Western Daily Press (Saturday)
NELSON LOOKING FORWARD TO WEST DERBY
FOLLOWING ten days without a game, Yeovil Town spring back into action with a West Country derby against Forest Green Rovers – and Glovers goalkeeper Stuart Nelson is targeting all three points at Huish Park.
Yeovil have suffered a slump in form following a promising start to the season, and now face a Forest Green side lying just one point shy of the League Two play-off places.
The two teams last met in a dour goalless draw close to the end of last season – both sides knew one point would be enough to ensure their EFL place – but Nelson is expecting a more lively encounter today.
The goalkeeper said: “There’s a real belief in the dressing room and we need to keep believing.
“We want this to be a really positive place. The way we started the season, we need to get back to that ASAP, so we can create that positivity again that maybe some people have lost, but we still believe in ourselves and know what we’ve got to do.”
Nelson hails from Stroud, just up the road from Forest Green Rovers’ Nailsworth base, but he is insistent that this game poses no sentimental stumbling block for him.
“I’m very proud to be from Stroud, but that’s as far as it goes,” he said. “My focus is on Yeovil and getting three points on Saturday, and that’s all I really care about.
“From what I can see, Forest Green have improved from last year, so it’s a great game for us to play. These are the games you want to play in and we can’t wait to get out there.”
Forest Green boss Mark Cooper, meanwhile, expects to face a Yeovil side firing on all cylinders.
Cooper said: “We go there knowing they haven’t had a great time and they’re going to be trying everything to turn that around, and we’ve got to be ready for them coming out the traps and we’ve got to match that. It’s about us doing what we do well and the desire to get in the box where the boots and elbows are flying.”
■ Swindon will look to bounce back from their FA Cup defeat to Woking when Newport travel along the M4 to Wiltshire this afternoon.