No emotions for ex-Fleetwood boss Graham Alexander ahead of Highbury return

Alexander took over at Town in 2012, guiding them up to League One with a play-off final win at Wembley in 2014.

The season after saw Town finish mid-table in their first League One seasonbefore a poor start to the 2015-16 season saw Alexander leave his role.

He took the Scunthorpe job in 2016 and made his first return to Highbury last season.

Now Alexander brings his fourth-placed side to his old stomping ground with Town 15th in the table.

Though little has changed at the ground, on the pitch there will not be too many familiar faces for Alexander.

Only long-serving skipper Nathan Pond, the sole survivor of that 2014 promotion team, Bobby Grant, Ash Hunter and Jack Sowerby remain at the club from the Alexander era.

They have been joined by Paddy Madden, who has scored twice in three appearances since leaving Glanford Park for Highbury.

Off the field, his former coaches and ex-Preston North End team-mates, Barry Nicholson, Youl Mawene and David Lucas, are still part of the furniture and key figures in Uwe Rosler’s staff.

Alexander said: “We know of their qualities, they have a lot of quality players.

“But we know where we can do well and we focus on that, and how we can do against them. I know I say it regularly but it’s all about how we perform. If we perform to the levels that we are capable of we give ourselves a great chance of winning the game.

“I’ll see some familiar faces, some good friends which I made whilst spending time at the club – but I’m there for business and to do a job.

“I always enjoy going to away grounds, enjoy the challenge and of course when it’s a former club there’s that little bit extra in it.

“But I have been in the game long enough to box off emotions and focus on the important things. We’re going there to get three points.”