A TEST of character awaits Swindon Town U18s this afternoon as they host Yeovil Town at Stanley Park (1pm), knowing a win will promote them to joint leaders of Merit League I.

David Farrell’s youngsters crashed to a 4-1 loss at Bournemouth on Saturday, a result which denied Town the opportunity to lead the 12-team division with a game in hand.

That game in hand occurs this afternoon, and Farrell knows beating the Glovers will put his side back on track with regards to their title push.

Yeovil have won just two of their eight Merit League fixtures so far – picking up 10 points from those games.

Farrell said: “Today is a test of character. We’ve been on a decent run, I’d like to think Saturday was a little blip for ourselves.

“It turns into a blip if we record three points on Wednesday – I’m looking forward to the challenge and I’m sure they are.

“Every game is a big game, it’s a critical time for them. But I’d like to think things are critical all the time for the players.”

Jacob Bancroft was the only man on target for Town’s academy on Saturday, and Farrell admits his players showed signs of fatigue following their efforts in recent weeks.

But the Town boss concedes there is no time to feel sorry for themselves, particularly given the importance of this afternoon’s clash in Chippenham.

“Our performance was below-par on Saturday, we came up against a team that dominated possession,” said Farrell.

“They (Bournemouth) played very well and it was hard to get the ball off of them.

“To do anything with the ball was always going to be a struggle because we were quite low on possession. The boys looked quite tired, and we’ve put a lot of effort in during the last few games.

“I said after the game that we can’t feel sorry for ourselves at this point. We’ve got three games left, one before the Easter break – if we can turn it around and pick up a win today, then I’d like to think we are back on track a bit.

“You get bumps like this in football, it’s now down to the players and how they respond.”

Following this afternoon’s game, Town U18s have three further league fixtures to play.