Fleetwood Town (a): What 3 Things Did We Learn? | Vital Football

Fleetwood Town (a): What 3 Things Did We Learn?

1 Joe Walsh is another good signing. Comfortable on the ball, but also reads the
game well. Considering his lack of football lately he also lasted the pace well.

2 The evidence is building. We still have not played anyone near the top of the league but it's already clear there are plenty of teams likely to finish below us this season. In a week's time we will have played 2 teams in Plymouth and Ipswich that have started strongly. My hunch is we won't be outclassed by either.

3 Fitness is a key element in any teams chances of success. Brennan Johnson was a class act for 70 minutes but I know who I would want in my side in the 93rd minute. Harry Anderson the personification of effort and determination and not a bad footballer either.
 
1 We have assembled a squad of players who are really comfortable with the passing game Michael Appleton wants us to play. All are comfortable with either foot and look for the ball constantly. This includes the goalkeeper Palmer who can strike it well with both his left and right peg. You can see that there is always a pass on due to the clever positions players take up to receive the ball. Joe Walsh controlled high clearance from their keeper with a sublime piece of skill. How many previous centre halves of ours would have managed that. I dread to think what Nat Brown would have done with that ball. It's a very nice type of football to watch.

2. Jorge Grant needs to play centrally. We have an exceptionally good squad and sometimes that might mean that players are fitted into formations. Often Jorge is wide left. Today in the central positions he controlled everything that was good about our forward play. Not only that, but his defensive work has improved hugely as evidenced by that late block which forced him to go off. Any doubts that he might be a liability in the central spots are long gone

3. Time to pension Tommo off from the radio. I wish Steve a swift recovery from whatever malady he is suffering from, but the assisted commentary by Mark Hone today was head and shoulders above the standards we usually have to listen to. Insightful, intelligent and researched. It even brought a better than usual commentary from Hortin. Play the man in form should be Radio Lincolnshire's mantra and that man is Mark Hone
 
1) Harry Anderson is such an asset. He's a duracell bunny, strong on and off the ball and does a load of good defensive work. I think he is maturing into a damn fine League footballer.

2) Palmer is starting to look like a good L1 'keeper. Catches well and anticipated to save excellently with his arse today. A definite upgrade on previous options.

3) The final ball isn't quite there yet and we lack an incisive forward goal-scoring presence. If we can find that, we could become quite lethal.
 
1. For technical ability, this is the best Lincoln team I've seen in my 52 years watching the Imps. All are comfortable on the ball, and calm in possession. But this is allied with a fierce work ethic. That calmness is bolstered by the understanding that a passing option is always available, that requires much hard work by runners off the ball.

2. That technical ability also provides the basis for tactical flexibility. The midfield 3 effectively rotated roles throughout the match, the two wide forwards swapped wings and lines of attack, Fleetwood never knew who was coming at them from where. MA out thought Barton throughout. It just lacked the killer touch to get the win we deserved.

3. The 'old hands' (if 2 youngish players like Grant and Anderson can be called that) have improved enormously since MA arrived and particularly this season. Their work rate for the team highlighted by Grant making 2 vital interceptions in the box late on, followed by Anderson snuffing out a threat on our left wing.