Simon Grayson: Fleetwood players on important learning curve
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Town have struggled to find wins on a consistent basis so far but their head coach has not been disappointed with the levels of performance.
The Cod Army welcome Crewe Alexandra to Highbury this afternoon, looking to put the defeat by Charlton Athletic in their last League One game behind them.
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Hide AdIn a season blighted by injuries so far, Grayson would be grateful for more options when picking his team and he wants to see fewer mistakes made.
He said: “First and foremost, I’d like to have a full complement of players – our hands have been tied.
“It’s not like we’ve been struggling with injuries that are muscular. Yes, you have the odd one but we’ve had season-ending injuries, long-term injuries that have played their part.
“We’ve played really well at times. We just need to make sure we cut out individual mistakes. They are the fine margins between winning and losing games.
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Hide Ad“Hopefully this young group we have got will learn from the experiences, and every time they go out will look to improve on their performances. Large parts of it have been very good but a mistake here and there, being a yard or half a yard away from someone in the 18-yard box, allows the opposition to score sometimes.
“We’ve got to make sure we’re a bit tighter to people, as an example, and prevent others from having those opportunities.
“It’s the attention to detail, the concentration levels and learning from past mistakes, individually and collectively as a team.”
Grayson accepts that injuries are part and parcel of professional football but he does have a novel way of motivating stricken players.
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Hide AdHe said: “I keep telling them when I pass them in the corridor, ‘You’re no good to me, you’re not fit!’ There’s no use them being in the physio’s room.
“I’ve just got to concentrate on the players that are available, find a system and a team that works and can win you football matches.”
Fleetwood’s Danny Andrew missed out on September’s League One goal of the month award. The defender was nominated for his 25-yard free-kick in the 4-2 win at Rotherham United.
Town’s league game at Accrington Stanley, postponed last weekend, has been rearranged for Tuesday, December 14 (7.45pm)
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