Danny Cowley fielded the usual eclectic range of media questions with both parties avoiding the E word other than to say there is an awful lot of football between now and Everton so there is no danger that the focus will be on anything other than the league.
Accrington: DC decided it was better for those that had been playing regularly to reap the benefits of proper training on Tuesday rather than travel, sit on the bench and get home at 3am Wednesday morning. The two Matts certainly benefitted from playing back to back games.
Striking Partnerships: MG and MR are a natural partnership having played so many games together. JA and SM are an excellent partnership which will only continue to get better. DC did not consider it food for thought that the latter partnership had done well as subs against Carlisle. Rather they had come on and done their job well after the two Matts had paved the way with the groundwork which was nice to see. DC views the last 15 to 20 mins. of a game as vital so it is of utmost importance to get the subs right. He is doubtful that any centre-halves will look forward to either strike combination coming on with half an hour to go.
Game Philosophy: DC is adamant there is no team in L2 that will dominate another for a full 90 minutes. That is why so much effort is put into the tactical and psychological aspects of managing the game. It is crucial to score in order to achieve value when having momentum. Conversely, when not in control the first target is to wrestle it back or at the very least ensure the team is resolute and does not concede.
Injury and Illness: Josh Vickers was frustrated by his injury but there is relatively good news. A specialist has reviewed the injury and explained that there is a build-up of scar tissue arising from the previous injuries. It is natural for smaller tears to occur in the area to release the muscle stress to that domain. Whilst no timescale can be put on JV’s return the injury is not so bad as previous ones. It is imperative everyone works together to ensure Premier League care that overcomes the problem. There are no fresh injuries but a couple of players have had ‘man ‘flu.’ during the week.
Returning Loan Players: DC covered all bases when confirming that the Luque/Smith recalls are permanent for the time being.
Stevenage: DC is looking forward to seeing Paul Farman whom without a doubt played a fantastic part in Imp’s return to EFL which would not have been achieved without him. PF has been recovering from breaking a hand during a boxing exercise (punch bag) in training. Stevenage have had excellent results with victories against MK Dons and Colchester. They play aggressively with and without possession. They have good set pieces that ‘we’ will need to be switched on in those moments. Alex Revell is an experienced and excellent target man that leads the line well with physicality backed up by a great work effort. With there having been 19 goals in the last 4 Stevenage games DC wryly foresaw a goalless draw on Saturday.
Improvement this Season: Having compared goals for/against and points at the same time last season DC outlined the factors he felt had made the difference this term:- time has allowed the squad to learn the level and this year the additions (which have been good on the whole) have been made from a starting position of a side that had finished in L2 playoffs rather than NL the season before. In addition, the style of play has evolved and been added to.
Writer: hulloutpost
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