WEYMOUTH are aiming for a first win over bitter rivals Yeovil Town since Boxing Day 1988 when the two enemies meet at Huish Park this evening (7.45pm).
Victory would end a painful near 35-year wait for the Terras to taste success over the Glovers, although their task is made all the more difficult by Yeovil’s superb form.
Mark Cooper’s men currently sit top of the pile in the Vanarama National League South by three points from Taunton, with a game in hand.
Yeovil have won eight straight matches in all competitions and are unbeaten since a 4-3 defeat by Havant in late August.
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Avoiding defeat against Weymouth would stretch that run to ten games unbeaten, but Terras’ boss Bobby Wilkinson pledged to attack the Glovers on their own patch.
He told Echosport: “Every time I speak to someone in the town, or walk by them, they say we’ve got to play well against Yeovil.
“We’re in two different (financial) levels in where they are and where we are but it’s 11 against 11 and I’ll make sure the players are up for it, on the front foot.
“We’ve got to go to their back yard and have a go. Our job is to get them focused, they’ve got to prepare right.
“We’ll be online analysing Yeovil and doing our ultimate best to make Weymouth proud.
“I know it’s a big game, a big derby and these are the games I relish. These are the games I want.
“We’ve got to start well to compete. They’re flying but so are we. It’s fine margins. Turn your draws into wins and we could be five (wins) out of five.”
Asked for his personal feelings on taking charge of Weymouth against Yeovil for the first time, Wilkinson admitted the fixture could be the biggest derby he has stood in.
He said: “I’ve played in some big derbies as a manager but I’ll be honest, this is the biggest.
“This is the one I’m really looking forward to. We will go with a strong, fit side and I know how important it is to the fans.
“We want to go there and make the fans proud. I’m proud to be leading Weymouth against Yeovil, one of the biggest non-league derbies in the country.
“I can’t wait, let’s get to work.”
Tom Bearwish (calf) is likely to miss out after coming off injured 38 minutes into the 3-1 win over Eastbourne on Saturday.
Leo Hamblin and Anthony Cheshire could return after minor niggles.
Wilkinson added: “We’re ready to go. There’s no excuses, we’re a family and we’ll stick together.”
Wilkinson himself will return to the touchline after serving a one-game suspension against Eastbourne.
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