Kayden Jackson’s sixth goal of the season saw Town to a 1-0 victory over Fleetwood at Highbury, stretching the Blues’ lead at the top of League One to four points. Jackson, who later missed a penalty, slammed home the rebound after a Luke Garbutt freekick had been saved in the 58th minute. Town were reduced to 10 men in injury time when James Wilson was dismissed for a second bookable offence but the Blues were able to hang on for their fifth away win of the season.

Boss Paul Lambert made one change with Luke Woolfenden coming into the side and Alan Judge dropping to the bench.

Woolfenden returned to his usual role on the right side of the Blues’ back three with Cole Skuse moving into midfield and Jon Nolan taking up the more advanced central role. Fleetwood were unchanged from the team which won 3-0 at Shrewsbury last week.

The home side created the game’s first opening in the sixth minute when Danny Andrew was played in down the left by Kyle Dempsey but his ball into the box was cut out by Town skipper Luke Chambers.

The Blues, with most of their 1,100 fans behind Tomas Holy’s goal on an old-fashioned terrace, defended that corner but a minute later from another flag-kick, this time on the right, Wes Burns headed wide at the near post.

Fleetwood had shaded a fairly scruffy opening quarter of an hour and on 19 Blues striker James Norwood was booked for a foul on Cod Army skipper Paul Coutts five yards outside the penalty area.

The freekick came to nothing and from the resultant goalkick Coutts joined Norwood in referee Carl Boyeson’s book for a foul on Nolan.

Town went close for the first time in the 23rd minute when Woolfenden found Garbutt with an excellent cross-field pass. The on-loan Everton man brought the ball into the area before hitting a low shot across the face of goal but just wide.

Kane Vincent-Young did well to turn a Lewie Coyle cross from the right wide of his own goal at the far post ahead of Andrew with the Blues still to get on top of the home side.

Chances had been few and far between at both ends - certainly less frequent than freekicks which had been a regular interruption - but on 36 Norwood threatened for the first time.

Kayden Jackson did well on the left and played back to Garbutt, who whipped the ball over to Norwood, who was unable to keep his header down.

Cole Skuse’s name was added to referee Boyeson’s book in the 43rd minute for a foul on Josh Morris as Fleetwood broke after a Town corner, Flynn Downes having slipped as he looked to hook back into the box.

Just before what had been a battling, evenly-contested half was brought to a close by referee Boyeson, Chambers intercepted a dangerous Ched Evans pass forward.

Town had fleetingly imposed their passing on the home side, who equally had had spells on top but with both defences having kept the game’s chances to a minimum.

Garbutt’s shot across the face and Norwood’s header over the bar were the pick of the opportunities at both ends.

Vincent-Young was replaced by Gwion Edwards ahead of the second half, the former Colchester man presumably having suffered a knock.

Town should have gone ahead a minute after the restart when an error from Jimmy Dunne allowed Norwood in on goal but the Blues’ number 10 shot the wrong side of Fleetwood keeper Alex Cairns’s right post. Four minutes later, Wilson was yellow-carded for a foul on Burns.

The Blues had another opportunity to go in front on 50 when Jackson used his pace to get on a loose touch from Jordan Rossiter just inside the Fleetwood half and took it into the right of the area. The former Accrington man looked set to shoot but instead cut inside towards Nolan but too far in front of the midfielder and the danger was cleared.

But the travelling Blue Army didn’t have to wait too much longer for a Town goal. Norwood was caught in the face by Harry Souttar’s arm 30 yards out and unsurprisingly Garbutt was the man given the ball for the freekick.

The left wing-back hit a shot which Cairns stopped down to his right but couldn’t keep out and, as was the case with the Blues’ second goal against Tranmere last week, Jackson was first to the loose ball and found the net off the keeper’s arm. The Town striker celebrated his sixth goal of the campaign with his team-mates in front of the large travelling support.

Town might well have been awarded a penalty in the 64th minute when Nolan and Rossiter collided as the midfielder looked to get on Norwood’s low cross from the right. Referee Boyeson may have felt that the ball had already passed both players when contact was made, otherwise it looked a very strong shout.

Two minutes later, the Blues made heavy weather of clearing their lines following a Fleetwood freekick with Souttar and Dunne both seeing efforts blocked. On 67 Evans volleyed wide from the edge of the box.

The former Sheffield United man required treatment not long afterwards after an aerial clash but was able to continue. While Evans was receiving attention, Norwood sat down, evidently feeling his ongoing groin problem, before gingerly making his way to the touchline. Danny Rowe took over playing off Jackson.

Evans was booked for a late challenge on Skuse before the game briefly erupted in the 73rd minute when Edwards fouled Coutts on the touchline and Andrew reacted. Downes tried to act as peacemaker as a number of players joined in the melee. Eventually referee Boyeson booked Edwards and Andrew.

Town looked to be denied what appeared a stonewall penalty in the 77th minute. Jackson burst into the area on the left and was felled by Souttar. Referee Boyeson awarded a goalkick with Jackson amazed at his decision. Souttar appeared similarly surprised with the pair subsequently exchanging grins, a relieved one in the defender’s case.

Fleetwood came close to an equaliser a minute later when sub Ashley Hunter nodded a deep cross from the right across goal and Evans was inches away from supplying the final touch at the opposite post.

Jackson saw a shot from a tight angle blocked following an overhit Garbutt corner from the right on 86 with the Blues seeing out the final minutes in relative comfort at that stage.

And two minutes later they were finally awarded a penalty when Jackson was felled by Dunne after being played in on the right of the box by Nolan, who had been the Blues’ most influential player in the second half. The Town number nine took the kick himself but scuffed it wide of Cairns’s left post, much to his frustration.

Fleetwood looked to put the Blues under pressure in six minutes of injury time but with the Town backline remaining resolute, preventing any serious chances.

However, three minutes into injury time Town were reduced to 10 men when Wilson was red-carded for a second bookable offence after fouling Paddy Madden. The defender will miss the next league game at Accrington.

Emyr Huws took over from Jackson for the final moments, before Nolan was added to the lengthy list of cautions for a foul.

Fleetwood continued pressing in the closing seconds, Holy confidently grabbing a cross before referee Boyeson confirmed Town’s third 1-0 away win in their last three games on their travels.

At the whistle, the players and staff celebrated with their now familiar hand-in-hand salute of their travelling support.

While not the prettiest of displays, the Blues did enough to claim the three points and will feel the scoreline ought to have been more comfortable given Jackson’s penalty miss and two other very decent claims for spot-kicks.

At the other end, Holy was never seriously tested with Fleetwood’s only really big chance Hunter’s knockdown which Evans failed to reach.

The win and Wycombe’s 3-3 draw with Peterborough means the Blues’ lead at the top of the division has increased to four points with a game in hand on the Chairboys.

Town's unbeaten run is now 11 league games since the beginning of the season - the best since 1980/81 - and 12 overall including the final game of 2018/19. Following today's game only Town and Liverpool remain unbeaten in the top four divisions, Coventry having been beaten 4-0 at Rotherham.

They have kept six clean sheets in their last seven league matches and have won seven of their last eight league games.

Town’s next game is against Gillingham in the Leasing.com Trophy at Portman Road on Tuesday with their next league fixture live on Sky in 15 days at Accrington Stanley.

Fleetwood: Cairns, Coyle, Andrew, Souttar, Burns, Dempsey (Hunter 77), Evans, Morris (Madden 59), Dunne, Coutts, Rossiter. Unused: Gilks, Clarke, Biggins, Sowerby, Sheron.

Town: Holy, Vincent-Young (Edwards 46), Woolfenden, Chambers, Wilson, Garbutt, Skuse, Downes, Nolan, Jackson (Huws 90), Norwood (Rowe 71). Unused: Norris, Huws, Dozzell, Judge, Georgiou. Referee: Carl Boyeson (East Yorkshire). Att: 4,312 (Town: 1,086).

Photo: Action Images

Barty added 13:21 - Oct 7 Great win - well done lads. JB is a moron who can only dream of having players of our quality.
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