Despite insisting that it was all about taking the three points, Fleetwood Town’s left-back, Dean Howell, will forever go down in the club’s folklore for the 47th minute free kick which flew past Burt
By David MitchellDespite insisting that it was all about taking the three points, Fleetwood Town’s left-back, Dean Howell, will forever go down in the club’s folklore for the 47th minute free kick which flew past Burton goalkeeper, Ross Atkins, to register Town’s first goal as a Football League club:
‘We are up and running now,’ said Howell. ‘We’ve tasted victory and more will follow. It’s great for everyone at the club but we want maximum points from every game. We’ll have a good week in training and get ourselves ready for the Aldershot game next Saturday.’
The decisive goal came after right-back, Shaun Beeley, had been brought down to the right of the penalty area:
‘I just concentrated on getting a clean strike and it went into the top corner. Scoring so soon after the break took a lot of pressure off the lads. Burton were a physical side, full of confidence after their 6-2 win on Tuesday evening.’
Town’s extra exposure through the BBC’s ‘Football League Show’ took Howell’s goal to the nation. Fleetwood played some good football over the rest of the game, preventing Albion from getting on terms, but there were a few nervous moments at the end with five minutes added time:
‘To be honest, we wondered where the referee had got that from,’ said 31-year old Howell.’ We were under the cosh a bit at the end but we kept calm. The lads dug in.’
The former Crawley Town player has settled in well on the left side of a tight defence which currently boasts the best record in the division, alongside leaders, Oxford United. Having congratulated Howell after making a good start against Nottingham Forest, he assured me that there was ‘more to come’! Prophetic words, indeed, but this is a player who will not be content to rest on any laurels. To add a touch of irony to the situation, Howell was born in... Burton on Trent!
