Everyone remembers their first job and, as a manager, Joey Barton's came at Fleetwood Town. On Saturday, he will face his old club for the first time since being sacked in January 2021 as Bristol Rovers host the Cod Army at the Mem.
Transitioning from playing to coaching, a learning curve for Barton began in 2018 at Highbury Stadium. The high point came just six months before he was sacked, leading perhaps the smallest club in the division into the play-offs.
Fleetwood were beaten over two legs by Wycombe Wanderers, the side that was promoted via the play-offs, and when the turn of the year arrived Barton was out of a job. Reflecting on facing his old club, he says there is no ill feeling and he remains thankful for his first opportunity in the dugout, but he does look back with a shade of disappointment about how things played out.
