Yeovil Town manager Billy Rowley has expressed his excitement ahead of the club’s first home game of the National League season against Carlisle United.
“I love going to Huish Park for game day,” Rowley said in anticipation of the match scheduled for Saturday. After a promising opening day draw away at Scunthorpe United, the Glovers are eager to make a strong impression in front of their home supporters. Their opponents, Carlisle United, suffered a defeat in their opening fixture against newly promoted Worthing.
Yeovil will be aiming to secure their first win against Carlisle since 2018 and their first victory at Huish Park over the Cumbrians since 2011. The two teams met twice last season, with Yeovil holding Carlisle to a 1-1 draw at home but losing the away fixture 3-0. Rowley anticipates a challenging encounter on Saturday.
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“I’m expecting a very good team,” Rowley commented. “Rob [Elliot, Carlisle United’s manager] is a top manager. Their players are technically gifted; all it takes is for us to switch off for a moment or make a mistake in pressing, and they’ll capitalise.”
Despite Carlisle’s opening day loss to Worthing, Rowley believes the result did not reflect their performance and expects them to be strong contenders this season.
“I reviewed their game against Worthing and on another day, they could have been two or three goals up,” he said. “I’d bet on them to finish in the top five or even top three this season.”
Rowley is also eager to showcase his refreshed Yeovil squad at Huish Park, praising the pitch and the fans' enthusiasm.
“The pitch is incredible, and the fans seem genuinely excited to be back watching this team play,” he said. “It’s our job to turn up and deliver a good performance.”
The manager emphasised the importance of patience as the team continues to gel.
“Reflecting on my last club, we were around sixth or seventh place in December before going on a four-month winning streak,” Rowley noted. “So, by October or November, you’ll start to see the best version of us.”
The squad is not yet at full strength. Loick Ayina remains sidelined after sustaining a knee injury at the weekend, and Joe Haigh, who missed pre-season, is expected to be out for another four weeks.
“Joe is going to be vital to how we play this year, so we’re not quite at full strength yet,” Rowley revealed.
Yeovil will be hopeful of building on their opening day draw and securing their first win of the season at Huish Park this Saturday.