"There is a lot more to come from us," says Chesterfield's Haydn Hollis

Chesterfield defender Haydn Hollis believes a change in formation has been the main reason why results have improved for the Spireites in the last month - and says there is "a lot more to come from us".
Haydn Hollis scored his first goal of the season against Ebbsfleet United last time out.Haydn Hollis scored his first goal of the season against Ebbsfleet United last time out.
Haydn Hollis scored his first goal of the season against Ebbsfleet United last time out.

After a dreadful start to the season in which Town did not win their first match until the 11th attempt they have now won four of their last six in the National League.

Manager John Sheridan started the campaign with a 3-5-2 formation but the Spireites were conceding almost two goals a game.

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Since October Sheridan has opted for a 4-1-3-2 and so far it has made them more solid.

Hollis said: “I think it feels more solid from playing in that back four, we feel more solid and we look more solid but saying that we finished really strongly with a back three so I can fully understand why we went with that and if there was another 10 games or so we probably would have been right up there. I think the formation change has probably been the key really.”

But Sheridan's men found themselves in the bottom four during the first two months of the campaign.

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“It was tough," Hollis told the DT. "People expected us to be up there and I think we expected to start better than we did but that is football. I am sure everyone has been in that situation before and you have got to know how to deal with it, you have got to keep going and not feel sorry for yourself.”

Despite the poor start Hollis says he always believed they could turn it around.

“I certainly did, " he said. "I see what we have got in the team and what a good set of lads what we have got and I see the quality what we have got on the training pitch everyday but for some reason it was not happening on Saturday afternoons but I always believed and I think you have to; if you don’t believe then how are you supposed to get results? You have to belief in yourself that you are going to turn it around or you are never going to do it.

"I am not saying we have turned it around just yet, I think there is a lot more to come from us but I think we have shown signs and we are heading in the right direction for the last five or six weeks or so.”

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Talking about Sheridan, Hollis added: “He lets you know what he wants but, at the same time, he rewards you when things go well. I am sure he has been in situations when he has been on bad runs before but you just have to keep going. I think we have come through the bad patch but I do not think we have come all the way through yet so if we keep going we should be okay.”

Centre-half Hollis notched his first goal of the season with the equaliser in the 2-2 draw at Ebbsfleet United last time out.

Having given away a penalty in the same game it was a nice moment for the former Forest Green Rovers man to redeem himself.

“I usually get one and go on a little run,” Hollis added. “I need to get myself a few more, we need to get goals from all over the pitch not just the forwards. I have got that in my locker, Will Evans has got that in his locker so we do need to take a little bit more responsibility to share the goals out.

“When things like that happen (at Ebssfleet) you have got to quickly move on and don’t let it affect you.”