Flitcroft on a ‘super frustrating’ striker search and the hurt of ‘unjust’ fan abuse

goals we wanted.

“Then another big one we were chasing through the window was a Championship striker who has played a lot of games. It’s common knowledge what happened on deadline day.

“They [parent club] thought they’d signed a striker. So we were first in line. We spoke to his representative and we’d done the pitch to him.

“He wanted to come here, so again, it was achievable. We’d done the figures, got to the money but that transfer didn’t happen so we didn’t get him. That was another one that was super frustrating.

“We are tracking another one, which we have for a year. A Championship player the fans would love. Someone we will touch base with in the summer.

“We had a zoom call with him, presented to him, he is an outstanding player and outstanding candidate.

“But again the Championship club didn’t get the Premier League player they wanted. The player was as frustrated as we were, and I’ve tracked his game since and he’s played something like six minutes.

“Also a Championship striker playing in League One, we went all out to get him in the window, another we didn’t get. We reached levels we didn’t think we’d get to.

“We were getting good vibes off the player. So everyone we have gone for has fallen through. We went for the best striker in League Two, that bid was a good size, it took us to a different level.

“But we didn’t get him either because he’s bypassed us because he wants to chance his arm in the Championship.

“It makes you understand our situation, but that’s slightly changed now that Darren has come in, and I absolutely believe that.

“There’s players we want to sign. They will want to come to us, in this window [January], they didn’t.

“We are who we are, we know where we want to get to, we will get those players. As the club develops. As the club grows. We will get them and it’s just a case of catching them.”

As for the abuse Flitcroft has been getting, he said: “A lot of it is unjust. A lot of it is not fair.

“But I suppose that’s life and where we are at.

“It affected me. Seeing my mum in tears and wife in tears, my kid not wanting to watch the game because they don’t want to come anywhere near the place because of what they see online and because of the abuse I had at Fleetwood, and abuse here.

“The feeling was strong and so personal and I don’t think anyone, not just Dave Flitcroft, should go through that.

“It’s too easy to do, certainly online. When I felt the power of that hatred in the stadium, that was the one that hurt.

“The Wednesday morning [waking up after the Leyton Orient defeat], the last time I felt that weight on me was when I lost my dad. I went into a really dark place, and I went there again.

“Luckily I had a group of people that understood. Luckily they had seen inside what work I had done in three years.

“I’m not at this club because the owners like me, it’s because I am performing at a level that’s good.”