AFC Fylde boss James Rowe can't wait to meet home fans at Telford game

The former Chesterfield and Gloucester City boss got his reign off to a winning start with Saturday with a 1-0 win away to Kidderminster, which pulled Fylde level with the third-placed Harriers in National League North.

It was a run of three successive home defeats which ended his predecessor Jim Bentley’s spell in charge and Rowe is looking forward to his Mill Farm bow against the Shropshire strugglers.

Rowe said: “It's new beginnings for me and what better way to do it than off the back of a win. It was a pleasing performance and something we can work on going into the back end of the season.

"Credit to the supporters because I know a lot came down (to Kidderminster) and it's a lot of money to spend. It's not easy following your team around the country in these divisions, so thank you to them. I met a few of them and I look forward to meeting the ones who weren't here on Tuesday.”

A month on from his sudden exit from the Spireites, Rowe maintains he had no intention of returning to management so quickly.

"I had an operation last week, brought forward from the summer, which gives you an indicator that I had no inkling I was going to come back in at all.

"I'd spoken to a few clubs and told them I wasn't really interested until the summer … but then David (Haythornthwaite, Fylde owner) called and we got on really well.

"I came down and the facilities are magnificent for the level. It's got massive potential.

"I like to change the culture of places, which I've done in my last two roles, and get results.

"I'll bring drive, work ethic, respect both ways with the players, working with them individually and collectively.”

“It's a project here that perhaps isn't where we want it to be. But I'm really excited to be here to hopefully get Fylde back into the National League as a minimum.”

As for immediate goals, Rowe added that it's uncommon to take over at a club so high in the table.

He explained: “We've got quite a big squad here but unfortunately quite a few injuries at the moment, so the job in the short-term is to make sure we get some confidence into the group. The last two results with clean sheets will do that.

“I want to build on the work that Jim's done. It' unusual to come into a team that's fourth – Chesterfield were 22nd and Gloucester were down at the bottom when I went in there – so it's important there isn't too much change too early. You respect the work that's been done. There has been some good work but it's about changing that into results.

“Sometimes to get to that consistency of results there have to be some changes. And it's weighing up over the first few weeks what those changes need to be.”

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