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Ian Evatt is reading little into Fleetwood’s 5-1 hiding at Accrington Stanley on Saturday as he prepares to face his former team-mate Stephen Crainey for the second time in seven days.
Wanderers could garner nothing from last Tuesday’s meeting in the Papa John’s Trophy, with Crainey opting to play a team largely comprised of Under-23s.
And Evatt could only take limited information from their next game on Saturday, in which Daniel Batty was sent off after 23 minutes, with the score-line still 0-0.
Accrington – who provide Bolton’s opposition at the Wham Stadium on Saturday – went on to rattle in five goals, with two for ex-UniBol loanee Ethan Hamilton.
But Evatt has warned his players to prepare for a different type of Fleetwood side tonight, with pride stung by Saturday’s result.
“They are never nice those types of defeats, so we’re aware Fleetwood could be a bit of a wounded animal,” he said. “And knowing Stephen as I do, he will be expecting his players to respond positively and will have them highly motivated.”
Evatt has used the last few days to work with his players on a “slightly different” tactical approach for tonight’s game, based on the players he has fit and available.
And he accepts that the heavy wind and rain expected in the North West tonight lends an air of unpredictability to the game.
“Obviously we had a good look at Accrington-Fleetwood because we play both of them but, what I will say, is that when there is a sending off early on it changes things to the degree you can’t get the information you need,” he said.
“We are fully aware of the way both teams play and the style they will adopt.
“In terms of the weather forecast it looks like there will be another little storm coming in with wind and rain. I have played on that coast for a long time, so I know what we are going to get. We’ll have to adapt.”
Wanderers may know a little more about the younger Fleetwood players who turned out in the Papa John’s Trophy, including Cian Hayes, who went on to make his league debut for the club a few days later.
“Last Tuesday was a game in isolation,” he said. “They had absolutely nothing to lose and a team that was used to playing together in that big stadium – then another one which was doing everything they could to get out of there in one piece.
“The most important thing is that we got the result, got the job done, and it doesn’t really matter how you get through in cup competitions, just that you do.
“Our home form has been really solid, so hopefully now we can find a way of carrying that through and get a win away from home on Tuesday night.”
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