Marcus Braddock previews our clash with Fleetwood Town
After disappointment at the weekend, Paul Hurst and his team travel north to Fleetwood with hopes of putting defeat behind them. Fleetwood are another team on a run but it's an unenviable one which has seen them beaten in their last three League One games. The run has seen them drop as low as 17th place, pretty unfamiliar territory for Uwe Rossler's team. Their home record this season has been disappointing given their fourth place finish last season, just four wins at home out of fifteen games at Highbury Stadium. You have to go back to October to find their last win at home so they will be seriously focused on stopping the rot and preventing our third away win in a row.
Top Scorers
Devante Cole (now with Wigan) 10
Jordy Hiwula-Mayifuila 6
Ashley Hunter 6
Devante Cole (now with Wigan) 4
Jordy Hiwula-Mayifuila 4
Clean Sheets
Five at home and three away.
Stats
Fleetwood have scored 22 goals at home this season, 11 in the first half of games and a similar amount in the second.
Their best period of games at home has been the middle fifteen minutes of the first half with nine goals scored.
Fleetwoods Goal average is 1.5 per game at home, marginally better than the league average.
The Fleetwood defence has conceded eleven goals in the 15 minutes either side of half time.
Referee
Ross Joyce from Cleveland. Games this season:31. Yellow cards:120. Red cards:1.
Assistants: Alix Pashley and Matthew Jones.
Fourth Official: Thomas Kirk.
Squad News
Fleetwood defender Cian Bolger is suspended.
Dean Henderson is available following his suspension. No new injury concerns for Paul Hurst.
Summary
I'm hoping we can recover well from Saturday and get something at Highbury, we've bounced back well previously so I good performance is likely. Fleetwood are a better team than their record suggests, they've played less games than those around them and are more than good enough to turn on a performance against a team in the upper reaches of the division. As with all away games, a draw would be a decent result but we've been good on the road recently so there is a chance of something a little better.