Fleetwood Town midfielder gets set for another learning curve

The breakthrough of academy graduate Matete has been among the success stories of the season for Town, with the 20-year-old earning plenty of plaudits for his work in the heart of midfield.

Matete’s seven League One appearances this term have doubled his total for the Highbury club, where he has also played a dozen cup games.

Rather than personal praise though, the Londoner would sooner see his team picking up more points.

Matete said: “We definitely want to kickstart the season against Wycombe on Saturday.

“We were very disappointed at Ipswich last weekend because we thought we deserved a draw. Their winning goal was a killer, a kick in the teeth.

“In the first half, we played some good stuff. I thought we edged it and should have been 1-0 up at half-time.

“In the second half, they had spells but we stayed in it and were very unfortunate to lose out.

“We move on to Wycombe now and look for three points. They are a good, physical team and totally different to Ipswich, but we have to stick to our DNA and play our stuff.

“I enjoy coming up against different styles because you learn about yourself.

“You have to learn and read the game, and all the lads are up for a challenge.”

Matete says his learning process was also greatly helped by spending the second half of last season on loan at Grimsby Town, where he made 20 League Two appearances.

“A hundred per cent that helped me,” he added: “I got a lot of 90 minutes and learned a lot.

“We were down at the bottom and had to learn to be strong, and I brought that back here.”

What Matete has yet to bring back are his goals, having netted three in his final four games for Grimsby before ending his Mariners career with a red card.

His only Fleetwood goal to date came in this month’s Papa John’s Trophy victory against Barrow and he would love to get off the mark in League One.

“I have goals in my game but I’ve been playing a deeper role so it’s harder to score,” he admits.

“I do try to get higher up the field and I’d love to chip in with goals, but I’ve loved it this season and I love playing football.”

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 per month for the first two months. Try us today by clicking here