Barry Nicholson reflects on what has been a difficult week for Fleetwood Town after losing two consecutive games against relegation strugglers Plymouth Argyle and Barnet which has left their play-off
By Manvir Singh RaiBarry Nicholson reflects on what has been a difficult week for Fleetwood Town after losing two consecutive games against relegation strugglers Plymouth Argyle and Barnet which has left their play-off ambitions hanging by a thread.
The Cod Army now lie six points adrift from the coveted play-off spots but Nicholson believes there is still optimism within the squad that they can surmount a late push to try reach the play-offs as the season draws to a conclusion.
Town have only secured one victory in eight games and Nicholson admits that the squad has been below par. “It’s a big game Saturday and we have given ourselves a lot of work to do, to get into the play-offs but as a group we believe we can get there. The past two games have been really disappointing and we feel as if we have let everyone down – the supporters, the club and ourselves.”
Nicholson highlighted that a lack of consistency has played a crucial role in Fleetwood Town’s season having regularly found themselves conceding the first goal. Nicholson believes there has to be an improvement. “The first goal scored is vital in this league, I think if you take the lead in the game then you can work and control it to your advantage. We have fallen behind too many times this season and it’s difficult to try and get back into the game. We need to start on the front foot on Saturday and try and score the first goal.”
Fleetwood Town will be hoping to exact some revenge against Dagenham and Redbridge after tasting a bitter 1-0 defeat having conceded a last minute penalty back in November but Nicholson admits it will be a difficult contest this time around. “It will be a tight game, there’s a new manager, so their lads will want to impress the manager. It was a tough game when we played them at their ground – it was terrible weather conditions and then we lost to a late penalty – it was a game where we had few chances ourselves but probably could have nicked it.”
Town have not played at Highbury since their 0-0 draw with Exeter on March 9th and Nicholson believes the home crowd’s support may help them deliver the three points against Dagenham and Redbridge but was keen to reiterate that recent performances have been poor. “The last two performances have not been good enough but we have to bring our best game to the table particularly for the fans, who have stuck by us through the season. We will try and get a win for the fans because they deserve it. Hopefully results will go our way and we won’t be too far away from the play-offs.”
