Callum Johnson wants more goals as Fleetwood adapt to style of Stephen Crainey

Town’s on-loan right-back from Portsmouth has scored twice in his last three League One games and his late equaliser earned a precious point in Crainey’s first game in charge at AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.

Now the defender wants to build on that and help third-bottom Fleetwood to a much-needed three points away to his former club Accrington Stanley on Saturday.

Johnson, 25, said: “ I think we’ve got to take the point as a positive. We’d have liked three and I think in the first-half we were much the better team

“We’ve changed the shape (to a back four), which is what the gaffer wants to play, and I thought we looked comfortable.

“We had injuries to Harrison Holgate and Danny Andrew, so there was some mix-and-match in the back four, but I thought we played well and the point is something to build on.”

That point came courtesy of Johnson’s 84th-minute header and he added: “I’ve scored three now for the season. I just saw it coming in and I jumped. Their striker Ollie Palmer was marking me and he’s about six foot seven!

“I think that after the goal, like the gaffer said to us, it was only going to be us who were going to score the winner.

“We were on the front foot and that goal quietened their crowd a bit. Unfortunately we couldn’t get the winner but I’m happy to contribute. I’ll try my best to keep my goalscoring form going.

“I’m going forward for set-plays now. All of my career I had been staying back for set-pieces, marking the striker who stays up, but I’ve gone forward this year.

“That was the old gaffer’s decision and I’ve come up with three so far. Hopefully I can get a few more.”

And it would be all the sweeter if Johnson’s next goal was a matchwinner.

“Yes, that first win would be massive and a clean sheet as well,” he said. “We’ve conceded a few sloppy goals in the last few weeks. Hopefully we can cut that out and start to climb the league.

“At Wimbledon we showed the character we were showing earlier in the season. I think we were the better team in large spells.

“Any team you play will have a spell when they’re on top and Wimbledon scored two goals in their spell. It’s about dealing with the spells when we are under pressure and trying not to concede.

“If we can we’ll climb the league. Accrington away is always tough but we’ll be ready.”

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