Fleetwood boss seeking extra fan power

Uwe Rosler is hoping to see another large turnout from Fleetwood Town's fans today

Town took 572 fans, their highest away following of the season, to Bury in March.

The increased support has not gone unnoticed by either Rosler or his players, leading the head coach to urge more people to head to Boundary Park as his side faces another key test with just five games of the campaign to go.

He said: “I think to be fair our group of players have deserved the numbers going up and we all appreciate that very much.

“The team has done marvellously this season and the season is coming now to a point where everything is at stake.

“April is the most important month of the season and every person that can support us will be welcomed and we really appreciate that.”

Rosler says Town will be prepared for John Sheridan’s escape artists but says the relegation fighters have an advantage due to a lack of a midweek game compared to his men, who beat Oxford United 3-1 on Wednesday.

He said: “We know what they stand for; he did the great escape last year and they are planning to do the same this year.

“I spoke to Chris Wilder, the Sheffield United manager, a couple of weeks ago. They played against them and he found it very tough so I think it will be a 50-50 game.

“We should not use the pitch as an excuse. We have to deal with it but we have the players to deal with it.

“They did not play in midweek and they will probably be a little bit more energetic at the beginning.

“I think every team has asked different questions. Oldham play differently than Oxford and Oxford played differently than Swindon.

“We need to find the right players for the right games but also have a sort of consistency in our team.

“Everybody should know their jobs and responsibilities and I think that is one of our strengths this season; we can rotate.”

Skipper Nathan Pond made his return from injury in the final minutes of the clash at Oxford.

Rosler stressed the importance of his return from a knee injury.

He said: “It was important to give him his 10 minutes.

“We went into the lead and they bombarded us with long balls and I think it was very good to have Nathan in that sort of situation on the pitch.

“I think he will be better from those 10-15 minutes he had in the end.

“Every manager who has worked at Fleetwood will tell you how important Nathan Pond is for the group, both on the pitch and off the pitch, and we are all happy that he is back.”