Productive window for Fleetwood Town

Curwood admits that total sounds high but says that is not the case if you look at the finer details.

It was a case of five in and five out of the senior squad, alongside three permanent exits and one loan move from the development squad, with one player brought into Paul Murray’s ranks.

Of the five new arrivals, experienced forward Paddy Madden joined from tomorrow’s opponents Scunthorpe, midfielder Toumani Diagouraga chose to team up with his old Brentford boss Uwe Rosler again, Gethin Jones joined from Everton’s U23s, Kevin O’Connor was loaned from Preston and a late deadline day swoop secured highly rated Manchester City youngster Charlie Oliver until the end of the campaign.

Madden was brought in as Town prepared to lose Devante Cole, who joined Wigan Athletic 90 minutes before the window closed.

O’Connor fills the hole left by Amari’i Bell, who joined League One rivals Blackburn, while Diagouraga, Jones and Oliver filled the spaces vacated by loan duo Baily Cargill and Aiden O’Neill and by centre-back Harvey Rodgers, who left for Accrington on Wednesday without a League One appearance to his name.

And Curwood believes 15th-placed Town are now well placed for the final 17 games of the campaign.

He said: “Fifteen sounds quite dramatic but if you go through the detail it is not as dramatic as that.

“We have had an interesting window. It has certainly been very productive and hopefully we will be far better and well placed for the run-in.”

As for the development squad, Godswill Ekpolo returned to Spain with third division side Mérida AD, while Eliott Osborne and Dion Charles moved to Southport and Ashley Nadesan completed a deadline day loan switch to League Two Carlisle.

Fleetwood added Middlesbrough attacker Joao Morelli to their development squad on deadline day, while loan moves have since been agreed for Alex Reid and Victor Nirennold to join National League clubs Solihull Moors and Guiseley respectively.

It leaves Murray’s squad thinner than before but Curwood says getting those youngsters out on loan will benefit everyone as they gain much-needed experience.

He added: “It is a time to position young players who have been with us through the first part of the season and getting them experience for the second part of the season.”