New Yeovil signing Lloyd Owusu is planning to make a big impact at Huish Park next season. The 30-year-old has arrived from Brentford on a free transfer after agreeing a one-year-deal and he is looking to make up for lost time after missing much of last term through injury. The Somerset club reached last season's League One play-off final at Wembley before losing to Blackpool and manager Russell Slade will be hoping his side can go one better this time round. Certainly, a fit and hungry Owusu would be a big asset to any team and, as givemefootball's Mark Shail discovered, the muscular forward is aiming to hit the ground running when the campaign begins in earnest.
Q:HAVE YOU SET YOURSELF A GOALS TARGET THIS SEASON?
A:As a striker, you always look to score 20 goals a season. And, with the rest of the team chipping in we can be up there challenging. I set myself a target when I was a bit younger but now I take anything as a bonus. Ideally though, you want to be scoring 15 to 20 goals a season and I believe my record speaks for itself.
Q:WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO SIGN FOR YEOVIL?
A:A lot of clubs showed interest in me but many of them were worried about my injury. Russell (Slade) said to me 'are you hungry for football?' and I told him I was starving. My aim is to score goals for Yeovil and get back in the Ghana squad after missing the World Cup last year.
Q:ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT 40 OF YEOVIL'S 64 GOALS LAST SEASON CAME FROM PLAYERS WHO HAVE SINCE LEFT THE CLUB?
A:You do take notice of those stats. The players who have gone were probably the instrumental players who helped take Yeovil to the play-offs but we can't dwell on that. The gaffer has brought in some quality with the likes of Marc Bircham, Gary Dempsey and a few youngsters like Jerahl Hughes, so it's not as if those players who have gone haven't been replaced.
Q:YOU MUST BE CONFIDENT THE LIKES OF BIRCHAM WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH SOME GOALSCORING OPPORTUNITIES?
A:Yes, I hope to have the service I need. As a striker, I call it food. I love the food in the box and if I can get it I am there to eat it. With regard to games played, my ratio is one goal in three. If I can get a good run in the team and keep my fitness levels up I believe I can get the goals.
Q:HOW DID YOU ENJOY YOUR FIRST GAME FOR YEOVIL IN THE 2-0 DEFEAT AGAINST PORTSMOUTH?
A:It was good to get the green and white shirt of Yeovil on and it was good to finally kick a ball - it's been a long time coming and I enjoyed it. It's great experience to play against that sort of opposition. With the likes of Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin against our strikers, it was good to work against them. They are a solid outfit and I wish them all the best this season. Pre–season is all about getting fit ready for the start of the season but you still want to win games – because you want to get that winning mentality.
Q:WHAT ELSE ARE YOU HOPING TO GIVE TO THE TEAM APART FROM YOUR GOALS?
A:I hope that I can add an extra dimension to the squad, give more directness and add that physical aspect that you need nowadays, especially away from home.
