Fleetwood Town boss targets three points at Bristol Rovers

Barton knows today’s League One clash will be a tough one but believes it is the sort of game a promotion-seeking side should be looking to win.

He said: “They’re a side that’s obviously going to be competitive because it’s League One.

“They’ll be 5-3-2, they have the ability to build out from the back, and if you don’t get your part of the game right, they can cause you problems.

“They are a real threat from set plays, they’ve clearly worked hard on them on the training ground so we’ll have to be on the ball and alert at all times for that.

“We’ll have to be on the money, off the back of losing at Charlton and losing against Hull in the cup.

“It’s important for us to get back to our bread and butter, and that’s turning in a good performance with good intensity against Bristol on Saturday to get more points on the board.

“Jonson Clarke-Harris was a big part of what they did but Brandon Hanlan who has come in is a handful and James Daly alongside him, they work hard.

“Underneath that, Zain Westbrooke from Coventry isn’t a bad player and Sam Nicholson I like a lot as well, I think he’s a decent player.

“It isn’t a straightforward game, albeit it’s one we’re going into expecting to win.

“If you want to be a promotion-chasing side in this division, you’ve got to go places like Bristol and take all three points.”

Barton has often rotated his side this season and admits there is a balancing act between wanting players to be fresh, but also allowing them to build momentum.

He said: “You’re looking for consistency and freshness but it’s always tough to get both.

“I always believe you get your best when you’re fresh but there is an argument and a lot of people say you get your best football when you’ve got your rhythm.

“Because there are so many games, with the Saturday-Tuesdays, if you play on the Saturday and miss the Tuesday, I don’t think you’re going to suffer through rhythm issues. In terms of the psychology of it though, you might do.

“Like most people, footballers are a creature of habit. We like our routines.

“You have to build your squad for what you believe is the best way to get to the summit of Everest. I believe, after 46 games, you can look back and go ‘that is exactly why that happened.’”

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