Knight's the man for some midfield steel (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Knight's the man for some midfield steel

EVESHAM United will welcome back skipper Gavin O'Toole for Saturday's Division One West championship clash at Yate, writes Mervyn Collins.

Manager Dave Busst will also reinstate top scorer Richard Ball in attack after he was on the bench last weekend to protect against a caution and a slight hamstring strain.

The spine of Evesham's side could be boosted by a recall for Lee Knight, whom the Common Road boss sees as just the person to stiffen up midfield in the absence of the injured Steve Duncan.

"He's played there for me when I was at Solihull and did a good job last Saturday when he came on," Busst admitted. "Yate are a big side and we've got to compete in all departments and the midfield was non-existent against Swindon."

Having said that, the manager was happy with the point while also handing out the plaudits for goalkeeper Tim Clarke.

"They played the conditions far better than we did and had it not been for Tim we we'd have been dead and buried at half-time," Busst recalled. "I'm an optimist and in the end it was a point gained although Clarkey was disappointed with the way their equaliser came about."

United have already won at Lodge Road when claiming a 3-2 extra-time League Cup success last November in a match that saw three players sent off.

"Discipline won't be a problem on Saturday," Busst declared. "We had a poor referee that night and I spoke with their people after the game in which there wasn't a bad tackle yet three players saw red!

"It's going to be a tough game and important for both teams. Our first priority is to ensure that we don't get beat as it's crucial not to lose to the clubs that are around you in the table."