Fleetwood Town overview

Fleetwood Town

Fleetwood Town commonly known as the Cod Army, were founded in 1908 under the name of purely Fleetwood. The Lancashire based club has experienced numerous ups and downs including several name changes as they earned their current name in 1997 undergoing a second reformation.

In the early days, Fleetwood Town competed in local leagues playing their football at Highbury Stadium and journeyed through the football pyramid until the dawn of the 21st century which brought about a significant transformation. The club saw a resurgence under chairman Andy Pilley, who took over in 2003 and spearheaded a successful period for the club. Fleetwood Town's rise through the divisions didn’t go unnoticed by achieving six promotions in ten seasons, resulting in their climb to the Football League for the first time in their history in 2012. From then, they continued this impressive trajectory, reaching League One two seasons later in 2014, where they have since established themselves in the English Football League.

After being in league One for 10 seasons before being relegated last campaign with a 22nd place finish, The Fishermen experienced two play-off campaigns in that time, both of which ended in defeat in the semi-finals. Despite those two promotion pushes to The Championship, Fleetwood were recognised as a mid-table side therefore their relegation coming as a surprise to their fans.

Their first season back in League Two has been underwhelming for the club’s standards with the hope of a promotion back to the third tier at the first time of asking seeming unlikely finding themselves in 14th position.

Manager: Pete Wild

Pete Wild was appointed as the new Fleetwood Town boss in December 2024 on Christmas Eve after having successful stints previously managing Halifax Town, Barrow and Oldham Athletic, where he earned a reputation for turning around struggling teams. Despite Fleetwood's challenging season in League Two, Wild has remained committed to rebuilding the team with the hope of leading his side back to the third tier. After taking over at Highbury following a previous six game losing run, Wild steadied the ship coming away with an assured 2-0 win at home to Chesterfield in his first game in charge and picked up some vital points leading The Fishermen up the table including coming away with 3 points against table toppers Walsall. The Fleetwood fans are sure pleased to have the experienced manager at the helm as they aim to reach the heights they are used to seeing in Lancashire.

3 key players:

Ryan Graydon:

Ryan Graydon joined the Cod Army on a two-year deal at the start of last season signing from the League of Ireland Premier Division side Derry City after seeking to impress as the young forward scored twice alongside getting himself six assists. In his debut season for Fleetwood, Graydon took time to settle in earning himself 27 league appearances and coming up with three goal contributions, however, this season has been the Irishman’s best of yet having already recorded 20 goals and assists in all competitions making him the main talisman for the club and certainly being one to watch for the future. His switch to English football has been impressive with his recent form proving to be decisive having netted in five games in a row prior to their defeat to Colchester including a brace against Notts County and a goal and assist in their 4-1 away win to Crewe.

Mathew Virtue-Thick:

Mathew Virtue-Thick joined Fleetwood in July 2024 after signing from Blackpool. Known for his ability to control the pace of the game, Virtue-Thick quickly cemented himself as a key player in Fleetwood's lineup this season with 32 league appearances. Alongside his vision and range of passing, Virtue-Thick has been a pivotal figure in front of goal netting 8 times in the league making himself the second top goal scorer from the club this campaign. Despite the challenges of Fleetwood's current season in League Two, Virtue-Thick’s performances have been noteworthy, stabilising the team’s midfield and showcasing his experience playing at a higher level for the majority of his career. His versatility makes him an essential name on the team sheet in years to come for the Cod Army as they strive for promotion.

Mackenzie Hunt:

Fleetwood Town signed the young midfielder and former Everton player Mackenzie Hunt on a two-year-deal in the summer after spending nine years in the academy on Merseyside. Hunt who has been a standout performer for the Fishermen this season joined Everton’s academy at six years old and was on the verge of breaking into the first team having been named on the bench 20 times under The Toffee’s former boss Sean Dyche.

The UAE international has become a fan favourite on the left midfield and has taken to life well in League Two with the step to professional football not seeming to come as a challenge for Hunt, being a consistent performer week in week out by making 32 league appearances and popping up with six assists including two against Walsall in their 2-0 win back in January.