The weird vagaries of the fixture computer see us off to play our first game of the season against Yeovil tomorrow night, despite us having played some teams twice already!

The problems that a Cup run can cause you when you have a small squad are certainly being amply demonstrated at the moment. With Tommy Mooney missing on Saturday for the Millwall game and Michael Ricketts going off early with an injury, we ended up with two teenagers up front for the majority of the game. Despite all of the pressure we exerted and the chances we created, we just couldn’t take any of them.

With Peter Sweeney now looking to have been snapped up by Leeds United, not even the return of Anthony Gerrard for the re-arranged game at Yeovil makes the prospect that enticing, as we try to extend the unbeaten run and consolidate that top six position, and Richard Money will be desperately hoping for the return of some of the injured players.

There is no advance news as yet as to the fitness or otherwise of Boertien, Dobson, Ricketts and Mooney, but, if we expect the worse, I’d be looking for a 4 4 2 of:

Ince, Weston, Gerrard, Dann, Taundry or Fox, Brittain, Wrack, Bradley, Fox or Demontagnac, Deeney, Nicholls.

If any of the four are fit, then Ricketts and Mooney both would come straight in and I would also expect Boertien to fill the left back berth if he’s fit enough to play, with Fox moving into midfield.

As for Yeovil, one player who should be missing is their influential midfielder Darren Way, who has returned to Swansea following the end of his loan spell, but they should have a reasonably clean bill of health, having had a free weekend.

Predictions?

Yeovil Town are in a reasonable run of form at home, having won four and lost two of the last six, scoring 10 and conceding 7. It was that run of form that put manager Russell Slade in with a chance of the December Manager of the Month, along with Richard Money, of course.

The Saddlers, broke their sequence of win, draw, win, draw, with the Cup Tie against Millwall, but that was at the end of a 15 match unbeaten run. Although the Saddlers have found goals hard to come by at times , they just haven’t been letting them in at the other end.

Yeovil are just outside the playoff positions, with 35 points from their 24 games so far, while Walsall’s total of 37 points from their 24 games sees them sitting in the playoff places.

All in all, this one just looks too close to call.