Fleetwood boss Joey Barton hopes to parade new stars in 'scouse derby' at Accrington

Fleetwood Town head coach Joey Barton expects a tough game at Accrington Stanley tonight (7pm) and sees it as a local derby.
Joey Barton could hand debuts to three Fleetwood signings at AccringtonJoey Barton could hand debuts to three Fleetwood signings at Accrington
Joey Barton could hand debuts to three Fleetwood signings at Accrington
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Like Town, Stanley have a very healthy Liverpudlian contingent and Barton enjoys pitting his wits against fellow scousers.

The Town boss said: “It’s always a tough game at Accrington. They are always bang at it. John (Coleman) will have them fired up and it’s become a bit of a local derby for us, maybe even more so for us scousers than the Blackpool game!

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“We always enjoy the tussle and they are usually really good games played in the right spirit, so it’s another opportunity for us to keep our momentum going.

“They usually try to get the ball down and play regardless of what personnel they have out and that makes for an exciting encounter.

After an influx of players on deadline day, Barton has plenty of options at the Wham Stadium, including former Accrington midfielder Sam Finley.

He said: “Tom Edwards is arriving from Stoke and should train with a view to being involved on Tuesday at Accrington.

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Callum Connolly was signed but not registered in time to play on Saturday, so he will come into the equation for Tuesday night.

“Sam Finley’s suspension is past too, so that will be like another new signing. Along with Charlie (Mulgrew), Callum and Tom, Sam will also be an enormous boost for us and one the Fleetwood Town faithful will also enjoy watching.

“Charlie Mulgrew has been a big statement signing for the football club. I thought Charlie looked a class act when he came on (replacing the injured Sam Stubbs in Saturday’s draw with Lincoln City).

“To have someone with that vast experience, his composure and communication and organisation will be massively beneficial to the young defenders alongside him. They will learn from an international footballer who has captained clubs.”

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But Barton admits it won’t be easy to figure out his strongest side.

He added: “League One is unrelenting and you need square pegs in square holes. In my opinion that means a lot of experienced players running through the middle of the team, and when you have that the younger players really benefit.

“We’re going to struggle, I think, to find our best team, such is the quality. I could probably name four different sides and not get a dip in quality.”

n Midfielder Carl Johnston has joined non-league Farsley Celtic on loan.

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Jayson Leutwiler goes about his business very quietly but the work he had to do he did with aplomb. You don’t really want your keeper to be involved in the game but when called upon he was excellent and he breeds confidence in the backline too.