Fleetwood Town striker took training ground work into Wigan Athletic win

He scored the only goal as the Cod Army booked their place in round two with a 1-0 win against Wigan Athletic at Highbury on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old had come off the bench in Town’s opening League One matches against Port Vale and Plymouth Argyle.

However, he repaid head coach Scott Brown’s decision to start him by nodding home the only goal from close range during the first half.

“It is all about staying alive in the box when the ball misses you out,” Garner said of his goal.

“It is about being alive to the second ball and that’s what I did and managed to get my head on it.

“I thought we controlled the game, I thought we were the better team throughout.

“It was a bit nervy towards the end when you have a one-nil lead but I’m just glad to see it out.

“The gaffer has been on at me a bit to do the hard yards of the game and getting at defenders, so it was a big part of my game to actually go out and implement what we have been working on in training.”

Tuesday’s matchwinner is one of several attacking options available to Brown this season.

He can also call upon Ellis Harrison, Joe Garner, Callum Morton and Promise Omochere once he recovers from a fractured eye socket.

“They’re all great players, so when you’ve got a chance like I had, you’ve got to go out and take it which I thought I did,” Garner said.