Sheridan has the key to great escape at Fleetwood

It was Town’s fourth win in a row and fifth straight clean sheet – a far cry from February, when Sheridan took over a Town team on an eight-match losing run and without a home win since October.

Rovers were reduced to 10 men in the 57th minute, after Lines had been booked for the second time in two minutes for back-chat, but Sheridan wants the focus to be on his players as strikes by Ash Hunter in the 78th minute and Jordy Hiwula’s in the 89th sealed victory.

Sheridan said of the red-carded midfielder: “I’ve got no sympathy for him because he thought he was the best player on the pitch.

“He’s an experienced player. He has already been booked and I think the referee must have pulled him four times, then on the fifth the referee has just got annoyed.

“It is his own fault but I want to talk about my own players.

Whatever level you are at, five clean sheets on the spin and unbeaten in seven is a great effort.

“We are getting ourselves safe. I can’t ask any more of the players.

“I think we have just got to carry on the run, carry on keeping clean sheets and climb the table.

“We need a couple more points to be sure but we are just focused on winning as many games as quickly as we can.

“We want to get as high up the table as we can to make life as difficult as possible for the teams around us.

“The lads are going out with that feeling that we are going to win, an inner confidence.

“I like players playing with freedom, enjoying it, and they are lucky to be footballers.

“I’ve been one myself, and when things are not going well it is difficult. But we have got players in there playing with confidence.”

Sheridan admits it was not a spectacular outing and added: “They had a good team. It was a difficult game for us.

“We know they still have a chance of the play-offs but I know we can play a lot better. We had to be patient.

“They have had a bit of possession, one or two half- chances, but we didn’t really get going.

“I just look at us and we don’t look like we are going to concede at the moment.

“We have got a really good shape about us and the lads put in a really big effort trying to keep a clean sheet.

“My team talk has been more or less the same in every game I have been here.

“I know we can play better. I felt we just had to get up the pitch and get a bit closer to them.

“It proved the case in the second half, when I thought we were the better team.

“The lads again came out and we are getting ourselves safe. I can’t ask any more of the players.”