CITY’S left side worked a treat in the second half on Saturday at Fleetwood, but sadly the men in the middle failed to make the most of the good work down there from Lewis Richards, Bobby Pointon and Clarke Oduor.

Pointon himself came closer than anyone for City, with his late driven effort excellently saved low down by Fleetwood stopper David Harrington.

He got that chance after being moved forward into attacking midfield in the second half, after manager Graham Alexander made the unusual decision to start the Low Moor youngster at left wing back.

Pointon looked shaky there defensively, as the experiment that did not pay off, but the 20-year-old was dragging his team along at times after the break.

He will hope that excellent second-half display will allow him to get a full 90 minutes in his natural position when City travel to Colchester in their next League Two clash on Saturday.

Discussing an inspired Pointon in the second half with the T&A, Alexander said: “Bobby’s always like that and it’s what I love about him.

“You see it from him in training every day, he never leaves anything behind, it’s 100 per cent all the time.

“He’s got good quality, but he’s also intelligent enough to know that if we change the team or his position, he can pick it up.

“He’s a really good player, his will to win is always there, so it’s good to see those qualities in someone so young.”

Pointon’s best moments in the first half came in attack, when he linked up with another unusual selection in Richards, who was out of position to on the left side of a three-man defence.

Yet Richards was probably the one player on Saturday who was at a high level throughout the game, so much so that his performance might give Alexander something to think about regarding the heart of defence.

The boss said: “I thought Lewis was a standout, especially in the second half, stepping in, with how he defended and competed, as well as the composure he showed.

Lewis Richards appears to be improving defensively with each passing game, and he stood out for City at the weekend.Lewis Richards appears to be improving defensively with each passing game, and he stood out for City at the weekend. (Image: Thomas Gadd.)

“Fair play to him, because he was one of the players we had to change because of the suspension to Jack (Shepherd), as we wanted to keep that balance on the left and the right.

“He can hold his head high, and there are others too, but if we’re being honest and we will be with each other, the first half wasn’t at the level required.

“The players aren’t stupid, they knew that at half-time as well.”

Oduor came on for the start of the second half and made a huge difference, to the extent that the score might have been different had he played the whole 90 minutes at left wing back.

Alexander said: “45 minutes was probably Clarke’s maximum because of him being out injured for so long.

“He hadn’t trained with us for nearly three weeks until the other day, but as you said, I thought he, Bobby and Lewis combined really well down the left to get in behind Fleetwood’s defence.

“We should have scored at least one of those opportunities, without a shadow of a doubt, but it wasn’t to be.”