Interim head coach Matt Lawlor will approach managing Fleetwood no differently than if he was in charge of Real Madrid after kicking off his tenure with a 2-1 triumph at Harrogate.
Lawlor, handed the reins until the end of the season following Pete Wild’s sacking, helped the Cod Army end a run of five straight losses thanks to goals from Ched Evans and Matty Virtue either side of Aiden Marsh’s 81st-minute equaliser for the bottom-of-the-table hosts.
Sub Virtue struck in stoppage time, leading Lawlor, who ended 2025 with a temporary spell at the helm of Fleetwood’s sister club Waterford, to laud the character he is demanding from his charges.
He said: “I only had one day to prepare the lads, but a big part of my first team meeting was to stress that we are representing a hard-working town and that has to be reflected by the football club.
“I want my team to play with high energy, desire and character and we showed bucket loads to come back from a late equaliser and win the game.
“I’d demand the same, though, if the badge on my tracksuit was Fleetwood’s, Waterford’s or Real Madrid’s.
“There was a million times more energy in that performance than we’ve seen over the past eight weeks, so that’s something to build on.
“We’ve had a tough six or seven games and I’m delighted for the lads that they’ve got that feeling back in the dressing room of what it’s like to graft for three points.”
Beleaguered Harrogate boss Simon Weaver saw his side extend their winless league run to 18 games following a ninth straight home defeat.
Sub Marsh, a January recruit from Truro, at least ended Harrogate’s 13-and-a-quarter-hour wait for a home league goal, having kicked off with a starting XI that had mustered just one EFL goal between them all season.
Weaver felt his inexperienced side belied their league position, though, and challenged them pull off Harrogate’s “biggest achievement as a club” by staving off the threat of relegation back to the National League.
“We didn’t look like a bottom-of-the-table team,” he argued. “We need to improve on one or two facets, but we’re not far off it and the players need to believe that because they can be proud of their performance.
“We’ve got a lot of young players and we can really help launch their careers, which I’ve taken great pride in doing here over the years.
“There’s no better learning ground than our current situation and it’s the biggest challenge we’ve had in the Football League but if we can get out of it with this group of players, it will be our biggest achievement as a club.”
On Marsh, Weaver added: “I really like his personality. He’s bright and gives us a spark.
“It was a fantastic goal in front of our fans, who will take him into their hearts, and I know he can score goals for us.”
