Hartlepool United V Yeovil Town
Tuesday, 14th December – 19:45 (GMT)
A trip to Watford’s Vicarage Road will be the reward for the winner of Tuesday’s all-League One clash between Hartlepool United and Yeovil Town. However, while the majority of Second Round ties were completed over two weeks ago, this fixture has succumbed to the recent bout of adverse weather conditions on two separate occasions and those involved with both parties are now desperate to Tuesday’s meeting on ahead of a hectic festive period of domestic fixtures.
Three wins in their last four league matches has seen Hartlepool, who are always a prominent player in the League One relegation market, climb the table dramatically in recent weeks and put some invaluable breathing space between themselves and the dreaded relegation zone. Their latest scalps have both come on their travels, the most recent a very impressive 1-0 win over promotion contenders Bournemouth.
Meanwhile Yeovil Town are having a torrid first half to the season and after narrowly avoiding the drop last term, are well on course for a return back down to League Two courtesy of their drastic start to the campaign which has seen them pick up just four wins in eighteen league matches, with The Glovers unfortunately residing in 24th position, bottom of the League One table. Furthermore, Terry Skiverton, the Yeovil manager, hasn’t seen his side win a league fixture in nearly two months as Yeovil’s barren run in League One was stretched to eight games following their 0-0 draw away to Colchester, which was actually a decent result considering they had lost six of their previous seven in the league.
However, like all teams struggling to find their rhythm in the league, Yeovil have used the FA Cup as a haven, a welcome retreat from the everyday sorrows which has accompanied them throughout their 2010/2011 League One campaign. In the First Round The Glovers saw off the challenge of Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds, who have been performing well in their league campaign, whereas Hartlepool required a replay in order to finally end Vauxhall Motors’ dreams of a shock forage into the Third Round, the stage where so many dreams are made.
On form alone, Hartlepool should sail through this Second Round clash and book a date with Championship side Watford. However, as we tend to say in almost every FA Cup preview, the romance of the FA Cup cannot be underestimated and so Yeovil should not be overlooked. The Pools are enjoying a fantastic term to date, with even a bit of consistency creeping into their game, but, as every Hartlepool fan knows, euphoria doesn’t tend to last long at Victoria Park.
Betting Assessment: The form book would strongly suggest a Hartlepool victory, but we’re a firm believer that the underdogs in the FA Cup should never be discounted. In fairness, the two sides aren’t all that different, with Hartlepool still expected to be involved in a scrap for survival come the end of the season, but we can also understand why the bookmakers have priced Yeovil up as they have, with the Glovers arriving at Victoria Park on the back of a woeful run of results. However, there have been enough signs of promise lately to suggest they’re capable of making haste of their outsider price tag, pushing both MK Dons and Charlton Athletic close in recent away league encounters before eventually losing both matches 3-2, while the 0-0 draw they earned at Colchester on Saturday was a very impressive result in its own right.
Matt’s Selections:
Yeovil Town to WIN – 4.20 SkyBet
Dean Bowditch (Yeovil) to Score – 3.60 Coral
Disclaimer: With our FA Cup Second Round selections, we’re honest enough to say that we don’t have the world of confidence in our final picks. Because of this, we have tried to provide you with all the raw information needed in order for you to make your own honest assessment, with the Match Odds provided as well at the very bottom of the article. We wish you ll the best should you decide to have a bet on the matches in question; considering it’s the FA Cup, you may well need some.
Match Odds
Hartlepool United – 1.91 Bet365
Draw – 3.60 WilliamHill
Yeovil Town – 4.20 SkyBet
