New Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley said a half-time change of tactics was behind him making a winning start to life at Huish Park with a 2-1 victory over Boston United today.
The Glovers’ boss introduced wing-back Michee Efete at the break as he shuffled his formation and the change paid off with midfielder Luke McCormick netting twice in the second half before the visitors’ Dylan Hill pulled one back after 84 minutes to set up a nervy finish.
It was a result which ended a run of eight games in all competitions without a win and McCormick’s strikes were the first in more than a month.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Josh Perkins after the game, Rowley said: “It was a very special day for me and Darren (Simpson, assistant manager), we have been together a while and worked really hard to get to this stage and I am just so happy we could put on a performance for the fans, even if it was not an amazing one, but a decent enough one. We scored two goals and got a win and I am just so pleased for the lads as well, the first few days of being here I have noticed they have got a lot of character and determination and I really want to help and keep winning some games.”
On the half-time switch, he added: “We were just trying to play behind them a bit more. I felt like they were giving us space behind, I did not think we used it well enough (in the first half), I felt like we needed to run a bit more and actually risk the ball a bit more. The boys were losing their feet on the pitch and the boys were trying to play in tight spaces around our box and it was just a bit loose and the execution was off, so we just tried to open up the game a little bit for them and make it a bit easier. Fergie (Kyle Ferguson) has hit a few balls in the channel, JD (James Daly) has started to run that channel a bit better and we started to get a bit more joy. The more you go long, the more likely you are to be stretched and get done on the counter attack, but sometimes you have to take those risks and the boys did it well.”
The boss was full of praise for goal hero McCormick who took his total for the season to five and moved ahead of Junior Morias to the top of the Yeovil goal-scoring charts.
Rowley said: “What a player! The first thing I said to him after watching the first training session was that he is an unbelievable footballer. He can use both feet, he can run, he can use the ball in tight spaces, he can pass, he’s a great receiver and I think he can play in a few different roles and I think he has wanted to play higher up the pitch recently because he has that goal threat and I am just glad we could use him in that role. He took both his goals really well.”
But, McCormick was not the only player who the manager was impressed with, there was also praise for substitute Efete and returning midfielder Brett McGavin, who played 71 minutes in the win on his return from injury which has kept him out for almost two months.
The boss added: “I thought Brett was unbelievable, he is an unbelievable player. He has done a few things in training this week which have made me smile and he has done multiple today and he is a class act. I thought Mich (Michee Efete) changed the game for us when he came on, we did some bits in training on Thursday and Friday from wide right positions, he’s a great athlete and his delivery is really good, so we opened up probably another slot for him to play there. He was great as well.”
Having only been installed at manager on Tuesday, Rowley said pre-match that he and his assistant Darren Simpson had only had two days to work with the players. He now has a full week on the training pitch in south Gloucestershire ahead of next weekend’s long trip to Hartlepool United.
He said: “I am living out of a suitcase at the moment in the hotel, and I still have some things to plan and some staff to meet. I am looking forward to getting going now, I know the club, met some great people here today and every week I think I am going to feel more comfortable here and more familiar with the lads, so I am looking forward to it. I have always been keen to make the move and taking the sacrifices which come with professional football, I have lived in two or three different countries in my life, so I am used to it. In the next few weeks it is all about feeling settled and trying to produce some training and ideas for the boys to bring a lot of clarity to performances and get them playing well.“
Can we keep hold of this one beyond Monday please?
South Gloucestershire? Is that Bristol now
SGS (South Gloucestershire and Stroud College) WISE Campus, Stoke Gifford, South Gloucestershire, if you want to be technical about it, ‘Sam’.