Yeovil Town will want to extend their winning streak to three games, as they welcome Maidstone United to Somerset on Saturday.
Following a hard-fought win against Truro City in midweek, the Huish Park faithful will be hoping for a better display of football against one of last seasons other relegated sides from the National League Premier. The Stones, however, are no pushovers sitting two places below Town on goal difference just three games in to the National League South season.
Having won their opening day match over a ten-man Slough Town, they suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat at Bath City last weekend before bouncing back with a 2-1 at Braintree Town on Tuesday night.
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In the two previous fixtures this century between the clubs both games have ended as score draws. With the most recent game finishing 2-2 at Huish Park last February when a header from visiting defender Jerome Binnom-Williams saw the Kent side snatch a late point – but, fear not, the giant centre-half was released in the summer!
Yeovil Town News
Manager Mark Cooper believes the “attractive football will come” after complaints from some sections of the fanbase, following Tuesday nights dogged victory over Truro. Speaking on Thursday, he said: “It is the way I feel we can dominate teams with the ball and we had spells the other night..we have a lot of work to do, but we will get better.”
Cooper also claimed that Bristol City loanee Olly Thomas may be contention for the starting XI after his super sub performance against Truro. He said: “Every game there is going to be opportunities for someone to stake a claim in the team and Olly [Thomas] certainly did that.”
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.
In terms of the opposition, the former Barrow boss made it clear that everyone at the club “respects who they play against“. He went on to say: “They [Maidstone] have their strengths, like every team, but we have to make sure we stick to what were going to do.”
After sustaining a dead leg in the first half against Truro defender Morgan Williams is a doubt for this game, whilst midfielder Jordan Stevens, who Cooper said was previously targeting this game for a comeback, recently underwent a scan which has pushed his comeback date further back albeit by “days rather than weeks.”
Maidstone United News
The long trip from Kent to Somerset is Maidstone’s third away fixture out of a run of four with their Gallagher Stadium home switched to Huish Park due to building work to restore the matchday control room and a toilet block.
Having gone down to a 3-0 defeat at Jerry Gill’s Bath City in their second match, the Stones bounced back with a 2-1 win at Braintree Town in midweek and captain Gavin Hoyte said he believed the drubbing last weekend helped them get a result in their last outing.
He told Kent Online: “It’s a funny thing to say, but it can be a good thing for the team to lose because it brings you back to reality. Sometimes, without meaning to do it, players do get a bit ahead of themselves.” With these words in mind, let’s hope for more of these ‘good things’ from the visitors on Saturday!
Hoyte, who started his career in the Arsenal academy, said he believes the weekend’s clash with Yeovil will be a “good test” for his team-mates.
He said: “They’ve come down, like us, and they’ve got to adapt to the league. I don’t know if they’ve been at this level before [We have, Gav, albeit not for quite a while}.
“I’m not sure how many players they’ve kept from last season but they will be a strong side and they always have been. You do look out for these games a little bit but you put it to the back of your mind because it’s just another game.
“Playing early in the season, there’s perhaps not the same pressure as there might be later on, depending on where we are in the table. It could ease the pressure playing at this stage but that goes for both teams.
“Everyone will still be looking at this game, where we’ve both come down, and saying, ‘Wow, Maidstone are doing well’ or ‘Yeovil are looking strong’.”
Talking to Stones TV after their midweek win at Braintree, manager and former Wolves defender George Elokobi spoke about making sure his players were ready for a tough trip to Somerset. He said: “It’s all about the recovery process now, ensuring that our players will be ready for Yeovil.” The former Premier League defender continued: “We have to show respect to our next opponent [Yeovil Town]… it’s a tough place to go and we have to be resilient and stay organised.”
Elokobi has brought in seven new signings over the summer including striker Ogo Obi, once dubbed “the Nigerian Messi” by a (perhaps over-excited) journalist during his time in Watford’s academy, although he did have a trial with Manchester United having been prolific at youth level for the Hornets. In more recent years, he’s been prolific in the lower reaches of non-League football with spells at Hemel Hempstead, Hanwell Town and Hayes & Yeading.