Ched Evans says Fleetwood can take confidence from show of character at Charlton

Ched Evans scored twice at Charlton and says Fleetwood can take heart from their fightback

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Town had kept three clean sheets in a row before losing 3-2 at The Valley on Tuesday, despite striker Evans’ brace.

Joey Barton encountered problems with a leaky defence at the start of the season but has assembled a more experienced backline.

But for in-form Evans, who has scored four times in his last four games, it showed the grit in the Cod Army camp that they fought back from 2-0 down at the home of a side tipped for promotion straight back to the Championship.

The Welshman said: “It was out of character for us. Normally we’re quite dominant on set-plays but Charlton were a big side and they worked it well.

“But it showed the character of the team that we got straight back into it from two down, knowing they had not conceded for nine and a half hours.”

Town did so courtesy of Evans scoring twice in a minute. He explained: “The first goal was a great ball by Paul Coutts to slip me in and the second was a great ball from Baz McKay. They were instinctive finishes but it’s just disappointing coming away without any points.

“But we’re taking confidence, having had three wins before scoring two against a team who hadn’t been conceding and probably having the better chances.

“We can take satisfaction that we can go to places like that and score goals. It’s just about shutting up shop and not conceding.”

And Evans (left), 31, is confident about Fleetwood’s chances this season in League One.

In their last two games, Town have seen off last season’s play-off finalists Oxford United and run Charlton very close.

Evans feels teams are beginning to take notice of Fleetwood but they still go into many games as underdogs, including tomorrow’s first-round tie at Hull’s KCOM Stadium.

He said: “Fleetwood as a whole are underdogs but I think people are seeing the strength of our squad now. We’re real contenders for being up there at the end of the season.

“It’s just about confidence and being provided with the chances by the other lads, but if you look around the team there are goals everywhere.

“We want to win in the FA Cup. We’ve beaten Hull this season and I think they’ll turn up with a different mindset. It’ll be a tough game but the lads will be up for it.”

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