Rowley – The penny is dropping

Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley says his squad returned to training in high spirits this week following a scheduled break, as the Glovers prepare for Saturday’s National League fixture away at Wealdstone.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah, Rowley reflected positively on the atmosphere in camp after granting the players time off following their previous outing.

“Yeah, it’s been really good,” Rowley said. “[We] had a good meeting this morning with the boys. It was good to see them after a couple of days off. Really positive training session today with, obviously, one eye on Saturday.”

Asked whether recent performances were helping the Glovers reach their potential peak, Rowley highlighted the naturally decisive nature of key moments in matches. “Football’s just such a moments game, and there are certain spells in games,” he noted. “I think we’ve probably been better than we were on Saturday, we just probably weren’t as ruthless. I think everything clicked from a finishing perspective—if you think about JD’s goal, it’s an unbelievable strike from 20 yards on the angle. Sometimes they fall for you, sometimes they don’t. In terms of our finishing positions and quality in the final third, Saturday was exceptional, but all of our build-up and control is looking that way most weeks.”

Addressing individual player form after being asked about the impact of the likes of Jack Kingdon and Brett McGavin vs Boston, Rowley praised the overall squad effort while acknowledging significant development in team chemistry.
“I could probably stand here for 10 minutes and talk about a lot of individuals,” Rowley said.

“Their attitude and application in training recently has been excellent. I feel like there are more and more penny-dropping moments happening within the team, within certain relationships, timings, and movements. For us as staff, it’s about trying to prepare for every game as best as we can, creating different scenarios for the boys throughout the week so they feel as comfortable as possible on a Saturday.”

Turning his attention to Saturday’s opponents, 19th-placed Wealdstone, Rowley insisted the Glovers will not underestimate the host side despite their inconsistent league form “They’ve got some good players and they have some really good moments in their team,” he explained. “At their place, they’re traditionally quite strong. I know we had a good result there when we were hanging on late last season with 10 players, so I’m sure they’ll be looking to right that wrong. But for us, we approach that game in a really confident place, very much looking forward to it, and hopefully we can go there, be a good version of us, and get a good result.”

Rowley also offered a squad fitness update; Zain Westbrooke is being monitored for a minor calf strain and was described as ‘touch and go’.

Long-term absentees Joe Haigh and Joy Mukena are also progressing well in their rehabilitation and could both be ahead of their original schedule.

Meanwhile, following the FA Cup fourth qualifying round draw which paired Yeovil with Leatherhead, Rowley acknowledged the fixture will present a stern test.

“It’s a club I know well, probably 15 or 20 minutes from my part of the world,” Rowley said. “A difficult place to go, but a nice club that has had a lot of success in the past year or two. Whenever you go away from home against a team in the league below, they’re going to give 110%, but we will go there trying to win.”

Luke McCormick Corner

Billy Rowley clarified the ongoing situation involving midfielder Luke McCormick following a recent club statement.
“Nothing’s changed from my end… I’m not going to stand here and air people’s laundry on camera; it’s not my place to do that. Luke’s never asked to leave the club. It was a disciplinary problem within in-house, which I’ve dealt with, and that’s all it is.”