Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton admits that he was mindful of the last time the Glovers visited Nene Park when his side were drawn out of the hat in the FA Cup First Round. Rushden and Diamonds last played host to Skiverton's side on November 11th 2006, at the same stage of the competition, and the end result was an emphatic 3-1 win for the home side, and Yeovil's first exit in the FA Cup to non-league opposition since heading into the Football League.
Skiverton has told today's Western Daily Press that he recalls missing the game entirely through damaged knee ligaments, with the Glovers having to reorganise their back line as a result:
"It is a tricky tie. We have been beaten there before and beaten quite convincingly. I was playing then but I can remember being out injured and I think Anthony Tonkin had to play at centre half. We had injuries then. It is a tough place to go and they are a decent side. They will fancy themselves against us through our past in recent years of first round exits, so we will have to be mindful of that."
As it happens, injuries weren't Yeovil's main problem on the day. Fellow centre-back Scott Guyett was suspended for the game, whilst loan defender Martin Cranie was blocked from being cup-tied by his parent club Southampton. Winger Martin Brittain and striker Marcus Stewart, who were both on loan as well, were also blocked from playing.
Due to the missing defenders, Bradley Thomas was recalled from his loan spell at Tamworth, whilst Anthony Tonkin made his one and only attempt to play as a central defender in his Yeovil career. It didn't work - Rushden striker Michael Rankine, who scored two on the day, and winger Lee Tomlin - now at Peterborough United - caused him havoc, and as a result Thomas made his one and only appearance in a Yeovil Town first team game as a replacement for the beleaguered Tonks.
Rushden's first team manager is former Tottenham Hotspur defender Justin Edinburgh, who arrived at Nene Park in October 2008 as their assistant manager, stepping into the hotseat in April 2009. That meant that Edinburgh and Skiverton rubbed shoulders at the South-West Challenge Cup in the summer of 2009. Although the two sides never played against each other during that tournament, Skiverton added that he was aware of what sort of style the Rushden boss adopted:
"I know their manager Justin Edinburgh to talk to and he is a really nice guy and they are well-organised. I know a little bit about them already. They played with us in the South West Challenge Cup and I know that was a year and a half ago, but I know on their day they can more than match teams."
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27 October 2010 : 
