Fleetwood goalscorer James Hill can handle tough side too says boss Simon Grayson

The 19-year-old scored his first professional goal in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Cambridge United but it was his battle with U’s target man Joe Ironside that really caught Grayson’s eye.

The head coach said of Hill: “He likes that side of the game and if you are a centre-back you have to make sure you have that in your armoury.

“The last thing you want is to be a centre-back who gets bullied by big, powerful strikers because you’d have no chance of making a living in the game. There are two sides to football.”

Academy graduate Hill has continued his development this season with more milestones for the Cod Army.

The defender established himself as a first-team regular last season and has continued to go from strength to strength, making his England Under-20s debut in the 6-1 win over Romania this month.

It was a proud moment for the club, who continue to champion their youth academy at Poolfoot Farm.

Hill scored his first goal as he approaches 50 appearances for the club.

And getting off the mark may save Hill from a bit of fun at his expense around the Fleetwood camp.

Grayson explained: “We had been having a bit of banter all week that Hillsy was due a goal.

“It was nice to see that today and it gave us a perfect start which we didn’t really capitalise on after that, when we got into some decent positions.”

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