After registering consecutive wins over Maidenhead United and Southend United at home and then Dagenham & Redbridge on the road the previous weekend, Wanderers were defeated for the first time in four matches on Good Friday as Surrey rivals Woking came away from Meadowbank with a 1-2 victory in front of a record crowd. Jason Prior’s penalty kick just after the hour had broken the deadlock on what had been an evenly contested, tightly fought contest up to that point, Darren Sarll’s Cards stunning the home support with two goals in the space of three minutes midway through the second half to completely turn the game on its head. Midfielder Rohan Ince hammered home a contender for the away goal of the season with a sublime strike from distance, before netting his second of the afternoon just afterwards heading home a corner ball. Resolute thereafter, Wanderers were unable to breakdown The Cards who rather than sitting back pressed high up the field in the closing stages.

Naturally disappointed with the manner of the defeat, Wanderers manager Marc White can still take positives from the performance into Monday’s game as his side competed valiantly against consistent, play-off chasing opposition who look on course to secure a 3rd place finish in the league table. Wanderers slipped down to 19th and are now 6 points clear of the relegation zone as 5 games remain, with Yeovil third from bottom in the table Monday’s game, whilst not definitive, will no doubt be key in shaping the picture at the bottom end as we enter these final weeks of the campaign.

Opposition Focus: The Glovers

Without a win in the league since early March, Yeovil will be hoping to give their survival hopes a shot in the arm on Monday afternoon as they sit third from bottom in the league table. The Glovers last win was a 1-0 victory over Eastleigh, midfielder Matthew Worthington’s second half strike enough to defeat The Spitfires at Huish Park. Mark Cooper’s side did draw 1-1 at Chesterfield the following weekend and also picked up a point at Halifax Town later in the month, but a 0-2 defeat at home to Southend and a bitterly disappointing 4-0 loss at Gateshead got the month of April off to a bad start, a 1-1 draw away at Aldershot Town on Good Friday arresting the run of three straight defeats.

The Glovers matches throughout this campaign have often been settled by close scorelines, reflected by the Somerset outfit shipping the joint 2nd least number of goals outside the play-off places (50), drawing the most games in the division (18) and scoring the fewest number of goals so far this season (33). Forwards Alex Fisher and Malachi Linton are the joint top scorers for the club in the league with 5 goals each.

Boss Mark Cooper has looked to boost his team’s chances of survival with the signings of a number of new players through the month of March. Central midfielder’s Scott Pollock and Jordan Stevens have joined from Boston United and Barrow respectively, the latter having worked with Cooper previously at Forest Green. Out wide, winger Callum Harriott has joined on a short term deal having previously played for the likes of Charlton Athletic and Colchester United in the EFL, with Zanda Siziba, a product of the Ipswich Town youth system, also joining on a permanent basis. Up top, striker Reo Griffiths has joined on loan from Doncaster Rovers and most recently defender Miguel Freckleton has moved on loan from Sheffield United having featured in the National League already this term at Wealdstone.

Earlier This Season…

Under the midweek Meadowbank lights the sides drew 1-1 back in October, Sam Pearson opening the scoring very early on for the visiting side, Jimmy Muitt equalising for Wanderers not long after half-time on a night where Marc White’s team dominated much of the proceedings but couldn’t do enough in the final third to take maximum points.

The sides met at Huish Park in the FA Trophy 3rd Round in mid-December, where a patched up, flu-ridden Wanderers side advanced to the next round of the competition after winning 4-1 on penalties. With the game finishing all square at 0-0, Dan Lincoln was the hero in the shoot-out making two saves ahead of Bobby-Joe Taylor scoring the winning pen.