Rowley “looking to the future”
Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley has said he’s already looking to the future after the Glovers finished off their 2025/26 season with a 4-1 defeat at home to Solihull.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman, the gaffer wasn’t overly worried about the scoreline and instead wanted to look foward.
“It is a really disappointing [result]. I think we just spent 45 minutes with the supporters there and walking around and talking to so many. I just want to massively thank them again.
It’s been what, four or so months that Darren and I came in and yeah, the first day or so I felt a real, you get a real buzz when you come into Huish Park, it’s obviously a special place and and the supporters matched that. I’m massively thankful and grateful for what they’ve given us in terms of their support this season.
“But today, we’ll we’ll try and try and erase that from our memory really. We actually didn’t play as badly as the scoreline suggests, I don’t think.
Sam the analyst told me that they had five shots in the first half and scored four, which is a bit of a rare thing in football and then at the end of the game, I think we almost doubled their shot count and we’ve scored one, so, sometimes these results happen.
“A few weeks ago, I saw Hartlepool losing 7-0 to Wealdstone and you know, these freak games do happen. It’s just a real shame that we’ve received our one on the last game of the season in front of our supporters. So, it is what it is, we’ll try and erase that from our memory and just look into the future now.”
Pic C/O Gary Brown
Speaking on the support from Yeovil’s supporters, Billy Rowley said thanks…about a million times!
“It really means a lot to me. It’s so easy as a supporter, I’ve been there, where it’s easy now losing a game 4-1, you could stand there and maybe boo and and say some some bad things to players and and management and nobody did.
“They were clapping, they were beating the drum, they were asking for the lads’ autographs and it’s a very special special feeling to be appreciated, even though after such a bad loss.
“So I cannot commend them enough, you know, I’m giving them all a massive massive round of applause again and, just massively appreciate that.”
Rowley confirmed that discussions had already taken place with those who will be departing Huish Park this summer, but wanted to pay tribute to their efforts in a season of ups and downs.
“All of the lads that will be leaving us know now. I said pre-game to all of them and this will go on record, I have got nothing but positive things to say about all of the lads that I’ve worked with this season. I still have to take into account quite often that I’m the fourth manager that’s stood in front of them this year and and given them a different message and a different shape and a different this and a different that.
“I said it in front of the supporters a minute ago, what we’ve achieved here, getting 51 points is no mean feat. It’s not special, it’s nothing that we should be like hanging up on our trophy cabinet, but it gives us a chance to to go again.
“So I massively thank everybody that’s put on a on a shirt this year and given their all. And we’ve got to a stage now where, I think part of my job is to realise that I need to maybe rebuild and and introduce some new ideas and fresh faces. But that’s football, that’s nothing personal. That’s just part of my job and I need to do what I see fit. But again, I can’t speak highly enough of those boys that have that have run around this season and got us 51 points.”
Of course, thoughts turned to Jed Ward to cleaned up in the end of season awards, when asked if there was a chance we could see him back next year… it’s Huish Park or the Bernabeu!
“Well it’s either us or Real Madrid I think, so hopefully it’s us. Jed is – I’m trying to think of a of a description for him really. He’s like the perfect model professional. The way he trains, he’s out early, he stays late, he eats right, he gets in early, he talks to everybody, he supports players, he gives great information, he’s intelligent and he’s an unbelievable goalie, so that tops it off really. I don’t know where Jed will end up in his career but I envision it will be very high.”
When asked to reflect on his time as Yeovil boss, Billy Rowley said that he was proud to be given the chance to lead this club into the future.
“I said this the other day. I’m very proud and honoured to work for this club, I appreciate Prahbu, Sahil, and Bhavna for giving me this opportunity.
And all I want to do for the supporters is give a display every Saturday here which which makes people proud. That’s going to be the aim. We’re going to be looking for players that fit our criteria and our and how we want to play and how we want to look on the pitch.
But most importantly, I want them to be, you know, proper good human beings and and all our supporters to be proud to be associated with these lads.
That sums it up, a whirlwind. I’ve gone from obviously winning most weeks to like struggling to score goals, in the same season.
I think it’s always difficult as well when you come into a team in the winter period, it’s something that I’ve heard on multiple podcasts and I’ve heard, top managers talk about this, world-class managers, when you come in November, December, January it’s it’s arguably the hardest time because you don’t get as much time to train as you want.
The pitches aren’t great. Probably the buzz to be out on the training pitch because of the weather is maybe slightly less than it would be in pre-season. You get less time with the boys. It was really hard to kind of effect as much as I wanted to from a playing perspective.
This gives us a real clean slate now. We’re safe, we’re up. We can now start really building a team and hand-pick players that we think suit our style and how we want to look on the pitch and then we’re going to have a good chunk of pre-season to really embed some of those ideas. And from experience, you can get decent work done in the first few months, but it will always probably kick in around November-December time. So, you know, that’s that’s going to be the plan. We’re going to try and build a squad and a team that can compete at the at the top end of this league.
We’re going to try and play a style of football which excites our supporters and players want to be a part of and by the new year we want to be we want to be in a good place and I think we will be.
I’m going to put some put some music on now and have a beer with with some of the staff and and, just relax.
