Alexander to warn missing men

Graham Alexander will tell Fleetwood's players who will be playing well ahead of the play-off final to minimize the disappointment.

Given this is his first full season in management, Alexander admits he has had to lean on his playing experiences when it comes to making decisions regarding his current position. And after playing over 1,000 professional games - and featuring in numerous play-off campaigns - the former Preston and Burnley defender has plenty of knowledge from a players' perspective. So, while ITV pundit Lee Dixon last week claimed it was wise to delay informing players they would not be playing at Wembley to avoid pre-match tension, Alexander argued that approach would be detrimental to the group. "I think the disappointment is worse the nearer to the game for the player," Alexander, whose side face Burton, said. "Sometimes I've left it until right before the game because of certain things - I might not have even decided myself - but, once I've decided then we will let the players know well in advance. "From my experience as a player of being left out, if it's done the day before the disappointment is massive but by the time it comes round to the game you've had 24 hours and you're supporting your team-mates. "Sometimes I think it's hard to do that if you do it at 1.30pm. Without a doubt you've still got it in your mind. We don't want that, we want 18 players in the changing rooms on Monday who are positive, focused and in support of each other." Only four of the players who started Fleetwood's first game of the season were also in the XI utilised in the play-off semi-final second leg against York. First-choice goalkeeper Chris Maxwell did not appear until February and the likes of winger Matty Blair, whose goal sent them to Wembley, have had spells out of the first team and away from the club on loan. "That's what we've had in the last two months of the season," Alexander explained. "As I said at the start of the season I see it as a squad game, I see them all equally, I don't judge them on anything else other than performances and how we need to win the game. "The team will always come first so whenever I drop a player or pick a player it's always for the benefit of the team. Hopefully the players have learned that over the season because, to be fair, apart from a couple, I think they've all been out of the team at certain points. "As I said at the start of the season, some will play 20 games, some will play 30, some will play 40 but if you're successful you will have played a part in it. "For the majority of the team the players have bought into it. There have been occasions where they have been upset, I was upset myself as a player but I always give them the air time to be disappointed with me. I want the disappointment to come to me from the player. "The hardest thing I have in my job is taking players out of the team and leaving them on the bench because I care about every single one of them, they've all played their part over the course of the season but, unfortunately, football's football and I can only pick 11."