Angry Wild gives up on Cod Army’s play-off bid

By Phil Potts

FLEETWOOD T 0

FLEETWOOD: Lynch 6, Bennett 5, Bolton 7 (Mayor 76, 6), Wiredu 5, Rooney 6, Virtue-Thick 5 (Morrison 79, 6), Neal 7, Helm 5 (Potter 79, 6), Patterson 7, Devonport 6 (Moore 64, 6), Marsh 6 (Mackenzie Hunt 46, 6). Subs not used: Cover, Hewitson.

SWINDON TOWN 4

Tshimanga 38 (pen), Freckleton 47, Bennett 75 (og), Ofoborh 88

SWINDON: Bycroft 8, Sobowale 7 (Hart 90), Wright 7, Freckleton 8, Cotterill 7 (Ofoborh 77, 6), Kilkenny 8, Nichols 8 (Foye 90), Kirkman 6 (Cain 78, 6), Glatzel 8, Tshimanga 7 (Westley 78, 6), Smith 8. Subs not used: Ameen, Evans.

Rating: ★★★★★ Ref: Stuart Morland 7/10

FLEETWOOD boss Pete Wild has given up on his side reaching the League Two play-offs after seeing his side thumped 4-0at home to Swindon.

“We were never going to get to the playoffs,” he bemoaned after goals from Kabongo Tshimanga, Miguel Freckleton, a Rhys Bennett own goal and a late contribution by Nnamdi Ofoborh saw the hosts soundly thrashed.

After a dismal result, Wild added: “If the players work as hard as they can and then we get beaten by a better side, I’ll always defend them.

“But today, we just didn’t see any fight, desire, passion, anything. We want to build on everything, so that the fans are seeing everything that we’re trying tobe.We didn’t see any of it today and that’s why we’ve been beaten.

“And let’s give credit to Swindon. I thought they came with a plan to stop us and stop what we could do going forwards.

“Everybody keeps asking, when I want to speak to anybody, about the play-offs – we’re never going to get into the play-offs, because it seems like the team has got the same frailties that it has had all season and the squad has got the same frailties it has had all season.”

By contrast, his opposite number Ian Holloway was thrilled with his side, saying: “I think we utilised the spaces that they were giving us. We spoke at half-time about that and scored immediately from doing exactly what we said we would do. Every man out there won their battles.

“We outran them on the stats, and definitely out-tackled them in my opinion. We asserted ourselves in the way that I want my team to do, with a level of skill as well – that was very pleasing. To a man, every single one of them was ab-solutely brilliant.” Fleetwood’s Owen Devonport came close to scoring from the edge of the area in the 19th minute.Then,Harrison Neal did the same in the 25th.

Swindon had few chances until the 36th minute, when they won a penalty following a desperate challenge by Bennett. Tshimanga scored, slotting it calmly down the middle.

Freckleton doubled their lead from close range two minutes in, before a Bennett own goal after a dangerous low cross from the right essentially put the game to bed after 70 minutes.

The gloss was put on the game for Swindon. Sub Ofoborh fought into the box and slotted past Jay Lynch.