‘The wind goes in all directions’: Fleetwood prepare wet welcome for Arsenal at Highbury

The headlines around Fleetwood Town are rarely about what happens on the pitch. Noteworthy elements include Jamie Vardy’s celebrated status as a former player, a partnership signed with a team in Uzbekistan and the owner Andrew Pilley resigning in 2023 after being convicted of fraud, for which he was jailed for 13 years. There is often something noteworthy going on in relation to the Fylde coast club.

It is no different this week, although this time football is taking centre stage as Arsenal head to Highbury Stadium on Tuesday for a Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against the League Two side. There is no link to the Gunners’ former home in Islington and the ground is a world away from what the visitors are used to, its capacity a fraction of the Emirates Stadium. The Championship side Sheffield United were deservedly beaten there in the previous round, unable to cope with their opponents or the conditions, but the Cod Army anticipate a sterner test from Mikel Arteta’s aristocrats.

Even against the Blades, the ground was less than half full but Tuesday will bring the venue’s biggest football attendance; the only other time it has sold out was for a fireworks display. The capacity is 5,300 and the stadium has four parking spaces, leaving Arsenal representatives to find alternatives on the street.

Fleetwood have a loyal local fanbase and occasions such as this can aid growth. Since the draw they have sold about an extra 200 season tickets to supporters keen to guarantee a place at the best show in town.

“It’s definitely the biggest game we’ve hosted, the Premier League champions at Highbury,” the club legend and assistant coach Nathan Pond says. “I think it’s just going to be a special night for everyone involved at the club.”

Pilley was the driving and financial force behind the club’s rise from non-league to a decade in League One, from which they were relegated in 2024. He handed the reins to his son Jamie, and some feel Pilley Sr’s absence has left a hole.

Away from high-profile managers including Uwe Rösler, Graham Alexander, Charlie Adam, Scott Brown and Joey Barton, a long-term project was growing in the background. Rösler and Barton were close to leading Fleetwood into the Championship, losing play-off semi-finals in 2016-17 and 2019-20 respectively. Defeat at Exeter last Saturday left the club 18th in League Two.

Matt Lawlor, the head coach since January, is an under‑the‑radar figure considering the names of some of his predecessors. He is a local who spent his playing career in non-league, representing Bamber Bridge for much of it. Lawlor has progressed from hard‑as-nails midfielder to impressive coach, spending time working for Manchester United’s foundation before joining Fleetwood’s respected academy. Regarded as a firefighter, he took charge for caretaker/interim spells at Fleetwood and their Irish sister club, Waterford, in between being part of the staff under Adam and Pete Wild, whom he succeeded.

At academy level, the club is aiding the careers of players and coaches. Bournemouth’s James Hill came through the ranks and the sale of Josh Feeney to Aston Villa in 2021 funded improvements that allowed the youth set-up to gain category two status. Three staff members have moved to Premier League clubs in recent months.

Fleetwood tried to establish global links beyond Waterford. In 2015, they announced their short‑lived partnership with Lokomotiv Tashkent, as part of which players were invited from Uzbekistan to Fleetwood for trial. They founded Fleetwood United in Dubai in 2021 but sold the club in 2024.

In South Africa they created Western Cape Fleetwood Football Club in 2021 and partnered with Hout Bay United Football Community a year later but are no longer involved with either project.

Fleetwood’s training ground, opened by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2016, is regarded as one of the best facilities in the EFL. The club make money from hosting touring youth teams there, as part of which matches against local academy and grassroots teams – including Fleetwood’s – are offered.

The training ground is open to the public, meaning fans can sit at the cafe and take in a session before chatting with the players about all and sundry, but mainly football. “The fans do come down quite a lot and interact with staff and players, which I think is important for a community football club like ourselves,” Pond says.

“There’s no barriers between us. I think that’s really important for the club we’ve come from, to maintain those things. Some of the loyal fans who come down to the training ground every now and then and go to every game, they’ve got an understanding and they’ve had conversations with the players. After a bad result, there’s no malice in it because they know the character of the lads.”

Being on a peninsula could make conditions interesting for Arsenal, with wind and rain predicted in the wake of Storm Boelo. “You can play the first half [against] the wind, come out for the second half and still be against it,” Pond says. “It goes in all directions.”

Pond made 498 appearances for Fleetwood across seven divisions between 2003 and 2018 before returning to be part of the coaching staff. His teammates in the Conference Premier included Vardy.

“I meet people on the street, people who know I used to play for Fleetwood,” Pond says. “The first question they ask is: ‘Did you play with Vardy?’ Even on the Vardy documentaries, Fleetwood gets a mention. He’s put us in the limelight.”

They are back there, for one night at least.