Fleetwood Town keeper is ready to re-establish himself as a starter

Cairns returned to action after the Covid-19 break for the play-off semi-final defeat to Wycombe Wanderers but questions were asked about his performance in the first leg.

Head coach Joey Barton then brought in Joel Coleman from Huddersfield Town over the summer, only for the new arrival to pick up an injury against Wigan Athletic.

Cairns said: “It was a play-off game and I was devastated that I wasn’t at my best and I didn’t give my best for the team but at the end of the day, it’s a game of football.

“I moved on from that very quickly, coming in and playing the games now has been good for me because confidence is just breeding through me.

“Goalkeepers are special anyway because if you make one mistake it’s generally a goal.

“I’ve always been immune to that, I’ve always understood that. I’ve always known my role within a football club.

“If I let too many goals in I will be moved on, it’s as simple as that. I know what sort of role and responsibility I’ve got.

“I’m looking forward to having a successful season this season.

“Of course I was annoyed at it, you’re sort of thinking ‘well where do I stand?’

“At the end of the day I felt like I’d earned that number one shirt regardless of the Wycombe game but it is what it is, I can’t change that.

“The gaffer brought in another goalkeeper and he made him his number one, that’s understandable.”

Coleman’s arrival meant Cairns faced the prospect of a spell on the bench.

However, Coleman’s long-term absence means Cairns now has the chance to show why he has made more than 150 appearances.

He said: “I could have sat and cried about that but instead I rolled my sleeves up and started the graft and luckily I’m playing again.

“At the end of the day it’s my job to keep the ball out of the back of the net.

“Regardless of what goes on in the press or what people say, I’ve got a job to do and if I don’t do it right, I will be replaced.

“That’s football, that’s as harsh as the environment is.

“I’ve been in the game long enough to understand that and I don’t let it define me by any stretch of the imagination.

“I might have lost the number one shirt but I’ll be adamant I’ll be the number one at the football club.”