Yeovil on brink of promotion

Yeovil Town's long wait for elevation to the Football League could come to an end tomorrow if two results in the Nationwide Conference go their way.

Scarborough's 1-0 success at Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday means that third-placed Chester City are now more likely than second-placed Rovers to delay the Somerset side's title celebrations. With a 14-point lead, however, it is surely a matter of when rather than if Yeovil secure the championship and the one guaranteed promotion place.

If Yeovil overcome Telford United in front of what it likely to be a full house at Huish Park tomorrow, the title race will be over unless Chester, a point behind Doncaster and 15 adrift of the Glovers and with a game in hand on the top two, also win at Gravesend & Northfleet.

The Kent side are only two points clear of the relegation zone and are in desperate need of points. Nevertheless, Mark Wright's Chester should be good enough to prevail and thus delay Yeovil's champagne-spraying until at least their televised trip to Doncaster tomorrow week.

Also, the Yeovil manager, Gary Johnson, is not taking victory for his side tomorrow for granted. "Telford will not be coming to roll over and [the club's manager] Jake King will have them properly motivated for the job in hand," he said.

"We shall certainly have to play to our capabilities and just hope that the other result goes our way," he added. "It would be great to win the title at home."

Johnson, who described tomorrow's game as potentially "the biggest game in the club's 108-year history," was relieved to learn this week that his top scorer, 19-goal Kirk Jackson, will not miss the rest of the season, as had been feared after the striker suffered a hairline fracture of the cheekbone during last Friday's victory over Scarborough.