Fleetwood Town bowed out of Sky Bet League One with a 3-0 win at home to Burton Albion at Highbury Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Goals from Carl Johnston, Pheonix Patterson and Ronan Coughlan backed up a fine defensive display including a clean-sheet on his EFL debut for David Harrington.
It was a slow start to the game as there was no clear-cut chances from the off, however with the first real attack of the game, Ryan Graydon countered into Burton’s half, where the forward played the ball into Johnston’s path - who struck perfectly into the top left corner for Town to lead with seventeen minutes on the clock.
The Brewers tried reacting to going one goal down, but Town’s backline stood firm allowing Fleetwood’s forward’s to gain momentum. With Graydon at the heart of the attacks, the next chance followed when he saw his strike from 30 yards out tipped just over the bar by Burton keeper Max Crocombe.
Fleetwood’s lead was then doubled on the half an hour mark as Patterson’s superb free-kick found the back of the net - the former Waterford FC star stood over the ball on the right side of the box and struck it into the top right corner, with help from the crossbar leaving Crocombe with no chance.
The first half quietened down in the Highbury sunshine, with Burton huffing and puffing, but couldn’t cause any damage to Harrington’s goal in the first period.
The play resumed in the second half, and Burton came out the traps quickest when Bobby Kamwa created a yard of space in Fleetwood’s box to get a shot off, but Harrington got down superbly to get a strong hand to it.
Ten minutes into the second half, Patterson again being a thorn in Burton’s side, crossed the ball in for the hosts, to defend where Promise Omochere got the initial contact but it couldn’t trouble Crocombe.
With twenty to go, Burton attempted to up their game, but a few over-hit passes meant their attacks fizzled out and Fleetwood dealt with any potential danger.
Fleetwood then tripled the advantage as Danny Mayor’s thread of the needle pass put Coughlan in a good position where he found the angle to slot the ball past the keeper, with Tommy Lonergan getting a touch - but whose goal was it?
With a three goal advantage, it was a fine block by Finley Potter - whose last-ditch block denied Mark Helm a one-on-one opportunity, and a mixture of those in red cleared any danger that followed to keep that clean sheet intacked.
There was no goal-mouth action that followed, but in eight additional minutes of added time, Fleetwood enjoyed a period of the ball for their final Sky Bet League One action - a proud way of bowing out of the division.
Cods XI: Harrington (GK), Johnston, Wiredu (C), Lawal (82' Dolan), Kilkenny (63' Mayor), Heneghan (7' Potter), Simons Quitirna, 90+8'), Graydon (63' Coughlan), Omochere (63' Lonergan), Rooney, Patterson
Subs not used: McMullan (GK).
Burton Albion XI: Crocombe (GK), Seddon, O’Shilaja (Brayford, 90+4'), Hughes (C), Sweeney, Harper (74' Nsiala), Bennett, Moon, Helm, Kamwa (63' Scott), Carayol (48' Hugill)
Subs not used: Blackman (GK), Ola-Adebomi, Gilligan.
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