Fleetwood Town keeper's rallying cry going into Portsmouth trip

The goalkeeper will make it 199 league appearances for the Cod Army as Stephen Crainey’s men travel to Fratton Park.

They meet a Pompey side who have previously been in the Premier League and won the FA Cup – and are tipped to be in the promotion shake-up on an annual basis.

They are 11th in the table this time around, nine points off the top six with a third of their games remaining.

Cairns said: “Going into this season, we knew that League One was probably the strongest it had been since I’ve been at the club.

“At the same time, we’ve played Portsmouth before and they’re in this league for a reason.

“Whether they’re at the top of the table or wherever, we’re all in the same league and we’re all fighting in the same pond.

“Why not go down to Portsmouth and give a really good account of ourselves as a group?”

Town’s season has seen them field a number of youngsters with one of them, Paddy Lane, held up by Cairns as an example for others to follow.

“Paddy is a great example of what you can do,” he said.

“Straight away, when he came in, you could see he had a little bit about him as a lad – friendly, talkative, wants to get to know you.

“For me, before you’re a footballer, the human aspect, we’re all saying ‘he’s a good lad, him.’

“Then you see him on the training pitch and you realise he’s also a good player.

“You’ve got the best of both worlds, you’ve got a great lad but he’s also a great player.

“For any young lads or any new people coming into this football club, if you’re a good person first and foremost, you’ve got a chance.

“Then, if you do it on the pitch and the lads buy into it, you’ll be taken into the first team.”

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