Fleetwood 0-2 Rovers: Proper football is back
Posted by: roversreturn on 
Jul 18th, 2010 | 
Filed under: Match
A day out at Fleetwood followed by a night on the lash round Blackpool. Can it get any better?
It was a typical pre-season friendly at Highbury, with Rovers winning comfortably, despite often finding it difficult to break down a resolute Cod Army that defended reasonably well.
There was a goal in either half. One for Roberts in the first and N’Zonzi in the second. Both headed in after crosses from open play.
Nothing to note really. It’s very difficult to analyse a friendly performance, and half of the squad were in Southport for another friendly that no one knew about until Friday.
That one was also won by Rovers. Chimbonda, Rigters and a 40-yard screamer from Dunn providing the goals in a 3-0 win. Slightly annoyed that the squad was split over two games considering most of our better players had headed for a different match, if I’m honest.
(**reference to Keith Andrews removed to avoid causing offence!**) Nobody played particularly well, but a young defensive line of Jones, Hanley, Gavin Gunning and Jackson Ramm (at right wing back) looked solid when tested. Neither Paul Robinson nor Frank Fielding, who replaced him in the second half, made a save throughout the match as far as I can recall.
It was a good day, though. The thing I like about games against clubs from the lower divisions is you get to see real football grounds and meet real football fans.
When your local club is in the top flight playing sides like Manchester United and Arsenal every week, it’s easy to forget that there is a die-hard majority of football fans in this country whose beloved club can only dream of a game against sides of that ilk.
Fleetwood Town supporters are real fans. They love their club just as much as I love mine. And they will follow their local team for their whole lives. It would be easy, as a young lad growing up in Fleetwood, to support Manchester United or Liverpool. Even Blackpool would be a step up. But these lads (and lasses, sorry) choose to support Fleetwood Town.
Highbury, Fleetwood’s ground, is a nice little ground, too. Only currently three sides have stands, although I believe work is set to begin on the demolished side soon, and only one with seating. So we were on the terrace. But it was a nice, clean terrace.
Jim’s Sports Bar is their most impressive facility. It’s probably better than the bar at most Premier League clubs. Twenty tellies and absolutely stunning bar staff made pre-match bevvies far more pleasurable. And the prices weren’t Blues Bar extortionate, either.
It was also a debut for the club’s new big screen in the corner. I don’t even think all Premier League clubs have a big screen, so for a club just promoted to the Blue Square Premier it was very impressive.
There were quite a few familiar faces in the Fleetwood line-up, none more so than former Rovers full back Alan Wright, now 38, who played 30 games for the club last year. Locals who show an interest in the fortunes of Accy Stanley will also recognise the names Peter Cavanagh, John Miles and Ian Craney, who all featured for Fleetwood.
That’s my first match of the new season out of the way, and my first away trip. Now the excitement builds for August 14. Bring it on.
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July 18th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Its about time our so called supporters stopped getting on Keith Andrews back, He wasn`t poor at Fleetwood , He made the 1st goal and was continually involed in both attacking and defending. As always he gives 100 % and considering it was a friendly the coaches would have been pleased with both his work rate and preformance. I imangine he could spell better than you as shown in your poorly written article.
July 18th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Imagine I spelt imagine wrong
July 19th, 2010 at 1:46 am
Sticks and stones aside, if you read this regularly you’ll see that I often stick up for Keith Andrews. On this occasion, he looked slow and often gave the ball away. Can’t fault his work rate, but there’s little point working so hard to give the ball away.
July 19th, 2010 at 3:12 am
You couldn`t have been watching the same game, just jump on the band wagon and go with the crowd. try having an opinion of your own. if Keith was as bad as you make out don`t you think BFS and his staff would notice. It was a pre season friendly where players are working on improvement, you haven`t a clue how they told Keith to play. Your comment on the line up shows you have little knowledge of the game, I seem to see a lot of players off the pace, being caught offside , giving the ball away and missing chances, but you seem to have missed all this and just pass a stupid comment about keith. Do you think its good for the team to call our own players.
July 19th, 2010 at 3:21 am
I’m not on the bandwagon. As I said, I have stuck up for Keith Andrews on numerous occasions. I rate him, I honestly do. I also, quite clearly, stated that you can’t really take anything from a friendly match.
July 19th, 2010 at 3:22 am
I also notice you’re not sticking up for Nick Blackman, whose performance I also criticised.
July 19th, 2010 at 3:31 am
It is amazing that you can attend a friendly and with your hawkeye can work out that a player is slow compared to all the other players, It makes me wonder why BFS wastes his time and money on coaches and pro zone when you can sum up a players game so quickly. You just had to slag of Keith Andrews and put another player in the same sentence. I still dont think from your comments that you understand the formation we played. You just had to slag Keith off like I said in my reply. Get off is back and support the team.
July 19th, 2010 at 4:21 am
If anyone was wondering why Niko Kalinic didn’t play in either match, he is injured, but it is not serious
July 19th, 2010 at 5:59 am
The report on the Rovers web pages says Andrews looked sharp in midfield also talks about him having a hand in 1st goal there reporter must have been to a different game.http://www.rovers.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10303~2094877,00.html
shame on you slagging Ka off then denying it
July 19th, 2010 at 6:32 am
I haven’t denied it!! And Rovers web page is extremely biased, as is every club’s own web page.
Read Fleetwood’s match report and it pretty much says they were the better side, which they clearly were not.
July 19th, 2010 at 6:46 am
You talk utter rubbish, So what you are saying is that the Rovers page just singes KA out and makes up he was sharp, You slag him off and of course your unbiased opinion says hes poor, You are just a poor negative supporter , it wouldn`t have mattered what went on at Fleetwood you would say something negative about KA.
What did you base your opinion on about him being poor, I can`t find anyone else with that opinion. Did you actually go because your summary of the defense is strange.None of the fans around where I was standing were calling him poor, and when he came over to take the corners he was clapped . So just admit it you just slagged him off for the sake of it, Wish fickle band wagon jumping so called fans like you would go and support the scum up the road you will be at home there.
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