Fleetwood line-up back-to-back home games and skipper Ricky Newton has been reflecting on his side’s promising start to the North Lancs/Cumbria campaign.

Aldwinians visit the Fylde coast this Saturday and will be looking to put a poor run of form behind them.

Mid-table Hawcourt Park travel the weekend after and it was the Barrow outfit who put an end to Fleetwood’s six-match unbeaten start.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better opening to the season and we’ve only lost two games up to now,” said Newton. “They were two games we perhaps should have won but we’ve had some massive results as well. That includes Oldham last weekend. They were promoted as champions and have made a reasonable start this season.”

The skipper says the early success stems from hard work during the summer.

“We worked hard in pre-season and had a good number of players joining the squad. That’s made the difference and we hit the games running from off. You can’t under estimate the work you put into pre-season. If you are fitter, faster and stronger than the opposition it can mean additional points as the season progresses.

“I think the hard work also brought the group together. That pace has continued during training each Tuesday and Thursday and continues to give us a common purpose. That gives us an edge. Our discipline is also better and the overall attitude is to be applauded.”

The captain has featured in all 11 games this term and acknowledge the squad depth is helping with injuries.

“Good numbers help the impact of injuries. Scott Dobbie and Mike Kelly both picked up injuries at Oldham and we have ready replacements. That situation has also been helped with three Colts stepping up to senior level. “

Newton admits weather-beaten pitches have hindered his side in the past but feels this has been overcome.

“Pitches do deteriorate at this time of year but are prepared.

“We started at the top of the league last season but fell away after four or five games when the pitches turned. That hasn’t suited us in the past but we’ve more experience and we are playing to the conditions as well.

“Games like Oldham would have seen us coming away with nothing in the past but we are grinding out results this time. We won that game by a narrow margin but accepted the conditions and kept to our game plan.”

The skipper adopts a pragmatic approach about keeping pressure up at the top of the table.

“There’s no reason why we don’t stick together and support each other. We know there are tough teams out there and we aren’t saying we’ll be at the top of the table come the end of the season. I now see us being a top three or four team instead of a mid-table proposition. I’ll be disappointed if we don’t improve on last year’s finish.

The improvements displayed by the squad are also helping boost the Melbourne Avenue support.

“It’s really encouraging seeing good numbers on a Saturday There’s nothing better than walking out of the changing room just before kick-off and seeing a decent crowd. Winning games means more people coming along including our junior players and that’s very encouraging. It’s also good for our sponsors and we’ve been attracting new interest.”

Kick-off on Saturday is 2.15pm with the bar open from 12noon showing live sport. Admission is £3 for adults and free for children.

By Derick Thomas, @cleansheetmedia