Tom Hitchcock's goal saw off Gillingham
Assistant manager Chris Lucketti was delighted that Town managed to extend their unbeaten home record against Gillingham this afternoon.Tom Hitchcock’s goal early on was all that separated the two sides on the Fylde Coast as Graham Alexander’s men closed the gap on their nearest rivals.
The man on-loan from MK Dons took his goal superbly after joining the Club from Karl Robinson’s side on Thursday afternoon.
Lucketti spoke to the Club’s media team after the win and was all smiles after what has been a frustrating time as of late for Town.
He said: “I’m delighted with the three points. It was a comfortable performance and a clean sheet is pleasing.
“We’ve been excellent at home this season results wise and performance wise. We’ll keep fighting to make sure our record stays intact.”
Hitchcock was named in the starting 11 and created an immediate impression on Town’s faithful, netting as early as the third minute.
“Tom’s a player we’ve kept tabs on for a couple of years. We know all about him and his qualities and we know he can finish.
“He came in on Friday and trained with the boys for an hour, and today he showed what he’s all about. He took his goal fantastically well and it was enough for the three points.
“Everybody’s delighted, no more so than Tom to get the winning goal.”
Lucketti was also pleased to see Jeff Hughes and Keith Southern back in the team, with the latter making his first start for the Club.
“Jeff and Keith are two of our most experienced players and they’re big players. They’ve both had bad injuries, especially Jeff, but you can see what they bring to the team.
“Their experience and know how at certain spells of the game when you’re under the cosh is beneficial for us.”
Lucketti admitted that it was refreshing to see youngsters Nick Haughton and Tyler Forbes amongst the substitutes, and stated that their inclusion was fully deserved.
“We’ve got tremendous talent emerging that we’ve been working with over the past 12 months, and Nick Haughton and Tyler Forbes fit into that category.
“They got their chance to be on the bench today and deserved it. They’ve been training with the first team for a number of weeks and impressed everybody concerned.”
Attention turns away from League competition now though for Fleetwood as they travel to League Two side Cambridge United in the FA Cup last weekend.
“The FA Cup is magical and a fantastic competition to be part of. We’ll be going there with the strongest team we can.
“Cambridge are a good side though, especially on their patch, but we’re looking forward to it.”