McKenna: Fleetwood a Very Tough Nut to Crack Thursday, 1st Dec 2022 17:38 The Blues return to League One action on Friday evening as the division’s draw specialists Fleetwood Town visit Portman Road (KO 7.45pm). It’s been almost fortnight since Kieran McKenna’s side were last in league action, the comfortable 2-0 win at Exeter City. Since then they have exited the Papa Johns Trophy to Portsmouth following a 2-0 defeat and beat National League North Buxton 4-0 in the FA Cup last Sunday. Fleetwood have won only one of their last eight in League One, although were 1-0 FA Cup victors at non-league Ebbsfleet last weekend. Away from home in the league this season, they have won two, lost two and drawn five. Overall, the Cod Army, who are 17th in the League One table, 19 points behind the Blues, have drawn 10 of their 19 league games so far, more than anyone else in the division. They have conceded the same number of league goals as Town, 19, the joint-sixth fewest in the division, but have scored only 20, the eighth lowest total. “They’ve been really steady,” McKenna reflected. “They have had quite a lot of draws but I think in general if you look at the teams they’ve taken points off, you can see what a tough opponent they are to beat. “Last [league] game out, it took two very, very, very late goals from Bolton to overcome them [2-1, goals in the 85th and 90th minutes], but beyond that they’ve gone to Peterborough and won [1-0], they’ve gone to Portsmouth and drew [1-1], they’ve got draws with Oxford and Charlton [1-1 in both] and they beat Plymouth [2-1] early in the season. “They’ve done very well, especially against the stronger sides in the division when you look at it. “We know that they’re a very tough nut to crack, not just in terms of their defensive organisation, they have some good ideas going forward as well and we know it’s going to be a really difficult game.” McKenna, who will be taking charge of his 50th match since taking over at Portman Road just under a year ago, doesn’t believe the most recent game between the two teams at the Highbury Stadium in March, which the Blues won 2-0, will have much of an impact on Friday’s match. “Very little relevance to both teams, probably,” he said. “I think we had Bersant [Celina] and Joe Pigott and a few others, Dom Thompson, who aren’t here anymore, and they had a different team and a different manager, so I don’t think there’s going to be too much relevance for that one.” Quizzed on winger Carlos Mendes Gomes, who is on loan at Fleetwood from Luton and has scored six times and has picked up two assists since his move, McKenna added: “He’s a big talent. He’s scored and made goals, is a big threat coming inside on his right foot, scored a great goal against Bolton and has been a really good signing for them and an important player for them. “He’s had a little injury over the last week or so, so we’re not certain if he’s going to start, so we’ll have to see if he’s ready for the game. “He’s certainly been one of their bigger threats, but we know that they are a good team and it’s a real team that we’re going to be facing more than a set of individuals.” The Blues are in action at Portman Road on a Friday night for the second time in just over a month having previously beaten Derby County 1-0. A crowd of more than 23,000 is expected. “That was definitely one of my favourite atmospheres since I’ve been here,” McKenna recalled. “It was really electric that night and we enjoyed the Friday night experience, and we’re looking forward to it again. “We need the same energy on the pitch and we hope for the same energy off the pitch, and that brings a really good atmosphere and a really difficult place to come and play against us. “Of course, when you win on Friday night, you can enjoy your weekend a little bit more and sit back and watch results and watch the World Cup, and your world is a good place. We hope to provide that for ourselves and for the supporters on Friday night.” McKenna kept his cards close to his chest regarding the fitness of some of his players at his pre-match press conference, but it seems likely Janoi Donacien and Freddie Ladapo will be involved having missed the last two matches, the duo having felt tightness while playing or warming up during a game respectively. Greg Leigh, who had felt something behind his knee ahead of the Buxton match, and Panutche Camara, who was continuing to be hampered by the groin he initially suffered last season while with Plymouth, are perhaps less likely to be involved, certainly in the starting XI. Christian Walton will be in goal with Donacien likely to be in his usual right-sided defensive role if fit with Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess to his left. Leif Davis and Wes Burn appear certain to be in their usual wide roles. In central midfield, Cameron Humphreys is again set to partner skipper Sam Morsy with Conor Chaplin, who scored his first two goals in 13 games against Buxton, and Kyle Edwards probably the number 10s behind Ladapo with Kayden Jackson or Gassan Ahadme deputising if the former Rotherham man doesn’t make it. Fleetwood manager Scott Brown, who took charge in the summer, is a fan of the way the Blues play football under McKenna. “It’s going to be a hard game for us, but we have to understand our game plan and stick to the structure that we are going to end up playing — we’ve gone away from home and picked up some good results this season,” he told his club’s official website. “We’ve watched Ipswich quite regularly and I like the way they play; they press the ball high up the park and are possession-based, with three centre-halves who are calm on the ball. “Their midfielders want to support and help score goals, with their strikers and wingers also wanting to cause problems in any game. “I spoke to Kieran at the start of the season about a couple of players and you can tell by the way he speaks about football, that he’s got a great understanding of the game. He’s a young coach who wants to learn and strives to be the best he can and that’s shown as he’s had a fantastic start so far.” Brown says it’s not always easy for managers to get their thoughts across to players at packed stadia like Portman Road. “It’s part and parcel of this league, you are going to come up against teams that have 20 to 25,000 fans where none of the players will be able to hear you on the sidelines, then you come home to us and we’re able to shout on instructions to the lads during the game,” he added. “I was always a talker, helping people out on the pitch, and this side of the game came naturally to me in terms of speaking in front of people. “I’m not a shy person as I let players know that I want them to play the way I want them to play, and I think you’ve got to have that confidence in yourself as well and know who is in your dressing room. “You’ve got to give and take a little bit but at the same time, you’ve got to cherish it. “It’s a fantastic league and Ipswich are a great club, who have been in form this season, and have a big fanbase but, yet again, we’ve got a brilliant football club here that we’ve got to be very proud of too.” Central defender Darnell Johnson has been out all season with an achilles injury, while fellow centre-half Mikey Devlin has also been sidelined with an ankle problem. Mendes Gomes missed the FA Cup victory over Ebbsfleet having suffered a knock against Bolton. The teams’ meetings in 2019/20 were the first in their histories with the Blues having won four of the six games since and Fleetwood two, all in League One. In March at the Highbury Stadium, Morsy and Jackson scored second-half goals as the Blues gave their play-off hopes a boost by beating Fleetwood 2-0. After a dominant but frustrating first half, Morsy stroked home his first goal for Town in the 72nd minute, then Jackson added the second nine minutes later to secure a vital three points for the Blues. In October at Portman Road, Celina smashed home an injury time winner as Town beat Fleetwood 2-1 to record back-to-back league victories for the first time under former boss Paul Cook. Chaplin gave the Blues the lead with a sharp shot four minutes after the break but the Cod Army looked to be on their way to a point after Callum Morton had equalised on 82 until Celina lashed home the first goal of his second spell with the Blues three minutes into added-on time. Blues wing-back Burns joined Fleetwood on a permanent basis in January 2017 having previously had a spell on loan in the second half of 2015/16. In total for the Lancastrians, the Welshman made 145 starts and 45 sub appearances, scoring 29 goals prior to moving on to Portman Road in the summer of 2021. Town right-back Donacien was on loan with the Cod Army in the second half of 2020/21, making 16 starts and three sub appearances. Recently-signed Blues keeper Joel Coleman was with Fleetwood for the whole of that season, making only two starts. Centre-half Toto Nsiala joined Fleetwood in January after three and a half years at Portman Road. The Congo DR international made 72 starts and six sub appearances for the Blues, scoring once. Former Blues striker Joe Garner joined them in the summer of 2021 after leaving Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia. Garner was with Town during 2017/18 scoring 10 times in 29 starts and three sub appearances. Defender Josh Earl was on loan with the Blues from Preston in the second half of 2019/20, making five starts and two sub appearances. The left-back or centre-half joined Fleetwood having been released by the Lilywhites in the summer. Friday’s referee is Sam Purkiss from London, who has shown 57 yellow cards and five red in his 17 games so far this season. Purkiss’s most recent Town match was the 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Colchester in August in which he booked Woolfenden and four of the visitors. Before that, he refereed the 0-0 FA Cup draw with Barrow at Portman Road in December last year following which former manager Cook was sacked. Morsy, Chaplin, Idris El Mizouni and one Barrow player were shown yellow cards in that match. Purkiss was also in charge of the 2-1 defeat at Burton in August last year in which he booked two Brewers and awarded both teams a penalty. Scott Fraser missed Town's following a foul on Louie Barry, while Lucas Akins converted to win the game for the home side on 86 after Matt Penney had tripped Joe Powell. In March of the same year, Purkiss twas in control of the 1-0 home victory over Plymouth in which he showed no cards. Before that he had previously only taken charge of EFL Trophy games away from home involving Town. The 2-0 loss at Crawley in 2020/21, in which he booked Keanan Bennetts and one home player, and the 1-0 defeat at Colchester the campaign before in which he yellow-carded James Wilson and two U’s. Squad from: Walton, Hladky, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Keogh, Burgess, Burns, Vincent-Young, Davis, Leigh, Morsy, Humphreys, Camara, Edwards, Chaplin, Ladapo, Jackson, Ahadme.
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