Fleetwood boss Rosler delighted with fans and Pond

Fleetwood Town boss Uwe Rosler praised the Cod Army for their role in Saturday's derby draw.
Nathan PondNathan Pond
Nathan Pond

More than 5,000 flocked to Highbury, when the Cods cheered Rosler’s men all the way to the final whistle in the goalless draw.Town are yet to score after three League games against Blackpool but Rosler was in no mood for criticism and was happy to see his side keep a clean sheet themselves after the 4-2 midweek defeat at Walsall.He said: “No criticism at all. I wanted a reaction; I got a reaction. A very good atmosphere was created by both sets of fans.“We spoke before the game about wanting to make it a home game, and our players and our supporters did that. I think we can live with a point.”Wes Burns featured at right wing-back and impressed again, though he was pipped to another man of the match prize by talismanic skipper Nathan Pond.Burns got the nod ahead of Lewie Coyle, who was available after suspension but was not permitted to play by the referee because of a cast on his broken right hand.Rosler refused to reveal how the injury had occurred but the defender is expected to be back for Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Hereford.He said: “The referee did not allow Lewie Coyle to play with the cast. Lewie has an injury to his right hand that has been put in a cast and at 12.15pm on Saturday the referee did not let him play.“I cannot say – it is a private medical issue.”Rosler hailed skipper Pond, who shook off a knock that saw him miss the Walsall game to start in the heart of defence.The 32-year-old preserved his record of having played in all four competitive matches between the clubs .Rosler said: “We needed Nathan in a derby game like that. It would never be a pretty game. We could not let them get the ball, and just sit there and wait for them,“When you give Jay Spearing and Jimmy Ryan time on the ball they pick a pass and play through the lines, then you are on the back foot.“You need to get in their faces. That is what we did and we stopped their rhythm. We forced them long and we dealt with it quite comfortably.“When Nathan is in the team we play a different type of football. We had the stamina, pace and strength to stay 10-15 metres up the pitch, which was crucial to pressing so high.“I have massive respect for Nathan. We needed outstanding performances from our big players and that is what we got from Nathan.“There is a massive thank you from me to him because he never sulked when he was not in the team.“He acted like a true captain and on Saturday he showed how valuable he is to our football club.”