Fleetwood Town Assistant Head Coach Steven Whittaker sat down with the Club and local media to discuss this weekend's clash away at MK Dons.
Fleetwood picked up a well-deserved point in their last fixture against Ipswich Town last Friday night, and it’s a result that has given much confidence to the group with a busy festive schedule upcoming.
Here’s what Steven Whittaker had to say:
On the late goal at Ipswich Town…
“The late goal against Ipswich did make the journey back sweeter, especially scoring that late on in the game and everyone was on a major high all the way back.
“I think our play from the 10-15 minute mark onwards, we deserved it, and we made a good account for ourselves. We worked the ball well against a possession-based team who are at the top end of the league.
“I was delighted for the boys after the effort they put in to come away with a point.
“Whenever we speak, we have always been in matches whether we are winning by one or losing by one so no games are getting away from us, and that’s down to the boys attitude to go and get something from the game.
“We have drawn games where we feel we should have won and held onto points, but in the main, we are enjoying working with this group who are putting everything in.”
On the draws…
“We just need to be a little more clinical inside both boxes. We need to cut out the little mistakes that are leading to chances for the opposition.
“It's about managing the game and taking the sting out of the game in moments. We are learning as a group so hopefully in the second half of the season, we can improve on that aspect.
“There are top players in this league so for us, it’s about what team and players we come up against in the 90 minutes we play. It’s important our group is as consistent as possible, and we are at it 100%.
“I know that isn’t easy, but if we can have that mindset and look after ourselves, we will be ready for each game.”
On Ged Garner's recent performances…
“Ged has done great in the last two matches. We missed him when he was out injured as he brings something different to the way we play.
“He’s a striker that likes to drop in deep areas to get the ball and he can link up the play for us so if we have speed in the wide areas, he’s an important link in there for us.
“He’s done well and if he keeps playing well, Ged will keep the shirt.”
On MK Dons…
“We are a little bit surprised where they are in the league. They’re a side who play good football and keep possession so we will have to be really disciplined in what we are doing and when we don’t have the ball.
“We are expecting a tough game and we know if we aren’t working together, it could become a really tough afternoon. We know their strengths and weaknesses and what they’re capable of doing.
“Hopefully we can point our stamp on the game and take something from the game.”