Terras must embrace any new faces
By Derek Bish

Tuesday 2nd February 2010

WEYMOUTH’S players should not fear new signings but embrace them and use it as extra motivation to hold on to their shirt, manager Jerry Gill told Echosport.

The new boss has made enquiries about bringing in new faces to the Terras’ squad but insisted he would only sign those who will fit the bill at the Wessex Stadium.

His hopes of signing a midfielder from a Blue Square Premier club, which looked dead in the water on Friday, have been re-ignited ahead of tonight’s Blue Square South clash at Eastleigh (7.45pm).

“It needs to be the right person and all the lads are aware of that,” said Gill. “I’ve told them not to feel threatened by someone coming in but try and keep their place in the team.

“Matt Groves showed a great attitude on Saturday and stayed there supporting the team. I didn’t bring him off because he was playing badly, we just needed to change the system.

“And Jamie Frampton is a good player it was just unfortunate he wasn’t in the 16, but he will get his chance.”

Gill’s first match in charge ended with his new charges seeing off the challenge of relegation rivals Lewes to move off the bottom of Blue Square South for the first time since September 12.

But the Terras face a daunting task at ninth-placed Eastleigh as they bid to move within a point of safety with victory at the Silverlake Stadium tonight.

The Spitfires hit Weymouth for five when they visited the Wessex Stadium back on August 11 – the Terras’ first home game of the season – and have a pretty impressive record in Hampshire, winning four home league fixtures in a row before slipping up against Havant & Water-looville on Saturday.

And Gill expects a much different test to the one Lewes posed at the weekend.

“Eastleigh are big, strong and physical so set-pieces are going to be paramount,” said Gill. “People like Tom Jordan are going to be very difficult to deal with from set-pieces so we have to not give away silly free-kicks in our half.

“If the ball is coming in the box we have to be prepared to compete.

“I need men there tonight and I said that when we were 1-1 against Lewes at half-time.

“That’s why I have to be careful how I add to the squad.

“It has to be right for my team and they have to buy in to my work ethic.

“I’m reluctant to bring in anyone who is not going to add to the squad.”

Jordan Rose will be the only absentee as he begins a period of suspension, meaning Jamie Frampton should return to the squad.

Terras (from): Harrison, McGuinness, Brice, Bennett, Slocombe, Groves, Reed, Farrell, Radcliffe, Reid, Llewellyn, Byfield, Harris, Allen, Joseph-Dubois, Frampton.