Head coach Joey Barton spoke to the press ahead of his side’s trip to the Memorial Stadium to face Bristol Rovers in a Sky Bet League One clash.
Barton and his team head into the league encounter off the back of a Papa John’s Trophy win over Sunderland on Tuesday, which saw Barrie McKay and Mark Duffy both get on the score sheet as Fleetwood finished the group with maximum points.
The gaffer sat down with the press on Thursday and here is what he had to say:
On the opposition…
“They are a side that is going to be competitive because they are in League One. They’ve got the ability to play out from the back and if you don’t get your part of the game right, they will cause you problems.
“They have a real threat from set-plays, I think they’ve clearly worked hard on them on the training ground so we will have to be on the ball and alert at all times for those. This will include throw-ins as they have a few sharp throwers in the side.
“We’ll have to be on the money. It’s about getting back to our bread and butter and turn up with a performance with the physical intensity against Bristol on Saturday to get more points on the board.”
On the squad…
“Ched Evans and Harvey Saunders were both sparked out and that’s why they had to be stretchered from the pitch but the long-term prognosis for them is positive albeit this weekend maybe a bit too soon.
“Everyone came out of Tuesday’s game fine. Mark Duffy felt a little bit tight so maybe touch-and-go for the weekend. He felt something at the end of the game but apart from that, everyone has just bumps and bruises and I think I’ll have a full squad to choose from.”