Cod Almighty | Article

by Richard Lord

2 August 2010

Well, hello there, Fleetwood Town. Let's talk about you.
It's party time for English clubs in the north-west, and Fleetwood are invited. Of course, we all know about Manchester's two big clubs and the successes of long-time top-flight tenants Liverpool and Everton, but there really are some success stories as you head up into rural Lancashire.

First there's Bolton, today's West Brom. After a series of yo-yo years they're enjoying an extended tenure in the Premier League despite modest crowds. Then there's Wigan – no doubt still rubbing their eyes in astonishment that they are among the elite after so many years spent down in the lower leagues. Blackburn are there too. Burnley popped their head in to see what all the fuss was about – and let's not forget about Blackpool's achievement last season. But you shouldn't crane your neck back to look at the top. Rochdale have just won their first promotion since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, Accrington are back in the Football League after years of building, and Southport were Conference North champions in May.

The seafront at Fleetwood. Looks familiar? Photo: Robert Wade (cc by-nc-sa 2.0)

Enter Fleetwood Town: four promotions in six seasons, including a play-off final victory last season, has rewarded them with two juicy ties against their fishy friends from the opposite coast. Cod meets cod after a decade of desperately contrasting fortunes. The Mariners have only managed to finish above 15th once in the last 11 years, with three relegations thrown in for good measure.

Fleetwood, like so many other non-League clubs that the Mariners are preparing to face next season, are a newer version of the one that originally started out around a century ago. First there were Fleetwood Rangers in the late 19th century. Then Fleetwood FC began life in 1908 and lasted until 1976, when that old foe 'financial difficulties' reared its ugly head and accounted for the club's disappearance. Fleetwood Town FC arrived, typically one year later. Their heyday came in 1985 when they made the final of the FA Vase at Wembley but lost 3-1 to Halesowen Town in front of 16,000 fans.

Fleetwood mk3 folded in 1996 but were reformed in 1997 as Fleetwood Wanderers, which was soon changed to Fleetwood Freeport as part of a sponsorship deal. Today they are called Fleetwood Town, with a snazzy ground. Well, snazzy for the Conference at least – it's received investment to the tune of £4million and work is going on behind the scenes this summer to bring it up to a standard fit for the Football League. In fact, Highbury Stadium will soon have a brand spanking new east stand, including 2,000 seats, executive boxes, a club shop and a giant TV screen.

There doesn't appear to be an intense rivalry with any one club, since geographically they are in the shadow of Football League teams. Fleetwood's relationship with Southport, though, developed last season following the race for the 2009-10 Conference North title (Southport won it, but it was closely fought). During the festive period Fleetwood lost at Southport 5-0 but restored pride with a 4-0 home win soon after.

And now for a little bit of fun. Farsley Celtic's demise last season meant all their results were expunged from the Conference North, rendering anything that happened between Fleetwood and Farsley worthless. In which case, Jamie Milligan's spectacular strike against Celtic (see video below) has to be the most astonishingly worthless goal in the history of non-League football. As far as the Conference and the history books are concerned, that goal never happened. Tragic.

Not many football clubs will play the theme tune to Captain Pugwash over the PA system when their team scores a goal.

David Beckham? Never heard of him

Do you come here often?
Fleetwood's acceleration through the lower leagues really began under the stewardship of former manager Tony Greenwood, who led the Cod Army to three promotions before being given the elbow in the 2007-08 season, when the club propped up the Conference North table after nine matches. Former Blackpool and Burnley midfielder Micky Mellon was ushered in and he managed to steer the club to a top-half finish. The following season – last season – ended in glory, with a 2-1 play-off final victory over Alfreton. Former Mariner Lee Thorpe scored the winning goal.

They have competed at this level before, way back in time when the Conference was called something else and it all worked differently. The best achievement of all Fleetwood's to date was a tenth placed finish in the Northern Premier League in 1968-69. Ninth place or above this season will set a new record.

The Cod Army has grown in numbers as the club rose through the leagues, as you would expect. In 2003-04 their average attendance was a paltry 134, but remarkably that figure has risen tenfold and last season became 1,355. Given that the team has stepped up to another level, you can be sure that their support will do the same. There's a feelgood factor about football in this part of the world as promotion has followed promotion. Does that have to end? They certainly seem well established off the field to keep moving forward.

Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
Maybe on TV when the Match of the Day cameras caught a fleeting Fleetwood FA Cup foray, but the Cod Army have yet to square up to the Codheads. Sit back and enjoy pun after pun when we meet – the Telewag is under pressure to deliver some lexical amusement here.

We recognise a few faces – so who are they? Simon Grand: sort of. Lee Thorpe: yes. Paul Linwood: very much so. Three ex-Mariners just can't say no to the coast, it seems. While at Blundell Park Grand was a habitual rezzie, Thorpe made the team play well when on loan in 2004 but couldn't score himself, and Linwood was a more updated version of Richard Hope but on a longer contract. None have been missed since they left, but all are now in the running to join the long list of former Town players who will score against Town for another team.

What can we do when the sun goes down?
Once a successful deep sea fishing port, the town lost its industry in the 1970s and has been in steady decline since then – now operating more prominently as a seaside resort. But what about Fleetwood? Only kidding. The town is relatively small with a smattering of your usual amusement arcades and fish and chip shops. It's kind of like Cleethorpes, only slightly quainter. Unlike Cleethorpes, it has something called The Mount, which is a sort of expansive green area that faces the sea front, with a pavilion plopped on top. Fleetwood used to have a small pier but it was burnt down two years ago.

The Mount: it's like Ross Castle without the barbed wire. Photo: Robert Wade (cc by-nc-sa 2.0)

It's not a huge town and you feel a real sense of living in the shadow of the madness that goes on down the road in Blackpool. If you feel a little isolated then that'll be due to a lack of transport options; trains don't serve this town. Fisherman's Friends are made here – the menthol lozenge is manufactured by Lofthouse's of Fleetwood, which remains one of the largest employers in the area.

Since the trip to Fleetwood is scheduled for mid-February, we imagine the weather probably won't suit a post-match stay.

Vital statistics
Last season
League placing: 2nd, Conference North, P40 W26 D7 L7 F86 A44 Pts85
Home and away rankings: 1st and 2nd in the division
Average attendance: 1,355 (rank: 2nd in the division, 108th in English leagues)
Mileage travelled: 3,177

This season
Paul Linwood moved to the Fylde peninsula after he was deemed surplus to Blundell Park requirements despite completing just one of a three-year contract. Other summer signings at the Highbury Stadium include Ian Craney from Huddersfield, Scott Davies from Morecambe, John Miles from Accrington and Junior Brown from Northwich. Manager Micky Mellon will look to give the players who got the team into the Conference a fair crack of the whip when the new campaign gets under way in a couple of weeks.

Squad size: 18 (as at 2 August)
Odds on winning the league: 16/1 (Blue Square)

Do say
"We only sing when we're fishing!"

Don't say
"You only sing when you're fishing!"

Do you know Fleetwood or the surrounding area? We want your recommendations for local pubs, cafés or B&Bs, to feature in our pre-match factfiles during next season. Use the Cod Almighty feedback form to send them in – or to share any other thoughts you might have about our Rough Guide to the Conference.