AFC Fylde boss faces a balancing act

Having been named as Chris Beech’s Mill Farm successor earlier this week, Phillips’ players host Rochdale in the FA Cup.

It’s a match which excites Phillips as Fylde look to follow up last Saturday’s National League victory against Aldershot Town.

“I think it’s a really good game against a team that’s a really good footballing side,” said the Coasters’ new head coach.

“It’s a chance for us to build some momentum. Consistency has clearly been a problem this season and shipping too many easy or soft goals is something we’re trying to address.

“There’s some good players here. It’s not been the start they would have wanted but they showed in glimpses that they have the ability to win football matches.

“It’s just about having that consistency. Our concentration levels for 90, 94, 95 minutes have to be better.

“My job is to try and install that confidence, try to give them a little bit of structure and that licence for the attacking players to go and play, knowing that (what’s) behind them is secure.

“It’s been a hectic couple of days and what I’ve seen so far of the players is there’s some quality in this squad.

“It’s about me trying to get that balance right in the team, trying to get that consistency out of them.

“I want them to go and express themselves, play with that freedom, excite me and play attacking football.

“Out of possession, I want us to be solid, organised and really hard to beat.”