Sensational Fleetwood fightback delights boss

Town hit back from two goals down after an hour to beat 10-man Shrewsbury 3-2 thanks to a Devante Cole double and a stoppage-time winner bundled in by Ash Hunter.

James O’Brien gave the Shrews a deserved half-time lead and League One’s bottom club added a second through Louis Dodds despite having had captain Adam El-Abd sent off for impeding substitute Aaron Amadi-Holloway.

But then striker Cole, who had scored only once in 26 previous appearances this season, netted twice before Hunter tapped in Chris Long’s cross in the fourth minute of added time.

It means Town are through to the third round for only the second time in the club’s history and will visit Championship club Bristol City on January 7.

But they may have added skipper Nathan Pond and Jack Sowerby to their injured list as both limped off .

Rosler hailed his team’s spirit, with special praise for game-changer Amadi-Holloway, who added a new dimension to Town’s attack after half-time.

The head coach said: “When you are 2-0 down you have to be very happy to turn the game around.

“It was a game of two halves. We struggled in the first half because we lost players but this group, this team, never gives up. That is absolutely great and a positive thing to have.

“We found a way to win and that is the most important thing for every manager and every team. In the second half we played differently to the way we normally play. It was our plan B.

“The players who came on had a massive contribution to our revival. I don’t think Aaron Amadi-Holloway was ever fitter. He really turned the game in our favour.

“In the second half we really went direct on Aaron. He got El-Abd sent off and we terrorised them.”