LEVI King has saluted former Wycombe Wanderers striker Leeyon Phelan for giving Hanworth Villa's season a much needed shot in the arm.
Phelan has been taking joint-charge of the Villains with assistant manager Leo Stevenson while boss Bobby Dawson has been on holiday, and overseen two wins in three games.
But it is on the training pitch where Phelan, who is taking his FA coaching badges, is making a real difference, according to striker King.
He said: “Leeyon has been taking training recently and has changed he mood massively. It is more upbeat and he has brought in fresh ideas from his time as a professional.
“Training had started to get a bit boring, but the changes he has made are starting to show on the pitch. I would back him 100 per cent to go on and become an excellent coach.”
King was absent on Saturday as Villa went fourth in the Combined Counties Premier with a 3-1 win over Horley Town, in which Duane Antonio notched two and Shaun Preddie the other.
Antonio's brace took him one above King to the top of the Villa goalscoring charts – and second in the league's – with eight, earning glowing praise from his strike partner.
King said: “Duane has been in phenomenal form recently and has been our best player over the last few weeks. It takes the pressure off me a bit too.”
Villa host Wembley in the first round of the FA Vase tomorrow in what has been something of a grudge fixture, and King is planning to heap more misery on the north-west Londoners.
He said: “They don't like us for some reason, it always gets niggly, and the two managers don't see eye to eye. We knocked them out of the FA Cup last season and have already beaten them in the league this season.
“We are hitting some good form now and will be confident of beating them again. We did well in the FA Vase last year, but won't have the added distraction of an FA Cup run this year.”
