Rosler: We lack numbers not confidence

Fleetwood boss Uwe Rosler says mental strength is key in this final run-in.
Uwe RoslerUwe Rosler
Uwe Rosler

Town head to Peterborough tomorrow in third place in League Two with four to play, and the head coach says his players are in confident mood despite losing last time out at Oldham and being unable to call upon injured centre-half Cian Bolger (knee), while full-back Amari’i Bell, striker Devante Cole, midfielder Jimmy Ryan and keeper Chris Neal are all doubts.

Rosler said: “The injuries are impact injuries. You can’t control that – it happens in a contact sport.

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“We have the experience and we know what is at stake. We are all looking forward to it. The Oldham game is out of the system and I think we have enough confidence to take into the Peterborough game.

“We know where we are in the league and everyone would have taken that scenario happily at the start of the season, so we are in good spirits.”

Rosler says he is not sure whether Ryan will be back before the final game of the regular season at home to Port Vale on April 30, though he is optimistic Cole will available before the curtain falls.

Town have failed to score in four of their last five games and Rosler believes his inability to rotate his strikers, with Cole and Wes Burns out of action in recent weeks, has taken its toll up front.

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He said: “Two strikers have been on there (the injured list) for quite some time, so we play the same two strikers (David Ball and Ash Hunter) week in, week out. A player like Ash Hunter, who came from Ilkeston and is a young player, needs to be put in and put out, and needs to be managed.

“For the majority of the season we had the luxury to refresh after 60-70 minutes and throw two new ones (strikers) on, full of energy, excitement and positivity.

“We did that more or less every game and we shared the workload. That worked really well but we don’t have that luxury any more.

“Players have to play every game and when you have already played 40-odd games it is very draining. Sometimes it is unfair to put young players permanently in the war, where there are bullets flying. At times it can be a little bit tough for them.

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“Nothing has changed. We are still hard to beat but at the moment we do not have the luxury to rotate as much as I would like, especially up front.”

But Rosler says that January signing Burns, who played 30 minutes at Oldham as he continues his comeback from an ankle injury sustained against Rochdale in February, is in contention to start.

The Town boss is also considering using the 4-4-2 formation which worked well when Town beat Posh 2-0 at Highbury in October.