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Joey Barton believes Gerard Garner has a big future ahead of him after he came off the bench to score his first competitive goal for Fleetwood in their 4-1 win over Alfreton.
The 19-year-old capped off a comfortable victory for the Cod Army in the first round of the FA Cup, after a brace from Paddy Madden and Ash Hunter put the visitors in command.
And Fleetwood boss Barton singled out the youngster for special praise after he found the net in stoppage time – highlighting the hard work he has put in on the training ground.
“He has been pushing and doing really well, he is really maturing into a player that can have a big future at Fleetwood Town and that has come through hard work,” Barton said.
“He has got the ability – we have spoken a number of times about the fact he has the ability. He needs to get a bit sharper and a little bit fitter, but he is a young lad who is progressing nicely.”
Alfreton had their chances in the second half and grabbed a consolation through Jordan Sinnott’s superb free-kick from 25 yards, but manager Billy Heath could not help feeling disappointed.
“We knew it was going to be difficult, that we were massive underdogs, but our plan was to get to half-time, keep a clean sheet and hopefully ask a few more questions,” he said.
“The biggest disappointment is the goals we conceded. They did not have to do a massive amount to get the goals, but the most pleasing thing was the second-half performance.”
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