Fittest squad I've known at Fleetwood Town says coach Youl Mawene

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Mawene has been the man to keep the Cod Army in shape for the past seven years and he says the 2019/20 promotion-pushing squad top the lot.

The former Preston and Derby player told The Gazette: “When we talk about fitness, there is so much that comes into it for me.

“There is fitness and fatigue, there is fitness and robustness, there is the average age and availability of the players.

“Apart from the odd injury, this is probably the fittest team we have ever had.

“In terms of all those variables that come under fitness, this is the most ‘available’ side we have had and the best we have ever been able to produce in terms of stats during games and physicals.

“It’s also the most availability we’ve had for training, which helps the squad to get better. The coaches have had a lot of time with the players this season to improve them.

“It’s difficult to have objective markers but overall this is the fittest squad we have had at this club.”

The Frenchman has worked under several Town bosses but the former defender hailed the impact of current head coach Joey Barton.

Fleetwood had just won a relegation fight in 2018 when Barton took over as the youngest team boss in the EFL.

They are now in a position to challenge for the League One title once the season resumes and Mawene continued: “He’s had a massive impact. The change has been dramatic.

“It’s hard to say because when you’re inside the boat and trying to paddle as quick as you can, you don’t really get a chance to look behind you and see where you are.

“At some stage I’m sure we’ll be able to look in detail at how far we’ve come because there is a lot that people don’t see that comes into it.

“There’s a lot of preparation when it comes to the performance analysis and the sports and medical.

“When you look at everything under the iceberg, you stop to think that it is all significant.

“It’s always been a case of growth for us as a club at Fleetwood and trying to operate at a standard that is higher than we are.

“We want to learn from the setbacks, learn from the mistakes, and Joey has been massively influential in those aspects.

“It’s hard to judge where we are because we’re still moving forward. God knows where we’ll end up!”