6 days Ago
GRAHAM Alexander could see the “fog” lifting as City’s defenders had their say. A dressing-room debrief was first on the agenda before the training week could begin. Alexander and his staff needed to pick the bones from that unreal afternoon at Swindon before knuckling down for the build-up to Easter.
But the players got there first – and he could not have been happier hearing their honest appraisal of the 5-4 body blow. “We spoke to the defenders in the meeting and they are brilliant lads,” said the Bantams chief. “They spoke first and were taking accountability saying they could have done this better and should have done that better.
“There was nothing about being down to 10 men for 70 minutes. It was, ‘on this cross, we should have done this’ or ‘we should have been in that position’. “That cleared my head straight away with the process of getting on with the next game.
“I’ve said it many times, that’s what I love about working with this group of players. “It was like a breath of fresh air having that meeting. These lads are honest, they’ve got integrity and they are ready to improve.
“They almost did the job that I thought I might have to. I didn’t have to do it.” Accountability has been a key component in the way Alexander has forged his squad.
He wanted players prepared to hold up their hands when things go wrong rather than pointing the finger. “What we’ve tried to do all the way through the season and preseason is focus on what we can control. “If there are things we can influence or can change, then we try to do them.
Antoni Sarcevic, left, scored three in a 5-4 win for Fleetwood 12 years ago (Image: PA) “But if there are other things, however unjust we feel they are, then we just have to focus on getting better. “That’s been a constant thing and why the players are not defensive in their appraisals of each other or themselves. They don’t try to hide away.
“I think that’s why we’ve put ourselves in this position and defensively, outside of Saturday, looked like a really strong unit. They’ve improved as a group and as individuals. “If we want to win and be successful, we have to get better.
It’s as simple as that. “Every person must do that, not just the players but I include the staff members and myself. That’s how we work.
” Alexander admits the wild encounter at the weekend is something he had never gone through before in management. Both manager and assistant Chris Lucketti were scratching their heads on the coach journey back from Wiltshire trying to find anything close. Their Fleetwood side won by the same margin against Mansfield in 2013 – with Antoni Sarcevic scoring a hat-trick.
“That was a mad result in terms of the scoreline but it didn’t have the incidents like Saturday,” he added. “I think that was a unique experience for us as a coaching staff and probably for the players and fans as well. “It was a result that wasn’t going to leave the system that quickly.
I said I’d put it to bed straight away after the game but I was lying. “It was a longer journey home but then you watch the game again the next day and get to work on Monday and it feels like a healing process. “You take stock of the result and the performance and what I love is getting back to work because that ultimately clears the fog.
“We’ve got another game to prepare for and your mind is focused on what’s in front of you. We drew a line under it straight away. “We had a quick debrief but it was very much focusing on the next game.
I know that’s the best way of getting over a disappointment.”.
