Defender offers his thoughts after missing out on Wembley final
Cian Bolger says that Fleetwood must build on the success of this season and make sure that they ‘come back stronger’ in August.
After two hard fought legs with Bradford in the Sky Bet League One play-off semi-final, Town were edged out 1-0 on aggregate.
But after finishing 4th, including an 18-game unbeaten run, Bolger says this side have shown they can compete with the best.
“There was very little between Bradford and us over the two legs,” he said.
“It’s just one set piece that’s separated a whole 180 minutes of football.
“The belief amongst all the lads this season has been incredible and we know we are strong enough to be competing at the top end of this league.
“We’ve got to away now and reflect on what we’ve accomplished as a group and come back stronger next year.”
Rory McArdle’s 77th minute header in the first leg at Valley Parade was the difference between the two sides and Bolger says Fleetwood pushed their opponents all the way in the return fixture.
“We gave it our all out there you could see that,” said the defender.
“In the end it’s just one set-piece that’s separated us. We dealt with lots of them well, it’s just unfortunate that one has cost us at a crucial stage.
“We wanted to try and create more but it was a typical play-off game, it was very tight and it was a one off situation, in the end we’ve just fell short.”
It’s been a brilliant season for Fleetwood, with play-off football being new territory for many of the inexperienced squad.
Bolger insists the experience will be vital to the side going forward.
“There’s lots for us to build on,” he added.
“It’s been a great learning experience for a young squad and we need to learn from this and keep it going into next year.
“We are proud of what we’ve achieved this season, nobody expected us to be in this position at the start of the season.”