Joey Barton: My Fleetwood team ready for anything at Sunderland

Joey Barton is relishing taking his Fleetwood Town side to Sunderland this evening, knowing they can compete in any kind of game.
Joey Barton says his Fleetwood squad have the 'toolkit' to cope with any kind of contestJoey Barton says his Fleetwood squad have the 'toolkit' to cope with any kind of contest
Joey Barton says his Fleetwood squad have the 'toolkit' to cope with any kind of contest
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Joey Barton: Fleetwood face toughest test at Sunderland but there's no pressure ...

A run of victories over League One’s in-form sides have seen Town climb into the top six, and a sixth straight win this evening would pull Fleetwood level with Sunderland, who are currently fourth.

Barton added: “We thought we’d beaten the form team a fortnight ago in Peterborough, then we got Portsmouth (on Saturday), who were definitely the form team after 11 wins out of 12. And we beat Wycombe too, so every game is a challenge and an opportunity to learn more about our players and culture.”

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And Barton says Fleetwood are ready for anything the Black Cats throw at them. He said: “I said to our lads before kick-off (against Portsmouth), ‘Look around our dressing room: if it’s a game to play, we’ve got some great ball-players; if it’s game to scrap, we now know we can stand up and be counted.

“The defence stepped up against Pompey. Alex Cairns and the back lads really put their bodies on the line when it mattered. That’s lovely to have because you think that whatever the game presents us with we have the toolkit to cope with it.

“If you have that you’ve got a good team. Now we have to try to turn ourselves into a great team.

“The most pleasing thing for any manager is knowing that every player who takes the pitch for you is giving everything.

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“We run into big teams with big budgets, who have good-level players, and you just have to give everything.

“If you have that mindset you can never lose. You might lose a game but if you have that never-say-die attitude you are ready to go in the next game.

“How many times last year did our lads lose a game and we talked about them never losing a second one because they showed they had that hunger inside, that spirit and desire.”

The bond between his Fleetwood players reminds Barton of the Championship-winning Burnley side he was part of in 2015-16.

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He recalled: “In all the good sides I played in, that got promotion and won titles, I remember you were in the thick of it and played tight games.

“I remember going to Brighton with Burnley – we equalised in the last minute and grew enormously from it.

“We scored late doors against Middlesbrough for a 1-1, a really big goal at the back end of the season. It just fostered that belief in us.

“We went on a 23-match unbeaten run, which culminated in us winning 3-0 at Charlton on the final day and bringing home the title.

“For a large part of that season I thought we were outsiders because we didn’t hit our bootstraps until Christmas, then a real camaraderie and a band of brothers started to emerge.”