Fleetwood Town skipper Rob Atkinson reflects on a crucial 3-0 victory against Accrington Stanley on Tuesday night. Jon Parkin’s emphatic hat-trick was enough to separate the sides as Town reaffirmed t
By Manvir RaiFleetwood Town skipper Rob Atkinson reflects on a crucial 3-0 victory against Accrington Stanley on Tuesday night. Jon Parkin’s emphatic hat-trick was enough to separate the sides as Town reaffirmed their play-off credentials with a win.
Atkinson paid tribute to the travelling Cod Army by stating that this was a performance that everyone involved with the club could be proud of. However the skipper knew the importance of the game and despite Accrington’s relegation struggle in the league, he knew it was going to be a tough game. “We knew it was going to be a difficult game here, Accrington are fighting for their lives. But we needed to get back on track with our promotion push. We have given the fans a good performance and it’s a performance that we are happy with.”
Despite Town failing to secure a victory since February 12th against Oxford, Atkinson believes there is assurance around the squad and a victory was long overdue. “We played some good football on Saturday (against Exeter) and we played with confidence against Accrington. This victory gives us a win that we can hopefully build on against Plymouth on Saturday. It is all about consistency in this league.”
Rob Atkinson had missed the last two games against Wycombe and Exeter resulting in Scott Davies becoming the captain in his absence; but he returned to his defensive duties and was appointed captain once again, whilst keeping a clean sheet simultaneously. “It’s not nice when you’re not playing but it drives you on to work harder. There are great players here at Fleetwood, so the competition is high but I am glad I was back tonight and obviously delighted with the three points.”
Rob Atkinson once played for Accrington Stanley and subsequently gave him an extra incentive to impress for Fleetwood. However Atkinson spoke fondly of Stanley after spending two months on loan at The Crown Ground. “I got lots of games under my belt here at Accrington and I really hope they stay up. They are a good club and I knew it was going to be tough game tonight and we went into the game fully focused and we got the win we fully deserved.”
Fleetwood Town’s next two fixtures come against Plymouth and Barnet - two teams who are loitering around the bottom of the table. Town will go into the game as favourites considering their league position above the two teams but Atkinson is under no illusions that the two games are going to be a foregone conclusion. “There is no easy game in this league, both teams are going to be fighting for their lives and we have ten cup finals from here. We need to keep picking up points and this will help us get our promotion push back on track.”