Defenders Morgan Williams and Michael Smith are both back in contention for Yeovil Town as they prepare for this weekend’s trip to Rochdale, according to manager Mark Cooper.
Williams missed last Friday night’s goalless draw at home to Gateshead with a calf injury sustained in the 1-1 draw at Ebbsfleet three days earlier whilst Smith has not started a match since the defeat at Hartlepool United before Christmas.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Thursday, Cooper said that striker Aaron Jarvis, who is out for three months with a hamstring injury, was the only absentee from the squad this weekend.
He said: “Michael Smith has had a couple of days training, Morgan Williams was unavailable (for the 0-0 draw against Gateshead last Friday) after he got a whack on his calf at Ebbsfleet. He is back, so we have nearly everyone back.
“We are a bit light in the striker position, but that is a really difficult to get a player of the quality we need. We are keeping our eyes open there and hopefully we can try and add in that department. I think Aaron is one of the top target men in this league, he scored eight goals and it is just unfortunate how he has picked the injury up. But hopefully his rehab goes well and we get him back for a final push towards the end of the season.”

One player who will definitely be available this weekend is midfielder Sean McGurk whose initial one-month loan from League Two side Swindon Town has been extended until the end of the season. Robins’ boss Ian Holloway has confirmed that they have a recall clause in the deal meaning he could return to the County Ground if required.
On McGurk, Cooper said: “For this level he is a top player, he’s got great ability and he can unlock the door and I think he’s getting better the fitter he gets. It’s a great signing for us and I would love to make it permanent and I have told him that, but let’s see what happens and how he does between now and the end of the season. He’s enjoying his football and we are enjoying having him.”
This weekend’s opponents are in eighth place in the National League Premier Division table, two points outside the play-off places, but have placed the fewest number of games of any side in the division due to issues with their pitch. In midweek, they had the surface relaid and played a National League Cup fixture against Stoke City Under-21s on Tuesday night.
With named Storm Éowyn expected to batter the north of the country on Thursday night and Friday morning, there will be a lot of focus on how the surface holds up to the deluge, but Cooper said Yeovil had no suggestion the fixture would not go ahead.
He said: “We just know it is a new pitch. I think it is more wind than rain and I am sure they will be desperate to get the game on because if you fall too far behind in the number of games you have played, you find yourselves playing Saturday and then Tuesday. If you have not got a massive squad that can become a real drain.”
Rochdale went away from Huish Park with all three points following a late 1-0 win on August Bank Holiday Monday and Cooper is expecting his opposite number Jim McNulty’s side to perform similarly when they meet in Greater Manchester this weekend.
He said: “It was a chess match that day, two good teams both trying to play with the ball and they are still the same kind of team. They are really well coached and you can’t go there and play your own game, you have to pay respect to how they play. They are pretty similar to Gateshead in the way we play. Jim is doing a cracking job, he’s got some good players and his side is really well coached. When you are such as a legend as a player, fans expect you to be a magician as a player but consistently keeping them around the play-offs is a good job.“
Do these posts ever get proof read?
If Jarvis is the only absentee from the squad can someone tell me where Lo Everton is please or have I missed something?