Hill updates as Iron prepare for Maidenhead trip

First team manager Keith Hill has previewed this weekend's away game against Maidenhead United, as the Iron go on the road for the first time this season.

The gaffer begun by reflecting on the week gone by in an interview with Iron Player, saying: “It’s been a good week as you would expect. A lot of work and intensity has gone into pre-season and from a players' perspective, psychologically, you want to be reassured in that first game of the season that your fitness is where you want it to be, and that the footballing plan shows some evidence of transpiring and working. I think we got that. 

“This week we've been doing the basics we want to improve individually and collectively so our chances of being successful this season are better.”

Hill believes that there’s more to come with this group of players, adding: “You still don’t really know where you are at this moment in time, but it was a good indicator [the win over Yeovil]. There were certain unknowns with the opposition, and there will be for the first eight-to-ten games, but we’re confident, we’re trying to improve, the lads are working hard, and they’ve got that desire, ambition, and determination.”

The boss went on to praise Saturday’s brilliant fan support, adding: “I think a lot of good work has gone on during the course of the summer to include the fan base in everything we’re trying to do. My job is to try and replicate the desires of the supporters on the pitch and that can only be advocated with the work that we do on the training pitch.

“I think there was a unity and connection between the team and the supporters. Myself, the players and the staff really appreciated the atmosphere and the way the supporters got behind the players.”

On moving forward, he said: “You try and predict, plot and plan for success and future successes. There are times during the games and the season where you have to survive and I think we survived the last 15 minutes. However, you look at the scares of the opposition, they were actually quite subtle in comparison to the overall statistics of the game.

“We dominated possession, we dominated goalscoring opportunities, we dominated entries into the final third and the penalty box, so the facts and the result suggests that Yeovil shouldn’t have got anything from the game.”

Hill also spoke about the injuries within the team, adding: “The demands of the game on Saturday were extreme, the players, looking at data again, put more distance in than they have in any pre-season game. We have worked with intensity on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but we’ve also had rest and recovery and we’re looking at a clean bill of health going into the weekend's fixture. However, we do have one or two players with a bit of scar tissue left over from Saturday, so I have to be mindful of that.

“Kgosi [Kgosi Ntlhe] is getting better, and hopefully we will see him on the training pitch before the weekend. Again we have to look at the big situation and the big plan, and not just as a one game season.”

Finally, looking at Maidenhead, Hill said: “We plan through pre-season, we will look at their pre-season fixtures and the game that they played on Saturday against Notts County. It’s difficult when you’re playing against one of the more established sides of the National League with Notts County.

"However, we’re very respectful of the opponents, we’re going away from home which we know is always a difficult task, but we’re supported by the knowledge that we’re putting everything into working practice on the training pitch, and it’s got to be backed up by performances. We’re hoping to represent our supporters when we go down there on Saturday.”

See much more from Keith Hill and Mason O'Malley on Iron Player.