Fitness the key to Blues' late showing
8:17pm Saturday 2nd March 2013 in Latest Sport By Andy Carswell
Gareth Ainsworth
WANDERERS boss Gareth Ainsworth said he's reaping the rewards of a new fitness regime as his men claimed what he called 'a good scalp' against Fleetwood.
Scoring last gasp goals isn't something Blues fans were used to earlier in the season but Anthony Stewart's 89th minute header was the latest late winner Wanderers have conjured up to snatch more vital points.
The central defender's goal followed a late turnaround at Torquay on Tuesday to ensure Blues blotted out the memory of a three game losing sequence to seal back-to-back wins.
Ainsworth said a half time tactical rethink and his side's superior fitness were the reasons behind Fleetwood's downfall.
He said: "I thought Fleetwood shaded the first half if I'm honest. There were a couple of tactical things we needed - the way to press them, things that aren't there to the naked eye. Second half they had a couple of headers but apart from that they didn't really have anything.
"They didn't really trouble us second half and we finished really strongly. The group's fit and strong. I don't think we scored in the last 15 minutes of a game until about three weeks ago and now we can't stop doing that.
"It was awesome - the energy levels, coverage of the pitch, closing down. It's great to see."
He added: "At half time we needed to make a few minor adjustments and Anthony Stewart's come up with a great winner. I'm so pleased for him because he's worked really hard on his game."
Victory meant Blues sealed their third double victory of the campaign but it was arguably their most impressive achievement with the Lancashire side fighting it out for promotion.
Ainsworth said: "It was one of the best ones so far because Fleetwood are a strong side - very strong, very physical. They've got some players who've played at a higher level. They had aspirations of promotion at the start of the season, they've been in and around the play offs this season so I think it's a good scalp for us and probably a mark of how far we have come.
"People talk about when we played Dagenham and when we played these and that. I think today's a good marker because it was a tough game."
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