Aldershot Town will be looking to bounce back from two defeats to return to winning ways, hosting Yeovil Town at the EBB Stadium in the National League.
In association with LV Bet, Kirshon Wilkins previews the game:
Shots Squad:
Ross McCormack (Achilles), Alex Finney (hamstring op) and Alfy Whittingham (Ankle) remain the only injury problems for Danny Searle’s side. Craig Tanner could be in contention to start whilst Lewis Kinsella should retain his spot at left-back, marking his Centurian appearance in Aldershot Town colours against Sutton United last Saturday.
Opposition:
Name: Yeovil Town
Founded: 1895
Nickname: The Glovers
Opposition Manager: Darren Sarll
Stadium: Huish Park
2019/20 National League Final Position: 4th (National League season ended in March 2020 with positions appointed on a Points-per-game system before losing 2-0 to Barnet in the play-offs).
Current Position: 16th
The Gaffer:
The Hitchin-born 37-year-old boasts a strong reputation for developing young talent and he has a wealth of experience, coaching for 15 years with the likes of Brentford, Rotherham United and Stevenage. He began his career in football as a midfielder in non-league football.
Sarll spent the majority of his coaching career at Broadhall Way, Stevenage and he progressed to be the club’s first-team manager in the years of 2016-2018, guiding Boro to a 10th place finish in his first season. He is also known for developing youth players such as Ben Wilmot and Ben Kennedy with the former leaving for Watford for an undisclosed club-record fee.
Sarll was then appointed as the Glover’s new manager in June 2019 following their relegation from League Two in the previous campaign under Gary Johnson (now manager of Torquay United). Since then, he has been tasked with rebuilding the team and taking them back to League Two. Sarll came close last season through the playoffs but North London outfit Barnet beat them.
Departed:
22 players have left Huish Park to move onto pastures new. Gabriel Osho (Rochdale), Myles Hippolyte (Scunthorpe United), Craig Alcock (Harlow), Marc Richards (St. Ives Town), Gold Omotayo (Halifax Town), Tom Bradbury (Halifax Town), Ryan Seager (Hungerford Town), Tom Whelan (Chesterfield FC), Morgan Williams (Coventry City), Stuart Nelson (Crawley Town), Daniel Leadbitter (Gloucester City), Remeao Hutton (Stevenage FC), Brandon Cooper (Swansea City), Ryan Burke (Birmingham City), Jack Clarke (Chesterfield FC), Billy Sass-Davies (Crewe Alexandra), Courtney Duffus (Bromley FC), Harry Palmer (Billericay Town) and Liam O’Brien (Stratford Town) found new clubs. Nestor Shako (released) and Devon Arnold (released) remain without a club whilst Darren Behcet (retired) has quit professional football.
Retained:
10 players have been retained from the play-off campaign last season. Players include Carl Dickinson, Luke Wilkinson, Matthew Worthington, Lawson D’ath, Gabriel Rogers, Albi Skendi, Alex John, Charlie Lee and Rhys Murphy staying at Huish Park. Lee Collins was amongst the other nine players but sadly passed away on 31st March 2021.
Arrived:
17 players have joined the Glovers this season. Jimmy Smith (Crawley Town), Josh Neufville (Luton Town), Matt Warburton (Northampton), Adam Smith (Forest Green), Reuben Reid (Cheltenham Town), Tom Knowles (Cambridge United), Michael Kelly (Bristol Rovers), Alex Bradley (Lincoln City), Max Evans (Oxford United), Tom Knowles (Cambridge United), Adam Smith (Forest Green Rovers), Joe Quigley (Dagenham & Redbridge), Max Evans (Frome Town), Josh Staunton (Halifax Town) and Chris Dagnall (Ashton United). Emmanuel Sonupe arrived without a club whilst former Aldershot Town loanee Max Hunt also currently plays for the Glovers.
Form:
Yeovil’s fortunes have slightly differed to last season. Last season, they came close to returning to League Two but they have struggled this season. Sitting second-bottom at Christmas, Yeovil have turned their season around and now sit in mid-table hoping to push up the table by the end of the season.
Referee:
Tonight’s referee is Tom Bishop with his assistants Colin Hubbard and Hugh Gilroy and the fourth official officiating the game is Russell Jones.
Match Coverage:
The match will be live-streamed and available on Shots TV Live, presented by Mark Butler along with Special Guests Terry Brown and Mark Anderson, starting at 5:45pm HERE. There will also be live BBC Surrey Sport Commentary from Rob Worrall, with guest summariser Steve Gibbs.
