Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper has said it is time for the club’s experienced players to “stand up” as they go looking for their first National League win in more than two months at home to Tamworth tonight.
The boss has made four changes from the 2-1 defeat to Wealdstone at Huish Park last weekend with Sonny Blu Lo-Everton making a surprise return to the line-up alongside Charlie Cooper, who has returned from suspension. Experienced defender Michael Smith and forward Frank Nouble are also back in the starting XI.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman ahead of the game, Cooper said: “We have not got a lot of choice, but we have got with a bit of experience. If you look at Aidan Stone, Michael Smith, Jake Wannell, Charlie Cooper, Brett McGavin, Sonny, Frank Nouble, you would class them all as experienced players. It is time for our boys to stand up.
“We have four fresh faces in the team, but if you take (Aaron) Jarvis and Morgan Williams out of any team at this level and it is going to really hinder you.
The boss revealed that on loan Swindon Town midfielder Sean McGurk was out of the squad with “a sore thigh“. Defender Morgan Williams (hamstring), midfielder Jacob Maddox (foot) and striker Jarvis (hamstring) are also missing.
Cooper revealed that the club learned that Bristol Rovers would recall midfielder Kofi Shaw late on Monday afternoon. The 18-year-old is named among the substitutes for his parent club’s League One fixture at Wycombe Wanderers tonight.
He said: “They have got loads of injuries. They are really pleased with the amount of minutes he has got and the way he has developed, it is good to keep that relationship with clubs like Bristol Rovers and Bristol City and try and get their best loans.”
The Glovers drew 0-0 at Tamworth back in October when defender Morgan Williams was sent off after 71 minutes. The Midlands club is a familiar one to Cooper, who began his managerial career at The Lamb Ground in 2004, spending three years in charge there.
Speaking of his time, the Glovers’ boss said: “It was a good start for me, there were really good people there who looked after me. I did not have a clue what I was doing – some would say I still don’t – but I really enjoyed it and it gave me a really good experience of working with tight budgets.
“They have done really well. The manager, Andy (Peaks), has done a great job. It is a tough place to play (at Tamworth) on their 3G surface and we played really well there when we had ten men for a long time, but we played really well. But you know at stages in time game you are going to have to defend balls in to your box and that is where at the moment we have to be a lot better, defending our box and penetrating theirs.”