Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper believes results will come for his side if they keep on performing as they have done in recent games.
The Glovers take on Aldershot Town at Huish Park on Saturday looking to break a drought of four games without a goal which has seen them collect two points from a possible 12 with the most recent coming in a goalless draw at Sutton United on Tuesday night.
The manager said he believed the 1-0 home defeat to Solihull Moors which started that run was the only time his side had not performed this season, and he called on the home support to get behind his team this weekend.
Speaking on Thursday, Cooper said: “If we keep getting performances, they are the key. I know everybody looks at results as the be all and end all, but if you keep the performance levels up, the rest follows. We need the place to come alive again like it was last year. The Ebbsfleet game, the atmosphere was electric from the off, and I know we have not played particularly well in other games, but we have not recaptured that. But sometimes the players need a bit of a lift and I am hoping the fans can give the boys that lift. If you keep telling someone they are not very good, but if you keep cheering them on, that can only help.”
The Glovers have drawn a blank in front of goal in their last four matches having scored seven in the two fixtures prior to that run, but the manager insists the intent is always to try and get goals.
He said: “Nothing has changed, we don’t say ‘we don’t want to score, we will get everyone around the ball’. There are some tactical geniuses out there that keep telling us we have too many men behind the ball, but we want to go and attack. We usually play with two wingers and two strikers, either two up top or one in behind, and we usually try and push our full-backs on. So it is not a case of sitting back and trying to nick a goal, we want to get at the opposition.
“We battled really well in a tight game at Oldham, they got the rub of the green and we didn’t, and then (at Sutton) we played well for 60 minutes and had another penalty decision that went against us. I was happy with the effort and commitment and if you keep working that hard and doing the right things.
“We defend as a team and we attack as a team. We can look at what we are not doing or we can say we look organised and committed and if we keep doing those things right, I am sure things will turn. It is the small things that are not going right for us at the minute, getting the rub of the green on decisions, a slight misplaced pass in front of goal, those things will turn.”
Full-back Michael Smith, who missed the midweek match with a hamstring injury sustained last weekend, will be “touch and go” for the visit of Aldershot this weekend, but left-back Alex Whittle is expected to be available. Forward Harvey Greenslade is still a way off making a return to fitness and on-loan Bristol City defender Raphael Araoye is expected to feature for his parent club’s under-23s’ side on Monday.
Aldershot come to Somerset on a run of five matches without a win having lost to early season leaders Barnet at home on Tuesday night.
But the Yeovil boss is expecting a tough contest against the side managed by former Bristol Rovers’ caretaker manager Tommy Widdrington.
Cooper said: “They were a whisker off the play-offs last year and if the National League put them up when Gateshead dropped out, they would have been in the play-offs. They have some good players, staff and manager who know what they are doing. Tommy’s team will be on the front foot and trying to get after us, they will be tactically sound and we are expecting a tough game. No-one is going to give you three points which we have done in every game except that Solihull game. If we keep playing with that attitude and enthusiasm we will be fine.“
If you want the fans to support the team you have to give them something to get behind. Playing negative football at home resulting in no goals & no shots on target isn’t going to do it.
And can you please stop this rubbish about playing with two wingers & two strikers.
It’s precisely the fact that we don’t play like this that is causing all the problems!
Cooper knows his son is the most defensive midfielder we have, often playing barely yards in front of the back 5. That puts 7 players behind the ball.
5-3-2 hasn’t worked for us but Cooper stubbornly insists on returning to that system.
Look at how we played during the 14-game winning run last season for the difference. Jordan Stevens gone. Charlie Cooper playing every minute.
Charlie Cooper played 13 more games than Stevens last season…