Lewis Warrington looks at home in Fleetwood.
At Highbury on Saturday, as he headed for the tunnel following his final warm-up drill, he checked his run to say hello to supporters waving for his attention. As the players lined up on the pitch before kick-off against Lincoln City he raised a ‘thumbs up’ to someone he had spotted in the crowd. After the final whistle he went to the home fans to be engulfed in congratulations.
Between those moments he played a decisive role in the centre of midfield. Combative and composed, he protected his centre backs while acting as a catalyst for many of his team’s most threatening attacks.
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“I’ve loved it”, the 20-year-old told the ECHO after Fleetwood’s 2-1 win. He added: “It has probably been the perfect loan up to now.” His words followed an eventful game in front of the Fleetwood defence that showcased his talent. Big challenges in both halves highlighted his willingness to be physical, a crunching tackle on the halfway line halting a late Lincoln attempt to find an equaliser. Most notable was his desperation for possession though. Warrington always wanted the ball, often made sure he was in space to receive it and, once he had it, was eager to play forward.
Warrington has felt the difference in League One from his stint at Tranmere Rovers during the second half of last season. As well as representing a step up in quality on the pitch, this second outing on loan has enabled him to learn from Fleetwood boss - and former Celtic and Scotland centre midfielder - Scott Brown. As a result, his development has continued.
He said: “I’ve enjoyed the games more. In League Two the ball is in the air more and it was going over my head a little bit too much. Here we try and get it down and play, and we do that against the big teams as well. I’ve loved it, it has probably been the perfect loan up to now. I’ve learned loads off the gaffer and his staff and have got loads better as a player in a positional sense... It’s been really successful. I’ve learned loads, how keeping it simple is sometimes best, playing quick and keeping it one-two touch then finding new spaces to get onto the ball, and also putting more tackles in and reading the game well and landing on second balls. My whole game has improved.”
A feature of Warrington’s performance at the weekend was how progressive his passing was. He sparked several attacks from his deep-lying position and started the move that led to his side’s opening goal. Warrington picked the ball up in front of his own box and threaded a pass through the Lincoln press to find Carlos Mendes Gomes just inside the visitors’ half. Warrington’s vision provided Mendes Gomes with the freedom to carry the ball deep into Lincoln territory and win the corner from which Fleetwood took the lead.
Playing the ball forward is something Brown and his backroom team want to see more of from Warrington - precisely because they know how useful his creativity can be for the side. Assistant manager Steven Whittaker said: “Lewis has been great. He is a great centre midfielder for us. He constantly wants the ball so for the moments when we try and play we know he never hides - he wants on that ball. He gets us through the thirds in a certain way and helps us build play. His stats and his work rate are second to none. He has been a big part of what we have done.”
Warrington is aware he needs to keep adding to his game, despite the praise: “That’s what I am still trying to bring into my game a bit more, to stop trying to play safe and to try and break lines more. The gaffer is always onto me about playing forward as much as I can, playing quickly and getting it to the 8s or playing it in behind more and that is what I need to do. I went through a spell where I was playing a bit too safe and I am trying to get over that and play it forward a bit more. To be fair I need to start adding more goals and assists, that’s the biggest thing but it will come in time, I just need to keep improving.”
There were further examples that suggested Warrington’s bravery on the ball is increasing. In the second half his through ball set Harvey Macadam free down the right. Macadam’s cross found Jayden Stockley, whose header brought a fine save from Jordan Wright. A dinked chip over the Lincoln defence later allowed Stockley to set up Jack Marriott, who could not quite find a way past Wright.
They were all promising signs from a player who has well and truly established himself in Brown’s starting line-up. This was Warrington’s 30th game in League One since joining the Cod Army on transfer deadline day last summer. After a pre-season in which he trained with the Everton first team and travelled on the pre-season tour to the US, there had been a buzz around the academy starlet. He played in every pre-season game and was part of the matchday squads for the opening match of the Premier League season against Chelsea and then the away trip to Brentford a few weeks later. His time under Frank Lampard, whose support he credits with having helped his development, then peaked with a senior debut in the Carabao Cup tie - a 1-0 win for the Blues at, coincidentally, Fleetwood. But when Lampard called him into his office and told him of the impending arrivals of Idrissa Gueye and James Garner, he knew what he wanted to do.
He said: “I couldn’t really have played in the Under-21s after I had just been on loan so if I wasn’t really getting a sniff in the first team I was going to go out. Frank brought me into his office on the day and said we are signing two midfielders so if you want to stay you can stay, but you can go on loan.“ Warrington chose to go on loan and has no regrets. Having spent a summer learning from one of the great midfielders of the Premier League era, getting further insight from the vastly-experienced Brown has been invaluable. The prospect of working with Brown was, indeed, influential in Warrington choosing Fleetwood ahead of the host of other sides keen for his signature. He said: “He was a massive part. I came to Fleetwood and he was telling me how the team plays and it was a no brainer… he has been really good to me. I have played most games so it has been good for my development.”
Warrington is yet to speak to Lampard’s replacement Sean Dyche but is in consistent contact with James Vaughan, who oversees Everton’s loan pathways programme. His thoughts are yet to seriously turn to the summer and his return to his boyhood club, though having clocked up almost 50 senior appearances across Tranmere and Fleetwood he has a taste for first team football. He signed a new contract last summer so will return to Finch Farm before assessing the next stage of his development in conjunction with Everton. That is for the future though. For now, he is intent on helping Fleetwood. Looking back on 15 months that have seen his development rocket through Football League exposure, included his Everton debut, and allowed him to learn from Lampard and Brown, he is well aware of the progress he has enjoyed. He said: “I’ve done well really. I was in League Two last year and I came back in pre-season really fit. I made my debut here [at Fleetwood, for Everton] and played really well, so it was really good. The journey I have been on is down to how hard I work behind the scenes and it has been really good.”
The staff at Fleetwood have been impressed too, Whittaker reflecting: “Lewis is an honest, hard-working lad so whatever is asked of him he tries to perform it on the pitch. He’s come here and down to his attitude, hard work and professionalism he has got his chance and he has taken it. The more minutes he can just keep racking up, playing and learning, he puts himself in a great spot, and then next season is down to him, can he reach the quality of that next level, there is nothing stopping him from going to that next challenge in his career, that will be down to him.”
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