Matlock Town boss wants to be more effective in both boxes

Both strikers Sefton Gonzales and Liam Hughes stand at 6’5” and 6’4” respectively with central defender Sam Egerton a couple of inches shorter.

But Phillips says it is athleticism and the requirement to work hard which are key factors.

“They’re all athletes, but good with their feet,” he said. “For me you’ve got to be physical in both boxes, that’s something I felt we lacked last year, especially in the opponents box as our goalscoring record wasn’t the best.

“Set pieces in this league and the one above for that matter are really important and I don’t think we had enough appreciation to put the ball in the net by attacking it in a positive manner.”

The need to work hard has been a common theme expressed by the new arrivals when interviewed on Matlock Town TV.

“Hard work’s a minimum, I don’t think there’ll be a fitter team in this league,” added Phillips.

“The lads have worked hard at the sessions we’ve put on and they’ve all been given programmes to work on during the enforced break, so when training’s stepped up when we know we have a date for the season to start.

“If there’s anybody who hasn’t adhered to the programmes, they will be found out.”

Local striker Ben Edgson will again be part of the Matlock squad and will be looking to push his claims for a place in the starting eleven after a season out with an ankle injury.

Phillips plans to help him by arranging a dual registration deal with New Mills to aid his development and the recovery process.

“It’ll do him a power of good with Birchy (manager Dave Birch) at New Mills, playing at a decent level, we have a good relationship with New Mills which will hopefully be beneficial to both clubs,” Phillips added.

Matlock scored only 36 league goals in 28 league outings with Phillips knowing new attacking options is a must for next season.

Town have not finished higher than 14th in the last six seasons and have targeted a top half finish next season.