Yeovil Preview

[El Nombre]

After making five changes to the team that collapsed against Scunthorpe, City boss Chris Brass is likely to stick with the side that held Torquay to a 0-0 draw at the weekend. This means that the Minstermen will continue to operate with a 3-4-3 system, including a "triple-pronged attack" of Lee Nogan alongside Andy Bell and Michael Offiong, both of whom are currently at the club on a temporary basis. Levent Yalcin will have to sit out again and await his chance to open his Football League account, and he will be joined on the bench by goalkeeper Mark Ovendale as Chris Porter retains his place between the sticks.

Darren Edmondson shows little sign of recovering from his recent calf troubles, and so Leigh Wood will deputise as a makeshift right wing-back, while Richard Cooper and Darren Dunning face little competition in the centre of the park following the exodus of midfield players from Bootham Crescent. Brass has compensated for these losses by bringing in veteran winger Kevin Donovan for a month, but he can seemingly expect a substitute's place at best.

Chris Brass serves the last of his four-match ban and will be looking to the central defensive team of Wise, Hope and Smith to keep him on the sidelines. City's only other ongoing problem is Liam George's shin injury, which increasingly looks to have put paid to the pacy striker's chances of earning a contract at City next season. Meanwhile, the recently released Stephen Brackstone has failed in a bid to impress on trial at Boston, and other fringe players in City's squad such as Christian Fox and Steve Downes, to name but two, must be looking over their shoulders.

Possible team - Porter; Smith, Hope, Wise; Merris, Edmondson, Cooper, Dunning; Nogan, Bell, Offiong.

On this season's form, Yeovil tend to often win at home and lose away, but they will be hoping to buck the latter of these trends on Saturday as they become the second consecutive team make the long trip up North to Bootham Crescent. The Glovers' goalkeeper also made his debut last Saturday, and Steve Collis is likely to hold on to the keeper's jersey this weekend. His chance came as a result of a hand injury to regular Town number one Chris Weale, who may yet return should he recover.

Otherwise, Gary Johnson's team appear to be emerging from their recent injury crisis, having already welcomed back Colin Pluck, Hugo Rodrigues and skipper Terry Skiverton from spells on the sidelines, the three of whom Johnson hailed as "as good as new signings". Paul Terry returns having served his one-match ban, and Chris Giles is also available for selection again after a spell on loan at Woking, and may be among the Yeovil substitutes. However, Nick Crittenden is rated as doubtful having injured his shin just days after recovering from a pulled hamstring.

Possible team - Collis, Lockwood, Skiverton, Pluck, El Kholti, Lindegaard, Way, Johnson, Williams, Gall, Kirk Jackson.

Form guide

City - Boston (a) L 0-2, Oxford (a) D 0-0, Kidderminster (a) L 1-4, Scunthorpe (h) L 1-3, Torquay (h) D 0-0.

Yeovil - Cambridge (h) W 4-1, Huddersfield (a) L 1-3, Scunthorpe (a) L 0-3, Bristol Rovers (h) W 4-0, Doncaster (h) To be played Tuesday.


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