Assistant head coach Steven Whittaker spoke to the club after Fleetwood Town’s 5-1 win over Waterford FC on Tuesday evening.
Five goals from all different players – Maleace Asamoah, Jayden Stockley, Ryan Broom, Kyle White, and Promise Omochere – set Town aside from the hosts at the RSC in the pre-season friendly over in Ireland as the squad look to build up their fitness over the summer period.
Here’s what Steven had to say after the game:
On the fixture as a whole…
“It was a good progression for us; a lot of the players got 60 minutes under their belts and some of the younger lads even got 90 so it was a good exercise for us. We had a lot of control in the game as we had time on the ball and were able to work on our rotations in play.
“We played well but there’s always things you can brush up on. We controlled the ball well and probably could have pushed the ball forward a few more times but we’ll analyse the game and keep showing the players these things so we can improve our game.
“They’ve just been promoted so there will be a buzz around the club, and they’ve got a new manager in place so it’ll probably be a tougher test than it was tonight as we’ll be against the ball a bit more, but we have some sessions before then so we’ll keep the lads ticking over until then.”
On how the squad have dealt with the training this week…
“They’re doing great, working hard daily, and it was a good exercise tonight. You want to get a base running into them, which they did at the start of the week, and we all know those types of sessions are tough as you get sore legs after them.
“The players went into the game fatigued; we’ve worked them hard this week in the training sessions, normally we’d like them to go into games fresh but in pre-season, we want to work them hard and build up robustness, so they are ready for the season.
“We’ve added the football sessions in with those and have given them a bit of everything which will all help build them up to be ready for the games.”
On the inclusion of young players and new faces…
“Both Harry [Wilson] and Kyle [White] impacted the game well, they were out of position at times as both were asked to play at full-back, but they handled the ball well and stood up to the challenge physically as well – this will put them in good stead going forwards.
“Whitey did well at left-back and ended up stepping into the midfield where he found himself in a good position on the front foot and he took his chance well in front of goal, I’m delighted for him.
“It’s good to have competition between the sticks, David [Harrington] came into the building with injuries but he’s back now and is trying to get up to speed like everyone. [Jay] Lynchy was brilliant for us last season so they will both work away and compete for their places in the side.”