Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley has said he has gone back to basics on the training ground ahead of tonight’s home match with Eastleigh.
The Glovers picked up three wins in the boss’s first three matches in charge, but have lost their last two National League Premier Division matches including a 1-0 defeat at bottom club Truro City on Boxing Day.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Mark Stillman ahead of the Eastleigh match, Rowley said: “I feel the messages against Boston and Hartlepool were really simple and we worked on some really clear ideas and patterns of how to make that happen and the boys executed it brilliantly. I think potentially me and Darren (Simpson, assistant manager), I’m not going to say we overcomplicated things in the last two or three games, but I am really mindful the players have had four managers this season and have heard multiple different ideas.
“We maybe should have slowed down a little bit because footballers are eager to impress a new manager and if you ask them to do one thing they will do that, so we should have stayed on course to be a bit more front foot and attack instead of slowing games down at certain moments, but I feel that is still going to be a massive part of how we attack teams. It is knowing what they are giving us and how we expose it, but we want to put Eastleigh on the back foot and play over them.”
Defender Morgan Williams, who has missed the last three games through suspension following his red card in the win at Hartlepool United, returns to the starting line-up against Eastleigh.
Rowley revealed he suffered an injury in training in the past 48 hours, but said he was pleased to have Williams available for selection again.
He said: “I was really worried he was not going to feature, but credit to him and the medical team, they have worked wonders in the last 48 hours not only with the injury but dealing with him mentally. He got a slight knock in training which he was worried about and it looks like he is going to play, so that is great.”
Williams is one of four changes from the side which started at Truro with striker Aaron Jarvis and midfielders Max Jolliffe and Josh Sims all returning. Defender Finn Cousin-Dawson and Michee Efete, midfielder Josh Tobin and striker Tahvon Campbell, all drop to the substitutes’ bench.
The boss said: “We have freshened things up, but it is all based on merit and how we think we can score and create, it is not just going to be someone’s turn to play. I think Max and Simsy will come in to the team and that is based on what we think they can bring to the game.
“I want us to be really united in getting after teams and I am going to urge all of us connected to Yeovil to support the players, there is going to be ups and downs along this road. The boys are learning new ideas every day and it is not always going to be a smooth process all the time, but if we show good character and determination we can score some goals.“