Yeovil Town return to league action on Saturday as they travel to Worthing in the National League South.
Fresh from completing a cupset against Southend United last week, the Glovers will be hoping to keep their seven-game winning run going.
Worthing’s storming start to the season – which saw them win five of their first six games.- has waned somewhat, but they still sit in the play-off spots.
Mark Cooper’s side will have to contend with a *surface that shall not be named* at the snappily-named Sussex Transport Community Stadium, as they search for their first win of the season on the non-traditional green stuff.
Yeovil Town News
Cooper has been doing his research on the Rebels, who he described as a “pure football team”.
He said: “They are a team with good players in it and, as I say every week, we will do our homework and give them due respect and make sure we are ready to be really good without the ball but stick to our principles and what we are doing.
“We will train on the 3G (surface at Huish Park) tomorrow (Friday). We obviously have a disadvantage, there’s no hiding the fact that those teams who play on (a 3G surface) have a distinct advantage, it’s their own (surface) and every one is different.
“But we can’t use that as an excuse, we have to find a way and we will try and do that. We all know what we think of them, but we’ve just got to get on with it.”
With the boss saying that he has “the same group” of players that beat Southend, it’s assumed that we’ll be travelling without the injured pair of Charlie Cooper and Jamie Sendles-White.
New signing Sonny Cox, who arrived on loan from Exeter City earlier in the week, will be available for selection.
Worthing News
Worthing gaffer Adam Hinshelwood signed a new long-term contract on Thursday, having headed up the Mackerel Men for just shy of a decade.
Speaking to Worthing’s website, the 39-year-old said: “I’m still very ambitious, and, with the talks we’ve had, it looks like the club is as well.”
His side will be without Joe Felix, who is serving a three-match ban after seeing red in the 2-2 draw against Truro.
However, their squad has been boosted by the return of midfielder Jesse Starkey, and defender Liam Vincent, who has joined on loan from Portsmouth for the second time in as many seasons.
Both players got their first minutes of the campaign in midweek, in an impressive Sussex Senior Cup performance which saw the Mackerel Men beat League Two Crawley Town 6-2.
Following that victory, Hinshelwood said: “There are players that have been waiting for that opportunity and it’s definitely made my job really tough now trying to pick a team for Saturday because the lads done brilliantly.
“I think we’ve got players this season in attack that can really hurt the opposition. Bailey (Smith) with his pace and Joan Luque is some player, he really is.
“It’s a real big week and it feels like they’ve come together, really fancied it, really rolled up their sleeves and want to be part of the big games this week.”
Worthing are proudly wearing the badge of ‘highest-ranking non-league side in Sussex’, and a scalp against Glovers this weekend would be another sign of their progression.
“Obviously Yeovil are at the top of the league and in the Championship not long ago so it’s not going to be an easy game and we’ve got to be up for it.
“We have to really play with our intensity and if we can bring that, with the quality we possess, I really feel that we can be a handful this year.”