In the fourth of our series looking at the new teams entering League Two this season, we turn our attention to Lancashire and Fleetwood Town.
Charlie Adam’s team were relegated after ten years in League One and there have been significant changes at the Highbury Stadium since we last shared a league meeting.
Here, we take a look at what Fleetwood will be bringing to the table when the season kicks off on August 10.
A Brief History
Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth iteration of a club originally formed in 1908. The original team won the Lancashire Combination in 1923–24 but resigned in 1928 due to financial difficulties.
Fleetwood Windsor Villa replaced them and won the Lancashire Combination Cup in 1933, 1934, and 1935. The club became a founding member of the Northern Premier League in 1968 but dissolved in 1976, reforming a year later as Fleetwood Town. They joined the North West Counties League in 1982, won the First Division championship in 1983–84, and reached the FA Vase final in 1984–85 before folding again in 1997.
Re-established as Fleetwood Wanderers in 1997, they won the North West Counties League First Division in 1998–99 and became Fleetwood Town in 2002. Under Andrew Pilley's ownership from 2004, the club saw rapid success, including promotions from the North West Counties League Premier Division (2004–05), Northern Premier League First Division (2005–06), and Northern Premier League Premier Division (2007–08).
They won the Conference National title in 2011–12, securing a spot in the Football League. In 2014, Fleetwood Town was promoted to League One after winning the League Two play-off final. However, they were relegated back to League Two in 2024.
Key Players
Fleetwood will line up a very different side to the one that finished League One last year. Key players like Jayden Stockley and Junior Quitirna have left the club, signing for Port Vale and Crawley Town, respectively, while Charlie Adam has also brought in some new faces.
Experienced defender James Bolton could be a key signing for the Cod Army. Bolton has experience at this level and higher, having played for the likes of Shrewsbury, Portsmouth, and Plymouth.
They have also brought in Cheltenham midfielder Elliott Bonds (pictured) as they seek to add some strength to their midfield.
Who’s the boss?
Former Premier League midfielder Charlie Adam is the man in the dugout for Fleetwood Town.
Adam was appointed as the club’s manager at the end of December and, despite his best efforts, was unable to keep The Cod Army in League One.
After retiring from the game in 2022, the former Liverpool and Stoke player was given his first managerial position when he was handed the Fleetwood role at the end of 2023. Adam took over the club when it was on a nine-game losing run that had seen them fall into the relegation zone.
Despite his best efforts in the second half of the campaign, Adam was unable to keep Fleetwood in League One, with relegation being confirmed in the penultimate game of the season. He will be hoping to find more success in his first full season as a manager.
The Stadium
Fleetwood Town play their home games at the Highbury Stadium. The stadium can accommodate 5,327 fans, with the away fans traditionally being placed on the terrace behind the goal.
The stadium has been around since 1939 but underwent considerable renovation in 2007 when previous chairman Andy Pilley decided it was time to push the team up the leagues.
Head-to-Head Record
Encounters with Fleetwood Town have been few and far between. In the Football League, we've only faced them twice, both during our inaugural season in the EFL. Our visit to Highbury Stadium took a dramatic turn when Robbie Wilmott received a red card, leaving us at a disadvantage.
Current Stoke manager Steve Schumacher capitalized on this, scoring a hat-trick as Fleetwood cruised to a 4-1 victory, with our sole consolation coming from a Chris Zebroski penalty. The other match ended in a goalless draw at Rodney Parade.
Last time out
There wasn’t much excitement in our last encounter with Fleetwood, which ended in a goalless draw back in March 2014. The game was sparse on chances, with Antoni Sarcevic nearly scoring for the visitors early on, and Ryan Burge coming closest for us with a powerful shot just over the bar in the second half.
The draw kept Fleetwood in contention for the play-offs that season, while County could only managed to secure a 10th placed finish, amid a poor run of form.