Fleetwood Town hero Callum Connolly has 'found a home' says Joey Barton

The Town captain and Everton loanee scored his first goal since February to clinch a point for Fleetwood in Friday’s 1-1 home draw with Sunderland.

Connolly’s sweet strike was his first goal in his second spell at the club, cancelling out Charlie Wyke’s opener for the Black Cats.

And head coach Joey Barton praised his skipper, saying : “We’ve found a home for Callum at centre-half. That’s his natural position. He’s been outstanding there.

“The bonus is that he’s got those other position instincts when he comes to putting the ball in the back of the net.”

Town were forced to soak up some early pressure and were desperately unlucky when top scorer Callum Camps rattled the crossbar with a firecracker strike.

And striker Paddy Madden also had a decent penalty shout turned down, having been clattered by Tom Flanagan in the box.

Barton said of 10-goal Camps’ effort: “It would have probably won goal of the season if it had gone – but he’s got a bit of his own competition going on for that at the minute!”

The Cod Army are now unbeaten in their last three league matches but slipped a place out of the play-off zone on Saturday, when Charlton Athletic’s 2-0 win at Ipswich Town propelled them up to third.

And Barton is desperate for the club’s loyal supporters to return to Highbury as they look to build on the success of reaching last season’s play-offs.

“It’s sad there are no fans but there is a little bit light at the end of the tunnel,” added Barton, whose side head to Northampton Town on Tuesday.

“Hopefully we can get the fans back in sooner rather than later – for everybody and for the well-being of football.”