Town fall to second league defeat
Graham Alexander believes his Fleetwood side did everything but put the ball in the back of the net as his side slipped to a 1-0 derby defeat to their Lancashire rivals Morecambe.
Padraig Amond scored the only goal of the game after 20 minutes to settle the annual Boxing Day fixture in which 829 Fleetwood fans made the short journey to the Globe Arena.
The Town manager threw on both Jon Parkin and on loan Huddersfield Town striker Daniel Carr as he attempted to force pressure on the home side’s goal, but Morecambe remained resilient and held on to take the three points.
Alexander, though, did admit following the game that his side put more pressure on themselves after conceding another ‘poor goal’ that left his side in a position where they were having to fight back again as they went in search of a result.
“We conceded a poor goal and we didn’t take the chances that we created,” Alexander said.
“That was the tale of both boxes and unfortunately we haven’t been good enough.
“For first 20 minutes it was a bit of a helter skelter game as you expect in a derby.
“They have got the goal and we got a response from that and in the second half it was virtually one-way traffic.
“They could have nicked one on the break but I don’t think it would have been deserved, that’s no disrespect to Morecambe, they have got the three points, but it would have been down to a lack of set up in a defensive manner because we was attacking so much at the other end.
“We cant keep putting ourselves into positions where we have to fight back because you don’t always get the rewards that your play deserves like today. It was a poor goal from a corner.
“We spoke about the importance of both boxes, especially our own, if you take the score line out of that and look at everything else in that game can you say we deserved to lose? No, but we have done.
“I’m not going to come out here and give you a load of stats and stuff like that because in a game you need to be winners. We’ve done enough to win the game, except put the ball in the net.”
After failing to take control of the game in the first half, Alexander introduced both Parkin and Carr to accompany David Ball in attack, but although Town put Barry Roche under pressure in the Morecambe goal, he insists Fleetwood did not get the break they needed.
“I decided probably five minutes before half time that I was going to change it and then we had that little spell before half time and I thought do I continue, but five minutes doesn’t justify you keeping it the same.
“I didn’t think it was a game for the middle part of the pitch. For all the one twos and wanting to play well, I didn’t think we played as well as we can play.
We decided to bring two more strikers on and put pressure on Morecambe’s goal. We got that, but we just didn’t get the break we needed.”
The Fleetwood manager insists work will be done on the training pitch to try and erase the early goals Fleetwood have conceded in each of their last three games in order to prevent piling pressure on themselves as they prepare for their trip to Wycombe Wanderers on Sunday.
“We have to work; we have spoke about it in there. We had a problem of conceding late on, so we have worked on that sort of aspect.
“In the last two games we have conceded one in the first 20 minutes and last week in the first minutes.
“We have scored a lot of goals this season, but I think when you go a goal down, it puts more pressure on the forwards to take the chances they get and they might snatch at it.
“If you keep that at 0-0, I think we would have scored today. I think the chances we got we would have had a little more composure, but when you put yourselves on the back foot.
“I think a little bit of frustration sinks into people and they start snatching things and they start not making the right decisions around the box.
“No one can fault the players for their effort and their determination to get something out of the game.
“We spoke about starting the game in the right manner, I don’t think we took it to the level we expected and we gave away a poor goal.”