Ian Holloway said that starting Harry Smith in defence for Swindon Town against AFC Wimbledon was worth it for the look on Johnnie Jackson’s face.
In a tactical switch that nobody saw coming, Holloway decided to field Smith, his top goalscorer, in the middle of a back three for the visit of The Dons.
After the match, the 62-year-old explained why he had chosen to field such a key player in an unfamiliar position.
He said: “To see their manager’s face was worth the risk I took of putting Harry at centre half.
“They had obviously done a lot of work on how they are going to deal with him, he has put two centre halves in who are massive and are ready.
“They had obviously been wrestling dummies and all sorts of things, and he couldn’t believe it.
“My thinking was that I will still have him for set pieces; I needed to give him a rest as he was so tired and worn out, so I asked him, ‘What about centre half?’
“We have so many injuries, and I didn’t like the fact we didn’t win that first header [against Morecambe], and if Harry does anything, he wins headers.
“He always told me that he could play centre half after I put Ollie [Clarke] there, so when I mentioned it yesterday and we went out and did it, I thought he was joking because he had a terrible performance, he kicked the ground and nearly broke his ankle.
“I was thinking, ‘What are we doing here?’; but Harry is one that when he plays he is fine, sometimes when he trains he doesn’t look like himself, and Biggie [Marcus Bignot] said it would be alright.
“I nearly changed my mind today as the real boss, Mrs. H [Kim Holloway] went ‘What is happening today? You look a bit off.’ I said I was going to play Harry at the back, and she went ‘What?’
“But I knew that if I needed him, then I could put him back up there, and this was better than giving him a rest, and it was more interesting for our fans to be confused by it.
“It is a big ask when you lose someone as aggressive as Ollie and someone as good in the air as [Ryan] Delaney. Miguel [Freckleton] is still learning and did well when he came on.
“It was about them [Wimbledon]; I wanted to bamboozle what they do as they are very good at it.”
