Town chairman hopes Fleetwood fans turn out in force

Town hope to take another step closer to completing the journey from step five of non-league to the Championship.

It will not be an easy task to reach the Wembley play-off final with Bradford City bringing a 1-0 lead to Highbury for Sunday’s second leg of the play-off semi-finals.

The Bantams have sold out their 700-plus ticket allocation for the clash and, when asked if he had a message for the local community, Pilley urged the people of North Fylde to rally round.

He said: “I think it is so important that they get behind the club and they get behind the town and the area.

“This is not just even a Fleetwood thing, this a North Fylde thing whereby we have got the opportunity to change people’s lives for the better, create an enormous feelgood factor and boost the revenue for the local businesses.

“A step five non-league club getting to the Championship; I don’t believe it has ever been done before and we have the chance to rewrite history.

“We can visualise everything we have worked so hard for over the last 13 years. To be sat in the play-offs for a place in the Championship is just so incredibly exciting, it really is.”

Thursday’s first leg saw 559 members of the Cod Army making the trip to Valley Parade; support for which the chairman was more than grateful.

He said: “The supporters have been great. They have really got behind the team and they have been our 12th man when we have needed them.

“I can think of countless games where they may have been heavily outnumbered when we go to the big city clubs but they are loud and proud and I’m very proud of them.”

This time last year, it was a completely different story as Town beat the drop with a final day 2-0 win over Crewe.

Pilley admits he could not have predicted this season’s events with an 18-game unbeaten run propelling Town to dizzying heights.

He said: “I knew the squad was better than how they performed last season and I was confident that we would not be involved at the wrong end of the table.

“However that said it has been a pleasant surprise to be as high up the table as we have been. We are very well organised and very confident that on our day we can, and we do, beat anybody.”

Tickets for tomorrow’s game are available by calling 01253 775080.