Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley praised Altrincham’s performance after his team secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory in the 87th minute thanks to January signing Terrell Works. Works capitalized on a rebound following Luke McCormick’s initial shot to score the decisive goal, moving the Glovers six points clear of the relegation zone.
Rowley admitted the match did not unfold as planned. “We prepared for them to be different, but football isn’t played on a whiteboard—it’s played on the pitch,” he explained. “It wasn’t beautiful, but tactically it was necessary. Today, we played longer balls into space and focused on winning second balls.”
Despite not playing their most fluid football, Rowley found positives in the result: “On another day, that could have been a loss, and people might criticize us for playing long. But today we won, and that’s what matters. It’s encouraging to win even when not at our best.”
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Goalkeeper Jed Ward became a hero by saving a first-half penalty from Jimmy Knowles, maintaining the deadlock. “I haven’t seen any fouls leading to penalties against us before this one," Rowley said. “But having Jed in goal makes it less relevant—he’s been brilliant this season with those saves.”
Ward’s penalty stop was vital, giving Yeovil momentum to push for a late winner. “If we’d gone behind, it would have been a mountain to climb,” Rowley acknowledged. “The fans on both sides were fantastic, but credit to Jed and the lads for securing the 1-0 win.”
At halftime, Rowley introduced Luke McCormick, Yeovil’s top scorer, who was being rested due to a slight injury. “McCormick wasn’t happy not starting, but we’re managing him carefully with a busy schedule ahead,” explained Rowley.
Works’ late goal crowned an impressive outing for the on-loan Fulham forward. Rowley expressed his delight for the quiet yet talented player: “He’s probably the shyest lad in the changing room. I promised him some Call of Duty points—he’s world class at that! He’s an unbelievable footballer, and I expect to see more great moments from him.”
Looking ahead, Yeovil Town will face play-off hopeful Boreham Wood on Wednesday, aiming to build on this valuable win.
Altrincham: Hutchinson; Golden, Sassi, Southern-Cooper, Jones; Kosylo, Marriott, Crawford; Reddin, Knowles (Howe 67), Kirk (Breckin 80). Subs not used: Fallon, Olson, Forde, Grant, Weaver.
Yeovil Town: Ward; Wannell, Mukena (Cousin-Dawson 69), Ferguson; Mafico, Tobin (McCormick 46), McGavin, Sims; Perrett (Works 69); Campbell (Daly 73), Greenslade (Jones 46). Sub not used: Gould.
Referee: Gareth Thomas. Attendance: 1,764.