Fleetwood Town can challenge again with two more signings

The midfielder played the full 90 minutes in Saturday’s 4-1 friendly defeat by Blackburn Rovers but Fleetwood’s focus is on the League One opener at home to Burton Albion on September 12.

After reaching the play-offs last season, the Scot sees no reason why Town can’t do better in 2020/21.

Coutts told the club website: “I think last year was hard, and with none of the bigger teams getting out it’s going to be tough this year.

“Nobody likes coming to Fleetwood, so we fancy our chances to be in amongst it again.

“We’ve made some good signings already. I think we’re still a couple of bodies light, but once we’ve got those in I think we will be able to push for promotion again.

“We’ve got Burton on the opening day and that’s as far as we’ve looked ahead. We’ll prepare for that game, work hard and hopefully start the season with three points.”

Before then, Town have their final scheduled friendly at Huddersfield Town on Wednesday followed by a Carabao Cup first round tie at home to Wigan Athletic a week on Saturday.

Fleetwood had a shorter summer break than most of their League One rivals following those play-off semi-finals in early July, and Coutts says that suited Joey Barton’s squad.

He added: “We wouldn’t have wanted a long summer to dwell on missing out in the play-offs. We just want to get going again.

“We carried on through lockdown as we got ready for the play-offs.

“We played the two games, had a short break and then came back, so in that sense we’ve all come back reasonably fit.

“We’re disappointed about how it finished. It didn’t quite happen for us last year but we’ll be back this year.”

Ched Evans gave Town the lead against Blackburn, who were level by the break and pulled clear in the second half.

Coutts added: “I thought the first half was quite even, but in the second we didn’t have a great start and I think we gave away a few sloppy goals.

“We don’t like losing any games, so we are disappointed, but the main thing is getting the fitness in ahead of the new season.

“It is all about preparing for the start of the season and it’s good that a few of the lads got 90 minutes there.”