POSTAL STRIKE
EVERYEVERY KICK, KICK, EVERY EVERY GOAL, GOAL, EVERY EVERY GAME GAME Cod Army rue miss
ASHLEY EASTHAM admitted the width of a post may have condemned Fleetwood to the playoffs.
Uwe Rosler’s side lost ground in the battle for an automatic League One promotion place after being held to a dour draw at relegation-threatened Bury. However, it would have been a different story if midfielder Kyle Dempsey had scored in first-half stoppage time rather than striking the post. “Had that gone in, it would have been a different story,” Eastham said. But the 26-year-old defender is happy for the Cod Army to go below the radar with Sheffield United and Bolton looking set to claim the top two spots. “The teams with big budgets should be up there, but we are keeping our heads down and not looking too far ahead of ourselves,” Eastham added.
That also goes for boss Rosler, whose immediate target is the 74 points he believes will guarantee a top six spot.
Impressive
Fleetwood extended their impressive run – they have lost only once in 13 league games. But the two dropped points saw them slip to six points shy of an automatic promotion place that had looked nailed on until a hefty home defeat by Bolton earlier in the month.
Rosler admitted the season is taking its toll on his side and their ‘mid-table budget’, with the German being unable to bring in a striker to replace the injured Wes Burns.
Rosler said: “We don’t have options to rotate and have fresh players because some are playing with injuries, sickness and tiredness.”
The point was arguably more important to Bury in their battle against relegation.
They have lost only once in eight games since Lee Clark became manager to climb four points clear of the bottom four.
Former Premier League star Jermaine Pennant praised the spirit of his team-mates, saying: “They are a great bunch of lads and that togetherness has been important in our good run.”
The former Arsenal and Liverpool winger, who signed for the Shakers in January after returning from a spell in Asia, came on early in the second half.
The 34-year-old delivered some fine balls into the box but nobody was able to apply the finishing touch.