Fleetwood defence gives perfect platform for boss Joey Barton

Tuesday’s goalless draw at second-placed Pompey left Town with four points from two League One away games in the past week.

Head coach Barton said: “Defensively, it was a really disciplined performance. We asked guys more known for the offensive part of their game to put in a shift and they did that.

“We knew with their quality that we’d be under pressure at times and it was the same on Saturday (when Fleetwood won 1-0 at Swindon Town), but in both games I have seen some really good signs and something we can build on.

“We’ve been pretty free- scoring but if you’re going to achieve something you need a good number of clean sheets and a solid defensive foundation.

“We’ve come to some big clubs in this division, like Charlton and now Portsmouth, and put in good performances, so that’s a good sign for the future.”

Fleetwood are back at Highbury on Saturday to face Wigan Athletic and Barton hopes this success on the road is a platform to build on.

“It will be nice to be back at home,” he added. “We lost at home last time against Blackpool, so it will give us a chance to put that right against another local rival.”

Barton's side have played in front of 2,000 supporters in their last two matches but have been waiting for more than nine months to welcome the fans back to Highbury.

The Town boss added: “It’s brilliant to have fans back and it would be great if we saw them at home.

“It makes such a difference to the players. We’ve seen that in the last two games. I hope it happens at Highbury soon.”

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