Nathan Pond: Joey Barton has learned fast and made massive improvements

Nathan Pond says Fleetwood Town’s play-off campaign is just reward for the improvements Joey Barton has made over the last 12 months.
Nathan Pond has been told by Joey Barton that he's always welcome back at FleetwoodNathan Pond has been told by Joey Barton that he's always welcome back at Fleetwood
Nathan Pond has been told by Joey Barton that he's always welcome back at Fleetwood
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Barton led Fleetwood to an 11th-placed finish in his first season as a manager, having been appointed the club’s boss in June 2018.

And before the coronavirus outbreak, Fleetwood were gunning for automatic promotion in the third tier as they sat just two points behind second-placed Rotherham United with nine games to play.

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They were among League One’s form teams at the time too and enjoying a 12-game unbeaten run.

When asked about the job Barton has done at Highbury, Pond - who won six promotions during his 15-year stay with the club - only had good things to say.

“I left as he came in, so we sort of crossed paths on our way in and way out. He wished me all the best and I did likewise,” the 35-year-old told The Gazette.

“He told me I was always welcome to come down and watch the boys train when I retired, so he’s been very good to me. He’s assembled a good squad and hopefully he gets the job done.

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“He was learning in his first year in management and this year he seems to have improved massively.

“He’s probably disappointed they’re only in the play-offs. He would have wanted the league to continue because Fleetwood had the momentum and could have got that final automatic spot.

“But he’ll have his team ready to go and hopefully he can get a good result on Friday.”