Fleetwood Town plan no more friendlies after Huddersfield and Leeds games are scrapped

Town will get under way at Brunton Park in the EFL Trophy 10 days after their last friendly outing, the 4-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers.

A scheduled game at Huddersfield Town on Wednesday this week was called off after positive coronavirus tests at the Yorkshire club.

The Cod Army arranged a fixture against Premier League new boys Leeds United in its place but that game too was cancelled.

It means the focus has been on training since that last official friendly against Blackburn. But thanks to those play-off semi-finals against Wycombe Wanderers in early July, Joey Barton’s men returned to training less ring-rusty than most of their rivals.

Time on the training ground has enabled Barton to introduce his style and the club’s culture to the new signings. Callum Camps, Morgan Boyes and Joel Coleman can get used to their new surroundings, which are already familiar to fellow new arrival Jordan Rossiter after the midfielder’s loan spell last season.

Town are continuing to work on bringing in new faces, particularly targets from a higher level – no easy task after players’ contracts were extended in a season which continued until late July because of the pandemic.

Town’s visit to Carlisle will be followed by two home games – against Wigan Athletic in the Carabao Cup a week tomorrow and then Burton Albion in the League One opener on September 12.