2019 begins on the road for Cheltenham Town with a trip to Yeovil Town’s Huish Park (kick-off: 3pm).
Michael Duff’s side march into the New Year with a trip down the M5 to Somerset looking to build on the exciting momentum that has helped the team climb up the Sky Bet League Two table towards the back end of 2018.
Since Duff’s appointment in September, steady improvement has seen the Robins climb up to 19th ahead of Tuesday’s fixture, ahead of what is two big back-to-back trips to Yeovil and then Crawley – both teams in and around the Robins in the table.
Having overcome high flying MK Dons on Boxing Day, and drawn with Forest Green in the final game of 2018, Duff’s squad have shown they have the ability to challenge any team at this level, and will head to Somerset in good spirits, looking to earn a positive result to continue their good run and get the New Year underway in a positive fashion.
Team news
Ryan Broom remains sidelined with a hamstring problem, though Jacob Maddox made a welcome return on Saturday as a substitute and is expected to feature again.
Will Boyle misses out after picking up an injury on Boxing Day. Kevin Dawson is likely to be part of the matchday squad on his return to fitness – he is one of four members of the squad who have previously played for Tuesday’s opponents.
Watch Michael Duff’s pre-match thoughts ahead of the game:
Opposition
Without a league win since late October, Yeovil have fallen down the table since a promising start that saw them win four of their opening seven league fixtures.
The Somerset side did earn a good point away at Tranmere on Saturday but haven’t recorded a home league victory since the end of August – though they did beat West Ham’s under-21s in the Checkatrade Trophy in early November.
Manager Darren Way’s squad includes a mixture of experience and youthfulness – from the older heads such as Stuart Nelson and Gary Warren, to the energy provided by the likes of wide men Jordan Green and Alefe Santos, and the defensive minded Tom James.
Yeovil’s leading goal scorer is former Motherwell front man Alex Fisher. He’s netted seven times this season in all competitions, including a treble at Notts County in the opening month of the campaign.
Their squad features one ex-Cheltenham man in the shape of midfielder Jake Gray. The 23-year-old had a one-month loan in Gloucestershire in January 2015 from Crystal Palace.
Previous meetings
The match will be the 15th time the clubs have clashed in the Football League. There have also been previous meetings in the FA Cup and when both sides were in non-league.
Records show that there has been very little between the two teams in those last 14 league games. Yeovil have won five of them, the Robins four, and there have also been four draws.
Cheltenham have won only one Football League fixture at Huish Park – in October 2006 – when JJ Melligan struck on 88 minutes to secure a 1-0 win in a game refereed by Premier League official Phil Dowd.
The last time the two clubs met was on Boxing Day 2017 at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium which saw the Somerset side make the journey back south with all three points courtesy of a 2-0 win.
Tickets
Tickets are available to purchase on the day at Yeovil. Prices for the match are:
Adults: £21
Senior: £17
Disabled/Wheelchair: £17
Young Person (16-21): £10
Under 16s: £3
For fans who have booked onto the supporters coach heading to the game, it departs from the Jonny-Rocks Stadium at 11am.
Coverage
Keep up to date with all that goes on at Huish Park by following @CTFCofficial on Twitter for team news, match updates and images from the 90 minutes. Keep an eye on Facebook too for team information and goal updates.
You can read the match report and watch the reaction to the result by visiting the club website after full time.
Listen to match commentary via iFollow by visiting ctfc.com/ifollow.