Simon Grayson reflects on first Fleetwood defeat: A case of fine margins and misfortune

Fleetwood couldn't force an equaliser, failing to find the net for the fifth time in six games and dashing any hopes that their goalscoring problems were behind them after Tuesday's 3-1 victory over Doncaster Rovers.

But Grayson believes his charges could have clinched all three points on another day and said: "There are fine margins in any football match and we saw that immensely.

"We go down to one end and they get a really good clearance that goes straight to their goalkeeper. "Then the go down to the other end, get the ball in the box, it takes a deflection off Harrison Holgate and it’s an own goal. That’s the fine margin of going ahead down at one end and going one down at the other.

“They got the run of the ball at times when the ball got into their 18-yard box and six-yard box. There are a lot of things we did right but we probably just didn’t get the breaks.

“There was another occasion where we get a good ball across and their lad gets a toe on it, then another of their defenders gets a deflection when it’s about to fall for one of our players.

"They are the really small margins which just didn’t drop for us.”

For in-form Argyle the result went some way to avenging their 5-1 defeat at Highbury in November. Town scored nine goals in two league games that month but haven't managed that number in 15 games since.

Grayson can now look forward to a full week on the training ground ahead of Saturday's home clash with Charlton Athletic. After this week, Town have fixtures on the next four Tuesdays.

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