Grant backs Fleetwood to win biggest game yet

Town enter the last five games of the season 19th in the League One table and just a point off the drop zone, but 10-goal Grant believes they will stay up if they continue to play like they did in last week’s 2-0 win against Peterborough and Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Southend.

He also believes home advantage could play a key role in Saturday’s crunch clash against Oldham, who had looked to be pulling clear after three straight wins but Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Barnsley kept Town within a point of them.

Grant said: “If we play the way we have against Peterborough and Southend, Saturday’s game will take care of itself.

“It is a massive game in the season. It is probably the biggest so far because there is so much at stake but we are confident we can beat anyone at home. If the fans get behind us like they have all season, then I’m sure we can do that.

“We have always believed in what we are doing. It is small margins in football, but if we stick together we will stay up and get out of this because we have the quality in the dressing room to do that.”

Grant scored a spectacular opening goal in the draw at Southend as his fierce left-footed 30-yard effort flew into the top left corner in the 53rd minute.

And the 25-year-old was pleased to get on the scoresheet.

He said: “I don’t think I’ve scored many like that this season.

“To be honest, I don’t know why I shot from there but I caught it like a dream and it has flown in the top corner.

“On the Tuesday I’d hit a couple out of the stands, which I was really frustrated with. But the manager said to me in the dressing room after I scored: ‘That that is why you hit it’.

“The manager has always said I can create moments like that and for my team-mates.

“If I can keep my work rate to this level, then I will be in the team every week. It is about hard work.

“I thought as a team we worked really hard and it is nice to get on the scoresheet.

“I thought we had a lot of chances in Saturday’s game to see it off but we have a good spirit in the dressing room, and I think that’s massive considering where we are in the table.

“We all need to stick together and the fans who travelled to Southend were great.”

Since Grant has returned to the starting 11, having served a three-match ban after picking up a red card for violent conduct at Burton, he has truck up a good understanding with on-loan Bristol City hotshot Wes Burns, with Stefan Scougall playing just behind the front two in a 4-3-1-2 formation.

And he says it makes his job easier playing alongside such talented youngsters.

Grant said: “They are quality players (Scougall and Burns). Wes’ pace causes concern for every defence we play against.

“That helps me because I can get on the ball and the defenders are wary of pushing too high because they don’t want to leave the space behind for him.

“Scougall is a fantastic footballer. He gets in the pockets and creates things.

“It makes my job very easy when you are playing with players like that.

“The work rate is what creates those chances. Having midfielders Jimmy Ryan, Antoni Sarcevic and Eggert Jonsson behind give us the confidence to express ourselves and work hard.

“As a forward player, when the ball is always coming in you always feel as though you can score, which is why you always get in there.

“I think the main thing is that we are creating chances as a team. We scored two at Southend and we should have won.”

Grant also praised the club’s full-backs Amari’i Bell and Conor McLaughlin for combining to pull Town level at Roots Hall after his own wonder-goal had been cancelled out by Adam Barrett and Jack Payne’s strikes for the Shrimpers .

He said: “Conor deserves the goal because the two full- backs in our team work so hard getting up and down the pitch.”