Alex Cairns confident tide will turn for Fleetwood Town

A run of seven defeats in eight games, with one point gained from their last six league matches, saw Simon Grayson lose his job as team boss on Wednesday.

Town are third-bottom in League One but their position could change very quickly: one win could lift Fleetwood out of the relegation zone and they have one or two games in hand on all the other bottom-six sides.

It’s why keeper Cairns, who has guarded the net in all 17 league games to date, feels confident the club can “turn the tide” in double-quick time.

He told The Gazette: “The vibe around the club is anything but dismal. It would be far worse if we were running out of games but we are in a position to change it very quickly. It’s down to the players to do that if we take the game plan on board.”

That game plan will be masterminded by Academy chief Crainey, who has stepped up until a permanent appointment is made.

Cairns, now in his sixth season at the club, accepts it is the responsibility of the players to implement that plan.

He added: “It’s unfortunate the manager has lost his job but we have to move on and start getting points.

“We have not been good enough as a team but I think we are in a false position because we are better than our position suggests. It’s time to start turning the tide.”

Only two clubs outside the top-eight can match Town’s goal tally (28) but it’s at the other end where the issues have been.

Even so, Cairns insists responsibility has to be shared, adding: “We attack and defend as a team. It’s a collective thing and we haven’t managed to nail it down yet but in the next few weeks and months we will. I pride myself on clean sheets and we need to start getting more.

“We don’t want to take away the attacking flair because we have great attacking players. We have more than enough in the squad to shoot us up the table.

“Football is about moments that turn games. We’ve probably conceded at the wrong times. We often concede during 10-minute spells, when we have to learn to batten down the hatches, grind them out and get control.

“We mustn’t lose sight of our goal because it’s a great club and a great place to be when things are going well. Confidence will rocket when we start to do well.”

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