Boss Cowan wants Brackley to bounce back from Trophy shock as they host Yeovil Town
Brackley Town will be aiming to put more breathing space between themselves and the Enterprise National League relegation zone when they entertain Yeovil Town at St James Park on Saturday (ko 3pm).
The Saints return to league action after suffering a shock Isuzu FA Trophy exit last weekend at the hands of a Walton & Hersham side sitting two divisions below them, Gavin Cowan's side going down 1-0 to the runaway Southern League Premier South leaders.
The defeat was a real frustration for Cowan, who had wanted to build on an excellent festive season for his team that saw them claim crucial league wins over title-chasing Forest Green Rovers and relegation rivals Boston United.
Those results ensured Brackley are sitting 18th in the National League, three places and three points above the drop zone, with Cowan's side also having games in hand on all of the sides around them.
Saturday's opponents Yeovil are 15th, five points above Brackley having played two matches more, and a win will be a huge boost to the Saints' survival ambitions.
"We want to go into games, and we wanted to keep that momentum," Cowan told @BrackleyTownFC following the loss to Walton.
"We had two really big wins against Forest Green and Boston, and we wanted to go into the Yeovil game at home with momentum and we will have to work really hard this week.
"Some of the lads are hurting after the loss to Walton, but we have to be better.
"We have set ourselves a really high standard and expect to go to places like that and win games, but credit to Walton & Hersham
"They are obviously a team who know how to win games and they hung in there, and unfortunately we ended up on the wrong end of a defeat I didn't see coming."
Cowan and his team may see more of the same this weekend as Yeovil are managed by former Walton boss Billy Rowley, who made the step up from the Southern League side to the National League in November, taking his assistant Darren Simpson with him.
He became Yeovil’s FOURTH manager of the current season, following on from Mark Cooper, Danny Webb and Richard Dryden.
The Glovers, who beat the Saints 2-1 at Huish Park back in August, have lost just two of their eight matches under Rowley.
Rowley has been busy strengthening his squad this week with the signing of three players.
The trio are attacker Terrell Works who joins on loan from Premier League Fulham until the end of the season, while Cardiff City have also allowed 19-year-old midfielder Troy Perrett to make Huish Park his home until the summer.
The third signing is experienced defender Joy Mukena, who joins the Glovers on an 18-month deal from Sky Bet League Two outfit Crawley Town.