Evans looking to get back on track
By Mark Currie, Daily Post
01 December 2007
WALES
international Steve Evans is hoping the influence of Wrexham manager Brian
Little will help him rediscover the form that marked his first year in the
Football League last season.
The 28-year-old central defender met the new Racecourse boss only two days
before last Sunday’s derby date with Chester City when the Dragons conceded a
couple of sloppy goals in a 2-2 draw.
But a week on and looking forward to this afternoon’s trip to Rochdale, Evans
wants the change at the helm to coincide with an upturn in his fortunes after an
up-and-down spell under previous boss Brian Carey.
“I think part of the problem was the injury I suffered after making a flying
start to pre-season,” said Evans yesterday.
“I probably came back a bit too soon, I was never really comfortable and
possibly because of that my confidence took a bit of a knock. I had to take a
step back and that meant I wasn’t getting a run of games, which is what every
player wants.
“So it was great to come back from being with Wales and find myself in Sunday’s
team.”
Last season’s Player of the Year said he had been impressed by Little’s
determination to haul Wrexham away from the League Two relegation zone.
“It’s been going very well,” he added. “The gaffer knows what he wants and he
has made sure that as players we all know the job we have to do.
“He has been working very hard with us on our shape because we gave away a
couple of bad goals last week, although to be fair we showed a lot of spirit to
twice come from behind and earn the draw.
“The result certainly reinforced our belief that we can get out of trouble and
the aim now is to start putting together a few positive results.”
True to his word that he wanted players to make an impression on him, Little has
added teenage striker Marc Williams and winger Josh Johnson to his squad today
after the pair’s starring roles in a midweek Pontins League win at Morecambe.
Wales under-21 international Williams scored all his side’s goals in the 3-1
victory and Trinidadian Johnson also caught Little’s eye.
“Marc took his hat-trick well and Josh had a hand in all the goals,” said the
Dragons boss. “They were outstanding on the night and because of that they have
been given an opportunity to be part of tomorrow’s squad.”
Despite dangling the carrot, the stick is never far away with Little and he
added: “I am enjoying working with all the players, but the bottom line is that
we have to get results.
“I am trying to pass onto them those things I’ve learned over more than 25 years
and it’s clear we have some players here who should be playing better than they
are and we have some younger players who can develop and go on to play at a
higher level.
“But it will be results that dictate what I do in the January transfer window
and the players have to understand that. I have to find a team that gets us
results on a regular basis.
“To be fair the players are working their socks off in training every day but
it’s the results that will tell me if they are good enough to do the job I want
from them.”
With the visit to Spotland the first of three consecutive away matches –
followed by trips to Bury on Tuesday and Dagenham & Redbridge next weekend – the
Racecourse boss expects to learn a lot more about his squad.
“A team at the top of the league would be thinking that three games away on the
bounce is a hard task, but we are coming at them from the other end of the
table,” he added.
“So it’s important that we replicate the performance we gave against Chester
last weekend, no matter how difficult that was for some of the players.
“Everyone has to work hard, they have to be committed and they have to believe
in what we are trying to do.
“There probably won’t be too many changes but the same requirements apply to
those who don’t start the game.
“Over the course of the next eight days we cannot afford to play anyone who is
less than 100% fit and I’d be surprised if we were able to field the same 11 in
all three games.”
On today’s opposition, Little said: “They will be bright, lively and energetic
and we have to match them in each of those areas. The key to what happens
tomorrow is in how we stop the opposition playing and then how we take it on
from there.”