Top half spot is Fleetwood’s aim

Town are aiming for a top-half finish - with seventh place possible if they win their remaining two fixtures.

Maxwell believes things could have been even better for the Fylde coast club but won’t dwell for too long on what might have been.

He said: “It’s been a successful season and I think it’s been a shock to some people how well we’ve done.

“Among the group of players, the manager, the staff, it’s not been a shock to us.

“We knew we could do well and compete in this league and I think we were a bit unlucky not to end up in the play-offs in the end.”

A failure to pick up points in closely-matched encounters has kept Town out of the top six - their play-off push officially ended by last weekend’s 0-0 draw at Doncaster.

But while Maxwell was left to curse those narrow defeats, he refused to be downbeat, insisting Town will be much more streetwise next time around.

He told The Gazette: “I think seventh would be an under-achievement if you look at individual games where we didn’t get results and we should have.

“But take a step back from it all, Fleetwood Town in their first season in League One, last season’s play-off winners, only the third season in the Football League, I don’t think it’s an underachievement at all.

“It’s a good achievement if you take it in context.

“But as players we’re all winners, if you ask anyone in the changing room they’d say we probably should have got promoted.

“But we’ve got a bit of experience behind us now and we’ll take that into next season.”

Question marks remain over who will remain in Town’s squad for next season.

Key first team players including David Ball, Gareth Evans, Stephen Crainey, Nathan Pond and skipper Mark Roberts are all out of contract in the summer.

Maxwell admits he doesn’t know who he’ll be sharing a changing room with next season but believes plenty of his team-mates have deserved another shot at League One action with Town.

“I can’t tell you how different the team will be,” he said.

“I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, I don’t know what conversations other players have.

“I think nearly all the players have given good account of themselves, proved they’re capable of playing in League One week-in, week-out and that they’re capable of playing at the higher end of League One.

“I don’t think there’ll be any big problems and any new faces will only add to the squad.”

Maxwell had a quiet weekend at Doncaster in a game where nether side threatened to score.

He is hoping for a little more in the way of work this weekend - a likely prospect given tomorrow’s opponents Colchester United are fighting for their League One survival.

“The manager will tell you he doesn’t want his keeper to be busy,” joked Maxwell

“But from a personal point of view you want to be in the spotlight, you want to be making saves .

“Mind you, if you don’t do anything all season and you end with 46 clean sheets you’d be happy.”

One thing Maxwell made clear is that, with promotion and survival for the Us in their hands, they won’t be stepping off the pedal.

“It’s going to be a difficult game,” said Maxwell.

“We owe it to our own fans and ourselves to put a performance in.

“We owe it too the rest of the league too and all the teams down there.

“If we were in their situation and we saw other teams not turning up you’d be disappointed.

“It wouldn’t be right but I don’t expect it to happen.

“The gaffer has brought his professionalism to the group and I don’t see any of the lads being anything but 100 per cent focused on the game.”