Who Are Ya? - Fleetwood Town - Vital Lincoln City

The last time The Imps hosted Saturday’s opponents Fleetwood Town was on Saturday 14th August 2021, in front of a crowd of 8,241. City came from behind to win 2-1, with Danny Andrew giving the visitors the lead in the 32nd minute. Second-half goals from Anthony Scully (69′, 87′ PEN) were enough to secure all three points.

Ahead of Saturday’s match, we have done a Q&A with a Fleetwood Town supporter, so thank you to Rick for answering our questions!

You can discuss what has been said in this article HERE, as well as get involved with our pre-match threads: You can post your score predictions, discuss the starting XI, and predict the attendance!

How long have you supported Fleetwood Town?

The first Fleetwood game I saw was FA Vase Final at Wembley vs Halesowen in 1985, however, I would say supporter for 15 years.

Where did you finish last season?

20^th (somehow).

What do you think of your manager?

Early days however I like the changes and he seems to have embraced what Fleetwood and our model are about.

What are your hopes and expectations for the 2022/23 season?

A massive improvement on the pitch and more enjoyable to watch. More of the youth coming through and an above mid-table finish.

One(s) to watch?

Paddy Lane is probably our first name on the team sheet, Josh Earl has been excellent since joining, however personally the most exciting player to watch is Cian Hayes.

Which teams do you think will finish in the top six in League One?

Pompey, Ipswich, Sheff Weds, Charlton, (+2).

Which teams do you think will finish in the bottom four in League One?

Morecambe, Burton, Forest Green (+1)

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

Similar to us, Deserve to be in League One have had success again like us with reaching the play-offs and on your day can beat anyone.

What do you think the score will be?

2-1 Cods.

Fleetwood Town (h - 27/08/22): Will The Imps Win, Lose or Draw?

Win

Lose

Draw

Random fact about your Club?

Ex Fleetwood Town player Nathan Pond holds the World record for most leagues played in for the same club, which highlights how far we have progressed.

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

To be honest, I am still getting to grips with all our new players so haven’t had chance to look at other teams this early in the season.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Fleetwood Town supporter?

Proudest is more generic, and the fact we continue to ply our trade in League One, having made the play-offs twice and our climb through the non-league divisions to get us where we are.

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

I wouldn’t say underrated however atm Cian Hayes is being used more from the bench and yet I would say our most exciting prospect.

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

We do and I am the Chairman of the Supporters Club. We set it up with a new committee last year and went from an approx. 40 members to 220 and this season are looking for another 40% increase. We support the club in any way we can and provide offers for the members. IE we arrange 2 trips a year with breakfast at the training ground, and then travel to the away game. Also free draws for football tops, seats in corporate etc. If someone has a birthday we can arrange a video message from their favourite player; much more and all for £10 a year.

Which was your favourite match involving Fleetwood Town?

Beating Blackpool 3-2 in 2018 for the first time in a league encounter. Once again showed how far we had come as a club.

Which was your least favourite match involving Fleetwood Town?

Ironically in the same year being 1-0 up with a late goal in the 75^th minute at Blackpool, only to concede in the 88^th minute, gutted that we threw 2 points away, only to concede in the 90^th and lose the game.

Do you have a Former Players Association at Fleetwood Town?

Yes – they meet regularly at Poolfoot farm (Fleetwoods £10m training facility).

Callum Morton is a player who didn’t really have a great time with us on loan a couple of seasons back. He seemed to be more settled with you and now he’s signed on a permanent deal, how important will he be to you?

Very. We have established a strong defence and midfield and while on paper the attack is good, we need to score more. When Callum first came I wasn’t convinced he would be physically strong enough, however, he is such a hard worker and towards the end of his loan period with us really improved on strength as well. I was very happy when he came back to us on a permanent deal.

You don’t seem to be conceding many so far this season. Has this been the difference Scott Brown has brought to the team?

I think he has brought in some really good players to strengthen the team and naturally, that means the defence as well, however, what I’ve seen more from him is a quicker game going forward, playing on the ground, and when we do have to defend, we defend in numbers and work for each other.

Did you ever imagine Jamie Vardy would be as successful as he now has been?

He was always the stand-out player, especially on speed and his finishing matched that. He was always going to move on to bigger things, but no one could envisage Premier League Title, England, turning down Arsenal etc. It’s an amazing story however our business model is bringing in players developing them and then they move on which benefits both them in their careers and sustains Fleetwood Town FC.