Joe Davis column: Fleetwood Town can bounce back from play-off elimination next season

The dust has settled since the referee blew the final whistle at Adams Park a week ago; the whistle that acted as the closing sentence in Fleetwood Town’s action-packed play-off chapter.
Fleetwood Town's players were left to reflect upon defeat to Wycombe WanderersFleetwood Town's players were left to reflect upon defeat to Wycombe Wanderers
Fleetwood Town's players were left to reflect upon defeat to Wycombe Wanderers

For now, the curtain has been drawn on another promising campaign and the dreams of Championship football must go on.

When Andy Pilley announced his intention to ‘strengthen and go again’ however, it epitomised the never-say-die attitude that runs infectiously throughout the football club. The attitude to succeed at all costs, the attitude to defy the odds, prove the doubters wrong and win.

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That is one thing that made Fleetwood Town such an enjoyable club to play for.

Being the underdogs gave us the freedom to express ourselves without the weight of expectancy.

There was a positivity that filtered from the terraces, onto the pitch, and out into the town. You felt appreciated and supported, not just when things were going well.

We would be clapped off in both defeat and victory, which is a rarity in such a result-driven, fickle industry, and although there were no supporters in attendance throughout this season’s play-offs, the group went into the second leg with the belief that they could achieve the unachievable.

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Fleetwood’s determination to turn the tide – or to not ‘roll over and have their bellies tickled’ as my ex-manager Micky Adams would often say – was there for everyone to see. Unfortunately, they fell just short but there were plenty of signs to suggest that the Cod Army will return.

With that being said, there’s no denying that a play-off defeat hurts; I’ve been there.

You dwell on the ‘ifs and buts’ rather than the bigger picture, and so I took a moment to think about how the players would feel having to overhear the celebrations from the neighbouring dressing room, people banging on the door as they passed and ‘Wembley’ songs being chanted down the corridors.

Bradford City rubbed salt into our wounds by celebrating like they’d won the league when they beat us in 2017; players took their tops off and ran around waving flags, while we trudged back to our dressing room.

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I recall scanning the room that day; it was the picture of exhaustion, heads bowed down to the ground, dreary eyes and red faces, each member of the group reeling back through the previous 46 games – thinking about dropped points and missed opportunities.

I would be surprised if the away dressing room at Wycombe was any different.

Joey Barton was positive. His character intrigues me and I always enjoy the unpredictability of his interviews, and so I listened carefully to his post-match analysis.

He broke the game down articulately, was honest and spoke with pride, although twangs of disappointment – understandably – filtered through.

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“The damage was done in the first leg and we gave ourselves a mountain to climb,” he said.

He was right, but it was a mountain that he and his players fought valiantly to overcome.

As the game kicked off, it didn’t take long to sense Fleetwood’s urgency.

To restore some pride following the 4-1 hammering at Highbury, Barton had clearly demanded a much-improved performance.

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Alex Cairns played short goal kicks to his centre-backs and full-backs to keep the tempo high; the others took throw-ins and set pieces swiftly, giving Wycombe no time to rest.

For the majority of the game, Wanderers were pegged back into their own half due to the width that Danny Andrew and Wes Burns were providing, not to mention the direct running of Burns and number of crosses that Andrew was delivering into the opposition’s box.

Ched Evans was doing what he does best, holding the ball up, playing it out to the flanks and getting into the box.

The creative Barrie McKay was much more involved, so too the midfield three of Glenn Whelan, Paul Coutts and Josh Morris.

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The old Fleetwood – the one that strung together a 12-game unbeaten run and kept us on the edge of our seats prior to the disruption of Covid-19 – seemed to have rediscovered their mojo.

An Andrew volley in the first half and Evans penalty in the second provided hope, but it was another lapse in concentration that came back to haunt the Cod Army.

After dominating the first half with 75 per cent possession, Harry Souttar’s misplaced clearance killed all of the momentum built before the half-time oranges.

In occasions such as the play-offs, individual mistakes must be limited and, ultimately, Fleetwood had made too many over the two legs to have any chance of progression.

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As a defender, you can sometimes get away with an error but Wycombe were ruthless.

Fred Onyedinma capitalised twice to slot the ball past Alex Cairns, and after his second goal on 94 minutes, ran to the corner flag yelling: “It’s all over.”

It was all over but Barton and Fleetwood Town can hold their heads high, knowing they went out fighting.

With a restart date for next season still up in the air, the upcoming weeks will provide everybody with the chance to recharge the batteries ahead of another gruelling season.

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Players will get their feet up, while Barton and his backroom staff will find time to analyse the season, identify areas of improvement and find answers to the question ‘what can we do better?’.

One thing’s for certain though. If the spirit and togetherness that has been shown throughout 2020 is kept intact, next season will, again, be one to shout about.