming off the back of two positive performances for Yeovil with an impressive home win over Bradford and a battling away point at Preston.
The result left Yeovil still sat in 24th place, but with the gap to those above them completely eradicated, the bottom half of the table suddenly looks a lot tighter.
Yeovil are tied on points with both Crawley and Colchester and just two points behind Leyton Orient and Crewe.
Then come four more sides on no more than 29 points, including Saturday’s opponents, Coventry.
The Sky Blues have slumped from the top half the table and ambitions to get into the play-off picture to looking over their shoulders at those below them, demonstrating again at just how tight the division is.
Coventry didn’t have a midweek fixture and last Saturday lost away at managerless Gillingham.
In fact, since the start of December the Sky Blues have only recorded two wins with 2-0 wins over Port Vale and Walsall the only time Steven Pressley’s men have taken all three points.
One thing that won’t make the travelling side’s cause any easier is the search for a goalkeeper following the loan of Bournemouth’s Ryan Allsopp came to an end earlier this week.
Lee Burge has been the back up to Allsopp of late and could be handed a start if a replacement isn’t found before Saturday’s game.
There is some better news for away fans though and defender Reda Johnson could be in the squad for the first time since November. Johnson, who is still top scorer for Coventry with five goals, has been missing with a hamstring problem.
Injuries are more than a minor problem for Yeovil too, on Tuesday the Glovers named only five substitutes and two of them were goalkeepers.
Ajay Leitch Smith and Nathan Ralph missed out in midweek and they joined the long list of concerns in the Yeovil physio room.
Joel Grant, Liam Davis, Chris Weale, Simon Gillet and Kevin Dawson are also on that list, with Ben Nugent’s suspension only 50% complete and the precautionary substitution of Gozie Ugwu on Tuesday the squad is looking as thin as ever.
New signing Liam Shephard made his debut at Preston and impressed, he may well take the right back spot again.
Kieffer Moore played another match in the central defence keeping both Kevin Davies and Jermaine Beckford quiet during the match.
Gary Johnson has made no secret of his desire to add to the squad and will hoping to bring in some bodies before Saturday’s game.
Coventry have some strong links with Yeovil this season having signed Aaron Martin from the Glovers earlier this month.
Yeovil took full back Jordan Clarke on loan as part of that deal only for Scunthorpe to make a permanent offer for the defender once that loan spell had come to an end.
The two sides have only met three times in competitive action once this season and twice during the Glovers’ promotion season.
Earlier this campaign, at the Ricoh, Simeon Jackson earned the home side all three point in a 2-1 win.
Sam Foley had scored for the Glovers to cancel out Reda Johnson’s opener.
During the 2012/13 season however, things went much more in Yeovil’s favour.
Richard Hinds scored the Glovers goal in a 1-1 draw at the start of the campaign before the 1-0 away win lived long in the memory for Yeovil fans.
Paddy Madden scored the goal at the Ricoh which cemented the Glovers position as genuine promotion candidates.
In the post match comments from both Bradford at home and Preston away, players and management alike have moved to praise the support from Yeovil fans and that will continue to be as important as ever.
You can be part of the support by booking your ticket for the Coventry fixture now; pop down to Huish Park and see one of the ticket office staff in person, or call on 01935847888.
Click HERE and you’ll be sent to the online ticketing facility where you can buy tickets for match-day collection, choose your seat, save time and money as well as buying tickets for all the remaining home games of the season.
With the players getting two good results on the spin, your support is needed to try and turn this into an unbeaten run that secures survival.
Coventry City
Famous Fans: Richard Keys, Alistair McGowan and Jimmy Hill!
A Foot in Both Camps: Anthony Barry, Chris Dunn, Martin Cranie, Leon Best, Danny Seaborne, Adam Virgo, Aaron Martin, Jordan Clarke as well as current Yeovil player Liam Davis.
Did you know: Coventry is twinned with no fewer than 26 cities around the world including Warsaw in Poland and Kingston, Jamaica.
