Fleetwood manager sizes up new opposition

Tony Greenwood, the Fleetwood Town manager has not rested upon the laurels of his club’s UniBond League triumph.

“I went to watch the Stalybridge Celtic v Southport play-offs match in the Blue Square North last night to get an idea of the kind of opposition we will be facing next season,” he said. “I have also spoken to Liam Watson at Burscough to see what he thinks is required for clubs coming up from the division and will do the same with Telford. They’ve both done well. I know already that I will have to bring in three or four players.”

In the meantime, two days after Fleetwood secured the title before a crowd of 2,666 at Highbury, the bulldozers moved into flatten the old stand and dressing-rooms as part of the redevelopment of the ground that is intended to bring its capacity up to the 6,000 required for a Football League grading.

“The final part of the development will start after the end of next season on the clubhouse side of the ground,” Greenwood said.

The frenzy of activity is a fry cry from the previous time that Greenwood took a side to the Northern Premier League title in 1996. Then Bamber Bridge were not allowed to step up to the Conference because their Irongate Ground did not pass muster.

With an ambitious chairman in Andrew Pilley that was not going to be allowed to happen at Fleetwood after Greenwood secured the club their third promotion in his fifth full season with them.

The crowd drawn to Highbury was the biggest for a league match since the Northern Premier League was established in 1968. And the party started early. Fleetwood had established a one-point lead over Witton Albion with a 2-1 midweek victory away to Leek Town and their performance against Frickley Athletic was swiftly overshadowed by reports from Wincham Park.

“We had someone at Witton who gave us updates of the score there every five or ten minutes,” Greenwood said. “They were 1-0 down after eight minutes and three down after 30 minutes. I didn’t really want our players to find out what the score was there but it was announced at half-time. It was a pity really because everybody relaxed and we didn’t press ahead and finish with a win.” The score was 1-1 at half-time and it stayed that way until the final whistle.

“Our team played magnificently over the past weeks — particularly the way we went seven matches without conceding a goal away from home until the match against Leek,” Greenwood said. “But it has to be said that we were never under any pressure. The pressure was always on Witton and it looks as if in the end they choked up.”