AFC WIMBLEDON COD FATHER HIT BY DONS Barton back in the game but tastes defeat
JOEY BARTON’S reign as Fleetwood’s Cod Father began with an agonising defeat on the Fylde coast.
When Wimbledon striker Joe Pigott pounced inside the six-yard box on the hour following a Ben Purington cross, Barton must have sensed he’d had his chips.
That was confirmed when Bobby Grant crashed a fierce drive against the inside of the post with eight minutes to go.
“You need a bit of luck in football and we didn’t get it. It’s about now bouncing back in the next game.” Barton admitted. “But it was great to be in the dressing room at 2.45pm smelling the atmosphere.
“I’d long accepted I was no longer a player and they say management is the next best thing even after results like this. It’s a bit early to moan about referees but I thought there was an offside in the build-up to their goal.
“It was a scrappy game but my players couldn’t have given anymore. After they scored we tried to change the game. I’d rather lose 2-0 than give up on trying to get something.”
As entrances go it was more incognito than big ego, a chat with Dons boss Neal Ardley then a polite wave to the home fans.
There was no big fashion statement either, attired in a white Tshirt and black tracksuit bottoms.
Then it was down to work, exchanging the comfort of the media box or the odd appearance on BBC TV’S Question Time for his first managerial gig.
Fleetwood is just down the road from Blackpool and whether Barton ever samples football’s golden mile as a young boss will be seen in the coming months.
The home debut of Wales international Ched Evans, who has had his own chequered past and, like Barton once shared a prison cell, was the first to suffer the abuse of the small band of travelling Wimbledon fans.
The inevitable chant of ‘Barton is a w ***** ’ didn’t arrive until the half-hour mark. He knows he will have to get used to it.