Fleetwood Town's defensive efforts please Highbury head coach

Last season, the Cod Army shipped 82 League One goals – eight of which came within their first five games.

Town have shown a significant improvement so far this season, conceding only four in as many league matches and keeping two clean sheets along the way.

“It was a thing we looked to improve on from last season,” Brown said.

“Through pre-season we did a lot of defensive shape and structure behind the ball with our attackers attacking us.

“It’s hopefully paid off. We need to make sure that we continue doing that because the lads have been brilliant, even the ones that have come in.”

The Cod Army signed Carlos Mendes Gomes on a season-long loan from Luton Town on Tuesday, adding even more depth to the ever-growing Fleetwood squad.

However, the midfielder was forced off the field midway through the first half with an injury.

“I think it’s just a tight hamstring,” added Brown.

“He caught it early, which is a great thing for us, but he could be out for a couple of weeks.

“It’s his first game, which is a little bit sad, because it’s now about getting up to speed and understanding our game plan and how we want to play.

“He creates and scores goals as well and he’s a runner in behind, so for us it’s what we were looking for and we’re lucky enough to get him to the club.”

Promise Omochere also returned to the starting line-up after coming off the bench against Morecambe and Town’s new number one, Jakub Stolarczyk, replaced Alex Cairns on the bench.

Brown added: “Everyone is fighting for that number one (goalkeeper) spot as it stands, and it’ll probably stand like this at this moment in time.

“We managed to bring two quality goalies in and, for me, competition is key through the whole squad but you never know what can happen in football.

“We’ve got Promise back as well, he looked lively and a handful.

“We’ve always got to chop and change the squad because it’s a long season so there’s opportunities for every player in there, so they need to make sure they work hard and perform in training.”