GOALS flowed in 'phenomenal' fashion for Town last season but with the same supply by no means guaranteed manager Andy King is looking for his team to adopt a meaner approach.

The men in red rattled in 76 league goals last year, conceding 58 in the process.

Sam Parkin will return to the side on Saturday to provide King's men with an attacking boost but the manager feels it will be perhaps more important to keep things tight at the other end over the coming months.

Goalless draws and 1-0 successes were a rarity in the charge to the play-offs but King is encouraged that narrow wins are now being chalked up successfully.

Three of the last four games have ended 1-0 and the County Ground boss takes that as a positive sign defensively.

He said: "I think we may have to settle on being defensively stronger and perhaps not scoring so many.

"Last season was phenomenal. We had the top two goalscorers in the division.

"There are echoes to last year but this time there's a little bit more professionalism, clean sheets and less cavalier play.

"Having talked about the need to be defensively strong as a side we know there is the flair in this side to score goals.

"It's just something you can't guarantee."

Jerel Ifil is one of those with the task of keeping opposing strikers at bay.

The young centre half said: "We know we have the players to score goals at one end but that isn't much use if we're letting them in at the other end.

"I think as a back four we are looking stronger by the game as the understanding just gets better and better.

"We are working hard on the training ground to make things even better."

Although defending is his priority, Ifil has been spotted surging forward in the last two games.

He joked: "I've been getting nosebleeds. I do want to score and hopefully it will come.

"Next time we have a free-kick I'll tell Sammy Igoe to get out of the way."

There were no fresh injury concerns for manager King as the players reported back for training this morning.

Physio Dick Mackey said: "We seem to be okay. It's just Stef (Miglioranzi) who we are still having to work on."