The U’s have the chance to make to three wins on the spin on Tuesday night, with newly promoted Yeovil Town standing in their way.
Last Time Out
A late Ashley Nadesan strike was enough to seal victory over Ebbsfleet United last weekend, with the U’s just getting over the line after initially enjoying a comfortable time of it.
Will Davies gave Steve Morison’s side the perfect start after seven minutes when he drilled home, before Lewis Simper teed up Jayden Harris for a second at the start of the second half with a wonderful strike from the edge of the box. However, Ebbsfleet responded well, with Dominic Poleon halving the deficit just minutes later, before Franklin Domi levelled things up with an outstanding rocket from 30 yards, shocking a U’s side who were clearly the better side until this point.
Fortunately, Nadesan proved to be the hero when he turned home Eduino Vaz’s inch perfect cross to net a second match winner in a week, having also netted the third goal at Southend United the week before, and ensured a deserved three points went the way of the U’s.
Watch the highlights here.
The Opposition
Yeovil Town are a side who have spent much of their recent history in disarray, having dropped all the way from the Championship to the National League South in the space of just ten years.
However, the Glovers will be looking up, with a title-winning campaign seeing them bounce straight back to the fifth tier at the first time of asking and doing in style too with a whopping 95 points.
Yeovil subsequently strengthened in the summer with the double signing of Brett McGavin and Aaron Jarvis from Torquay United, as well as bringing in EFL quality with the likes of Finn Cousin-Dawson, Harvey Greenslade and Ciaran McGuckin joining from Bradford City, Bristol Rovers and Rotherham United respectively. The Glovers have also looked to blend youth with experience in their recruitment, with Ollie Wright and Raphael Araouye joining from Southampton’s and Bristol City’s Under-21’s, while Josh Sims and Dominic Bernard have also joined the ranks at Huish Park.
The Glovers have subsequently begun the current campaign in adequate form, winning four and losing five of their opening ten games, and will be looking to bring an end to a winless run of three games, having lost last time out against Oldham Athletic thanks to a late Mike Fondup strike, with manager Mark Cooper also being sent off.
Recent Form
Oldham Athletic 1-0 Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town 0-0 Altrincham
Yeovil Town 0-1 Solihull Moors
AFC Fylde 3-4 Yeovil Town
Boston United 1-3 Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town 0-1 Rochdale AFC
The Manager
Mark Cooper is a vastly experienced manager in lower league football, having taking charge of ten different clubs throughout his career.
The former midfielder began his coaching career at Tamworth where he spent three years, before finding success at Kettering Town with whom he won the Conference North in 2007/08. A brief stint at Peterborough United preceded a move back up north to Darlington, where he won the 2010/11 FA Trophy, before a return to Kettering after a single season in the North-East. He would take over at AFC Telford United, Swindon Town and Notts County, winning League One Manager of the Month for November with the Robins, before a successful stint at Forest Green Rovers saw him guide the club to promotion the EFL for the first time in their history in his first season, beating Tranmere Rovers in the National League play-off final.
Following a five-year stint at the New Lawn, Cooper spent a season at Barrow, and later returned to the South-West in October 2022, suffering relegation with Yeovil in his first season before taking them back into the fifth tier the following season, with victory over fellow South-West-based outfit Truro City sealing their promotion.
One to Watch
Brett McGavin
24-year old midfielder Brett McGavin arrived at Huish Park following a successful stint at Torquay United, having established himself as one of the Gulls’ key players during his two years at Plainmoor.
Having started his career in the Ipswich Town academy, he signed his first professional contract with the club in February 2019, and following short loan spells at Bury Town and Concord Rangers, made his debut for the club in an EFL Trophy group stage match against Colchester United at the end of the year. He would make four appearances for the Tractor Boys during the following season, and later gained experience on loan at Ayr United and King’s Lynn Town, making his debut for the latter against the Glovers.
McGavin would be released from Portman Road in 2022 and opted to sign a three-year contract with Torquay. He would enjoy a positive spell with the Gulls, making 75 appearances in total before making the move to Huish Park in the summer, where he is currently the Glovers’ top scorer with three goals from midfield.
Head-To-Head
Sutton United 2-1 Yeovil Town (03/09/2021)
Yeovil Town 1-2 Sutton United (27/10/2020)
Sutton United 3-2 Yeovil Town (28/12/2019)
Yeovil Town 1-0 Sutton United (03/09/2019)
Played for Both
Aaron Jarvis enjoyed a short stint with the U’s back in 2019/20, scoring three goals in 25 appearances after arriving from Luton Town. He would find himself out on loan at Hemel Hempstead Town midway through the season and departed permanently for Scunthorpe United after just a single season at Gander Green Lane, before enjoying a hugely successful two-year spell at Torquay United where he scored 27 goals in 64 appearances, prior to his move to Yeovil Town in the summer. Jarvis scored his first two goals for the Glovers against Gateshead and AFC Fylde, as well as getting an assist against the latter.
Team News
Defender Ryan Jackson remains out due to a bruised retina sustained against Southend United, while Hayden Muller will remain out with the hamstring problem picked up against Dagenham & Redbridge.
Dillon De Silva continues his recuperate from the injury he picked up on the opening day of the season against Tamworth, and has joined training with the rest of the group as he steps up his recovery.
Finally, Edwin Agbaje could be in contention for the first time as a U’s player, with the Ipswich Town loanee taking part in training for the first time. You can watch the highlights from Edwin’s first day here.
Morison’s full pre-match interview is available to view here.
Officials
Paul Johnson is the man in the middle on Tuesday night, taking charge of his first National League game of this season although he has been a regular on the National League list since the beginning of 2022.
How to Follow
Video
Supporters can watch a live stream on National League TV by purchasing a match pass here for £9.99, and will be available both overseas and in the UK due to the match being midweek.
Audio
Supporters will be able to listen to all the action, with a Mixlr audio commentary being available and will be posted on social media accounts before kick-off.
At the VBS
Advance online prices for ground admission are as follows:
Adults: £21
Concessions (age over 60/students with current ID): £15
Junior (age 14-18): £7
Under-14s: Free if accompanied by adult or senior concession
Seat prices are £4 more in all cases. Supporters are reminded that these cheaper advance prices are available up to kick-off, and while tickets will be available on the day, tickets bought in person on the day carry a price increase of £2.
Click here to purchase a ticket.
Kit Watch
The U’s will be wearing their amber home kit once more. You can purchase a replica version here.
