Fleetwood boss could face key keeper decision

Fleetwood boss Uwe Rosler says he could have a choice to make over who to play in goal at Millwall tomorrow after Alex Cairns impressed in his baptism of fire at Chesterfield.
Chris NealChris Neal
Chris Neal

Chris Neal was accidentally kneed in the head nine minutes into Tuesday’s win at the Proact Stadium and had to be replaced by debutant Cairns, who kept a clean sheet in only his second-ever Football League match.

Rosler says a decision on whether Neal has recovered sufficiently to travel to London will be made today by club medical staff.

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The head coach said: “Head injuries are covered by the club doctor. I have no influence over the decision.”

As for Cairns, he added: “I think it was not easy for Alex. As second goalkeeper on the bench, you never really expect to come on because that is not a position where you normally make changes.

“Alex did not have the experience of 150 League games. How he coped with that situation that was a fantastic, positive surprise.

“We knew all about his ability but to be thrown in at the deep end with no build-up ... he coped with that mentally very well.

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“I was very impressed. Now we have to assess how he looks in training. Hopefully Chris is available and then we make a choice.

“I think that will give Alex and us a lot of confidence going forward, knowing that we have two keepers really fighting for a place.”

Striker Aaron Amadi-Holloway (hamstring) is believed to be targeting a return with the development squad against Port Vale on Tuesday.

Chris Long and Michael Duckworth, who missed the past week’s wins over Peterborough and the Spireites, could be back in contention for Fleetwood this weekend.

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Rosler said: “We knew we could score goals but we had not had enough clean sheets prior to the last two games.

“I think it is absolutely crucial that we start (defending) from the top. I think the strikers did a lot of hard work, especially in the last two games, to stop the opposition putting pressure on our midfield or defence.

“I have to give Ash Hunter and David Ball a massive compliment because they are sacrificing themselves for the team and that is the only way to turn the situation around like we did.

“Hopefully now we are a little more confident and we are getting a bit more competition, with players coming back from injuries.

“Apart from Joe Davis, we have more or less everybody to choose from.”