Town striker Danny Hylton is ‘delighted’ Nathan Jones has returned to Kenilworth Road for a second spell as manager.
Speaking to the local press via Zoom on Monday afternoon, the 31-year-old detailed how he believes the move is a great one for the football club, saying: “I was delighted, he was always a manager I got on really well with, on a professional side, football side, what he did for the club was fantastic.
“He was a great manager, we had some unbelievably successful times, and you go round the changing room and everyone will say the same. No-one will have a bad word to say about him and everyone’s delighted he’s back.
“I think the situation we find ourselves in, it makes complete sense and I’m delighted he’s back. He’s a manager we know, a style of play we know, so we’re working on things and refreshing our memory on how he wants us to play, tactics and structure. But we know that and it's in the back of our minds already. So it’s sharpening up and freshening up, but we’re delighted he’s back.”
The Town players over the last week have moved into phase two of training with full contact allowed, and Hylton has already noticed how Jones’ intensity is seeping back into the players’ memory.
Asked how much training has stepped up, he replied: “A million per cent. It’s short and it’s sharp, that’s what he demands. He looks after you, gives you everything that you could possibly want. But when you’re working, you’re working, and he needs that sharpness and he needs that quality.
“The lads know that and the training sessions have been really good. A lot of them we know, as they’re sessions that we’ve done before when he was here, and we’re just refreshing and memorising them again. But it has been really good and I can’t wait to play the games. I’m sure we’ll be good.”
The former Oxford United striker enjoyed a fantastic goalscoring spell under Jones, notching up eight goals in League One last season and 50 in the previous two campaigns in League Two.
But despite being a fan favourite amongst the Town faithful and being seen as having a special relationship with the Welshman, Hylton insists that: “Glen’s the lovechild, not me!”
With a big smile on his face, he adds: “I got on really well with him, the whole squad got on really well with him. It was an atmosphere, a team environment that you don’t get in many places. It was manager, staff, players, we were all together. It wasn’t staff and manager and players. We were in it together, we were a tight knit group and we loved it.
“I don’t want to say bad about anyone or go into previous managers, but I think we lost our way a little bit. The things that we built, we lost them. It’s back already, to be honest, it’s like he’s never been away, it’s like the old times again, so I’m sure that will benefit us and we look forward to playing the games.”
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