Striker hits two in second half
Fleetwood Town ensured their passage into the next round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy on Tuesday night as they came away from Birkenhead victorious, courtesy of a brace from Jamille Matt.
The former Kidderminster Harries frontman scored his second and third goals in all competitions so far this season, with both strikes coming in the second half.
The Cod Army were trailing at the interval thanks to a sublime free-kick from Tranmere’s Evan Horwood, but Matt’s second half double made sure Graham Alexander’s men would be in the hat for the next round.
Matt said: “We played well and deserved to win over the 90 minutes, and I’m just happy to get the two goals to help the team to win”.
Alexander made changes to the side that lost at Kingsmeadow on Saturday afternoon, with no less than five players going straight into the starting eleven.
“If you look at the squad, the strength in depth is excellent. The lads that have come in today will definitely give the gaffer food for thought on Saturday and I wouldn’t like to be in his shoes”.
Having found themselves behind in the first half, a feature of the past few games, Matt and his team mates didn’t let that disappoint them heading into the break.
“I think we’ve been working hard in the first half of games recently by pressing teams and creating lots of chances, but we’ve been unlucky. The gaffer said at half time that he thought we were the better side and that we just had to persevere and keep going, and in the end we got our just rewards.
Matt scored his first just a minute into the second half, as he managed to capitalize on defensive frailty and get the Lancashire side back on level terms. “It was one of those where you’ve got to keep working hard and closing down. I saw the opportunity to close down and luckily got there and got the goal”.
The second, however, was a superb effort as he slotted his strike into the far corner and beat Welsh international, Owain Fon Williams, in the Tranmere goal. “I saw the loose ball and thought if I could get there and nick in just before the defender then I’d have a chance of running towards goal, and luckily I got past him and managed to finish it off”.
The striker now hopes to be involved at Highbury on Saturday when they take on Torquay United. “I think I’ve put myself right in the frame, but all the other lads have as well. He’s got a difficult choice now ahead of Saturday, but it’s a good dilemma to have because if all the players are playing well, it only bodes well for the team”.
Tickets are now on sale for the Sky Bet League 2 clash with Torquay United – kick-off 3pm. The Highbury ticket office is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and from 9am until kick-off on matchdays.