Cod swimming against the tide

FLEETWOOD have pared back on the spending that has boosted their status from minnows to big fish — and it has yet to quite pay off this season for manager Graham Alexander.

The Cod Army, bankrolled in recent seasons by chairman Andrew Pilley, saw 17 players leave in the summer with an emphasis placed on organic growth.

The new £6.5million training complex at Poolfoot Farm is evidence of a desire to breed home-made talent rather than buying it. But so far Fleetwood — who finished 10th in their first campaign in Sky Bet League One — has yet to hit a winning formula.

A 1-1 draw at home to Southend in the opening game, pegged back by a late David Worrall equaliser, was followed by a disappointing 1-0 home loss to Hartlepool in the Capital One Cup.

That was a contest in which Antoni Sarcevic — captain of the Cod Army for the second game

running and a senior squad member at 23 — rued a number of missed chances for his side.

“The lads wanted a cup run and we’ve let ourselves and everyone at the club down,” he told the Blackpool Gazette. “I’d say it’s not good enough but there was not much more we could have done in the game. It’s just that cutting edge we’re missing.

For goals, Fleetwood are this season looking to Declan McManus, a Scotland under-21 international striker whose work while on loan with Greenock Morton from Aberdeen earned him a place in the SPFA League One team of the year.

The forward line-up also features experienced former Manchester City trainee David Ball and target man Jamie Proctor.