Boro return to League action...
Yeovil TownnPower League 1
Tuesday 6th November 2012
Huish Park, Lufton Way, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 8YF
Kick Off: 7.45pm
Weather Forecast: Partly cloudy, 8°c
Referee: M Brown (East Yorkshire)
Stevenage will look to put Saturday’s FA Cup disappointment behind them on Tuesday when they travel to Yeovil Town in a League 1 fixture. The Glovers were also knocked out of the cup at the weekend and will therefore be looking to bounce back in style themselves, hoping not only to resume their decent league form which has seen four wins in their last five, but also to avenge their 6-0 home thrashing at the hands of Boro last season.
Last time we met:
Stevenage kept alive their League One play-off hopes with a thumping victory at Yeovil in April. Former Yeovil loanee Luke Freeman put the visitors ahead and the hosts then had Michael Woods sent off. Patrick Agyemang added a second just before the break and Jon Ashton headed in the third. Freeman then set up Jamaal Lascelles and Mark Roberts, and completed the scoring himself with a tap-in two minutes from time.
Boro: Day, Lascelles, Ashton, Roberts, Laird, Wilson (Myrie-Williams), Long, Bostwick (Mousinho), Freeman, Agyemang, Reid (Slew)
Subs not used: Shroot, Thalassitis
Team News
Yeovil will welcome back loanees Joe Edwards, Korey Smith and Daniel Johnson after all were refused availability to play in the FA Cup by their parent clubs. Defender Byron Webster is a doubt after failing a fitness test at the weekend whilst former Boro midfielder Ed Upson is suspended.
Stevenage will welcome back Greg Tansey from suspension for this game. He could replace former Glovers loan man Luke Freeman with Filipe Morais moving wide. There could also be recalls for Robbie Rogers, Patrick Agyemang and Robin Shroot whilst Dani Lopez will be hoping for his first Boro start.
The Yeovil Scout Report
Recent Form
Yeovil come into this game in 10th position in League 1 having picked up 22 points from their 15 games so far. After a decent start to the season the Glovers have recovered from six-match losing streak by picking up four wins in their last five league games including victories against Colchester (3-1), Bury (2-1), Shrewsbury (3-1) and Crewe (1-0). Their most recent fixture was in the FA Cup on Saturday where, like Boro, they conceded three times, crashing out of the competition after a 3-0 defeat at Preston.
The Glovers have won three, drawn one and lost three at home so far this season in the league, scoring just nine whilst conceding only eight. They also scored three past Colchester in the Capital One Cup in a comprehensive first round victory before succumbing to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of West Brom in the second round.
Possible Yeovil line-up for Tuesday (4-4-2 formation)
Marek Stech; Joe Edwards, Dan Burn, Byron Webster, James McAllister; Keanu Marsh-Brown, Dominic Blizzard, Sam Foley, Korey Smith; Paddy Madden, James Hayter
Subs from: Luke Ayling, Richard Hinds, Gavin Williams, Reuben Reid, Gareth Stewart, Daniel Johnson, Mitch Brundle, Will Agbo, Curtis Haynes-Brown
Key Man:
Experienced striker James Hayter has seven goals to his name this season, including five in League 1. The 33-year old left Doncaster in the summer following their relegation from the Championship, having played 165 league appearances for them since signing for £200,000 in 2007. The striker still holds the record for the fastest ever Football League hat-trick during his time at Bournemouth where he scored three in two minutes and 20 seconds. He topped the goal scoring charts five years running at Dean Court, with 107 goals in 407 appearances during his 11-year spell at the club from 1996 to 2007.
Yeovil Trivia:
• Prior to Huish Park being built in 1990, Yeovil’s former pitch had an 8 foot slope across the pitch. And you thought Barnet’s pitch was bad....
• The club released a single called Yeovil True prior to playing Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup in 2004 which reached number 36 in the UK singles chart.
• Stevenage’s 6-0 victory at Huish Park last season remains Yeovil’s heaviest defeat as a Football League club.
Stat Attack:
• The referee for this game will be Mark Brown from East Yorkshire, who is in his third season as a Football League ref. The 37-year old is a taxi driver by trade. The last Boro game he took charge of was the 1-1 draw at Oldham in early September 2011.
• Jon Ashton’s next start will be his 160th for Stevenage FC. Of the current squad only Chris Day (222) and Mark Roberts (208) have started more games.
• Should they play at Yeovil then Miguel Comminges will be making his 5th appearances for Stevenage, Filipe Morais his 15th and Darius Charles his 70th.
Match Preview by Dave Toyn