SOUTTAR SEEKS PLAY-OFF PUSH
Defender eager to reward manager Barton...
TOWERING defender Harry Souttar is determined to repay Fleetwood Town boss Joey Barton’s faith by helping the Cod Army march into the League One play-offs.
The 20-year-old joined Fleetwood on loan from Stoke at the end of January and has made a big impact.
Heading into the weekend, he had played his part in three clean sheets in four matches – 1-0 wins against Charlton, Bradford and Burton. And there was no disgrace in losing the other match 2-1 against table-topping Luton.
Those victories lifted Fleetwood to eighth place pre-weekend, six points off the play-offs. It means they have an outside chance of gatecrashing the post-season competition in rookie Barton’s debut campaign as a manager.
Controversial
An often controversial figure in his playing days, the former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder has settled well into managerial life at Highbury. Reaching the play-offs would be a feather in his cap – and Souttar would love to help him do just that.
The Scottish defender, who joined Stoke from Dundee United in 2016, is loving the chance to get some experience under his belt in League One.
“The manager has been brilliant with me and I can’t thank him enough for bringing me in and giving me the opportunity,” said Souttar.
“It’s my first spell in English football and he’s a great manager, very tactical. A lot of people have a false perception of him, but I’ll always be grateful to him.
“The goal would be to reward him by getting into the play-offs. It’s everyone’s goal at the club to do that and there are a lot of games still to play. We aren’t too far off and we’re going on the right track. A couple of decent results can make a difference.”
The 6ft 6ins defender admits his early days with Fleetwood couldn’t have gone better and it’s clear he is relishing every moment in the third tier.
“I think League One gets a lot of unfair criticism,” he told The FLP. “It is physical, but there are a lot of good technical players as well. The boys at Fleetwood are very good players and it’s a high standard.
“I’d wanted to go on loan since the summer – it’s pivotal for me. Playing men’s football is only going to benefit me.
“I had a loan spell at Ross County last season and that was brilliant. I was playing against good teams every week, like Celtic and Rangers, and we were fighting for our lives down at the bottom. It’s nice to come here this time around and be pushing towards the other end of the table.”
Fighting
Souttar isn’t the only footballer in the family – his older brother John, also a centre-back, plays for Hearts and Scotland.
“When we were together at Dundee United, we didn’t speak too much about football,” said Harry. “Since I moved down south, we speak more regularly. He’s done really well for himself, he’s just played his 100th game for Hearts and he’s only 22. He’s a great example.”
So what does Souttar the younger need to improve if he’s going to reach the top?
“There’s not just one thing I need to work on,” he said. “I’m trying to improve my all-round game – my touch, passing, one-on-one defending. The top teams are striving towards playing out from the back and I’ve always been fairly comfortable on the ball. It suits my game but I’m more than okay with the physical side of League One. It’s not always going to be nice and pretty.”
Understandably, Souttar is hoping his Fleetwood experience will help him when he returns to parent club Stoke.
“I want to show the gaffer at Stoke (Nathan Jones) that I can play first-team football,” he added. “The plan is to go back in the summer and push for a spot there. However, there’s plenty to play for before then.”