Simon Grayson on Fleetwood ace Jay Matete: He's the best on the pitch and he'll get better

Fleetwood Town boss Simon Grayson believes midfielder Jay Matete was the best player on the field in Tuesday’s defeat by Burton Albion and is only just starting to fulfil his potential.
By Andy Moore
Published 21st Oct 2021, 08:00 GMT
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Fleetwood boss Simon Grayson admits: Town didn't ask enough questions of Burton ...

Town struggled to trouble the Brewers’ defence during the 1-0 defeat but their head coach felt Matete was one player who could make something happen.

Grayson said: “Jay is a good player for his age (20). He does a lot of good things and I thought he was the best player on the pitch in terms of his understanding of the game, passing and receiving the ball and his tackling back as well.

There is a lot more to come from Jay Matete according to his Fleetwood boss Simon GraysonThere is a lot more to come from Jay Matete according to his Fleetwood boss Simon Grayson
There is a lot more to come from Jay Matete according to his Fleetwood boss Simon Grayson
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“I thought he was very good and he has a lot more to come. He has a lot of youthful energy about him and has time on his side.”

As for Matete’s contribution on Tuesday, his 13th League One appearance, Grayson said: “When we played through Jay in midfield and out wide to the wing-backs we looked a good team, but we didn’t get the balls into the box or to the strikers’ feet to cause them problems.

“They defended well but we didn’t make it too difficult for them.”

Thirteen places separate Burton and Fleetwood in League One but Grayson maintains there is little to choose between the top and bottom sides in a hugely competitive competition.

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“We’ve known that from the early part of the season,” he said, “when we’ve played so-called big teams and we’ve been on a decent run, so we know what we are capable of.

“It’s probably a sign of respect for us that Burton played three centre-backs to match us up.

“That shows what people think about us but we have to find different ways of winning games.

“Saturday was a good day (the 3-0 home victory over Crewe Alexandra), when we played good open football and created a lot of chances.

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“Tonight we needed to find another way but didn’t do it. We wanted to get back to back wins but we probably didn’t play well enough in a tough game.

“The odd bits we had in the final third didn’t quite drop for us but on another day they might and that happens in football.”

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Related topics:Simon GraysonFleetwoodLeague One