Fleetwood Town continue their preparations for the new Sky Bet League One season on Tuesday night when they travel to Tranmere Rovers (7:30pm kick-off).
Town are going into the game after an impressive performance against Sky Bet Championship side Bolton Wanderers, beating them 2-0 at Highbury. Home debutants Jordy Hiwula and Conor McAleny proved to be too much for the Trotters defence as they bagged a goal apiece.
Rovers – who were beaten in the National League play-off final last season – are halfway through their pre-season schedule and have earned one win out of two. They started off with a 4-0 loss to Premier League giants Liverpool, before travelling to Cammell Laird 1907 and winning 11-0.
TEAM NEWS
Uwe Rosler is expected to heavily rotate the squad that he played against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
Summer signing Harvey Rodgers could start in defence, with Devante Cole and Ashley Hunter pushing for starts in Town’s attack.
Former Cod Army manager Micky Mellon will probably look to field former Town players Jeff Hughes, Andy Mangan and Steve McNulty. Rovers haven’t had a game in ten days so will have a fully refreshed squad to pick from.
ONE TO WATCH
Southwark-Born, James Alabi joined Tranmere Rovers from Chester this summer and has kicked off his time there with a memorable performance against local opposition, Cammell Laird 1907, scoring five goals in that game.
Even though Alabi is just 22-years-old, he has already had experience at ten different clubs. The forward started his career by coming through the Stoke City academy, with him eventually signing a professional contract in 2013.
His time at Stoke saw him go on loan to five different clubs in two seasons, going to Scunthorpe United, Mansfield Town, Forest Green Rovers, back to Scunthorpe before going to Accrington Stanley.
Alabi then moved to Ipswich Town on a permanent basis, but was unable to get a game as he was sent on loan to Grimsby Town for the one season he would spend at the Blues.
The striker then hit the form of his career at Chester, after being released from Ipswich in 2016. Alabi played a total of 58 games for the side and managed to score 23 goals.
He then made his most recent move to Tranmere. Alabi has started his time in blue strong as he managed to score five goals on his debut for Rovers.
PLAYED FOR BOTH
In June 2010, goalkeeper Scott Davies signed for Town after they achieved their promotion to the Conference. A local-lad – who went to Cardinal Allen High School – Davies made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Crawley Town, as regular keeper Danny Hurst dislocated his shoulder in the second minute. At the end of the 2011/12 campaign, Davies became the first-choice keeper for Town, making 150 appearances for the side before leaving in 2015.
Steve McNulty joined Fleetwood back in June 2009 from then Conference side Barrow, and instantly became a legend at Highbury. He was swiftly made captain at the club and pushed the side into the Football League in just three seasons, earning a 29-match unbeaten run in the Conference in the 2011/12 season.
Jeff Hughes is another player who Town fans should be familiar with as the midfielder spent two seasons at the club, between the years of 2013 and 2015. Hughes played a big part in the League Two promotion season as he played 32 games for the club in all competitions and scored five goals. In Fleetwood's first-ever season in League One, Hughes managed another 23 appearances but only scored one goal.
Striker Andy Mangan signed for Town from Wrexham on 1 June 2011. In the two seasons he played for Town, he played a big part in the club’s introduction to the Football League, playing 53 games and scoring 24 goals.