Depth of Fleetwood Town squad excites boss Joey Barton

Joey Barton had to be patient to sign the players he required but the Fleetwood Town boss is now happy with the quality and depth of his squad.
Callum Connolly has a shot on his second Fleetwood Town debut at Accrington Stanley on TuesdayCallum Connolly has a shot on his second Fleetwood Town debut at Accrington Stanley on Tuesday
Callum Connolly has a shot on his second Fleetwood Town debut at Accrington Stanley on Tuesday
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Head coach Barton spoke regularly about the need to bring in further bodies and signed three in the last two days of the transfer window.

Tom Edwards and Charlie Mulgrew are natural defenders, while Callum Connolly played both in a back three and in midfield for Fleetwood last season.

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Connolly made his debut in Tuesday's defeat at Accrington Stanley, where Mulgrew made his first start and Edwards had a cameo off the bench.

Barton said: “We’re really pleased with the group we have. You can see from the substitutions we made (bringing on Barrie McKay, Josh Morris and Mulgrew in Saturday’s draw with Lincoln City) that we carry enormous depth.

“We’re still waiting to bed everybody down. That’s got to happen really quickly because we go Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday for the next few weeks.

“Everyone will get a chance and that’s why we recruited as strategically as we did.

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“We want real depth, and if you are going to be competing at the top end of such a competitive league you need strength in depth.

“Fortunately we managed to do some late business, which added to the business we did in the early part of the window, so I’m really excited about what’s to come.”

On his late signings, Barton said: “We know what a quality addition Callum is from last year. It was a real no-brainer for me.

“His versatility is very enticing for a coach, and knowing him as a lad and his impact on our training ground we were excited to get him back.

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“Thankfully Everton didn’t want to hinder his development, so we were able to strike a deal and we’re really pleased.

“Tom has been displaced from the Stoke team but he has Premier League and Championship experience with them.

“It’s really difficult for us to replace Lewie Coyle as a man and as a player, and we’re hoping Tom can come reach the benchmark Coyley set.

“If he does that we should have a good player on our hands and a really good season.”

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And Barton is delighted patience has been rewarded, adding: “The dressing room is in a nice spot from where it was 10 days ago, and we’re in a position where we are looking up the table and looking to build momentum.

“We knew we’d get support. The chairman has come through for us again and now we can look to build on a very productive season last season and hopefully go one or two steps further.”